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MAPPA 2019: Dororo.
MAPPA 2020: Dorohedoro.

Seinen manga is one of the most difficult to adapt into anime, mostly because of his (not always) superior drawing and dense character creation and storytelling. Last years, we saw how Berserk post Golden Age arcs were butchered with some cheap product, but we also were blessed with a great Houseki no Kuni adaptation, exploiting 3D animation to the maximum level. Now, Mappa contributes to the medium giving us, again, another great adaptation of a seinen manga (1st was Inuyashiki) that stands out.

Dorohedoro is known as one of the most gore, bizarre and absurd mangas out there, but her author, mostly ... known as Hayashida Q, managed herself to create a unique universe and a dense environment that could drag you to hell (or in this case, Hole), instantly. Now, Mappa had a difficult task: to adapt the cold classic into a great anime, and for sure they were successful.

Story follows Kaiman, a man that was used as a test subject for magicians and now has the head of a great lizard, probably resembling a caiman. He and his fellow partner Nikaido hunt the magicians in Hole, trying to find the one that transformed Kaiman into a lizard.

The greatest thing about Dorohedoro is how simple the story looks, but how dense the universe really is, and how you can't simply understand, at first, how far you will be dragged; humans, magicians, demons. Among them, factions, friends, foes, Johnson... You can't really tell how Dorohedoro will surprise you in the next chapter, yet it still make it!

This show is not only about gore, decrepit looks, but is also a great comedy that stands out as one of the most bizarre in manga history. The virgin Konosuba, the chad Dorohedoro!

Art is great. Again, Mappa mixed 3D animation in characters with 2D landscapes and created the atmosphere for sure Q was trying to draw in her manga.

Music is really good, too. The opening greets you with an absurdly good song about Gyozas and sound effects are great. The voices are cool and every character suits perfectly. Wataru Takagi is great as Kaiman (even if I can only hear OI JOSUKE), and Reina Kondou has done such a great job as Nikaidou; hope she gets more roles in the near future.

If the story and visuals are the heart of this show, characters are for sure the brain. Complex pasts, cool personalities, great designs and human behavior! Kaiman looks like a thug, a badass motherfucker, but in reality he is such a normal guy, always joking and eating Nikaido's food. He is cheerful and dumb when normal, but if you anger him, you'll remember him.

Nikaido is the other half of the main couple that stands out. She is the owner of a restaurant in Hole and the one that found Kaiman after he lost his head. Again, killing magicians made her no assassin and didn't darken her personality.

In Dorohedoro, you have a good amount of "evil" characters as well. The main gang is formed by Noi, Shin, Fujita, Ebisu and the boss, En. They have distinct personalities and more than evil they work as antagonists but not as enemies. They have their personal stories and are interesting and funny.

I enjoyed Dorohedoro really much, to the point that I think it stole the winter season totally, not having a show that could match its uniqueness.

So, watch Dorohedoro and then read the manga (or wait for a second season), you won't be disappointed.

You: "I'm sad".

Your friend, the psychologist: "Don't be sad!"

Feelings are quite unique and human. You can experience deep pain and true happiness, fear something or love it, desire it or completely reject it. Human relationships are all about feelings and understanding, about loving and hating... Sometimes, people can have those feelings blocked, or maybe they are completely buried in their brains. They experience a philosophic attitude called "nihilism". Nihilism comes of the latinism nihil, translated in english to "nothing". The nihilist rejects all posible morale and human sense, expressing that life has no meaning.

Anime has come this far... You can see the giant boobs ... of a hot demon, you can watch a betrayed girl decapitate his cheating boyfriend, you can experience time travel and magic powers like alchemy, with great stories behind them..., but a few shows manage themselves to show the true pain of living your life, "carrying that weight". NHK ni Youkoso (NHK, for the sake of briefness), is one of those morale lessons you don't want to forget any soon.

The story follows Satou Tatsuhiro, a 22 year old NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) that left university (or better, was kicked of) and became a hikikomori. One day, he meet a mysterious girl called Nakahara Misaki while receiving publicity in his house. She offers Satou a "project" in order to end his hikikomori useless and miserable life.

You know, the plot isn't that amazing if you compare it to Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood or Cowboy Bebop, but do not let NHK's simplicity fool you, this one is a big one. The main thing about NHK is not its complexity but how it is told. Sometimes, you see an anime and think, "wow, who in the world would believe such an stupid thing?", and that is completely OK, because this is fiction. But here, the line between fiction and real life is crossed in the wake of realism. This is a story you could fit everywhere: in the new Hollywood act, in a motivational book, or even in tomorrow's news. NHK does not want you to go out there feeling you are unique, but quite the opposite. Slice of life was never so good...

Gonzo is not known for its great animation projects... In fact, last thing I saw about Gonzo was..., terrible (Saint Seiya: Saintia Shou), and here..., well, it was 2006 and a studio that lacked money, but..., I think it is... ok? It manages itself to create his own style, but I can say this is the weakest part of the show.

