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Feb 18, 2023
Totonou Kunou is a quirky college kid who just wants to be left alone. Despite his unassuming exterior, he's insanely smart and perceptive. But Totonou isn't a bigheaded genius, he's just an introverted student who really likes curry and really, really wants to be left alone.
Every story arc presents a situation that Totonou gets dragged into unwillingly, with a quandary he has to unravel. He collects observations over the course of each chapter that lead him to the truth behind the mystery. His truth bombs are impossible to predict and yet make so much sense every time. And that's because the mangaka seeds the
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story with quiet and unassuming clues, that when put together, reveal the truth- but not in a way readers could ever see coming.
This manga is blatantly unknown here in the West but it deserves all the fame it could get. It has plot twists to put most other series to shame and presents an introspective look at society that'll have you questioning everything.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 4, 2022
Story: 10
It's not every day you come across an anime with a 10/10 story. But if any anime deserves the highest rating I can give it, this one does.
Gankutsuou is a loose retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, a great French novel written by Alexander Dumas in 1844.
(Check out the Wikipedia summary for the novel before you watch the show and thank me later.)
While the anime does take inspiration from the book, and adapts a lot of the plot points in a fairly accurate way, it diverges from the original in major ways. Gankutsuou is a story told from the perspective of 15-year
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old Albert Morcef, a sheltered young aristocrat who encounters the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo during a short trip to the Moon. Over the course of the anime, he begins to realize that the world of the wealthy elite he lives isn't as terrific as he thinks- and questions if his entire life is one big lie. It's a great coming of age story, and one separates itself from the typical teenage drama with its strong focus on mystery and intrigue.
Art: 8
Gankutsuou has a very unique art style. Patterned designs are pasted over clothes and surfaces, creating a rich and vivid look that makes it feel like you're watching a medieval manuscript come to life. While the CGI and animation quality are fairly average, the great art style makes up for any of the visuals' failings.
Sound: 8
There's some good OSTs in this show. I love that flashy Spanish guitar that accompanies the Count, and the delicate melodies of the piano that Eugenie plays so gracefully. The opening and ending are both good as well. I thought it was interesting that the OP is calm and kinda sad, while the ED is an aggressive, head-bopping electric guitar jam. Most anime have it the other way around.
Character: 10
Gankutsuou has a great mix of characters, each with their own unique perspectives, dreams, and moralities. Pure good, evil with a little bit of good, good with a little bit of evil, and total pure evil- this show has it all.
Albert is a great protagonist and it was truly wonderful to see him develop over the course of the series. He reminds me so much of Jonathan Joestar from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. They're very similar characters and I'd really recommend this anime for JoJo fans who liked the atmosphere of Part 1 but wish the story was executed better.
And give Gankutsuou a round of applause for the way it handles romance. The anime does a damn good job of developing romantic relationships in a gradual and emotionally interesting way, something shonen writers always fail to accomplish. Kishimoto should be taking notes!
Enjoyment: 9
At 25 episodes, Gankutsuou is a bit of a time investment to watch and the pacing does slow down a bit in the middle. It's a little too drawn out and at some points I was kind of starting to lose interest. But I'm glad I didn't quit because the story gets so good towards the end. The reveals and twists will blow you away, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a little choked up by the ending. In fact, I binged the last 11 episodes in a single day.
I will say that knowing the plot of the novel (even if you just read the Wikipedia article) does enhance the viewing experience by a lot. The anime is literally written to throw off people who read the book. In fact, some of the twists hit way harder if you *think* you know what's going to happen next. As someone who read The Count of Monte Cristo a long time ago I really like Gankutsuou even though it changes a ton of things from the book.
Overall: 10
I had this anime on my "plan to watch" list for over two years. I'm so happy I finally got around to watching it, because it is amazing.
If you're looking for a well-written story with complex characters, an unpredictable plot, and a great ending, then Gankutsuou is the perfect pick for you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Feb 17, 2022
Story- 6
FLCL is an energetic, absurd, and chaotic experience, reflecting the very themes of the story it so eagerly presents.
You're probably going to find this anime very confusing on your first watch, and don't worry, you aren't alone in being baffled by this fast-paced and frenetic story.
This is one show you HAVE to watch twice to properly understand. The good thing is, you'll be surprised at how well you understand everything when you watch it for the second time. The story is pretty straightforward, the hard part is just figuring it out.
