JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – CHAINSAW MAN – チェンソーマン – EPISODIO VII – CÓMO ME SENTÍ CON ESTE CAPÍTULO

Chainsaw Man

Episodio 7

Hola mis amigos. Bienvenidos a otra entrada de mi blog, Y en esta ocasión, les traigo mis opiniones sobre el Episodio VII de Chainsaw Man.

Primero que nada, les quiero pedir disculpas por haberme demorado en elaborar esta entrada, pero estaba muy ocupado con el trabajo, me tocó trabajar seis días en una semana por una emergencia, pero ahora estoy libre, y aprovecho para contar que me acabo de ver el Episodio VIII – Los Últimos Denji. ¡Y vaya episodio! Pero antes, vamos a hacer las cosas bien y a hablar del Episodio VII – El Despertar de Denji… más o menos.

¡Bueno ya! Basta de referencias a Star Wars, ahora vamos a afilar la motosierra.

Pero primero, debo hacerles la pregunta de siempre.

¿Se encuentran bien? ¿Saludables?

Si la respuesta es sí, entonces soy feliz.

Ahora… pasemos a Chainsaw Man.

EPISODIO VII – EL RETORNO DEL DENJI

El episodio comienza con Denji recriminándole a Aki por interponerse a la hora de ser apuñalado, pero lejos de hacerlo por malicia, le recuerda bastante la deuda con los yakuza que su padre le dejó.

Una vez dicho esto, procede a jalar la cuerda de su pecho y lanzarse de lleno contra el Demonio de la Eternidad. Y a la par en que vemos, de nuevo, una animación espectacular de la mano de studio MAPPA, el tercer ending como música de fondo. ¿Recuerdan? El que para mí es el segundo mejor ending de la saga Chainsaw Man.

Y no es para menos. – El tercer ending, Hawatari 2 Oku-senchi es la personificación de todo lo que es Chainsaw Man, y la visión de Fujimoto-sensei, arte, genialidad, y mucha violencia, que por cierto esta batalla no escatima en ello.

Pero eso es lo que la hace tan entretenida, porque no teme mostrar la brutalidad del momento, de cierta forma me recuerda a Rescatando al Soldado Ryan y su gráfico retrato de la guerra. Me pregunto si Fujimoto-sensei también ama esa película.

Desde luego, Himeno, Kobeni y Arai están horrorizados.

Desafortunadamente, para Denji, el Demonio de la Eternidad le quita mucha sangre, y eso hace que sus motosierras vayan desapareciendo. Es más, la propia Power menciona lo que está ocurriendo.

¡Y miren esa bonita cara de pesadilla! Cortesia del Demonio de la Eternidad.

Todo parece perdido hasta que Denji tiene una idea – consumir la sangre del Demonio de la Eternidad, para curarse y volver a atacar con más fuerza que antes. Y en este punto, se demuestra la absoluta pérdida de la humanidad de Denji, puesto que, a pesar de que la sangre del Demonio de la Eternidad es una m*erd*, tiene un rico sabor gracias a que permite que éste sufra una gran agonía.

En pocas palabras, Denji está loco de alegría por el espectáculo grotesco.

Y de nuevo, tenemos una aparición de uno de mis personajes favoritos de Chainsaw Man, Kishibe, dándonos otra muestra de su “sabiduría”. Que los demonios únicamente temen a los Devil Hunters más desquiciados, explicando que los antiguos compañeros de Himeno murieron precisamente porque estaban cuerdos, y temían el ataque de los demonios.

Pero, por otro lado, los demonios temen a aquellos que están locos porque es imposible saber cómo piensan, cómo atacarlos.

El caso es que Kishibe se va, dejando a Himeno por su cuenta, no sin antes pedirle que entrene bien a Aki, y aunque Himeno dice que se tomará su tiempo, Kishibe le dice que no puede, porque Aki aún está cuerdo, y puede que los demonios lo maten.

Ante este sombrío panorama, Himeno le propone a Aki convertirse en cazador civil, para que no tengan que buscar al Demonio de las Pistolas y arriesgarse a morir, pero Aki rechaza esa oferta.

Aunque debo ser sincero, ver a Himeno fumando en esta escena hace que sea mucho más hermosa.

De una vez adelanto que, gracias a este capítulo, Himeno ya superó, con creces, a Makima como mi waifu predilecta. Una opinión muy impopular, lo sé, pero muy honesta. Y si no es ella, al final será Power.

Volviendo al presente, el Demonio de la Eternidad casi mata a Denji, pero gracias al Demonio Fantasma, Himeno logra jalar la cuerda de su corazón y hacerlo despertar.

Y es entonces, cuando a Denji se le ocurre la mejor idea de todas – beber la asquerosa sangre de su enemigo, cientos de veces, las que sean necesarias, para sanar y seguirlo cortando, provocando tanto dolor en el Demonio que éste querrá suplicar morir.

Pero lo que realmente me hace reir es que Denji menciona ganarse el Premio Nobel de esa forma.

¡Y ya me lo imagino!

DENJI GANA EL PREMIO NOBEL DE BOXEO PATADA.

¿O el de la Paz?

¡Y como muestra de la belleza de Himeno! ¡Esa cara de excitación! De nuevo… más hermosa y carismática que la propia Makima.

El caso es que la batalla continúa por tres días, y todos están cansados, mientras que Himeno va a revisar a Aki.

Mientras tanto, el Demonio de la Eternidad se rinde y por ende Denji lo mata.

¡Madre mía! ¡Sólo por eso, yo le daría a Denji el Nobel de la Paz! ¡Y es que de verdad, lo que hizo Denji fue una hazaña increíble! Si yo fuera Makima, lo abrasaría, lo besaría con lengua, y tendría sexo con Denji, todo después de darle una Medalla.

Toma Denji, por tus actos heroicos, te doy… una Stella.

No por nada, terminaste desmayado y en el hospital.

Aunque parece que Aki no lo necesitaba, puesto que a los pocos días, éste regresa al servicio en compañía de Himeno, quien propone hacer un baby shower, para festejar que Denji embarazó a Himeno. ¡No! ¡Es broma! Lo que pasa es que cree que el grupo cuatro nunca se ha reunido para conocerse, y además porque, según ella, tanto Kobeni como Arai están arrepentidos de intentar matar a Denji.

¡Ah! ¡Claro que sí! Ahora que el peligro terminó, se sienten mal. ¡Por supuesto! Bueno, en la vida real, la gente es de ese modo, asi que no sé por qué los culpo, aunque sigo pensando que Arai es un payaso. Y Kobeni aún tiene mucho que dar.

Lo curioso es que hasta Aki le “reprocha” a Himeno por sugerir matar a Denji. ¡no importa! Aun así, Himeno… a ti sí te perdono.

Es más, voy a tomar este sabio consejo.

¡Gracias Himeno! Espero algún día, ser el SIMP que mereces, o el que estás buscando.

¡Maldita seas Himeno! Ya estoy muy enamorado de ti, y de Aki, y ahora quieres que se me salga el corazón con tu hermosa sonrisa. El caso es que Aki termina aceptando, con la condición de que sea esta semana, porque Makima pronto se irá a Kioto, y con eso, Himeno hace la pregunta del millón.

Dos preguntas del millón.

Con eso, finalmente pasamos a la hermosa escena del restaurante, donde se reúnen todos los miembros de la División 4 para ser amigos. Y recuerdo muy bien esta semana del manga, pero el ánime le agrega este toque humano, entrañable que caracteriza las animaciones de Studio MAPPA. ¡Voy a decirlo por si no quedó claro!

Tatsuki Fujimoto y MAPPA – Combinación ganadora.

Eso y el que Poderosa acapare el sashimi.

Pero. ¡Aw! Miren a la linda Kobeni, con su ropita linda, su boina de niña y su hermoso rostro. Me abrió el corazón. Kobeni… ¡Todo perdonado! Aunque no será así para Power si le robas el pollo frito.

De una vez, digo que esta escena es muy hermosa, ver a los miembros de la Cuarta División socializando así y siendo amigos es muy entrañable, y ver a Denji, Kobeni y Power felices por la comida me da mucha felicidad – los tres se lo merecen. Aunque gracias al menú, Denji recuerda algo muy importante – que las deudas con Himeno no se deben olvidar.

