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Apr 25, 2024
It's funny that the last part was called "Battle Tendency" when this part is nothing but battles.
Jojo Part 3: Stardust Crusaders is the point in the series that becomes recognizably Jojo. Not only are the iconic Stands introduced, replacing hamon, but this is the part with most of the memes that people know Jojo for. In between all the "ORAORAORAORAORAORAORA"s and "OH NOOOOOO"s, Jotaro Kujo and his grandfather, Part 2's protagonist Joseph Joestar, must race against time to defeat Dio. Along the way, they make a few friends and find themselves in many, many more fights. And that's the part that will make or break
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you on this entry: either you enjoy the nonstop fights against other Stand Users, or you get tired of them all. And personally, I greatly enjoyed each of the fights.
There is a great variation in the battles Jojo and friends face in Stardust Crusaders. Each of the stands has incredibly unique abilities, and even when some have similar attributes Stand Users' strategies still make each fight different. Likewise, each of the ways the characters defeat the respective antagonists vary. It's not always an "ORAORAORA" until victory. Sometimes the team even gets split up, and only half of them are there to face the foe.
While the constant battles leaves little room for characters to sit down and talk, there are still plenty of big moments for characters to grow, shine, and leave an impression on the reader. In particular, the goofy side character Polnareff has several moments that can endear him to the audience. However, my favorite of the group is easily the lead. Jotaro Kujo has earned a privilege that few characters have. Alongside Guts the Black Swordsman, Kenpachi Zaraki, and Sachiko Fujinuma (the mom from Erased), he has become an Anime Gigachad. The moments this man has that are just sheer badassery are perhaps too many to count, and my favorite endings to fights are always because of him. Best Jojo so far.
If I were to make any critiques, it would just be one and two tiny ones. One small is that there's a subplot that kind of just ends at a point. It's not a big part or anything, but it felt weird that there was quite a bit of attention to it and then the character in question just leaves. Tiny number two is that a particularly awesome fight would've been even better, but Joseph decides to not use an ability that he is known to have. I'm not even saying that it would've changed the overall flow, it's just that he uses a different tactic for effectively the same result. The last is that one of the conflicts gets a little uncomfortably weird. Not the fight itself--that was really tense, and it is another moment of Polnareff's that I like. Without putting it into spoilers, I'll just say that it's a fanservice-y scene that gets a bit weird.
Other than those, Stardust Crusaders is a blast. The fights come at you like punches from Star Platinum, and they never let up until the very end. I'm now looking forward a lot more to reading more of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. If you haven't gotten started and are considering skipping the first two parts, feel free. Most of the important details get covered by the usual Jojo exposition, so you can jump in at Jotaro's adventure and just hit the road from there.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Apr 17, 2024
If I could give a piece of advice to people going into this like I did, it would be this: don't expect Berserk. I hyped myself up into thinking that this would be another Berserk, only a lot tamer when it came to violence. That mainly comes from seeing members in the Death Battle community hope for a fight between Clare and Guts (and then being really disappointed when Guts fought Dimitri from Fire Emblem). It's not as good in my opinion, but by no means is Claymore bad.
For starters, and perhaps the largest reason why the Berserk connection was made: this art is PHENOMENAL.
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There is so much detail put into every panel. The landscapes, the character designs, the creature designs, all look amazing. There are few manga I can name with such amazing artwork. I haven't done so as of writing this review, but I plan on making a tab with some panels that I really like from the series (which will be kind of small, but only because there's a surprising amount of boobs in a series readily available on Shounen Jump). Easily the best part of this series is how freaking beautiful it looks, and that extends to the action.
A lot of the series, especially in the latter half, is fight scenes against creatures known as Yoma. With those plentiful fights come plentiful moments of great combat. Each monster has unique ways of attacking the Claymores, and each last for a fair amount of time. They rarely do the trope of nearing defeat before revealing a new form or attack; in fact, I think that only the final antagonist has some variation of it. On top of that, each of the Claymores have distinct face and hairstyles, making them easy to tell apart during the combat.
Finally, there are some really fun characters sprinkled throughout the story. My favorites were the Claymores Helen and Deneve, who have a friendship where they tend to butt heads a lot. I'm glad that the two of them were featured a lot as the series went on. There was one scene I enjoyed where Helen was getting drunk and argumentative, which led to quite a bit of humor.
Unfortunately, not all of the characters were that interesting. I said that the designs were unique, but not many of the personalities were. The premise is this that there are nearly 50 of these warriors, so of course not all of them are going to be featured, but so many names get thrown at you that they all end up blending together. And with that, many of their personalities get lost, especially when compared to other characters.
