tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39194539758877247942024-03-13T07:23:36.331+00:00Cassie's Anime and Manga BlogCassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-64189385569340750892013-01-17T19:28:00.001+00:002013-01-17T19:28:27.253+00:00Slumps are EvilSo there's been total radio silence for over eight months, and for that I apologise. There's not much of an excuse, just one simple reason. I fell prey to a slump. That horrific enemy of any geek hit me at my weakest. From a combination of being manga-ed out after my 24 days of manga run, the discovery of a whole new world of games after getting an xbox that christmas, and developing an OCD-like annoyance at the noise my computer fans were making, I kind of disappeared from the fandom last year.
<p> </p>
<p>Last year was an odd one for me. I went from being immersed in the anime culture to going full on cold turkey. From everything to nothing. Yet for the most part, I didn't miss it. I was too busy discovering and rediscovering other fandoms. And that part of me held me back from attempting to dig myself out of the hole I'd plunged headfirst into. Saying I missed nothing would be a tremendous lie. I missed blogging about anime; the wealth of ideas that had flooded my mind all pitifully dribbled away. But more importantly, I missed the social side of things. Something strange held me back, and friendships I'd forged in the anime community, felt like they were slipping. I missed chatting with my best friends about the latest anime I'd watched, and I felt like I was drifting. Yet still, I couldn't just delve back into the fandom. It felt too daunting, and I was enjoying what I'd been doing in the absense of anime and manga. I finally started reading more books, I was re-watching tv shows I loved, but had abandoned in favour of anime.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Finally, however, something clicked and with the introduction of a crunchyroll app for xbox (that doesn't suck donkey balls like the iPad version) I finally started to reconnect with anime. And boy, have I missed it. I'm still taking it easy, so I started with Natsume Yuujinchou San, the third part of one of my favourite franchises. Between that and a little Poyopoyo, and my discovery of Oshiri Kajiri Mushi and I finally feel more like myself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That was the biggest evil of the slump; by suddenly being separated from something that has been a huge part of my life for the best part of a decade, I didn't feel quite myself. I felt broken. Hell, I didn't even enjoy Expo as much as I used to. But I wasn't completely gone as I continued to buy DVDs, Blurays and other merchandise. It was honestly a bizarre experience, and not one I am keen on repeating, so here's to coming back, and hopefully I should have a new post soon. One that isn't quite as lame as this. ;)</p>Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-57958467495397565832012-05-04T12:17:00.000+01:002012-05-04T12:22:15.174+01:00Monthly Round-up: April<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not much in the way of anime again this month, but a decent amount of manga.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><u><b> </b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Anime I've Watched:</b></u></span><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/bleach">Bleach</a> - Still not finished this yet. Really should as I only have about 12 episodes left to go.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/recorder-to-randoseru">Recorder to Randoseru</a> - Meh. I reviewed this recently for Anime-Planet and summed the whole series up in one word: average. It was funny at odd times, but relies too much on one joke, which soon wears out its welcome.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Ongoing Anime I've Watched:</b></u></span><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/poyopoyo-kansatsu-nikki">Poyopoyo</a> </li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Manga I've Read:</b></u></span><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/mononoke">Mononoke</a> -Finally managed to finish reading the last few chapters of this. As much as I enjoyed this arc while watching the otherwise less-than-stellar <i>Ayakashi Japanese Horror</i>, I never quite got into the manga. I mainly put this down to only having one chapter every couple of months. Maybe I'd have liked it more had I read it all in one go. Likewise, I think the visuals worked better in the abnime, at times some of the manga looked a little... messy by comparison.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/old-boy">Old Boy</a> -This is unlike pretty much anything I normally read, but I really enjoyed it. I loved seeing how the conspiracy slowly unravelled and became more complicated. Definitely well worth a look.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/monster-hunter-orage">Monster Hunter Orage</a> - This wasn't too bad, but a bit on the disappointing side for two main reasons. Firstly, the story was really rushed and all of a sudden it was at the final battle after little build up. Secondly, while reading it, it felt like an older Hiro Mashima work, with shadows of what would become Fairy Tail characters; except it was actually created a couple of years AFTER Fairy Tail began, so instead it feels more like a cheap knock-off of better works.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/bakuman">Bakuman</a> -I confess, I'm kind of bummed that Bakuman ended, but only because I'm goign to miss my weekly dose of this excellent series. In truth, it's better they stopped it when they did as otherwise I think it'd be going too far - a little like <i>Bleach</i> after the Aizen stuff, though annoyingly Kubo's new arc is getting pretty good. I really could gush about this series all day, btu I'll save that for another time.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Ongoing Manga I've Read:</b></u></span><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/bleach">Bleach</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/vinland-saga">Vinland Saga</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/blue-exorcist">Ao no Exorcist</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/naruto">Naruto</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/one-piece">One Piece</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/mangaka-to-assistant-san-to">Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/k-on">K-On!</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/beelzebub">Beelzebub</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/ge-good-ending">Good Ending</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/rock-lees-springtime-of-youth">Rock Lee's Springtime of Youth </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/gin-no-saji">Gin no Saji</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/saraiya-goyou">House of Five Leaves </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/a-brides-story">Otoyomegatari</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/shinryaku-ika-musume">Shinryaku! Ika-Musume </a></li>
</ul>
<br />Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-29341500887547944962012-04-25T22:26:00.000+01:002012-04-26T22:56:41.701+01:00Um... Excuse Me But Girls Can Like Ecchi TooI'm female, but I'm no feminist. OK that's not technically true. I believe in equality between the sexes and that women and men shouldn't be discriminated against purely because of what is (or isn't) in their pants, but by no stretch of the imagination am I hardcore feminist. In fact, I'm probably less of a feminist than my very much MALE friend, Patches. I'm not bothered by the objectification of women in anime, nor, for the most part, does it even register as such. However, what DOES annoy me is having my personal opinion demeaned or entirely dismissed because of my gender.<br />
<br />
What has sparked this post is a comment that I received yesterday on my <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/reviews/a849.html">Anime-Planet review</a> of <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/baka-to-test-to-shoukanjuu-2"><i>Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni</i></a> which simply said:<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"go back to the kitchen"</i></span></div>
<br />
This pissed me off. The comment has subsequently been removed and the user responsible warned that sexist comments are not tolerated under any circumstance. And for good reason. Why should my opinion be so quickly dismissed in a five word sentence purely because I'm female? Sure, I gave the series a bad review, but that had nothing to do with my sex. That I'm a woman didn't change the fact that the show ignored its central premise in favour of dumb jokes. The show is called (in it's English translation) "Idiots, and Tests and Summoned Beings", yet it focused entirely on the "Idiots", completely ignored the "Tests", and only included the "Summoned Beings" occasionally for dumb shit they weren't originally designed for. Now although the series was aimed at male viewers, I don't need to BE a man to notice it's flaws, and had I been a guy, this user may well have decided to simply leave some kind of comment like "you're a douche" or "you have no sense of humour" or a simple "you suck", but no, because I'm a girl I should just get back in the kitchen where I belong, because clearly I don't know what I'm talking about and my double x chromosomes make me incapable of rational reasoning.<br />
<br />
But this isn't the first time I've had comments on a review based on my gender. I reviewed <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/ping-pong-club"><i>Ping Pong Club</i></a> and totally trashed it. I received several messages of disagreement as the show has something of a cult following, and much like Marmite, you either love it or hate it. Fair enough. I hated it. Others loved it. But one user decided this was only because I was female and left the following comment:<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"Holy shit you are wrong, wrong, wrong, and you have no sense of humor.
Ping Pong Club is one of the few decent comedy anime in existence; I bet
you pissed yourself with laughter watching Lucky Star. How typical of a
female anime fan to hate it. You have no taste."</i></span></div>
<br />
Now this comment, doesn't offend me so much, mainly because it's trashing my view of one specific show, not just me as a whole. But this message leads perfectly to the main point of this post: what the hell does sex have to do with what anime you enjoy?<br />
<br />
Obviously, I get that certain series are aimed at specific demographics, but that isn't to say that ONLY those people can enjoy it. Just because I'm a female anime fan, does that mean that I should only be watching shoujo and josei series? Should I be limiting myself to the likes of <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/sailor-moon"><i>Sailor Moon</i></a> and <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/nodame-cantabile"><i>Nodame Cantabile</i></a> (both of which I thoroughly like for the record) simply because my lack of penis means that I couldn't possibly appreciate or enjoy shows such as <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/naruto"><i>Naruto</i></a> or anything with even the vaguest hint of ecchi in it? No, of course I shouldn't, because that kind of bullshit belongs firmly in the past.<br />
<br />
I'm a female anime fan, and one of my favourite genres is shounen. I like... no... I LOVE anime aimed at younger boys. I love the kick-arse battles. Maybe it's because I've always been more of a tomboy than a girly girl. As a child I'd rather pick up frogs than play with a Barbie doll, and as an adult, I'd rather watch a bunch of ninja beating the living crap out of each other than see a magical girl twirling her wand and shooting love beams at her crush. But it's not in shounen that I've encountered sexist attitudes. That joy has always lay in the ecchi camp.<br />
<br />
In my experience, if a girl is ever going to get hassle for being an anime fan from a guy, it's when they express a negative comment on an ecchi show. If a woman dares to say that a panty-shot filled series has a crap story, then don't worry. It doesn't mean the show is shit. After all, the person giving the opinion is only a woman, what can she know or understand about it? She doesn't matter. Ignore her.<br />
<br />
Bollocks.<br />
<br />
Just because an anime features lots of breasts, panties, or crude humour doesn't mean that a girl can't enjoy it. Now, ecchi isn't one of my favourite genres, but that doesn't mean I don't like series where the perversion is a prominent feature, as I either just kind of ignore it becuase it isn't that big of a deal (<a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/highschool-of-the-dead"><i>Highschool of the Dead</i></a>) or I actively enjoy the humour (<a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/amaenaideyo"><i>Amaenaideyo!!</i></a> and <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/mitsudomoe"><i>Mitsudomoe</i></a>). Granted, the shot of a buxom female's breasts bouncing around the screen or her panties being exposed by an errant wind don't turn me on, but I can find them funny if executed well. And I think that last point is the key, whether it's executed <i>well</i> or not. Some girls may enjoy ecchi anime, but they may also be a little more objective. Maybe females can spot a poorly constructed narrative, or a badly executed series more easily because we aren't <i>quite</i> as preoccupied by the lingerie and cleavage. However, that doesn't mean that our opinions or observations are completely null and void purely because we don't have meat and two veg clogging up our knickers.<br />
<br />
Newsflash: girls can be perverts too. So don't judge us purely on our sex, because it's not so simple. We can be crude and enjoy vulgar humour. We can laugh at fart or poop jokes without being failures as women. We can enjoy panty shots and exposed breasts and not be lesbians. So next time anyone tells us to go back to the kitchen, remember that's also where the bleach is kept, so try not to piss us off too much, okay?Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-83188678665842930772012-04-19T11:21:00.000+01:002012-04-20T11:07:34.115+01:00Cassie's Character Corner: Rukia KuchikiSo, I've been considering writing a character corner post on Rukia for a while now, but having heard that a friend who loves her isn't feeling well, I figured this would be an ideal time to post this to cheer him up.<br />
<br />
I never liked <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/rukia-kuchiki">Rukia</a>. From the beginning of the series I found her mildly irritating and just never really got her. However, recently things have shifted a bit, and while she's still not one of my most favourite characters ever, I do now actually quite like her. Things that I once found irksome are now what make me like her so much (I suspect my intense hatred for <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/orihime-inoue">Orihime</a> has largely contributed to me opening my eyes to Rukia actually being pretty damn cool).<br />
<br />
<table><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top">She has many entertaining aspects to her personality, in particular her
violent tendencies towards <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/ichigo-kurosaki">Ichigo</a> and <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/kon">Kon</a>. Her smackdowns for the lusty
plushie certainly make for entertaining viewing, after all, Kon is bloody
annoying so seeing him repeatedly smashed into the floor or kicked out a
window is good. Likewise, although she demonstrates plenty of light violence (whacks
round the head, or the occasional flying kick - OK maybe not THAT
light), my favourite part of Rukia is her... um... "artistic" ability.<br />
<br />
From the very opening episodes her rather unique drawings become a running joke. While she has the right idea of trying to illustrate things in order to make it more simple for Ichigo to understand, combining that with her love of cute bunnies nad her inability with a pencil is a dangerous, dangerous thing. </td><td width="15"></td><td valign="top"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_cpGwZ7_pk-jWjaFvibu9gMnXYQ_krHBJnL-DPxg1Bv6jArtMu3yGOYbH4a2UWuvmm69l2RcTXklDnFMMDpgChzrrQlRXpSIYwCfxzN9sstCun1zR5FlljDpM4dwPKoQI1Ipuw-nX2yO/s1600/rukiadrawing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx_cpGwZ7_pk-jWjaFvibu9gMnXYQ_krHBJnL-DPxg1Bv6jArtMu3yGOYbH4a2UWuvmm69l2RcTXklDnFMMDpgChzrrQlRXpSIYwCfxzN9sstCun1zR5FlljDpM4dwPKoQI1Ipuw-nX2yO/s400/rukiadrawing.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look Ichigo, doesn't this make it easier to understand? No? Pfft, what's wrong with you?!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Unlike many of the other higher ranking Shinigami, Rukia doesn't have one defining quirk, she hasn't got the arrogance and pride of her brother, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/byakuya-kuchiki">Byakuya</a>; she's not criminally insane like <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/mayuri-kurotsuchi">Mayuri</a>; and she's not a drunk flirt like <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/shunsui-kyoraku">Kyoraku</a> (or <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/rangiku-matsumoto">Matsumoto</a> for that matter); but this actually works in her favour. Though I personally prefer the more outrageous and wacky characters, I
