Today it’s time for round two of my quick reviews, in which I will give a quick opinion about a few shows that aired in the Winter 2021 season.
Quick Review: Sk8
I talked about a few shows early on during the season, giving a first impression. Sk8 was one of these shows, and I think this show was the one that surprised me the least as the season went on. I liked inline skating as a young teenager, but I had many friends who enjoyed skateboarding, some of which were very good at it as well. Spoiler alert, I was never that good, but they were nice people and it was great fun hanging out in the skatepark. Sk8 the anime does kind of nail that feeling in a sense. It really feels like a fun community that all has the same hobby and is trying to have fun doing it. Obviously there was the villain, who was as over the top as he was good at skateboarding. This show is just fun. Shadow is a great comedic heel because he’s such a nice guy in his normal persona, Joe and Cherry bickering is fantastic and although I’m a straight man, Cherry definitely has a hot design. I’m just saying.
If you like skateboarding and just feel good shows with a bit of drama then I highly recommend giving Sk8 a watch.
Quick Review: Dungeon Boonies
Suppose a dense motherf**ker wanted to join the military but minor inconveniences keep getting in his way. I don’t think that’s the literal translation, but it’s accurate nonetheless. This show wasn’t amazing, didn’t do anything particularly new or reinvented the genre by any means. This show was just fun. The characters are fun, with all the girls having their own fun personality, the plot is fun with silly problems that are way below the main character’s paygrade. Lloyd is the textbook definition of overpowered, which is why he’s mostly kept on the sideline. The actual story later on doesn’t really do it for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed the character interactions and humor. Not the best show to air this season, but definitely worth watching it if you’re bored and need a quick laugh.
Quick Review: Horimiya
I mentioned this earlier in the season, but I didn’t know too much about Horimiya before this anime season started. Apparently the manga was super popular, but that’s all I knew about it. I was really, really pleasantly surprised by this show. Horimiya tells the stories of a few high schoolers from becoming friends, developing relationships, experiencing rejections and then in the end graduating. From what I heard the story skips quite a bit of material so it can fit the ending in one season, which means I might have to check out the manga at some point. I really like the characters in this show, they’re all super likable in their own way, and the titular Miyamura and Hori steal the show. If I have one complaint about this show it’s the fact that, spoiler alert, Miyamura ends up cutting his hair. I liked that he looked very different from your average protagonist in a way. Nonetheless, this show was a joy from start to finish and the colorful cast will remain memorable for a long time I think.
Today we’re reading volume 3 of The Ancient Magus bride. I’ve been really enjoying this series so far, and I hope that those of you who have been reading along with me agree. What better way to start this volume than with another instance of Silky’s diaries. She likes pranks, refuses gifts and is mostly unseen. These are good things to know in life, honestly they should be taught in schools.
Moving on. Let’s get a quick recap out of the way, because this volume jumps right back into the action. Last time Chise and Elias went to a church to check out a strange beast. Very quickly it turned out that there was more going on, and the previous volume ended on Chise getting hurt and Elias getting… quite angry. The first two chapters of this volume continue this arc, with the boy that’s tormenting them revealed to be Cartaphilus, or Josef. The latter being a lot easier to remember, so that’s probably the one I’ll be using to refer to him. He and his creation get into a fight with a very angry Elias while Chise sees the past of Ulyses and Isabelle, which is a sad story. I get a feeling we’re in for a lot of sad stories throughout this manga. Isabelle unfortunately died young and Ulysses has not been able to let go, staying by her grave waiting for her to wake up. Chise rushes in to stop Elias from going even more berserk and Renfred executes Josef. Well, that’s what it looks like, but we very quickly learn that Josef can regenerate that amount of damage no problem. Renfred has no chill though. They jump away from the crazed Josef with the help of an adorable and diligent Will o’ the wisp. Josef follows, but after Chise makes a pact with Ulysses, renaming him to Ruth, Josef loses interest and leaves. They then head home. What a rollercoaster of emotions in this arc, I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next.
Luckily things slow down a little bit as Elias is holed up in his room for a while returning to a more stable form, and Silky kicks Chise out for a spot of shopping. She quickly finds Angelica and they have a quick chat about her magic and how it works, as well as her unhealthy dependence on Elias. Angelica has a point and Chise knows this, which is why she gets so upset about it. She’s still a 15 year old girl, and although this is a fictional story, most of the kids that age I’ve taught are more interested in Apex Legends and Fifa than anything remotely responsible. Then again, their upbringing, although not always amazing, was most likely not nearly as dark as Chise’s. She then goes to check in on Elias who is still not quite in his humanoid form, and she spends the night in his room to support him. Definitely a scary visage, but Chise does not seem bothered by it. She wakes up the next morning in her bed. So far I’m enjoying this volume. We got a very satisfying conclusion to the arc at the church and with a clear villain in the picture now, who clearly has some issues of their own, it seems to be heading towards another confrontation. Chise has seen Josef in visions twice now, so perhaps they have some sort of strange bond because of it? That or Josef was just everywhere and he’s super popular. Go Josef.
