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Aug 17, 2016
Some spoilers for the first 40 chapters of the manga:
Manga comes in many forms, from a realistic slice-to-life to the wildest fantasy, but the sports genre is the one that most frequently treads a path between the real and the fantastical. At first glance, Rookies seems to be an example of the first kind of sports manga, except it actually isn't, as it is a "sports manga that isn't a sports manga".
Rookies is a "sports" and drama manga written and drawn by Masanori Morita between 1998 and 2003. It was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump and ran for 24 volumes, that is, about 230 chapters.
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It also received a live-action television series and even a movie afterwards. Unfortunately, it was only officially released in Japan, Italy and Taiwan, which means the only way to read it in the rest of the world is through *ahem* shady means.
The deliquents main characters are a ragtag group, including Keiichi Aniya, a star pitcher in middle school, Toru Mikoshiba, a fan of baseball that forced by the group to be their gofer, Shuta Sekikawa, known for his speed, Kei Shinjo, a muscular and quiet man, Yuya Okada, the calmest one despite his dreadlocks, Tetsuro Yufune, the chicken of the group, Kiyooki Hiyama, the short-tempered one, Tomochika Wakana, the mood-maker, Taichi Hiratsuka, who thinks very highly of himself and is a life-long friend of Shinobu Imaoka, who is always together with his best friend. Despite the size of the main cast, the author takes his time and develops their relationships and personalities with care. The best confirmation of this is the fact I can remember all of them clearly, as well as their role in the team.
For example, Aniya, the ace of the team, was the leader of the gang and only interested in hooking up with girls, believing it all to be a good life. Also, at the slighest mention of either baseball or the Koshien, he would get physical. This leads the reader to believe that his care for baseball ended a long time before the start of the series, but light is slowly shed on his feelings, through small reactions, for example while he is watching some kids play, and his interactions with Toko Yagi, his childhood friend and future love interest. All of the lead up to the moment he returns to the mound is built to create a profound sense of empathy with the gang leader.
Still, his past is not easily forgotten. The reader, despite the humanity of the character, can't help but feel a bit angry at his earlier attitude. And that's only normal, so normal, in fact, that the author address this quickly, introducing the central pillar of the baseball of Nikogaku: "One for All", in this case, meaning giving it your all for the team. But baseball is a team game and one character only cannot be the focus of a sports manga.
So, Mikoshiba was the weak glorified servant to the rest of them, and this weakness makes him easily relatable. The feeling is further strengthened as the series progresses, when he is chosen to be the captain of the group that used to bully him but became his "partners in crime" and finally crystalized when his past as the "Lord ball-fetcher"is revealed, showing his true passion for baseball and the Koshien dream, despite not having the aptitude for it.
On the other hand, Seikawa and his mohawk are blessed with rare speed, which, at first, was used for crime and petty things, but finds new use when a dream is found. The way this is achieved is traditional: he discovers the truth about the him and sympathizes with his ideals, being also central to converting the rest of the gang, after being attacked by Shinjo.
Who was the strong-arm of the group, responsible mainly for their protection. But, as their members start to reform, he can't help but feel abandoned and lashes out, attacking his friends, which obviously paints him as the villain. But, instead of being thrown to out field, the author brings him back, telling a story of a comeback of friends and dreams, as he eventually becomes the "shield" of the team, partially because of Kawato, the protagonist of the manga.
I already talked a lot about Rookies, but almost nothing about its dreamer and goofy protagonist, Koichi Kawato. Very much like his students, he is seen as a rebel, because of his profound innocence, instead of violence. This is evident from the start: he wears white clothing, while the rest of the teachers wear black. And is further clarified when Kawato disposes of a tie, saying it creates a barrier between teachers and students.
Another central point of the protagonist is his tendency to get involved with problems around him, which is also shown in the very first chapter. During the course of the series, Kawato helps a student disillusioned with the world surrounding him, a teacher that "only teaches in classrooms" and even the principal and his hate for the baseball club. Always with the phrase "Glitter into your dreams, Flutter into tomorrow" as a guiding light.
This phrase is the center piece of the philosophy, even if a childish one at that, behind the philosophy of the manga. It is pure innocence, that everyone should have a dream and work their hardest to achieve it, but it is an innocence that is easy to get behind. Differently from most series with a similar theme, Rookies never shies away from its core, sticking with it through hell, but, at the same time, portraying it with care and realism.