Por ello Himeno acepta besarse con Denji, después de estar ebria, a la vez en que Denji la perdona por sugerir matarlo.

¿Dije que la escena era hermosa? Pues con las introducciones de Denji, Kobeni y… por alguna razón, Arai la hacen todavía mejor. Pero digo de inmediato, que Arai me sigue dando asco, no me importa que su pasatiempo sea el Haiku.

Lo interesante es que también tiene un contrato con el Demonio de los Zorros, igual que Aki, quien nos revela que éste es amistoso con los humanos, y más aún con los Devil Hunters, con los cuales ha entablado muchos contratos.

Sin embargo, pronto recordamos que los Devil Hunters pueden morir pronto, gracias a que uno de los invitados, Fushi, dice que su compañero, otro novato, falleció el día anterior, y esta expresión de Kobeni lo dice todo.

Menos mal que Himeno siempre rompe la tensión, sobre todo con la idea del beso.

Justo cuando por fin llega Makima. ¡Hey! Un momento.

¿No se supone que esta Devil Hunter se quitó la corbata? ¿Por qué de repente la tiene de vuelta? ¿Acaso tiene un contrato con el Demonio Fantasma o qué? ¡Esto está muy raro!

¡Y aquí está la mejor parte de la escena del bar! ¡Que las imágenes hablen por si solas!

En serio es muy divertido ver a Denji en ese dilema. Pero luego vamos con el aburrido de Aki, que empieza a interrogar a Makima sobre Denji y su identidad. Y Makima está dispuesta a responderle a Aki, con una simple condición.

Y con eso, finalmente se arma la fiesta, especialmente porque Power parece haber desarrollado una adicción por la comida del lugar.

¡Me recuerda a mí en las fiestas del trabajo! Pero una cosa es segura, Makima merece un barril sin fondo de Duffman, y Power nos deleita con la revelación más importante de su cerebro – su coeficiente intelectual.

¡Digno de un Premio Nobel!

¿Pero saben qué es tan bueno como el Premio Nobel? ¡Probar la dulce lengua de Himeno!

¡Sí! Finalmente Himeno besa a Denji con su lenguita, tal y como lo prometió. ¡Increíble! He visto muchos hentai en mi vida, especialmente Shoujo Sect, Boku no Nurse y Amakano, pero creo que este beso supera a esos con diferencia. Poderosa, increíble, y realmente erótica, o al menos en los primeros diez segundos.

¡Damas y caballeros! Antes ustedes… una de las escenas más asquerosas del ánime en general.

Si. Himeno vomita en la boca de Denji. ¡Mmm! Vomito de primera calidad, recién horneado de la fábrica de porquería, con sus ácidos lubricados y sus pedazos de comida babeados. ¡Ugh! ¡Qué asco! Una cosa que sí me hace gracia es que el vómito está censurado. ¡Por favor! ¡Es el condenado Chainsaw Man! Muestran toda la violencia, el gore y la sangre que desean, pero un vómito lo censuran. Es como si yo me censurase cuando digo MI*RD*, pero no cuando digo PUTA. Y eso no recuerdo si ocurre en el manga, pero yo juraría que no. Tengo entendido que esto se hizo por el horario en que el capítulo se estrenó en Japón, y eso lo respeto. Pero cuando saquen el Blu-Ray de Chainsaw Man, ya no tendrán motivos para seguir con la censura.

El punto es que la escena provoca reacciones muy variopintas, Makima pide pañuelos para limpiar, Kobeni está muerta del asco, y como siempre Power dando comentarios muy cómicos.

¡Oye Power! No soy un médico, pero creo que eso se llama comer o beber según el caso.

Y peor aún… Denji se traga el vómito. ¡Ugh!

Luego nos trasladamos al pasado, cuando Denji era un niño y hurgó en la basura para comerse una hamburguesa en buen estado, y con Pochita, mira a unas ratas comiéndose el vómito de alguien más, lo que provoca sus burlas, y un comentario muy genial.

Pero luego volvemos al presente, cuando Denji… bueno… hace lo que cualquier haría tras tragar vómito ajeno contra su voluntad.

Arai lo termina ayudando, y le revela que le tiene envidia a Denji, quien le cuestiona inmediatamente, diciendo un diálogo que me rompió el corazón.

En serio, la mala suerte de Denji es implacable. De por sí, su infancia fue horrible por culpa de los yakuza, y ahora debe soportar tener su primer beso manchando con porquería, en sentido tanto literal como metafórico. Y me rompe el corazón porque Denji no es malo – es impulso, pervertido y algo violento, pero no es malo. Y quizás, no importa cuantas acciones buenas haga, la vida siempre parece querer darle nada más que momentos horribles, siempre contra su voluntad.

Y después de ver a Arai ayudar a Denji así, he de decir que el personaje ya no me da tanto asco como antes. Es más, hasta me está empezando a caer mejor. Mis respetos.

En fin, poco después Himeno lo lleva a su casa, y… ¡A pesar de lo que le pasó a Denji, Himeno le da un beso de cerveza!

Y se nota que sigue borracha, porque le pregunta a Denji por qué está en su casa. Y tras varias travesuras y algarabía, Himeno termina con una propuesta que espero sinceramente que Denji no vaya a rechazar.

Ya todos sabemos de qué está hablando. Y no sólo porque leímos el manga.

Y con Himeno deleitándonos con su sensual lencería, terminamos este capítulo.

CONCLUSIÓN

Otro gran capítulo de esta gran anime. No hace falta decirlo, pero este episodio en particular está dividido en dos partes, una que es el final de batalla contra el infame Demonio de la Eternidad, y otra que es la del restaurante, y pese a que la primera es espectacular, ello significa que la escena del restaurante deba palidecer. Las dos tienen sus fortalezas, que todas podemos disfrutar por igual.

Pero una cosa es segura, gracias a este capítulo, Himeno se convirtió en mi waifu predilecta, superando con creces a la propia Makima, y es que incluso en el ending, Himeno se ve mucho más hermosa que Makima.

Hablando del ending, me gustó ese estilo lo-fi ochentero que le pusieron, aunque la canción no es tan buena. De verdad. ¿Por qué les cuesta tanto superar a Chainsaw Blood y a Demon, in the name of Devil? Nunca lo sabré, pero una parte de mí siente que tal vez no deberían tener tantos endings, incluso Dorohedoro tuvo tres canciones por ending según mis cuentas, y con eso bastaba.

Aun así, se disfruta.

Bueno, espero que hayan disfrutando leer mi review, tanto como yo disfruté en escribirla. Y vayan y compren una caja de pañuelos, porque cuando hablemos del Episodio VIII, la vamoa a necesitar.

Hasta la próxima.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: WITCH OF MERCURY – EPISODE 1 – MECHAS AND YURI 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch of Mercury.

Studio: Sunrise

Genre: Mecha, Science Fiction

Hello my friends. Welcome to another entry of my blog.

Firstly, I want to share with you a very special moment – after 12 years and 7 months, I was finally granted the Australian Citizenship.

I have no words for express all the happiness and all the gratitude to those who helped me, supported me and had a lot of faith on me for this very moment. And what can be a better way to celebrate? I know!!! Writing an entry of my blog.

Having said that, I bring to you… THE FIRST MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM ANIME WITH AN LGBT CHARACTER!!!

Nah!!! Who am I kidding? Of course that is a lie, there has been a lot of LGBT characters in Mobile Suit Gundam in the past. Nonetheless, I want to bring you my own opinions about the new series of Gundam that was recently released, and that is…

And I will try to do this in a very slight manner, because yesterday night, I was checking the first episode, but I found more interesting than I expected. I was planning to leave and watch episode two instead, so I can write a First Impressions, but I was surprised by some… circumstances of the episode, influenced by the ending of Lycoris Recoil, and the desire of the fans… (if you know what I am talking about), and the relationships of the characters, so I decided to write about the first episode instead.

But before I start, I must ask you the typical question:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

Now, let’s get into the mecha with the first episode of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch of Mercury.

EPISODE ONE

The episode starts with our protagonist, Suletta Mercury, who recently arrived to the prestigious Asticassia School of Technology; she is very excited, and she says to the mother that she finally made it. Everything goes well, but suddenly Suletta sees a person in a spacesuit, apparently stranded; believing the person is in danger, Suletta gets inside her Gundam Aerial to rescue her, and she successfully brings the person in. Or that is what she believes.