Sound was amazing, all the way. The opening did not engage me but the OST was GREAT. Imagine Cowboy Bebop's jazzy mood mixed with Trigun's spaghetti western music and you can imagine how good this is. Voice acting is also excellent. Satou is voiced by an unknown Yutaka Koizumi, who did little apart from NHK! But that doesn't talk about how good does his role here. His voice resembles Miyano Mamoru's works (Okabe, Light), and Misaki's seiyuu is also really good.

Character creation is the best this show can offer. Great representation of loneliness, despair and raw pain. Every character is somehow flawed but not to the way of being completely unbelievable. The main couple, Misaki and Satou, develop an amazing relationship, focused on how they evolve or involve. They get better, worse, they cry, laugh and are totally relatable in every single moment. I would not say more, because you have to experience it yourself to know what I'm talking about.

So, is it NHK! any good? Fuck yes. It is not only good, it is not only great, it outstands in every single way an anime can outstand. It is not a cheesy drama about how lonely the main character is, but it isn't about how stupid he is: it is about how human he is, and that is what I most liked about this show.

Absolutely incredible.

First of all, I want to thank the now deceased Neil Peart, drummer and main lyricist of the canadian prog rock band Rush, for all the music he wrote and feelings he put in his songs. Truly an inspiration to all. Legends never die, Neil, and you trascended that barrier long ago.

Of the 11 reviews that I've written, approximately, 75% of them are about timeless classics. I've done FLCL, Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, mighty Kino no Tabi, Rurouni Kenshin Tsuioku-hen's OVAs... Not that I do not watch any kind of modern anime, but I must confess I'm in love with 90s shows, I don't really know ... exactly why.

So, here we are. In 2003, Studio Bones bought the license to animate the now maybe most well known Shonen of all time: Fullmetal Alchemist. For that year, Hiromu Arakawa was far to complete his magnum opus, since it wouldn't be until 2010 where Fullmetal Alchemist was completed, forcing Studio Bones to remake the cold classic and get attached to the canon, creating Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 (as for now it will be refered as FMA to save time) was an ambitious production, but also a risky business. They changed the story in order to complete it, somehow. So, it is natural that, 17 years after, and compared to the superior version, Brotherhood, this anime receives all the criticism it receives.

Buuuuuut..., Bones managed to have an incredible great story. I must agree on how solid Arakawa's writing for the manga is, and how you will not find the same quality on this adaptation, but is also amazing nonetheless. The story, in essence, remains the same, as Edward Elric and his little brother, Alphonse Elric, try their best in order to find the Philosopher Stone to regain their original bodies. They get involved with the military after trying to resurrect their mother in the forbidden human transmutation and are under direct orders of Roy Mustang.

Where it was a main figure called Father, who controlled the other Homunculus to create another Stone, now it is replaced by a selfish being known as Lyra, who is involved with Van Hohenheim, or Hohenheim of the Light. Lyra needs a Philosopher Stone to change his body, because it is rotting due to complications in joining a body and a soul repeatedly. So, Lyra controls the Homunculus with the promise of making them humans.

The story, as I said, is really different and inferior to the manga and Brotherhood, but it isn't..., bad. It is really interesting, another approach on how humans live their lifes and what makes a human being, a human being. I must say that I found the ending to be much more interesting than Brotherhood's, since its something hopeless and darker. I also like how they thought about how the Equivalent Exchange works (no spoilers, you'll have to find by yourself).

The art is really something, as for 2003, you wouldn't find so many animes as visually impressive as FMA is. Not only animations are smoother and pleasurable than many animes nowadays, but also background characters and landscapes are way better constructed.

The sound is really good too, but I liked it more in Brotherhood. Most voice actors repeat their role in Brotherhood as they did in FMA, but, for example, Envy's voice is another seiyuu, and Hohenheim's one too. Not that I care that much that I can not watch the show, but I am made to the Brotherhood style. My fault, though.

Character creation differs a lot of the original manga and Brotherhood, and there are some characters that get benefits from it. Now, they are not only evil and the main counterforce to the alchemists, but they have their own purpose to exist. One of the best characters in FMA is, for me, Lust.

Lust does have a great fight against Roy Mustang in Brotherhood, and dies there, but here, she wants to be human. And by human, she has a great transition, being one of the best examples on how a character has to be used (since I felt Lust was dumped in Brotherhood).

I really liked FMA. For me, it is a step beyond Brotherhood, but the difference is not as BIG as Brotherhood fanboys want it to be. This 2003 show is a cold classic, a gem that has to be enjoyed with the remake, and you should care about how great it is.

The words "magnum opus" are a latinism that stands for something socially accepted as "the best of the best" or "among the greatest achievements of humanity". We all have heard something being called a "magnum opus": when we talk about architecture or tourism, everyone recognizes the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal or the Mount Rushmore to be the best examples of beauty and perfection. Talking about music, I could say that Death is close from being the pinnacle of extreme music, or if we refer to cinema, Blade Runner being one of the most underrated but great movies of all time. So well, what Studio ... Deen did with Kenshin Himura's backstory in these 4 OVA's called Tsuioku-hen could not be called less than a magnum opus in anime history.

As always, I will divide this review in five different fields (Story, Art, Sound, Character and Enjoyment), and it won't have spoilers, so, please enjoy my personal vision on Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kentaku Romantan - Tsuioku-hen.

