THE BEST ANIME OF 2023 IN MY OPINION – PART I

Hello my friends. Welcome to a new entry of my blog.

First things firsts…. Merry Christmas!!

I hope all of you had a very awesome celebration with your family and friends. From my regard, I was invited to a lot of parties, and I celebrated Christmas calling my family and friends. And we still have the New Years Eve.

Be as it may be, I am aware that I still have to update myself regarding my blog. And what a good way to end the year than to make many lists of, in my opinion, the best anime of all 2023?

Because yeah, I watched a lot of sweet anime during this 2023 despite not writing as much as in the previous years, some of them have their own pending entry, but until then, I will start mentioning six of my best anime of all 2023.

And I apologise beforehand if your anime is not in this list, but don’t worry, for I will keep doing lists like this for the upcoming days, and I am sure that in one of them, your series will be here.

Until then, enjoy…

THE BEST ANIME OF 2023 IN MY OPINION – PART 1.

6. MASHLE – MAGIC AND MUSCLES.

Yes. This is indeed one of the biggest surprises of all 2023. Just when I though nothing could be as funny as the premise of One-Punch Man, A-1 Pictures releases this little gem of 2023. From minute one, I was laughing hard with all the jokes, and also, I was surprised of the amazing hilarious situations that came from such a simple premise – A world in which magic is everything, yet, one young man, Mash Burnedead, who was born magicless, is going to make his way on Easton Magic Academy.

One could have thought that this is nothing but a rip-off of One-Punch Man, but it is not. It actually takes inspiration from the latter, but ends being its own thing, and that is awesome. You will still prefer One-Punch Man, but there is no doubt that Mashle is memorable by its own merit, for the comedy, the action, and the world itself.

At the same time, the animation is beautiful. I still can’t believe it came from A-1 Pictures. When we are talking about shonen anime, I come up with studios like MAPPA, Wit Studio, Bones, and of course Pierrot. But, somehow, A-1 Pictures perfectly proved it can stand out with other genres, aside from fantasy, sci-fi or romance.

Also, the characters, from Mash to the villains, and the antagonistic Lang House, are relatable and fantastic as well. My favourite characters are definitely Dot and Lemon because they are so eccentric, yet likeable and they beautifully move the plot in their own particular way, giving them more personality.

Combine this all together and you have one of the best and most hilarious anime of 2023.

5. HELL’S PARADISE – JIGOKURAKU

In every project that they release, Studio MAPPA finds a way to make their projects equally amazing, Jujutsu Kaisen 2 increasing the level of drama in many ways, and Vinland Saga 2 exploring a new face of our main character… And of course, Attack on Titan by… making us cry. But in Hell’s Paradise, I was genuinely scared, that was barely happened to me in anime, not even with Umineko, When The Seagulls Cry, because the story presents powerful, yet human characters, such as Gabimaru and Sagiri Asaemon Yamada, and you might be thinking… Nah!! They will survive!!

And then there is a point in which you definitely understand the dangers of their journey at Shinsenkyo, all of the characters, even the main ones, can die. I am not going to spoil anything, but this feeling is because of many factors, the first one is the pretty well-done first episode, in which we see through the complexity of Gabimaru the Hollow, character you end up sympathising with; and also the way story unfolds, allowing you to see that the convicts are not that bad and the not all the Yamada Asaemon are good people, without necessarily hating them – You want, in a way, for all the characters to survive.

And then…   the threats of Shinsekyo arrive, and that is where you understand that anything can die, and that they look like real abominations out of this world.

Take that and combine it with the sweet animation and the soundtrack, in order to give you another gem from MAPPA. Some say Hell’s Paradise is not as good as Chainsaw Man, and I kind of agree, but like Mashle, it stands out in the. Best way possible.

4. MY HAPPY MARRIAGE

Time to jump from the action to the drama.

I read about My Happy Marriage months before the anime was released, and I was already touched for the story of Miyo Saimori and Kyouka Kudou. That poor girl being mistreated all her life due to her apparent lack of supernatural powers, and that soldier who just wanted to find true love, in one of my favourite settings of any story – Meiji Restoration of Japan, or the Taisho era according to Wikipedia.