Art- 10
FLCL takes the exaggerated animation of gag anime and cranks it up to
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11, with weird artistic choices that complement the show's zany humor and its hyperactive energy. It's crazy fun, and not really unpleasant. FLCL also presents impressive fight scenes that won't leave shonen fans disappointed in the slightest. Hideaki Anno of Neon Genesis Evangelion fame hits it out of the ballpark as an assistant animation director and key animator. The artistic style of FLCL overall is smooth, dynamic, and fine-tuned to the story.
Sound- 9
The Pillows, the alt rock band that performed both the theme song and the OSTs for FLCL, did a great job of matching the tone of the story with their jamming electric guitar tunes.
Character- 7
The clash of personalities between the main lead Naota and the eccentric alien girl Haruko Haruhara is what drives the plot of the story forward, both in terms of Naota's character development, and in a literal sense as his bursts of emotion trigger a series of events that could lead to the end of the world. Their dynamic is pretty interesting to watch as it evolves over the course of the series.
That being said, Haruko's constantly flirtatious attitude towards Naota makes for a very awkward viewing experience, since she's in her twenties, and Naota is a sixth grader. It's tasteless to say the least, and steals much of the emotional impact from the affectionate scenes in the later episodes.
Enjoyment- 5
While FLCL is a brave venture into the possibilities of what anime as a storytelling medium can be, it gets lost in its own maniac energy. I couldn't get myself to enjoy this short series despite everything it does well. From the annoyingly chattery dialogue to the loony storyline, the chaos of FLCL is a grating ordeal from beginning to end.
Overall- 7
If you're looking for a fun show with great action, riotous gags, and a complete disregard for the typical conventions of anime, FLCL might be for you. But be aware that its absurdity is more annoying than fun.
FLCL sinks too far into its originality and completely loses any grounding to reality, reducing the story to a colorful mess. It's hard to appreciate an anime that doesn't take itself seriously at all, as interesting as its subtext might be.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 14, 2022
Story: 7/10
The concept of the plot itself is pretty straightforward- the story from a novel get brought into real life, and there is just one guy who's read the whole book and knows what will happen, beginning to end.
What's great about ORV is how it presents its story. The main character, Dokja, is, as the title says, all-knowing. As a "reader," he knows what's going to happen in the story ahead of time (well, most of it, anyway.) The twist is that we, as the real readers, don't know anything about the book Dokja's read. So we have to piece together story details from
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the bits and pieces of the plot he references in his thoughts. It's a really interesting concept because, unlike most books and movies and manga, the MC knows MORE about the story than the reader does.
It's a unique storytelling technique, and it's complimented by the lack of information provided to the reader about the story, ORV just jumps right into the main plot with barely any exposition. It's kinda challenging, and a lot of the time you'll just be wondering... "WTF is going on." But trust me, whatever crazy bullshit happens, it is always going according to the author's plan.
The dialogue is decently funny and the characters are memorable. The story takes a lot of inspiration from Korean culture and history which I thought was really interesting. There's a bunch of pop culture references thrown in there too, some that Western fans will recognize, and others that might not be so familiar.
I also love how the protagonist of the manhua ISN'T the protagonist in the novel he read, so he constantly plays second fiddle to the real "main character" of the story, a guy named Yoo Joonghyuk. Yoo Joonghyuk is a total Mary Sue (or Gary Stu, the male version of the term.) He's perfect in every aspect, a chick magnet with roguishly handsome looks, and a badass who's good at everything he does. Nothing like Dokja, who's a "plain-looking" dude with an average build and a boring backstory. The rivalry between Dokja and the "real" main character is a major plot thread in the manhua.
The main downside to ORV's story is that it's too afraid to escape from the cliches of its genre.
Even though Dokja's not supposed to be worthy of being a "main character," he IS an overpowered badass, just like Joonghyuk. The author wants us to believe Dokja is just an ordinary guy, the underdog of the story, but it's nothing more than an illusion. Dokja is bold, super strong, a born leader, extremely talented, and pretty good-looking (even though everyone in the story claims he isn't). He (almost) never suffers from internal conflict and his plans always go his way. The line separating Dokja and Joonghyuk starts to blur as the story progresses, and at some point, you're gonna end up feeling like Joonghyuk isn't the Mary Sue of the story- Dokja is.
Art: 10/10
Outstanding art in every chapter, beautiful colors and amazingly detailed panels. The only thing I have to complain about are the fights. I guess my problem isn't exactly about the art but I'll put it here anyway. The fights in ORV are really plain, just generic punches and kicks for the most part with some sword swinging and whatnot. I wish the more unique skills in ORV got more screentime, and it really sucks how the fights are so boring because the art is so good.
Character: 7/10
I really appreciate good character development, and while ORV is sparse in developing its characters, it does a good job when it does. The characters are people with flaws and realistic motivations, and they're well-rounded and believable. The author makes use of humorous moments and bonding scenes to bring characters together as well.