Also, Clare was pretty disappointing as a central protagonist. She has a good backstory, and a few character moments at the end were interesting, but otherwise she just fell flat. So many other members of the cast stood out over her, whether in personality or in arcs. Even her design was one of the more boring ones. There are several chunks throughout the story that take focus away from her that I found easier to get into because someone else was in the center.
Finally, the story didn't hook me as much as others. There are plenty of cool moments, and when I got to the last stretch it was quick to get through. But when I think of other series I've read, especially my favorites, I think of how gripping they were and how hard it was to set it aside to do something else, even important stuff like eating or sleep. I started Claymore at the end of last year, and there was a point where I put it down and didn't return to it for a couple months. I don't think I ended up forgetting something that is the major difference between liking and loving the series, but I still lost interest for a while and prioritized other stuff. It also doesn't help that Persona 3 Reload came out during this time, a story I ultimately enjoyed a lot more.
Claymore is a bit of a commitment. By no means is it as demanding as, say, One Piece, but if you want to finish it you have to dedicate some time. And there may be things you are dissatisfied with. I also thought that a major element of the world could have been explored some more, but it quickly became a footnote in what was going on. However, if you're a fan of beautiful art and action, and you can put in the time to see it through, then this is something I'd recommend. Especially if you're a fan of intricate monster designs.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 17, 2024
Sand Land is a story that moves very fast, touches on some stuff but never goes too deep, and is over almost as soon as it starts, but is ultimately a lot of fun and worth returning to on a rainy afternoon. And if you've heard the first three before, congratulations. You're more successful in life than 80% of the people on this website, including me.
The story is simple: two demons and a man travel across the desert to find water for a world that has become a desert while facing off against various challenges. With that simplicity comes a very clean artstyle that anyone
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would recognize as Akira Toriyama's. That clean style allows for easy-to-follow action and very distinct characters, especially the main protagonist Beelzebub.
While, as I said, there isn't to the story in terms of deep philosophical debates, there are some interesting character moments with the humans. Sheriff Rao in particular has a few secrets that he keeps to himself, making him my favorite of the main trio. But that isn't to say that Thief and Beelzebub are bad by any means. Each of them have moments of humor and heart that complement Rao's stoic nature. In addition, several side characters have moments that humanize them in one way or another--except for the main antagonists, whose motivations are extremely simple. That's not a complaint, though. Like I said, this single-volume adventure is a quick and easy trip that was a lot of fun.
If I were to nitpick or critique Sand Land, it would just be that Beelzebub doesn't do much in the fights besides punch and kick. His defining features came from his moments of character and his design, not any attacks. Again, just a nitpick. I wasn't expecting him to have anything as iconic as the Kamehameha.
As my first Toriyama story, I was greatly pleased with what I saw. If I wasn't already motivated to read Dragon Ball due to its influence on the Big Three, I certainly am now. Thank you for all you have provided to the world of imagination and entertainment.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 2, 2024
I've been debating whether or not I want to write a review of Attack on Titan ever since reading the manga between The Final Season Parts 2 and 3. There is so much that I like about it, but then one giant flaw that has me scratching my head. I've been trying to find a way to put it for a while. Finally, I can make a comparison that I think will make sense after watching the movie Dune: Part II. With that said, there will be some general spoilers and speculation for Dune. I have not read the book as of writing this review,
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but I have seen the two movies, so if you want to go into those blind I recommend you click away. (I also recommend you go watch them, they're really good.)
Ultimately, Attack on Titan is a series that was shaping up to be amazing. After watching the anime over the years before reading it, I was amazed at the new context provided for so many moments. It absolutely feels like a lot of thought was put into it, from the first moments of Titan fighting to the final stages of global conflict and the threat of humanity's extinction. There were so many interesting characters and perspectives (in spite of some visuals that were maybe a but too heavy-handed) in play--hopeful, angry, just wanting to run away from it all--and many of the best scenes ended up just being characters talking about what they should or should not do. That includes the very end, which has two different meanings depending on how much you include. The initial ending is a sad one; the sight of future generations from the mainland deciding to annihilate the island of Paradis left me with a hollow feeling inside, depicting humanity as a species that always tears itself apart. Meanwhile the last bonus chapter--a miniseries in itself where the characters were placed in a high school setting--felt more hopeful, with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin discussing the end of the film (the ending chapter) they had seen. Here, Eren instead expresses hope for the future alongside his friends. Together, these feelings make the last stretch a bittersweet one, with both pessimism and optimism for the characters.