Shortly afterwards, the astronaut headbutts Suletta and reveals she was trying to escape. After Suletta arrives to the school, she discovers that the girl she «rescued» was none other than Miorine Rembran.

The reason of why Miorine tried to escape was because she was engaged to one of the brutish students of the school, yet the top duelist, or «Holder», Guel Jeturk, a movement done by Miorine’s father, Delling Rembran, head of the powerful Benerit Group, the biggest financial and political conglomerate of the universe.

Basically like Disney, but in Gundam universe.

The fact is that Miorine was very unhappy with the arrangement, and her relationship with her father is… How to put it in nice words? Disastrous!!!

Meanwhile, Suletta meets again with Miorine to apologize for her actions, much to the latter’s annoyance, and demands Suletta to leave her alone. However, they have a small moment of bonding thanks to a tomato that Miorine planted. The thing is that, at her place, Miorine has kind of a greenhouse to plant her trees, and offers Suletta a tomato in exchange of leaving her alone.

Shortly afterwards, Guel arrives to confront Miorine for her actions, and to «discipline» her, needless to say that he is going to usr violence against her. But, then, gets, one of the best scenes on the whole episode. In order to «rescue» Miorine, Suletta spanks Guel… literally.

I personally love the way Suletta was trying to be assertive, with her whole body shaking in nervousness. I think that says a lot of the character. However, Guel is anything but happy, and tells Suletta that in the Academy, the duels are the ones that imposes the rules, going beyond, from a simple apology to an engagement. And is how things are.

Man… And I thought that the Hyakkaou Private Academy was a despicable school.

Guel challenges Suletta to a duel, and if she loses, she will be forced to leave the academy. Naturally, Suletta accepts. Meanwhile, Guel’s father plants a bomb on the spacecraft of Delling, in the hopes that his death will legitimate Guel as the rightful heir of the Benerit Group.

During the duel, Guel and the school discovers that it was actually Miorine who pilots the Gundam Aerial, not Suletta. But that does not stops the latter to get into a hoverbike and get into her precious mecha and activate the true power of her Gundam, and quickly defeat Guel.

The victory immediately grants Suletta the position of the «Holder», and well as a fiancee. Yes. Suletta becomes the girlfriend of Miorine.

And of course, the assassination attempt is immediately called off, and with this glorious posse of the Gundam Aerial, we conclude Episode One.

IMPRESSIONS

Ok! Where to start?

I must confess that, when I saw the final scene of the engagement of The Witch from Mercury, I couldn’t believe it. And yet, I was prepared to meet something like that, because I was reading on the Internet that some of Lycoris Recoil fans were heading to The Witch from Mercury in order to satisfy some «yuri» desires.

And I am not saying this. This is the article I took that statement. Be careful, because it is in Spanish.

In some terms, it says that the ending of episode one from The Witch from Mercury were hooked by the possible yuri relationship between Miorine and Suletta, and I am saying possible because I am waiting to watch more episodes of this series in order to watch how these two characters evolve.

Indeed I will get more surprises.

But changing the topic, I saw one of the best themes that has most of the Mobile Suit Gundam series – social commentary; in this case, how capitalism and financial power wretches society, to the point of racism, misogyny and discrimination. In this case, only those who are powerful can oppress and abuse the least fortunates. And it is done in the most subtle way possible, just like Gundam does.

And Delling reminded me a lot of Andrew Ryan from BioShock, and his most famous quote.

He does not even has a lot of interest of her daughter, only about maintaining his power and I will not be surprised if he becomes the main antagonist of The Witch from Mercury, or a major one.

But indeed the best part was how the bond between Miorine and Suletta was born, with some simple moments, they start a great adventure, including the «rescue» from the beginning, Miorine offering a tomato to Suletta, the intervention of Suletta against Guel, and the offical engagement.

And of course… the animation. It is Studio Sunrise, the one that has done practically every series of Mobile Suit Gundam from 1979. And this time, it is not the exception.

Anyway, the episode one was great. And I want to watch more, especially to see if there is really that amount of yuri. THUMBS UP!!!

And because I love you, my friends, I leave this image of our favourite yuri couple of The Witch from Mercury…

Did I say image? I meant… Galleria!!!

drawn by greatwhite1122
drawn by kaji kento
drawn by Gojarun

Because I love you all!!!

Anyway, hope you like my review. See you soon.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – TOILET BOUND HANAKO-KUN – MY OWN IMPRESSIONS

Tiolet bound Hanako-Kun

Studio: Lerche

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Supernatural

Hello my friends, Welcome to another entry of my blog.

Today, I am very happy, because I was able to finally watch an anime that I was contemplating for a long time; to be honest, I was waiting for the Halloween season in order to talk about it, but because it is still a couple of weeks away, then I better start doing it right now before it is too late.

Also, I think I am keen with ghosts, so I will start with it.

Now, let me introduce you…

Tiolet Bound Hanako-Kun!!

But before I start writing about this nice series, I must ask you the typical question:

Are you guy ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

Now, let’s get into the ghost world, and beyond… This is Toilet Bound Hanako-kun!

PREMISE

Based on the manga written an illustrated by Aidalro, Toilet Bound Hanako-kun (Jibaku Shōnen Hanako-kun or 地縛少年花子くん), takes place at Kamome Academy, where the rumours tells about a spirit that is bounded by the girls’ toilet, called «Hanako-san of the Toilet», who grants all kinds of wishes for a price. Nene Yashiro is a first-year student who longs for a boyfriend, so… what is her idea for having one? Simple. To summon Hanako-san. But what she discovers is that Hanako-san is… Hanako-kun, the spirit of a boy. After a series of events including the supernatural, Yashiro becomes the assistant of Hanako-kun, who fights evil spirits, and uses the service of Yashiro to fight the rumours of the spirits and keep the balance between the human world and the spirit world.

As of September 20, Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun has published 18 volumes, from June 18, 2014, by Square Enix, and Yen Press in English language. And the anime was released between January 9 and March 26, 2020 by Studio Lerche, for a total of 12 episodes.

During the 5th edition of Crunchyroll Anime Awards, Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun was awarded Best Character Design, category in which I voted BNA: Brand New Animal. Also, I am not sure, but Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun is available at Crunchyroll.

The opening of Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun is called No 7, in reference of the Seven Wonders of Kamomoe Academy, is performed by Jibaku Shonen (Yes, that the name of the band), and the ending song, Tiny Light, is performed by Akari Kito, the same seiyyu that performs the voice of Nene Yashiro.

Finally, Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun has a Latin American dub, which I am watching at the moment, and I must say that it is fantastic, and so it is the opening song, which I leave a link here.

STORY

Ok. I will definitely start discussing the very first element that call my attention about Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun, which I think the same happened to most of you, and the element is… the animation. Seriously, I do not know why, but I feel I have never seen this type of animation before, it is like some kind of mixture, between retro style, horror, and anime for kids with adult themes… kind of, something similar of that I felt with Ranking of Kings.

Furthermore, during some of the episodes, we see this wonderful narrative that resembles a comic book, in which one scene takes place, and suddenly another appears in the same one in the form of a comic book box; that is a pretty original way of telling this story, as a matter of fact, I remember seen this type of narrative in the Broken Saints webseries.

Yes. I have watched this series… AND I REALLY LOVE IT.

But seriously, that kind of narrative really adds up to the mystery and the supernatural atmosphere that Hanako-Kun wants to share with the animegoers. And the comedic element makes it more enjoyable and more original. in fact, before I forget, sometimes I feel like I am watching Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.

Really, because of the characters design and the animation, I think that Yako is a relative, or a descendant of Shinobu Kocho.

And because the animation, the fights scenes of Toilet Bound Hanako-kun combines action with horror, but not to the point of being scary; I think it is mostly to the point of inspiring of many supernatural shonen that we love, mostly Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen for the sake of the supernatural paraphernalia. I know it is a very dull comparison, but I cannot think in another way to express myself. And this is why many of these action scenes are so much fun to watch.

