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!
Bungou stray dogs is a story of a genre that is right up my alley. I love fantasy elements set within modern day worlds. I used to not be into this genre at all when I was younger. I was one of those elitists that thought high fantasy like Lord of the Rings was gospel and anything that tried to put a spin or modernization on the genre wasn’t worth mentioning. Obviously we all learn that we were dumb as bricks when we were kids, and nobody likes a gatekeeper. The more genres you give a shot, the more fun things you can discover. To give a great example of this, I never thought I’d be into romance stories until I started reading Shoujo romance manga and my oh my, they’re like soul food. But that is a topic for another day, and to avoid getting sidetracked for entire paragraphs I’ll quickly move on to the topic at hand.
Now I will have to admit that before reading Volume 1 of Bungou Stray Dogs, I did already watch the anime seasons that have aired so far. I also read two volumes of the Bungou Stray Dogs light novels, one on the train and one on a flight. That last bit of information isn’t exactly relevant, but I just like talking about the times when we could still go on public transportation without worrying about our health. I quite enjoyed all of this, so I expected to enjoy the manga as well.
Even though I already knew the story of Bungou Stray Dogs, it was still a fun volume to read. I forgot how fun the characters are, and how well they bounce off of each other. The main character, Atsushi, is down on his luck after getting kicked out of the orphanage he was staying at. Not only that, but the scary tiger that attacked and ransacked the orphanage ended up following him all the way to the Yokohama river. In a desperate final plan to not starve to death he decides to rob the next person who comes by. That next person ends up being Osamu Dazai, upside down, in the river. Alright, maybe the person after that then. But Atsushi is a good guy and decides to fish Dazai out of the water, who is less than thankful for this. Apparently he was trying to kill himself, and Atsushi ruined his plans. The least Dazai and his coworker, Kunikida can do is offer him some food right?
Tag, you’re it.
The story continues to develop from here, where the two tell Atsushi they work for an armed detective agency, and the tiger that has been chasing Atsushi is actually their current quarry. They devise a plan using Atsushi as bait to lure in the tiger, and at this point it’s revealed that Dazai knew that Atsushi was the weretiger all along, and he was shapeshifting without knowing it when the moon was out. Dazai then reveals his own power, which is negating the power of other ability users. They then hire Atsushi to work for their company.
The art of this manga is decent. I didn’t think it was amazing, but it was alright. There were a few panels where the tiger looked a bit questionable, but maybe I’m being too nitpicky here. The dialogue was often well written, but I can’t get over the fact that Dazai uses the word ‘lad’ when talking to Atsushi, it feels so out of character and almost like the translators took creative liberty. All those things combined did make for a fun manga though, and I definitely plan to read the rest at some point in the future. For anyone looking for an action manga with super powers and mafia, please consider this one.
When I was young, my parents often took us camping. In the early years we would go and rent out a spot with a tent, and then be there for a while. Later we switched to those holiday homes. The cheap ones, obviously. That was a step up for me, but I still hated it. Now part of that had to do with my brain being hardwired to hate change and not having control over where I am and what my schedule is, but another part of it is that I appreciate my comfort a lot. I don’t like going on vacation and having to make do with less functionality than at home. I want to relax. I want to have my own schedule and not spend 3 hours walking around a forest I don’t care about. I don’t want to sit in a wonky chair outside a cramped tent. And yet when I read or watch Yuru Camp, I do think to myself “man, camping looks kind of fun.”
Nyanpasu
I love slice of life as a genre. It’s right up there with sports, romance and drama. When I get home from a long day, turn on my computer and I can watch something that requires absolutely no brain power then that is the best I can ask for. Yuru Camp, or Laid-back camp, is the perfect example of this. And the reason it is that good is quite simple. It somehow manages to sell you on something you don’t want to be sold on. It’s the same with Non Non Biyori, which also has a season airing as of writing this. Do I want to live out in a tiny village with four houses? Absolutely not. Do I watch Non Non Biyori and think to myself that it might not be such a bad idea? For sure.
