Myriad manga are set in the school environment and granted, a lot that I've come into contact with focus on cute high school girls. Onani Master Kurosawa however, is unlike anything I've ever read before. At its heart it's a coming-of-age drama that follows the titular Kurosawa 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.
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 Nagaoka. 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.
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 Onani Master 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, Kitahara, 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.
I personally think that the artwork is probably the most impressive aspect of Onani Master, 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.
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.
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Naruto Filler is Getting Worse
Several months ago, I wrote a post on the filler episodes in Naruto. In particular I was praising Shippuuden 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:
"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."
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 Naruto 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 Frodo shitting in the woods all over again.
Even the "comedy" elements lose their charm rapidly; there are only so many times you can see the "Oh Gai 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.
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.
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Fun With Poo
Yes, 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.
It all stemmed from a conversation I had several months ago discussing shounen manga, specifically the big three (One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach). 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:
It may seem like a throwaway idea, but in essence it displays how I see the way that the three mangakas work. Oda's One Piece 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 Naruto 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 style of Bleach rather than its actual content. It seems, moreso than the other two series, that it wants to look 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 approach 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.
It all stemmed from a conversation I had several months ago discussing shounen manga, specifically the big three (One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach). 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:
One Piece (Eiichiro Oda) - 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. Naruto (Masashi Kishimoto) - 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 Naruto'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. Bleach (Tite Kubo) - 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. |  |
It may seem like a throwaway idea, but in essence it displays how I see the way that the three mangakas work. Oda's One Piece 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 Naruto 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 style of Bleach rather than its actual content. It seems, moreso than the other two series, that it wants to look 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 approach 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.
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Monthly Round-up: January
First 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.
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!
Anime I've Watched:
Ongoing Anime I've Watched
Manga I've Read:
Ongoing Manga I've Read:
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!
Anime I've Watched:
- Arrietty - 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 quite as blown away as I had expected to be. Still loved it nonetheless.
- Morita-san wa Mukuchi 2 - 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.
Ongoing Anime I've Watched
Manga I've Read:
- Vinland Saga - 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.
- Black Paradox - 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.
- Faster Than A Kiss - 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.
- Black Bird - 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.
- All Rounder Meguru - 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 HSDK 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.
- Nichijou - Started and read all that's translated of this. I've certainly gained more of a fondness for Nichijou than when I first started the anime. No longer bored by it and find it quite amusing.
- Hanamaru Youchien - 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.
Ongoing Manga I've Read:
- Bleach
- Naruto
- One Piece
- Beelzebub
- Bakuman
- Fairy Tail
- Ao no Exorcist
- Mononoke
- Kill Me Baby
- Otoyomegatari
- History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi (Resolution Manga - currently 262 chapters to go til up to date)
Sunday, 1 January 2012
Nerdy New Years Resolutions
First 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.
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!
Anime:
Manga:
Blog:
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!
Anime:
- Finish series one of Gintama and start series 2.
- Re-start and then finish Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn.
- Make a sizeable dent in the backlog of Detective Conan I still have to watch. I'm not going to say get up to date because I'm still 400+ episodes behind.
Manga:
- Get up to date on History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi. I'm well over 300 chapters behind.
- Get up to date on Toriko.
- Get up to date with Medaka Box.
Blog:
- 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 some of this momentum going and maybe aim for 2-3 posts a week.
- 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.
- Re-watch both Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullemtal Alchemist: Brotherhood and blog about them.
Friday, 30 December 2011
25 Days of Manga: The Conclusion
Well, 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 Anime-Planet, writing the 12 Days of Christmas blog posts, and doing real life preparations for Christmas (Yule Log anyone?), 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.
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!