Where the series shoots itself in the foot is Eren. From the start of the timeskip to the final chapter, he seems to have gone from an edgy but determined hero to a villain with understandable yet reprehensible motivations. He also has plenty of moments in the final stretch that warrant sympathy, such as a scene apologizing to a child for the coming destruction, showing he's acting out of a feeling that he has to do this, rather than wanting to. It makes for a fascinating final antagonist to the series, one the other characters have known through thick and thin and one that the audience had, at one point, rooted for. Then he talks with Armin, and it all just... gets muddled and messy.
A hero vilifying themself and allowing their friends to carry on their noble mission is not new. Case in point: Paul Atreides from Dune. From what I've seen, between his visions in the first movie and his actions at the end of the second, he is also going to go on a tirade of conquest, destruction and death before dying at the hands of a loved one (Chani). The difference between the him and Eren, however, comes down to two factors: the character's previous actions and the timeline.
Eren, until the part that became the Final Season(s), was always extremely rash and acted before thinking. He was never stupid like Patrick Star, but he was never a genius who came up with plans for the far future. That came from everyone else: Erwin, Hange, Levi, Armin, Pyxis, Zeke, they and all the other characters were the planners. Meanwhile, Paul is much more level-headed. Even when moved by emotion, he never acts out. Even when he has so much going for him, including a streak of victories and the trust of the Fremen, he never lets it get to his head and tries to think things through. He may not be a super-genius, but he at least sees beyond the problem.
It also helps that the wording in Dune Part II makes it seem less like a predetermined path Paul must set out on. He says in the movie that there is a "narrow path" he needs to maneuver in order to achieve his goals, similar to the scene in Avengers: Infinity War with the 14 million possible futures. He still has agency in his decisions. The weight of the bloodshed, both already spilt and upcoming, is all on his hands. The timeline in Attack on Titan is described as much more concrete. I at first thought that the scene where Eren is the one who convinces Grisha to kill the royal family was a great moment, but after thinking about it the moment doesn't work as well, if only for making it all one set-in-stone path that the characters must follow. Because of that, Eren's path feels less like his decision, consequences be damned, and more like a child being led by a parent to a place they don't want to go, like church or school.
Of course, every published narrative is a set path, and the illusion of character choice is really the decisions of the author. Luffy sets out on his pirate adventure because Oda wants him to, Hamlet seeks vengeance because of Shakespeare's will, and Paul and Eren both act according to the stories Frank Herbert and Hajime Isayama want to tell. But within the story, Eren's decision to go on this path ends up losing much of the impact it could have had the moment Armin says "So it was all just part of your plan to save the world?" It doesn't help that Armin, who always tries to find a path with the least violence possible and deeply regrets it when he cannot find one without it, thanks Eren for his actions.
If it weren't for that giant flaw in Eren's motivation, this would be a series I'd place in my favorites. There are so many interesting characters, the conflicts are tense, and it's a full story that gets told in less than 150 chapters (ignoring the spin-off manga). I even think the art is great, matching the grittiness and roughness of the story. One thing can be said for certain though: Attack on Titan will be a story people discuss, argue over, and maybe even come to appreciate for many years to come.
Oh yeah--I also don't like Mikasa that much. She tied herself way too much to Eren, regardless of if the Ackerman thing was true or not, and the scene where she kisses his decapitated head is so out of left field it may have come from a different ballpark altogether. Sorry to her 54,651 fans, but I just don't see what you all see in her.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 18, 2023
As I'm writing this, it has been a year to the day of Berserk Volume 41's official international release, and roughly a year and a half since Kentarou Miura's passing. A lot of reviews have praised Berserk. Whether it's here on MAL, video essays on YouTube, or elsewhere, you won't lack when it comes to positive reviews for this series. And I'm no different. Even so, I felt like trying to express my own opinions on this influential story.
I first read Berserk after Miura's passing. Upon reading Volume 1, I was surprised by the very first panel. I knew the series' reputation as dark fantasy
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and expected to see a tall, brooding swordsman clad in black, but I didn't expect to see Guts come across almost as vicious as the monsters he faces. And immediately, every time you see him, he just seems... alone. Like he's by himself everywhere, no matter how many other people are in the room. It all acts as such a good hook, and the first antagonist hasn't even been introduced, nor do we know anything about Guts' past. He's just a lone wolf, wandering, looking for something.
