Sousou no Frieren

 

 

 

Imagine if you will an elf-form of the Doom Slayer, Frieren knows the tricks of the demons that haunt her world. Much of this series follows the lives of Frieren, Fern, and Stark on their adventures that go across lands. Occasionally on their journey, they will encounter a demon (and they are the most accurate portrayal demons, more on that later) that Frieren cannot ignore. She willingly enters battle with them, resulting in their defeat and erasure from Frieren's world. She also likes to get grimoires and what she sees as treasures.

Treating the demons as beings that thrive on the discord of others is the most accurate portrayal of demons. They are entities of evil, most of what they do causes strife and tears the human soul away from performing or doing what is good. They can hide behind what appears to look good but in reality are nasty beings who are damned beyond redemption. In other series of the Japanese, demons are treating more humanely which negates their namesake and sole purpose. This in return makes evil look appealing and not so bad, which should never apply to demons. The demon is an entity which cannot be sympathized with nor shown compassion; to do so, is already to sell your soul to the devil. 

As a viewer, I encourage you to take the depiction of demons in Sousou no Frieren as the best portrayal of what a demon actually is. It is not human, but the worst evils you can think of.

Still Alive! Just flooded with work!

Friends, would you not know it? I have been tasked with too much in real life events and organizations that I am swamped and beyond exhausted at what is going on with life. Do not worry, I aim to return soon.

Everything Anime Podcast!

https://youtu.be/ds5eDtd9jeg Finally, you would not believe how many times I had to replace footage. Hopefully, you like this new format.

Podcast #2

https://youtu.be/GaL1adQ7EW0

Edens Zero

A kid raised by robots on a lone planet gets discovered by a B-tuber who wants to nake it big. Shiki is a boy who just wants to make friends and Rebecca is just your average "try to make it big" girl. An unlikely friendship blossoms and after escaping his robot family "infected" with a virus. Rebecca takes Shiki to a galactic hub where he sees a giant figure known as "Mother". This entity is said to grant any request. Shiki makes it his mission to meet this giant lady.

A great ol' space adventure reminiscent of the early 80s and 90s. It's filled with action packed fighting and a story that is not as linear as you think it would. It has comedic events to break up the tragic moments that are present from time to time. It's a different taste for those bored with the usual isekai or other world tropes that are currently saturate the market.

Boku no Tsuma wa Kanjou ga Nai

    What happens if you marry a robot that has no emotion and is serious 24/7? Such is the story with Takuma and his wife-robot, Miina. Now you would be right in being weirded out by this type of scenario, "Why marry his robot??? What does it do to marry a robot???" Well, sometimes the human mind cannot be explained by simple psychology nor will it ever be.  This story follows the two as they experience the numerous opinions on their relationship and the implications it had. The reactions to what only can be described as "new ground" is an understatement. Takuma's wife is a robot, and acts differently than a normal human wife would. She does not understand the basic emotions of humans, and sometimes shows it in the interactions with Takuma. Miina, however, seems to be getting the hang of being somebody's wife. 

    Miina herself seems to have taken the responsibility of being a wife very seriously. She, from the very start of the series, seems to have taken an reciprocated interest in Takuma. So much in fact that she memorizes many of his favorite dishes, takes pictures of him , and on several occasions taken action to preserve the welfare of Takuma. Who could ask more for from a robot-wife? She clearly has being a wife hands down than the normal woman can do (pun intended)! 

Beserk: The Utimate Tragedy

Imagine if you will three very close friends that are looking for a purpose in their lives. Guts, a poor boy with a very traumatic childhood. Casca, a tomboy whose very much in touch with her inner warrior but not her femininity. Finally, Griffith, the boy with very big dreams of owning his own kingdom. Everything was fine for a time between the three as they had kept each other in check. Casca and Guts keeping an eye on Griffith to make sure he does not make any lapses in judgements. However when Casca and Guts were not looking, Griffith got captured. He was tortured and malnourished. After he was rescued, a little blood fell onto the trinket he had and summoned forth a plethora of demons. Griffith blindly trades his old Band of the Falcons for godhood. What ensues, Guts and Casca will surely never forget.