A good slice of life lets us walk alongside someone else as they live their life. It seems like a silly concept, but once you start getting a feel for it, it really is quite amazing. You learn the ins and outs of someone else’s interests and do so through watching a group of fun characters experience it. There is no drama, there are no big problems to resolve, everything goes alright and life is good. There is nothing better after a stressful day. Nadeshiko and Rin are two fantastic characters who each have their own philosophy when it comes to camping. Rin loves camping alone, and although she ends up camping with the Outdoors club, and thoroughly enjoying it, she also goes back to solo camping. Nadeshiko is a people person from the very first panel she appears in. Well, not the very first, she’s asleep on a bench in the first panel, so not that sociable at that point, but you get what I mean. She loves being with people, eating good food and having fun. But she also tries out solo camping, because Rin loves it so much that it has to be good. And then she happily goes back to camping with friends. The beauty here is that you can enjoy experiencing different things from time to time, but you do not have to sacrifice the fun experiences you were already having. Good friends give each other space but are also there when you want to hang out.
What ties this show together as an anime (as opposed to the manga) is the music. I have often used the description “Japanese Jackson Five” to refer to the opening theme of season one. I wish I came up with that, but like all the best things, it’s obviously stolen from someone else. Besides that it has great sound effects, fantastic voice actors that really bring the characters to life, and just all around a good quality show. I cracked up when the pinecone said “cone-ichiwa” even though I knew it would happen. And yes, that is hilarious, I will fight you if you disagree. Everything about this show, both in manga and anime, feels polished. Afro has these little blurbs at the end of each volume as well, talking about what happened, and it just feels like a real passion project. It brings me more joy than I can put into writing, and that is very important in these dark and depressing times.
If this doesn’t give you a comfy feeling, I’m afraid I can’t help you.
If all of that wasn’t enough to sell this show to you, it also has cute dogs. I think I’ll rest my case. On a slightly more serious note, Yuru Camp is the most relaxing manga/anime I have ever consumed and I highly recommend that everyone check it out.
I know Wednesdays are anime focused, but I decided to talk about both the anime and manga. I can only humbly apologize.
Today I’ll be looking at some of the anime that have stood out so far during the winter season. It’s been a very stacked season and a lot of the shows I’ve been watching are sequels. This leaves the amount of new shows I’ve had time for quite low, but there are enough good shows to make a list, so that’s what we’ll be looking at today.
5) Kemono Jihen
Shiki (left) Kabane (center) and Akira (right)
The first anime on this list is interesting. It follows a young boy who is a hanjo. He doesn’t know his parents and the aunt taking care of him has mistreated him most of his life because he gives off a weird smell. When something starts going wrong in the little village they live in, the people are quick to blame Kabane, even though he is not responsible for what happens. The hired detective Inugami-san then helps him out by inviting him to live with him. It turns out he has other youkai living with him as well, and they solve youkai-related problems together. The characters are very fun, and Kon, who is introduced a few episodes in, is absolutely adorable. Definitely give this a watch.
4) Sk8 the Infinity
All the pretty boys this season.
Believe it or not, I used to spend my days in the local skatepark trying beginner tricks on my budget inline skates. Needless to say, I wasn’t very good at it, but I had some friends who were very good at it. To this day I’ve met very few people who are as friendly and inclusive as skaters. It seems like they all agree to just share the hobby they love with whoever is interested, no questions asked. Sk8 nails this feeling, as all the people involved immediately seem to be good people on the surface, just trying to have fun and perform cool stunts. Some of them do this in less conventional ways than others, but the point stands. With great art, cool character designs and an ending that absolutely slaps this has quickly wormed its way into my heart. If you like cute boys doing anything, or if you like skateboarding you should check this out. Even if you’re like me and cute boys aren’t at the top of your priority list, that doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate this show.
3) Kumo Desu ga, nanika?