The only character I have a problem with is the main character, Dokja, who is way too perfect to be interesting. His special skill (literally named Fourth Wall) protects him from trauma, ensuring he's never too shocked or overwhelmed or confused by any situation. This is because the skill essentially makes him "experience" the story as a reader, rather than as a character in the story. As a result, it's hard to see him as a genuine person. He can't even show any emotional struggle or turmoil because he's so detached from everything around him.
I will say that as the story progresses, the author starts to develop the mystery of Dokja's past and forces him into some interesting situations. So there's definitely room for his character to grow in the future.
Enjoyment: 7/10
The pacing is kinda slow, especially in the first 40-ish chapters. But trust me, it's worth the journey. This is the kind of story that teases future characters and events multiple arcs ahead of time, and it's clear the author planned it out pretty well. I'm excited to see where the story goes next.
I did NOT expect Ominiscient Reader to be so deeply inspired by Eastern Asian culture and history. There's one arc that's completely dedicated to important figures from Korean religion and history. As a born-and-bred American I'd be hopelessly lost between all the cultural and historical references in ORV if it wasn't for the handy footnotes made by the translators.
Overall: 7/10
At the end of the day, Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint kind of feels like a fancy self insert fic. Everyone's always wondered what it would be like to enter the world of a story at the beginning when you already know the ending, right? And you'd think about how you could change the story and take advantage of what happens? That's basically what happens to Dokja in ORV. It's definitely a fun concept, but as a story it quickly gets bland with a protagonist who's too perfect to be interesting.
But while ORV might seem a little bland conceptually, it's seasoned with glorious art, great characters, a deep lore, and a healthy dose of wit. Because of that, it's actually pretty fun to read and I would definitely recommend giving it a try.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Aug 16, 2021
Vigilante started out with incredible potential.
Koichi is an average college student with a half-rate Quirk that lets him slide around as long as he has three limbs touching the ground. I liked that. A weak MC who's a normal guy, who has to train and use a bit of smarts to get stronger? No BS powerups? No overpowered gifts or hidden talents? Sounds awesome to me.
The Shonen genre is overflowing with "underdog" protagonists who start out weak, but get gifted with extreme power and become really strong. It's not necessarily a bad cliche. Plenty of shonen- Jujutsu Kaisen, Naruto, even MHA itself- make their protagonist
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interesting, balanced, and flawed even though they're given extraordinary abilities.
But while it isn't a bad idea, it's definitely overused. In fact I can't think of a single battle shonen where the protagonist isn't blessed with crazy powers or talent in some way. However, I thought Vigilante was going to be the manga that would break the mold.
And for a while, the manga followed through on its promise pretty nicely. Over time, Koichi improves his control over his sliding Quirk to use it more efficiently and tactically, making him a better fighter. It was exactly what I wanted.
And then the manga erased Koichi's uniqueness with just one scene.
In Chapter 18, Koichi has to save a friend of his from falling off a bridge. However things go wrong as he fails to make a critical jump, and is about to plummet to certain doom, with no solid surface to use his quirk on- just his friend barely hanging on, and thin air. At this point the manga writer, Mr. Hideyuki, was forced to come to a tough call. How could he make Koichi escape this seemingly impossible situation?
Unfortunately Hideyuki made the shittiest decision he could've made: he gave Koichi the power to fly.
In the middle of falling to his death, Koichi reaches deep into his ass, I mean, subconscious, and pulls out a fancy new ability. "Oh yeah! I could fly all along but completely forgot about it until this super convenient moment. Gee isn't it nice how I just got the power to fly just by thinking really hard! Well, I guess this'll come in handy a lot!" Firing energy in a burst from his feet, Koichi makes a solid landing with his friend in tow, both safe and sound.
This is the stupidest asspull in the history of asspulls.
I guess his quirk name "Slide and Glide" was a bit of a naming accident, because "Slide and Fly in Short Bursts" would be a whole lot more accurate. What happened to Koichi having a limited, grounded Quirk? What happened to the three points of contact required for him to use his ability? Slide and Glide was great because it forced Koichi to think creatively to overcome its limitation. But since he can fly all of a sudden, that limitation went poof.
The sad thing is that Koichi could've easily been given a similar ability but in a way that made actual sense. Imagine if he had, say, a skateboard. (Or any smooth surface large enough for his hands and feet to launch off of. Even a big piece of plywood would do.)