If you have seen the original Rurouni Kenshin anime, you know what it is about: Kenshin Himura, also known as Hitokiri Battousai or Battousai the Man Slayer, was a merciless assassin who worked to establish the Meiji government against the Tokugawa shogunate. After years and years of killing, Kenshin promised himself that he would not take anyone's life with his hands, so he became a beggar and started to wander around Japan armed with a reversed edge sword, or Sakabatō.

Where the original TV anime was heavily oriented to children and comedy, Tsuioku-hen is shown as a dark, dramatic and obscure story about Kenshin's past as one of the most fearless and dangerous assassins in the Bakumatsu period. Here, we are able to know how Kenshin, a suave-talker, peaceful swordsman became one of the most well known assassin of the Meiji era, and the reason for his infamous cross-wound in the left cheek.

The art is perfect, one of the best examples of how an anime has to be made. Again, the comedic effects are left in pursuit of having a more adult and serious atmosphere. Everything has a more obscure / dark / brown tone, and it contrasts the tv show by having a lot of blood. The animation is fluid and orgasmic, nonetheless, and every fight scene is able to start a fire in your throat.

If you have a masterpiece, you can't neglect such an important aspect as music. Some people do not care about the sound effects or voices, but I must say if an anime has bad voice acting or mediocre sound effects, I will notice, and the rating will suffer. But, again, Tsuioku-hen changes its Friends' style music with an orchestral soundtrack that suits perfectly not only into the Bakumatsu era but with Kenshin and Tomoe as well. I only listen to anime music if I like it, and I must say that the Tsuioku-hen OST is one of the best ways of doing things right.

In the character field, we have the Oscar-winner Kenshin Himura, one of the best characters in anime. Not only have the story and the cool-as-hell design, but also an amazing but likable personality. Kenshin is constructed as the story evolves, has its own reasons to be doing what he does and is able to resonate with every single viewer. In Tsuioku-hen, Kenshin is not the peaceful beggar anymore but a brutal killer that will do anything in order to achieve the greatest good. As he works as an assassin, he starts thinking about how he told his master to use the sword only to help people, but he took away hundreds, maybe thousands of lifes with his own hands. We also have Yukishiro Tomoe, a mysterious girl that saw Kenshin commiting an assassination, but refused to say anything. I won't say anything about Tomoe, because you have to find what makes him such an irreplaceable part of the story. Finally, we can get some Hajime Saitou appearance as well, being the best rival Kenshin has ever faced.

In conclusion, Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuioku-hen has to be one of the greatest OVAs ever made along with FLCL and Legend of the Galactic Heroes. It has everything you would want in an anime and more, because you can not take away your eyes from the screen. You will want more Kenshin Himura doing amazing things, you will want more animations like Studio Deen did right here, and I promise you will never forget how Kenshin Himura not only changed Japan but himself.

I am not a great fan of middle-school set mangas, and I really do not like stupid teenage comedies (despite having a 9 in Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai). Even in this case, I think the story is your average "I love you even if I know you from a week" and the main male character is the "yeah I'm a dumb guy that is such a nice dude with everyone and will love the main female character because she is as nice as I am", and the same with the girl. She is a big breasted teenager that likes him because of plot, I think.

Despite those ... big flaws... I think Do Chokkyu Kareshi x Kanojo (abbreviated, DoChoKa, or smh) is fucking hilarious and funny. I mean, japanese humour is not for everyone, and this comedy / romance / shonen has everything the popular mangas nowadays have, but well done (not masterfully created but interesting and engaging).

We have Wakamiya Mako, a girl that is in charge of "keeping to line" the lustful boys that, after the exam period, try to "satisfy" themselves with some "inappropiate" material (basically porn mangas, hentais and magazines of mature content). Also, we have Shinichi Honda, a guy who practices Kendo and is the most sincere guy on Earth. He is always asked by any girl to have a date, but he answers a resounding "NO" because he does not know enough about her. For some reasons I won't spoil here, Mako falls in love for Honda and she tries her best to make it reciprocal.

Art is not excellent (I consider excellent some mangas like Berserk / Vagabond / Slam Dunk), but it does not make it unreadable, even if it is a little bit too generic for its own good. It looks like the usual ecchi art, with oversexualized girls and ugly looking boys except for the MC and other guy. I am not saying this art is BAD, I am not asking for some Yasuhisa Hara drawing right here, for me it is generically bland but I have to say it fits perfectly for the aura this manga has.

Character creation is, again, a generic mix of teenager stereotypes that would fit in any ecchi / shounen / highschool anime ever. The male MC fells over female MC and grabs her boobs, loving them instantly. Wow, great argument to create a relationship. It is actually enjoyable watch them develop but it is way too annoying to see the same shit over and over again.

Despite the criticism, I enjoyed this manga and I am looking forward to read it. Where I live, scans haven't reach english release yet, but fansubs are doing their best for taking this to the public. So, if you are expecting a high developed romantic story like Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai, do not expect this to be similar, but if you actually want to read some light plot manga with ecchi, tons of fanservice and a great comedy potential, please enjoy Do Chokkyuu Kareshi x Kanojo.

This is a completely spoiler-free review, because I want you to enter totally virginal to this. Not a show to be spoiled.