I have written a lot about Rookies, but still haven't explained my initial statement: "a sports manga that is not a sports manga". Most manga of this genre talk about dreams and the like, however the main focus is always the Sport itself. On the other hand, Rookies is the exact opposite: the sport is merely the way to the dream. It could have just as easily been a soccer or basketball manga and the message would still be the same, whereas Hajime no Ippo would be intrinsically if it was about a Sport that is not boxing. As a result, Rookies would be better defined as a manga about dreams, but in a realistic way.
Which, likewise, calls for traditional paneling and a realistic art style. Panel-wise, everything is by the books, except Kawato, who is the only character that ignores the borders between the panels, making his status as the outsider visual. While the art itself, even in the most comedic moments, is faithful to reality, creating the impression that this story could happen, strengthening its impact.
One last detail that sets Rookies apart is its comedic sense, with both serious and stupid humor. The first kind comes from the crazy plays the team makes and how serious they act around it, such as the "Meow" batting by Yufune, in which he meows and, as a result, manages to bat even the fastest ball. On the other hand, the stupid side of the comedy comes mostly from Kawato and his carelessness and innocence, such as the time he takes off his pants in the middle of class. The comedic scenes make nice breaks between the heavier stuff and even in the middle of a game, without breaking the tension, surprisingly enough.
As a whole, Rookies is as impressive as it is motivating, which is to say a lot. Much like Kawato's teaching, there never is a dull moment in between practice, matches, explorations of human relations and education, as well as literary quotes and blatant innocence. After reading it, I can't help but feel hopeful, for the future and for others, as everyone, even the most wild delinquents can be good persons.
Thank you for reading!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Oct 8, 2015
Romantic-comedies are one of those staple genres in every part of the world, with some focusing more on the romantic aspects while others focus more on the comedic sied of things. Despite being quite a bit unrealistic in relation to the romance part, most rom-coms are very much grounded in reality. Jitsu Wa Watashi Wa is just the opposite with its non-sense comedy.
Jitsu Wa Watashi Wa (Actually, I am…) is the anime adaptation of the rom-com manga of the same name, published by Shounen Champion and created, written and illustrated by Eiji Matsuda. The adaptation is directed by Yasutaka Yamamoto (Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai kara Kuru
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Sou Desu yo?, Valkyria Chronicles).
Asashi Kuromine is a high-schooler with a strange peculiarity: he can’t lie or hide his emotions. Also, he has a crush on Youko Shiragami, a mysterious girl from his class that never participates in PE class and is always the last student to leave school. One day, he decides to confess his feelings after-school. Because of that, he discovers that she is, actually, a vampire. Now he has to keep her secret, while trying to get closer to her and dealing with other supernatural beings and even aliens.
Jitsu Wa Watashi Wa is not your usual rom-com, it has too much of a taste for the weird and nonsensical to be one. At first, the comedy is a bit weird, but it builds up on its own weirdness to become something that reminded me a bit of Monty Python, with all of its craziness and novelty. As crazy as it sounds, air-headed vampires, randomly appearing ice-creams and a devil with a sweet tooth are normal occurrences in Jitsu Wa Watashi Wa . The comedy never becomes stale, as, with each new character, new interactions and situations become possible. While they don’t evolve much in terms of development, all of them are instantly likeable with a decent degree of depth. Also, most of the characters are twists in the “normal” horror monsters: vampire, werewolf… Still, it is a rom-com, and, as a result, most of the development is based around the fact that characters fall in love with each other.
The characters’ interaction is wonderfully crazy and, somehow, they always outdo themselves, with crazier and crazier situations arising. This is only possible because of the great variety of the characters and their (sometimes conflicting) personalities. “Sexiness” contests, meteors’ attacks, spicy bread russian roulette and even plain old festivals are just some examples of the type of stuff that happens in Jitsu Wa Watashi Wa.
The visuals are vibrant, but take some time to get used too. After the initial reactions, it becomes pleasing to look at, but never reaches anything other than that. Likewise, the character design is colorful and eye-catching, creating a unique style.
As an adaptation, it was pretty good. It changed the order of the events depicted on the manga, but stayed faithful most of the time. Unfortunately, it is not as great as the manga, simply because of the way the comedy’s “snowballing” nature. Given a second season, it could reach the same levels of the manga.