Koichi just needs to prop it up at an angle, use it as a ramp with Slide and Glide activated to go up the ramp at high speed and rocket into the air, essentially jumping across long distances. And if he's about to fall to his death like in Chapter 18? Just use the skateboard as a boost pad. All he'd have to do is put his hands and feet on the board while falling and accelerate off of it to jump to safety.
It's a simple application of his slide ability and doesn't require a bullshit power-up to use.
Unfortunately, Vigilante goes the easy way out by giving him a unnecessary extra ability.
Okay, Koichi rant over. Let's talk about what's GOOD about this manga.
What I like about Vigilante is how it addresses the blurry line that separates good from evil. What exactly makes someone a "hero" and not a "villain?"
Is it their purity? Their moral compass? Their willingness to save people from danger?
...Or is it actually the perception society has of them?
Most of the prominent characters in this manga aren't totally good or totally bad, they're somewhere in between. Some have a twisted sense of justice, or are hungry for attention, or are simply misguided. Even Koichi and his friends are legally considered villains since they operate as vigilantes outside of the official hero system. Vigilante really digs into the gray area between heroes and villains and delivers a refreshingly interesting take on the superhero genre.
While this theme is great and all, it just isn't enough to save the manga, at least for me. Part of why I didn't particularly enjoy it is because it doesn't focus enough on the main plot and goes through a lot of unnecessary story fluff to pad chapters. The American hero, the cat bus monster, all the random fodder villains, these side stories really slowed the pace of the manga.
A big reason for why I dropped Vigilante because the pace was going too slow. There's barely any development in the story for several entire chapters and the main plot involving the bee girl and the drugs isn't as interesting as I hoped it would be. I'm sure it's very interesting later on in the series and I've heard good things about it from my friends but I wish the manga would actually cover the main plot instead of bumbling around with side stories.
The last thing I want to talk about is Koichi's sidekick, Pop Step, one of the main characters of the series. An idol who uses her Quirk for her illegal street performances and becomes an ally to Koichi in his fight against evil. However, even though she's a core member of Koichi's team and has a solid Quirk that lets her jump great distances, she's completely useless. Pop Step never actually fights any villains, all she does is tag along with Koichi and the other member of their trio, Knuckleduster, and make snarky comments. Then at some point Hideyuki realizes how useless she is, and instead of having her learn how to fight, he just turns her into Koichi's love interest. Literally the entire point of her character is that she's head over heels for Koichi but doesn't want to tell him. And Koichi being a classic anime protagonist is completely clueless about how much Pop Step likes him. It's all there is to her character and it feels like a huge waste.
She's easily the most annoying character in Vigilante and I don't like the idea that the female lead's entire motivation and characterization has to revolve around her crush on the main character.
This manga certainly wasn't for me. But while I didn't like it, it's not that bad. There are some great characters, the story is fun and full of action, and the overall theme is good.
Just don't go in expecting anything groundbreaking from Vigilante and you'll enjoy it just fine.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 18, 2021
Story: 7
End of Evangelion tells a beautifully complex narrative, but never bothers to let us know what we should be getting out of it. To a certain degree its subtlety is a good thing. I think that anime that always explain what's going on, with a narrator or with dialogue, are boring. But EoE is on the other side of the spectrum. It shows us too much and expects us to understand everything without any guidance. Most viewers will notice there's deep symbolic meaning in each of the movie's psychedelic visions and important lore in every passing scene of dialogue, but it's all too much
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to put together without hours of rewatching and analysis.
If you find an essay or video explaining EoE, you'll realize just how much you missed out on. In fact, half of the lore involved in the series is never explained by the movie, and because of that the finale is very confusing. I assume the manga explains everything in better detail but I haven't read it yet.
Art: 10
While it is messy and hard to understand, EoE is incredible nonetheless. The animation is just BEAUTIFUL. It surpasses the action scenes of the original series and then some. I have no idea how they animated everything without using a shred of CGI (besides the fact CGI wasn't that great back in the 90's.) The studio must've had an impressive budget or an army of incredibly hardworking animators. Probably both.
In general the visuals in this movie are very impressive- it's full of shots with great composition and technique, enough to make any artist or photographer drool. EoE is a visual masterpiece.
Character: 9
EoE doesn't just have style, it has substance as well. The main characters are well developed: Asuka, Rei, and Shinji all receive satisfactory conclusions to their character arcs, even if the way their stories play out are confusing as hell. It preserves the psychological introspection of the two final episodes of the anime but doesn't let the mind-warping shenanigans dominate the plot too much.
Oh yeah, and just be ready for a ton of questionable sexual scenes. As a movie instead of an anime broadcasted on television like NGE, the director went all in with nudity and sexuality. It's not just fanservice, it all serves an important thematic purpose, but I'd rather not see so many naked fourteen year olds, you know?