Now it’s been a little while since I’ve seen the anime, so I had completely forgotten about this sweet little story that came next. Chise and Ruth are trying to find Elias, who has left to, let’s say, reassemble his form. On their way they come across Joel, an old man who has a leanán sídhe with him. She is, according to Ruth, a parasite who gives people inspiration in return for their life force. It’s strange that she’s with an old man like Joel though, since there isn’t much to gain for her. We quickly learn that she simply fell for him, although is not quite willing to admit it. Chise then reads the old man’s story, which makes him very happy. I get it Joel, it’s fun writing a story, but it’s so much better when other people read it. We quickly move on and just after Chise and Ruth find Elias, Lindell calls for her visit and a dragon swoops in to escort her. Chise is so busy that I get tired just thinking about it.
The last little arc of the volume consists of some foreshadowing about Chise’s future, as well as her trip to Lindell. She’s supposed to go there to get her own wand from Nevin’s tree. Lindell quickly learns that Chise knows less about mages than he even expected and he starts telling her a story. I can’t wait to see where this is going. The manga seems to regularly touch upon themes of humans (ab)using the earth for its resources. Like how people grew so common that the dragons had to hide, or how the earth was once not cracked for oil. I think it’s a good theme to have for stories, and one that’s being used more often than not.
An example I particularly like is the different morals that certain characters have in Dr. Stone, in respect to if people should be brought back from extinction, and if so, who makes the choice who lives and dies, and how. But I digress. Volume 3’s cover shows the will o’ the wisp on the back of the volume, as well as Chise, Elias and Ruth near the water. The rain from the last volume seems to have gone, showing that this volume starts heading to a little less dark material. But what do I know, maybe the author just made pretty drawings without more meaning and called it a day. I failed my literature classes in uni several times before passing them. I hope you enjoyed this volume as much as I did.
Next week there will be a break as I’m very busy sorting out my health issues at the moment. There will be less content than normal. The week after that I will be back with a new chapter of The Necromancer’s Daughter on Monday (26th) and a new volume discussion of The Ancient Magus Bride on Friday (30th). Thanks for your understanding and have a nice weekend!
There have been a ton of anime coming out lately, including many very good shows. I want to look at a good amount of them, but that would take too much time, so I decided to look at three shows in one. I won’t keep you much longer, let’s start with the first one.
Quick Review: Heaven’s Design
Heaven’s design was very cute. It had bright colors and a fun premise that’s similar to something I wanted to explore in a short story I’m workshopping. (this would focus more on the creation process of humans and making errors and I’m boring you, aren’t I). Either way, a company is contracted by god to create animals for him because god was bored and didn’t want to do it himself. The thing that stood out for me the most is that this show has a trans character and it’s not even a plot point. It’s just how it is, and no one questions it. That’s the kind of representation we need to see more of in anime. Respect everyone for who they are folks, it’s the easiest nice thing we can do. This show didn’t blow me away but it was nice to watch, and I would recommend it if you’re looking for something cute.
Quick Review: Hortensia Saga
This show was not good. I’m sorry, but it just wasn’t. The characters were very bland, the story was all over the place and the writing was just… not good. I drop most bad shows, but I felt like I could learn something from this one, so I kept watching it. I don’t think I learned much in the end. To summarize the story, the kingdom of Hortensia gets overthrown by an evil priest and the crown princess, Marielle has to hide and pretend she’s Marius, a boy. No one in her posse realizes she’s actually a girl even though she looks like a girl. Her perfect disguise was binding her long hair. Brilliant move. They eventually start the fight to get back the kingdom and succeed right at the end. There is an interesting twist at the end that I won’t spoil, but that was my favorite moment of the show. It would be curious if I had any faith they would get a sequel, but I doubt they will. I wouldn’t recommend this show.
Quick Review: Otherside Picnic
I don’t like horror. I wrote a horror story last year which you can read here, but honestly it wasn’t too good. It’s a genre I tend to avoid. I get spooked easily so I avoid things that can scare me. I still worry slightly in the dark like I’m not a 28 year old man. Otherside Picnic wasn’t too scary though, which I appreciated. It was more in the realm of creepy and unsettling, which I can appreciate more. The show follows two college students who explore a place called the Otherside. There’s strange monsters that live here and make their life difficult, but they still keep going back. I believe it’s loosely based on an old novel, which also had a game based off of it. Not my favorite show of the season but I think it’s still worth a watch. I like shows with characters that are slightly older. The same was true for Heaven’s Design. High school students have been overdone, and that was a lot more interesting when I was younger. Now I feel like a boomer who can barely relate half the time. Am I getting old?
These three shows were not anywhere near my top 5 this past season, but that’s mainly because the season was absolutely stacked. With Attack on Titan, Slime, Dr. Stone, Jujutsu Kaisen and more it is unlikely we’ll ever get a season as filled with bangers. Thanks for reading, and I hope you leave a comment and a like.
It’s raining. (I couldn’t find a high-res picture, but I think this is still better than a photo)
Hello everyone! Did you find the time to read volume 2 over the past week? I had to go to the doctors and I’ve been sleeping a bit poorly, so I often chose to let myself be distracted by video games instead of reading and writing. That, and the looming deadlines for essays for uni took a lot of energy. Luckily those are all behind me now (for better or worse) for a while and I can focus on reading and writing again. (and games, let’s not fool ourselves). Either way, I’m reading the second volume as I’m writing this, so let’s jump straight into it.
