JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – HELLS PARADISE – JIGOKURAKU – MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Hell’s Paradise – Jigokuraku

Studio: MAPPA

Genre: Dark Fantasy, Adventure

Hello my friends, Welcome to another entry of my blog. I take this opportunity to reveal that in a couple of days I will make a very important announcement, do not worry, it is not what you think. It is in fact… a very… VERY good news. But I will tell you know when the time comes. I am sure you will love it.

Until then, I will continue with the reviews that I love to do… Anime. And here, I will take about a very good series of this amazing time. After so much time, I am trying to recover the lost time, which is why I am starting to talk about…

I hope you like my thoughts of the new goose that lays golden eggs of Studio MAPPA.

But before I start my review, I must ask you the typical question;

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

 Now… time for us to go to the most beautiful, worldly part of Inferno with Hell’s Paradise – Jigo… Jigo… Jigokaku? JIGOKURAKU. Damn. Why am struggling with the last word. Anyway.

PREMISE

Based on the manga written and illustrated by Yuji Kaku. Hell’s Paradise – Jigokuraku… (Yeah, I wrote it correctly), takes us to the Edo Period of Japan, with one of the deadliest, most infamous and powerful ninja around, Gabimaru the Hollow, member of the Iwagakure Clan. During one mission, Gabimaru is captured and sentenced to death, but there is a problem – nothing can kill Gabimaru, decapitation, burning, dismemberment, nothing is effective against the powerful ninja, much to the surprise of the officers of the shogunate. However, one day, an executioner, called Yamada Saemon Asagiri, offer Gabimaru the opportunity of a pardon with one condition – he must obtain the Elixir of Life, located in the island of Shinsenkyo, located in the southwest of the Ryukyu kingdom. The problem is that the Shogunate has already sent, apparently, five expedition teams to that place, and. None of them have return, so this time, they are sending a new team consisted on death row criminals, and if any of them can get the Elixir of Life, they can obtain an official pardon, but if any escapes, that person will be slain in a executioner of the Asagiri clan.

Inspired by the love of his wife, Yui, and the chance of a normal life, Gabimaru accepts, always under the watch of Yamada.

Hell’s Paradise – Jigokuraku started publication on January 22, 2018, and ended on January 25, 2021, completing thirteen volumes and 127 chapters, furthermore, Hell’s Paradise – Jigokuraku was published by Shueisha. One fun fact is that Yuji Kaku was a collaborator of Tatsuki Fujimoto.

Studio MAPPA started broadcasting Hell’s Paradise – Jigokuraku from April 1, having a total of eight episodes, for a total of, I assume… 12 or 13 episodes. But still, this time is okay, the series is so good that there is a big chance of having a second season, just like Chainsaw Man. I just hope it is soon.

I am talking of both.

Finally, Hell’s Paradise – Jigokuraku has a pretty nice opening song – “Work” performed by Ringo Sheena and Millenium Paradise, I will be happy to put the link here for you to listen.

STORY

Now. I have just watched the first two episodes of Hell’s Paradise – Jigokuraku, and also, some clips of the anime, especially some featured Yuzuhira, and I got to say that I am being hooked by the premise. A couple of months ago, I was reading about this series, here and there, and it got my attention, almost as much as Oshi No Ko and its sticky “Idol” performed by Yoasobi. And when I say the animation, I really wanted to watch Hell’s Paradise – Jigokuraku.

I thought Gabimaru will be some kind of villain protagonist. But I will talk about him later.

But nope. The story is very similar to Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man in terms of tone, dark fantasy but with some humour that does not overstay its welcome. What do I mean by this? Simple. That is put on the right moments, without ruining the moments of dark atmosphere and tension. Moreover, the story is fun, it has a lot of action, some violence and gore, but with genuinely heart warming moments, most of them brought by Gabimaru and Yui. Also, the first two episodes done a pretty good job by slowing showing Gabimaru as not as hollow as his title points out, and that is something I value in a story – some time for poignant scenes, as well as some humour, it actually helps to sympathise more with our characters, especially both Gabimaru and Sagiri.

Nonetheless, I must admit that sometimes the story can be a bit slow. But one thing is for a story to be slow, and another is to be boring, and Hell’s Paradise – Jigokuraku is anything but boring.