Total Number of Requests Made: 38
Total Number of "Bonus" Manga Added: 9
Total Number of Manga Read: 47
Total Number of One Shots Read: 4
Total Number of Volumes Read: 76
Total Number of Chapters Read: 543
Favourite Manga: This is actually a bit of a toss-up between Yuki Urushibara's Suiiki and Kaoru Mori's A Bride's Story. 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. A Bride's Story 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, Suiiki 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.
Least Favourite Manga: This award goes to Zetman (1994). While I was surprised at enjoying the main series of Zetman 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.
Biggest Surprise: 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 Vinland Saga. 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.
Biggest Disappointment: I admit that I was expecting to enjoy Kingdom Hearts 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.
Oddest Manga: I didn't actually get too many odd manga this time, so without a doubt the award for most bizarre manga goes to Boukun Tyrano-san. 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!
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!
Total Number of Requests Made: 38
Total Number of "Bonus" Manga Added: 9
Total Number of Manga Read: 47
Total Number of One Shots Read: 4
Total Number of Volumes Read: 76
Total Number of Chapters Read: 543
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| At the beginning of 25 Days, I'd have imagined the dropped slice to be a lot bigger than it was. |
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| It turned out that I had a decent mix of middling to good series and luckily, few rubbish ones. |
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| The two unknowns were shounen-ai titles, likely Josei but couldn't find a definite answer. |
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| With most of the 25 Days manga being Seinen or Shounen, it's no surprise that action comes out on top. |
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| Had to split the tags up into two charts for it to display properly. |
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| Seems like Supernatural, Fighting, and Violence came out on top tags wise. |
Least Favourite Manga: This award goes to Zetman (1994). While I was surprised at enjoying the main series of Zetman 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.
Biggest Surprise: 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 Vinland Saga. 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.
Biggest Disappointment: I admit that I was expecting to enjoy Kingdom Hearts 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.
Oddest Manga: I didn't actually get too many odd manga this time, so without a doubt the award for most bizarre manga goes to Boukun Tyrano-san. 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!
Sunday, 25 December 2011
On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me...
Twelve Awesome Anime
Eleven Weeks of D'AWWW-ness
Ten Heaping Cow Turds
Nine Stop-Motion Wonders
Eight Slappable Arseholes
Seven Crazy Hairdos
Six Splendid Sequels
Fiiiiiive Kick-Asssssss Duuuuuuudes
Four Mindf**k Minutes
Three Shounen Timeskips
Two Crazy Whores
And A Pair of Giant Matrix Boooooobiiiiiiieeeessss!
So, I wholly admit that the title for the final of my 12 Days of Christmas is a bit of a copout, but I wanted to pick twelve of my favourite anime moments from the last year from the good to the bad and the just plain weird. Some are scenes, others full episodes, and there's even an entire series. So here they are, some of my favourite anime moments of 2011. Merry Christmas Everyone!
Eleven Weeks of D'AWWW-ness
Ten Heaping Cow Turds
Nine Stop-Motion Wonders
Eight Slappable Arseholes
Seven Crazy Hairdos
Six Splendid Sequels
Fiiiiiive Kick-Asssssss Duuuuuuudes
Four Mindf**k Minutes
Three Shounen Timeskips
Two Crazy Whores
And A Pair of Giant Matrix Boooooobiiiiiiieeeessss!
So, I wholly admit that the title for the final of my 12 Days of Christmas is a bit of a copout, but I wanted to pick twelve of my favourite anime moments from the last year from the good to the bad and the just plain weird. Some are scenes, others full episodes, and there's even an entire series. So here they are, some of my favourite anime moments of 2011. Merry Christmas Everyone!