Jitsu Wa Watashi Wa strength lies not in its story or characters, but its unique comedy. Despite its great quality, its enjoyment depends on the viewer’s own sense of humor. As a result of loving wacky comedy, I enjoyed the comedy of the series, but, again, it may not be for everybody.
I would recommend Jitsu Wa Watashi Wa to people looking for an unusual rom-com that focus mostly in its comedy aspect and also to people looking to a Japanese-styled Monty Python.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 7, 2015
Cooking is one of those hobbies that can be just a plain old hobby or even a full-blown career. Regardless of the style of cooking, a good dish is a joyous thing to experience. Still, one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done is cooking, creating something that will then be enjoyed, even if just by me, is a great feeling. And Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma is a great portrayal of that joy, albeit in a much more competitive way.
Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma, or just Shokugeki no Souma, is a 2015 shounen anime that adapts part of the manga of the
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same name written by Yuuto Tsukuda, with the collaboration of Yuki Morisaki, a food researcher, and illustrated by Shun Saeki, that is published by Weekly Shonen Jump. The adaptation is produced by J.C Staff (Bakuman, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?) and directed by Yoshitomo Yonetani (Yuusha-Oh GaoGaiGar, Brigadoon).
The teenager Soma Yukihira and his father Jouichirou Yukihira share both a restaurant and a rivalry, in which the first trains to surpass the second. The protagonist’s routine consists in going to a regular school in the morning and cooking at the restaurant in the afternoon, all to surpass his father, but everything changes when the parent decides to close the restaurant. Because of this, Yukihira is sent to the top culinary school of Japan, Tootsuki Culinary Academy, to improve his cooking. There, he meets other aspiring chefs, takes part in competitions and tries to survive in a school with 10% graduation rate!
The Tootsuki Culinary Academy proves to be a great setting to a culinary series as it has some interesting internal mechanics, namely the shokugekis, which are culinary matches in which the chefs can bet anything they want, from club rooms to expulsion. Its introduction raises the tension in unforeseen ways, and from that point one it never stops raising the stakes. Despite being a cooking anime and not having flashy named moves, Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma is more exciting than many others shounens, as it never slows down and keeps introducing new characters, new competitions and new dishes.
Another strength of the anime is, apart from the reactions, how credible everything is. Thanks to Yuki Morisaki's work, every dish has a solid scientific and practical background that is shown in the series through the judges' explanations. As I said, the only point that isn't in line with this affirmation are the reactions to the food. At first, that is, the first 6 or so episodes, those reactions are mostly fan-service in nature, but this changes from that point on, as it becomes more and more comedy focused. By the end, these reaction are hilarious, dramatic and quirky.
Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma frequently uses its story and characters to poke fun at shounen tropes, for example the rival. At one point, a character proclaims himself to be the protagonist's rival and, instead of receiving a likewise dramatic statement, he is ridiculed by his brother, as he is too cheesy. That, of course, doesn't mean that the anime doesn't fall into any other tropes, for example, a former enemy becoming a friend. But the beauty is how that is portrayed.
In the setting of the anime, everything is based around and resolved through food and cooking. Naturally, character development also happens because of food, but don't let that fool you. Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma paints a tragical world amidst its awesomeness through these developments, as the characters always have a reason to be themselves and that reason is, most of the times really sad. The character development, despite being centered around food, manages to be better than many other anime, both in terms of depth and enjoyability.
The cast is varied, from the smug and sore-loser protagonist, who actually has a personality, to a regular tsundere love-interest to a student who wears only an apron. Being a cooking anime, each character has their own cooking style that serves to give them even more personality. From the main cast to the supporting characters, everyone is instantly memorable, with most of them being important at least once in the series.
The art is vibrant and colorful, without being too flashy. While the backgrounds aren't that well detailed, the food is chock-full of it and mouth-watering. The character design is slightly more exaggerated than in the manga, leaving the girl's boobs more prevalent and "fanservicey".
The soundtrack is a great accompaniment to every scene, being highly energetic and dramatic during cooking scenes, which make them even more awesome. There is a lot of care put into the voice acting, too. For example, a character that comes from the countryside has the accent of that particular region. As a final note in the sound department, the first ED is absolutely brilliant and is even used in some unusual ways.
As a fan of the manga, I am extremely happy with the adaptation that Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma was given, as it captures everything that is great about the series and made even me, someone highly familiarized with its plot, excited for the nex episode. This is just a small tastement to how enjoyable the show is.