Also, the animation is beautiful, the aesthetics, color palettes and character designs seems to take inspiration from Ninja Scroll, Tenchu and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. I like the animation Unfortunately, despite being wonderful, it is not on the same quality of Demon Slayer or Chainsaw Man. If something, it surpasses the animation of both Vinland Saga and Jujutsu Kaisen. I admit this might be a very unpopular opinion, but that is what I think.

However, once our protagonists arrive to Shinsenkyo… My goodness!! It looks beautiful, the background looks like a painting. A very colourful world that, due to the story’s dark tone, really makes you feel like you are in a hollow Garden of Eden… Kind of.

As Bart points out…

‘Sweet in the outside, poison in the inside”

Finally, I think that the music is nice, especially the opening song. I will take my time to listen to more songs, later on.

I am still have to watch a lot of episodes from Hell’s Paradise – Jigokuraku. But I am having a lot of fun, and I think it is one of the best anime of spring/autumn of 2023.

CHARACTERS

I think one of the elements from Hell’s Paradise – Jigokuraku that surprised me the most is the characters, especially Gabimaru. Of course, we all know that he is not as hollow as he claims, but he has a lot of features, such as his relationship with his wife Yui.

Honestly, I was very happy to watch at them, I am rooting for Gabimaru, even though I read the ending of the manga… for good or bad. Also….

Was I the only one who though in Tomura Shigaraki every time I look at Gabimaru?

I spoke too soon.

Secondly, I also loved Sagiri, because beneath that cold, calm and collected persona, you see a person full of fear and regret due to her occupation. I thought I couldn’t show a image of her and her fear, but they are not as… revealing as I thought. So here it is.

This image perfectly represents her fear in the best way possible.

Finally, one more character I want to mention is Yuzuriha. My goodness! She is hilarious! She is a deadly assassin, and a… femme fatale, but she has a lot of charm with her expressions and her personality you really liked her, probably more than Sagiri.

Just look at her…

I have no comments

Man… Please come and kill me! Yuzuriha!!! Or at least Sagiri, nor Gabimaru.

And finally, I want to make a honorable mention Mei, which is… adorable, but has the power of  creating Groots.

But seriously, I liked the characters, but Gabimaru, Sagiri, Yuzuriha and Mei are my favourites.

CONCLUSION

I am enjoying Hell’s Paradise – Jigokuraku, the characters, the action, the setting, the conflict. Everything is so cool so far, probably not as engaging as Chainsaw Man, or as immersive as Jujustu Kaisen, but if you liked the productions of MAPPA, I know I do…

…you will enjoy this as well.

 I will be watching more episodes later on, and trust me, I am coming back with a lot of reviews of pretty good anime. I don’t know if I publish another review tomorrow, but I will try… I promise.

Until then, I will look for Yuzuriha to kill me…

Oh! I am already dead! Am I in Paradise?

Well… could be worse.

Ok… Now this is Hell.

JAINTIUOS ANIME REVIEWS – CHAINSAW MAN – EPISODIO V – CÓMO ME SENTI CON EL EPISODIO

Hola mis amigos, Bienvenidos a otra entrada de mi blog.

Y hoy les traigo mi opinión sobre el Episodio número V del anime favorito de todos de la actualidad… Chainsaw Man.

De nuevo, les pido perdón de antemano, porque sigo preparando mi reflexión sobre el Episodio III, sigo trabajando en él, pero hasta entonces, llevaré a cabo mis pensamientos sobre el Episodio V, y la verdad es que me gustó bastante, aunque sí de ver ser sincero, debido a que me leí el manga, yo esperaba que no fuera a ser frenético como los otros dos, pero esa sólo es mi opinión, lo que voy a compartir ahora, podrán leerla y después sacar sus propias conclusiones.

Pero antes de dar comienzo a mi entrada, les debo hacer a todos la típica pregunta.

¿Se encuentran bien? ¿Saludables?

Sí la respuesta es sí, entonces yo soy feliz, ahora… A afilar las motosierras con el Episodio V de Chainsaw Man.

EPISODIO V

De nuevo, tenemos a Power recompensando a Denji con ese ansiado sueño suyo, tocar los senos a una chica, pero en este caso, Power le permitirá a Denji tocárselos tres veces – la primera por rescatar a Nyakko, la segunda por matar al Demonio de los Murciélagos, y la tercera por salvarla a ella. Y… se nota que Denji estaba por lanzarse a la carga mientras que Power estaba rendida a sus pies… más o menos.