"Every single person that watches a bird flying in the sky will feel immediate desire to travel"

"World isn't beautiful, therefore it is".

Kino.

Sometimes, you find an anime that shows itself mysterious or with a vague argument, enough to make you wonder what will the series be like. If you are a Mushishi fan (like me), you will understand what I am saying. That strange feeling that surround the series enough to turn on your curiosity and watch it. Even when you're finally watching it, ... you don't really know what is going on. So well, prepare yourself for Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World; pack your luggage, take your route map and don't look back, 'cause we are going for an unforgettable trip.

As I've said in other reviews, Kino no Tabi is not a show for everyone. Most of the time, you'll find yourself inmersed in philosophic talks between Kino and some minor character. What makes this anime that special is not what it says but what it teaches. Every single chapter is the same: Kino, along with Hermes, the motorbike, visit a country. There, they stay for only three days, trying to understand how people live there.

Every single chapter may be the same, but it is always teaching new stories. It may seem very simple, but in fact is the perfect way to understand the human plurality in his own, and tell different stories thay may be completely opposite from each other. Even if it sounds boring, I can't believe how Sigsawa Keiichi managed to make every chapter that engaging and interesting, because it is always dragging you back to pay attention. Every character and country has his own particular of seeing life, his own tradition and his own philosophy. They may be correct, they may be wrong. What makes Kino no Tabi that awesome is the fact that we are a neutral spectator, along with Kino, who does not involve itself in what is happening. He is always apart from the action. He's no judge, he's only a traveler.

The art is what you might expect from a 2003 anime... Awesome! Well, not totally incredible (I gave this show a 9 in Art), but it has that brown shade in the animations and landscapes. Characters are designed in order to follow a normative canon: no extravagant hair colors or exhuberant bodies / vestments. The show has a way to use its clearly limited budget, and since it is not focused in fights or extreme movements, it fulfilled my expectations. It has a concrete art style (pretty much like Mushishi, but older).

Sound is envolving and, even if purposely discret, fill the gaps and is perfect for the show. Opening is great, a chill-calmed song that advances how the show will be. I think it's pretty difficult to explain how the sound is, so if you watched the show, I recommend you to watch it again but paying attention to the minimalist music scenes.

Character creation is simply beautiful in its own. Kino is such a complex character, with so many emotions, but still so calmed and badass when required. Kino is a friendly traveler that goes everywhere in his motorbike, Hermes. They are always encountering people that need help or want them to hear their story. Kino is heavily armed with some guns and it is pretty skilled with every single of them. When needed, Kino does not hesitate in using them and kill.

As I said earlier, Kino is an impartial narrator in the show. Kino does not judge anyone, and Kino does not decide whether something is right or wrong. Kino is interested in watching world, travelling and understanding how people live in society, but it is definately distanced from judging people. However, Kino is a human being, and it is shown by different emotions you'll see when watching it.

The rest of the characters are like a colorful bouquet of flowers (what the fuck Google Translate?). They are different, with different dreams, ideas or morality, and you are the one who has to say if they are right or wrong, but try to analyze what you are watching before forming any kind of judgement.

Kino no Tabi was an exciting trip and every chapter was like FUCK THIS IS AMAZING. I am looking forward to read the novel (which is currently being published, since 2000) because Kino is one of my favourite animes as well as one of my favourite characters. So, if you haven't watched this show, please do yourself a favour and enjoy this masterpiece.

Might contain light spoilers, please proceed with caution if you're looking forward to watch this show.

Sometimes, you get yourself involved with an anime that is goddamn promising, because you've read great things about it, or it just looks amazing. But when you actually sit to watch it, you discover it wasn't as great as you first thought. You force yourself to enjoy it and find things about it that could make it more interesting, but you're uncapable to accept the overwhelming truth that you are disliking the show that hyped you in that way. Well, that is my case with Banana Fish (it actually happened ... me with Darker than Black too, but I managed to finish that).

I am not saying that Banana Fish is a bad anime. I actually think the dynamic it has as an adaptation for an 80's manga is interesting, and it looks pretty damn good in some animations, but I couldn't care less about how the incredible and casually pretty Ash Lynx was an unstoppable force as much as in killing people as in being ABSOLUTELY irresistible for the other male cast in the show.

So, sit down and please enjoy my personal view on Banana Fish.

The story is your average sunday afternoon movie that your mother watches after having lunch. Ash Lynx is the leader of a gang in the glorious New York city and he lives with his brother, who is an Afghanistan veteran in a wheelchair, affected by an unknown drug he consumed when he was there. One day, Ash's boys, ordered by the mafia field Dino Golzine, who is also Ash's "protector", kill a guy that had with him an unknown substance. Ash took it with him and hided it from Golzine, who was after that drug. After an incident where Golzine send his thugs to kill Ash and recover the drug, it starts a trip where Ash and his new normie friend Eiji, who came from Japan to do an interview on the local bands, try to survive a gang fight that involves chinese forces and the United States army as well.