(Episode 12)  Before I started watching, everyone had told me how epic and awesome Katanagatari was. It seemed that everyone, even those who are hard to please, seemed to love it so I was a little concerned. Too much hype often leads to big disappointment. When I started watching, however, I was far from disappointed. Initially it was the art style that leapt out at me most, it's very different to most anime and utterly gorgeous. Then I got more into the story and damn, I was addicted. But, what REALLY made the series for me was the epic final episode. Following the end of the previous episode, Shichika in the castle, just OH. MY. GOD. I kind of want to re-watch it all again just to get to that last bit. | (Episodes 14 & 20.5)  I don't care how much I've raved about Shiki this year, I'm going to do it again. In particular this time I want to pick on two specific episodes. Firstly, episode 14, which contains what is, for me, one of the most disturbingly dark scenes I've ever seen. Watching Ozaki perform live experimentation on his undead wife was gruesome, cringeworthy (in the good way) and down right uncomfortable. That scene marks the distinct change between the show's quiet beginning and it's bloody, frenzied finale and boy, what a way to do it. My second pick is episode 20.5 which is actually one of the DVD specials. This particular episode depicts some of the manga content that was omitted. Set during theheight of the shiki-hunt, it focuses on the villagers chasing their prey into the irrigation pipes. It's dark, very dark, a bit on the gory side and just plain awesome viewing. |
 Everyone and their granny has been banging on about Redline this year, so when I got the chance to purchase the Blu-ray at Expo a fortnight before it was released tot he public, I jumped ta the chance. I have to admit, though it's generally not my sort of thing (racing + intergalactic spacey stuff) I did enjoy it. The visuals are pretty damn awesome and fall somewhere between horrifically ugly and too cool for school, while the movement is impeccable. Well done Madhouse. Do I think it's over-rated? If I'm honest, yeah, a little bit. But it's still well worth a watch, if only to make up your own mind about it. | (Ace's Death)  AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCE! That's really the only way I could begin this bit. Having been up to speed on the manga for some time, I knew that this was coming and I was kind of dreading the moment when I'd st down to watch One Piece and Ace would meet his end. I cried at the manga and generally I tend to blub more at the anime (with the actual movement, sounds and music, it's hard to resist when the tears well up). However, for me, as much as I loved Ace, what upset me most was not his demise per-se but the profound effect it had on Luffy. Watching those scenes and the ones that followed were like watching his heart systematically crumble and fall apart. Heart-wrenching stuff, truly. |
(Deer Fight)  Had it not been for the fact that I really wanted to mention this scene here, the principal in Nichijou would have ended up on my list of "Five Kick-ass Dudes" for this one skit alone. Without a doubt, the deer scene is the luminescent highlight of an otherwise underwhelming series. There's no particular story to it, quite simply, it's just the quite gentle-looking principal going at it in an all out battle for supremacy with a deer. Why is the deer there? WHy are they fighting? Where did that guy learn all his moves? No one knows and really, who cares, it's just awesome viewing! | (Episode 38)  I have an odd relationship with Gintama. I'm only around 40 odd episodes in, but despite the promises that it's utterly hilarious, I personally have never quite managed to get into it. Generally I've found it to be quite hit and miss, with some episodes bordering on the just plain dull, but then along comes a plotline that reminds me why I really like the series, and one of those was episode 38. The gang participating in a scnow sculpture contest was hilarity in a bucket, packed with stupid humour that had me giggling like an idiot the whole time. |
 Without a doubt, one of my favourite new series this year has been Hanasaku Iroha. It demonstrates some of the best characterisation that I've seen for some time and is a true ensemble piece. With the exception of a filler-esque mid-section I looked forward to each new episode with increasing anticipation. Plus with P.A. Works pulling out all the stops in the animation department, such exquisite eye-candy made it a genuine joy to watch. | (Beach Aerobics Scene)  Now, I love Shinryaku Ika Musume, but it's not one of those series where there's a laugh a minute. Mostly it's fairly gentle with some decent giggles from time to time. However, in the latest series there came the most brilliant section that had me full-on belly-laughing. Quite simply, Ika-chan is taking part in a beach aerobics session with elementary school kids and her tentacles keep hitting the kids. It sounds like dumb slapstick, and it is, but the comic timing is perfect, and it's played out in such a way that by the end it's like there's been some kind of child massacre. Genius. Absolute genius. |