Kumoko Desu o/
I’d heard about this show before it started airing, but I hadn’t really heard much about it. From what I could find it is originally based on a web novel. In a market where Isekai shows are everywhere you can look it’s hard to still be interesting. Even if a new Isekai anime is based on older material, we still judge it harshly because of how much competition it has. The thing that Kumo does differently from other shows is that it takes its time exploring the world mechanics a lot more. Slime, which has its second season airing right now, did this as well, but to a lesser extent. We spend a long time in the underground caves with our spidery main character who is very hyper yet charming at the same time. Personally I think it was a good choice that they introduced the other characters immediately, as I believe that wasn’t the case in the novel from what comments have suggested. With an in depth skill system and some mystery as to what happened to this class, this show seems like it will be a fun ride. Hell, maybe it’s the next step in curing my arachnophobia.
2) Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation.
The poster for Mushoku Tensei
I wasn’t a fan of this show early on. The main character came across as an absolute creep and an all around weird guy. This isn’t a bad thing, but to me it wasn’t clear immediately that the author knows this. What I mean to say with this, is that lots of main characters are creeps but it’s somehow considered a charming part of the character. Rudy on the other hand is a creep and the author is very much aware. He spent his life on earth being a NEET and being bullied from the few glimpses we get into his past. Just like Kumo Desu Ka, this show takes its time establishing its cast, and more importantly pointing out how flawed some of the people are. They don’t just gloss over bad behavior, there are consequences to actions. And Rudy isn’t a super strong chick magnet who is amazing at everything. He’s scared of going outside, he finds out that his magic is quite strong, but then almost immediately meets someone even better. His social skills are awful, his personality is definitely foul at times, but he also shows growth. He diffuses a difficult situation at his house and he tries to be a better person. After hating him initially, I’m slowly starting to root for him. Besides that, the show looks gorgeous and it looks like it will go on for a little while, which is also quite nice.
1) Horimiya
Like many people, I wasn’t aware of Horimiya before it started airing. I’d seen some talk about it, so I figured the manga was kind of popular. Only later I found out through a youtube video that it is one the highest rated manga of all time on Myanimelist.com. And from the few glances we’ve gotten so far that seems to be for a good reason. The characters are fun, the story set-up seems interesting for a romance show and most importantly; the plot moves. It doesn’t move at a ridiculous pace, but things happen. The titular characters Hori-san and Miyamura become friends in the first episode and they actually hang out almost immediately and often. There seems to be something below the surface with Miyamura, and I’m curious to find out more about it. I do wonder why he decided to get such big tattoos and so many piercings at a young age. It could definitely be just a fashion statement, but there might be a reason to rebel behind it. As someone who has never read the manga I am very excited to see what’s going to happen next.
It’s too bad I’m not into men, because he absolutely nails the look here.
There are other good shows airing this season that didn’t make the list. Examples are Heaven’s Design Team and Urasekai Picnic. On top of this, the final season of Attack on Titan, as well as sequels to many shows I adore are currently airing. I don’t have time to include all of them here, but I will probably review some series when this season has ended, so look forward to that. And you? Which shows did I miss that should have made this list? Leave a comment down below to let me know!
I believe that all anime fans, or fans of any other form of media have a very specific moment where they fall in love with it. I don’t mean the first time you watch something and think to yourself ‘yeah, I enjoyed that.’ No, the moment I’m talking about is something a lot more specific. It’s that feeling you get when you realize you’re absolutely hooked. It’s that day where you look at your phone, or alarm clock back in my day, and realize that it’s suddenly 3 A.M and you have to get up at 7. It’s a moment of such pure joy, having discovered something that really matters to you. For me, that moment was the very first time I watched the Arlong Park arc in One Piece. To be more specific, it was the moment where Nami looked up, tears in her eyes, and asked Luffy to help her. It’s been more than a decade since I’ve seen this moment, and it’s so absolutely amazing that even just writing about it is making me tear up once again.