I would recommend Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma to fans of shounens, as it is among the best. Also, if you are looking for a hugely enjoyable anime, watch it. It is a 12/10 in that regard.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Sep 24, 2015
Life is, arguably, nothing more than a series of meetings. Some of these meetings are quickly forgotten, while others influence everything that comes afterwards. The latter is the focal point of 5 Centimeters per Second.
5 Centimeters per Second (Byousoku 5 Centimeter) is a 60-minutes-long 2007 drama anime movie directed by Makoto Shinkai, of Children who Chase Lost Voices (Hoshi wo Ou Kodomo) and The Garden of Words (Kotonoha no Niwa) fame. The movie is actually composed of three sections, each at one different point of the life of the protagonists, of about 20 minutes each.
Toono Takaki and Shinohara Akari are two elementary school friends
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that watch the cherry blossoms fall and promise to watch it together again in the next year. However, Akari is forced to move to a far away city because of her parent's job. The two keep exchanging mail despite the long distance between them, which figuratively gets bigger as time pass. Each section of the movie is set in a time period after this: the first one is in the next year, the second one is about three years later and the final one is more than a decade afterwards the cherry blossoms.
Each part has its own theme and develops it completely in its 20 minutes of duration. However, this restriction of duration paired with the slice-of-life feel to the film makes it impossible for the stories to be highly complex. It still is heartbreaking and poignant, though.
5 Centimeters per Second excels in provoking an emotional reaction in the viewer. Everybody has at least one regret of the past and, in some way, would like to change that. Because of this, the story is hugely relatable and strikes a very deep blow to any heart.
The film's story is mainly told through the monologues of three characters and moments of silence between them, but, because of this, there is a heavy poetic to everything. This is not a story to excite the viewer, but to touch him, and in that it is marvelous.
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Also, from the monologuing comes a an understanding of each character in a very deep level, as we are literally hearing what he is thinking. This makes it possible to develop each character in the every section of the story.
However, their design doesn't reflect that, as it is simply too bland. There is no sense of being from only their design and I even got confused as to the identity of some characters. But the art as whole, specially the background's, doesn't run in to the same problem.
It is brilliantly animated, choke-full of detail and jaw-dropping. Every scene is brilliantly crafted and it is apparent the amount of care given to the camera angles, to the backgrounds and to every little thing that appears onscreen. It more than compensates the bland character design.
The sound design is also given proper care. Every sound serves to enhance the scene, including the soundtrack. The voice acting is quite good, but not memorable through most of the movie, but the last section of the story has terrific voice acting and a bit of singing. (Keep in mind I don't physically understand what they were saying and the song didn't have subtitles) The voice actor for Takaki was brilliant in the last section, striking the perfect balance between apathy, sadness and obsession. The song that ends the movie is the finisher to the emotional fight that is the movie.
5 Centimeters per Second was gut-wretching, poetic and sad, and every aspect of it surprised me (I originally thought it was a sci-fi. I have no idea why, though). And that was for the best, that way I had no defense to what was coming.
I would recommend 5 Centimeters per Second to anyone, honestly. But the ones that would enjoy it the most are the drama lovers, but not of the melodramatic kind. People expecting a complex plot or great action sequences should look for that somewhere else.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Sep 23, 2015
The image of the loner is very popular in fiction, as it is immediately relatable to a large margin of its consumers and also is very easy to develop stories of personal evolution with this type of character. Despite this alleged popularity, the loner is very rarely portrayed in a realistic way in the psychological level. Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. is the exception to this rule.
Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. (My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU), popularly known as Oregairu, is the 2013 anime adaptation of the drama light novel series of the same name. It is produced by
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the studio Brain's Base and directed by Ai Yoshimura, who directed Ao Haru Ride and worked on Gintama.
Hachiman Hikigaya is a loner, a fact he attributes to missing the first day of high school because of a car accident. After showing his hatred for high school life in an essay, his home room teacher sends Hachiman to the Service Club, which is responsible for helping other students in need. He is forced to enter the club and meets the only other member, Yukino Yukinoshita, the best student of the school and a different sort of loner, but a loner nonetheless.
Their first job together is to help Yui Yuigahama, a classmate of Hachiman, make cookies for the guy she is in love with. This is how the loner now spends his days, while also uncovering more details of the car accident he was involved in.