(Avalanche Scene)  What I love about watching the Detective Conan movies is that inevitable moment towards the end where the whole thing entirely detaches itself from reality in favour of a big flashy finale. Whether it's the tone deaf Conan singing into a faraway phone in order to dial the correct number, or two teenage girls successfully performing an emergency landing in a jumbo jet on a ridiculously short and narrow strip of land, the antics are ridiculous. Safe to say Quarter of Silence didn't disappoint with the supposedly seven-year-old Conan riding around on his jet propelled skate/snowboard in order to cause an avalanche and stop a rampaging flood from hitting a village. So dumb, so epic, so fun! | (Episode 12)  I ended up marathoning all of School Days in two days, not because it was any good - it wasn't - but because I wanted to know what the hell the infamous ending was and just how such an initially innocuous series could descend into something with such a reputation. I'd like to say that watching it was wholly worth it, but it was only half-so. It was worth watching so that I could witness first hand the insanity of the events, but at the end of the day, the entire series was shite. |
 This is a bit of a lesser-known and slight shock entry really. Legend of Koizumi is a short OVA that's basically political parody with mahjong. Big important political figures meet in neutral areas to play a game with high political stakes on the line. As an anime, it wasn't that great, and in truth, it was kind of dumb, but you know what... it stuck in my mind. Despite its inherently idiotic foundation, it's somehow incredibly epic. Hell it's so epic that the snivelling dude accompanying Koizumi can't help but piss his pants half the damn time. | (Any of the Supermarket Scenes)  Ben-To started out for me as a fun, throwaway series, but very quickly got to the point where I was bored of it and couldn't wait for it to end. However, the one part that still makes me chuckle like a maniac are the various supermarket battles. No matter how many times I see them, or how crappy the plot gets, the utter ridiculous notion of fighting bloody battles over half-priced lunch boxes just does not get old. Serious comedy at its best (just a shame about the rest of it). |
25 Days of Manga: December 25th - The Final Day!
December 25th
Buster Keel (9+ Volumes Ongoing)
Status: Reading at 5 Chapters
Impressions: Out of the five entries I had for today, this was the one I was most looking forward to reading. It's fairly standard mainstream shounen, but it's good fun and easy enough to read. It gives off quite a Hiro Mashima vibe and I'm looking forward to reading more.
Rating: 4/5
Witch Hunter (11+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Reading at 2 Volumes
Impressions: For some reasno I don't often tend to read manhwa, I'm not entirely sure why as the titles I've encountered have been wholly enjoyable, and Witch Hunter is no different. It's got some interesting themes running throughout, brother and sister on opposite sides, curses, familiars and fighting galore. Looking forward to reading mroe and I think that along with March Story I think I'll be checking out more manhwa in the future.
Rating: 4/5
Code Breaker (13+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Dropped at 1 Volume
Impressions: This was an odd manga for me. I wasn't hugely fussed with the art style and while the basic concept is kind of intriguing, I'm just not sure. Having added so many series to my reading list this month, I've found myself getting stricter about what I keep and what I drop. While there's a part of me that wants to continue on and see where this goes, the rest of me would rather dedicate my time to other series that I have more enthusiasm for, and those that I have yet to discover.
Rating: 2.5/5
Black Bird (14+ Vols)
Status: Reading at 2 Volumes
Impressions: Youkai + Shoujo = a very happy Cassie. I was unsure about what to expect with this, but I've thoroughly enjoyed what I've read so far. There's a good mix of comedy and romance all mixed in with a supernatural edge, and I genuinely can't wait to read more. With several series that I've thoroughly enjoyed, it's going to be difficult to decide what to read first, but this will be near the top of the pile.