I was still a teenager when I was first introduced to anime. Of course, like so many before me, I had seen shows like Pokemon, Dragonball Z, Beyblade and Shaman King on TV, but I didn’t quite know that these were anime, and not just different looking cartoons. Although at the end of the day, anime were just cartoons in a different style most of the time, so I wasn’t really wrong.
And yes, Avatar can be an anime, no one cares as long as it’s good.
But when I was really introduced to anime, was when a classmate of mine was talking to a friend of his. They were both watching a show, and it sounded pretty cool, but I had no idea what it was. That’s when I was told that they were talking about anime and in my head I went ‘pffft, weirdos.’ This was back in 2009, when anime wasn’t as mainstream as it is now, but it was still up and coming. It was kind of weird to like anime, more so than it is today. But they seemed so excited and I couldn’t help but want to get some of that excitement, so I ended up starting to watch anime too. The shows I got recommended were Nyan koi, because my friend instantly recognized that I would be a degenerate, and One Piece, the show they were talking about. I decided to give both of them a shot, and I can shamelessly say that I thought both were pretty good. And although I was enjoying the early bits of One Piece, I didn’t think of it as more than a fun cartoon with a cool artstyle. Yes, Baratie was a pretty interesting arc and back then Sanji quickly became my favorite character. Then Nami left.
When Nami left the crew, in my head I went: “huh, she can just do that?” Obviously that wasn’t going to fly with the rest of the crew, but still, it seemed like a very bold story progression. And even when the arc started I wasn’t quite sure about these strange fishmen, and the direction the story was taking. Well, to make a long story short, there’s a reason my cat is called Nami. We get Nami’s emotional backstory throughout this arc and it is heart wrenching to watch. What is even crazier to me is that there is more to the story that gets revealed a decade of writing later. Blew my mind when it happened, but we’re not including that here today. What I want to talk about today is the emotional conclusion to the story, which happens in two parts and is masterfully executed.
After getting Nami’s backstory, and having the Straw Hats run around the island for a while, some hijinx with Zoro and Hachi, we start getting to the meat of the story. Nami is done with Arlong, her frustration and pain has reached the limit and she breaks down, violently stabbing her Arlong tattoo. When Luffy stops her she pleads him to help her. I’m tearing up writing this because I love this arc so much. What Luffy does next makes the emotional impact of this moment so much bigger than I thought it could. Up until now we have been told time and time again how important the straw hat is to Luffy. Buggy damages it and it’s the first time we see Luffy get angry, he is super careful with it whenever he can, and protects it with his life. But this time around, he leaves it with Nami while he goes to kick Arlong’s ass. Straw Hat Luffy gives his most prized possession to Nami while he goes to defeat her demons. It’s beautiful. I can look at it every single day and still bawl my eyes out every time. This beautiful moment is followed up by the Straw Hats walking to Arlong Park, which is a goosebumps inducing moment for sure. These goofy looking guys who have been mostly messing around and been silly have no smiles on their faces anymore. Nami is one of them, and someone hurt her. They will pay.
This brings us to the second part of the emotional conclusion. I will gladly admit that the fights themselves, although creative, aren’t the most interesting fights I’ve ever watched. I can name several fights in the story that were way cooler, especially some of the more recent ones. But when it comes to pure emotional impact, this fight, as well as the one in Enies Lobby several hundred chapters later, are easily at the top. In the conclusion of the fight, Luffy breaks Arlong’s face, destroys his base and destroys Nami’s map making room. The maps she’s been making for Arlong, and not for herself, scatter to the winds. Nami is now free. The combination of these two moments, and the conclusion to this arc was the moment I never looked back.