Secondly, during Episode One and Episode Two, we got a really well-done introduction of everything and everyone, at least the main characters, from Kamome Academy, to the concept of Seven Wonders, and also the characters of Hanako-kun, Nene, Kou. And then, we got a good balance between action and story, but also comedy. Because before I forget, that is another feature that I enjoyed from Hanako-kun, that there is a lot of comedy, but that comedy is funny. And in a story about supernatural and Japanese curses, a bit of humour is always welcome, if it implemented correctly, and not just gore scenes and disturbing situations

In addition, because the characters are so likeable and the setting is so relaxed, you can enjoy the episodes even more.

DID YOU HEAR THAT MAGICAL GIRL SITE!! THIS IS HOW YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE THE FREAKING THING.

Why am I still remembering you?

Anyway, despite the fact that the first episode are mostly based in Hanako-kun, Nene and Kou trying to discover the mystery of the Seven Wonders, and to clean Kamome Academy from those nasty rumours, you will indeed feel that the lore of this story is too vast and enjoyable. Believe me, just for that, I can’t stop watching the whole thing, so do not get surprised if I end up binge it by the end of the day.

Overall, Toilet Bound Hanako-kun has the perfect combination of comedy, adventure, action and horror that I always enjoy, and that, sadly, from my perspective, not every anime is able to accomplish now.

CHARACTERS

As I just mentioned, the characters of Toilet Bound Hanako-kun are pretty defined, Hanako-kun is the playful, mysterious spirit that fights spirits and loves to tease Yashiro; and Nene is the typical high school girl who is very curious about the occult and dreams with love the way a typical high schooler will do; Kou is the devil hunter, headstrong, stubborn but hilarious. In other words…

ADORKABLE!!

What I got to say about the characters is already said, I know that my words are being very simple, but at the same time, what makes them so compelling is what they do, how they solve their situations based on their personalities and how they act in determined situations, such as fight a ghost, or chatting in the rooftop of the school, or how they feel with each other.

However, what of the elements that I must mention is their design of our main characters: It is… pretty realistic, something that you will see in real life, but with some original details that makes Nene, Kou and Hanako-kun pretty interesting.

Seriously, you will love them, for both personalities and designs. And what about other characters?

CONCLUSION

It is now wonder why Toilet Bound Hanako-kun is so popular; the characters are so much fun, the animation is beautiful, the setting is compelling, and the story gets better and better, at least referring to the anime, because I haven’t read the manga. So yes, watch it and enjoy it, and then, I will read the manga eventually.

Until then, I will try something else for getting a girlfriend… A ghost… Just like Nene and Hanako-kun, I will try a ghost as a girlfriend. But I got too little options. Can you my friends help me to choose between Girl 1 and Girl 2?

See you next time.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – RWBY: ICE QUEENDOM – MY OWN IMPRESSIONS

RWBY: Ice Queendom

Studio: Shaft

Genre: Fantasy

Hello my friends. Welcome to another entry of my blog.

I feel kind of happy today, because I will talking about one of my favourite webseries of all time

Despite not watching the season three onward (Because I was so depressing due to the events that I just couldn’t go back to watch the rest of the series, with the exception of some episodes), I was consider RWBY the closest thing American animation did to an anime, and I mean with the heart and the soul, since Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. So I enjoyed RWBY a lot, and still has a place in my being, especially from the adorable… or shall I say Adorkable…

…Ruby Rose.

Also, I was inspired by RWBY‘s original creator, Monty Oum, to try and work in my own anime aesthetics. And even though he passed away in 2015, the legacy of his work remains alive in me until today.

GREAT EVEN UNTIL TODAY!!!

So, when I hear that an anime adaptation of RWBY was announced, I was like…

Of course, I was not expecting any kind of alternative version of the main story of Rooster Teeth’s RWBY, but I was looking forward of how one of my favourite genre combined with one of my favourite series of all the time. And now, since I already watched three episodes, I would see that I wasn’t disappointed. And I am ready to watch more of this anime in the future.

Having said that, let me bring you…

But before I continue, I must ask you the typical question:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

So… now that I am writing this entry of RWBY: Ice Queendom, I can say… this is the day I was waiting for.

PREMISE

I think it is better if i start talking about what RWBY is about.

From Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth (the creators of Red vs. Blue series) RWBY takes place in the world of Remnant, which is constantly protected by some powerful warriors, called Hunters and Huntresses, from some malevolent creatures, called Grimm. These Hunters have powerful weapons empowered by a benevolent substance, called Dust, which is believed to be the primordial element for which all life in Remnant comes from, and as such, it is incredibly precious, so of course many people, both good or bad, as well as the Grimm, are trying to take possession of it. One day, four young Huntresses, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long, are living determined battles, but due to their own motivations and desires, they end up enrolling in the Beacon Academy, directed by Professor Ozpin, in order to become the new generation of Huntresses that will protect Remnant from the Grimm, as… Team RWBY.

The plot is pretty straight forward, and RWBY: Ice Queendom is a 2D-animation reimaging of the most important elements of RWBY, at least from season 1. And also, the studio in charge of RWBY: Ice Queendom is Shaft, famous for creating some great anime, such as March Comes with a Lion, and Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Indeed, one of the trademark elements of RWBY, at least from season one, is its iconic opening – This will be the Day, performed by Casey Lee Williams. Seriously, it is one of the best songs I have ever heard, to the point i listened it as much as Welcome to the Jungle or You Could Be Mine by Guns N’ Roses.

Here is the link to the song.

RWBY: Ice Queendom has twelve episodes, at least to my knowledge, and was released in July 3rd, so it has recently released episode 11, and, unlike season one, the song is called Beyond Selves, by Void_Chords, which, it is good, but not as memorable as This Will be The Day. Again, I wan to pass you the link.

Furthermore, the same voice actors that dub RWBY on its Japanese version are back, including Ami Koshimizu as Yang, Yu Shimamura as Blake, Yoko Hikasa as Weiss, and… the Gods…

Saori Hayami as Ruby… Goddess.

And…

Hiro Shimono as Jaune… God.

But definitely the ending, Awake, performed by Saori Hayami, is a great improvisaion over its American counterpart. I am dead… freaking serious.

AH!!! Before I forget… the leader of RWBY: Ice Queendom is Gen Urobochi, famous for a couple of masterpieces.

STORY

What the Hell is Yang doing with Ruby? Is that a Hug or mere groping?

Okay. Before I continue, I must clarify that I made a mistake, RWBY: Ice Queendom is not a re-imaging of RWBY, this is a «canon-adjacent» story, and, for what I read online, it respects the canon of RWBY, but purposely makes some changes in order to tell a story somehow different, so you can imagine that it is almost as season one, but with some liberties, one of the most notorious is the apparition of the Negative versions of Blake and Weiss, as well as the Nightmare, which is like a Rose-like Grimm that traps people on their dreams. Also, another difference is the appearance of Shion Zaiden, a character that hunts the Nightmares through the Dream Catcher, who is a non-binary, but I will talk about Them later.

Also, another great difference is that, while the first season episodes were between 8 and 15 minutes, RWBY: Ice Queendom has half an hour, which allows more time to develop the story and characters.

Secondly, there is a great difference, as well as an improvement, over season 1. The animation.

Of course, I liked the animation of the season one, but sometimes it felt really bulky, poorly-polished and a bit primitive, especially during the actions battles, which ruined a bit the feeling, but in Ice Queendom, the 2D animation adds a lot of emotion during the action scenes, making them more entertaining. On the other hand, there are a lot of times in which the animation in Ice Queendom feels as stiff as in the original series, but because the solidness of the animation in Ice Queendom is good enough to compensate any flaws, more than the original series.

Also, during the first three episodes, some of the characters, including Weiss and Blake, have a more fluid development that makes them more likeable and relatable. Now, I am not saying that in the original series, the protagonists were bad, they were good, but because the episodes are longer, the anime has more time to put Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang in more situations, as well as more developed, to make them more nuanced. Also, more characters have time to shine, but I will not mention that, because I think it contains spoilers, but for those who are fans of RWBY, this kind of pacing will not disappoint them.

Another element that I consider a plus in the story of Ice Queendom is the more charming side of Ruby. What do I mean by this? Simple. That Ruby feels less adorkable, and more hooking with her enthusiasm.

Less this…

And more…

Well. This last point is only my opinion. That’s what I felt.