Rating: 4.5/5
Dance in the Vampire Bund (11+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Dropped at 2 Volumes
Impressions: This was another of those series that I just couldn't get into, possibly aided by the fact that I dislike the main character, Mina. I can see how the concept would appeal to many, the idea of a vampire colony being built in the middle of Tokyo, it's defintiely more interesting than a more clichéd and traditional vampire story, but personally I wasn't too fussed. It ended up being more of a wrench to actually finish reading the two volumes and I wasn't too upset to add this to the dropped pile.
Rating: 2.5/5
Buster Keel (9+ Volumes Ongoing)
Status: Reading at 5 Chapters
Impressions: Out of the five entries I had for today, this was the one I was most looking forward to reading. It's fairly standard mainstream shounen, but it's good fun and easy enough to read. It gives off quite a Hiro Mashima vibe and I'm looking forward to reading more.
Rating: 4/5
Witch Hunter (11+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Reading at 2 Volumes
Impressions: For some reasno I don't often tend to read manhwa, I'm not entirely sure why as the titles I've encountered have been wholly enjoyable, and Witch Hunter is no different. It's got some interesting themes running throughout, brother and sister on opposite sides, curses, familiars and fighting galore. Looking forward to reading mroe and I think that along with March Story I think I'll be checking out more manhwa in the future.
Rating: 4/5
Code Breaker (13+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Dropped at 1 Volume
Impressions: This was an odd manga for me. I wasn't hugely fussed with the art style and while the basic concept is kind of intriguing, I'm just not sure. Having added so many series to my reading list this month, I've found myself getting stricter about what I keep and what I drop. While there's a part of me that wants to continue on and see where this goes, the rest of me would rather dedicate my time to other series that I have more enthusiasm for, and those that I have yet to discover.
Rating: 2.5/5
Black Bird (14+ Vols)
Status: Reading at 2 Volumes
Impressions: Youkai + Shoujo = a very happy Cassie. I was unsure about what to expect with this, but I've thoroughly enjoyed what I've read so far. There's a good mix of comedy and romance all mixed in with a supernatural edge, and I genuinely can't wait to read more. With several series that I've thoroughly enjoyed, it's going to be difficult to decide what to read first, but this will be near the top of the pile.
Rating: 4.5/5
Dance in the Vampire Bund (11+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Dropped at 2 Volumes
Impressions: This was another of those series that I just couldn't get into, possibly aided by the fact that I dislike the main character, Mina. I can see how the concept would appeal to many, the idea of a vampire colony being built in the middle of Tokyo, it's defintiely more interesting than a more clichéd and traditional vampire story, but personally I wasn't too fussed. It ended up being more of a wrench to actually finish reading the two volumes and I wasn't too upset to add this to the dropped pile.
Rating: 2.5/5
Saturday, 24 December 2011
25 Days of Manga: December 21st - 24th
December 21st
Eien no With (1 Vol Complete)
Status: Read
Impressions: I'd already had this on my want to read list when someone requested it for 25 Days, so reading this kind of felt like killing two birds with one stone. At its heart, this is about the relationship between a young girl (Hitomi) and a dog (Eye); except the canine in question is a guide dog in training and is only staying with Hitomi for a year. The manga spans from the year the two spent together, in which time Eye completely changed Hitomi's life, and then skips forward to when Eye is too old to continue working and returs to live out her years with Hitomi. I won't go into too much detail, but this was a genuinely heart-wrenching manga that had me in tears by the end. I certainly enjoyed it way more than I had anticipated, and if anyone has even a passing interest in this, then I'd urge them to read it.
Rating: 4.5/5
December 22nd
Old Boy (8 Vols Complete)
Status: Reading at 1 Volume
Impressions: I've never seen the film of Oldboy, though I've wanted to for a while, so seeing this requested felt like an ideal oportunity to see the origins of the hit Korean film. Already, I'm fidning this quite engaging. a man has been imprisoned for the last decade with no idea why or by whom. Now he's been freed and he wants to find out who was behind it and get his revenge. Should be interesting to continue reading this one and as an already completed manga at least I won't have to wait for the tale's conclusion.