It's been said once, and I'll repeat it here: the artwork is amazing. Every page, every panel, every detail is perfect. The only complaints that could be made are comparing the earlier volumes to the later ones, and even then they still hold up beautifully. The fact that the art just improves from Volume 1 is really saying something. My favorite panels are the ones where Guts is looking up at the sky. There's the iconic image of him leaning against a tree stump, staring towards the sun as well as one later where he's bandaged up and sitting in a window frame with the night sky behind him. I don't even have words to describe them; they just evoke a mix of emotions. I believe that there could be versions of the books released that remove the dialogue from the story, and the artwork would still convey everything that needs to be said.
But that would remove some of the beautiful conversations had between characters and many, many great quotes. Whether they be from Guts, Griffith, Casca, a demon, or someone else, there is a multitude of amazing lines that are just as effective as the art. So many lines hit, whether they be a threat in the midst of battle or a quiet moment of reflection.
Even with all the serious moments, there is plenty of humor as well. Described as "mercilessly funny" in the series description, the comedic bits land as hard as the profound moments. Typically delegated to Puck and Isidro, there are so many moments of one of the two doing something goofy. Puck's jokes especially land whenever he takes on the appearance of a wizened old master and scolds or offers advice to the young Isidro, sometimes even parodying Jedi Master Yoda in his speech. There are also plenty of reactions where the art gets just the tiniest bit simpler as someone gets embarrassed or irritated at a companion. But the funniest moment by far, one that made me burst out in laughter and nearly brought me to tears, was a scene where Guts makes a pun. That's right: Guts, the stoic wanderer with a constant scowl, makes a pun upon seeing a minor character return.
The thing that works best about the humor, though, is that it doesn't compromise all of the dark and serious moments. Guts and his companions all go through some of the most difficult trials anyone can face. They constantly face monsters, both human and demonic, get torn to pieces, rarely get a good moment of rest, and even after all of it still have plenty to deal with mentally. All of it can be pretty depressing, and I'm thankful that I read the series at a good time in my life. However, with all of that hardship comes an inner beauty. Because the protagonists are all survivors. They take the punches and get pushed down hard, yet they still get back up. The images of Guts resting don't just exude the feeling that he's reflecting on life, they feel like moments of triumph as he gets to stop and take a breath. And even then, he looks down the path he's been set upon and pushes onward. If you scroll through the comment section of any video of Guts' theme, you'll find people recounting how they were inspired by Berserk to continue forward. Berserk is a story about how insane and impossible to traverse to the world can be, yet the heroes still find a way, even if it's just by gritting their teeth and soldiering on. And in the later moments, when you see Guts finally open up to others after so long, it's one of the most satisfying experiences I've felt reading anything.
Of course, Berserk isn't for everyone. It more than earns the "Explicit Content" sticker with many, many, many images of blood, gore, and horror. One of its most iconic moments is a massacre with sexual violence involved, and the rest of the series doesn't tone it down in any way. Even those who might consider themselves "made of stronger stuff" will find moments of this series difficult. But if you are willing to endure it, you'll be met with a beautiful story of pain and perseverance. Berserk is a masterpiece, and Miura deserves to go down in history alongside the likes of both writers like Shakespeare and painters and illustrators like van Gogh and da Vinci.
I haven't been reading the newest chapters of Berserk as they've been published. While I enjoy the accessibility of digital manga and have read many series with it, I would prefer to experience this one completely in physical format. And honestly, I may just never finish it. I mean no disrespect to Miura's friend and team, and I believe they are truly continuing Berserk out of love and respect for him above anything else. But the way Volume 41 ends just feels right, somehow. There's an element of mystery and sadness in the way it finishes, yet it doesn't depress me knowing that it's technically the end. And if I do return to it, I think I might wait until the series is completely finished. In the same way that I was able to almost binge read 41 beautiful volumes without then going online and getting spoiled on what would come next, I want to experience the end as free of others' thoughts as possible and forge my own opinion on it.
Thank you for stopping to read my review. I hope that you can continue on in your struggles, traveler.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Sep 23, 2023
Sanji, the Straw Hat Pirate famous for cooking great food. Food Wars, the series famous for amazing food and very ecchi scenes of people eating it. Put the two together, and you have a great spin-off that fits well into the saga of One Piece.
The first thing to note is the quality of the art. I have only read the first three chapters of Food Wars as of writing this, but the art of this series is amazing. Shun Saeki does wonders drawing the characters of One Piece in their own style. Oda's characters are well-known for their eccentric designs, from Sanji's lankiness to Franky's
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huge frame and the comically unbalanced designs of the female characters. And while everyone is noticeably less exaggerated and a bit more same-y, they still have the traits that make them so recognizable.