Enjoyment: 7
This film aspires to be some kind of fancy avante-garde artistic masterpiece, but its lofty ambitions ultimately hurt its enjoyment value. Some fans will say "it's just not that kind of anime," and "the story isn't all about giant robots fighting" and they do have a point. But why did the movie and anime introduce such intricate lore if they never planned on directly explaining it? It doesn't make sense. There is enjoyment to be found in the symbolic and metaphorical aspects of the movie, but the story itself is so confusing it will throw the majority of viewers off.
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Overall I'd give End of Evangelion a 8/10. Although the movie has its fair share of flaws, it is a powerful story about the barriers that keep us from understanding one another and the inner beauty of humanity. It's a much more satisfying finish to NGE than episodes 25 and 26 of the anime. I completely recommend it to anyone who watched the original show.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 20, 2020
Story: 7
Now and Then, Here and There does a solid job of developing an interesting story about a post-apocalyptic future. It's a dry, desolate world where half of everyone lives in straw hut villages and the other half works as slaves for military despots maintaining order with sci-fi weaponry from some previous, more advanced era. The way this anime sets up its dry, sandy, and very much lonely environment contributes a lot to the somber and despairing tone that dominates the series.
There are a handful of important questions that are left unanswered at the end of the series, which is kind of annoying. I would
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love to watch a prequel series to NTHT that explores the backstory of some of the major characters, because there's so much of their past that's left unexplained.
Also, this anime starts off kind of slow, but it does get much more interesting over time. Every scene contributes something meaningful to the story. Overall, pacing wasn't an issue with NTHT.
NTHT does a good job of exploring complex themes like depression, pessimism, and peace versus war. If you enjoy a thought-provoking story, this anime is for you.
Art: 9
This show is chock full of beautiful and interesting environments, well-composed shots, and expressive use of color. On the other hand, the animation isn't particularly incredible but it gets the job done.
Sounds: 8
The soft synthesizer OST of Now and Then does an excellent job of contributing to the gloomy tone and lonely atmosphere of the series. The OP is haunting and bittersweet, it fits NTHT very well.
Character: 9
Another thing I enjoyed about this anime is how it develops its characters- mainly Lala Ru and Sara- in a natural, well-written manner. Mot even the purest, most innocent characters are free from experiencing horrible events, suicidal depression, and death. NTHT isn't all gloom and doom, but there's a lot of painful topics it isn't afraid to cover.
The MC, Shu, is an interesting character too. He's upbeat, optimistic, and bright to the point of stupidity, but his purity changes the people around him and cleanses them of their false ideals. He reminds me a lot of shonen protagonists like Goku and Naruto.
A major theme of NTHT is how war changes people, turning them into sadistic beasts, and the main villain, Hamdo, is the biggest example of that. He's the exact opposite of Shu. Insecure, uncaring, snobby, and maniacal, he's a character you'll love to hate. As evil as he is, you never get the feeling that he's completely unrealistic. Hamdo is a product of his dying world, a selfish dictator who maybe once started out with the intentions of peace and unity but now is obsessed with retaining the power he's become addicted to having.
Oh, and a shoutout to his VA Kouji Ishii, his voice acting sounded genuinely insane. He really made Hamdo stand out as a character.
Enjoyment: 8
Ultimately, I enjoyed this anime. NTHT carries itself with just enough light-heartedness and humor to make it not all depressing, while managing to dive into darkness and despair just as easily.
But there's one glaring plot hole in the series- why can't Hamzo just use his time machine to go to the past and collect water from then? The time machine in NTHT is a textbook example of a MacGuffin, it's a literal plot device that's only used to move the plot forward instead of serving a realistic purpose in the context of the story.
And at just 13 episodes, I feel like the story could have been expanded further, explaining more of the world and some of the characters.
Overall: 8
Now and Then, Here and There is a bittersweet tale about hope and desperation. There's things in NTHT for anime viewers of all different tastes to enjoy (thought it may not be for kids), and I would definitely recommend it for fans of gritty sci-fi like Star Wars or Blade Runner. Reading the summary of it here on MAL made me a little skeptical if I would enjoy it, but now that I have watched NTHT I don't regret my decision at all.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 10, 2020
Story: 9
Chi No Wadachi, or A Trail of Blood, is a harrowing psychological thriller about the twisted relationship between a mother and her son that will keep you binging one chapter after another. One of the main things that makes this manga so electrifying is how much thought the author put into the story. Everyday events act as signals for character development (pay attention to what Seiichi eats for breakfast each day) and the plot twists and turns are very carefully laid out and revealed in astonishing ways. And it's because of the ability of the mangaka to make each scene so scary that the
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story has a continuous atmosphere of tension. Home symbolizes a safe haven away from the dangers and unknowns of the outside world. But when your home is the lair for the very same monster that gave you birth- what can you possibly do to escape?