honestly think that Rukia's more normal demeanour is for the best. The series <b>needs</b> a certain number of personalities with more muted eccentricities in order to allow the true freaks to revel in their quirks. In my mind, when it comes to <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/bleach"><i>Bleach</i></a> Rukia is one of the characters who does this best. That she isn't ruled by her oddities means that she can perfectly flip flop between the victim role required for the Soul Society arc and the kick-ass shinigami icing her opponents into oblivion in later stories, all while making us smile with her chibi-sized antics along the way. And it's that versatility in her character that has made me finally appreciate her as a solid and damn good character.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVeT9oVt-6Oc25L8K5TjbkIhyphenhyphenFqnLzj_4v9EAkvRdEGzwM0e4eWgG003KuPLd1oH4D0XP4L5T8CHpDzrB1ywgbsMvzgKiVp77pmzyOtHIxXE7Gtp2GuXcTcOHkUooWx0QDbS6yY2Lo2jCn/s1600/Rukia_snapshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVeT9oVt-6Oc25L8K5TjbkIhyphenhyphenFqnLzj_4v9EAkvRdEGzwM0e4eWgG003KuPLd1oH4D0XP4L5T8CHpDzrB1ywgbsMvzgKiVp77pmzyOtHIxXE7Gtp2GuXcTcOHkUooWx0QDbS6yY2Lo2jCn/s640/Rukia_snapshot.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She may be small, but Rukia will kick your arse into next Tuesday if you mess with her.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-14444137690662532822012-04-12T12:36:00.005+01:002012-04-12T12:36:59.481+01:00Video Game Manga: Victory Fanfare or Game Over?The video game industry is big business, and with the plethora of different games around, it's chock full of different stories for people of all ages and genders to play through. So it's no surprise that the rest of the entertainment industry decides to take advantage of the popularity and adapt the tales we've all come to know and love into another medium. When it comes to anime, there are myriad titles based on dating sims, such as <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/clannad"><i>Clannad</i></a> and <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/amagami-ss"><i>Amagami SS</i></a>. But it's not just eroge that get the anime treatment, one of the most successful and widely known franchises is <i>Pokemon</i> whose games have spawned countless tv series, movies and specials; then there's the obscure OVAs featuring Nintendo's signature creation, Mario. But while I could ramble on about how anime has cashed in on the popularity of these games, in this post I intend to look at the lesser known manga adaptations of some of our favourite RPGs.<br />
<br />
What spurred me on to write this post is that I've recently finished reading <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/hiro-mashima">Hiro Mashima</a>'s <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/monster-hunter-orage"><i>Monster Hunter Orage</i></a>, which has its roots in - surprise, surprise - the <i>Monster Hunter</i> franchise. As I was working my way through the final volumes, I kept thinking about what it is that game-based manga bring to the table and whether they're a good thing or not. Unfortunately, I have been unable to come up with a definitive answer myself, but I have noticed that with each video game manga I read, the same things keep cropping up.<br />
<br />
The biggest issue with video game manga that I've found is that they're not inclusive and they often expect the reader to be familiar with the game franchise. The two biggest culprits of this I've found have been <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/kingdom-hearts"><i>Kingdom Hearts</i></a> and <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/devil-may-cry-3"><i>Devil May Cry 3</i></a>. I've never played any of the games in either of these two series so when I read the manga, I knew next to nothing about them. Unfortunately, in both of these cases it's clear that the manga expects the reader to know the basic plot, gameplay and character histories, so they don't bother to fully explain things. In the case of <i>Kingdom Hearts</i>, the story moves so quickly and the dynamic of the world is never properly introduced that I had little idea of what was going on and found it very difficult to really get what was happening and why. To me this is a huge flaw as it not only makes for a poor storytelling foundation, but it also alienates a potential new fanbase who may have gravitated to the games after enjoying the manga - after all if you didn't like the comic why would you want to try the games?<br />
<br />
<table><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top">That being said, there are times when game-based manga catering purely to the fans can actually be a good thing. My favourite series of games by a long margin is the <i>Legend of Zelda</i> franchise and undoubtedly the best videogame manga I've read is <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/legend-of-zelda-the-wind-waker-links-logbook"><i>Wind Waker: Link's Logbook</i></a>. However, where <i>Link's Logbook</i> differs from the aforementioned <i>Kingdom Hearts</i> and <i>Devil May Cry 3</i> is that it is a 4-koma gag manga that explicitly states that it has been made FOR the fans. And it really is. The game often pokes fun at itself and the manga continues this and takes it to the extreme, making it one of the most hilarious things that I've read, but that's only because I know the game. Non-fans may smile at the slapstick elements, but by not being familiar with the source material, they probably won't find it all that humorous and all the in-jokes will go soaring over their heads quicker than a frog on a cloud.<br />
<br />
To me <i>Link's Logbook</i> is the epitome of the best that video game manga has to offer for the seasoned fan. It takes you through the story and shows what essentially feel like outtakes, but it still wholly encapsulates the spirit of the game. It makes you relive yourplaythrough as you remember doing some of the stupid shit that <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/link">Link</a> gets up to (such as accidentally jumping off the top of a huge tower), or pokes fun at some of the weirder characters out there - Tingle anyone?<br />
<br />
Likewise, for fans of video games, reading the manga does have two other functions. Firstly, it makes for some
good geek spotting. With series such as <i>Monster Hunter Orage</i> even the
mere mention of fighting Rathians or wearing Kelbi armour is enough to
set off a small squeal from the fangirl (or fanboy) inside, which
undeniably gives some enjoyment as you read. Secondly, as fans of the franchise
it's brilliant to see your favourite characters in print and it does
allow for you to rediscover your most enjoyed games for a second time. By reading the manga you can re-experience the story in a much shorter space of time and enjoy it. So instead of playing through thirty or forty odd hours of game, you can follow Link's time-travelling Ocarina adventures in the space of an hour or so.<br />
<br /></td><td width="15"></td><td valign="top"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN08tWerMMFVZg60gcdPz_Ga9euyBQ_BY5xt5JXITttccJUgovcJSSloNGdonl8-ZVbT15Hm1zfy3opJUXiYZnYwIqK-QwrhIpZ3rZRXgVpxiO6Xfw1_Xg4RQcPynhTIs-xi2ddxAiStyR/s1600/Windwaker+comic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN08tWerMMFVZg60gcdPz_Ga9euyBQ_BY5xt5JXITttccJUgovcJSSloNGdonl8-ZVbT15Hm1zfy3opJUXiYZnYwIqK-QwrhIpZ3rZRXgVpxiO6Xfw1_Xg4RQcPynhTIs-xi2ddxAiStyR/s1600/Windwaker+comic.png" /></a></div>
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Now from what I've written so far, it may sound like game manga is
exclusively for the fans and only they will enjoy them, but that isn't
the case. There are several manga series out there where the mangaka
recreate a game story that doesn't alienate non-fans. Sounds
great, right? Well, yes it is, except it still comes with pitfalls as
more often than not in the quest to make a comprehensive plotline,
things shift. Details change, things get omitted, or added and while
this makes the stories more universally accessible it can piss off the
purists. The first thing to spring to mind for me in this case is <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time"><i>Ocarina of Time</i></a>. As a huge fan of the game, I couldn't wait to devour the manga when I discovered its existence, but when I'd finished reading the second volume, I felt more than a little disappointed because they changed so much. Among the many alterations, the entire existence of the Shadow Temple was skipped, while a scene was added in near the beginning with young <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/zelda">Zelda</a> and Link running around the market. Similarly, when Link first ventures into the <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/great-deku-tree">Great Deku Tree</a>, he isn't alone like in the game, instead <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/mido">Mido</a> accompanies him. While this does make for a better manga story as it shows Mido accepting Link and apologising for all the crap that went on before, the gamer geek in me can't help but yell "THAT'S NOT HOW IT IS IN THE GAME!"<br />
<br />
Ultimately, I'd say that adapting a game into manga is pretty damn hard. If you go for a retelling of a game's plotline then it's likely to either confuse or alienate those unfamiliar with the source material, or in order to make it more universally friendly, plot elements will be altered which will annoy or disappoint the hardcore fans. However, there are the games that don't have a linear plotline, such as <i>Monster Hunter</i>, which instead takes the world and its creatures and creates an original plotline. In my mind these have the potential to be the most successful, as so long as you introduce the relevant elements - in the case of <i>Monster Hunter</i>, the presence of the guilds and quests etc - then you can appeal to the casual reader who enjoys a nice adventure tale, as well as the fans who can geek-spot all the game references.<br />
<br />
In the end it all comes down to what you want out of a video game manga. If you want something that will be faithful to the original content, then you may be disappointed, as when all is aaid and done, games and graphic novels are VERY different media with entirely different storytelling methods. If you're simply looking for an easy read where you can play "spot the familiar game references" then you'll probably be quids in. And for those of you who don't know the games and just think that the plot sounds interesting, well, just give it a go. Don't let what I've written about prior knowledge sometimes being a necessity put you off, because that isn't the case every single time and you could be missing out as so many games out there have awesome stories that deserve to be shared with a wider audience.Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-56324750762088550822012-04-02T10:21:00.000+01:002012-04-02T10:23:00.155+01:00Monthly Round-up: March<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">March was a fairly busy month for me real life wise, so anime was a little thin on the ground in the end. Apart from all the <i>Bleach</i> - and I'm still not done with that.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Ongoing Anime I've Watched:</b></u></span><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/bleach">Bleach</a> so much <i>Bleach</i>.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Manga I've Read:</b></u></span><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/ge-good-ending">Good Ending</a> - There are still a few series left for me to catch up on from the 25 Days of Manga extravanganza, and having dipped into a slight manga slump for a week, I decided to make a comeback by reading <i>Good Ending</i>. The more I read, the more it's turning into a harem series, yet somehow I'm really enjoying it.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/little-little">Little Little</a> - <i>Little Little</i> is my first experience of textless manga, and frankly I found myself enthralled. I always find any medium that attempts to communicate without the aid of dialogue intriguing, as sometimes the story can be more poignant. I admit that a couple of times I did lose slightly what was going on, but for the most part, I really enjoyed this beautifully-drawn manga about a sickly girl and her new fox-girl friend.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/violet-blossoms">Violet Blossoms</a> - I had been looking forward to reading this oneshot for a while since the artwork is from Kaoru Mori, mangaka of <i>Emma</i>. The visuals didn't disappoint, though I can't help but feel that Mori really shines when she gets to recreate a lavish period world. Plot wise, the whole thing was kinda meh. I'm not entirely sure I got what the final few panels were about, but it was an OK manga, for a short read.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/ibitsu">Ibitsu</a> - While I'm not normally one for horror anime, I don't mind the odd scary manga, and <i>Ibitsu</i> had been on my list for a while. I confess now, that I probably shouldn't have read it late at night with the lights off just before going to bed, but I genuinely found it quite creepy. The "Little Sister" character is genuinely eerie with her tattered lolita clothes and gaunt, psychotic face. I won't give too much away on this since I may write more on this at a later date. But seriously, if you like horror, go read. Now.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Ongoing Manga I've Read:</b></u></span><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/one-piece">One Piece</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/naruto">Naruto</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/bleach">Bleach</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/gin-no-saji">Gin no Saji</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/bakuman">Bakuman</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/nichijou">Nichijou</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/shinryaku-ika-musume">Shinryaku! Ika Musume</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/k-on">K-On!</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/buyuden">Buyuden</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/all-rounder-meguru">All Rounder Meguru</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/a-brides-story">Otoyomegatari</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/beelzebub">Beelzebub </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/black-bird">Black Bird</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/hanamaru-youchien">Hanamaru Youchien</a></li>
</ul>Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-60715965465403811682012-03-31T00:18:00.000+01:002012-04-02T23:48:13.031+01:00What is Anime?In my time as a moderator over on <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/">Anime-Planet</a>, there's one debate that has come up countless times: what actually constitutes anime? This question normally only arises when someone requests that <i>Avatar: The Last Airbender</i> be added to the database, and our response of "It will not be added because it is not anime" tends to go down like a ton of bricks. So what exactly constitutes anime?<br />
<br />
If we go back to the original source, anime is simply the Japanese word for animation. That's all. Much like the word kawa means river, and yama means mountain, it's a general word that encompasses all animation. By this definition, technically anything could be anime, even Disney, Pixar, and Aardman creations. However, that's just looking at it literally. Outside of Japan, the word anime has come to mean something else, and it's this "something else" that causes more friction or confusion. Typically, the western world has two main definitions as for what anime actually is:<br />
<ol>
<li>Animation originating from Japan.</li>
<li>A style of animation that originally came from Japan. </li>
</ol>
I am heavily planted in the first definition's camp. If it's not from Japan, it's not anime. To me this is the same idea as if it's not from Japan it's not manga, or if it's not from the UK it can't be Britpop. It's a simple and clear cut definition that's not too difficult to figure out. That's not to say that I can't see where people are coming from. I agree, that yes, <i>Avatar</i> does <b>look</b> like anime since it was created with that design in mind, but it has absolutely nothing to do with Japan other than that. It's an American animation, not anime.<br />
<br />
My main gripe with the definition based on style<b> </b>as opposed to country of origin is that the whole style thing is - in a word - bullshit.<br />
<br />
For a start, the original "anime style" was adapted from the early American animations. All you need do is take a look at <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/osamu-tezuka">Osamu Tezuka</a>'s drawing style to see the heavy influence that pre-war black and white cartoons had on his work. This isn't to say that it's derivative by any stretch of the imagination, as it has evolved and made the big sparkly eyes its own. In fact, the so-called anime style is almost completely removed from its humble roots nowadays, which leads me to my main point. If you define anime purely on the style of animation, then what about all those beloved anime series and films that <b>don't</b> conform to the standard laid out by this restrictive definition? Surely Osamu Tezuka's work is anime, right? Well the <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/black-jack"><i>Black Jack</i></a> TV series look closer to westernised animation than Japanese, and in particular, many of Tezuka's shorts look more like they belong in 1960s America alongside Hanna Barbera and the <i>Pink Panther</i> cartoons. And while we're talking about American influence? What about <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/panty-and-stocking-with-garterbelt"><i>Panty and Stocking</i></a>? That's an anime series, right? Even though it looks like a slutty, violent, sex-crazed version of the <i>Powerpuff Girls</i>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1H3hH0zNMxogg2mFuffDbIzzxPrlNFlLUq_yMnJ8SYHLSnWzn5LqgBVuQ1lXRgj4qq-2flNDPsi8oWmTeJCq-LtrZfjun9ozqf9mCIG9Co9K0L1zx3c4tQuBIkgRHT-RSAu27njMvGj6/s1600/comparison.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-1H3hH0zNMxogg2mFuffDbIzzxPrlNFlLUq_yMnJ8SYHLSnWzn5LqgBVuQ1lXRgj4qq-2flNDPsi8oWmTeJCq-LtrZfjun9ozqf9mCIG9Co9K0L1zx3c4tQuBIkgRHT-RSAu27njMvGj6/s640/comparison.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Left:</b> Osamu Tezuka's <i>Drop</i>. <b>Right:</b> Classic US animation, <i>The Pink Panther</i>