Thanks to their love, Miyo evolves from a quiet and meek girl to having more self-love and self-confidence, while Kyouka is able to open to his true self and finds hope in his life. Also, the first part of the first season does a great job at portraying the Saimori family as abusers without being too over the top, especially Kaya, who is the personification of this quote from The Simpsons.

“Sweet on the outside, poison on the inside.”

Luckily, she receives her comeuppance, and that is one of the sweetest moments.

And the second half, and possibly the rest of the light novels, it’s mostly about Miyo and Kyouka learning to trust each other, sharing moments together, facing problems as both a couple and individuals. But you feel their love, they enjoy being with each other. And for me, that makes them more enjoyable to watch.

Also, the animation by Kinema Citrus is superb, the soundtrack is beautiful. And yes, I am aware that not everyone would enjoy the story, because it is a bit slow and not so action-packed.  Nonetheless, due to its story, it brings a wonderful sensation of happiness and comfy despite its initial melancholy.

Finally, My Happy Marriage does something with the story I will be always grateful for – making Miyo and Kyouka a couple from the start, instead of directly confessing their feelings at the last episode, making the narrative more interesting and original.

Because of this, and many other reasons, I consider My Happy Marriage as one of the best anime in 2023.

3. MUSHOKU TENSEI – JOBLESS REINCARNATION (SEASON 2)

Those who read my previous entries might know that Mushoku Tensei was one of my favourite anime in 2021. It offered a new perspective with the Isekai genre, in the way of a mixture between bildungsroman, adventure and fantasy, I really welcomed that, especially since I am a very big fan of Isekai, even the worst isekai can actually attract my attention.

From the start, the life of Rudeus Greyrat has been difficult, in a personal and in a social way, and also because the trauma of his previous life deeply affected him; despite this, he worked hard in order to move on, especially after the end of season 1, which for me, was… bittersweet.

But in the beginning of the season, we understand that he truly hit rock bottom, just when we thought he could move on… he hit rock bottom once more. However, with the help of some friends, and due to his previous endeavours, Rudeus is able to enrol into the Ranoa Magic Academy, and meet his childhood friend Sylphy… more or less.

Overall, the season 2 is about the story of Sylphy and Rudeus. We go with them in their difficult trials, and we smiled when we see they made the best of them and evolved as characters, and then, we were present when they know “this something” was missing in each other’s life, and… SPOILER ALERT.

The ending when Rudeus reunites with Sylphy is heartwarming. I was waiting every week to see when they meet again, and when they did, and Rudeus proposed to Sylphy I was almost in tears. Such a beautiful ending for such a beautiful story, despite Part 2 is still waiting.

If there is something that Mushoku Tensei – season 2, taught me is that if we work hard and persevere in life, we can become more than we could ever expected, especially if we are genuinely good people, because our beloved ones might give us the “push” we sometimes need in the most difficult moments.

And for that, and the beautiful animation, is Mushoku Tensei – season 2 is in this list.

2. OSHI NO KO

Oh my gosh!! Speaking about surprises.

I will be honest with you. When I saw the cover of Oshi no Ko, I thought… “Nah. It is another formulaic story of Japanese Idols.” It is not like I hate them, in fact I loved both Idolmaster and Love Live!! But I am not sure that I will be that invested.

And then…

MY POOR AI. WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOU?

This scene was the one who pushed me into Oshi no Ko. But that was only the tip of the iceberg, because I realised this story… is better and more complex than I thought. It got fantasy, it got drama, it got good characters, it got such a catchy opening song, and there, it got our attention.

Furthermore, we are on an idol anime that, unlike many of its predecessors, portrays the ugly side of the entertainment world in Japan, not just the beautiful one, with many real-life similarities that makes Oshi No Ko more relevant that we could ever thought.

Also, the part of the “origin” of both Ruby and Aqua was so heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time, and the fact that it has some of the most tragic deaths in all anime history makes it more impactful.

But just because Oshi No Ko is dark does not mean it lacks comedy. Check it out.

I know it was a matter of time before Oshi No Ko became this popular, although I am still surprised of how it apparently became so entangled into the anime community.

I am really looking forward for season 2, and the ending of Aqua’s quest of revenge.