Adding on to the ambience of terror that makes A Trail of Blood such a spine-chilling drama is its central villain- the mother. Behind her sweet innocent smile hides a manipulative, repulsive predator oozing with evil. The way she gaslights and controls Seiichi, warping this naive middle-schooler kid beyond recognition with her toxic and insidious lies, is both heart-breaking and outrageous to watch. Reading this manga I wanted nothing more than to kick her off the cliffs she wants to throw herself off of so much. She is SUCH a hateable character. The mother is more horrifying than any horror movie monster, and the fact that the protagonist has to live with her- and is manipulated by her 24/7- is what makes A Trail of Blood so nerve-wracking.
Art: 8
The mangaka does an expert job of using art to tell the story. The way he draws certain scenes really adds to the tension, and he also depicts the psychological trauma that the MC goes through in the series in a truly unsettling way. Particularly, I like how the sky is constantly black even at day, making each outdoors scene feel so eerie. And that smile. That damn smile. The mom's killer psycho smile will haunt me in my dreams. While most of the mother's scariness comes from her actions, the way the mangaka draws her makes her even more terrifying.
Character: 9
Let's start off with the mom. And I'm just starting off with the mom because I want to make something absolutely clear: THERE IS NO INCEST IN THIS MANGA. I'm going to warn you in advance, when you get to "that scene" early on in the story, remember that the mom had just found out that Seiichi got asked out by a girl at school, and in her twisted maternal way, wanted to replace and consume the girl's role in Sei's life to "protect" him from harm. The fact that she does not in fact have any sexual feelings for her son is made absolutely clear by the author, since the mom has numerous opportunities to act on any desires throughout the story and never, ever does so. She just really, really, REALLY despises Seiichi's love interest and is afraid of anyone who could take her darling son away from her. Ma is just a murderous psycho, not a horny murderous psycho. If "that scene" turns you off from the manga, don't worry, there aren't any more scenes like it.
All that aside, the mother is a great character, a walking bomb, exploding at sudden moments and fracturing Sei's grasp on sanity and reality over and over again. Her mannerisms, her motives, her cunningly manipulative behavior- all of this contributes to her being one of the scariest antagonists I've ever seen in fiction.
The other important character in A Trail of Blood is the protagonist, Seiichi. An innocent middle school kid, his hopes and dreams are completely dashed to pieces by his insane mother as she tortures him with emotional blackmail, while the poor kid, confused by natural love for his parent, is too helpless to truly fight back. Sei's mental deterioration over the course of the series is heartbreaking to watch and you'll find yourself rooting for the few individuals who try to free him from the chains of "love" that bind him to his mother.
There's minor characters in A Trail of Blood who are important as well. There's the emotionally distant dad who is surprisingly blind to the fact that his wife is crazy. The horny teenage love interest who is abused at home herself. The conked-out vegetable cousin who ends up being the hero of the story (no, seriously.) The author does a great job of characterizing each person in the story overall.
Enjoyment: 7
The one main annoying part of the story is the weird inkling of sexual tension between the MC and his sociopathic killer mom. Yeah. There's a lot of emotional touchy-feely business that goes on between the two and as I was reading this manga I was continuously worried that the situation would escalate, but fortunately it never does. It really took me out of the horror of the story at some parts but as long as you can read without thinking too much about it you'll get through the story just fine. Other than that there's lots to enjoy about A Trail of Blood. The spooky mysteries and startling reveals will keep you on the edge of your seat, I guarantee it.
Overall: 9
As someone who usually sticks to shonen anime and manga, I surprisingly enjoyed this series. A true page-turner doesn't need magic or explosions or aliens to keep you glued, and A Trail of Blood is a convincing example of that. The protagonist has a torturous character arc you'll never forget and the mother is a terrifying villain the likes of which you won't see in any other piece of fiction. After binge-reading all 85 chapters in one sitting, I can't wait to read what happens next in the story. Give A Trail of Blood a try, I guarantee it will haunt you for a long time if you do.
So...
Do you want the steamed meat bun or the steamed red-bean bun for breakfast?
The choice is yours.
Just don't make the wrong one.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 24, 2020
Devilman Crybaby is... the weirdest anime-watching experience I've ever had. It's one of the most sexually and violently graphic anime I've seen and I had to force myself to wade through the first half of the series, but by the finale, my opinion of the show had taken a *complete* 180. And that's all I'm going to say here before I move on to the ratings.