<br />
They may not be identical, but the visual influences at work are fairly plain to see.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
What about the <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/studios/studio-ghibli">Studio Ghibli</a> films? You wouldn't call them anything other than anime, would you? Even <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/my-neighbors-the-yamadas"><i>My Neighbours the Yamadas</i></a> the most visually "un-Ghibli" Ghibl film? It doesn't <b>look</b> like your standard anime fare, but you'd still call it anime. So don't give me all this crap about it being "all about the style", because it's not.<br />
<br />
<table><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top">Nowadays more and more series try something a little different visually, which is brilliant and beautiful, because as viewers we are getting a whole range of new and exciting experences. Take the likes of <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/sarai-ya-goyou"><i>House of Five Leaves</i></a>, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/yojouhan-shinwa-taikei"><i>Tatami Galaxy</i></a>, pretty much anything by <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/akiyuki-shinbo">Akiyuki Shinbo</a>, they push the boundaries of what Japanese animation can look like and they don't just rest on that one familiar and comfortable appearance, but there's no question that they still count as anime. Animation is a constantly evolving medium, so to define anime based on a specific style is, in my mind, offensive.</td><td width="15"></td><td valign="top"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHpv-3uWWfvSg_riU9nY8fjvd4gKvlE6oBUUKm8XoCoMQgcLS-6CViMSJHhClPwPOV90g1PP9eqgsvpZ__BfmBQwanIpJk1LVC_5UWg8PW_dae_0pNkIk5q__P7nxiilOX0K6fNIGuN8D/s1600/30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcHpv-3uWWfvSg_riU9nY8fjvd4gKvlE6oBUUKm8XoCoMQgcLS-6CViMSJHhClPwPOV90g1PP9eqgsvpZ__BfmBQwanIpJk1LVC_5UWg8PW_dae_0pNkIk5q__P7nxiilOX0K6fNIGuN8D/s320/30.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natsume Ono's distinctive pronounced noses made <i>House of Five Leaves</i> stand out from the crowd in Spring 2010.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table><tbody>
<tr><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWpmJOMRMqMInFRKFsQ23MX6YAQ3VBMGdC1YxPhdX0UE0WwAUcUskblZL4g3RJ-I3-S4djevHVPabQ83IKrIy17hrnLV7pzrufFkeL9mNkHjz-oFOmCy-aUg7FzlRhgeAszjG2bzhN6ICS/s1600/18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWpmJOMRMqMInFRKFsQ23MX6YAQ3VBMGdC1YxPhdX0UE0WwAUcUskblZL4g3RJ-I3-S4djevHVPabQ83IKrIy17hrnLV7pzrufFkeL9mNkHjz-oFOmCy-aUg7FzlRhgeAszjG2bzhN6ICS/s320/18.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With a very fluid and offbeat design, <i>Tatami Galaxy</i> isn't always pretty, but it's certainly interesting, and certainly ideal for the Noitamina timeslot.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td><td width="15"></td><td><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cPDpaET-togDMUE7BxVa72_DFs1Sa5HH_OLd6NQhtCkbcU7fewwMI5exZh_IKGs4sTTnHsqFuDcP79MPjSb7V40H0JcMcMEPSk7NqxHzvJqHnZw8HJAouItxGH-XdtDM6DFHAPh5aJ0G/s1600/22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cPDpaET-togDMUE7BxVa72_DFs1Sa5HH_OLd6NQhtCkbcU7fewwMI5exZh_IKGs4sTTnHsqFuDcP79MPjSb7V40H0JcMcMEPSk7NqxHzvJqHnZw8HJAouItxGH-XdtDM6DFHAPh5aJ0G/s320/22.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The almost grotesque images of <i>Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei</i>'s background characters is far from the polished design of "standard" anime fare</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I love the simple definition of anime being animation that was made in Japan, because <i>through</i> that definition, I have come to watch a variety of glorious Japanese animated shorts, that had I gone purely on style, I'd have never found. Had I only looked for anything that matched the visual desigm that has come to be familiar to us all - that anime archetype - then I'd never have stumbled upon <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/the-diary-of-tortov-roddle"><i>The Diary of Tortov Roddle</i></a>, or the gorgeous stop motion puppetry of <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/kihachiro-kawamoto">Kihachiro Kawamoto</a>. I'd never have given a second glance to the works of <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/natsume-ono">Natsume Ono</a>, who has become one of my favourite mangaka.<br />
<br />
In my mind there's no question that anime is animation from Japan and nowhere else. So for those of you out there who bitch about <i>Avatar</i> not being listed on your favourite anime site, calm down, get over it, and go and experience the sheer variety of what both the mainstream and independant Japanese animation industries have to offer.Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-87790627502402979032012-03-26T21:03:00.000+01:002012-03-26T21:03:11.108+01:00Shounen Deaths and Their ImpactsBefore I start, given the title of this post, expect that there will be spoilers ahead, BIG spoilers, for <i>Bleach</i>, <i>Naruto</i>, <i>One Piece</i>, and <i>Fullmetal Alchemist</i>.<br />
<br />
As anyone who reads or watches a fair bit of mainstream shounen will know, the mortality rate is generally pretty damn low for the amount of carnage that goes on each chapter. Maybe the occasional bad guy will shuffle off the mortal coil once in a while, but other than that, death is a rare occurrence in this genre and for the most part, enemies just get roughed up, knocked out and generally end up bloodied but alive. So, when a mangaka does decide to kill someone off, the implications tend to be much larger and there's generally good reason behind it. Particularly, as much as I love it, one of the biggest culprits of not letting people die is <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/one-piece"><i>One Piece</i></a>, though in certain cases - namely <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/buggy">Buggy</a>, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/crocodile">Crocodile</a> and several Baroque Works members - they've returned to play an important role later on, so really it's best that they didn't head off to meet their maker after all. That being said, both <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/bleach"><i>Bleach</i></a> and <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/naruto"><i>Naruto</i></a> have bumped off a few baddies, but since they're enemies, you kind of don't care so much, or at least expect it (I'm still pissed that <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/tite-kubo">Kubo</a> didn't kill of <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/sousuke-aizen">Aizen</a> in the end). However, I'm not really here to discuss the killing of antagonists, my main concern in this post is that of deaths of shounen characters who, for all intents and purposes, are good guys.<br />
<br />
Killing off your protagonists is a fairly rare occurrance in shounen and while, with all of the insane battle, it may seem a bit unrealistic, I actually believe it to be a good thing for one simple reason: it allows for any deaths to have a much larger impact on the audience. If good guys dying off were a more regular thing, then you'd get somewhat de-sensitised to it all, but when you're led in to a sense of security that no one dies and it's all hunky-dory, and THEN someone gets suddenly wiped out, it can be a devastating and emotional experience. <br />
<table><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top"><br />
My first encounter of anything like this was <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/fullmetal-alchemist"><i>Fullmetal Alchemist</i></a>. I was happily watching away falling in love with the story and characters - in particular, my favourite of all the protagonists was <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/maes-hughes">Maes Hughes</a>. So when all of a sudden he was killed off for getting too close to the central conspiracy, I was utterly devastated. I remember watching his funeral scene through a veil of tears and to this day any glimpse of his face on screen leads to a yelp of "HUUUUUUUUUUGGGGHHES!!!" Looking at it from a storytelling point of view though it was a genius move. He's a likeable guy. He's not an alchemist, he's relatively ordinary, has a family that he adores and is one of the more comical people in the tale. </td><td width="15"></td><td valign="top"><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMclJYyueNrkz81Q1Eu00UbdymRGLe-w0PNsKX7k5t8dsYeaPHk9cZ7PiH-vzksRFE3tkCKchKUqo2s7eXB6Y2t3UCIeFPYiD3XPyZaQuyHxO6g2yaZPnBW3wT-kVKJDWxvtsidBXD__af/s1600/Hughes+Grave.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMclJYyueNrkz81Q1Eu00UbdymRGLe-w0PNsKX7k5t8dsYeaPHk9cZ7PiH-vzksRFE3tkCKchKUqo2s7eXB6Y2t3UCIeFPYiD3XPyZaQuyHxO6g2yaZPnBW3wT-kVKJDWxvtsidBXD__af/s400/Hughes+Grave.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To this day, Hughes' funeral remains one of the most heartwrenching scenes I've encountered in any anime series.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Having him die is an immediate and powerful way to show just how serious the situation is. Additionally, that there's no warning of his death and that it's so sudden subconsciously puts the viewer on edge, after all, anyone could be next...<br />
<br />
More than any mainstream shounen I've encountered, there's one series that seems to be more at home with killing off protagonists (and antagonists, but I'll save that for another post), and that's <i>Naruto</i>. Out of the main shounen mangaka, it seems that <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/masashi-kishimoto">Kishimoto</a> is more willing to dispose of some of his protagonists in order to further the plot. He starts off with the <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/hiruzen-sarutobi">Third Hokage</a>, and while he's old, killing off the head of the village - and its most powerful ninja - is a bold, yet necessary step. He's not a central protagonist, so there's not too much emotional attachment, but it still goes against the general philosophy of shounen manga: that the good guys always win out. It throws Konoha into turmoil and, while not necessarily in the way he'd planned, makes part of <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/orochimaru">Orochimaru</a>'s plan succeed. It isn't an instant defeat, more a partial win, but it takes away that feeling of security, that all will be OK and continue as ever, and THAT is one of Kishimoto's biggest strengths.<br />
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While the Third Hokage's is the only significant death in the first part of <i>Naruto</i>, Kishimoto continues to bump off some of his other protagonists in <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/naruto-shippuden"><i>Shippuuden</i></a>. In particular there are two demises that I wish to look at. The first, is that of <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/asuma-sarutobi">Asuma</a>, which has the least implications, but still remains poignant enough. That Asuma was taken out by one of Akatsuki, not only cements their position as the central antagonists of the piece, but also facilitates some maturation in <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/shikamaru-nara">Shikamaru</a> by making him step up and graduate from being a lazy genius, to a full-fledged konoha ninja with a true "Will of Fire". Likewise, it also proves that the jounin ninja are fallible. They may be close to being the pinnacle of ninja strength (only being outshone by the kage) but they are not immortal. What they do is dangerous and they can in fact die, and it's this realisation that often makes <i>Naruto</i> seem more realistic than some of its shounen bretheren.<br />
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However, while the Third Hogake and Asuma's deaths held some importance in the plotline, the most significant death in <i>Naruto</i> by far is that of <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/jiraiya">Jiraiya</a>. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiggQwe6Y2SNcoemy0vjM8GBcLZSMyrVn_49Px5qvM87fVX_-sf8_3Ex-nvtJ7fHfS0F111OL0dpChD3Mw77xH7st8P_xMOASzls4VKnrKWCghbFrJ_h4x_UG10mYmi8i1sj_xKZdXU1unP/s1600/JiraiyaDeath.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiggQwe6Y2SNcoemy0vjM8GBcLZSMyrVn_49Px5qvM87fVX_-sf8_3Ex-nvtJ7fHfS0F111OL0dpChD3Mw77xH7st8P_xMOASzls4VKnrKWCghbFrJ_h4x_UG10mYmi8i1sj_xKZdXU1unP/s400/JiraiyaDeath.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Death of a Konoha legend, Jiraiya's end summed up the leaf village's "Will of Fire" to a T.</td></tr>
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Undoubtedly he is the most central character to kick the bucket in the entire series, and it certainly has the biggest impact on <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/naruto-uzumaki">Naruto</a> himself. As the series' loveable pervert, Jiraiya's death has the biggest emotional impact on the audience. We know him more than others and like his antics, as well as respect his position as one of Konoha's Three Legendary Ninja. What makes Jiraiya's demise the most poignant however, is not the emotion but the implications it has. On a more general note, it delivers a massive blow to Konoha's firepower. Jiraiya was not only a figurehead with his position as Sannin, but he was a valuable source of intelligence with abilities that allowed him to feed important information back to the village.</td></tr>
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But it's the repercussions his end has on those left behind that is the most striking. In particular it serves as the catalyst for Naruto's evolution. By suddenly losing his beloved master who had become like a substitute family to him, Konoha's Jinchuuriki is able to access parts of himself that had previously been locked. During Naruto's battle with <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/pain">Pain</a>, he not only manages to physically power up, but he learns more about himself. On top of that, he matures incredibly as he finally understands that needless hate and desire for vengeance is nothing more than a vicious circle. He tosses aside his desire for revenge and pledges to carry on Jiraiya's will to find a road to true peace. Ultimately, that not only helps him finally defeat Nagato, but also by solidifying his ideals and essentially leaving his heart open to everyone, it lays the foundations for his later power ups and realtionships with the Tailed Beasts.<br />
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Then of course there's <i>One Piece</i>, a series that goes hundreds upon hundreds of chapters and episodes before killing off any of its characters. But boy, when it finally does, it does it in style. While death plays a large part in practically all of the Straw Hats' backstories, it's not really until the Whitebeard war that any active characters actually shuffle off the mortal coil and then <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/eiichiro-oda">Oda</a> dishes up not one, but two significant deaths in short succession, both of which have a distinct, yet different impact.<br />
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First up to bite the dust is <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/portgas-d-ace">Ace</a>, and his death has much more of an emotional impact. The audience has come to know and love him from previous encounters with him, and when he dies, it ultimately leaves the viewer at least a little upset. However, with Ace, more than anything it's the effect his demise has on <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/monkey-d-luffy">Luffy</a> that really proves the most devastating blow. Seeing Luffy break down is what truly gnaws at the hearstrings. That the usually optimistic and bubbly pirate suddenly becomes little more than a broken and hollow shell is such a powerful thing, that anyone who has become even remotely emotionally invested in the series will feel that grief resonate through them. This heartbreak not only serves as the starting point for Luffy's next big power up but it signals a change in the wind.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiLCBPbH909y8dlfmYX6XRolRN1nt7Juv9ZK_LOD-GI98lqJh461l3IwILw49BL2ht4_g42qxC2pVgHk7tQEGKFay5g5v7DhSGOykcyqvPY50gmiPDyeHd0tGzkNmQ8i2S46jxwCo2hRF/s1600/AceTakeABlowforLuffy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiLCBPbH909y8dlfmYX6XRolRN1nt7Juv9ZK_LOD-GI98lqJh461l3IwILw49BL2ht4_g42qxC2pVgHk7tQEGKFay5g5v7DhSGOykcyqvPY50gmiPDyeHd0tGzkNmQ8i2S46jxwCo2hRF/s640/AceTakeABlowforLuffy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As much as Luffy's incessant yelling of "AAAACE!" throughout this arc got a bit much, I found myself joining in with him during this scene.</td></tr>