The one thing about Oregairu that is visible from its very first scene is that it is, mainly, a story of loners. It actually starts of with a monologue, actually an essay, of Haciman criticising high school and that sets part of the tone of the story. In that regard, it is hugely relatable to anyone who once was or even is a loner, with all the thoughts it brings.
Through the first few episodes, Oregairu assumes a rather episodic style to show what the Service Club does and present the characters in a proper manner, but it takes a more traditional approach after this extended introduction. The focus of the story then becomes the Club's own internal dynamic, while also presenting some other requests. There is a huge focus on the possible love triangle between the three members of the club, Hachiman, Yukino and Yui. However, this results in a huge dissonance between the comedic and serious moments, the first is always pretty light-hearted, while the second can be a bit hard to follow with all of its psychological analysis.
Hachiman is a very interesting and relatable protagonist that is also hugely unusual, in that he doesn't suddenly becomes sociable. His loner-ish antics continue throughout the anime, but he also starts to slowly open up to the other members of the club. Another interesting aspect of his is the way he deals with the problems posed by the students, which isn't always done in a nice way and frequently results in him being seem as a villain, which he kind of is.
The other two characters of the main cast, Yukino and Yui, seem to be much more stereotypical at first glance, but slowly have more of their personalities developed and shown. I won't spoil it, obviously, but Yukino's relationship with her sister holds some fairly interesting developments, while Yui's own thoughts are much more complex than someone would expect from her initial personality.
There also is a fairly big recurring supporting cast, some for drama, some for comedy and some for both. The ones only for comedy include a chunnibyou friend of Hachiman that is honest-to-god hilarious, while the ones for drama are the "normal" friends of Yui, who are constantly at odds with the Service Club. There also is the trap captain of the tennis club, that is present for both drama and comedy, which can be both hilarious and an influential to the story. The secondary cast's development is, well, secondary, but does receive proper care.
The art is average at best. While the character design is quite good, it is frequently messed up during the anime, with disproportionate bodies and general lack of quality. The backgrounds, on the other hand, are fairly pretty.
The voice acting is fairly good, specially Hachiman's. His voice actor gives a good amount of weight to his speeches so that they don't sound weird, while still having a degree of seriousness. The music is good, but not memorable.
I enjoyed Oregairu throughly, its comedy was brilliant and its drama was even better. Also, I could relate to Hachiman the instant I saw him and his manners. While there is a love triangle, it is not overdone to the point of getting annoying.
I recommend Oregairu to loners, both past and present, looking for a good drama. People who enjoy love triangles would probably enjoy it to, as it is moderately different from most.
Please leave your feedback and opinions on the comment section. Thank you for reading!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 23, 2015
Time-travel is probably one of my favorite plot points in sci-fi, as they open a vast array of possibilities, from every-day stories, like Groundhog Day, to hugely complex time-travel plots, such as 12 Monkeys. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, somehow, has a bit of both.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo) is a 2006 sci-fi anime film that is produced by the studio Madhouse. It is directed by Mamoru Hosoda, who also created and directed Summer Wars and the recent Wolf Children.
Konno Makoto is a relaxed high school girl who spends her days away playing catch with her friends Chiaki Mamiya
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and Kousuke Tsuda. One day, she discovers she can time leap and uses this power to make her life a bit easier. She ends up changing a lot of things for her personal convenience. However, things are not as simple as it seems and her travels start having some unforseen consequences.
While time-travel is getting used in fiction more and more, there always is room for innovation. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time isn't exactly new, but makes a fresher use of this plot point than many other movies released since it aired. The ways Makoto uses her power are petty, but they end up generating bigger and bigger consequences as time goes on.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time also portrayals themes other than the time-travel itself, for example, the teenage years and friendship. The three protagonists are teenagers and act the part, with their own insecurities and desires somewhere in between the childish and the mature. Makoto is a great example of this, as she doesn't want the moment she is living to end, but also wants to find what to do afterwards.
While the film doesn't have the most complicated storyline, it does portrayal varied things in its 1 hour and 30 minutes run. The movie has two romance subplots, a subplot intrinsically related to the main story and the proper time-travel to deal with, and manages to close every plot thread in a meaningful and, sometimes, tragic way.