And I can’t promise that other RWBY fans will agree with me, especially diehard ones. But one thing is for sure, These fans will feel interested by RWBY: Ice Queendom, even if it just curiosity.

CHARACTERS

In RWBY: Ice Queendom, the characters kept their personalities from the original series, Ruby is the enthusiastic, energetic girl who aspires to be a Huntress; Weiss is the elegant, disciplined sword master with a strained relationship with her father.

Blake is the stoic, reserved girl with the desire of leaving her past behind, and Yang is the strong, laid-back and smart older sister with a lot of charm.

But again, I will talk a bit about Shion Zaiden.

As I mention before, Shion Zaiden is non-binary (which is why I used the pronoun They, something I do not agree a lot). I do not know if it is the first non-binary character of the RWBY franchise, definitely not the first LGBTQ, because we got Blake and Ilia Amatola. But I am happy with this character. I am aware that Shion is not the best character, but at least the series makes sure that They stand out because of Their actions and decisions, not for Their sexual orientation. And it really feels a natural addition.

I will repeat my position regarding fictional LGBT characters… I LOVE THEM. They are…

However, I believe that they deserve a very fitting role inside the story, not just a token added just for claiming that something is inclusive because… sure, why not? Because that is not inclusion, that is just alms, and not very good one.

When I see the rest of the episodes, I can tell that Shion will prove again how important is They to the story.

There you go. Fanservice for the Fans!!!!

CONCLUSION

Like I said, RWBY: Ice Queendom is a must for the most loyal RWBY fans. Whether you hate it or love it, if you like RWBY, you need to watch this anime and make your opinion and be part of the community.

Will be as mentioned as the original series? Or will it just divide the fans?

Time will tell.

But please, if there is a second season… PUT MORE CAMEOS OF MONA MEGISTUS!!!

Or Miku Hatsune.

Or both!!!

Sorry. But RWBY is still one of my favourite series, so cool and nicely designed that it inspired me to…

See you soon. Thanks for stepping by.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – ISEKAI OJISAN – MY OWN IMPRESSIONS

Isekai Ojisan (Uncle from Another World)

Studio: Atelier Pontdarc

Genre: Fantasy, isekai

Hello my friends, Welcome to another entry of my blog.

First and foremost, I just want to apologise for being absent over a month, it has been a very crazy month of August, especially because I decided to take a short break from all my activities to calm myself a little bit, and then come back with more strength and ever. And I want to let you know that I have been preparing a lot of reviews, they will come soon.

But fro now, I want to let you know about some series that I was checking last week, and I found extremely hilarious. In case I was thinking that perhaps the isekai is getting boring (which I haven’t by the way), I just met with this series.

Now, let me introduce you.

Isekai Ojisan (Uncle from Another World)

But before I continue with my review, I want to ask you the typical question:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

And… now let’;s go with my Uncle from Another World (Not mine)

PREMISE

Based on the manga written and illustrated by Hotondoshindeiru, Isekai Ojisan, or Uncle from Another World (異世界おじさん), tells us the story of Yosuke Shibazaki, voiced by Takehiro Koyasu, simply referred as Uncle for most of the episodes, who, in 2000, was hit by a truck and put in a coma.

Oh yeah!!! The old reliable Truck-Kun!!!

Now, he awakes from his coma, seventeen years later, and it is precisely his own nephew, Takafumi Takaoka, voiced by Jun Fukuyama, who pays him a visit on the hospital; during his visit, Uncle (Yeah, I will call him like that) reveals to Takafumi that he was trapped in another world, where we learnt all types of magic. At first, Takafumi does not believe him, but when Uncle creates Wind and Fire from some spells, Takafumi convinces him to use his tricks to become an Internet celebrity. Shortly afterwards, Takafumi takes Yoshioka (On second thought, I will call him by his name), to his apartment, where both live together and Yoshioka shares with his nephew his memories from another world, with extremely hilarious results, because many girls were in love with Yoshioka, including a tsundere elf, a novice priestess, and a reclusive ice magician.

Oh, and Yoshioka is a fan of…

Haven’t seen so much presence of SEGA® since Ben-To.

As a manga, Isekai Ojisan has been published by Kadokawa Shoten, since June, 2018, for a total of eight volumes. Furthermore, the anime started broadcasting on July 6, 2022, for a total of seven episodes as of September 12. However, the anime recently suffered a setback – it suspended the broadcast due to an apparent COVID outbreak at Atelier Pontdarc, the studio in charge.

Here is the link for the article:

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/09/02/uncle-from-another-world-anime-episode-8-release-sadly-delayed-indefinitely/

But the good news is that it recently confirmed that will continue the episodes on Novbember, so that comes as a relief.

Uncle from Another World is available in Netflix.

I must confess that I thought that Isekai Ojisan was a series of light novels, before realising that it was a manga. I do not know why I thought that, perhaps it is because I am used to think that all the isekai come in the format of light novels. But when I realised of my mistake, I thought…

«No wonder».

Sorry for the lackluster respond, but that is how it literally happened to me. And regarding the studio in charge, Atelier Pontdarc, this is the first time I heard of it in my life.

Anyway, Isekai Ojisan has a lot of voice talents, including Haruka Tomatsu, Mikako Tomatsu, Aoi Yuki and Aki Toyosaki.

STORY

Ok. I think I will start with the very element that called my attention about Isekai Ojisan, and that is its art. For the time I was watching the episodes, I couldn’t help but start to myself. What kind of art is this? It does look a bit rough and opaque, but I weirdly looks very appropriate, for a story about a guy who stayed in coma for seventeen years, and despite having his magic intact, he has to live with his nephew. In a sense, it is a really weird combination of art for an anime that mixes comedy and fantasy.

In that sense, that was good.

Furthermore, the animation is very fluid and solid for the most part, especially in the parts that Yoshioka summons the memories of his time in that other world. However, I feel really bad for him, because he only wanted to live a life, or accomplish his dream – living in a game… Possibly the closest he could get to a SEGA® game, however the people always confused him with an orc, and began to chase him. Nonetheless, I have to be honest when I say that the comedy really frustrated me, for two simple reasons – The first one is that it felt really repetitive, especially when Yoshioka talked about his love interests. It went to something like this.

  1. Yoshioka meets a girl.
  2. Takafumi gets excited, for thinking that his uncle… scored.
  3. Yoshioka walks away
  4. Takafumi gets disappointed.

For the most part, it felt like this. At the beginning it was funny, but then it went flat, for me at least. Nevertheless, there is a mixture of awkwardness and sweetness every time Yoshioka references SEGA, because despite being made for comedic purposes, we notice that he truly loved the brand, and his expressions are true evidence of that.

Sorry… SEGA was never my cup of tea.

Also… I truly ended hating most of the inhabitants of the other world, because I thought…

«How could you confuse a person like that with an orc? You have to be incredibly stupid for that.»

I apologise. I do not tend to be this harsh, but the story forced me to be. If it wasn’t because the appearance of the tsundere elf, I would be full of cringe. And if that was the intention of the author, good for him. As a matter of fact, I would not be surprised of the author intended for us to hate the villagers of the other world.

I have to watch more episodes anyway, so I am still looking forward to how the story unfolds.

But, on the other hand, Isekai Ojisan takes its time to develop the relationship between Yoshioka and Takafumi, which I enjoyed a lot. These two have a bond that feels awkward, but heartwarming at times, and that is one of the best moments of Isekai Ojisan.

But, on episode three, there is a moment that really disappointed me, to the point that I considered it a wasted opportunity. Literally this was my face when I saw that.

Moreover, while some elements of the comedy were repetitive, others were extremely funny, like the references to Neon Genesis Evangelion and Asuka. Isekai Ojisan reminds you that the term tsundere became truly popular in the early 2000s, having this lovely lady as one of the best examples…

And it was hilarious because I felt exactly the same way that Yoshioka… Literally I thought…

«How was I supposed to know that Asuka was in love with Shinji?» Uh-Oh! I hope I didn’t reveal any spoilers.

In other words, despite enjoying the first three episodes of Isekai Ojisan, I felt that some elements are wasted, and I hope that the next episodes will bring some improvement regarding the comedy and the chemistry with the characters.