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The second of Oda's double whammy of death has less emotional impact but huge political implications for the world of <i>One Piece</i>. <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/whitebeard">Whitebeard</a>'s end was fairly incredible, but that this towering presence in the pirate community that had maintained peace for years was now gone, serves as the end of one era and the beginning of another. Nothing will be the same after this. The balance of the pirate world has been shattered and with <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/blackbeard">Blackbeard</a> stealing the Whitebeard's Devil Fruit power, the die have been cast for what will inevitably become Luffy's final battle - well, unless Oda has another card hidden up his sleeve. Since the Straw Hats' next step is to head into the infamously treacherous New World, Whitebeard's death serves to make that already deadly journey even more perilous as the heirarchical system of the pirates has been thrown into turmoil. So, when they Sunny does eventually break into this new territory, not only will they have to cope with the natural dangers, but they will also face more fearsome pirates who are now not only taking over Whitebeard's territory and throwing peaceful lands into chaos, but are also vying for the now vacant position of one of the four Pirate Emperors. This is the perfect point to draw a line and commence with what will likely be <i>One Piece</i>'s heavier and even more epic second act.<br />
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So, while it may get rather tiresome watching everyone get beaten to a bloody pulp only to have miraculously recovered a few pages - or episodes - later, the lack of fatalities in shounen goes a long way to making the more important deaths all the more poignant, and with this week's chapter of <i>Bleach</i>, I am reminded of this even more. It may only be the beginning of the arc, and he may only be a minor named protagonist, but I found Kubo killing off <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/choujirou-sasakibe">Vice Captain Sasakibe</a> shocking. Even though I didn't particularly care for the character, that one fatality immediately shows that Kubo means business and that this final arc in <i>Bleach</i> is going to be a seriously big one. It just goes to prove that the impact of having a "good" character drop off the perch at an important moment is only made that poignant, by not bumping off your protagonists at every turn, since if Kubo had been doing so for the last decade, these recent events probably wouldn't have made me even bat an eyelid.<br />
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Sometimes less is more, and this is definitely the case with deaths in shounen.Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-15083870877258171732012-03-23T11:32:00.001+00:002012-03-25T12:32:30.733+01:00Manga Musings: GE: Good EndingSo my latest read manga-wise has been to catch up on another of my 25 Days of Manga series, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/ge-good-ending"><i>GE: Good Ending</i></a>. Normally, while I don't avoid them per se, I don't tend to actively seek out harem series. They aren't always my favourite of genres, but having been given this as a request, I read a bit and actually enjoyed it.<br />
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Initially, <i>Good Ending</i> is a romance story about a regular if not wimpy high school boy, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/seiji-utsumi">Seiji</a>, who is in love with his upperclassman in the tennis club, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/shou-iketani">Shou</a>. Then in some odd twist, the class beauty, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/yuki-kurokawa">Yuki</a>, decides to help him pluck up the courage to confess to his crush. This section is all rather simple and it's pretty easy to figure out where some of the plot is headed, but it's enjoyable nonetheless. However, as the series goes on, it develops into more and more of a harem series and for me that's when it starts to lose some of its initial sparkle.<br />
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My biggest issue with harems is that it always seems to be so wholly unbelievable and <i>Good Ending</i> is no different. Nine times out of ten, the central male is weak and generally naff, something that Seiji fulfils in pretty much every way. Initially, he's an incredibly cowardly and timid guy, and granted in that respect he does mature a little though not all that much. Throughout he suffers from what seems to be a crippling lack of self-confidence and indecision and as a result every little thing gets blown up out of all proportion.<br />
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Frankly, I have no idea why all the girls seem to flock to him. I mean, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/risa-oonuma">Oonuma</a> clearly has some kind of mental issues given her naivety, her history and the way she clings to Seiji like a limpet purely because he's kind to her. About the only thing our central protagonist has going for him is that he's nice and kind to pretty much everyone, but he's not THAT good a guy - especially when his dithering ends up being harmful - and this is where the central problem lies.<br />
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While in the beginning, I was cheering Seiji on, willing him to overcome his shyness and win over his crush, as time went on I found myself getting frustrated and annoyed. There are only so many times that you can watch one guy hesitate and get into so many misunderstandings that set his relationships back two or three steps.</td><td width="15"></td><td valign="top"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMAA7ekL4uBLBPfIrhTSYr9UHIDKHCEmABBJRh59-GU3YAU1MwLfm6i8-WMXucTpcN2oBoDIj_XZpr6nyJAFUHT7WONru_f-VeVyyBYPb1YaXpATdmTr9eCNLVxj-p4aHpIJ4TfnRKuacm/s1600/GESeiji.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMAA7ekL4uBLBPfIrhTSYr9UHIDKHCEmABBJRh59-GU3YAU1MwLfm6i8-WMXucTpcN2oBoDIj_XZpr6nyJAFUHT7WONru_f-VeVyyBYPb1YaXpATdmTr9eCNLVxj-p4aHpIJ4TfnRKuacm/s320/GESeiji.png" width="205" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girls like me?! Yeah, I know, Seiji. I'm having a hard time believing it too.</td></tr>
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Outside of the harem aspect there are certain bits about the story that I do quite like. The history regarding Yuki's past relationship for example, I found quite engaging. For a seemingly long time, the mystery surrounding it kept the interest factor up, and I wanted to keep reading to find out just what happened. Then when all was revealed, the effect that past events had on her current love affair kept the whole thing fresh, and judging by the way things are going, her past will likely return once again. I do like that there are several plot threads running alongside each other at once, but this also works as a double-edged blade. There are certain aspects that feel tacked-on and unfocused; the main one that springs to mind is the whole photography aspect with Seiji. It's introduced as a way for him to move forward and seems like it will help to resolve his lack of motivation for the future as well as potentially adding to the list of females after the hapless teen. However, the whole thing seems pretty half-arsed, and it's fallen by the wayside only to reappear once or twice when it's convenient. Likewise, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/touru-ge-good-ending">Touru</a> coming back into the picture has been hinted at for a while but once again seems to have disappeared no doubt to return later on. Sadly, this lack of focus takes a little away from the otherwise well-woven plot threads, like dropping stitches while knitting and ending up with a nice yet rather holey sweater.<br />
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As much as I personally find <i>Good Ending</i> to have its fair share of problems, I still find it an easy read and when all is said and done, I do quite like it; it's just not one of the most incredibly amazing series out there. I'd say that if you like the harem genre, a dash of good humour and a few panty shots then it's worth checking this out.Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-4020877303625264072012-03-22T11:22:00.000+00:002012-03-22T11:22:27.187+00:00Bleach Anime Catch Up Marathon: Week ThreeNow onto week three of the <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/bleach"><i>Bleach</i></a> catch-up and I still have a reasonable distance to go. Think I may need to pick up the watching pace a little, especially since his weekend is my birthday and I'm unlikely to get to watching anything.<br />
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<b>March 15th:</b> Day fifteen of the catch-up<br />
Bit of a meh episode but I realised that I've been forgetting the end of episode omake. Now having a mass catch up! I must say that despite my general anti-dumb comedy stance when it comes to <i>Bleach</i>, I do love the omake.<br />
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I can't help but get the feeling that by the end of this arc, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/nozomi-kujo">Nozomi</a> is going to end up sacrificing herself. I rather like how the current ending is gradually taking us through the last ten years of the anime. Though it's <i>really</i> manking me want to rewatch the Soul Society arc.<br />
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Man, it feels like it's been such a long time since I genuinely enjoyed the <i>Bleach</i> anime, but right now, I really am. Additionally, unless it all goes really tits up in the last part of this arc, I think this is by far and away the best filler plotline the series has ever had. Oh god... I'm actually enjoying <i>Bleach</i> filler. Has hell frozen over?<br />
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Now onto episode 333, and I have to say, Nozomi's zanpakutou is rather awesome. Ridiculously convenient, but awesome nonetheless. Ignoring that though, seriously, do NOT mess with <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/genryuusai-yamamoto">Yamamoto</a>. He will burn your arse to the ground. I do love seeing the Captain Commander get his fight on, somehow whenever he gets personally involved in the battle it feels that much more epic. One thing that confuses me though... Yamamoto is incredibly powerful, like, he could probably take out all the other captains single-handedly powerful (no pun intended), so why does Soul Society have to keep relying on <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/ichigo-kurosaki">Ichigo</a>? I mean if Yamamoto and Ichigo were to battle it out, the flame-haired shinigami would probably end up as just... flames and quite possibly, ashes.<br />
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Dammit, I was going to play some more xbox tonight, but I can't stop watching! Oh wow... it's getting a bit soap opera now isn't it? Showdown in the rainy woods, two guys fighting over a girl, desperation, landslides, self-sacrifice.<br />
Watched: 6 Episodes<br />
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<b>March 19th</b>: Day nineteen of the catch-up<br />
Took the weekend off for birthday-related goodness, but now I'm back and still have 30 episodes to catch up on in just over a week, so here goes!<br />
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As much as I'm enjoying this arc, I can't help but feel that it's making on big joke out of Ichigo losing his powers. I think I've been sucked into the <i>Bleach</i> machine, as the prospect of an epic and mass captains vs fake captains fight is getting rather exciting - even though there have been many of these clashes throughout the arc. Somehow it's yet to get too old, though I confess that the <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/byakuya-kuchiki">Byakuya</a> v Byakuya fights are getting a bit dull now.<br />
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I really do love seeing <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/shunsui-kyoraku">Kyoraku</a> and <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/juushiro-ukitake">Ukitake</a> fighting, we don't get to see them enough, yet they're genuinely interesting characters. Actually, that reminds me... <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/tite-kubo">Kubo</a> had better reveal Kyoraku's bankai during this final manga arc; especially after the mutterings about how it "must not be used" during the Fake Karakura Town arc. OK, screw rampaging hollow Ichigo, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/kisuke-urahara">Urahara</a> vs Urahara is way more interesting!<br />
Watched: 4 Episodes<br />
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<b>March 21st</b>: Day Twenty-one of the catch up<br />
I seem to be getting a bit behind again, what with not watching any last night. I have to say there's an odd little part of me that kind of likes the remix versions of the soundtrack that's going on in the background, though in general, the originals make me feel more nostalgic. Ahhh gotta love the whole "Take my final attack! I saw through your attack from the beginning! Well I knew you'd see through my attack so take this, HAH!" thing. Cheesy, but shounentastic! Oh come on... how dumb can you guys get?! You KNOW his zanpakutou can absorb reishi, don't look so bloody surprised when it swallows up your attack. And while all of this is going on, all the captains bar <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/kenpachi-zaraki">Kenpachi</a> who's off doing his own slashy thing are having what is essentially a staring contest. OK <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/kon">Kon</a>'s voice coming out of <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/nemu-kurotsuchi">Nemu</a> is just freaking creepy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aaaaaaaand Rukia just earned my respect.</td></tr>
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You know, despite his large presence in this arc, Kon wasn't <i>quiiiite</i> as annoying as he could be. And so ends the filler arc, now back to canon plotline (hopefully) and what will be the final arc in the <i>Bleach</i> anime, but I think I'll save that for tomorrow.<br />
Watched: 2 EpisodesCassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-25006694884060251892012-03-21T11:51:00.001+00:002012-03-21T11:54:04.480+00:00New Blog Project: Itadakimasu!A while back, I approached the lovely <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/users/ThePatches">Pat</a> and asked what he'd like to see me write about on my blog - since I had make a request of his <a href="http://aboutwaifuz.tumblr.com/"><b>awesome feminist anime blog</b></a> *shameless plug*. However, instead of asking for a thousand words on the "wonder" that is <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/yui-hirasawa">Yui</a> or twenty reasons why <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/sawako-yamanaka">Sawa-chan</a> would make the perfect wife (which, because it's him I'd likely have written), he offered advice and an idea. Unluckily for him, I loved the suggestion and so the ship has now sailed on the moe adoration front and I am instead embarking on a new project: blogging about food in anime.<br />
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From the moment Pat suggested it, I knew it was perfect for me as outside of the nerd realm, my main interest is cooking, and I personally find that these two interests coincide more frequently than you would think. The main way this tends to happen is that I'll spot some tasty looking morsel in an anime I'm watching and get the desire to try it, which is the main reason that I now own a rather sizeable number of Japanese cookery books.<br />
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So now, amongst the shounen babblings, and other anime and manga related ramblings, I intend to look at food in a variety of ways. I will likely take a glance at the importance of food within a given anime, and possibly blog an entire food-related series as I watch it. I also will likely focus posts on particular dishes, and maybe even share a recipe or two from my own experiences. Basically, if it's food-related and in anime (or manga) form, then the chances are I'll find something to write about it.<br />
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<tr><td valign="top">So, to start things off and tie this all in with the unofficial <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/bleach"><i>Bleach</i></a> month I've got going on, I wanted to share one of my favourite food-related omake. In the <i>Shinigami Illustrated Picture Book</i> at the end of episode 183, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/renji-abarai">Renji</a> comments on how hungry he is, and <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/shuuhei-hisagi">Hisagi</a> proclaims that he will take him somewhere where they can eat well and for no cost. Cue the Gotei 13's resident punching bag and joke of a vice-captain, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/marechiyo-omaeda">Omaeda</a>, who allows the oher two to finish off his "leftovers" for free much to Hisagi's joy and Renji's disgust.</td><td width="15"></td><td valign="top"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TFmGuwFehRNvKCNGb1L_BkOeo0Wgo0wnBh7A1dOeYko9lZ1Kr2mIqkFpfV4l9TOvn1rKFsa_uni3Ju48stwouKR9JJ9xap7OJsFjGf0lEXLEWUz1y7K3Kv1snLiGBIFqu-wNXC2YeCiy/s1600/%5BDB%5D_Bleach_183_%5B07493DEF%5D08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TFmGuwFehRNvKCNGb1L_BkOeo0Wgo0wnBh7A1dOeYko9lZ1Kr2mIqkFpfV4l9TOvn1rKFsa_uni3Ju48stwouKR9JJ9xap7OJsFjGf0lEXLEWUz1y7K3Kv1snLiGBIFqu-wNXC2YeCiy/s400/%5BDB%5D_Bleach_183_%5B07493DEF%5D08.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpY06d7YE7NF5wroNSIUUqWYV8tLpDh1PNtwCw3C17obqhLBVDTB9mPe409-_BMykMQSyMtLpxXFu1SNdgdfMMl_T5zC0XDjf0R5Gm_C6LvMFoa-dJ2oMtqdlYVtKndmzcfGGrgEV-Wfe/s1600/%5BDB%5D_Bleach_183_%5B07493DEF%5D02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpY06d7YE7NF5wroNSIUUqWYV8tLpDh1PNtwCw3C17obqhLBVDTB9mPe409-_BMykMQSyMtLpxXFu1SNdgdfMMl_T5zC0XDjf0R5Gm_C6LvMFoa-dJ2oMtqdlYVtKndmzcfGGrgEV-Wfe/s400/%5BDB%5D_Bleach_183_%5B07493DEF%5D02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td valign="top"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFGOSNol3IXh0vOMmD0GBcjjErs5_o2ZZEpyZLX0StFdeYsYfle8iYRcUhNEvTXIqON-XUwCdFMLMUcbnp2GYvnFLBUFpGlhJlirM4S92zpE4cJqY_733DVA2AjfNmjm78ZRiR9CyxPeaa/s1600/%5BDB%5D_Bleach_183_%5B07493DEF%5D05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFGOSNol3IXh0vOMmD0GBcjjErs5_o2ZZEpyZLX0StFdeYsYfle8iYRcUhNEvTXIqON-XUwCdFMLMUcbnp2GYvnFLBUFpGlhJlirM4S92zpE4cJqY_733DVA2AjfNmjm78ZRiR9CyxPeaa/s400/%5BDB%5D_Bleach_183_%5B07493DEF%5D05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></td><td width="15"></td><td valign="top">What I like most about this omake is that the promise of free gourmet food really brings out a more fun and lively side of the usually calm and serious vice-captain. Having served under justice-obsessed asshat <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/kaname-tousen">Tousen</a> for so long, Hisagi generally has a sense of dignity about him, so when faced with a bowl of complimentary rice that turns him into a human hoover and causes Renji to question whether he even has any pride, you can't help but giggle. Thus is the power of food, especially upon a cash-strapped shinigami.</td></tr>