Of course, the humans have nothing on the food. Every dish that Sanji cooks up looks spectacular. Each dish looks like it comes straight out of... well, Food Wars, with beautiful page-sized panels depicting every detail of the meat, fruit, or drink. Those levels of detail carry over to the reactions as people eat them and enter the states of bliss Food Wars is known for. However, while there is still a good deal of fan service, they don't go as overboard as one might expect. Sure, there are the metaphorical images of people losing their clothing, and plenty of emphasis on certain parts of the body, but it never goes overboard in the same way that Food Wars does. (I have seen the anime, and let me tell you, there is plenty of fan service to go around in that show.)
But the best thing about the series is Sanji's actions. Even though his dishes in this manga are almost always cooked for women, and even though he is a bit of a womanizer in the main series, Saeki and Tsukuda make it very clear that he's not doing this with an ulterior motive. He cooks out of passion for the craft, as seen in his motivations and reactions specifically in chapters five and three, respectively. He's not just a one-note perverted chef; he does care for his friends, for his customers, and for his food. And the final chapter of the manga shows that perfectly.
The only complaint I have is a weird choice in some of the chapters to cover some of the Straw Hats' faces. Specifically, Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy get their faces hidden by their dialogue bubbles in the second and third chapters. It's a weird choice, especially because the rest of the Straw Hats are in full view throughout and Usopp gets seen in the fifth chapter. Otherwise, this is a great series that, like many spin-offs, interpretations, and adaptations, shows the love many have for One Piece.
However, I DO NOT recommend reading this in full until after you're in the Wano arc. The chapters are spread out through the story's chronology. If you want to read them as supplements, they appear at these points in time:
Chapter 1 happens right before the Baratie arc.
Chapter 2 happens sometime after crossing the Grand Line.
Chapter 3 happens after the Alabasta arc.
Chapter 4 happens during the timeskip.
Chapter 5 happens during the Wano arc, but before the climax.
And Chapter 6, if you're too impatient to wait for Chapter 5, is best read after the Whole Cake Island arc.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Sep 23, 2023
*Disclaimer: this review mentions spoilers for the original series, so do not read if you have not finished Jigokuraku yet*
Taking place sometime after the events of Jigokuraku, this short story shows us how Gabimaru acclimates to life as a normal man outside of the Iwagakure clan. And while it isn't as action-packed as its parent series, the former Hollow still finds himself facing danger. However, instead of finding allies in powerful warriors, he now toils alongside children from a local village.
The best parts about this short series are the interactions Gabimaru has with the kids. At first, they view him as an outsider and even
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try to kill him, but over the course of the manga he earns their trust as he learns about normal life. The bonds between the ninja and his new neighbors is built up well, especially over the course of a montage halfway through.
The art is exquisite, just like the main series. When action does occur, the pictures are amazing and convey what is happening perfectly without becoming over-detailed.
Finally, the one-shot does a great job of throwing back to the main series without going, "Hey remember that thing?! Remember it?!" too much. Yes, there are references to the adventure on Jigokuraku, but they come about in a way that doesn't feel forced in there.
The only problem I have with this one-shot is the lack of Yui, Gabimaru's wife. I was hoping that it would show us the two of them living together in present time, unlike the flashbacks throughout the parent story. But she is not physically present at all here. She could have easily come in at the end, but instead it gives us a bit more of Gabimaru with the villagers--which does work, but I was left disappointed.
So yeah, go read it if you liked Jigokuraku. It's only seventy-ish pages, so it's not that long a commitment.
I don't know what else to say, one-shots are difficult to give in-depth reviews on.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 20, 2023
Before getting started, I should say that I'm not nostalgically attached to the original Naruto story like many people. I read the manga last year, and I thought it was good despite some major flaws. After that, I focused on reading the other two members of the Big Three, and after managing to catch up in the One Piece manga, I just got bored and decided that I should try reading Boruto. And...
To start with, there are little bits of potential sprinkled throughout the first eighty chapters of Boruto. The first ten chapters in particular could be interesting, as Naruto is so focused on his
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work as Hokage that he doesn't have any time for his family, causing his son to resent him. There's also some interesting stuff in the beginning with the invention of "Scientific Ninja Tools" where Naruto seems somewhat against the idea. However, the arc is super rushed, as the main problem between Naruto and Boruto gets resolved in the first ten chapters, even if it's technically twenty. (Most Shounen Jump manga have chapters that are on average 23 pages long, and the Boruto chapters are double that. I will be referring to the lengths in a chapters-by-number/chapters-by-pages format.) The arc ends with the bad guy marking Boruto with a magical item called a Karma, inciting the true story.