1. DEMON SLAYER – THE SWORDSMITH VILLAGE ARC

My friends…

It cannot be in another way.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is one of my favourite anime of all time. And after the ending of Mount Natagumo arc, I wanted to watch both Demon Train and Entertainment District arcs. But I couldn‘t watch them completely. Happily, I could watch more of The Swordsmith Village Arc, and… it is pure gold!!

Ufotable, once again, has proved to know what to do on the adaptation of Kimetsu no Yaiba, how to make the battles memorable, how to make Mitsuri shine, how to transit the feeling of the story, how to make Mitsuri shine, and how to adapt one of the best moments of Kimetsu no Yaiba.

And… Did I mention How to make Mitsuri shine?

I am going d to watch again The Swordsmith Village Arc from scratch, because there is nothing that I love more than relive the feeling that I got from this adaptation, and everything that has to do with the franchise of Kimetsu no Yaiba.

Nothing else to say. It is something that you must experience… Simple as that.

And there you go. Six of my favourite anime of 2023, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Stay tuned for Part II.

And… Merry Christmas and happy new Year 2024.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – OSHI NO KO – MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Oshi No Ko (The Idol’s Children)

Genre: Drama, Supernatural, Idol

Studio Doga Kobo

Hello my Friends. Welcome to Another entry of my blog.

I have been very busy this month of April, because I have been working in book for the last weeks, and at the first days of April, I sufferes a pretty acute viral infection that left me in bed for almost a week, and finally, I am planning some holidays for July, so I got a lot of things to do.

Nonetheless, I have also a lot of time to watch some good anime, and prepare some good entries, including Demon Slayer: To The Swordsmith Village, Konosuba, Handyman Saitou, Buddy Daddies, Tomo-chan is a Girl, Hell’s Paradise, Engage Kiss, Maniac, Ranking of Kings, and some manga, including Dandadan, Goodbye Eri, Chainsaw Man part 2 . But right now, I am going to talk about.

OSHI NO KO

To be honest, I did not wanted to take too much time in this story, especially because I thought it wold be that special, but… Damn!!! After watching the first two episodes, and listening to the opening song, I said to myself.

“If I do not talk about Oshi no Ko soon, I will have a heart attack, or a coma.”

This is definitely one of the biggest surprises of anime, especially in 2023, I haven’t felt like this with an anime since Summer Time Rendering, which, by the way, I also made a review a year ago. Here is the link so you can check it out.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – SUMMER TIME RENDERING – MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS (ONE OF THE BEST ANIME OF SUMMER)

But first, 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 go to see the fight for the Idolhood (Is that even a word), with Oshi no Ko.

PREMISE

Oshi no Ko, 【推しの子】, is based on the manga written by Aka Akasaka. Yes… This Aka Akasaka!

And illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari, who wrote a peculiar manga called Scum’s Wish, which I hope I can review pretty soon.

Anyway, Oshi no Ko features Ai Hoshino, a very popular idol and main lead of the idol group called B-Komachi. In the recent days, Ai announced that she will be in hiatus, and the reason, believe it or not, is that she is pregnant. The identity of the father is unknown, at least for now. The point is that Ai is under the care of gynaecologist Gorou Amemiya, who is a fan of Ai and will conduct the delivery. Unfortunately, the night before the procedure, Gorou is murdered by a deranged fan of Ai.

Surprinsingly, Gorou reincarnates as one of the children of Ai, the other being a former patient of Gorou who was also a fan of Ai. That’s right. Ai had twins, Aquamarine “Aqua”, who is Gorou and retains the memories of his previous life, and Ruby.

After the babies are born, Ai balances her career as an idol and being a mother, with the help of her agent, Ichigo Saito, and his wife, Miyako. The three look after the twins, and both learn about the harsh reality and complexity of the life of the idols, still, all have a pretty decent life.

That is, until one day, four years after the delivery, the same fan that murdered Gorou…

…murders Ai in cold blood and commits suicide. The twins and the Saitou are devastated, until Aqua, through some deductions, concludes that the murderer was contacted by Ai’s partner, that is… the twins’ biological father.

From that moment, Aqua sets his plan to find his father and get revenge.

Aka Akasaka and Mengo Yokoyari released Oshi no Ko in April 23, 2020, two years before concluding Kaguya-sama: Love is War, and by April 30, on almost the third anniversary of this story, Oshi no Ko has eleven volumes. And the anime, produced by Doga Kobo (Say Yesterday for Me, Shikimori-san is not just a Cutie), started broadcasting on April 12, having released three episodes, each of them pretty good.