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The moral of the story: there's no room for pride when you have the the promise of a free meal!Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-79267989515916308392012-03-20T12:14:00.000+00:002012-03-20T12:14:54.115+00:00Cassie's Character Corner: Kenpachi ZarakiSince March has essentially become <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/bleach"><i>Bleach</i></a> month on here (mainly thanks to my marathon catch-up putting it to the forefront of my mind) I figured that my second character corner should be given over to another of my favourite individuals from <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/tite-kubo">Kubo</a>'s series. This time around it's the turn of 11th Squad Captain, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/kenpachi-zaraki">Kenpachi Zaraki</a>.<br />
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What sticks out most about Kenpachi is his overwhelming love of battle. His entire driving force is to fight, and while most see combat as means to an end, or a last ditch resort, Kenpachi actively seeks it out, specifically hunting for the strongest of the enemies he faces. Likewise, in a similar vein to <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/mayuri-kurotsuchi">Kurotsuchi</a>, he often acts for his own personal satisfaction over any sense of justice. He'll obey orders given to him, but when he enters into a bout with an enemy, it's not necessarily because of duty, but because he wants to have fun - and luckily for him, the two frequently coincide.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kenpachi is in his element when it comes to powerful and capable opponents.</td></tr>
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Kenpachi is essentially a crazed beast who will hack away at his opponent. There's little finesse to his fighting style, his blade is tattered, and he hasn't even bothered to learn his zanpakutou's name. In that sense, his total sense of disconnect with a weapon that is essentially part of his soul, goes against the mantra of the other shinigami. He doesn't use fancy kido, or think out a strategy, instead he wins out with pure brute force and incredible inate spiritual pressure. That his entire attitude differs from his peers, is what makes him most fascinating to me as a character. Well, that and knowing that when he arrives with his blade drawn, you're in for a damn good fight.<br />
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Another thing that I find intriguing about Kenpachi is the juxtaposition in his character. Despite his thirst for bloody battle, Squad Eleven's captain is - in a sense - a fair and almost honorable fighter. He won't resort to dirty tricks. If you're too weak, he'll just kill you and/or leave feeling unsatisfied. If you're strong, he'll fight you in a one-on-one duel and give it his all in order to enjoy the bout. Likewise, though he's the most brutal and fierce of all the captains and while his enjoyment of combat almost borders on the sadistic, his relationship with his vice-captain, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/yachiru-kusajishi">Yachiru</a>, is a stark contrast. That he acts like big brother and protector to his tiny subordinate, accords Kenpachi a certain amount of humility. It goes to prove that he isn't all bad even though he may seem like little more than an out-of-control monster.</td><td width="15"></td><td valign="top"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Less rabid beast, more loyal companion, Kenpachi is more than just a wild animal baring his fangs at anyone who walks past.</td></tr>
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If I were to sum up Kenpachi, I'd say he's like a rather sizeable family dog. He growls, barks, and bites, but only when trying to assert his rank in the pecking order and test himself, or when protecting those that are threatened. However, he's loyal, especially to those he calls friend and will act as their companion and guardian. And while he may jump up and bark at those he respects (such as the way he "attacks" <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/ichigo-kurosaki">Ichigo</a>), all he really wants is to play and have some fun.Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-29190548697382305232012-03-19T10:34:00.000+00:002012-03-19T10:34:13.029+00:00Cassie's Character Corner: Mayuri KurotsuchiDespite it not being my favourite shounen series ever, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/bleach"><i>Bleach</i></a> contains quite a few characters that I really like, in fact the range of personalities within the Gotei 13 is one of <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/tite-kubo">Kubo'</a>s biggest strengths. Granted when it comes to <i>Bleach</i> finding them attractive is generally about as strict as the criteria for liking them gets. However, there are a couple of exceptions and one of those is captain of the 12th squad and Head of the Shinigami Research Institute, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/mayuri-kurotsuchi">Mayuri Kurotsuchi</a>.<br />
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I'll say it, my main reason for liking this guy is that he is a complete freak, but that's what makes him such a strong character. Let's face it, nine times out of ten, the messed up or evil characters are far more interesting to watch than the "nice" ones and that's precisely what happens here. At his core, Mayuri is distinctly unlikeable. Despite essentially being on the side of the "good guys", he often seems to put his own interests above that of anyone or anything else to the point where you often wonder where his loyalties actually lie.<br />
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Additionally, he is wholly callous towards other beings. He doesn't see people, just subjects. Even his own artificially created daughter, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/nemu-kurotsuchi">Nemu</a>, doesn't escape his cruelty as he both mentally and physically abuses her to the point where he will even consider discarding her if she no longer proves "useful". Nice guy, huh?</td><td width="15"></td><td><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mayuri's design during his early appearances in the show.</td></tr>
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More than anything though, it's the "Mad Scientist" aspect of his personality that shines above it all. He's a sadistic git who you wouldn't want to meet on a dark night, as he'd likely try to dissect you or at the very least inject weird substances into your veins. He lives for experimentation and no one is exempt from his studies, least of all himself. As <i>Bleach</i> has gone on, even more of Mayuri's bodily alterations and various fighting mehtods keep coming to light, to the point where watching him fight is like going to a carnival freak show. He has crazy detachable body parts that he can instantly re-grow if severed, a whole host of dangerous poisons at his disposal, one of the creepiest zanpakutou going (seriously, all those baby-ish giggles from <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/ashisogi-jizou">Ashisogi Jizou</a> creep me the hell out) and to top it all off, he has the last-ditch solution of dissolving into a puddle of liquid to escape a fight that he is unlikely to win.<br />
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What's more is that as the series has gone on, his appearance has changed and he's become even more deranged! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi624NadLVgUlmm7HpQEimtfGXXNeIEHzSQ51ZwzujzPg3vUJh86E-Qtsl54qaFNkrx7mPHcpihkfOCr4Z3ZSfbFkmrrgJeWPH91t1Min3uY0vkmRrURm9vx7EFguhTUd0ZcacSj0iKPZ05/s1600/ARGH!.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi624NadLVgUlmm7HpQEimtfGXXNeIEHzSQ51ZwzujzPg3vUJh86E-Qtsl54qaFNkrx7mPHcpihkfOCr4Z3ZSfbFkmrrgJeWPH91t1Min3uY0vkmRrURm9vx7EFguhTUd0ZcacSj0iKPZ05/s640/ARGH!.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creepy enough as he was, Mayuri has now morphed into possibly the most terrifying member of the <i>Bleach</i> cast.</td></tr>
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Whereas before he was just kind of odd-looking and a bit creepy, now he's full on nightmareish. When you look at him as a person, there's no way in hell you'd want to know him, and you'd pray to god that you never became his enemy. He's a messed up creep that if he actually existed would have been locked up in a tightly secured padded cell long, long ago, probably after having been on a crazed killing spree. But as a fictional character in a series, isn't he incredible to watch? He brings a whole world of colour to proceedings, and even if that palette makes you feel a bit ill or just plain disgusted, no one could ever claim that Mayuri Kurotsuchi is dull.Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-9203699848752225852012-03-18T17:04:00.000+00:002012-03-18T17:04:57.364+00:00Bleach Anime Catch Up Marathon: Week TwoHere comes my second week of <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/bleach"><i>Bleach</i></a> catch-up.<br />
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<b>March 8th: </b>Day eight of the catch-up<br />
I have to say that I am quite enjoying the whole Gotei 13 vs Gotei 13 thing, I just can't help but shake the feeling that this is all a bit reminiscent of the zanpakutou arc. Of course instead of the shinigami fighting against the very weapons that are a part of them, they're fighting against themselves. Both are very much... internal enemies instead of some completely outside presence going on the offensive. In other news, I do quite like <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/sado-yasutora">Chad</a>, but damn does he need shorter attack names!<br />
Watched: 2 Episodes<br />
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<b>March 12th:</b> Day twelve of the catch-up<br />
I have majorly sucked over the weekend and didn't watch ANY anime whatsoever, so I have some catching up to do. OK <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/nozomi-kujo">Nozomi</a> calling <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/kon">Kon</a> a pervert and repeatedly kicking him was getting old quite a long time ago, now it's just plain boring. Also getting a little weary of the poor fragile <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/ichigo-kurosaki">Ichigo</a> losing his powers thing. Yes, it has the potential to be heroic, but it kind of feels like the anime is milking the loss of his abilities. At least in the manga it was instant. He used the technique, now that's it. No more. Still, it's nice to see a little more <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/kenpachi-zaraki">Kenpachi</a> and definitely, Kenpachi v Kenpachi is gonna be goooooood!<br />
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So here's the main problem with filler arcs. If you're manga current then <b>ALL</b> of the shock content in an anime filler that relates to one of the canon characters is lost entirely. For example, have just seen actual Kenpachi get run through by fake Kenpachi. We all <i>know</i> that real Kenpachi is going to live, so any of the tension the anime could possibly create in making the audience think "Oh shit, he's dead on the floor" just fades away. Huh. I totally only just realised that Kenpachi has <b>NO EYEBROWS</b>! (Yes people, <i>this</i> is the kind of quality analysis you have been waiting for: Newsflash: Kenpachi doesn't have eyebrows.)<br />
Watched: 2 Episodes<br />
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<b>March 13th:</b> Day thirteen of the catch-up<br />
Oh that is totally fake <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/momo-hinamori">Hinamori</a>. If it isn't I'll eat my hat! Knew it; my hat lives to see another day! And while I'm on the subject of Hinamori, she is one of the most piss-weak, annoying characters I've ever met. So <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/sousuke-aizen">Aizen</a> betrays everyone and she basically has a freaking breakdown. I know you could give the excuse of love, but that doesn't have to make you so damn lame. Look at <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/rangiku-matsumoto">Matsumoto</a>, she loved <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/gin-ichimaru">Gin</a> and he betrayed Soul Society, yet did her brain go to hell? No. She dealt with her feelings and continued to kick arse. Yet even when Hinamori attempts to be "strong" and fight back, she's still a pathetic excuse for a shinigami. She may have combat ability and be damn skilled at kidou, but her personality severely oppresses her fighting prowess and the constant doe-eyed look on her face makes her seem like little more than Soul Society's resident punching bag. Even her more agressive reigai in this arc is kinda pitiful, full of apology and devoid of resolve. My god girl, just grow a pair already! I was actually just about to take all that back when Hinamori #2 turned up and actually looked like she had some kind of definite intent to fight and protect someone, but then she ended up just yelling for <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/toushiro-hitsugaya">Hitsugaya</a> to help her like a pitiable damsel in distress again. If characters in <i>Bleach</i> fall into two categories - those who protect, and those who need protecting - then Hinamori is the type whose parents never told her the nasty bits of fairy stories and to this day she still believes that Snow White is simply a happy tale about a girl who befriends some dwarves and marries a prince after dozing off in the forest.<br />
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Anyway, enough of the Hinamori hate, now onto another episode. I have to admit, so far this arc has some pretty decent battles and it's really nice to see the captains (both real and fake) getting their fight on, particularly some of the ones that don't normally get as much screen time - like <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/shunsui-kyoraku">Kyoraku</a>, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/juushiro-ukitake">Ukitake</a> and <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/sajin-komamura">Komamura</a>.<br />
Watched: 2 Episodes<br />
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<b>March 14th:</b> Day fourteen of the catch-up <br />
So this guy basically has a Tardis zanpakutou... Gimme the Doctor's wibbly wobbly timey wimey over Inabas twirly space manipulation any day. OK this fight is pretty damn awesome. Watching the captains working together in a fight is impressive to say the least. Although it still looks like it's agiven that Ichigo will come save the day as he always does, it's still nice to see what the otehrs can do for a change. Definitely enjoying this arc so far, and that's something I never thought I'd say about <i>Bleach</i> filler.<br />
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Oh man, I love Kurotsuchi as a character. The crazy sadistic bastard adds some colour to the proceedings every time he shows his warped face. I had my doubts about Kageroza as an antagonist but he's totally got the whole mad scientist role down pretty well. I want to watch more, but I really should go to bed. Maybe I'll have to watch extra tomorrow.<br />
Watched: 2 EpisodesCassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-33043912843539098292012-03-15T11:18:00.001+00:002012-03-15T11:22:45.072+00:00Gintama: Am I Missing Something?How many times has it happened that someone has told you that you just <i>have</i> to watch something because it's so incredible, but then you've gone in, watched it, and come out the other side feeling distinctly "meh"? For me, this is what's happening with <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/gintama"><i>Gintama</i></a>. I've seen countless people praise it to the heavens, and telling me that it's hilarious and that I just <i>must</i> watch it, but I'm currently 42 episodes in to the first series and frankly, I just don't get what the big deal is.<br />
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Now, I'm not saying that I can't see the appeal at all, as I have found myself almost in tears with laughter at some episodes and that's what's kept me watching for so long. Unfortunately, the humour content is varied to say the least. While some storylines clearly demonstrate the genius that it's so famed for, the others all swing and miss, and when it's not being pant-wettingly funny, I honestly find it rather dull.<br />
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Some of the most recent episodes that I've watched sum this up for me perfectly. Episode 38 saw the gang enter a snow sculpture contest, and I swear my parents thought I was insane, laughing away to myself as I watched it on my iPad in the middle of the holiday cottage. It took crude humour, extreme competitiveness, and oodles of snow to create one of the funniest pieces of animation I've seen in a long time.<br />