CHARACTERS

On the other hand, I ended enjoying the characters. If I feel that the comedy was kind of weak and wasted opportunities, I feel that the characters were likeable. I recognised that Yoshioka is an awkward, yet hilarious character, especially when he smiles.

And his chemistry between Yoshioka and Takafumi is hilarious. Also, the latter is pretty nice character, because it is the only one who takes his uncle when no one did. My only problem is that I believe he might need more development. I am sure we will see more in the next episodes.

Also… I want to see more of Sumika, and her relationship between Takafumi. These two, in my opinion, has the best potential to advance their friendship more, thanks to Yoshioka. I think that might happen.

However, at this point, I am more interested in what will happen with the human characters, including Yoshioka, rather than the isekai characters. I do not know guys, but I believe that I have an idea of what is going to happened between Yoshioka and his «isekai harem», so I have more expectations on Takafumi, Yoshioka and Sumika. I am not saying that the elf, Mabel, and the priestess are bad characters, but… I feel that the beginning of the story spoiled me a bit of the ending. I hope I am wrong, so I will watch more episodes later.

CONCLUSION

I admit that I got mixed feelings toward Isekai Ojisan, because it has good concepts and a hilarious premise, but I can’t stop wondering if the studio, or the author, were aware of the many possibilities for the insane plot of this story. Only time will tell. And again, these are simple my first impression, but it does not mean that the story will be bad. It is an impression for you, my beloved readers, and for me to continue watching the series and give it a chance.

Time will tell.

And me… I will tell where was I… Exploring this beautiful land, called Australia.

More specifically…. Mordialloc Beach. You can check my pictures.

I will put more picture soon. But now… Time for another adventure. Right Truck-kun?

See you soon.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – YA BOY KONGMING!!! (PARIPI KOUMEI) – MY OWN IMPRESSIONS

Ya boy Kongming (Paripi Koumei)

Genre: Musical, Comedy

Studio: P.A. Works.

Hlleo my friends. Welcome to another entry of my blog.

Today, I want to do something a bit different, Today… I will review one anime that I am watching with my friends at Deakin University. Normally this is something I never do, because I consider it is cheating, for my friends find the anime for me, and I feel lazy. Nonetheless, because this series was getting my heart, the more I tried to avoid, the more I want to review it.

Once more, the title says it all. Here I present you.

And after listening hours and hours of Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi and Motley Crue, I think it is time for me to revive my tastes of music, with some musical beauty in this anime. But before I start, I must ask you the typical question:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

With that said, let’s enjoy one of the surprises of this summer/winter (depending which part of the world you are living now), because… Who would ever thought that a legendary Chinese military strategist will be a master of music?

This is Ya Boy Kongming!

BTw, I am working in my review of Netflix’s Resident Evil... Worst streaming series of 2022 (Freaking seriously), and I will publish it when is ready. I promised. Now… let’s go in the adventures of Eiko and Zhuge Kongming.

PREMISE

Based on the musical manga written by Yuto Youstuba and illustrated by Ryo Ogawa, Ya boy Kongming (a.k.a Paripi Koumei), or パリピ孔明, tells us the story of the legendary military strategist Zhuge Liang, or Kongming, but… not as you imagine. After meeting his demise on the legendary Battle of Wuzhang Plains, Kongming wishes to live a more peaceful life. Much to his surprise, he finds himself reincarnated in modern Japan, perfectly speaking Japanese, in the middle of a Halloween event, on Shibuya… Of course!!! Good ol’ Shibuya!!! There, he meets aspiring singer Eiko Tsukimi, and her beautiful voice, calling her… Songstress of Hell. There, Kongming meets Eiko and promises her to help her launch her singing career to the top, starting an unlikely, yet heartwarming friendship between a strategist and a young artist.

In other words, Ya Boy Kongming! takes inspiration of the essence of an isekai, but instead of reincarnating in another world, our main character reincarnates in another era.

Just to clarify, the other title, Paripi Koumei literally means Kongming of the Party People, because Paripi is a contraction of Party People (once more… Thanks Wikipedia). And trust, Everyone was talking about this anime, Paripi Koumei here, Paripi Koumei there… and then I got this still from Kongming.

And then I thought… Who can an anime with music as motiv and what it is definitely a historical character from Ancient China work? So I start watching Paripi Koumei, and here I am.

Paripi Koumei was published, first by Comic Days, from 2019 to 2021, and then by Weekly Shonen Magazine, from 22 November, 2021.

Also, Ya boy Kongming! is a production of P.A. Works, the same studio who brought us The Aquatope on White Sand, anime that I already reviewed on 2021, Shirobako, which was also watched, and Sakura Quest, from the Working Girl Trilogy. The anime started broadcasting on last April 5, and concluded on June 21, by a total of 12 episodes. Paripi Koumei features really amazing voice cast, including Kaede Hondo as EIko, Ryotaro Okiayu as Kongming, Jun Fukushima as Owner Kobayashi, Shoya Chiba as Kabetaijin, and Hibiku Yamamura as Nanami Ruon.

Finally, the opening of Ya Boy Kongming! – Chikichiki BanBan (of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), is performed by musical unit QUEENDOM, and the ending song, «Kibun Jōjō ↑↑» (気分上々↑↑, «Feeling Good ↑↑», is performed by Eiko.

STORY

Now, I am going to talk about the story.

I truly enjoy Ya boy Kongming! a lot, but not just because of the songs, also because of everything else, the atmosphere, the plot, the story and the setting. Somehow, it reminds me about Carole & Tuesday, but less contemporary values, social commentary and dystopian settings. In other words, what I consider a feel-good story, or most likely… Iyashikei genre. I do not know if many will agree with me, but that’s how I felt.

From the very first moment, the original intention of Ya Boy Kongming! was to transmit you that wonderful feeling of comfort, eagerness and beauty that you will find in anime like Love Live!, Idolmaster, and even Carole & Tuesday itself. But here it feels more natural and grounded, just like Carole & Tuesday, but unlike the former, Paripi Koumei is more fighting for your dreams, always empowered by your passion, devotion and love for what you do, instead of including social commentary. And the best part is that the perspective of our main protagonist. What do I mean by this? Simple. I mean how Eiko achieves her dreams. She has Kongming’s help. Yes, but it is mostly her talent, passion and love for music what makes her go on. Think about it, she does not have complex choreography like Aqours!, Ms, or the idols of the Nigijisaki High School, or a studio backing her, like with the main characters of Idolmaster. She has too simple, yet wonderful resources for her dream. As i said, her talent… and Kongming, and his genius of course.

Just like fellow P.A. works like Aquatope on White Sand or Shirobako, the animation is fluent and really beautiful, and the rhythm and the pacing of the story is beautiful – combining awesome background of our characters, with events of how both Eiko and Kongming not only grow bigger in music, but also how they become closer, as family. And all the time, this anime is always transmitting that good aura of optimism and perseverance through our characters.

The drama and musics are wonderful…

…and the comedy is genuinely funny.

And returning with the animation, the colours, lights and character design all match with what I mentioned before about that feel good sensation.

Again, Ya boy Kongming! is a beautiful story about music, dreams, passion and even being honest with yourself – about how important it is to follow your dreams with great honesty and genuine love.

CHARACTERS

Just like happened with the story, Ya Boy Kongming! has really beautiful characters that you will definitely enjoy. Eiko is a cheerful, energetic girl who has great talent and passion for music, while the amaze of Kongming, as welll as his great mind, combined with the care that he has toward Eiko, makes this couple absolutely endearing and hilarious.

What a lovely couple…

…with so much in common.

However, I must do a special mention about one common element that both Kongming and Eiko got – the value of life. Because, on one hand, Kongming dies and reincarnated in modern Japan, while Eiko attempted suicide in the past, but both receive a second chance. And now, they want to enjoy life to the fullest, another chance to make things different, in an attempt to find happiness, kind of. At least, in my opinion. But yet, this is something I wanted to mention to you.

I hope you agree.

And then, we got the rest of the supporting cast, that make the story feels better, enjoy it and inspire that smile in our faces.

CONCLUSION

It is no wonder why Ya Boy Kongming! was become so popular, It is funny, it is heartwarming, it is colourful, it is wacky in the good. In other words, it is really fun. I never expected an anime like this to exceeding all of my expectations that quick in 2022, unless it is Spy x Family of course.