Story: 7
Devilman Crybaby has a BIG pacing problem. The studio tried to crunch a complex and compelling story into just 10 episodes, and it doesn't work well at all: the anime rushes through so much content it doesn't give you
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proper time to appreciate or absorb what's going on. The story moves in fits and starts, jumping suddenly and unexpectedly into new plot points without proper buildup or exposition, making the plot unable to flow smoothly and feels disjointed. Which is why as the story develops in an unexpected direction heading into the final episodes, all of it comes on way too suddenly. Without giving enough time to build up the tension and stakes, the story loses some of its strength.
Another problem with the story is the overload of violence and sexuality. Well, I could care less about the nudity and gore in every episode, that's not the issue. This anime's comfortableness with mature themes enhances its gritty tone and sense of harsh realism- but only to a certain point. After the show barges past that point, all the graphic stuff just feels weird. And gross. When an anime shows the MC having a wet dream and then waking up and seeing his cum drip off the ceiling, demons ripping people apart in gruesome detail, characters masturbating onscreen, and mobs stabbing and shooting innocent civilians to death, all for no real reason other than shock value, I feel like I have to draw a line of moral integrity somewhere.
But I'm glad I didn't quit watching. Because by the time Devilman Crybaby heads into its last 3 or 4 episodes, it gets amazing. This anime does away with plot armor completely, something that's incredibly refreshing and different from other anime. Many very important characters will die, and the anime handles their deaths really well. Not exploiting them for pure shock value, but actually allowing their deaths to add something meaningful to the story.
The ending is legitimately one of the best I've seen in any anime. Not only is it bitter and completely unexpected, it brings closure to the story in a beautiful and poetic way.
And it's not just the ending that's super good. The way Devilman Crybaby delivers its messages through the story is incredible as well. When Akira stood in front of a bunch of suspected demons being stoned to death at the stake by their own neighbors and let himself be hit instead to prove devilmen weren't evil, I was already like, "Hmm, this is pretty good." When the mob was actually moved by his deed and realized what they were doing was wrong, that really came as a surprise. Slowly but surely, Akira helped them regained their humanity. Civilians in anime are usually annoying idiots with no purpose in the story but to be an obstacle to the good guys. No matter how much the protagonist tries to get them to see the truth, they're horribly ignorant and refuse to change. But in Devilman Crybaby they're a lot more complex and realistic than that. The anime uses character depth for some genuinely emotional story beats, and not just in that scene I mentioned, but in many moments throughout the episodes.
Art: 8
Devilman Crybaby's artstyle reminds me a lot of Mob Psycho 100 Season 2. The art doesn't focus on detail, but more on artistic expression and fluidity. I love the use of color and movement to add weight to important scenes, but I'm not really a fan of the lack of detail. The anime's simplistic art style can sometimes make characters look too cartoony.
Sound: 6
One area in which Devilman sucks is its music. Most of the OSTs that play are generic and boring, and don't match whatever scenes they're played in. This really drains from the tension in any of the action scenes. There's one good song, Débilman no Uta, and the anime uses it just two times: as a song that plays on the radio in some random guy's car, and as a cellphone ringtone. It's a shame the studio wasted the song like that, I think it would've been better as the opening than the opening theme we got.
This is also probably a good place to complain about the bad English. While I like that they're sticking to realism by making the characters speak English in situations where they would in real life, like if they're American or speaking to an international audience, the Japanese VAs' English just isn't that good. It's hard to understand especially since there aren't subtitles for the English dialogue.
Character: 10
Devilman Crybaby shines in its characters. The level of depth every character and every character relationship is given in this anime is awesome. From Miki and her rival Miko, to Akira and his best friend Ryo, to random bystanders and enemies, Devilman Crybaby does a great job of fleshing out each character and developing them in unexpected ways.
I didn't like Akira near the beginning of the series. For the most part Akira was a generic anime protagonist, who starts out as a weak antisocial loser, then gets his powers and suddenly becomes handsome, edgy, and popular. It's not until the later half of the series that his devil side begins to shift to the side as his human self becomes more visible, and he becomes a much more likable and interesting character.
Ryo, Akira's best friend, was annoying. I hated how smug and psychopathic he always behaved. Let's just say that by the end of the anime my opinion of him changed a bit. One problem I do still have with his character is that his relationship with Akira isn't expanded on enough. The anime claims they're best buddies, as close as brothers, but we don't see that in the series. I wish Ryo and Akira actually had a couple of genuine moments together but instead all we get from the times they're together are Akira being bouncy and energetic while Ryo acts all smug talking about the next step of his plan or whatever.