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Conversely, episodes 41 and 42 focused on a storyline surrounding <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/kagura-gintama">Kagura</a>, her <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/umibouzu">long-lost father</a>, and their strained relationship. While there were odd instances of <i>Gintama</i>'s comedy gold (such as <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/gintoki-sakata">Gintoki</a> leaping into action with a battle cry of "I'll pee on you! I'll pee my sweet urine on you!"), I spent most of my time clock-watching and waiting for it to get entertaining. In a weird way it's kind of like the reverse of <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/bleach"><i>Bleach</i></a>. <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/ichigo-kurosaki">Ichigo</a> and co. are better when they strip away the ultra dumb comedy and focus on more serious plotlines, whereas <i>Gintama</i> is better when it doesn't attempt to be serious, sentimental or have some kind of deep meaning and instead centres on the wacky, crude and violent humour.</td><td width="15"></td><td valign="top"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAkef31_DQoCpP7gm2ZImc-4USyrsRyny4tHWnr6im_E6_la8Z-WpjAel5KyZcfvEjO8aP42gzG7hjirksmmKKs_WqbABU2p1Xy5wdePGVXCX_DlPcBaR4emIou-ZJoEOzxNdGdDTir2Y/s1600/gintama1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAkef31_DQoCpP7gm2ZImc-4USyrsRyny4tHWnr6im_E6_la8Z-WpjAel5KyZcfvEjO8aP42gzG7hjirksmmKKs_WqbABU2p1Xy5wdePGVXCX_DlPcBaR4emIou-ZJoEOzxNdGdDTir2Y/s320/gintama1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love self-referential and fourth wall humour at the best of times. This is one area that <i>Gintama</i> truly excels in...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWNmCh-G5Tr0_ug9S8XLOFQwpMP4-fEnBjjfC-mKRt9fjzz_9cUMJ7GA94EUON1nR1nefM6lLSwwe0_0iKCt76OzLhzqizY3woIeTrRoPGFLK-pkMFqwSy0SibARrs_VN-WhHL0EWiyWV/s1600/gintama2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWNmCh-G5Tr0_ug9S8XLOFQwpMP4-fEnBjjfC-mKRt9fjzz_9cUMJ7GA94EUON1nR1nefM6lLSwwe0_0iKCt76OzLhzqizY3woIeTrRoPGFLK-pkMFqwSy0SibARrs_VN-WhHL0EWiyWV/s320/gintama2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... well that and rude, crude gags!</td></tr>
</tbody></table></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
That I'm still not in love with this series leads me to question: am I missing something?<br />
<br />
Maybe it just takes a while to get going? If that is the case however, then I'm sorry but 40+ episodes is WAY too long for a warm-up. By now it should be in full swing and I should be contemplating in investing in some "Tena Lady" products to control my laughing-induced "accidents". But still I'm not.<br />
<br />
Perhaps its comedy just doesn't match with my sense of humour? Well, maybe, but that wouldn't explain why I find half of the content hilarious.<br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the series by any stretch; in fact I generally quite enjoy it. I'm just a little disappointed and somewhat perplexed. I genuinely want to love it and half of me does. I won't give up watching it, because I'm sure that somewhere down the line, something will click and that'll be it, I'll fall in love with it. But for now, I just don't quite get it.Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-79196688168871497452012-03-14T11:34:00.001+00:002012-03-14T19:41:16.166+00:00When Bleach is Good...Since I'm currently in the middle of a marathon catch-up session for <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/bleach"><i>Bleach</i></a>, it's been pretty much at the forefront of my mind. I soon got to thinking that I've written many a post about why <i>Bleach</i> (in particular it's anime) fails on so many levels. But what I've yet to really do is actually look at the <b>good</b> in the series. It's an incredibly popular series, so it must be doing something right, and frankly, I'm beginning to feel a little bit guilty about ragging on it so much, so here we go with a genuinely positive post on <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/tite-kubo">Tite Kubo</a>'s hit series.<br />
<br />
Warning: Spoilers Ahoy!<br />
<br />
<i>Bleach</i> is my first shounen love. And much like that first crush you had at school that never quite goes away, I will always have some lingering affection for this series no matter how many times it disappoints me. Even when I've sat through godawful episodes of Karukarizer or <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/toushiro-hitsugaya">Hitsugaya</a> playing soccer, I can still remember the time when I first discovered it. I distinctly remember sitting in my room marathoning my way through the first seventy odd episodes marvelling at the Soul Society arc, and wondering how I could have lived so long without seeing something so grippingly awesome. It was one of the first anime that I encountered and without any shadow of a doubt in my mind, is a large part of why I became so entranced with anime in the first place.<br />
<br />
Undoubtedly, that Soul Society arc was Kubo's strongest moment. The characters were fresh, the world was well built and the intrigue of the plot was brilliant. I remember being semi-distraught when <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/sousuke-aizen">Aizen</a> "died" (only semi since although he seemed nice, we didn't know him much), but then the revelation that he was the mastermind behind everything and was a genuinely evil git hit me and goddamn it was good. For me, that was <i>Bleach</i>'s finest moment. That twist gave me such an incredible rush that I was drunk on the pure storytelling. With every twist and turn I was on the edge of my seat, and frankly, when it came to the big battles I could have wet myself with excitement - and that's something that's not changed (the kick-ass fights, I have perfect bladder control, thank you very much). It quickly became something that I immediately recommended to my male friends, and was actually one of the series that properly got my best friend into anime - though he has since fallen out of love with the franchise after the excessively bad filler and would probably rather forget enjoying it at this point.<br />
<br />
<i>Bleach</i> may not have been able to live up to the consistently epic nature of its two closest shounen bretheren (<a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/naruto"><i>Naruto</i></a> and <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/one-piece"><i>One Piece</i></a>) plot wise but when it's good, damn, it's <b>good</b>. I've <a href="http://cassiesheepgirl.blogspot.com/2012/02/fun-with-poo.html">stated in the past</a> that essentially Kubo is more about style over substance, and while from a narrative point of view that may not be ideal, it makes for some pretty awesome and action-packed battles. Story wise, Hueco Mundo was kind of weak. It was a rehash of the Soul Society arc and <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/ichigo-kurosaki">Ichigo</a> kept powering up out of basically nowhere. However, the focus was more on the clashes with the espada, and it made for some exciting combat. There are some incredibly engaging fights in that section of the series, especially when it runs into the Fake Karakura Town arc and they <b>DO</b> keep you really engaged and wanting more.<br />
<br />
For me, it feels like the <i>Bleach</i> fights are like a night of heavy drinking. You watch them at the time and start dancing on the sofas as you get that incredible buzz from seeing some epic crap go down. But then, in the cold light of day, you look back at it and see the reality: in that when jumping around you fell off the furniture and took half the bookshelf and a precious antique vase with you. Yet, despite all of that, you'd do it all again in a heartbeat because the buzz was just <i>that</i> good.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8MymHw-bT1co0MMaBwhgO5An5iD2AnwhkIgiPITdVwn1YUbFf0bZvz0aQqCA6vLQUgpJE46ICOco8gRtp9hBpC6lggdJFq8UTPQ8yQaYPpeTycgsGSkucrmCcXhIblg3ZEftg8J4Bvtn/s1600/IchiUlqui.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8MymHw-bT1co0MMaBwhgO5An5iD2AnwhkIgiPITdVwn1YUbFf0bZvz0aQqCA6vLQUgpJE46ICOco8gRtp9hBpC6lggdJFq8UTPQ8yQaYPpeTycgsGSkucrmCcXhIblg3ZEftg8J4Bvtn/s400/IchiUlqui.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As Ichigo and Ulquiorra battled it out, I got chills down my spine.<br />
That was one epic battle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Take the Ichigo vs <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/ulquiorra-schiffer">Ulquiorra</a> fight. It was coming, and we all knew it had been for some time. We'd had the teaser clashes that served as a measuring stick for Ichigo's abilities, and then we finally got to the main bout. Watching Ichigo go all out to the point where he goes into full on berserker mode and destroys his opponent was some epically awesome viewing and gave that rush of pure adrenaline-fuelled awesome that every shounen series should present to its audience. However, looking back now, you can't help but wonder where the hell that power-up came from. Since Kubo currently flat out refuses to explain exactly what is going on with the flame-haired teen, it all seems like little more than a convenient power up requiring zero training, at a time when he suddenly needed it. But despite all of that, if I could watch that fight for the first time again and feel that high, I'd totally take it, plot holes and all!<br />
<br />
And <i>that</i> is exactly why I have managed to keep watching and reading <i>Bleach</i>. No matter how many times I look at it, shake my head and tut, that rush, that gorgeous, glorious, shounen rush keeps me coming back for more each and every time.<br />
<br />
My name is Cassie, and I am a shounen junkie.Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-10693701627464249912012-03-12T21:30:00.000+00:002012-03-12T21:30:16.008+00:00Bleach Anime Catch Up Marathon: Week OneWith the announcement that the final episode of the <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/bleach"><i>Bleach</i></a> anime is to air on the 27th March, I decided that it was about time for me to finally catch up. At the climax of the arrancar saga, I stopped watching the anime as the infamous filler was to follow and I had little inclination to watch. That was a little over a year ago and now, fifty-three weeks later, here I am about to start catching up on the anime in time for the finale in just under four weeks time. I've worked out that to catch up in time, I need to watch about two episodes a day, and what follows is... well, frankly, I don't know. Simply put, I'm going to write this as I watch, so who knows what the hell will emerge from this. I could end up loving the filler and praising the anime, or (the more likely scenario) this could end up as one long rant. One day I will actually write a positive post about <i>Bleach</i> as for a long time, it was one of my favourite anime out there, and I do have fond recollections of it. But this is about the here and now, a semi stream-of-consciousness wall of text, and the final year of <i>Bleach</i> anime.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">______________________________________________________</div><br />
<br />
It's currently 8pm on March the 1st, and after having accidentally had a little too much wine with dinner, I am sufficiently tipsy enough that I figured it would be a good idea to commence my <i>Bleach</i> catchup marathon now. 5 seconds in to episode 311, and I already know that I'm not drunk enough for this to be a pleasurable, or even tolerable experience. Am I really depriving myself of the fun of Lego Harry Potter on my xbox for the (mis)adventures of Karukarizer?! On the upside, I'd forgotten that <i>Bleach</i> has some pretty decent opening songs. On the downside, this is really butt-awful filler. Like, I'd rather be watching <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/naruto-uzumaki">Naruto</a> getting his ass handed to him by an ostrich right now kind of terrible filler.<br />
Watched: 2 Episodes <br />
<br />
__________<br />
<br />
<b>March 2nd:</b> Day two of the catch-up.<br />
Tonight, I have also imbibed a significant quantity of alcohol and am now determined to focus on the small pleasures in each episode. Oddly enough, while hot sweaty <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/renji-abarai">Renji</a> doesn't play a big enough part for my liking, this episode isn't actually too terrible.<br />
<br />
Oh crap... next episode in and <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/kon">Kon</a>'s back. I used to like him, now he simply signifies the beginning of godawful filler. Yup... this is gonna be bad. Jesus, why I am I watching this?! Wow... Patches could have a field day with this episode. Guy tries to get back with his girlfriend on the premise of "I like your food" and girl accepts without question. What. The. Freaking. Hell?! Damn you Pat, now I'm thinking all feminist because of you!<br />
Watched: 2 Episodes<br />
<br />
__________<br />
<br />
<b>March 4th:</b> Day four of the catch-up.<br />
Yesterday I didn't watch any <i>Bleach</i>, so I now have extra to watch in the next day or so. Now starting episode 315. Oh crap, it's a Yachiru episode. Huh, that actually wasn't bad, <i>Bleach</i> is definitely better when it's being a bit more serious, and this one actually made me like Yachiru a little more than I did.<br />
<br />
OH. HELL. NO! No freaking way, not another <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/toushiro-hitsugaya">Hitsugaya</a> footbal episode, please dear god, anything but that! Oh thank heavens, not a football episode, though it is painfully obvious where this is going. Dead kid wants to see snow, oh look, the most powerful ice zanpakutou user just happens to be around.<br />
<br />
Ooo, new opening! Plus the beginning of a new arc. Intriguing. If the OP animation is anything to go by, this might actually end up pretty good. Then again, it's still a filler arc, so I don't hold out too much hope.<br />
Watched: 3 Episodes<br />
<br />
__________<br />
<br />
<b>March 5th:</b> Day five of the catch-up<br />
The new arc isn't looking too bad, though it seems to be moving fairly quickly at the moment. Hopefully it won't burn out too soon or turn out to be like the zanpakutou arc: interesting at first, but soon turning to crap. Worryingly, I think I'm warming to <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/rukia-kuchiki">Rukia</a>.<br />
Watched: 2 Episodes <br />
<br />
__________<br />
<br />
<b>March 6th: </b>Day six of the catch-up<br />
Soul society is in crisis, so <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/orihime-inoue">Orihime</a> organises a barbeque... Seriously. Guh, it's crap like this that's why she's one of the top hated characters on Anime-Planet, well... that and shit like "Oh my, you're a bad guy trying to kill my beloved KUROSAKIIII-KUUUUUUUUN and you're injured. Must. Heal." Oh man this barbeque just gets worse. As much as seeing Kon get tortured is amusing, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/uryuu-ishida">Ishida</a> getting pissed over a shiitake mushroom is just stretching it. I mean... really?!<br />
Watched: 2 Episodes<br />
<br />
__________<br />
<br />
Since this is getting long, I'm going to split this into weekly chunks. Stay tuned for the next part soon!Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-88723173518812652942012-03-08T11:04:00.000+00:002012-03-08T11:04:11.433+00:00Bakuman: The Manga Within the MangaWarning: This post is discussing content, which will possibly contain spoilers for those who are not manga current.<br />
<br />
There are many reasons why I enjoy <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/bakuman"><i>Bakuman</i></a>, but one of the biggest is the plethora of different manga within the storyline. Each week I lap up the latest chapter and many times, particularly when the focus is more on creating the manga more than everyone's social lives or the rankings, I find myself really wanting to read some of the stories that this fictional young bunch are creating.<br />
<br />
For my tastes in particular the series that I most want to read are <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/eiji-nizuma">Eiji</a>'s. As much as I love some of the more offbeat tales, my heart truly lies with good old mainstream battle manga, which is more Niizuma's forté. I'd love to be able to sit down and power through <i>Crow</i>, or wait anxiously for the next chpater of <i>Zombie Gun</i>. I confess that it does make me feel like somewhat of a failure as a <i>Bakuman</i> fan that Mashiro and Takagi's works aren't top of my "wish I could read if it existed" list.<br />
<br />
Speaking of the Ashirogi Mutou manga, I think the one I most want to read is <i>P.C.P</i>. closely followed by <i>Detective Trap</i>. For me the ingenius twists, turns and pranks in these two are what would really get me hooked, kind of the like the clever deductions in <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/case-closed"><i>Detective Conan</i></a>, but with that more adult flair that <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/akito-takagi">Takagi</a> and <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/moritaka-mashiro">Mashiro</a> bring to their work. Incidentally, <i>Tanto</i> is one of their works that I'm really not interested in in the slightest, which is odd as the idea of a kid with numerous comical gadgets and inventions would normally be something I'd at least consider. It does lead me to wonder if maybe the lack of passion within the tale bled through into my own consciousness.<br />
<br />