El caso es que Denji empieza a manosearlos, pero los gemidos iniciales de Power son tan falsos que hasta me dan risa, así como esas caras, aunque no tanto como la revelación de que Power usa almohadillas en sus pechos para hacerlos más grande. Y una cosa que también valoro es el que esta parte se sienta más natural en el ánime. La verdad es que la sentí más cómica en el manga, una muestra del genio de Fujimoto-sensei.

Ahora a Denji le quedan dos manoseos. ¡Esa pose de zombie! ¡Ahora me pregunto quién es el auténtico Demonio Zombie!

A pesar de que Denji toca con inhibiciones los senos de Power, se ve que hay algo fuera de lugar en lo que ocurrió. ¡Y no me refiero a eso! Esa horrible sensación de vacío cuando logras una meta después de que tu corazón es alimentado por ese rico sueño.

Por su parte, Power está recontenta, y se nota que ahora hay una evolución en la amistad de ambos. ¡Level Up! ¡Power Up!

El caso es que por los siguientes días, Denji se la pasa muy abstraído, ni siquiera las divertidas travesuras de Power hacen que vuelva en sí.

¡Y de nuevo debe venir Makima al rescate de nuestro niño motosierra!

Denji le explica a Makima que tocar senos no fue la gran cosa, y se pregunta sobre sí, una vez que tenga otro deseo, lo que realmente vale es el camino en sí y no la meta, cosa que le parece, en términos simples… ¡Una completa mierda! Por lo que Makima le explica a Denji que entre más entiendas a la persona, mejor es el acto sexual, pero entender a la persona es más complicado de lo que parece, por lo que Makima le dice que empiece tocándole la mano, que sepa lo largos que son los dedos, la temperatura de la palma, y las orejas.

Pero lo realmente épico acá es cuando Makima le muerde los dedos a Denji. ¡Y el chico queda más que satisfecho!

¡Wow! Makima sólo necesita una lección para que Denji sepa lo que es el amor. Esto es un gran mérito. Y he de decir que la calidad de las imágenes es muy buena. ¡Kudos a Studio MAPPA! Eso sí es calidad.

Hay una imagen de este mismo segmento que es ésta, que les juro pensé era otra hecha por Studio MAPPA. ¡Y me alegro que no sea el caso! No porque sea mala, sino porque se ve que es muy inferior a lo que MAPPA nos ha estado ofreciendo hasta ahora.

Y luego… ¡Jackpot!

Denji le tocó los senos a Makima. ¡Damas y caballeros! ¡Nuestro Denji se ha vuelto un joven adulto! ¡Sólo le falta graduarse de hombre!

En serio. Esa reacción de Denji simplemente no tiene precio.

Leí en Internet que muchos criticaron la adaptación de esta escena por considerar más “erótica” que cómica, sensación que se percibió en el manga, aunque no de mi parte. Reconozco que tuvo instantes incómodos, pero me pareció muy bien dirigida. Por cierto, aquí está el link a la página donde hicieron las críticas, como muestra de que no me estaba inventando nada.

Comienzan las críticas feministas hacia Chainsaw Man

El caso es que poco después Makima le pide a Denji que mate al infame Demonios de las Pistolas, o Gun Devil, uno de los demonios más poderosos que existe, tanto que todos los Devil Hunters quieren, y tanto que hasta los Demonios menores le “ruegan” por una parte de su fuerza.  

Aw! Miren a nuestro lindo Denji! ¡Está emocionado!

Y como no, porque Makima dijo que si Denji mataba al Demonio de las Pistolas, le concedería cualquier deseo, hasta el sexo.

¡Y si! ¡Espero que no les moleste que le llame el Demonio de las Pistolas! Porque Demonio de las Armas suena un tanto genérico.

Poco después Makima le explica a Denji que debido a un incremento de la venta de pistolas y armas de fuego en el oficio de los Devil Hunters, hubo un aumento en la delincuencia, y en el terror a las armas de fuego. ¡Nada más lejos de la ficción!

Y luego Makima dice que el Demonios de las Pistolas apareció tras un terrible atentado terrorista en Estados Unidos con armas de fuego.Pero… ¡A quién pretenden engañar! ¡Todos sabemos a qué atentado está hablando! No diré más al respecto.