Finally, Oshi no Ko has absolutely, one of the best songs of 2023, called Idol, performed by Yoasobi. And believe me… The song rocks!!! It perfectly fits the superficiality, glamour, challenges and dark side of the idol world, but also the joy, energy and beauty of Japanese idols.

I have never felt this frenzied with an opening song since Kick-Back, from Chainsaw Man.

And I would share with you the whole opening, but that would do any justice to this fantastic song, so I will put both links, the TV version and the long version. Trust me, both are worth it.

STORY

Ok. It is time for me to be honest. I have no idea where to start for describing the story of Oshi no Ko. I am literally feeling like this.

I will start saying that I was… shocked. I was perplexed. Because I never expected for the same creator of Kaguya-Sama: Love is War to write such a dark story. I thought it will similar to the latter in everything, especially with such a colourful cover of the first volume

I am dead… freaking serious. However, then I realise that the same person who illustrated Oshi no Ko was the same one behind Scum’s Wish. But now, I see that is true, because the art style of both series is pretty similar.

Finally, some of my friends from the Anime Club just told me that they were heartbroken after watching the first episode. And for very good reasons.

Overall, episode one knows how to balance drama with comedy, starting with a really jovial and energetic Ai Hoshino leading the other idols from B-Komachi, then jumping to the scene of the hospital, with her being pregnant, and know more about Gorou Amemiya, who is a very introverted and reserved person, very logical to say the least, even after being reincarnated as Aqua, he maintains that trait of personality.

Furthermore, I think the story shifts the tone in the perfect moments, when Gorou is murdered by the obsessed fan, or during the murder of Ai. And I think the reason of that is that we already know the characters, their dreams, their struggles, their hopes, and their reasons for loving what they do, and we fall in love with them. Not literally, but we empathize with them, we want them to succeed in everything despite in some of the cases, the battle is lost, like the case of Sarina, Gorou’s patient who has practically been living in hospitals.

By the way, Sarina is Ruby.

And then, the first episode gives us a bit of a break when Aqua and Ruby are born, and then… Oh my Gosh!!! The best scene of all the anime. Look.

Seriously, I couldn’t stop laughing, and feeling comfy of how cute Aqua and Ruby were. And all they could say was…

One could thought that babies talking might take some credit to Episode one due to being so fantastic. But it didn’t. All the contrary. It really add to the story pretty well.

Then we get some quality time with Ai, Ruby, Aqua, Ichigo and Miyako, showing us the harsh reality of being an idol.

And finally…

All that in ninety minutes. I was longer than the first episode of Demon Slayer: To the Swordsmith Village.

Anyway. The story of Oshi No Ko is incredibly beautiful, well-paced, entertaining, heartbroken, and pretty enjoyable, in both happy and tragic moments.

CHARACTERS

What can I say about the characters. I think I already said that I needed to say, but I end up loving all of them.

Except Ai’s murderer.

But the rest are well constructed. Ai is an idol who wants to be with her children and maintain her reputation as an idol, Ruby is an optimistic girl eager to follow her mother’s footsteps, Aqua is an anti-hero that loves his family, but has questionable methods to show it, Miyako starts being jealous, but evolves into a supportive foster mother for the twins, Ichigo is the textbook manager who cannot avoid being a fan himself.

And before I forget to say, Gorou is a professional doctor, rational but well-intentioned, and Sarina, being aware of her condition, maintains an admirable spirit that is perfectly contagious.

And none of them feel artificial, all of them are organic and realistic, especially Ruby and Aqua after being born.

And the characters get better, even after the story gets darker, because, trust me, it does, the same happened with Scum’s Wish, and it will happen here.

But that will be for another time.

CONCLUSION

Oshi No Ko has proven to be one of the best anime of this spring/autumn of 2023, and has the potential of becoming one of the best anime of this year.

Will it succeed?

I think it will. But the impression that it left me with remain for quite a long time, and until we know the identity of the twins’ dad, we will be watching a pretty intense stories, like Scum’s Wish.

I cannot wait until I write my next entry, but for now, I will enjoy a bit of time with our greatest idol…

Mitsuri Kanroji.

See you my friends.