Although it’s not without flaws, One Piece is still my favorite piece of media. It reached chapter 1000 just before I am writing this piece, and it inspired me to talk about my favorite moment of the series. It’s not like there aren’t amazing, hype inducing, gut wrenching or mind blowing moments later on. It is just that the emotional conclusion to Arlong Park was so incredibly well done that I truly believe nothing will ever surpass it. If there is any piece of advice I can give someone who isn’t sure to watch this series, it’s to give it a shot and watch the first +/- 50 episodes. I believe that will be enough to know if you like it or not, and I promise you that it will include one of the most amazing moments I have ever seen. There are many amazing arcs in One Piece just like the one I talked about today, and I plan to look at a lot of them in more detail at a later date, but I had to start off by writing about the moment I fell in love with the series. It would bring me great joy if I could convince just a single person to give the show a chance. There’s a lot to unpack that’s hidden behind a goofy artstyle and a seriously daunting amount of episodes. Please leave a comment if you have a moment from a series where you fell in love with it as well.
Are enjoyable stories different from good stories, and does that matter?
This is a topic I have been sitting on for a while, and I’m not sure what to think about it. Let me start by explaining what I mean with the title, and how the question sprung to mind. There are many stories out there that I think are enjoyable. The issue is that once you go onto a forum to discuss your favorite books, manga, anime or tv shows, there will often be people who find issues with the things you like. Over time this got me thinking about some of the shows I really enjoy, and what makes them good. Back then I drew the conclusion that there might be a difference between a good, well written story and something that is enjoyable but not particularly good.
To give a better idea of what I’m talking about, I want to use the anime ‘Is it wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon?’ Or ‘Danmachi.’ I have often said that I thoroughly enjoyed the anime, and now that the most recent season wrapped up in December, I still stand by that statement. I’ll give a quick description of the show for those unfamiliar with it: Bell is an adventurer who’s special. He lives in a town that has a large dungeon at the center, and the adventurers living in this town join familia. These are, as you may have guessed, families. These families are led by the gods. Think of figures like Loki, Hermes, Hephaestus, Ganesha and more. My religious knowledge isn’t quite up to speed to know who they all are exactly, but I’ve read enough fiction to have a rough idea. These gods have the ability to level up the adventurers, whenever they reach the required skill to do so. It’s kind of like a video game, and when it first started airing it got lumped in with the other Isekai shows that were booming. It is a bit different though, in the sense that it is more of a traditional fantasy show insead.
The important question is; would I call Danmachi good? Yes and no. There seem to be a lot of interesting things going on all at the same time. Why is Bell leveling up so fast? What are these gods up to, some of them definitely seem shady. Why are the gods here in Orario (the town they live in) and what is the dungeon exactly? On the other side of the coin is a story that seems to be very focused on the here and now, not really exploring enough (in my opinion) of these interesting plotlines. Now I will admit that I have yet to read the source material, and I plan on doing so because I have a suspicion that it’s a lot better than the show, but I’m not including that in this analysis. The anime on its own has been running for 6 years now, starting out in 2014. That’s 6 years without delving into the more interesting story elements. It feels like I’m watching the introduction of a story, and we have yet to reach the middle part. Now it is important to remember that in many, if not all, cases the anime is used as an advertisement for the original work. The idea is to give a glimpse into the story and then urge you to buy the light novels (or manga in other cases). So from a marketing perspective it’s not a bad way to go about it, because it certainly has me interested. It’s very enjoyable for sure.
I didn’t quite answer the question that I put at the start of the last paragraph. I admitted the story was enjoyable, but does that mean I think it’s good as well? For me, this lies a bit more complicated, as I am quite critical of stories. I consider myself a fledgling writer, and I try to look at stories with that in mind as well. I think the characters in Danmachi are what sells the story. If you didn’t think the characters were interesting, you would probably stop watching. To add to that, I think the long term plot is appealing as well, setting up questions that I would love to see answers to. But the short-term plot is… lacking. This is where I start getting more subjective, since it is very possible other people really enjoy the short-term storytelling, but I do not. That’s not to say that I think it’s bad, but I just think it’s a bit average. It feels like fantasy-tropes put into an interesting setting without doing anything that makes it really stand out. If I had to name a similar show I would probably pick something like My Hero Academia. It sets up interesting questions, but the answers so far seem unsatisfying. So I would say both shows are enjoyable, but not what I would call really good.