Luego tenemos un flashback del pasado de Aki, el mismo día en que apareció el Demonio de las Pistolas.

Resulta que su hermano, Taiyo, estaba muy enfermo, aun así, éste quería jugar con Aki. Los dos hermanos juegan y se divierten con la nieve. ¡Una escena muy hermosa! Me daba la sensación de que la pasarían muy bien, especialmente cuando Aki le sugiere a Taiyo jugar a la pelota e ir por su guante.

Y todo parecía ir bien, pero como es el mundo insano de Chainsaw Man, no tarda en pasar la tragedia.

No sólo de Aki, sino también 1.2 millones de personas fueron asesinadas brutalmente por el Demonio de las Pistolas.

El caso es que Denji termina aceptando. ¡La verdad es que me parece muy tierno ver a Denji recuperar su entusiasmo! Makima le muestra a Denji una parte del cuerpo del Demonio de las Pistolas, si los demonios comen de él, se volverán más poderosos.

¡Ugh! Vale que son básicamente balas magnéticas, pero esa imagen no deja de ser grotesca, igual que el propio Demonio. ¡Sí! ¡He visto su apariencia! No la revelar aquí, pero creáme… Es desagradable.

Gracias a eso, ahora puedo entender mejor que la amenaza de los Demonios es mucho peor de lo que pensaba.

Y por cierto… ¿Soy yo o ésta es una referencia a Gyo de Junji Ito? ¡Bravo Fujimoto-sensei!

Al poco tiempo, Makima manda a la Sección Especial Cuatro a un motel, para matar a otro Demonio que aparentemente consumió una bala del Demonio de las Pistolas. Y este grupo es conformado por Aki, Denji, Himeno, Hirokazu Arai, Kobeni y Power.

Una vez más, Denji y Power se roban el show. Aki los reprende por ser maleducados, cosa que ya han convertido en hobby, y sólo le bastó a Aki un poco de chicle para calmar a estos perritos callejeros.

Pero eso no es todo. Aparentemente Denji y Power le jugaron una broma muy pesada a Aki, y está tan furioso que los podría matar. ¡Y estaba muerto de la risa! No puedo dejar de preguntarme qué broma le hicieron.

¡De hecho! Me interesa más que la apariencia del Demonio a enfrentar.

Pero al ver la actitud de Arai, yo pensé… ¡Ugh! No voy a extrañar a este tipo.

Incluso Denji y Power parecen estar tranquilos, pero en el fondo, deben de querer comerse a Arai vivo.

Por su parte, Himeno se pone coqueta, lo que basta para motivar tanto a Denji como a Arai. ¡Y sigo sin entender cuál es la obsesión de Himeno con Kobeni! ¿Acaso está enamorada de ella o qué? Sin embargo, Denji no acepta. De nuevo. ¡Qué buena maestra resultó ser Makima!

Pero Himeno tiene más cartas por jugar.

¡Cuidado! ¡No le vayas a ser infiel a Makima!

¡Y Arai, chupámelo!

Luego pasamos a ver dos cosas que realmente disfruté ver. La Primera es el icónico cementerio de los Devil Hunters….

y la segunda la introducción de Kishibe, uno de mis personajes favoritos. 1. Su icónica frase – Los demonios temen a los cazadores con un par de tornillos sueltos. 2. Su interpretación. Hecha por Kenjiro Tsuda, quien es también es The Beholder en To Your Eternity, es impecable.

Kishibe introduce a Himeno su nuevo compañero, quien no es otro que Aki. Y tras revelarse que es su sexto compañero, le pide que no vaya a morir.

Poco después encuentran a un demonio grotesco con G mayúscula, que Power puede matar con facilidad.

O al menos eso parece, porque resulta que el demonio se quedó flotando ante Himeno, y ésta nos revela que hizo un contrato con el Demonio de los Fantasmas, que a cambio de darle su fuerza a Himeno, consumió el ojo derecho de ésta. Pero a cambio, Himeno puede usar la mano derecha del Demonio, cosa que resulta muy práctica para calmar a Power, a la que le costó un poco caro una broma pesada sobre matar a Kobeni.

De nuevo, las reacciones de Denji y Power se roban el show.