I gave the story a 5. I think the premise is good (I am a great fan of mafia involved animes like Black Lagoon) but it fails in execution. Is like, yes, we have this pretty boy, who is so disgraced by nature, fighting alone against a gigantic organization that has also contact with the army, and his only help is a japanese kid, a photographer, a friend and a journalist. I know that I am being (maybe) two-sided, because anime is always about extraordinary people making extraordinary things, always recovering from they falls and being close to perfect when approaching the ending. For me, I was not engaged in the universe, I found it too false for its own good and the action was somehow incredibily stupid (I get Ash is an overpowered character, but how the fuck does he manage to ride a train full of enemies, maybe 20, and kill every single of them without almost being hurt?).

The art is somehow engaging and pretty dynamic. Animations are really well done and fluid, especially in fights. When Ash is kicking ass, he is shown as a fast kicker, neck breaker douche, and this was possible due to a great bet in the animation. The character design is nice, I think. Every single character is a pretty boy and the show manages to make them look pretty similar. I would say the design of the show (environments, characters) is average to say the best.

For me, the sound was the best part on the show. While the story tries its best to take you in the painful streets of the New York suburbs, the music shows itself to be the causant of actually believing you are in the streets. It is not hip hop, but something close, that has that kind of style. Groovy sounds related to the mafia (like if you were watching The Godfather). It is difficult to say how music can be good without hearing it, so, listen it again for yourself if you didn't realize it when you watched it.

The characters... Aw, my god, where do I begin... Oh, yeah... Ash Lynx.

Ash Lynx, or Aslan Calenreese, is the main protagonist of the show. He is the brother of an Afghan veteran that was consumed by a drug in his stay there. As the main character, he is shown irresistible for the male cast. He uses his almost perfect beauty to engage EVERY SINGLE DUDE he needs to get rid of. In the first chapter, he knows Okumura Eiji, a japanese 19yo boy that is interviewing the NY street gangs. Every single member of Ash's gang say he is a relentless crazy murderer that, even though wise and fair, can be bloodthirsty with strangers or enemies. But not with this boy. He is always shown sensitive and handy with Eiji. The show gave us the excuse of Ash liking Eiji because he was jealous of his perfect life, but I say it is the perfect way for creating cheap ships. And by perfect, I mean obviously worse. I mean, I know there is people that have an easy-talk nature, but he is always the bad guy except for the other pretty character in the show (who is always in danger like Princess Peach for fucks sake). Every single time is the same: Ash is seeking revenge, he gets captured, he escapes, his friends get captured, he saves them, he is captured. As for his past... Well, it is not bad to have a tragic past, but I think they exaggerated Ash's past a little bit. He was kidnapped, sold as a sexual slave and raped by Dino Golzine, the main antagonist of the show, and in exchange, he trained him to kill people like one of his man. Like, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG, OLD MAN?

Look, I am not saying Banana Fish is a bad show, but I couldn't find why it is apparently that liked. I entered the show really hyped but dropped it in chapter 17 because I realised I was watching a show I disliked for no reason.

So, I honestly suggest you to try the experience before saying "Meh, is shit", because you won't know how it tastes until you try it. But for me, Banana Fish lacks in execution, having great problems and being as good as a german movie.

Might contain light spoilers.

"I'm not going there to die. I'm going to see if I'm alive" - Spike Spiegel.

I don't know if you are aware of what you are living now. You were born to see masterpieces like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Steins;Gate, Neon Genesis Evangelion... You are lucky enough to enjoy your life, your hobbies without any kind of problem, to get yourself wrapped by different stories or characters. You are lucky enough to exist in the same timeline as Cowboy Bebop, the BEST anime ever created. You think you can argue on this? Well, you CAN'T.

90s were a strange time for anime. We had ... experiments like Neon Genesis Evangelion, a mecha deconstruction. We had Serial Experiments Lain, a pioneer in the internet design. We had Revolutionary Girl Utena, Trigun... In 1998, Sunrise hired director Watanabe Shinichiro to direct an anime. They didn't care what that anime was about. They wanted something that was interesting enough to sell some figures. So, Shinichiro Watanabe, well known today for mixing samurais and hip-hop as well, mixed Cowboys, Jazz and space. What a shitty combination! Don't you think? You're totally wrong. After three or four episodes, Cowboy Bebop was delayed to late-night and there, he gained popularity, until becoming what is known to be the 'anime for adults' for excellence.

Cowboy Bebop does not have a normal story. To be fair, I'd say that Cowboy Bebop has multiple stories, because every single chapter is like having a new one in our heads. Basically, bounty-hunters Spike Spiegel and Jet Black travel in their ship, the Bebop, hunting criminals for money. From there, they know femme-fatale Faye Valentine and super-hacker Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV, or as we know it, Ed. As a single crew, with their personal diferences but as a team, they do their jobs. Every character has a development arc, but most important is Spike's one. He, as an ex-member of a criminal syndicate called the Red Dragon, has to deal with his past. Not only does Cowboy Bebop has amazing individual chapters but also has the BEST ending I've ever seen in an anime.

The animation and character design are GORGEUS. Every fight, every new character we meet, every scenario, are specially designed to fulfill our desires. Explosions, flights, races and every single frame on this work is absolutely outstanding, to the point that I am still waiting to be as impressed as I am with Cowboy Bebop (TV show) in animation.