Now the most important question of the day; does it matter? Honestly, I don’t think it does. Not a lot, at least. From a literary perspective I think it falls a bit flat and that means it’s not really being inventive. But at the end of the day, we consume media for entertainment, and if it’s entertaining enough it doesn’t really matter if it’s adding something completely new and innovative or not. I do believe that if a story does something innovative it can certainly elevate the story, but the same thing can be said about a story that’s not particularly inventive, but executes everything really well. That is how I felt about the early parts of My Hero Academia for example. I like it when a show does something creative that catches me by surprise, and the shows I end up liking the most are the kinds of shows that surprise me with their story. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy shows that don’t innovate. I thought Danmachi was very enjoyable, and I hope anyone who reads this piece considers giving it a watch. And who knows, I might come back to this topic once I’ve read the light novels, and see if my perspective has changed. Either way, thanks for reading, and please tell me your opinion on this subject. Am I talking out of my ass or do you think there’s some truth in what I’m saying.
I wrote the first draft for this about two months ago, when the Noblesse anime had just started airing and I was about one third of the way through the God of Highschool webtoon. When I finished writing it I wasn’t quite confident in what I wrote so I decided to put it on hold. Now that I’ve caught up with God of Highschool, and the Noblesse anime seems to be coming to an end, I feel more confident in my opinions, and my thoughts on certain parts have changed as well. So today I want to talk about each of the three webtoons that recently got anime adaptations, this being; Noblesse, God of Highschool and Tower of God. I will talk about each of their strengths and why I believe the adaptation failed to do the source material justice.
Seira J. Loyard
Let’s start with the one that I have the most straightforward opinion about; Noblesse. Noblesse’s story is kind of bland. I’m sorry, it just is. It has fun characters, and the cast works great off of each other, but the actual story has never been very interesting in my opinion. Group of bad guys show up, Frankenstein and or Rai defeat them without any real effort, some of the bad guys join the good guys, and we go back to the status quo. All while they look stunningly handsome doing so, obviously. The anime focuses on the story, and rushes through the source material because of it. I’ve been reading the webtoon alongside the anime, and after a 30 minute OVA + 11 anime episodes it has covered roughly 190 webtoon chapters. That translates to about 17 chapters per episode, although it is a lot closer to 9 or 10 chapters per episode if you consider the fact that the OVA covered 90 chapters.
Frankenstein definitely not being a crazy person
Then what was cut? Good question, with a simple answer. They seem to have cut a small arc that is honestly not important depending on how many sequels they plan, but was quite funny. The second thing they seem to have cut is a lot of the comedy. The Noblesse webtoon is funny. It is very funny. Frankenstein and Rai as characters shine when it comes to funny moments. Later on Seira and Regis add a lot of humor to the story as well. I regularly found myself chuckling on the 7 am train while reading this webtoon, which is something I don’t often do. I think getting good comedy done in a comic isn’t easy, and Noblesse delivers on this time and time again. To me, this is the biggest reason why the anime feels as bland as it does. It lacks humor. I think this show would have been a lot better if they went for a slower paced story, that didn’t cut the jokes in favor of quick action. Now it’s just a generic action flick with handsome vampires.
The main cast during their early days.
The second webtoon I want to tackle is God of Highschool. That’s right, I’ll be your contradiction! (cue the dubstep.) No? Alright, moving on. God of Highschool was… confusing. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. I was constantly amazed by the fight animations, especially the fight that turned into calligraphy, I love creative stuff like that. I believe the official term for scenes like these is ‘sakuga’ or a scene that has considerably higher quality animation than the rest. It’s great because your eyes get treated to art in motion. I think this contributed a lot to me deciding to read the source material after watching what was a disappointing anime.