Enjoyment: 8
Up until the 6th episode or so I didn't really like Devilman Crybaby. All the noisy demon sex, constant fanservice, and splashy gore just annoyed me more than anything. But after the anime gets past all the buildup and kicks into overdrive near the end of the series, things start to get interesting. If I rated the anime somewhere around episode 5 I would've given it a 6 at best, but the final few episodes completely changed my opinion of the series.
Overall: 8
While it has a lot of flaws, Devilman Crybaby succeeds at being a great anime in my book. From its captivating characters to its exciting story arc, it's something I'd definitely recommend to any mature anime fan.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 4, 2020
A good way to describe this book is JoJo's Completely Insane Nightmare Fuel Drug Trip.
It's JJBA if it was written by Araki's mad genius twin brother on crack. 666 pages of complete chaos, Jorge Joestar is an adventure you will never, ever forget.
Evolving from a small town detective story about young boys solving paranormal crimes to an interdimensional, interspacial, intertemporal, interuniversal showdown between two immortal all-powerful beings, this book is *utterly bonkers.*
Story: 6
I could probably spend a month trying to understand the story and not get past chapter 5. The story shifts back and forth between two alternate universes every other chapter, which is
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one of the reasons why it's bound to throw you off. Even though the story is really confusing, it's done on purpose by the author. The bizarreness, and fun factor, of Jorge Joestar comes in large part from its mind-warping and nearly impossible to follow storyline.
As far as pacing goes, it's all over the place. Jorge Joestar is less like a continuous story than a bunch of smaller stories that come together at the end. Don't get me wrong, there is a flow between the chapters and it stays solidly connected to its two protagonists for most of the story. It's just that the story changes so drastically over the course of the novel, crossing genres and switching between characters and perspectives, that it feels like a jigsaw puzzle that the author put together, sometimes gradually and sometimes suddenly, until it reached the climax. There's also tons of minor subplots I could care less about. Overall I feel like the story could've been streamlined and edited to feel more continuous and well-paced, which would've made it a lot easier to understand.
In regards to the content of the novel itself, as I'm sure you can tell at this point, it is pretty bizarre. The series juggles three different power systems: Stands/Wounds, Hamon, and Beyonds, but it does a decent job of it.
Oh, and there's a kid who turns into a hive mind of 90,000 gremlins that can control corpses and ends up transforming into a giant room encompassing the entire island of England and gets teleported into another universe. There are cities that break off from the continents and turn into islands with legs that crawl around in the ocean and are surrounded by invisible barriers. There is a giant regenerating eyeball with a mouth hiding on the opposite side of Mars from Earth that has survived for the lifetimes of over 36 universes. And did I mention that the main alternate universe in Jorge Joestar is a demented fusion of JJBA Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7? Ever wondered what would happen if Pocoloco, Soundman, and Narancia met Kars? Well, that question can be answered by Jorge Joestar.
Art: --
Jorge Joestar is a novel. So I got nothing to say here.
Character: 8
The characters are good. Most of them are well fleshed out and unique individuals. Since most of the story takes place in an alternate universe, there are a lot of interesting alternate versions of JoJo characters. I like AU Narancia and Ultimate Ultimate Kars in particular. Not only that, but we get an in-depth look at existing JoJo characters as well. I really, really like what the author did with Erina and Dio. The flashback chapter with the two of them floating in the middle of the ocean after the events of Part 1 was probably my favorite bit of the novel. Through their interactions as they survived the desolate ocean landscape together the author really dug deep into these two characters to show what makes them tick.
The main characters, both named Jorge Joestar, are stand-out MCs as well. Especially, I liked AU Jorge's detective skills. The way he figures stuff out is very complicated but the way he describes it to the reader makes it make sense. I also like when he summarizes the events of the plot as the narrator at some moments in the story to point out just how ridiculous the story is and also just to help the reader understand what's going on.
Enjoyment: 7
The sheer ridiculousness of the story is also its biggest negative. After reading the ending I couldn't tell if Jorge Joestar was meant to be a parody of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure or a surreal fever dream. But for the most part the interesting characters, the wacky plot, and refreshing bits of humor kept this novel afloat. I definitely wasn't bored reading Jorge Joestar. Okay, there were some slow chapters I really didn't care for, but for the most part it was entertaining.
Overall: 7
The book's bizarre sense of humor and its well-developed characters keep it from being a total mess. You probably won't understand half of what happens in Jorge Joestar, but don't worry too much about it and I think you'll find it a fun read.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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