Of course outside of the central authors, there are again a plethora of works to choose from. While <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/shinta-fukuda">Fukuda</a>'s <i>Kiyoshi Knight</i> doesn't necessarily appeal to me, the likes of <i>Hideout Door</i> and to a certain extent <i>Otters 11</i> do. I almost imagine <i>Otters</i> being something like <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/sayonara-zetsubou-sensei"><i>Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei</i></a> but with an otter guy instead of a suicidal teacher, meanwhile the gorgeous art on <i>Hideout Door</i> and the more light-hearted fantasy element intrigues me. In fact, when looking at all the different series that appear, from <i>Panty Flash Fight</i> to <i>+Natural</i>, there's something that could potentially appeal to everyone and to me, finding myself wanting to experience so many of the manga within this series, is the mark of a successful story. <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/tsugumi-ohba">Tsugumi Ohba</a> has not only managed to come up with an engaging manga, but also several highly interesting concepts to play alongside it, meanwhile, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/takeshi-obata">Takeshi Obata</a> gets to showcase his wide variety of drawing styles, and to do both of these so well is no easy feat. Well done, and keep up the good work!Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-3993822085091513262012-03-05T11:05:00.000+00:002012-03-05T11:05:41.485+00:00Monthly Round-up: February<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well, I've been a bit more prolific this month with any anime watching, and am slowly getting back into the swing of things.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><u><b> </b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Anime I've Watched:</b></u></span><br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/working-2">Working'!!</a> -Along with <i><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/bakuman-2">Bakuman</a>.</i> and <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/chihayafuru"><i>Chihayafuru</i></a>, <i>Working'!!</i> has been one of my favourite series of Fall 2011. With a more balanced depiction of thecast, it's been fa more entertaining than the first series. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and was genuinely upset to watch the final episode knowing that I wouldn't get to look forward to watching the next episode. Now All I can hope is that they license it over here.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/shinryaku-ika-musume-2">Shinryaku!? Ika Musume</a> - I'm not sure why, but I lost a little steam when finishing off this series. It's good easy fun, but I reckon that I may still be suffering from withdrawal of season one's ultra catchy opening. It's just not quite Ika-chan without the Shinryaku! Shinryaku! Shinryaku! Shinryaku! at the beginning to make you brain melt out of your ears. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/ben-to">Ben-To</a> - So I finally finished watching this series, though by the end it was a complete struggle and I enjoyed it about as much as a dog crap donburi. While it initally seemed like a fresh and enticingly quirky series it soon became stale and once the humour of the supermarket battles waned, there really wasn't all that much left to tune in for.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/poyopoyo-kansatsu-nikki">Poyopoyo</a> - Oh my god is this cute! I can't honestly say that I'm as enamoured with this as I was with <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/chis-sweet-home"><i>Chi's Sweet Home</i></a>, but I'm certainly enjoying it. Poyo himself is an enigmatic ball of awesome even though the poor bugger keeps getting sodomised by next door's cat. Light, entertaining and above all, fun. Definitely can't wait for more of this. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/baby-please-kill-me">Kill Me Baby</a> - I started the <i>Kill Me Baby</i> manga last year and quite enjoyed it, so when I saw that there was to be an anime, I quite anticipated it. I have to say that it's not bad. Not brilliant, but not bad. I find the manga more enjoyable, but I don't think it's quite as awesome as it could be. Little bit of a disappointment. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/fullmetal-alchemist-the-sacred-star-of-milos">Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos</a> - Thanks to <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/fullmetal-alchemist-the-movie-conqueror-of-shamballa"><i>Conqueror of Shamballa</i></a>, I have a fairly low quality bar when it comes to what makes a good Alchemist movie. Essentially, if it doesn't mess with and ultimately ruin the end of eier series, then it's all good in my book! Luckily <i>Sacred Star of Milos</i> didn't ruin anything. It's not one of the most spectacular shounen franchise movies out there, but better than most. For me it sadly fell into the trap that most other films do, it may have awesome action, but somehow the original vibe gets somehow lost along the way. </li>
</ul><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Ongoing Anime I've Watched:</b></u></span><br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/bakuman-2">Bakuman</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/naruto-shippuden">Naruto Shippuuden</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/one-piece">One Piece</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/chibi-devi">Chibi Devi</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/gintama">Gintama</a> (<b>Resolution Anime</b> - currently 159 episodes to go until completed)</li>
</ul><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Manga I've Read:</b></u></span><br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/working">Working!</a> -While suffering from withdrawal of the anime, I decided to start the <i>Working!</i> manga. I have to say that I've been thoroughly enjoying it, though the artwork looked a little odd a first. Definitely an ideal read for </li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/shinryaku-ika-musume">Shinryaku! Ika Musume</a> - Oddly enough, I found myself enjoying the Ika-chan manga more than the anime. It's nice, light relief and a really easy read. I did find that it was comfort reading, which is why I powered through the majority of it while I was ill this month. Also the short chapters make it ideal for picking up if you only have a few spare minutes.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/onani-master-kurosawa">Onani Master Kurosawa</a> - This was an odd manga. I've already gone into this in more depth in a previous post, but it was an odd one. To this day, I'm still not sure whether I actually enjoyed it or not. It was odd and I found it interesting, but to say like or enjoy is something I'd find difficult to ascertain. Aditionally, I also read the light novel, which continues on after the events of the manga. It provided a fairly stark contrast to the unsavoury nature of the manga, and frankly not much happened. The novel basically felt like a fluff filler DVD special that can be taken or left. </li>
</ul><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Ongoing Manga I've Read:</b></u></span><br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/one-piece">One Piece</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/naruto">Naruto</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/bleach">Bleach</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/gin-no-saji">Gin no Saji</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/beelzebub">Beelzebub</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/all-rounder-meguru">All Rounder Meguru</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/fairy-tail">Fairy Tail</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/acid-town">Acid Town</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/black-bird">Black Bird</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/bakuman">Bakuman</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/nichijou">Nichijou</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/buyuden">Buyuden </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/teppuu">Teppuu</a></li>
</ul>Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-8600102478418229892012-02-26T22:43:00.000+00:002012-02-26T22:43:50.364+00:00Manga Musings: Onani Master KurosawaMyriad manga are set in the school environment and granted, a lot that I've come into contact with focus on cute high school girls. <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/onani-master-kurosawa"><i>Onani Master Kurosawa</i></a> however, is unlike anything I've ever read before. At its heart it's a coming-of-age drama that follows the titular <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/kakeru-kurosawa">Kurosawa</a> as he matures from his anti-social beginning, looking down on everyone around him, to learning the importance of friendship and social contact. Where this manga differs is through is that the central themes, and eventual catalysts for his change are revenge and masturbation.<br />
<br />
Kurosawa is a self-alienated boy who keeps very much to himself. He actively chooses not to interact any more than is absolutely necessary with his classmates, and - despite hiding it well from others - actively despises the one person who consistently attempts to reach out to him - a kind hearted otaku named <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/keiji-nagaoka">Nagaoka</a>. The only thing the boy actually cares about is his "Daily Duty", and every day after school he waits in the library until everyone leaves before retiring to the girls' bathroom where he proceeds to jack off while picturing one of his female classmates. Charming, right? Well it gets better as when he notices a girl being bullied, he decides to dish out his own form of justice where he steals their uniforms and leaves his sticky white calling card all over them.<br />
<br />
Now, I'm no prude by any stretch of the imagination, but the scenes with Kurosawa jerking off in the girl's lavatory weren't pleasant. They were explicit without showing anything (other than a few... "stains" on the wall), mainly due to the blunt and coarse internal dialogue. I confess at this point I was on the verge of dropping <i>Onani Master</i> for its sheer grossness. But I felt I should give it more of a chance. Following his stunt with the bullies, the victim, a quiet and frankly nutty girl, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/aya-kitahara">Kitahara</a>, approaches Kurosawa in the bathroom and says that she will keep quiet about his daily activities, if he'd perform the same, twisted vengeance on anyone else she so desires. Frankly, this didn't sound like it was going to get much better, since now it seemed to be a manga about manipulated wanky justice. However, shortly after, the story took a turn that made it far mroe interesting. Slowly, through his relationship with a girl in his class, Kurosawa begins to undergo a gradual transformation and what follows is a fairly impressive tale of love, atonement, and the importance of never being alone.<br />
<br />
I personally think that the artwork is probably the most impressive aspect of <i>Onani Master</i>, which doesn't necessarily fly the flag for great story and characters. However, the art style is unlike anything I've seen in another manga. The main drawings look to have been drawn by pencil, and instead of using screentone, the shading has been created again by pencil. Then in an odd contrast to this very hand-drawn feel, the gradient tones appear to have been digitally added. It's an odd sort of effect, but at the same time it's oddly effective. This rougher, more sketchy style of artwork, complements the crude nature of the content - after all if a scene with a boy whacking off was crisp, precise and pristine, it would give off too much of a clinical vibe, and this is meant to be dirty. Dark, unsavoury, and dirty. <br />
<br />
Certainly, if you can get over the initial parts with Kurosawa's vulgar, no-nonsense toilet exploits, then you may well enjoy this manga. Honestly, I'm glad that I did continue reading. It may not be one of my favourite series ever, but for a teenage tale with a twist, it was quite impressive. So if you have some spare time, it's only four volumes long, why not give it a go.Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-73624812937035303682012-02-23T09:56:00.000+00:002012-02-23T09:56:39.662+00:00Naruto Filler is Getting WorseSeveral months ago, I wrote a <a href="http://cassiesheepgirl.blogspot.com/2011/09/shounen-filler-naruto.html">post</a> on the filler episodes in <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/naruto"><i>Naruto</i></a>. In particular I was praising <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/naruto-shippuden"><i>Shippuuden</i></a> for at least attempting to link its filler with the story, as well as voicing concerns about the "Tales of Days Past" standalone episodes. To quote myself:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">"<i>It remains to be seen how the filler situation in Shippuuden will continue. I can, however, say with some confidence that if the crappy "comedy" episodes stick around, then any vague good that the earlier plot-relevant filler arcs did, will soon be overshadowed by the poor quality fluff currently halting the main narrative's progression.</i>"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Sadly, the above seems to have come to pass as following an all too short run of actual plot (a meager 25 episodes, of which several contained flashbacks of previous content), we were thrown back into more mundane fluff. This time, instead of recalling memories of the past, the premise for each standalone story in the twenty episode run is <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/naruto-uzumaki">Naruto</a> encountering someone or something during his painfully long sea voyage to the Lightning Country. Initially, it's bearable. OK, catching a giant swordfish is a brainless distraction but whatever, it's only one episode. Unfortunately, the "only one episode" delusion doesn't last for long, and soon you want the torture to end - JUST GET OFF THE GODDAMN BOAT ALREADY! It's <a href="http://cassiesheepgirl.blogspot.com/2012/02/bleach-manga-entering-its-final-arc.html">Frodo shitting in the woods</a> all over again.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Even the "comedy" elements lose their charm rapidly; there are only so many times you can see the "Oh <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/might-guy">Gai</a> is seasick, how HI-LAAAAAR-IOUS!" gag before you wish they'd just give up and toss him overboard to see how he fares with the sharks. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm somewhat behind with the anime and still attempting to trudge my way through the inane drivel that's currently gracing my screen, and with each twenty-four minutes of my life that ebbs away watching Naruto get poisoned by mushrooms, fight his own clones, or get into a battle over marriage, I feel less and less inclined to start the next installment. Frankly, the only thing keeping me going is the eventual promise of plot, and GOOD plot at that. It's a genuine shame that the fluff has descended to this level, when it was at least tolerable before - since it's now making me dread the next time that the story takes a break and I'm wedged back into this crap-padded cell known as filler. For now, I'll just have to soldier on and hold onto the tiny ray of light that is a semi-humourous moment that raises a smile and doesn't involve Gai vomiting over the side of the ship or practically dry-humping solid ground every time they dock for supplies. </div>Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-31544819041606217302012-02-19T13:43:00.001+00:002012-02-19T13:46:01.532+00:00Fun With PooYes, dear reader, you did read that title correctly and fair warning, this post will likely be crude. If you think that this may offend you, then please don't read, as it could get a little gross. However, this whole thing is a bit of fun (with a serious point hidden away somewhere) and well, forgive me, but this was composed at 2am when it all seemed like such a brilliant idea.<br />
<br />
It all stemmed from a conversation I had several months ago discussing shounen manga, specifically the big three (<a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/one-piece"><i>One Piece</i></a>, <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/naruto"><i>Naruto</i></a>, and <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/bleach"><i>Bleach</i></a>). Then at one point I came up with an analogy to highlight how the three mangaka often appear to work... through poo. I suggested that if each of the trio were told to incorporate a turd into their work it could go as follows:<br />
<table><tbody>
<tr><td valign="top"><br />
<b><i>One Piece</i> (<a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/eiichiro-oda">Eiichiro Oda</a>) </b>- I could imagine the introduction of a character that had eaten the Poo Poo Devil Fruit, which gave the user the ability to turn his entire body to poo, and shoot small (but deadly) fecal projectiles from it's hands. Upon more thought I could also imagine a running gag of this guy slipping over when in turd-form since... well... it can be slippy.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Naruto</i> (<a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/masashi-kishimoto">Masashi Kishimoto</a>)</b> - I'd say that in a story that's generally more serious, this would likely be a little light relief, and would be a "gag jutsu", much like <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/characters/naruto-uzumaki">Naruto</a>'s Sexy Harem or the Thousand Years of Pain. The Poo-poo no Jutsu, a powerful technique that causes the unfortunate victim to develop sudden, volitile diarrhea.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Bleach</i> (<a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/tite-kubo">Tite Kubo</a>)</b> - My thoughts on what Kubo would do with a turd, was quite simple. I suggested that he would simply dress the poo in sunglasses and make it look cool.</td><td width="15"></td><td><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlnziAm92pHz_CkmRdKcqcV0APsQvKbtxbkAThkC8x8mcb-x9K5HJbgzsCmqaqHGfIe8kDRbKn96IyUMpOcGDd1GyPOYplpD4IsA394Xbk5wDOMbco-on__ldkkUjEIFYRxmjjBAt8Dne/s1600/Poo+Smile.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlnziAm92pHz_CkmRdKcqcV0APsQvKbtxbkAThkC8x8mcb-x9K5HJbgzsCmqaqHGfIe8kDRbKn96IyUMpOcGDd1GyPOYplpD4IsA394Xbk5wDOMbco-on__ldkkUjEIFYRxmjjBAt8Dne/s320/Poo+Smile.png" width="320" /></a></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