The webtoon also has some issues. There is some questionable pacing here and there, and especially the later arcs feel like the story is just repeating itself to an extent. I also think some of the villain writing is weak, but the villain of the current arc, on the other hand, is absolutely fantastic. Then where did it go wrong in the adaptation? I mentioned it earlier, but GoH gets confusing. There are a lot of different factions, characters with different allegiances and strange but interesting power systems. The anime dumps all of that information on you very quickly and from then on assumed everything was understood. The webtoon spends more time with some of these concepts, and explains them better. It was a lot more clear to me who the Six were, and who Nox was and what they represented. At least the amount we are told early on. I think the verdict on this one is the same as I would give Noblesse; watch the show and if the concept seems interesting read the webtoon, because it’s leagues better.
The third of three beasts to tackle is Tower of God. Tower of God is fantastic. I can honestly say I haven’t been this excited while reading a comic since I originally read One Piece. But let’s take it one step at a time and start with the adaptation. Now I didn’t think the adaptation was bad at all. As a matter of fact, I thought it was one of the better shows that aired that season. But reading online about the gripes people had with it, I couldn’t say I didn’t agree at all. Bam is not a very interesting character. The pacing is a bit fast, and there isn’t a ton of story yet. It feels like a prologue of sorts. I agree with all of those points, but I enjoyed the show regardless of those issues. Bam is boring early on, but this is kind of the point. A large theme in the story is Bam exploring who he is, and gaining a sense of self. What does he care about, who is important to him. This doesn’t happen in the anime because, as stated above, it only covers the prologue. It’s an introduction of the world, characters and powers. After that the characters are actually thrown into the real world, and out of the tutorial area. Looking back on the anime now, after reading the source, I think the criticisms are very fair. I honestly think the anime would have disappointed me as well, had I read the source material ahead of time.
Look at our boys, still young and carefree.
I will now be heading into minor spoiler territory, so be aware.
Bam is a special boy. That’s fairly obvious with him being in a cave and everything, but there is something behind all of this. There is also a reason why he was chosen as an irregular, that doesn’t happen often. As the story progresses, we see Bam get stronger, but more importantly, get a real personality. It takes him a while, but he starts to think for himself, gain a sense of morality beyond being a simp for Rachel, and have real goals. But the tower is a cruel place, and staying alive is a hard thing to do. Having to grow stronger at a fast pace in this world is a tough challenge to face, but Bam is special. Not only is he special, he is very kind, which helps him in gaining allies. He works hard for this, and very few things ever go right immediately. Although I don’t think Bam will ever die, as most protagonists are meant to make it to the end of their story, I do think the dangers of the tower are actually scary sometimes, and it wouldn’t surprise me if main characters die on the regular.
I want to mention two more things about ToG that I think level up the quality of the story. The first is that characters move in and out of the story naturally. People are always climbing the tower, and sometimes characters will just leave and not come back for 300 chapters. They never seem to be forgotten though, and the world is ever moving. This gives a sense of depth to the world that I think isn’t really rivaled by many shows. The second is arguably the most minor but it really helps me believe the story. Characters change clothes a lot. There’s no Natsu wearing the same stinky clothes for 400 episodes, or Naruto switching ninja garb once or twice a decade. Almost every time we see characters again they are wearing something completely different, and it’s so refreshing.
Dowon, a character introduced very late in the Webtoon, and one of my favorites in design.
I feel like I’ve been rambling again, which tends to happen with these kinds of posts. As you might have noticed at this point, I’m quite passionate about these three series. I think all three are very good, and on par with some of the best manga out there, especially Tower of God. What I would like to suggest is that anyone who likes reading gives them a shot. The anime of each of these are definitely watchable, they’re not terrible by any means, but if the concept of each show attracts you, then the webtoon is definitely the way to go. Tower of God is completely free on the webtoons app, and God of Highschool is free barring the latest 3 chapters. Noblesse is a bit more tricky. You can do what I’ve been doing, and read 2 free chapters a day, or you can pay to unlock the whole thing. It’s honestly worth it to show support to any of these authors, as they are all very talented.
If there is anything I want you readers to take away from this, is that Tower of God is fantastic, and anyone not reading it is missing out! Please let me know your opinions on these Webtoons, as well as any suggestions, I’m really hoping for similar gems!