My main problem with these 80/160 chapters is just that: it's all super rushed, and there's very little breathing room. Boruto gets to a similar point as Naruto by the time a time skip happens, but it feels like there's barely any time for things to happen. In particular, the brotherhood between Boruto and Kawaki is just created in the span of a single ninja training montage. They go from completely hating each other to calling each other "bro" by the end of it. There's a new Akatsuki called Kara that gets whittled down to one member 40/80 chapters after its introduction. At the end, the only character who seems to have undergone a character arc is Kawaki, having been all but officially adopted by Naruto and so respecting him to extreme levels, but then he does a weird flip at the end and turns into a total antagonistic force. So much happens, and the only way it could feasibly make sense is because only half a dozen characters matter.
That's not an exaggeration: the only protagonist characters who end up contributing anything can almost be counted on one hand. There's Boruto, the new Naruto; Kawaki, the new Sasuke; the original Naruto and Sasuke, because of course; and Shikamaru, if only because he's Naruto's second-in-command. Surprisingly, Ino also helps a bit, if only because her family's telepathy jutsu is the main source of communication for the village when in combat. But everyone else doesn't matter. Sakura and Hinata show up, if only for fanservice in the non-lewd manner, but they don't contribute anything. There's a new Shika-Ino-Cho trio, but other than the guys being friends with Boruto they don't do anything. Sai is a prominent member of Naruto's council, but other than guard duty for the Amado the sus scientist he just stands there. And the biggest culprits of just-being-there are Sarada and Mitsuki, who by definition should be the Sasuke and Sakura to Boruto since they're the new Team 7. Yet they barely do anything, and almost none of it matters. The only recent developments are with Sarada's immunity to Eida's Omnipotence/Charm jutsu, and her convincing Sasuke to stick with Boruto when the entire village gets turned against him due to Eida's powers.
And that's to say nothing of the boatload of characters who don't even show up, and many of whom don't even get mentioned. Choji's daughter is a character, but where is he? Kakashi presumably retired from the position of Hokage, but he's nowhere to be seen. The Steam Ninja Scrolls side manga might provide answers to where they are, but I haven't read it yet. And the worst offenders in this regard are the Green Jumpsuit Taijutsu masters: Might Guy, Rock Lee, and Lee's son Metal. Again, Guy is in the Steam Ninja Scrolls story and might have answers there, but Metal Lee has two appearances in the manga but might as well not be there. He does two things: he trains for the Chunin Exams, and he delivers a message to Boruto for a special mission. That's it. My only solace is that at least Kakashi and Metal show up in the Boruto anime, but I'm not going to watch nearly 300 episodes of an anime that's SEVENTY PERCENT FILLER CONTENT! According to some sources, there's some content that is considered "anime canon," but I still don't want to dedicate to much time when I already know I don't like the main story.
Going back to Eida, her powers, her brother Damien's, and nearly every new set of powers are the result of experimentation with the powers of the Ohtsutsuki, the people from whom Kaguya, the final Big Bad of Naruto, originates. And this is probably the biggest problem with Boruto, as it delves more into the backgrounds, abilities, and motivations of the Ohtsutsuki. Not only does it expand on one of the least interesting and most convoluted developments of the Naruto lore, it also causes several problems. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to retcon anything from base Naruto--though the Chakra Fruit Tree is a little too close to the Infinite Tsukuyomi, it seems different enough--and some of Kara's abilities are interesting enough, namely Code's claw marks that serve as portals for easy travel. The most interesting part of the story has been Konoha finding the claw marks around the village and monitoring them. But then there's Eida and her Senrigan, yet another ocular jutsu.
Why did they give her the ability to "make anyone fall for her?" And why is that power actually Omnipotence? And why did she go from merely being interested in Kawaki because he's one of the few people immune to her jutsu, which is somewhat reasonable, to being completely head-over-heels over him to the point that him looking at her is enough to make her blush and squeal in joy? It's all so dumb, and it only gets dumber when she uses her powers to rewrite the memories of the entire world so that Kawaki is supposedly Naruto's son and Boruto is the outsider who "killed" the Hokage. It's undoubtedly one of the worst power sets that a character could have, and it only serves to make Eida another example of a bad female character in the Naruto universe. The only thing possbibly more annoying is Damien, her little brat of a brother, but I can kind of give him a pass because he feels designed to be intentionally annoying.