Chapter 6 picks up right where we left off last volume with Chise being taken hostage by Renfred and Alice. Renfred taunts Elias without much success. Chise, the king of cats and the Ariel then dive into the blights, seeing a brutal scene from many years ago. It turns out Matthew, desperate to save his wife from her disease, made a deal with a very bad person. He ended up slowly going insane, killing many cats for a potion that didn’t end up working. Mina became the center of the blight and the cats as well as Matthew ended up being pushed in that direction as well. As some of you are well aware, I love cats. I had a great red cat for years and after he had to be put down we immediately got a new kitten, who is sleeping behind me as I’m writing this. Reading these scenes was heartbreaking. We also get a bit more insight into Elias’ personality and plans with Chise. Apparently he doesn’t plan to just let her die in a few years and he has a plan. I hope for his sake that it works out. He seems like he’s carrying some scars of his own, and Chise is excellent at spotting them.
Those who kneel to the one who condemned the fruit of paradise as evil are not welcome.
Titania, the queen of all things Fae is introduced and immediately shows that she has no patience for outsiders, sending Simon away. She seems to have a soft spot for Elias though. Her husband on the other hand is more of a force of chaos. Oberon seems to be a weird one, strangely pushy and suspiciously masochistic. (I don’t judge.) They watch as Chise finally wakes up from her long sleep with a bit of their help. They invite Elias and Chise to come visit them in their realm, but they pass on the offer, knowing they will be stuck there. They then head home to Silky who has food prepared.
Umbrella ready to go
We then saunter into the last arc of this volume at a leisurely pace. It’s the last chapters already, these volumes fly by. Here Elias and Chise go to visit an old church and the attached graveyard. I recently learned that a graveyard tends to be adjacent to a church whereas a cemetery just means a burial ground, and can be anywhere. Isn’t linguistics fun? Either way, they go to check if a recently spotted black dog at the church is dangerous, and they quickly find out that this is not the case. The dog seems to be just as much of a victim as the nearby deceased woman, both having similar wounds. Then things quickly spiral out of control with Alice showing up, as well as the kid alchemist that was in Chise’s vision of the past, as well as the one who has been threatening Renfred. Alice tells Chise and Elias a little bit more about what is going on with them, but then they get rudely interrupted by said kid who tries to attack Alice but instead hits Chise who jumps in to protect her. They then casually taunt Elias who for the first time in the series is showing some more proper emotions. And they’re not pleasant emotions.
I have to say I once again really enjoyed this volume, the art still being just as beautiful. The subject matter of this volume is a lot darker, which I think the cover art reflects nicely. It shows Elias and Chise hiding from the rain under shadowy thicket. Luckily the back of the volume shows that Silky is already on her way with an umbrella, and I bet Elias can just hide in Chise’s shadow to stay dry. Is that how it would work? Or if the rain hits Chise’s shadow does it also hit Elias? I don’t need sleep, I need answers.
Either way, this cliffhanger has me looking forward to next week’s volume.
When the first season of Tensura came out I enjoyed it quite a lot. I thought it was a very solid isekai show and I was happy to see it was getting a sequel. What I did not expect was that amongst a season filled with some of the best anime in recent memory, it would still become my favorite. Today I want to take a moment to review the second season for those of you who are still on the fence about it, and explain why I put this show above other shows like Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen. (Both of which are also amazing by the way). Be aware that this review contains spoilers about the entire second season.
Let’s start this review right then
Slime picks off right after the first season. A delegation of beast folk from Eurazania (I kept wanting to write Eurasia) arrives for some lighthearted combat and politics. The first few episodes focus on strengthening the bonds with other nations, as well as introducing some new otherworlders that work for the Kingdom of Falmuth. They’ll come into play later on this season, so they’re important. Rimuru has to finish up his teaching job in the city as well before he’s able to go back home.
You’re not wrong Gobta
Right around when Rimuru is heading back, things start to go wrong. People show up in Tempest and start making trouble in the neighbourhood. With the use of some betrayal and powerful anti-magic barriers, the troublemakers quickly get the upper hand when the Falmuthian army appears and starts slaughtering people.
Rimuru is stuck as Sakaguchi Hinata, Shizu-san’s Senpai treats him as the monster who killed her and tries to kill him. She is not very successful, but she is a dangerous foe and stalls Rimuru for long enough that things go really, really wrong at Tempest. I won’t go into spoilers too much for the few of you who still want to watch this show, but I’m not often this shocked by shonen. Meanwhile Hinata is overpowering Rimuru who has to pull out all the stops to survive her attacks and get away with his life.
She’s definitely in a league of her own
The survivors then gather up in Tempest and Rimuru learns of a way to possibly revive the people they lost. Here we get some of Milim’s tragic backstory which I thought was very cool, and we start seeing a darker side of Rimuru. Rimuru definitely started out like every shonen protagonist does. A good guy, who wants to see the good in everyone and give everyone a chance at redemption. That arguably hasn’t changed too much, but what I really appreciate about his character is that he learns. It reminds of the great saying “If you want a tolerant society you can’t tolerate the intolerant.” It fits nicely in this scenario with Falmuth not tolerating the monsters which becomes enough of a problem for Rimuru and his friends that Rimuru decides to fight back properly. No shonen protagonist friendship is magic that we see far too often (yes, even my favorite manga One Piece is guilty of this), but actual consequences. If Rimuru kills 10.000 people he has a chance of bringing his fallen friends back.