Pero… pronto mi risa se transformó en pavor, cuando, tras una serie de observaciones, Arai se da cuenta de que están atrapados en ese cuarto. ¿Cómo lo supo? Simple, porque si baja o sube las escaleras, llegará al piso al que estaban, o sea… el ocho.

Y con la cara de terror de Kobeni, terminaremos este capítulo.

CONCLUSION

Wow! Más pode decir de lo que pensaba. ¿Y qué más debo decir? Otro genial capítulo de Chainsaw Man. Vemos mejor el pasado de Aki, el desarrollo de Denji, la genialidad de Power y el gran carisma de Makima. Aunque he de decir que Kobeni no me terminó de convencer, a lo mejor ella evoluciona luego, pero tampoco es que me parezca el super personaje. Y en cuanto a Arai… ¡Quedé con deseos de que le den una patada en la entrepierna! Se la ganó.

Sin embargo, Himeno brilló bastante bien, y a pesar de los pocos segundos en que parece Kishibe, verlo en pantalla fue delicioso.  Prueba de que son dos de los más grandes personajes de Chainsaw Man.

El ending estuvo bien, pero me sigo quedando con Chainsaw Blood, de Vaundy. ¡Pero qué buenas estaban las referencias de M.C. Escher! Desde luego muestra de lo que vamos a ver en el Episodio VI Pero… ¿Soy yo o también hay referencias a Enter the Matrix?

Pero bueno… ¡Aquí termino yo! Espero que les haya gustado mi review, tanto como a mí me gustó escribirlos. ¡Nos vemos en la próxima!

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS- CHAINSAW MAN – EPISODE 2 – HOW DID I FEEL ABOUT THE EPISODE – チェンソーマン

Chainsaw Man – Episode 2

MAPPA Studio

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

I recently watched Episode 2 of Chainsaw Man, and just like with Episode 1, I think I have a lot of things to say. So stay with me, and we will give a quick review to more of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man.

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

Are you my friends doing alright? Feeling safe?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

EPISODE TWO

Now, let’s go with the episode.

Episode Two beings shortly after the end of Episode One. After the defeat of the Zombie Devil, Denji is taken away by Makima and the agents of the Public Safety. There, Makima warns Denji not to go against her, as he is her «dog» now, otherwise, he will be slain. This is exactly in the manga. I personally always remember that part with awe, because that was prove of what kind of character Makima truly is.

Despite being nice and gentle, she is a no-nonsense person, and she can extremely ruthless and dangerous if necessary.

Despite this, she also offers Denji her coat and a nice udon with sausage, for he was extremely exhausted after the fight against the Zombie Devil. And the scene in which Makiam feeds Denji, who responds barking like a dog, in a very… adorable way is hilarious. But also, the part in which Makima explains Denji of how Pochita lives literally inside him is heartwarming. And keeping in mind that, as Denji mentioned, nobody was nice to him before it adds value to the scene.

We will be seeing a lot of this contrast of animation now. If Episode One shows a very gritty look of Denji’s life, now we will see him developing a more positive perspective of life and his new job despite the possibility he might have to be killed anytime.

Anyway, the next scene is with Denji and Makima arriving to the Public Safety HQ, in Tokyo, where Denji is introduced to a more veteran Devil Hunter. No need to say, for those who read the manga, who that is.

Behold… AKI HAYAKAWA!!!! The Husbando of 2022!!!

Of course Denji is disappointed, for he obviously wants to work with Makima, but she tells him that, if Denji works hard, eventually he will be paired with Makima, so he compromises a lot with being a Devil hunter.

Btw, Nice reference to the Divine Comedy.

During patrolling, Aki beats the crap out of Denji, «asking» him to leave the job, showing disgust that Denji is only after Makima. LOL!!! The way Denji reacts, being straightforward, really crack me up. Aki takes the opportunity for berating Denji about many of his former comrades getting killed for not having «real conviction», and walks away.

And suddenly, as Cartman says… I’LL KICK YOU IN THE NUTS.

Just like in the manga, Denji fights back, telling Aki that someone was finally nice to him, and that he is willing to die for the job, if that means having a really good life and someone to try to reach. Personally that is one of my favourite moments, because normally, during the first episodes, when a main character is knocked by another, there is no fight back, but here, Denji got some balls and hit the bullseye against Aki.

I saw this fight when I read the manga, but now I realise that Episode Two made it more hilarious than I remember, especially when Aki and Denji must report back to Makima.