The characters are what makes this possible. They are all well realized and show a good amount of depth and emotions. Makoto is usually cheerful, but she can get serious and has to deal with her newly found powers, her future and her feelings regarding the present. Tsuda, on the other hand, is the most reliable of his friends, but hides some of his sides in the various timelines. Chiaki seems to be a very mysterious and a bit aggressive guy, but he opens up to his friends and the viewers get to see who he really is.
The art, however, isn't up to par with the rest of the movie. It portrayals movements with incredible finesse and sense of speed and the backgrounds are impressive, everything else, from the characters to the objects, feels a bit underwhelming and barebones.
Still, that didn't influence my enjoyment of the film heavily, as I was too drawn in by the story. It was pretty enjoyable to see the cast interacting, while still trying to figure out why exactly everything was happening.
I would recommend The Girl Who Leapt Through Time to basically anyone, as it is pretty accessible. also, both fans of sci-fi and slice-of-life romance will find a lot to like in it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Sep 8, 2015
Remembering the past can be both a gift and a curse. The happy moments have their potency multiplied, but so do the sad moments. Actually, the moments that once were insanely happy can become painful to remember. But what if you had the opportunity to change the past, with all of your present knowledge? The sad moments could be traded with even happier moments, and your present would be happier as a result. This is the opportunity that the characters of Orange receive.
Orange began serialization in 2012 and ran until 2015. It is a shoujo romance manga written, created and illustrated by Ichigo Takano. The
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company Seven Seas Entertainment will publish it in 2016 in the West and Crunchyroll currently has all of it available in its online catalog.
Naho Takamiya’s first day of her second year in high school doesn’t begin that well, she oversleeps for the first time in her life and receives a mysterious letter supposedly written by her (that she doesn’t have time to read). Things start looking up when a new student, Kakeru Naruse, transfers to her class. During his presentation, Naho reads the letter, which really seems to come from herself from the future and warns her not to invite Kakeru to walk home together. Ignoring that, Naho and her friends invite him to walk home together. For the next two weeks, Kakeru doesn’t come to class and his newly found friends get worried. After these events, Naho decides to follow the letter, which asks for her to help Kakeru truly smile and says that she will fall in love with the boy. The past, present and future are deeply conected in her search to save Kakeru.
From the start, the thing that stands out in Orange is its honesty to its theme. The past can hurt. That point is made multiple in the first five chapters. But that is not the series sole theme. Another one of the main focus is the capacity to take responsibility in your own actions and not being carried away by counsel, mainly in the image of Naho, who comes to depend on the letters. Both of these themes are portrayed in a novel and refreshing way, while still managing to have weight in the reader.
The main trio (Naho, Kakeru and Hiroto Suwa) is, undoubtedly, the group of characters that receives the most development. Naho starts of as a rather timid girl who always “goes with the flow”, but her experiences with the letter and Kakeru shape her to be a more headstrong and decisive person. Suwa seems to be the regular charismatic, friendly and athletic character that is just there, but with time his deeper personality is revealed. I won’t say anything about Kakeru, as it would be too much of a spoiler. But I’m just going to say it is wonderfully realized and an emotional.
That is not to say the rest of Naho’s friends doesn’t receive any development, but it is not as major as the one for the main trio. Their development is mostly built through one single event.
The art of Orange is very cutesy, something very natural for shoujos, but it is not any less beautiful or realistic because of it. The realism is a very welcome change of pace from most manga and, despite that, it still manages to get something of magic in its pages. It is pretty well detailed and really pretty, to boot.
Orange is the first shoujo I ever read and I feel it ruined the demographic for me. I doubt any other shoujo will be able to reach the same level of enjoyment, fun and emotional-power that it gave me. It will probably forever be my milestone to what a shoujo should aim to be, fun and yet deep, with a hint of tragicness.
I would recommend Orange to shoujo-lovers and people looking for a very original romance. Also, people looking for a great portrayal of how to deal with the past and taking action for the present. Moreover, I think everyone should consider giving it a try.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Sep 6, 2015
There is a bit of profanity in this review, be warned.
Pre-conceptions are a powerful thing, people judge each other fairly quickly, reach conclusions before even talking to someone and let that define their (lack of) interactions. But, sometimes, it is possible to ignore those conceptions and build something new in its place. This is the basis for Chikan Otoko.
Chikan Otoko (Molester Man) is a romance doujin (Japanese indie comic) that adapts a story out of 2chan thread, popularly known as Molester Man. Takuma Yokota, most famous for his work on Onanie Master Kurosawa, adapted the story to the doujin format. Before starting, none of the
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characters have "real names", they are only known by the nicknames Molester Man gave them.