They messed up bad
I’m not a big fan of bringing back characters from the dead because I think it’s often done poorly. Actions have consequences and to quote everyone’s favorite Fate character: “People die when they are killed.”
That doesn’t mean reviving characters can’t be done well. There needs to be a price paid. In this case, that price is the lives of 10.000 human soldiers as well as Rimuru’s humanity. He still sees himself as a human on the inside, owed to his previous life. Killing 10.000 people will probably lay heavy on his heart. We see a lot of this in episode 10, which I talked about in this post. It is one of my favorite episodes of anime in a long time, and I think it’s a masterclass at show don’t tell. Rimuru’s emotions are very visible to me, even if he’s wearing a mask to cover his face. Kudos to the animators, I’ve seen the episode 3 times now and I still get chills.
Chills, one of the coolest moments in all of anime
To top it off, we have a very satisfying end to the first half of this season with some new enemies making themselves known. The final episode is very funny, with the banter between Rimuru and his newly upgraded great sage: Raphael being top-notch. And finally, the episode caps off with the return of everyone’s favorite tsundere dragon: Veldora. I can’t wait to watch the second half of this season in 3 months from now, as well as rewatch the entire thing when that ends. It’s brought me much joy and I highly, highly recommend all of you to check it out.
Raphael has the best banter!Oh Dear
But that’s my opinion on this show. Do you have a different opinion, or is there something you would like to add? Please leave a comment down below and don’t forget to like and share.
Here’s everyone’s favorite disclaimer: this review contains spoilers for Dr. Stone Season 2 as well as the season 3 trailer.
It’s review season. The Winter 2021 season is nearing its conclusion and several big name shows are ending. I’ll try my best to look at a good chunk of them in the upcoming weeks, so expect a few more posts than normal. I don’t plan to do this for every season, but there’s so much to talk about right now that it would be a waste not to do so. Let’s start it off with a show that I really enjoyed. The doctor will see you now.
The season starts off with a plan. Tsukasa’s camp has a lot of people that aren’t aware that some of the luxuries they enjoyed before petrification aren’t as much in the past as they might think. Gen has the brilliant talent to mimic the voice of Lillian and sing her songs. That way they hope to convince some of the people in Tsukasa’s camp to join their side instead. It’s a good plan, but they run into a die-hard fan immediately who is able to figure out the trick immediately. Talk about terrible luck, Senku-kun. Niki is a pretty decent person though, and the idea that she can listen to her favorite singer once more has convinced her. I loved this little arc. Niki became one of my favorites. I’m a big fan of music, listening to some as I’m writing this. Music is such a magical phenomenon that i can’t really put in words how much it’s helped me through rough times. It’s why we get so attached to certain bands. Seeing Niki cry because she could listen to her music once more was heartwarming, and I’m tearing up as I’m writing this.
America Desu!
With the plan well on the way, and Taiju and Yuzuriha trying to convince more and more of the people in Tsukasa’s camp to join their side, team Chrome runs into some trouble. They’re scouted by Ukyou, who manages to capture Chrome. He does leave some of the truth of the events out when reporting to Tsukasa. With Chrome a captive, Senku and team science get ready to free their friend and capture the miracle cave from Tsukasa. The middle part of this season spends time with them preparing as well as Chrome going through some hijinx while in captivity. He’s such a fun character.
Chrome is such a badass
And what brings home the threat of science more than a freaking tank. Of course they’d get a tank, it’s Senku. With the tank ready they make their way to Tsukasa’s camp. I’ll avoid talking too much about the confrontation with Tsukasa and Hyoga, to avoid spoiling the entire show, but I found it a very satisfying conclusion to the show. Chrome rejoins his friends as they get ready for the clash.
Not to be confused with regular gorilla; Kohaku
This season of Dr. Stone was just as good as the first season, and arguably even better. I have the first volume of the manga on my shelf behind me, and I’ve been considering buying more. With the announcement of season 3 coming right after this season finished I might wait a bit longer and watch that first. I do like going into anime blind, because if I read the manga first the charm isn’t quite there for me. Having said that, it’s definitely a manga I’d add to my collection eventually. Speaking of the announcement for season 3, people have already called the next season Dr. Stone: One Piece edition, and rightfully so. They’re building a ship to cross the ocean. I love sailing and pirates, so that arc should be an absolute joy. Not to mention the outfit designs shown in the trailer. Absolutely amazing.
All things considered, Dr. Stone season 2 was a very solid shonen anime that tugged at your heartstrings here and there, but also managed to be very funny. One of the better shonens of this time, and that’s saying a lot with some of the amazing stuff airing alongside it. This anime passes with flying colors. How exhilarating.
I swear, Kaseki is more beard than person.I love the bright colors used hereOh captain, my captain.