So yeah… go watch Paripi Koumei and enjoy good music. And how the genius of a Chinese military strategist can be for everything else. It is a shame that China banned this story, but the rest of the world, let’;s watch it while we can.

And now… I want to share a good link… Guns N’ Roses.

Welcome to the Jungle.

See you next time my friends!!!

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – SKELETON KNIGHT IN ANOTHER WORLD – MY OWN IMPRESSIONS (STRENGTH ON THE CHARACTERS!!!)

Skeleton Knight in Another World

Genre: Isekai, Fantasy, Adventure

Studio: Hornet/Studio Kai

Hello my friends. Welcome to another entry of my blog.

After such a very busy week, and after 10 years making bagels, I decided to make a little difference in my routine, and watch some isekai that I was looking forward for weeks, and I got to say that… it left me divided in many ways. And I will try to be as concise as possible in my opinion.

Having said that, behold…

And again, before I continue, I must ask you my friends the typical question:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

Now, let’s move the bones and write about this anime.

PREMISE

Based on the light novels written by Ennki Hakari, illustrated by Akira Sawano, and published by Overlap Bunko (Seven Seas Entertainment in English), Skeleton Kinght in Another World (Gaikotsu Kishi-sama, Tadaima Isekai e Odekake-chū or 骸骨騎士様、只今異世界へお出掛け中), tells the story of a young player who was testing an unnamed fantasy game who suddenly awakens living on this new world with the character he created, a combination between knight and paladin, which grants him superhuman strength and great magic. In this game, his name is Arc Lalatoya.

But he soon finds a big problem.

He is a skeleton, and that is because the player chose that avatar while creating his character. After saving a couple of women from bandits as a part of joining a guild and get jobs, Arc decides to test his ability while concealing his identity for fear of the consequences and not to scare the people.

From there, he goes on this new world in order to find adventures and find the cause of the «curse» that this knight has.

In other words, Skeleton Knight is like Overlord, but with less evil and Albedo.

It will be funny if Arc and Ainz Ooal Gown meet each other.

Skeleton Knight in Another World is available at Crunchyroll.

As of June 12, the series has released ten episodes, possibly for a total of 12. And despite founded in 2019, Studio Kai has already released many popular anime, including Uma Musume and Super Cub, which proves that the studio is experienced enough.

Finally, Skeleton Knight counts with talented cast, including Fairouz Ai and Tomoaki Maeno.

STORY

Ok. Now here is the hard part. Where to start?

Let me put one of the very moments of the first episode.

Some bandits ambushed a carriage, with a girl from nobility, Lauren Luvierte, her maid, Rita, and a battalion of guards. The latter are killed, while the two girls are about to be… leg-opened (You know what I am talking about), and just when the leader of the gangs is about to commit the heinous act, a big knight with a white armour cuts the bandits in half with no problem, saving the girls and escort them back to safety.

I was shocked. Some introduction like that was expected in anime like Goblin Slayer! and Redo of Healer, or any fantasy hentai. And I was very excited to see what to do next, because you could that Skeleton Knight will be darker, or at least go over the top in regards of violence and action. And I was right, in the next episodes will be watching scenes regarding slavery and exploitation.

So yeah. In that essence, I praised Skeleton Knight for taking some serious themes, like the previously mentioned anime, and I almost forget The Rising of the Shield Hero.

Also, the animation looks really clean. In scenes with day and night, Skeleton Knight follows the trend of many isekai, trying to have polished animation and artwork that is loyal to the atmosphere of this new world.

But then, there is the element that disappointed me a bit – the narrative.

Why is that? Because it does the same thing as many isekai do. They present the main character, he or she gives a speech of what was he/she doing before, with very little memories of what happened, then the MC slowly tests the abilities granted, a victory is earned, along with a very generous reward, the MC realises that he/she is overpowered and then get excited about what the future beholds. With the next episodes slowly introducing the rest of the protagonists and the supporting cast.

Per se this type of narrative is not bad, but the problem is that it quickly becomes a cliché on the isekai, a very formulaic narrative in which there is a risk that the author does not put any effort on being inventive and slowly neglects world-building and character development.

Even So I am A Spider, so What? is more original in the storytelling showing two perspectives, the one of the main protagonist, and the other of the human characters.

This is only my opinion. I hope that other fans agree with me. Perhaps I am talking non-sense, but I wanted to point that out.

For the rest, the action scenes are really entertaining, especially the ones fro the first three episodes, and if those who are demanding with the story can overlook that element, it can become a very fantastic experiment.

On the other hand, I don’t think Skeleton Knight wants to be an innovative story or ground-breaking, it is a simple story of isekai with the typical characters of that genre, and the overpowered MC.

But, if you just want to have fun with another isekai, you can check Skeleton Knight in Another World for sure.

CHARACTERS

Nonetheless, just as the story is not as innovative as I thought, the characters are the true strength of Skeleton Knight.

Arc Lalatoya can be hilarious and badass at the same time, but you can tell he is a really likeable protagonist that you want to root for. And then we got Ariane Glenys Maple, a dark elf that quickly befriends Arc, and that we can consider…

…A new member of the many elves that are goddesses with her abilities.

Ponta is the mascot of the heroes of Skeleton Knight, and… We can Chiyome, our beast ninja.

Ponta is the cute, nice version of the nine tales from Naruto, and regarding Chiyome… Remember Commandment One of the Isekai.

«Thou Shalt include a half-woman, half beast warrior unto thee Isekai».

But seriously, all the chemistry and the design of these characters is wonderful, and it is definitely one of the best strengths of Skeleton Knight in Another World, along with the themes of slavery and violence.

My respects toward Ennki Hakiri and Akira Sawano for the characters.

CONCLUSION

Skeleton Knight in Another World is a story with good and bad points, but the latter can only be depending on your viewpoint about the episodes you watch. But it is definitely a welcome addition in your isekai list.

And once again, don’t get too influenced on my entry. Get this story an opportunity, and you will have a good time.

Because if not… What if this skeleton comes to get you?

And now… I must go back to create ideas for my isekai.

SEE You soon!!!

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS (EXPRESS) – THE GRIMOIRE OF ZERO – MY OWN IMPRESSIONS

The Grimoire of Zero

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

Studio: White Fox.

Hello my friends. Welcome to another entry of my blog.

Well. It is time to conclude what I started with my previous review of The Dawn of the Witch, and I actually have little time because I must wake up early tomorrow. So, with said that, I bring you.

And I am going to ask quickly the same questions:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am very happy.

Now. Time to put the with to rest.

This is The Grimoire of Zero.

PREMISE

For those who read my previous review of The dawn of the Witch, and for those who does not, The Grimoire of Zero (Zero kara Hajimeru Mahō no Sho, or ゼロから始める魔法の書) is basically a prequel of the events of the former, based on the elight novels written by Kakeru Kobashiri and illustrated by Yoshinori Shizuma, and piublished by Dengeki Bunko from February 2014 to December 2017. We follow the story of the Mercenary (Yes. That is his actual name), a half-man half-best warrior who is pursued day by day by both humans and witches, and he dreams to become a full human one day. One day, he has a fateful encounter with a young witch, called Zero, who makes a deal with him – That he helps her to find a book that she wrote years ago, called The Grimoire of Zero, and then she will turn him into a human.

With this deal done, both of them go on a journey in a world full of sorcery and magic, where they meet Albus, another young sorcerer that respects a very old witch, called Sorena.

As I mentioned before, The Grimoire of Zero was published for three years in a total of six volumes, and Kakeru Kobashiri immediately continued the story on The Dawn of the Witch. And the anime version was released between April 10 and June 26, of 2017, for a total of 12 episodes.

And from what I heard, the series is available in Amazon. Not pretty sure, but it is definitely worth checking out.

STORY

I must be Honest, When I was preparing my review of The Grimoire of Zero, I though that I will be repeating myself with my opinion of The Dawn of the Witch, but now, after reviving the memories of the episodes I watch, I have to say.

I really like The Grimoire of Zero!!!

In fact, I think it is was better than another favourite anime that was a withc on it. In case you didn’t figure out, that anime is…

WANDERING WITHC – THE JOURNEY OF ELAINA

What did you just say?