A gripping story that follows Guts and his girl, Casca. Throughout the story, Guts is rightfully angry and seeks revenge on Griffith for defiling Casca in front of him. Not only is the story good, but the artwork and facial emotion is impressive. It's really a deep and complex atmosphere that the manga has built up. Definitely read it and let the emotional highs and lows flow through you! It surely will leave you waiting for the issue. There's love, loss, mature themes, and so much more that will keep you reading years beyond the serie's run!

The Problem with Godzilla Anime

     This big ol' lizard has been stomping around Japan for more than 65 years! He's fought his fair share of enemies from all over the world! But does he translate well onto the animated medium? There it becomes a problem, why does Godzilla not translate well onto anime? To me, it seems as if the big guy takes a back seat to put the spotlight on different characters that mostly do not interact with the big kaiju. The exceptions being mentioning his name or having flashbacks to encounters when he was an antagonist for them. 

    For the duration of this movie, not much of the big kaiju was shown and was left up to the human counterparts to lay out the setting, motifs, and problem of the story. However, every fan of this big lizard should know that the movies should focus on the monsters and their history. The human connection is not what it's all about, but rather what the monsters themselves represent. Back in 1954 when the monster himself was created, it was for the purpose of having a constant reminder of nuclear warfare brought on by the monster. The monster himself is a constant reminder of the tragedy, why does it need a human connection to an already gruesome and beastly weapon? I do not think that there is anyway you can humanize what lies beyond the human mind. There lies within a beast that does not wish to take pity on his fellow man nor see others as his equal. He must dominate and conquer.

Spy x Family: A Nice Time

   

 

  

    A spy on a mission to keep the peace between two countries needs a cover! So, what does he do? He needs to get himself a family! The spy known as Twilight (alias: Loid Forger) goes to a orphanage to get a little kid to fit the family picture. Amongst them is a little girl who can hear the thoughts of everyone around her. Anya is a psychic that really wants to get out of the orphanage and see Loid as an out. Anya also knows about Loid's work through mind reading, which makes her excited when she scans his thoughts and finds out that the mission is for "world peace." She is invested his mission and is soon adopted after she uses her ability to come across as smart.  Somewhere in a business firm, Yor Briar is an eccentric, young woman who needs a cover up her assassin profession and what better way than to get married. Lo and behold, Loid Forger crosses paths with Yor which turns out to benefit both of them if they were to "marry" to keep a public reputation.  At first, it seems like the relationship is strictly professional but as time goes on, will the relationship blossom into something organic?

     What an actual nice series that combines action with slice of life tropes. Anya is a very cute child and her antics complete the dangerous lives of Loid and Yor. It is refreshing to see a series breathe life into a genre such as action and slice of life. The genres have had their fair share of nice picks (such as 7 Samurais and GJ-bu), but this is a marriage of the two in which I do believe that it works nicely in a way which has not been tried before (I could be wrong though). I do think you should watch it too and ignore the hype/criticisms to get a good inference.

Welcome to the New Year!

     2023 is now filled with new possibilities and as such I want to get this old website a new makeover with new posts to fill the blog. Now there's some new animes from last year that need reviewing and mangas that need reading! With the new year here, now is the time to do so! Be on the lookout either tomorrow or in the future for new anime or manga reviews!

Xam'd: Lost Memories

     

    Imagine if you will, a broken and fragile country gets terrorized by a bombings. Akiyuki Takehara is an unlucky victim of a bus bombing that not only leaves him with scars but a beast that now is apart of him called the Xam'd. Confused by what happens, he ends up taking a journey to understand what this organism wants. He joins up with a crew and travels around doing menial labor. But he must understand that if he fails to control the monster within, it will fight against him every step of the way. 

    An audacious series that explores not only different cultures within the world but the interactions that could occur if something like a war was to arise. The main character along with the characters on the ship have rich and deep backgrounds that they come from. The way that they interact among themselves was not forced at all but natural. The monster that inhabit the humans are also of peculiar interest as they force not only the main character to make unusual decisions but many other in the series. Not to mention the exploitation of these monster to try and win the war was refreshing take on how antagonists should work. He had a logical reasoning for his evil but at the same time he was still one to be despised for his actions. He is a human that is teetering on the edge of being non-human. All in all, it was a very well received series that I liked as it had many elements that melded together naturally. Something some series try to force on the viewer.