Getting the obvious out of the way; this review will contain spoilers for the entire season. If you’re here to figure out if you should watch it: I recommend giving it a shot. It’s flawed in ways, but it has a lot going for it too.
I went into Mushoku Tensei fairly blind. I had seen that it was apparently a fairly old Isekai story that finally got adapted, but that’s about all I knew about it. The first few scenes were a bit uncomfortable, with a rather strange birth scene and some strange perverted inner thoughts. I’ve been watching anime for over a decade, so I’m used to some pervertedness here and there. As a teenager I thought this stuff was funny, as someone in their late 20s I barely tolerate it. But it wasn’t too bad, and I like Isekai when done well so I was definitely willing to look past this point.
This set the tone for the show pretty early on.
We learn pretty quickly that these are Paul and Zenith, Rudy’s parents. Rudy, or Rudeus is reincarnated from (presumably) modern-day earth to a fantasy world. The first half of this story takes place in his hometown, with Rudy slowly growing up until a young teenager. The first half of the show has a few questionable moments and sex is definitely a big theme in this story. Rudy is an incel by every definition of the word, and doesn’t really realize anything wrong with his behavior. He steals his teacher’s underwear, constantly leers at the family’s maid and even, albeit accidentally, assaults his friend. He was under the impression that it was a boy and not a girl, which makes it slightly less awful? I think? I don’t know, it’s a questionable moment regardless, but credit where credit’s due, he realizes what he did was wrong here.
He also points out his fathers awful behavior, and this is one of the things I did really like from the early show. Paul is kind of a scumbag, and the show addresses this properly. Which is why I think it’s that much more frustrating that the show is less willing to address Rudy’s behavior more properly. Grooming a little girl to marry is not okay, even if you have the body of a child as well. Eventually, about four episodes in, the dynamic changes when an old friend of Paul shows up and kidnaps Rudeus. With Paul’s permission of course, because that’s definitely a Paul thing to do. Either way, Rudy now has a job teaching a spoiled nobleman’s daughter.
Yup, she knows Paul alright.
The second arc follows Rudy in his endeavors to try and get the nobleman’s daughter in line and it’s definitely a challenge. Eris is very strong willed, but Rudy shows some promise here as he tries his best and doesn’t give up in the sight of challenge. I say he shows promise, but one of the more disappointing moments of the show happens during this arc. Rudy sexually assaults a girl barely 10 years old. Some have argued that he’s a child himself, but it’s important to remember that not only is he mentally an adult, he also comes from a world in which this behavior is not accepted. I’m an advocate for art and media to push boundaries, and I don’t think this scene is problematic per se, but I would have liked for the show to do more with it. Rudy doesn’t really seem to learn that his behavior is incorrect, and I would have appreciated it if he did.
Yeah, I had to rewatch this scene to capture this screenshot and it was worse than I remembered.
The third arc is where the story picks up, and I’ll avoid talking too much about it, for those of you who have yet to see it. A strange magical object appears in the sky and after a little while Rudeus and Eris are teleported to a strange place. They meet a strange man who is willing to help them get home. We’re past the introduction of the story, and well on our way to the more action packed parts. Rudeus and Eris both show off their skills here and Rudy also quickly learns that there’s much he still has to realize. Life isn’t easy, and being too cocky can cost you. There’s also the question of what this strange magic was, and what the mysterious god has in store for Rudy.
You’re not wrong
Conclusion
I think Mushoku Tensei is a good show with lots of potential. As far as I’m aware, the studio that’s working on it has plans to adapt the entire story, which is a very good sign. The animation has been solid throughout and the art is very well drawn. The world feels well-built and I’m very curious to know what’s actually going on. Does the show have problematic moments?
Yes, it certainly does. Sexual assault of a minor is terrible, and it’s really put a blemish on the show in my opinion. I hope they address this in a later arc, because when you include a scene like that, I feel like there should be a message. There was no message here. He did what he did and then went on with his day as if there was nothing wrong with it. Ignoring that moment, I do recommend the show. I had a blast watching most of it, and I think it’s telling a very interesting story with lots of cool worldbuilding.
I don’t really give ratings to shows because I’m awful at being objective. (I know, that’s a terrible trait for a teacher). I would give Mushoku Tensei a passing grade though. How about you? Do you agree with my review, or do you think differently about the show? Please leave a comment and share this review with your friends, it would really make my day!
Edit: Curious what I think about this show after season 2? Click here (spoilers for season 2)
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken 2nd season – Episode 11.
Remember when Slime was still innocent and fun?
When I woke up this morning I had my Top 5 One Piece Openings post ready, and uploaded it as scheduled. With that out of the way, I went about my day. During lunch I put on the latest episode of Slime (to avoid typing a novel every time). I’m not an episode reviewer. Other people do a much better job at this, I generally like to look at an overall theme and write about that, more so than what happens in an episode. I do love reading them, and some of the bloggers I follow write episode reviews pretty much daily. But this particular episode hit me on a different level. In an extremely potent anime season in which all the hype seems to be centered around Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen (which are both absolutely amazing) let’s have a look at my sleeper favorite of the season for a moment.