Of course, it is ridiculous to compare a series about travelling like Wandering Witch, with a full adventure fantasy like The Grimoire of Zero, but at this point, we all agree that the latter has a pretty decent world-building.

In episode one, we have a very good glimpse of what is this world, how the witches became part of this world, which are most of their powers, but, more importantly, it establishes pretty the plot, with the events of Zero and Mercenary perfectly going calmly and fitting with a tone that, without being dark, it is not too goofy either.

At least in my opinion.

No. Just like Kakeru Kobashiri does with The Dawn of the Witch, the author takes its time to gives the audience the enough information about what needs to be done throughout the story, all of that in two episodes; and while we watch the rest, there are moments of tension that never cease, graping us more and more. Of course that does not happen on the first episodes, but after those. And that is what made me enjoy The Grimoire of Zero over The Journey of Elaina, because it has a story I can get entertained and spent my time getting used to it.

While, with Elaina, is more about our protagonist going from one place to another and meeting people with some other secondary characters being present on an episodic fashion.

But what really surprised me is that The Grimoire of Zero is that its story quickly turns more about characters. What do I mean by this? That each of them have a very defined arc that makes them more compelling, and for me, that is something I enjoy more, rather than just seeing a specific protagonist going from one place to another and meeting new people.

I am not saying that this bad. But some development gives more credibility to the world and to the story, helping me to remember it more.

So yeah, it has good rhythm and pacing.

And the animation… My goodness!!! The animation.

White Fox studio needs no presentation, and again, with Steins: Gate and Re: Zero, I think it is fair to say that they establish a pretty sweet reputation.

So yeah, I am glad I rewatch The Grimoire of Zero, but now I see that it is more enjoyable than I thought.

CHARACTERS

With the characters I am not going into detail, but all of them are pretty well-defined and likeable enough. Of course, you might wondering at first… Who are these people? But believe me, after watching some episodes, you will find Zero and Mercenary pretty interesting.

But other three characters that I enjoyed were Albus, Holdem and Thirteen.

Trust me. Give them time watching The Grimoire of Zero, and these characters will be interesting for you too. I am not saying anything because I will ruin the surprise, and… I don’t have time.

CONCLUSION

To sum up, if you enjoy The Dawn of the Witch, I strongly recommend The Grimoire of Zero. Of course you will prefer to watch this one before go into its sequel, and these are series that… will awaken a certain magic on you.

Now… I apologize, because I am supposed to go to bed now, so, I hope you enjoy my excpress review.

Now… Time for a coma. Really Elaina?

YOU BET!!!

She is really upset of my review.

Have a great week!!!

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – THE DAWN OF THE WITCH (THE CONTINUATION OF ZERO) – MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The Dawn of The Witch

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

Studio Tezuka Productions

Hello my friends. Welcome to another entry of my blog

Let me tell a little anecdote. Some months ago, I watch an anime, called The Grimoire of Zero,

At first, I confused it with The Familiar of Zero, and that is where I decided to watch the first two episodes. I ended up liking the adventures of Zero and Mercenary, but since then I have a lot of questions about these two characters, and I forgot about it for other series, but some months ago, a sequel from The Grimoire of Zero came out, and after watch the first episode, I decided to talk about it.

Now… Behold…

But before I start, I must ask you the question:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

Now, let’s get magical with The Dawn of The Witch.

PREMISE

Based on the light novels, written by Kakeru Kobashiri, The Dawn of the Witch, or, Mahōtsukai Reimeiki (魔法使い黎明期), tells the story of Saybil, a young man with no memories of his past life; one day, he meets a mysterious witch, which we then realise is Zero herself, and invites him to a new life. This new life is being a student at the Royal Academy of Magic at Wenias. Three years later, he is the worst student of the Academy. One day he is summoned by the headmistress of the school, Albus, who, reluctantly, takes him to a travel with a legendary witch, Loux Krystas, to a new journey; with them, two more members are going to the journey, Holt, the best student at the school, and Kudo, a lizard Beastfallen (a fusion between human and beast).

But which are the reasons of this journey? All what is now is that Loux wants to meet our protagonist Zero, or at least discover the book that the latter book.

The Dawn of the Witch is available at Crunchyroll.

Mahōtsukai Reimeiki was released five years after the release of the anime of The Grimoire of Zero, being released on April 8th, 2022, and as of May, it has released eight episodes. And according to Myanimelist.com, it will have 12 episodes, which for me is kind of disappointing, because I have the same feeling as with Majo no Tabitabi – the first season has interesting material, but it needs a second season for more, for I have the wish of more.

Anyway, Kakeru Kobashiri started publishing The Dawn of the Witch from August, 2018, almost a year after finishing the eleven volumes of The Grimoire of Zero. Also, the anime has a pretty interesting cast, including Miho Okasaki, Sayumi Suzushiro, and Yumiri Hanamori as Zero.

STORY

I am going to start saying that unlike The Grimoire of Zero, which was animated by White Fox (Steins;Gate, Re: Zero), The Dawn of the Witch was produced by Tezuka Productions, studio that produced Adachi and Shimamura, to which I recently did a review, here is the link for those interested.

So of course the animation will be different, more detailed and with a better use of the shadow.

And I liked it. The animation is fantastic, and it’s definitely one of the strongest elements of the anime. And what about the rest of the episode?

In the beginning, we see Saybil without any memory of his previous life, until Zero meets him and helps him to enrol at the Royal Academy of Magic. Shortly afterwards, three years pass and we discover that Saybil is struggling on his student. At this point, I felt that I missed some backstory; I was expecting to get more about his difficulties and his personality, because I didn’t find the character very interesting. Aloof, cold and practically self-absorbed. I have gotten better impressions from characters like Kirito and Naofumi Iwatani, the former is generic, but at least I was witness of how the context of the conflict shaped him, and with Naofumi was even better.

If I got more flashbacks about the previous life about Saybil at the school, I will be more satisfied about him.

And then we meet Loux, who at first I found annoying, but luckily the character improves throughout the episode. And then Holt.

Her character was very likeable and hooked me immediately. But I couldn’t help to notice the resemblance with Shiden Iida, from 86: Eighty-Six.

But luckily, after, Saybil, Loux and Holt leave the Royal Academy to travel at the orders of Albus, the story starts to get interesting, because this is where we start to know a bit more about the characters, in small detail, but enough to start well, for instance, Saybil reveals that we can use magic, but is afraid to do it so, because he can lost control of it. In the case of Kudo, despite of being brash and a Beastfallen, he is loyal to his friends, and Holt has a lot of secrets that she sometimes hides on her smile.

In other words, the first episode starts with a very rushed rhythm, but then it recovers the timing and starts to establish, little by little the story, very similar to the first episode of The Grimoire of Zero.

I will be waiting for the next episodes to know more about this story.

CHARACTERS

Despite of what I said about the characters, I find them with very defined personalities. And at least the first episode gives us their motivations, Saybil wants to learn to control his magic and more about his past; Holt has more secrets and she is fond to travel with Loux. The latter is eager to know more about the grimoire of zero, and Kudo wants to protect his friends.

With this last characters, I remind me a lot of Mercenary, from The Grimoire of Zero, but I will not reveal lot of him, otherwise, I will go into spoilers.

But… what really surprised me was the change on Zero. Yeah. I said that I only watch the first episode of The Dawn of the Witch, but I casually looked images of Zero, from both The Grimoire of Zero and The Dawn of the Witch.

From Grimoire.

To Dawn.

And because of her, and Mercenary, I am more curious to know how many years have passed between the two stories.

Thanks Zero. My curiosity went from Zero and now is a Hero for Zero.

I don;’t even know why I even said that. I better start watching the anime now before my brain goes zero.

CONCLUSION

The Dawn of the Witch is a great story for those who enjoyed The Grimoire of Zero. But those who hadn’t they might find it a bit confusing in many elements. Still, it manages to be its own thing.

And I probably will enjoy it more after I watch the other episodes. I hope that happens, but if you are a fan of Kakeru Kobashiri, this is definitely for you.

Until then…

I want to show my love for the witches with my gallery of the best witches from anime, manga, light novels and games.

And of course…

Mona… the Witch of the best, cutest, most perfect derriere of all Genshin Impact.

Ok… No more mention of that. I promise.

See you soon, and have a nice night or day.