The sound is one of the most important parts in the series, because of the sensation it gives to the viewer. Bebop has that jazzy design on purpose, and Yoko Kanno, with The Seatbelts, make possible that immersion.

Cowboy Bebop is a metaphor to let your past behind you and keep going with your actual life, and the characters are always trying to remember us that the future is what matters. Do not let your past to haunt you like a ghost, forget about it and keep going. Or face it, in order to put a limit in your back.

We have ex-police officer Jet Black, who can not forget about his past love, or about the arm he lost. Jet is a really nice guy that always pay his debts and wants to be in good terms with everyone. He cares about the crew like if they were his family and wants them by his side. Jet is always trying to get away of his past, but he keeps things in order to not forget about it (the watch his ex left him or the robotic arm he could have fixed).

We also have Faye Valentine, a cryogenized woman that has tons of debts. Faye is always running from her past, she wants to remember but it is afraid of what that memories can bring back. Despite her cold-blooded attitude, she deeply cares for the crew, even if it is to build a place where she can be part of.

Ed is the youngest member of the crew. With a positive attitude towards life, she is always searching for new things to do and learn. She has not any kind of past, but she has the role of showing us how you must enjoy every single moment of your life (while you can).

And finally, the all-time favourite Spike Spiegel. Listen, I love Spike. He's handsome, freaking cool and an awesome person. Despite those obviously positive attributes, he's such a hypocrite. He's always talking about how the past will bury you, but he does not talk about how his own past has buried him to the point that he can't look to the future without looking to the past.

I made this review because I recently ended the series for the second time and I can not believe how much I loved it and enjoyed this rush. Cowboy Bebop will forever be a personal favourite of mine.

So, even if you don't want to carry this weight, even if you don't think you are living in the real world, even if you think that if "easy come, easy go", if you don't have a comrade or if you are an sleeping beast, you can not die without watching Cowboy Bebop at least once.

So... See You, Space Cowboy.

This review will be written in english / spanish.

English review:

Might contain light spoilers, I'll try to make it SFW.

The teenage years may be the hardest in the life of a person. The treatment you receive, the friends you have, the popularity in the high-school, mark you and define how you will be in the near future. As someone who had a hard time, I have to say that being a teenager is fucking hard, and trying your best to fit in a place, with some people you like or want to be part of, isn't easy. Bullying, humilliation and systematic denigration can leave a deep ... wound in your personality and transform you into something you never thought. So, this manga tries so hard to explain what the 'holyland' is: a place to call ours.

First of all, 'Holyland' isn't only a great fucking name for a manga but the definition of a concept that doesn't have an entry in the dictionary. A 'holyland', as explained in the first page of every volume, is a 'place between the adult world and the children world, where a human being wants to belong in order to grow as a healthy person without being discriminated'. Explained the concept, let's go into matter.

The story is awesome, not because its complexity or constant plot-twists. It doesn't need those things to keep your attention. From beginning to end, we have Kamishiro Yuu, a 16yo guy that goes into the streets looking for the holyland he never had. At night, the streets become a kill or be killed scenario where teenagers fight for the territory. Among those teenagers, we have Izawa Masaki aka 'Charisma of the Streets', a retired boxer that got a name in street fighting because of his ferocity and hability. Kamishiro is constantly bullyied by some thugs, but thanks to a boxing movement he learned in a book (the basic One-Two, a left jab with a right straight), he somehow manages to defeat them. After that, and like if someone was 'hunting' the thugs in the streets, he is called the 'Thug Hunter'. Basically, the story is Kamishiro Yuu building his Holyland with friends, foes and the respect from those that are by his side, fighting and learning, and a desperate cry for help in order to manage his dysfunctional life.

For some people, the art in Holyland is mediocre, bad, and one of the weakest points in it, but I think Mori Kouji manages to create an awesome illusion of savagery, especially in Kamishiro. As time goes by, we see how Kamishiro goes crazy if someone threatens his holyland (friends), and can't control his inner violence. His facial expresions are scary, realistic and make me understand how Kamishiro is feeling in that moment.

The character building is really, really one of the strongest points in this work. Not every character is equally built up, but the main ones have a past, a present, a future, a reason to behave like they do, and memorable stories. Obviously, Kamishiro Yuu is the star as the main character. His evolution is wonderfully coddled, from a shy teenager to an indomitable beast that transforms when he's fighting. Kamishiro is always doubting, and his past wounds usually make him uncapable of going forward (for example, when Mai declares, he believes he's a dirty human being and that he does not deserve to be happy), but, with his fists, we always find the answer. Through the fighting, he knows Izawa Masaki and Midorikawa Shougo, a young karateca. What I think that Mori Kouji tries so hard to say with this manga is that everyone has a past, and you are not the only human in this world that has suffered, or is suffering. You have to keep going, find your place and fight for it. You are not alone, you are strong enough to keep going, to build your own holyland, and the characters are there to portray this reality.

I gave this manga a 10, and I can sincerely say this was a hell of a read in every sense. I felt happy at the ending, angry at the beginning, I wanted to cry because of the unfair moments every main character had, and it gained a place in my favourites as the great manga it is.