Rating: 4/5
December 23rd
A Bride's Story (4+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Reading at 2 Volumes
Impressions: I love Kaoru Mori. Undoubtedly her artwork is some of the most exquisite that I've ever seen. Naturally, I was overjoyed when I saw a request for one her titles came up and I've not been disappointed. Mori's strength lies in slice of life period pieces that are romantic in nature and this series is no different, except instead of being set in Victorian England it focuses on a mid-Asian tribe near the Casian Sea. I love this type of manga and I genuinely had to restrain myself from devouring the rest of what's available so that I could continue on with the rest of the titles.
Rating: 4.5/5
December 24th
Coo no Sekai (2 Vols Complete)
Status: Read
Impressions: This manga was... odd. Not bad, but a bit odd. The story follows Renei, a young girl just entering middle school who continues to mourn for her beloved, deceased brother. The night before her entrance ceremony, Renei falls asleep and ends up in a bizarre dream world where she meets her dead brother, except he calls himself Coo and has no idea who she is. The first volume covers her travelling this bizarre land full of odd customs and fantastical creatures as she tries to find her way home, except it's not so simple as that. The world of Coo, is more than it seems (all of which becomes clearer in the second installment), and Renei's time there is more about her learning more about her brother, acceptiing his death andgenerally growing up. It's definitely an interesting read and if you like the idea of a sort of coming of age tale with a fantastical twist, then it's worth reading this.
Rating: 3.5/5
7 Billion Needles (4 Vols Complete)
Status: Reading at 1 Volume
Impressions: In an odd sort of way, I don't really know what to say about this. I'm enjoying it, I know that much. The concept is rather intriguing and I'm looking forward to see where it goes. Shame that the final volume isn't yet scanlated.
Rating: 3.5/5
Acid Town (3+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Stalled at 16 Chapters
Impressions: This was a different sort of shounen-ai series than I've ever read before, mainly because the boy love aspect isn't quite so prevalent. More than anything I'm intrigued by the storyline. There's plenty of intrigue, mafia, and troubled pasts. Looking forward to seeing where it all goes, but at the moment the boy love part seems a bit... tacked on. Hopefully it won't take over, but if it does take centre stage a bit more, it really should be a natural inclusion.
Rating: 3.5/5
Majo (2 Vols Complete)
Status: Read
Impressions: Majo is a two-volume manga consisting of several separate stories about witches during a period where the world has converted to mainstream religion and has abandoned the old ways of magic. It's an interesting read and if one of the tales doesn't tickle your fancy, then the others may well do. Though the overall tone of the manga is generally the sort of thing that I tend to like, this manga never quite gelled with me. I enjoyed parts of it, but I wasn't bowled over.
Rating: 3/5
Drifters (2+ Vols Onoing)
Status: Dropped at 1 Volume
Impressions: This was an odd sort of manga. Take a whole bunch of historical figures and plonk them in some alternate world with elves, magic and all sorts of other stuff. Can you tell I wasn't all that fussed about this? It wasn't horrible, but the story throws a whole heap of things at you all at once and I struggled to get into it. Won't particularly miss reading this one.
Rating: 2.5/5
Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas (25 Vols Complete)
Status: Dropped at 2 Volumes
Impressions: When the request for this came in, it was bigged-up as an epic tale. Unfortunately, I just never quite got into this. In the end I just read what I needed to in order to get a decent synopsis out of it. It wasn't a terrible manga, I could see certain aspects that would make for a compelling story, but the whole thing just didn't strike the right chord with me.