The episode starts off where we left off last week, with the different teams getting ready to take down the crystals that are causing the anti-magic barrier around Tempests. This goes about as well as expected, with Benimaru, Gabiru and Souei taking out the first three without a hitch. Gabiru shows his that behind the jokingly incompetent facade is still a very strong monster that knows how to fight properly. We then move to the last crystal, where the otherworlders are about to have a very rough day. Geld, Rigur, Gobta and Hakurou are the only ones who show up, with the two hobgoblins making quick work of the unnamed soldiers. The two fights that follow are cool, but I don’t want to spend too long on them, since I want to get to the really good part. Hakuou makes quick work of Kyoya, and leaves him to suffer as a headless husk for a short moment while his thought acceleration wears off. Do not mess with this grandpa, just trust me on that one.
Pick your battles wisely, or you’ll end up in this scenario.
We then move to Shogo’s fight versus Geld. Geld has the demeanor of a rock, and isn’t in a hurry to get anything done while Shogo is actively taunting him and being his nasty self. Overconfident he goes in on Geld where he gets hit with the rot ability and very quickly we can all see which way this is going. Shogo, desperate to survive, then turns on Kirara, who has been asleep inside a tent. He decides to kill her to gain extra power. Kirara calls for her mother distraughtly. She was far from a good person, but no one deserves to go down like this, betrayed by your own allies. Geld and Hakuou seem to agree, since they show absolutely no mercy to Shogo, and beat the ever living crap out of the guy. Lucky for him, his boss is there to save his hide, and they retreat after a quick show of power. Luck isn’t on Shogo’s side long, as he gets killed immediately, his body to be used by his former employer, Razen. Confident, they get ready to report to the king, while in the sky the main part of this story is getting ready.
And this is the part of the episode that made me want to write up this piece. Rimuru is up in the sky, looking down on the enemy’s camp. There’s already sadness to him, but this only gets through more as he puts on the mask. I love masks, I think they’re an excellent narrative tool when used properly, and Slime is an absolute masterclass in doing so. Even on the verge of committing genocide, Rimuru still gives off the feeling of being hesitant. He puts an anti-magic barrier around the town and starts his big army-demolishing attack: Megiddo. Little balls of slime, which are assumed to be water by the soldiers, appear all throughout the camp. Within a short moment the scene turns from calm before the storm into what basically looks like a deadly rave. Deadly needles of slime pierce through the soldiers while the Great Sage casually rattles off the death count. I know it’s an animated show, and the mask completely covers Rimuru’s face. Regardless of that, I honestly believe that I can see the sadness in him. Never before have I seen so much emotion coming from someone who by all accounts has an emotionless demeanor.
I can’t explain it well, but there’s so much sadness in this picture.
And the soundtrack. Oh my word, the soundtrack that’s playing when all of this happens just sells it. It’s a beautiful slaughter of thousands and thousands of people, most of which probably deserved a lot better, and the entire scene is just dripping with sadness and regret. Regret that it had to come to this at all, but also the conviction to see it through. It’s merciless and merciful, beautiful and ugly, just and undeserved, murder and revival all at the same time. It’s brilliant and easily my favorite episode of anime in recent months, if not recent years.
This is just art, and will be my wallpaper for the forseeable future!
Let me know if you liked this episode as much in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
I know my Friday posts are reserved for manga related content, and some of it has been more about anime than manga, but there is other content coming, don’t worry. I just wanted to get this post out because the manga is so dang good.
I believe we’re all familiar with the concept of waifus and husbandos. It’s 2021, get with the times. These are characters who we like. Either we like their design, their personality, or something they stand for. Some of us see it as fun banter, some take it a lot more serious. Either is honestly fine in my opinion. If it makes you happy and doesn’t hurt anyone else in the process, then good on you. For me personally, calling someone a waifu is my way of expressing that it’s a character I like. And somewhat recently, when the anime Wave, listen to me! aired, I added Koda Minare to this list. Let’s delve into why I did so, and what this says about the anime and manga she is from.
Wave, listen to me! is the story of a young woman working at a curry shop. One night, she gets very drunk at a local bar and complains about her ex-boyfriend to a random stranger. The stranger, Mato, turns out to be a radio show producer, who uses her ramblings in one of his next radio shows. Minare finds out about this while working at the curry shop and makes a run for the studio. Being understandably angry with Mato, she threatens to sue him for using her voice without permission, only for her drunk self to have given him written permission on a napkin. You did this to yourself Minare.
That’s the spirit!
To make a long story short, after some convincing from Mato that she has a talent for ranting on the radio without stuttering, she decides to work with him. Working at a curry restaurant isn’t her true passion in life, and she’s very good at talking, so this might suit her. The story then follows her as she starts off as a radio host, her coworkers are snarky, and her roommate is so adorable she wants to make her a happy woman. There’s romance involved as well, and even some intrigue surrounding a new coworker at the curry place. Turns out beginner radio doesn’t quite earn you a living wage immediately, so Minare has to spend a little while longer working at the Voyager curry shop.
Now all of this is interesting in and of itself, and a big part of the supporting cast is interesting in their own way. Mato is a snarky boss who knows what he’s doing after years of experience. Kureko is the gloomy script writer that’s the backbone of the show. Nakahara, Minare’s coworker at Voyager, is a very honest and kind man, although he definitely is chasing the wrong woman in this scenario. And Mizuho is precious. She’s like a precious ray of sunshine filled with innocence and kindness. Some part of me wants Minare to make Mizuho into a happy woman eventually, but it looks like Mizuho has her sights set on someone. I won’t go completely into spoiler territory on this end.