One day, while walking back home from work, Molester Man notices a small woman walking in front of him, and she keeps looking over her shoulder. It starts to rain and Molester Man, who has no umbrella, starts to run and so does the girl. Molester Man notices that she thinks he is a stalker and tries to stop her, which makes him look even more like a pervert. The police gets involved and it becomes clear that Molester Man is not actually a molester, so the girl, nicknamed Miss Understanding, offers the protagonist a lunch together as an apology. This eventually results in Molester Man meeting Understanding's friends, Loli Jugs and Kansai. The story then becomes a romance.
While not entirely free of clichés, Chikan Otoko knows how to subvert most of them and create unusual and unpredictable situations. The romance is completely different from the usual boy meets girl by chance -> they fall in love -> they confess dramatically -> everyone lives happily ever after.
Chikan Otoko also deals with its themes with maturity and care, while also making the most of the more light-hearted moments. That is to say, when it needs to be serious, it manages to be, and when it wants to be absolutely hilarious, it delivers.
The characters are easily relatable, to say the least. The protagonist, in some ways, is the image of the internet aficionado, with all of its slobness and social-awkardness. But he also develops beyond that, becoming a more confident and socially acceptable person as the story develops.
Miss Understanding is, well, understanding and easily trusts everyone else, but Spoilers she isn't the focus of the story, which means she isn't incredibly developed. End of spoilers. Kansai is an incredibly deep character with a lot of contradictions, for example, she is very decided most of the time, but there is one moment where she simply can't do that. It is not a fault of characterization as it is portrayed, it is a virtue of realism.
Loli Jugs is not as deep as Kansai, but she also has some very interesting interactions with most of the cast. Speaking of the cast, the supporting one is wonderfully comedic. Rather than using these character, with close to no emotional connection to the reader, for drama, they are (brilliantly) used for comedy.
The art is also unusual, with a rough, almost sketched art style. It may not be everybody's cup of tea, but it has always had a way of gripping me. It is not the most detailed or the most beautiful art, but it such a recognizable style of the author that it became a novelty in and of itself.
Chikan Otoko is a completely unusual romance with a lot of interesting twists and several hilarious scenes. I would recommend it to basically anyone. But, to be fair, the ones that would enjoy it the most are the people who want an unpredictable romance.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Sep 6, 2015
One of stories' greatest strengths is their ability to evoke emotions and reactions by the persons who are experiencing it. Stories can make people weep, can make people laugh and can even make people piss their pants. Stories that fail at provoking anything to the reader other than apathy are intrinsically flawed, and such is the case of Unlimited Fafnir.
Unlimited Fafnir (Juuou Mujin no Fafnir) is the adaptation of the action harem light novel by the same name. It was produced by the studio Diomedea, who also produced Akuma no Riddle and Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai kara Kuru Sou Desu yo?, and directed by Keizo Kusakawa,
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who also directed the two anime previously mentioned.
Twenty-five years ago, Dragons first appeared in the world. After a while, girls with supernatural powers similar to those of the Dragons were born and were called "D girls". A special school, Midgar, was created for them and they were trained to fight the Dragons. Everything had a semblance of routine, until Yuu Mononobe is revealed to be the only D boy in existence and is enrolled in Midgar. Yuu has to gain the trust of the students at the all-girls high school and defeat the Dragons as they appear without losing any of his comrades.
Everything about Unlimited Fafnir screams average. Its story is a fairly generic mess that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, its characters are one-sided and archetypal to the core, its art style is the modern moe style that can be seen in every season, its soundtrack lacks any semblance of originality and it doesn't even try to make anything new.
To make matters worse, there are problems in every corner. The story brings a twist in the last episode with no build-up whatsoever that is resolved just as quickly as it appeared. The characters lack development, with exception of two girls, whose whole personal arc is something that has been done thousand of times already. The CGI for the dragons is one of the worst I have ever seen, looking like they were taken from an old mobile game.
But all of this doesn't make Unlimited Fafnir terrible, it is just painfully average with some elements below that line. The one thing that truly saddened me was the fact that I couldn't feel anything while watching it, just a general sense of apathy. As I already said, stories have one of the most wonderful characteristics ever: they can make people feel things they would have never felt before. A series that has the exact opposite effect is sad and truly disappointing.