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Spanish review:

Puede contener ligeros spoilers. Intentaré evitarlos lo más posible.

La adolescencia puede ser una de las etapas más duras en la vida de una persona. El trato que recibes, los amigos que tienes, la popularidad en el instituto, te marcan como ser humano y dibujan cómo serás en un futuro. Como alguien que tuvo una mala experiencia en la adolescencia, tengo que decir que esa época es una mierda jodidamente dura, y esforzarte para encajar con gente que puede que te rechace no es nada fácil. Cosas como el Bullying, humillaciones y denigración sistemática pueden dejarte una marca profunda en tu personalidad y transformarte en algo que nunca pensaste que llegarías a ser. Por eso, este manga trata de explicar lo que es la 'Holyland': un lugar al que llamar nuestro.

Primero de todo, 'Holyland' no solo es un nombre increíble para un manga, sino que también es una definición para un concepto que no goza de una entrada en el diccionario. Una 'tierra santa (o holyland)', explicado literalmente como en la primera página de cada volumen, es un 'lugar entre el mundo de los niños y el de los adultos, donde un ser humano busca permanecer para crecer como una persona mentalmente saludable sin ser discriminado'. Explicado el concepto, entremos en materia.

La historia es increíble, no porque sea compleja o tenga muchos 'plot-twists', ya que no necesita de eso para mantener tu atención. De principio a fin, tenemos a Kamishiro Yuu, un joven de 16 años que va a las calles buscando esa 'tierra santa' que él nunca tuvo. Por las noches, las calles se convierten en una especie de matar o morir en el que los adolescentes, junto con sus bandas, luchan por el territorio. Entre esos adolescentes está Masaki Izawa, conocido como el 'Carisma de las Calles'. Izawa es un boxeador retirado que se hizo con un nombre en la pelea callejera gracias a su ferocidad y habilidad. A Kamishiro siempre lo amenazan, pero gracias a un movimiento de boxeo que aprendió en un libro (lo que viene siendo un 'Un-Dos', un jab de izquierda seguido de un directo de derecha), se las apaña para derrotarlos. Tras eso, y como si estuviese 'cazando' a las pandillas, se gana el apodo de 'Cazador de Pandillas'. Básicamente, la historia se centra en Yuu construyendo su 'tierra santa' con amigos, enemigos y el respeto de los que están a su lado en la calle, luchando y aprendiendo, y un grito de ayuda desesperado para ordenar su desastrosa vida.

Para algunos, el dibujo de Holyland es mediocre, malo, y el punto más débil del trabajo, pero yo creo que Mori Kouji consigue crear una increíble ilusión de salvajismo, especialmente en Kamishiro. Según va pasando el tiempo, podemos ver cómo Kamishiro se vuelve más y más loco cuando amenazan su tierra santa (amigos), y es incapaz de controlar la violencia que tenía guardada. Sus expresiones faciales dan miedo, son realistas y hacen que consiga entender cómo se siente Kamishiro en ese momento.

La construcción de personajes es, probablemente, lo mejor que tiene este manga. Obviamente, no todos destacan por igual, pero los principales tienen un pasado, un presente, un futuro, una razón para su comportamiento e historias memorables. Pero lógicamente, Kamishiro Yuu es la estrella. Su evolución está mimada con cariño, donde le vemos crecer de un tímido adolescente a una bestia indomable que se transforma cuando pelea. Kamishiro duda, y sus heridas hacen que sea incapaz de avanzar (por ejemplo, cuando Mai se le declara, él piensa que es un ser sucio y que no merece ser feliz), pero, con sus puños, siempre encuentra la respuesta. En las peleas callejeras, conoce a Masaki Izawa y a Shougo Midorikawa, un joven karateca. Lo que yo interpreto con estos personajes, es que Mori Kouji quiere transmitirnos que todos sufrimos en nuestra vida, y que no hay una sola persona que pueda decir que esta es perfecta en todo y que no lo ha pasado mal. Lo importante es dejar eso atrás, seguir adelante, encontrar tu lugar y luchar por él. No estás solo, tienes la fuerza suficiente para construir tu propia tierra santa, y estos personajes están ahí para retratar el mensaje.

Para mí, este manga es un 10, y puedo decir sin lugar a dudas que fue una increíble experiencia. Fui feliz con el final, me enfadé al principio y quise llorar por las injusticias que les ocurrían a los personajes. Así que Holyland se ha ganado un lugar en mis favoritos como el gran manga que es.

This review contains spoilers. Please, proceed with caution.

"Only business, nothing personal".

Do you know that feeling when you are watching a TV show, or a movie, maybe and anime / manga, playing a videogame or reading a book, and those generic, boring characters that pretend to represent evil show up? In classic series, like Saint Seiya, where is common to contrast the light and the darkness by an stereotyped, greek representation of justice and evil, you can see that in every fight, every conversation. But, what if someone broke down that vision and put the 'bad ones' in the spotlight? The answer is Black Lagoon: The ... Second Barriage.

Seen from outside, Black Lagoon is just another action anime that doesn't have nothing more than random shooting scenes and boring, bland characters, with a predictable story and mediocre animation. Well, the one who thought that, couldn't be more wrong, because this second season has much to offer to the viewer. Not only tense moments but character development and a strong, dark and nihilistic philosophy that I personally loved.