As good as the supporting cast is, this story would be a mediocre drama show at best without Minare. Voiced by Sugiyama Riho, known from smash hits like Conception and Ishuzoku reviewers, she absolutely nails the character. Minare does not give a f**k. That is very clear from the very first cover of the very first volume. She’s living life her way, isn’t afraid to say what’s on her mind, and gets the job done. Her attitude is a breath of fresh air in a media where women are often shoved to the side. Not always of course, and this might be a side effect of the amount of shonen shows I watch, but they always end up taking a backseat. But not in this show. The women are the ones who are confident, strong-willed and taking a center stage. And Minare is front and center for the entire show.
I love the rough artstyle the volume covers have.
I’m currently awaiting the arrival of the fifth volume of the manga. I was hooked from the very start and it joined the short list of manga of which I’m keeping up with the volumes as they come out. I would highly recommend you give the anime a watch, since it’s very good and as mentioned earlier, Sugiyama Riho truly does the role justice and I hope it catapults her into more voice acting roles. She’s very talented. If you like the anime as much as I did, the manga is just as good, if not better. With 5 volumes released in English as of writing this, it’s not an expensive series to start either, so what better time to get going than now.
Do you know other manga or anime with strong-willed women in the spotlight? It’s something I find very refreshing to read and watch, and I’d very much welcome any recommendations. Or did you watch Wave, listen to me! and would you like to share your opinion with me? Please leave a comment down below, and share this blog with anyone who might find it interesting to read. It’s much appreciated.
Initially I was going to write a piece talking about different Japanese artists, and what I liked about them. After two attempts of writing up a list I still wasn’t quite happy with what I wrote down. It had great artists, but the content had quickly turned into a boring list, with my writing adding no real depth to the post. As much as I like lists, that’s not the purpose of these kinds of blog posts, so instead I decided to specifically look at anime openings and endings. Now, for this list I’m going to look at openings that I personally love, and I will be ignoring some super popular ones that will get an honorable mention at the end, but have been mentioned by many before me. I hope you find some openings that suit your musical taste, and maybe even find an anime or two to watch. These are not in any particular order. Enjoy!
There are many reasons to watch an anime. Maybe you like the art style, maybe you’ve read the synopsis and found it very interesting, maybe your favorite youtuber talked about, or a friend recommended it. All of those are valid and common reasons, but there is one anime I watched for a different reason. My first experience with Chihayafuru was through seeing the opening song in a compilation on youtube. I loved the sound of it, and I listened to it for a while, until I decided to watch the Anime that it was a part of. To my surprise, Chihayafuru quickly became one of my favorite anime, alongside 3-Gatsu no lion. The relaxing sound of 99RadioService accompanies each of the three seasons and I think they’re all fantastic songs in their own right.
I enjoyed Utawarerumono (that trips me up every time I write it) for what it was. It wasn’t amazing by any means, but as a person who loves the cat ears and the tail (don’t judge me, we’re all degenerates here) it was a very enjoyable watch. The opening theme to this anime sounds great. I’ve thought about it for a bit while writing it, but I’m not quite sure how to talk about it. It’s just a pleasant sounding track in front of a pleasant watch. Please check this one out, and give both Utawarerumono seasons a go as well. I am planning to go back to them in the near future and do a proper review, so look forward to that!
I debated amongst a few Bump of Chicken songs. I was initially going to put Acacia here from the Pokemon animation that came out last year, but eventually decided against it. I also considered some of the music they did for 3-Gatsu no lion, which is one of my favorite shows of all time, and which I will write about in the future. The reason I ended up choosing Hello World over their other songs was because it was the first Bump of Chicken song I really listened to. Kekkai Sensen is an absolute blast to watch, and the other opening and ending songs from that show (both seasons) are phenomenal as well. Hello World is a great soft-rock track accompanied by a very well directed animation opening. Hello domou, boku wa koko!
I really like Dr. Stone. I don’t think it’s a great setting for a long-running show, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if the author has way more creativity than I do, so it might turn out great. I do sometimes get anxious that shows might go downhill if I can’t see the long-term potential. Is that something other people experience as well? Sometimes it’s completely wrong, but often it’ll be right. Anyway, this is about anime openings, so let’s go back to that. The first season of Dr. Stone was blessed by two amazing openings by Burnout Syndromes and Pelican Fanclub. The opening to the second season is a little less upbeat, but feels a bit more melancholic. As if it’s a prelude to the clash that’s going to happen during this second season. (I’m writing this a little while before posting it, but I assume there’s a fight coming this season.) It’s not quite like other shonen opening themes, but it’s still extremely pleasant to listen to.
I have to admit I’m not watching Black Clover. It’s one of three shows currently on my ‘stalled’ list. I want to get back to it eventually, since the manga is great fun. I have gone ahead and listened to the openings, and Vickeblanka’s rock songs are a joy. I couldn’t choose between this song and Black Rover, which is the third opening of Black Clover. Yeah, I think he matched the titles to the show there. Both have their own merits, and if you enjoy one, you’ll likely enjoy the other as well. Both capture the fun and energy of Black Clover quite well, and what I like about these songs matches what I like about Black Clover.