While, objectively, Unlimited Fafnir is average, the apathy it provokes bumps it down to a limbo of forgotten anime/TV series/movies that could never provoke anything to the viewer.
The only people who may enjoy it are the ones who are looking for a new anime to lose a few hours to.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Sep 2, 2015
Life is basically a series of meetings of people who may have or not some effect on the involved. These effects can be minor or big, but, undoubtedly, they change people. For good or bad, meetings are one of the few things that can truly influence people. Aku no Hana shows one of such meetings and how it changed everyone involved for the worse and how these people dealt with it.
Aku no Hana (The Flowers of Evil) is a psychological manga written, created and illustrated by Shuuzou Oshimi, who also created Boku wa Mari no Naka. It began serialization in 2009 and ended in 2014.
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Since 2012, it has been completely translated and published in English by the company Vertical Inc..
Kasuga Takao is a run-of-the-mill student with a regular crush, except for the fact he loves to read, particularly the French Symbolists, and the fact that his favorite book is Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal. One eventful afternoon, he forgets his book at class and goes back to find it. Once he gets to the classroom, he finds not only his book but also the gym clothes of his crush, Saeki Nanako. Remorsefully, he brings both of these things home. Little did he know that, Nakamura, the "weird" girl of class, saw everything. She blackmails him into creating a contract between them, in which Kasuga should do everything Nakamura wishes. These events forever change the protagonist's life in unforeseen ways.
While the premise may seem traditional and a bit clichéd, the story from that point on is unusual and unnerving. It delves into aspects of humanity's nature in thought-provoking reflections on our own society, such as our need to follow society's rules while fighting our own bestial impulses. Moreover, the analysis given by Nakamura that "people are all shiteaters" and perverts is hugely impactful in a highly depressing way, particularly because of the image it evokes, similarly to Les Fleurs du Mal's movement, Symbolism.
Exploring the connection between Aku no Hana and literature it is evident the influence of the classics in it. The manga presents a lot of the tendencies the symbolism had, particularly the ideals of humanity's decadence and the focus on the effects of the things rather than the things themselves. This accentuates the connection of them and, at least to me, make it seem that Aku no Hana would have been more suitable to "traditional" literature. Another thing that points to it is the high lyrical value of some scenes and the character interactions themselves.
The main theme of Aku no Hana is the people's point of view of each other and how easily they are manipulated. This is made apparent particularly by the way Nakamura acts, always trying to take advantage of other people and toying with other people's emotions to reach her own objectives. The social aspect of the story is its most marking aspect and it creates a feeling of hate in the reader. This impact is very intense and even a bit unnerving.
Another point of importance for the story is how hard it is to overcome the past, as no matter what Kasuga does, he can't seem to forget that one year with Nakamura, even years later down the line. The trauma is perfectly represented on the sense of profound apathy that dominates Kasuga through part of his future, and could even be classified as depression. This realism makes the story even more impactful and shocking.
The characters aren't likeable in any way whatsoever, as they all have deep character flaws that hold a huge influence on their actions. Some of them are simply crazy and almost psychopaths that disregard basic aspects of humanity. However, this exaggeration serves to show problems with our own society and the way we lead our lives, in some ways.
The art of Aku no Hana is, specially at first, deformed, but that seems to be simply a way to accentuate the characters own mannerisms and humanity's lack of form. There also is a heavy usage of symbolism, particularly with the titular "Flower of Evil", and in that regard Aku no Hana nails it. The subtlety of it is contradictory, as it tries to send a very shocking message, but, somehow, it works, striking a vital balance between subtlety and impact.
This last point, again, makes it seem that a book format would have suited Aku no Hana better. Everything about it corroborates that, from the way the story is told to the contradiction of subtlety and shock-aspect. I was constantly reminded of that while reading it and, to be frank, it diminished my experience.
Aku no Hana is not a particularly enjoyable read, it is too shocking and thought-provoking for that, but it is highly appreciative of a trained eye to observe its details and criticisms.
It is not a series everyone would appreciate, that is a certainty, but those who understand it will probably be deeply impacted by its message. Sadly, it is too reliant on that to be a definite recommendation, as its is deeply ingrained in every aspect of the manga. This characteristic makes Aku no Hana a high-level read that needs an experienced reader with some knowledge of literature to be fully appreciated.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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