To see this season and fully enjoy it, I recommend you to watch the first one previously, to understand why the characters act like they do and their relationships.

The story is really good, one of the strongest points in this anime along with the characters. I must admit that the dark atmosphere really catches me, like in Berserk or Evangelion, but it is not only dark but deep. Basically, everything developes around Revy Two Hands and Rock, the main characters that are part of an obviously ilegal delivery service called 'Lagoon'. We are allowed to see the crew in some jobs and how they live and react to some events in Roa Napra. Basically, we have three different arcs here: the Twins arc (which I personally consider to be a fucking masterpiece), the Fake Money arc (for me, the most mediocre), and the Japan War arc, which is pretty good too, and I personally enjoyed when I thought the series was going downhill. While I enjoyed the Fake Money arc, I felt it was like a bridge between the greatest parts, some filler that has more random action (but an interesting discover) than actual plot.

The Twins arc is one of the greatest I've seen in anime, not only because of the action (which is unbelievably good, with unpredictable plot twists) but of the strong realities shown there. We have a pair of twins that are in Roa Napra to kill Balalaika, hired by a random hooligan that I'd never seen or heard about in Black Lagoon. Revy and Eda, the nun of the Violent Church, want the reward for their head, so they pursue them through the city. When one of the twins finds Balalaika, she is shown merciless (when it was only a child, maybe 14yo or younger) and watches how it's killed without even blink. The other twin pays the Lagoon company to escort her to an island, only to find death in hands of a hitman hired by the Hotel Moscow.

This arc is told to show the viewers that life isn't easy, or, at least, isn't easy for everyone. Every day, some people go out to the street to kill, kidnap or steal. Maybe for money, like the Lagoon company, maybe for honor, like Balalaika and his army, or maybe for pleasure, like the twins. For them, every single day is a 'kill or be killed' reminder, whether they like it or not. Life is dark, hard and in the end, you may not be satisfyied with what you lived. But, in the other hand, there is more than meets the eye, because not everything has to be violent or a bloodthirst desire. There is love, human warm and confidence. Sadly, it finishes with a harsh reality: you can't save everyone, just live your life and try not to be involved in those things.

The Japan War arc is good too. Things like loyalty or ambition are put to the test, but I prefer not to spoil it, because is the longest one and I want everyone to take a look at it with their own eyes.

The animation and art are good, really good in the first chapters, but have a notable downgrade in the last three, to the point of be annoying sometimes. The final fight has serious budget problems.

The sound felt atmospheric and correct in every single moment. The op and the ed are the same as the first season, but they are equally awesome. I personally enjoy the ED, because it gives that lonely sensation, like if Revy was walking through a path of thorns, being hurt in every step she gives.

The reason why I enjoyed this season that much was because of Revy, Rock and Balalaika. While I think characters like Dutch, who is a charismatic and intelligent douche, capable of recognize Sartre quotes, are left apart in favor of those mented, I think it was a really good choice, because they are exploited to the maximum of their capabilities.

In the first season, Revy is shown like a cold woman, without any kind of human feeling but the most violent ones. Revy enjoys killing, shooting, drinking, smoking and earning money, but, how much of her personality is her 'real personality'? In this season, we see Revy much closer to Rock than previously, she is literally told to be 'his weapon', and has risked her life for him even if she textually refused. When Rock is in Japan, working as Balalaika's translator for the Yakuza, Revy seems to enjoy what a normal life is, and there is even a moment when Balalaika says something like "Two-Hands, don't even think in a life like this one", refering to a normal, safe routine. While other animes show us how cool is to be bad, how powerful a gun feels in your hands (like the sword in Vagabond), Black Lagoon goes a step further and actually puts the real weight shooting and killing has in Revy's mind.

Is the human born with the capacity of doing evil, or does he aprehend it through its life? It is told that Revy had a dark past, and some events conditioned her to have the life now owns, but even if she seems to enjoy the life she has, can't avoid to envy Rock's normal life and a place to go back.

Rock has some improvement too, but none close to Revy and Balalaika's. To me, Rock represents the person that can't choose between two antagonistic choices. He is told to be in the 'sunset', because walks through darkness and light at the same time, being able to choose the one he prefers when it suits. Rock has some badass moments when he has to discuss Balalaika even at risk of being killed by her. He discovers his own dark, even if he is thinking in the greater good. In the end, Revy desires what Rock has, and Rock discovers what Revy's mind is made of.

Balalaika was for sure a huge surprise for me, because in the first season it is shown like a strong woman, for sure, but with some moral values. Here, we discover that she is a cold hearted militar, ex Spetsnaz, that doesn't fool around. She has her own moral code, that is based in mutual comprehension and respect, but only for the men under her flag. They respect her, and far from having fear, they devoutly idolize her as a leader. This goddamned sexy russian woman doesn't kill for fun nor money, she does it because it has to be done.

I enjoyed this series, I really did. It was an incredible trip through some of the most dark and deep human desires: evil, greed, envy, lust, but also hope and comprehension, that are always present in our hearts.

Thanks, Lagoon company.