A gorgeous and simple album cover from Bump of Chicken’s Butterflies, worth a listen for sure.
You’ve made it to the halfway point of this list. What do you think so far? Any good songs on here? Let’s give a quick shout to some honorable mentions while we’re at it. There’re many amazing songs we won’t get to cover today, so I’m sure I’ll end up making several more lists in the future. “Let me hear” by Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas perfectly captures the madness of the Parasyte anime, and gets you hyped for some depressing alien stuff. Asian Kung-Fu Generation’s “Re: Re:” has been talked about a ton, and I’ve heard people say it would fit better in front of a shonen anime. I think I even saw an edit at some point where it was used on a Naruto opening animation and it fit like a glove. Still, it was in front of Erased, which was an undoubtedly less upbeat show. Kenshi Yonezu is undoubtedly an extremely popular artist in his own right, and some of his songs have been in front of popular anime. One that has always stood out to me, for an anime that misses the boat twice today, was “Orion” used for 3-Gatsu no Lion. Thinking about it, that show was truly a blessing of music as well, I’ll make sure to talk about this in my inevitable review. Anyway, with these honorable mentions out of the way, let’s go back to this particular list.
I was unsure which Fire Force opening I was going to put on this list. There’s many great entries for both of the seasons, including a fire song by Mrs. Green Apple. Eventually I decided on this song by Kana-Boon. I mainly picked it out because there are so many other Kana-Boon songs that should also be on this list, and I didn’t want to flood it with one artist too much. This song is arguably better than the anime it precedes. Fire Force is by the same author as Soul Eater, which I absolutely adore. Unfortunately Fire Force hasn’t seem to hit the same highs so far. It’s a decent shonen for sure, but it just doesn’t quite get my attention like other shows that have been airing recently. The opening is absolute fire though. I’m a big fan of Kana Boon in general, but this song just fits the anime perfectly.
One Piece, after all these years, is still one of my favorite anime. When it comes to manga, it’s my favorite by a long shot, but we’re not here to talk about manga today. One Piece has an impressive runtime of well over 900 episodes at this point, with episode 1000 likely coming up later this year. Through this runtime it has cycled through many openings. I considered putting the very first opening here instead, because that one is fantastic as well, but this is my personal list, and for me this opening hits differently. This was the opening when I first started watching One Piece back in the early 2010s. It’s upbeat as well as somber, which really fits the wild emotional swings you experience while watching this show. Give it a listen, and then go give One Piece a quick watch, shouldn’t take too long right?
These images capture the heart of One Piece, and how much they really are a group of friends.
Perhaps not the anime song named Blue Bird you were expecting, but I’d call it a pleasant surprise. Bakuman, for the two of you that aren’t familiar, is a manga about creating manga. Hold onto your hat Xzibit, because there’s layers to this one. A decidedly different story by the author of Death Note, this one is amazing, and Blue Bird is such a mellow song that perfectly captures the dreamy attitude our main characters have. I think anyone who likes the anime or the song should give the music video for this one a watch as well. It’s not a marvel of cinematography, but I think it strangely fits the song itself in its serenity. It’s certainly relaxing to watch.
I almost made the mistake of switching the title of the song with the artist, because besides this one song I’m really not all too familiar with them. Just like some of the other songs on this list, this comes from a show that holds a special place in my heart. I’ve had a saying about slice of life anime for a long time now, that I’m sure I didn’t come up with, but I’ve been using it consistently. I like to say “It’s an anime that heals your soul.” This is true for many shows, and my favorite is coming up at number 10, but Barakamon is the show that started my love for Slice of Life shows. Before this show I mainly watched shonen shows, maybe some comedy or romance shows at best, but the idea of just lying down and watching some fairly normal people living their life sounded boring to me. Now I think very differently, and this show, as well as this very relaxing song, will always hold a special place in my heart.
Readers will have figured out at this point that I absolutely adore this show.
Wait, did I get that right? Oh no, I didn’t. My bad, it’s actually called “Shiny Days” by Asaka. It’s just that the song reminds me of the Jackson 5 so much that I get them mixed up from time to time. This is my good mood song. I can’t listen to this song and not be in a good mood instantly. It vibes, it grooves and it is absolutely a joy to listen to. Yuru Camp tells the story of a group of high school girls who go camping. Sometimes as a group, sometimes alone. I did a review of the manga as well. It’s the peak of slice of life stories in my opinion, and with a second season currently airing it should be fresh on everyone’s mind. The second opening is fine as well, but this one is definitely on a level of its own, and I find myself humming along every time I hear it.
Although very fun to do, this post ended up taking much more time than other posts. Below, you’ll also find a spotify playlist with some of the songs. Not all of them were available, unfortunately. I’ve added links to the songs. Official verisons of the openings where available, and the full song versions where they were not available. Please leave a like, comment or a follow if you want to see more of this kind of comments. I like making lists as much as the next person, but it takes more research and time than a random rant. Thanks for reading!
Opal Kaharis 