Rating: 2.5/5
Vagabond (33+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Reading at 4 Volumes
Impressions: I wasn't sure what to expect with this manga. I purposely left it til last as there was a chance that I'd have to read more than the standard volume or two in order to get a decent synopsis. If I'm brutally honest, I didn't expect to like it. Luckily, this was another of those occasions where I was pleasantly surprised. While explicit violence isn't normally my thing, I can't explain, but in this case I kind of liked it. Luckily, with it being a fairly long series, I have plenty more to read, and I can't wait to get stuck in to it!
Rating: 4/5
Eien no With (1 Vol Complete)
Status: Read
Impressions: I'd already had this on my want to read list when someone requested it for 25 Days, so reading this kind of felt like killing two birds with one stone. At its heart, this is about the relationship between a young girl (Hitomi) and a dog (Eye); except the canine in question is a guide dog in training and is only staying with Hitomi for a year. The manga spans from the year the two spent together, in which time Eye completely changed Hitomi's life, and then skips forward to when Eye is too old to continue working and returs to live out her years with Hitomi. I won't go into too much detail, but this was a genuinely heart-wrenching manga that had me in tears by the end. I certainly enjoyed it way more than I had anticipated, and if anyone has even a passing interest in this, then I'd urge them to read it.
Rating: 4.5/5
December 22nd
Old Boy (8 Vols Complete)
Status: Reading at 1 Volume
Impressions: I've never seen the film of Oldboy, though I've wanted to for a while, so seeing this requested felt like an ideal oportunity to see the origins of the hit Korean film. Already, I'm fidning this quite engaging. a man has been imprisoned for the last decade with no idea why or by whom. Now he's been freed and he wants to find out who was behind it and get his revenge. Should be interesting to continue reading this one and as an already completed manga at least I won't have to wait for the tale's conclusion.
Rating: 4/5
December 23rd
A Bride's Story (4+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Reading at 2 Volumes
Impressions: I love Kaoru Mori. Undoubtedly her artwork is some of the most exquisite that I've ever seen. Naturally, I was overjoyed when I saw a request for one her titles came up and I've not been disappointed. Mori's strength lies in slice of life period pieces that are romantic in nature and this series is no different, except instead of being set in Victorian England it focuses on a mid-Asian tribe near the Casian Sea. I love this type of manga and I genuinely had to restrain myself from devouring the rest of what's available so that I could continue on with the rest of the titles.
Rating: 4.5/5
December 24th
Coo no Sekai (2 Vols Complete)
Status: Read
Impressions: This manga was... odd. Not bad, but a bit odd. The story follows Renei, a young girl just entering middle school who continues to mourn for her beloved, deceased brother. The night before her entrance ceremony, Renei falls asleep and ends up in a bizarre dream world where she meets her dead brother, except he calls himself Coo and has no idea who she is. The first volume covers her travelling this bizarre land full of odd customs and fantastical creatures as she tries to find her way home, except it's not so simple as that. The world of Coo, is more than it seems (all of which becomes clearer in the second installment), and Renei's time there is more about her learning more about her brother, acceptiing his death andgenerally growing up. It's definitely an interesting read and if you like the idea of a sort of coming of age tale with a fantastical twist, then it's worth reading this.
Rating: 3.5/5
7 Billion Needles (4 Vols Complete)
Status: Reading at 1 Volume
Impressions: In an odd sort of way, I don't really know what to say about this. I'm enjoying it, I know that much. The concept is rather intriguing and I'm looking forward to see where it goes. Shame that the final volume isn't yet scanlated.
Rating: 3.5/5
Acid Town (3+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Stalled at 16 Chapters
Impressions: This was a different sort of shounen-ai series than I've ever read before, mainly because the boy love aspect isn't quite so prevalent. More than anything I'm intrigued by the storyline. There's plenty of intrigue, mafia, and troubled pasts. Looking forward to seeing where it all goes, but at the moment the boy love part seems a bit... tacked on. Hopefully it won't take over, but if it does take centre stage a bit more, it really should be a natural inclusion.