The only characters immune to Eida's jutsu so far are Damien, Boruto, Kawaki, Sarada, and a girl named Sumire who is apparently really prevalent in the anime, but barely does anything in the manga. Damien is immune due to blood relation (thankfully); Boruto and Kawaki are safe because apparently all Ohtsutsuki are immune; and the other two are unknown as of now. And while I would have liked to believe that those with ocular jutsu are okay, but since Sasuke clearly gets affected by the BS Omnipotence wave at the end, that's not the case. For now, I can only speculate, and it's probably either going to be experimentation from birth, they both have Ohtsutsuki blood in them somehow, or it just never ends up getting explained.
In the end, this first part to Boruto's story has been a massive disappointment. But thankfully, it's not all bad. Boruto's sister Himawari is adorable, and due to some foreshadowing she'll hopefully become a major player in the second part to the story. I enjoyed seeing Konohamaru go from a juvenile kid to a team leader, even if his relevance as a mentor in the story is more along the lines of Iruka than Kakashi. And surprisingly, I ended up liking Sasuke a little more since he's grown out of his edgy phase. But even then, don't go out of your way to read Boruto. It's basically just Naruto, but worse.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Aug 6, 2023
*Disclaimer: this review does not aim to spoil the Thousand-Year Blood War arc, but there are general spoilers due to the nature of mentioning characters who survive the arc's events*
Six months after the battles between Soul Reapers and Quincies, a young Soul Reaper was sent on a journey. He did not have the status of a hero like Ichigo Kurosaki; nor did he have the years of experience of Genryusai Yamamoto; nor the natural talent of Toshiro Hitsugaya; nor the status of Byakuya Kuchiki; nor the sheer, unadulterated badassery of Kenpachi Zaraki. He did not even have the weird trait of having his hair color
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changed like Rangiku Matsumoto, who I guess was animated with orange hair before Kubo decided she was blonde. All he had was his pride as a Soul Reaper.
Out of all the positives that can be found in Bleach: Can't Fear Your Own World, placing Shuhei Hisagi as the main protagonist is maybe the best choice. Both Kubo and Narita describe him as "main character material" for his character, and possibly because he's basically Ichigo with a different color pallet. I mean, look at him and tell me he couldn't be Ichigo's Echo fighter in Smash Bros, or even a specially detailed alternate skin, like how Link has both his Breath of the Wild and classic getups and the Fire Emblem avatars have both their male and female versions.
Jokes aside, his personality and background as a traitor's lieutenant captain make him a great pick for a protagonist, even when compared to more popular characters. His struggle with the latter trait is a central part of these light novels, as he continuously questions what Justice really is. His position as Chief Editor of the Seireitei Bulletin helps add to it, as his journalism practices make him question everything he sees and desire backup sources before deciding on and publishing anything. Even as he goes through this arc, he remains true to himself and his core beliefs, as well as keeping the comedic trait that many characters in Bleach have. Almost all of my favorite moments involve him, especially in any moments where he reflects on his late captain, Kaname Tosen.
Another factor that works in this story's favor is the choice of antagonist: Tokinada Tsunayashiro. While he could have had some deep goals to acquire power or immortality, the truth is that he's just a noble trying to find fun in life. It makes him a massive asshole, constantly looking down on everyone around him and using them as tools. It also makes him a lot of fun when he appears in the scene, especially as you wait for him to get his comeuppance. And to top it all off, he has a connection to Shuhei: this is the bastard who killed Kakyo, the best friend of Tosen whose death sent him down his path, and it only adds to the narrative when Shuhei faces him.
Many of the other characters who show up are also good and fit well into the story, but the last central player of note is Hikone Ubuginu, a young Soul Reaper who serves as Tokinada's favorite pawn. They serve as a massive catalyst for Shuhei's journey, as while he is certain that Tokinada goes against his sense of justice, he does not want to hurt the child. It serves for some good conversations as Shuhei tries convincing Hikone to not blindly follow all of Tokinada's orders. In addition, Hikone is explicitly a nonbinary character, an aspect I thought was mostly handled well, though I don't really know what makes for good representation in media.
Besides the characters, the general story is the best part of these novels. It explores a part of the Soul Society's history that only gets slightly hinted at. It explores the Four Great Noble Clans and their past deeds, which in turn explores the very beginning of the Soul Society, which plays into Shuhei's quest for Justice. Whenever those details are brought to the center of the story is when these novels are at their best, and they give rise to many standout moments for the protagonist.
As a final note, there are several great lines of prose throughout. Many descriptions of characters and especially their spiritual pressure get across what they're about, and most of the returning characters' dialogue are usually true to who they are. My favorite bit of writing is the one I referenced in the beginning of the review, which compares Shuhei to all of the objectively more impressive cast members of Bleach. It feels both like an outside narrator informing the reader about his character as well as a self-deprecating inner monologue from Shuhei.
