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- BirthdayNov 5, 1992
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May 22, 2020
When it comes to assigning scores to any type of media, I like to have fully completed the piece before slapping a grade on it. With Chainsaw Man, I can't resist - I've got to sing my praises on this manga now.
If catching up on 69 chapters of a manga (up-to-date as of this review) in the span of a few hours is any indication that a series is phenomenal, then I don't know what is. Way back in its 3-chapter Jump Start days, I initially tried the series and passed on it. Years later, I decided to give it another shot, and I'm very
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glad I did. This manga has definitely evolved into something great over time.
Chainsaw Man, in brief, is a story about a young man named Denji and his chainsaw dog who hunt Devils together. They attract the attention of a government agency who also hunts Devils, and Denji is eventually assigned to help the organization. Although this seems fairly par for the course for a Shonen Jump, it's the characterization that differentiates Chainsaw Man from its peers. Denji isn't driven by some grand goal or dream, but his own selfish (and often perverted) hedonistic desires. Aki plays the role of the tragic hero (trying to keep this spoiler-free!), but his tragedy helps mold him into an incredibly deep and flawed character. Makima's unclear motives give an all-around mysterious air to her; her moral ambiguity and unknown abilities leaves you wanting answers.
The art style, while not my favorite, adds yet another layer of grit to this already fairly gruesome story. The designs of the Devils/fiends are insanely creative and stylish as well.
It's shocking to me that a manga that teases the line between seinen and shonen got a long-running series in SJ, but I'm glad it did: it pushes the boundaries of what a shonen series should be. The amount of hyper-violence, gore, and adult themes is refreshing from the standard affair, and I'm loving every minute of it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 6, 2020
As a massive Trigger fan, I was excited to watch their take on the tokusatsu genre. What I got was something else entirely, and I'm glad it subverted my expectations.
The story follows a boy named Yuta Hibiki, who shares an unknown link with an otherworldly entity named Gridman. Together, they must combat kaiju created by his classmate, Akane Shinjou (best girl, by far), who has a few secrets of her own. The series begins as a "monster-of-the-week" style tokusatsu show, paying homage to numerous other tokusatsu such as Dengoku Chojin Gridman and the Ultra series. Akane creates a kaiju brought to life by an alien
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named Alexis Kherib, Yuta and Gridman defeat it, rinse and repeat with some powerups and combination attacks along the way. Not until a little before the halfway point do things diverge.
The directorial style had heirs of Neon Genesis Evangelion (with some characters even borrowing the namesake), utilizing empty frames with overlapping dialogue. It added that sense of loneliness and existentialism that came with Evangelion, albeit to a lesser degree. Still, there was a presence of stillness; a bizarre addition to a tokusatsu show. It works well here, but takes away from the great animation style Trigger is known for.
SSSS.Gridman is more of a deconstruction of the tokusatsu genre rather than just being another entry, and was a highly engaging watch. The single season is only 12 episodes, making it easily digestible. I'd definitely recommend if you're either a fan of Trigger Studios or looking for a show that does things a bit differently.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jan 5, 2020
Rave Master was a series I stumbled upon back in my middle school days. It was one of my first manga I’d ever read - I was enthralled with how drastically different it was from American comics. The series oozed with style; it incorporated musical themes into different story elements and naming conventions, character design was on point, and the initial cast was likable enough that I grew attached very quickly. I was young enough at that point that I couldn't afford to buy the volumes, and my lack of resources made me lose track of the series.
Years later, with Hiro Mashima currently writing several
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ongoing titles (as of the beginning of 2020), I decided to finally reread Rave Master to completion. My manga knowledge has increased significantly since my last read, and I was curious to give it another go.
It's fun to watch an artist's work evolve over time, and Mashima is no exception, especially since the first few volumes of Rave Master can be a bit rough. Near the end, my attachment to the characters and the artwork was one of the main reasons I ended up completing the story.
The story contains a lot of textbook shonen tropes; power of friendship overcomes (quite literally) anything, MC wins fights because he is the MC, coming-of-age story elements, etc. Unfortunately, this is also the manga's biggest issue. Numerous times, characters will survive their battles out of plot convenience (Let and Haru being the biggest examples), and despite having lethal damage or sacrificing themselves for their friends, by some miracle they all survive. Moments with emotional weight are sadly negated later because the author was too afraid to kill off fan favorites, yet other characters are killed nearly at whim.
My other big gripe with the story is the inconsistent pacing following the King/Demon Card arc. Pumpkin Doryu, a big side villain, has a multi-volume (and the least interesting, in my opinion) storyline, yet the final enemies take only a few chapters for their battles. I’m not sure if this was a publication issue or the story was naturally going to end this way, but the last storyline felt a bit rushed, introducing a number of incredibly powerful characters, only to have them lose within 2-3 chapters.
All gripes aside, this is a great shonen read. You’ll quickly grow attached to the colorful, diverse cast and the world of Rave, and the length is doesn’t require too much of a time commitment.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 12, 2019
Did not expect to enjoy this as much as I thought I would! Guilty pleasure as all hell. It's pretty much exactly what it looks like on the cover - an anime about cute girls going to the gym and working out. A lot of the gags were pretty solid, and I thoroughly enjoyed the tie-ins to Kengan Ashura, an anime which has quickly become one of my favorites. I would steer clear from the English dub, though, as I found it insufferable in comparison to the original - tries too hard to add cringe-worthy "American-isms" to the dialogue, and the narrator's snarky attitude is
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grating. My criticisms come from the exercise demonstrations themselves, and I wish they covered things more than basic exercises (for the most part, things like the "Dragon Flags" were exercises I've never heard of). Otherwise, an easily digestible anime and a fun watch!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 25, 2019
One Piece is a great manga that should have ended years ago.
I have been reading on/off for about 10 years now (holy shit), checking in periodically and binging several chapters until I'm caught up. I dropped it fairly recently, though, because while it's without a doubt the most popular shonen out there now, the story has become so bloated, uninteresting and formulaic that I can no longer enjoy it.
It's a shame that my desire to catch up/finish One Piece has flat-lined, as the manga has a great deal going for it. You have tense and engaging story arcs like Impel Down and Water 7/Enies Lobby.
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While it's not for everyone, Eiichiro Oda's art style is highly unique and stylized, making it stand out from everything on the shelf; it's cartoony aesthetic is part of the charm of the series.
But the problem stems from the inconsistencies within the story. You may get a great storyline but it's sandwiched in-between two more bland ones. Each new arc introduces a great deal of new characters, and sadly nowadays their main distinguishing factors are their speech mannerisms - half the time you'll forget about 90% of them when the Straw Hats wrap up their fights. And my god, can there be 5 panels without a shot of someone crying excessively? These aspects are repeated verbatim each time the crew reaches a new spot, and honestly, it's kind of stale at this point.
You are free to keep enjoying One Piece, but I'm clocking out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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