Rating: 3.5/5
Majo (2 Vols Complete)
Status: Read
Impressions: Majo is a two-volume manga consisting of several separate stories about witches during a period where the world has converted to mainstream religion and has abandoned the old ways of magic. It's an interesting read and if one of the tales doesn't tickle your fancy, then the others may well do. Though the overall tone of the manga is generally the sort of thing that I tend to like, this manga never quite gelled with me. I enjoyed parts of it, but I wasn't bowled over.
Rating: 3/5
Drifters (2+ Vols Onoing)
Status: Dropped at 1 Volume
Impressions: This was an odd sort of manga. Take a whole bunch of historical figures and plonk them in some alternate world with elves, magic and all sorts of other stuff. Can you tell I wasn't all that fussed about this? It wasn't horrible, but the story throws a whole heap of things at you all at once and I struggled to get into it. Won't particularly miss reading this one.
Rating: 2.5/5
Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas (25 Vols Complete)
Status: Dropped at 2 Volumes
Impressions: When the request for this came in, it was bigged-up as an epic tale. Unfortunately, I just never quite got into this. In the end I just read what I needed to in order to get a decent synopsis out of it. It wasn't a terrible manga, I could see certain aspects that would make for a compelling story, but the whole thing just didn't strike the right chord with me.
Rating: 2.5/5
Vagabond (33+ Vols Ongoing)
Status: Reading at 4 Volumes
Impressions: I wasn't sure what to expect with this manga. I purposely left it til last as there was a chance that I'd have to read more than the standard volume or two in order to get a decent synopsis. If I'm brutally honest, I didn't expect to like it. Luckily, this was another of those occasions where I was pleasantly surprised. While explicit violence isn't normally my thing, I can't explain, but in this case I kind of liked it. Luckily, with it being a fairly long series, I have plenty more to read, and I can't wait to get stuck in to it!
Rating: 4/5
On the Eleventh Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me...
Eleven Weeks of D'AWWW-ness
Ten Heaping Cow Turds
Nine Stop-Motion Wonders
Eight Slappable Arseholes
Seven Crazy Hairdos
Six Splendid Sequels
Fiiiiiive Kick-Asssssss Duuuuuuudes
Four Mindf**k Minutes
Three Shounen Timeskips
Two Crazy Whores
And A Pair of Giant Matrix Boooooobiiiiiiieeeessss!
Summer 2011 was a little on the meh side with very few series I wanted to pick up, and most of those that I did watch didn't particularly overwhelm. However, there was one series that managed to not only impress, but exceed all expectationsand that was Usagi Drop.
While I didn't watch week-by-week I know that if I had, I'd have been chomping at the bit for the next episode. The relationship between Daikichi and Rin was so cute and fun to watch and it struck hte perfect balance between comedy and drama. I've already praised this series to the hills in an official review so I won't bang on now. Needless to say it was one of the most adorable series that I've ever seen and certainly another shining reason why I gravitate to the noitaminA anime each and every time.
Ten Heaping Cow Turds
Nine Stop-Motion Wonders
Eight Slappable Arseholes
Seven Crazy Hairdos
Six Splendid Sequels
Fiiiiiive Kick-Asssssss Duuuuuuudes
Four Mindf**k Minutes
Three Shounen Timeskips
Two Crazy Whores
And A Pair of Giant Matrix Boooooobiiiiiiieeeessss!
Summer 2011 was a little on the meh side with very few series I wanted to pick up, and most of those that I did watch didn't particularly overwhelm. However, there was one series that managed to not only impress, but exceed all expectationsand that was Usagi Drop.
While I didn't watch week-by-week I know that if I had, I'd have been chomping at the bit for the next episode. The relationship between Daikichi and Rin was so cute and fun to watch and it struck hte perfect balance between comedy and drama. I've already praised this series to the hills in an official review so I won't bang on now. Needless to say it was one of the most adorable series that I've ever seen and certainly another shining reason why I gravitate to the noitaminA anime each and every time.
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