However, I have my review marked as "Mixed Feelings" rather than a solid "Recommended" because many other moments of prose do not work as well. Whether it's the English translation failing, the original Japanese text being too difficult to translate, or the overall difficulty of translating a visual media like manga into a literary one, a lot of character descriptions and lines sound stiff. Many of the same descriptions are used in very quick succession, sometimes just on opposite sides of a single line of dialogue. And there are many paragraphs that are improperly formatted, with giant spaces that could easily be filled with words from the line below. In addition, the biggest not-mostly-handled-well regarding Hikone's gender is sometimes switching from they/them pronouns to he/him, which seem to be translation errors. I borrowed copies of the light novels from my local library, though, and they all have publication years from their original year, so future publications could have fixed those errors.
Other than those issues, the story of Can't Fear Your Own World just feels so much slower because of the prose. While reading the original manga of Bleach, the story can move at the speed of light, and often the only trouble I had with continuing was from either the lack of time in the day or tending to other priorities. Even in full-text books I've read in the past, there has almost always been a point around halfway through where the story picks up and I can't put the book down until I finish it. And while it may just be that I can't read books as swiftly as I used to, there was never a moment in these light novels where I felt the momentum pick up. There are great parts, but they quickly get followed by more boring ones, and the action scenes don't flow as well in words as they do in pictures.
The other part that I dislike is the use of Aura Michibane and some returning characters. Aura is the last of the three new characters--her, Tokinada, and Hikone--and while she is interesting at the beginning and has an intriguing backstory, her powers become a little confusing to follow and she makes decisions that feel like quick solutions to the problem. She's not the worst character to show up, but I was disappointed about her ultimate direction. However, her final scene is really good.
As for the returning characters, the problem is simple to point out: there are too many. CFYOW brings back characters from just about every section of the story: Soul Reapers, Arrancars, Quincies, and even Fullbringers, who I gather are most fans' least favorite part of Bleach's story. Granted, the Fullbringers have an interesting role to play in the story, and their origins get explained. My biggest problem with them is that their involvement in the final battle against Tokinada makes events convoluted. The Soul Reapers fit in the best, with my only complaint being that some of them tend to feel less involved in scenes where they should very much be involved. The Arrancars fit in well enough too, but they don't do much compared to everyone else. For me, it's the Quincies that make the story drag on. Whenever they show up and take the central perspective is when CFYOW is at its slowest. They don't even do anything all that interesting outside of their combat abilities, and when it briefly cuts to them during the final battle it just feels like a reminder that they're a part of the story.
Even with all of these problems I have, I think that Bleach: Can't Fear Your Own World is good. It has a great story and characters, and with those comes an excellent and satisfying ending, but its main problem is the format you experience it in slowing down the pace. Because of that, I hope they adapt it into an anime, both for an easier experience and for the Bleach fans who are anime-only. And as a last positive to leave off on, I'll just say that a few fan-favorite captains of the Gotei 13 have prominent roles.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 17, 2023
To keep this review short, this one-shot is just really cute. It's essentially a romance one-shot that somewhat explores the relationship between Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, the parents of main series protagonist Naruto Uzumaki. I really like the dynamic between the two of them in this story, and the little bits of substance that get added are nice touches. Nothing ground-breaking happens, but for a single extended chapter about two characters who are dead in the main story (hurts to say it), it's a nice quick read. It's only about 55 pages, which is roughly the length of the first chapter of most manga
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stories, so I'd recommend trying it out for yourself, especially if you want to see more of Naruto's parents.
As for complaints, my main one is that there isn't much to either of them here besides liking each other, especially on Kushina's part. There are some nice flashbacks to her talking with Mito Uzumaki, the prior jinchuriki for Kurama, though they get a little repetitive with Mito saying the same thing over and over again. On a much, much smaller gripe, the story is set sometime before Minato became the mentor of Kakashi, Rin, and Obito. I would've liked to see the four of them interact a little, although their absence is more of an "I wish" than an "I dislike."
Other than those two details, I'd still recommend reading this for yourself. It's very cute, and I hope Kishimoto does more of these one-shots for characters in the future. Personally, I'd like to see one about the Great Shinobi Three, and maybe a lighthearted one about Might Guy and Kakashi's rivalry. Also, since I thought the romance was cute, I'd love to see a Naruto-Hinata one-shot set between the events of Naruto and Boruto.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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