It may seem like a throwaway idea, but in essence it displays how I see the way that the three mangakas work. Oda's <i>One Piece</i> has much more of a humour content than the other two, thus I can imagine that if presented with a ridiculous inclusion like this, he could use it as a starting block for something bigger, maybe a mini arc or something. Oda can take the ridiculous and make it sublimely ridiculous. Kishimoto also has that sense of fun at times, but <i>Naruto</i> is a much more serious story. That said, he does manage to infuse moments of levity some of which that are crude and in your face, so the inclusion of something so gross could be done without affecting the gravity of the main plotline. Finally, when it comes to Kubo, while he does have some moments of decent storytelling, it always comes across to me that he's more concerned with the <b><i>style</i></b> of <i>Bleach</i> rather than its actual content. It seems, moreso than the other two series, that it wants to <i><b>look</b></i> cool. It has the cool character designs, the stylised fights, and while it contains some humour, it's not on the same, almost puerile level, of the other two. So while claiming that he'd simply have a turd in sunglasses may seem like a cop-out answer (and in truth I couldn't see him ACTUALLY doing that if presented with this challenge), it symbolises more the <i>approach</i> I believe he'd take. Somehow, he'd find a way to make a steaming lump of faeces look cool, which when you think about it, is quite an impressive talent.Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-12381878466526333192012-02-02T11:11:00.002+00:002012-02-02T11:15:48.396+00:00Monthly Round-up: JanuaryFirst up I have an apology to make for the severe lack of posts this month. There's little good excuse and I've certainly failed hardcore at the "Blog more" resolution I made. <br />
<br />
Initially I had planned to do a weekly round-up of what I've been watching and reading, but thanks to my (possibly unhealthy) addiction to Skyrim, before I knew it I'd already missed the first two weeks. So, I decided to do a monthly one instead. At the moment I'm not entirely sure how these posts will go, and they may well morph into something completely different, but we'll see how it goes. I'm also hoping that by keeping a record of what I've watched/read this year, my next 12 Days of Christmas post may be a little easier, since last year I forgot what I'd seen in 2011 and what I'd watched before!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Anime I've Watched:</b></u></span><br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/karigurashi-no-arrietty">Arrietty</a> - I've barely watched any anime this month, but it felt quite fitting that my first of the year was a Ghibli film, and the latest one at that! Thoroughly enjoyed it, though wasn't <i>quite</i> as blown away as I had expected to be. Still loved it nonetheless.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/morita-san-wa-mukuchi-2">Morita-san wa Mukuchi 2</a> - I finally finished off the last episode of this, and while it's harmless enough, I'm kind of glad it's over. I was definitely getting more and more bored throughout the series' run.</li>
</ul><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b></b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Ongoing Anime I've Watched</b></u></span><br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/chibi-devi">Chibi Devi</a></li>
</ul><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Manga I've Read:</b></u></span><br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/vinland-saga">Vinland Saga</a> - From starting at volume four, I've now managed to get up to date on this, and damn it's good! It's definitely very tough going to reading it as it's scanlated.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/black-paradox">Black Paradox</a> - The final two chapters of this were finally scanlated, so I managed to finish it off, and even by Junji Ito's standards, it's bloody weird!Definitely not my favourite of his works so far, but it won't put me off reading any more.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/faster-than-a-kiss">Faster Than A Kiss</a> - Another of the 25 Days manga that I wanted to get up to date on. Quite enjoy it, though at one point I found it a bit repetitive. It definitely got more interesting when it started delving into Kazuma's past and his relationship with his family.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/black-bird">Black Bird</a> - Again, a 25 Days request that I wanted to get up to date on. Still really enjoying this one, especially since while it has all the shoujo romance, it also has a fair bit about the politics of the youkai clans, which for me gives this series an extra edge.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/all-rounder-meguru">All Rounder Meguru</a> - Now up to date on this 25 Days manga. Still enjoying this one. I must say I remain surprised at how much I've enjoyed the mixed martial arts manga I've read. I assumed my love for <i>HSDK</i> was mainly due to the humour of the Masters (which it is) but I think there's also some inherent part of me that enjoys the combat side.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/nichijou">Nichijou</a> - Started and read all that's translated of this. I've certainly gained more of a fondness for <i>Nichijou</i> than when I first started the anime. No longer bored by it and find it quite amusing.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/hanamaru-youchien">Hanamaru Youchien</a> - Another series I picked up and have read all that has been translated. Just as cute as the anime, shame that not more of it is available to read.</li>
</ul><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Ongoing Manga I've Read:</b></u></span><br />
<ul><li> <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/bleach">Bleach</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/naruto">Naruto</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/one-piece">One Piece</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/beelzebub">Beelzebub</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/bakuman">Bakuman</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/fairy-tail">Fairy Tail</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/blue-exorcist">Ao no Exorcist</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/mononoke">Mononoke</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/kill-me-baby">Kill Me Baby </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/a-brides-story">Otoyomegatari</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/historys-strongest-disciple-kenichi">History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi</a> (<b>Resolution Manga</b> - currently 262 chapters to go til up to date)</li>
</ul> As you can see from the above list, I've been shockingly poor with anime this month - something that I'm working on this month as I still haven't finished most of the Fall season, and I owe a post on my final thoughts, with luck that should be coming soon, alongside a post on whatever Winter titles I eventually pick up. <br />
<ul></ul>Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-83058011095483719682012-01-01T14:17:00.001+00:002012-01-01T14:26:04.631+00:00Nerdy New Years ResolutionsFirst of all I'd like to wish everyone out there a very happy new year! I hope that 2012 will be made of awesome for all of you. <br />
<br />
In the past I always used to make New Years Resolutions that were pretty damn easy to keep and while I used to be good at it, in the last couple of years I've failed miserably to fulfil them. This year however, I now have a blog and with various different anime and manga related things I wish to do, I figured that maybe by posting my resolutions here and potentially blogging about them, it might actually help me stick to them. So here we go, lets see how many I actually manage to stick to!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Anime:</b></span><br />
<ul><li>Finish series one of <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/gintama"><i>Gintama</i></a> and start series 2.</li>
<li>Re-start and then finish <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/kateikyoushi-hitman-reborn"><i>Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn</i></a>.</li>
<li>Make a sizeable dent in the backlog of <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/detective-conan"><i>Detective Conan</i></a> I still have to watch. I'm not going to say get up to date because I'm still 400+ episodes behind.</li>
</ul><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Manga:</b></span><br />
<ul><li>Get up to date on <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/historys-strongest-disciple-kenichi"><i>History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi</i></a>. I'm well over 300 chapters behind.</li>
<li>Get up to date on <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/toriko"><i>Toriko</i></a>.</li>
<li>Get up to date with <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/medaka-box"><i>Medaka Box</i></a>.</li>
</ul><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Blog:</b></span><br />
<ul><li>Blog more than I have been in the previous few months. With 25 Days of Manga and 12 Days of Christmas I proved that I am capable of regularly updating, so I aim to try and keep <i>some</i> of this momentum going and maybe aim for 2-3 posts a week.</li>
<li>Finally get my series of posts on youkai up and running. I've had the ideas plotted out in my head for a while, just need to actually get to doing them.</li>
<li>Re-watch both <i><a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/fullmetal-alchemist">Fullmetal Alchemist</a> </i>and <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/anime/fullmetal-alchemist-brotherhood"><i>Fullemtal Alchemist: Brotherhood</i></a> and blog about them. </li>
</ul>Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919453975887724794.post-25557875514977515622011-12-30T15:30:00.005+00:002012-01-03T00:18:34.654+00:0025 Days of Manga: The ConclusionWell, 25 Days of Manga is now officially over and this will be my last post about it. Looking back on the month it's been pretty hectic; I've spent most of the month with my head glued to my iPad devouring volume after volume. Plus, with the inclusion of working on the holiday badges for <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/">Anime-Planet</a>, writing the 12 Days of Christmas blog posts, and doing real life preparations for Christmas (<a href="http://cassie.utterlyrandom.co.uk/Yule-Log.png">Yule Log anyone?</a>), it feels like I haven't had much time to myself. But you know what, if I could do it all again, I totally would! Setting aside the sense of acomplishment I feel from getting to all the accepted requests, I've experienced and enjoyed manga I never would have thought possible.<br />
<br />
So, in order to give something to look back on, I thought I'd do a round-up of the manga I've read and since the A-Level Maths nerd in me loves statistics, expect some visual aids!<br />
<br />
<b>Total Number of Requests Made:</b> 38<br />
<b>Total Number of "Bonus" Manga Added:</b> 9<br />
<b>Total Number of Manga Read:</b> 47<br />
<b>Total Number of One Shots Read:</b> 4<br />
<b>Total Number of Volumes Read:</b> 76<br />
<b>Total Number of Chapters Read:</b> 543<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hdi99dP-se4/Tv26U0x7oII/AAAAAAAAAVo/A4dDP9l0QWo/s1600/Statusv2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hdi99dP-se4/Tv26U0x7oII/AAAAAAAAAVo/A4dDP9l0QWo/s1600/Statusv2.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the beginning of 25 Days, I'd have imagined the dropped slice to be a lot bigger than it was.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-il7eaOKuDeg/Tv26Zq73cWI/AAAAAAAAAV0/jR1GGsktiEU/s1600/Ratings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-il7eaOKuDeg/Tv26Zq73cWI/AAAAAAAAAV0/jR1GGsktiEU/s1600/Ratings.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It turned out that I had a decent mix of middling to good series and luckily, few rubbish ones.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qiaoiV99k0U/Tv26fDbTcdI/AAAAAAAAAWA/2uCB7zHoJFE/s1600/Demographicsv2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qiaoiV99k0U/Tv26fDbTcdI/AAAAAAAAAWA/2uCB7zHoJFE/s1600/Demographicsv2.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two unknowns were shounen-ai titles, likely Josei but couldn't find a definite answer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U4e91FVawHM/Tv26nJ3_3kI/AAAAAAAAAWM/eqQI4wkAS4c/s1600/Genres.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U4e91FVawHM/Tv26nJ3_3kI/AAAAAAAAAWM/eqQI4wkAS4c/s1600/Genres.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With most of the 25 Days manga being Seinen or Shounen, it's no surprise that action comes out on top.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nHtVjlEsdac/Tv3X3M4qYyI/AAAAAAAAAWk/Be1dXfytQfQ/s1600/Tags1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nHtVjlEsdac/Tv3X3M4qYyI/AAAAAAAAAWk/Be1dXfytQfQ/s1600/Tags1.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had to split the tags up into two charts for it to display properly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PBaJLZQF5NY/Tv26rpyy0RI/AAAAAAAAAWY/VgtM_Aqj7mc/s1600/Tags.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_gKNZUJLbhM/Tv3X6Z7OzqI/AAAAAAAAAWw/hM_wQNODWCs/s1600/Tags2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_gKNZUJLbhM/Tv3X6Z7OzqI/AAAAAAAAAWw/hM_wQNODWCs/s1600/Tags2.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seems like Supernatural, Fighting, and Violence came out on top tags wise.</td></tr>
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</a></div><b>Favourite Manga:</b> This is actually a bit of a toss-up between <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/yuki-urushibara">Yuki Urushibara</a>'s <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/suiiki"><i>Suiiki</i></a> and <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/people/kaoru-mori">Kaoru Mori</a>'s <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/a-brides-story"><i>A Bride's Story</i></a>. It's no great surprise to me that these two came out on top since I love both of these authors and I genuinely can't pick a favourite. <i>A Bride's Story</i> showcases Mori's lucious artwork and is a gentle, easy read that focuses on 19th century customs, which adds to the interest factor as we learn about ways of life that are unfamiliar to us. Meanwhile, <i>Suiiki</i> is exactly the type of thing that Urushibara does best, a gentle, quiet and ultimately quite meaningful supernatural story. Well worth the read and probably the one title from 25 Days that I'd recommend most to others.<br />
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<b>Least Favourite Manga:</b> This award goes to <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/zetman-1994"><i>Zetman (1994)</i></a>. While I was surprised at enjoying the main series of <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/zetman"><i>Zetman</i></a> I was more than underwhemed by its predecessor - which incidentally got the lowest rating I gave anything during 25 Days. For me, the story was kind of naff by comparison, but luckily it was only a oneshot.<br />
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<b>Biggest Surprise:</b> During the last month I've read quite a few manga that I've surprisingy enjoyed, but I think the biggest shock of the lot was <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/vinland-saga"><i>Vinland Saga</i></a>. Not only was I not intending to find a tale of Viking revenge all that gripping, I was also utterly unprepared for just how much I got into it. I found it a total wrench to have to stop reading so that I could continue on with the other 25 Days titles. Have yet to read any more, since I've been a little... "manga-ed out", but should be great to continue on.<br />
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<b>Biggest Disappointment:</b> I admit that I was expecting to enjoy <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/kingdom-hearts"><i>Kingdom Hearts</i></a> more than I actually did. I figured that Disney + Manga would equal awesome, but I wasn't all that enamoured with it. had I played the games, then maybe I'd have enjoyed it more, but the whole thing felt kind of repetitive and didn't seem to like explaining things very much. Ended up powering through the entire manga franchise in the space of a day or so and am not too fussed with continuing it - though if they ever brought out another, I'd likely read it for the Anime-Planet database.<br />
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<b>Oddest Manga:</b> I didn't actually get too many odd manga this time, so without a doubt the award for most bizarre manga goes to <a href="http://www.anime-planet.com/manga/boukun-tyrano-san"><i>Boukun Tyrano-san</i></a>. A oneshot focusing on a dinosaur who wakes up 65 million years later in the body of a high school girl is pretty barmy and seems like a concoction for hilarity, and at first it is. However, the humour falls by the wayside and drifts into full-on sciency sci-fi. Ah well, I'll certainly remember this one for a while to come!Cassiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02587699981161418047noreply@blogger.com0