Anyway, Makima orders Aki to watch over Denji, so both must live together. And we got some hilarious moments, in which Denji prepares a very weird toast with many jams, barks like crazy in the bathtub, much to Aki’s annoyance, and almost falls asleep in the toilet. Bromance at its finest!! But also…

Aki with loose hair looks so BEAUTIFUL!!!! Really!! Husbando of spring (or autumn) 2022.

You can see my face now like…

The point is that on the next day, both Aki and Denji are called for hunting a Fiend in the East Nerima suburb. Once they get inside the crime scene, Aki explains Denji that a Fiend is a devil who was possessed a human corpse, and it usually adopts the personality of the former. After finding the Fiend, Aki demands Denji to transform on the Chainsaw Devil and kill him, but much to his surprise, Denji only kills the Fiend with an axe. When Aki asked him about his actions, Denji simply explains that he feels that Devil suffer a lot when he transformed. Again, Aki is not happy with Denji’s answers and tells Denji that a Devil killed his family in front of his eyes, that both Fiends and Devils are enemies. And not just Aki himself, also the cops in Tokyo have motivations to take devil hunting seriously, scolding Denji for treating them as friends, only for the latter to reveal that… he never had any friends.

Aki walks away promising Denji that he will remember those words.

Again, despite being more dialogue than action, this scene show the contrast between Aki and Denji. While our protagonist wants to have a normal life and be himself, Aki is willing to sacrificing his for killing the Devils; Denji is trying to show compassion, while Aki is suppressing any. Denji is human in a way, Aki is ruthless. Denji is not aware of how to live in society, Aki is.

And by these interactions, their personalities are more defined, and I personally grow to sympathise more with them, to root both. Both are solid goals, but, in the end, different methods.

And now… we have the introduction to…

The Most Powerful Character in Anime. More than Goku, Vegeta, Mikasa, Luffy, Natsu, Naruto, Sasuke, Ichigo Kurosaki, and Jojo together.

Behold…

Makima designates Power as Denji’s partner, telling them to look for devils on the rooftops, for Power’s horns attract too much attention, and that if they are stopped by police, all they need to do is to show their IDs, and the officers will leave them with contempt. Makima tells all of them that hers is a whole experimental unit with both humans and devils, and if that unit fails, it will be disbanded, which means both Denji and Power will be killed.

Now, during patrolling, Power reveals that Devils are so scared of her that they will never attack her. With that, Denji realises it was all set up by Aki, for getting them fired and killed.

Nonetheless, Power spots a new devil, the Sea Cucumber Devil, and quickly runs into it, summons her trademark hammer with her blood and crashs the devil, flabbergasted of her triumph.

And with that, we finish Episode two of Chainsaw Man.

CONCLUSION

Now, I really enjoyed this episode.

While Episode One focuses more on showing us Denji’s depressing background and extreme poverty, here we got the introduction of the rest of the characters, Makima, Aki and Power, and the episode does it with a pretty well balanced rhythm. When it is only dialogue, they reveal important elements of their characters, and in the case of Aki, the voice acting is so convincing you actually feel Aki’s determination, hatred and anger, as well as Denji’s change of perspective and excitement about the new job and the chance of getting closer to Makima.

A pretty evolution of the character in a short time

Furthermore, the animation really pays off. If Episode One was already good, Episode Two gets better, more colourful and vivid, perhaps a prove of Denji’s new determination. At least, in my opinion.

Speaking of the animation, once again, Studio MAPPA does not disappoint, the animators indeed put a lot of budget on it. For instance, the moment where Power is coming into Makima’s office is priceless

Every frame of it, from her hair, her arms, and even her hips is so simple, yet so polished it is fantastic.

My respects to Studio MAPPA for the animation.

But please let me know what you think. I know I am being a bit fast, but I think I already said enough, so don’t forget to share your thoughts about Episode Two of Chainsaw Man.

See you next time.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – JUJUTSU KAISEN – MY OWN IMPRESSIONS

Jujutsu Kaisen

Studio: MAPPA

Genre: Fantasy, Shounen, Dark Fantasy

Herllo my friends. Welcome to another entry in my blog.

Well… This is it!!! The great moment! The one in which I finally have enough time to binge some episodes of the Anime of the Year at the Crunchyroll Awards, that anime that I feel it is the equivalent of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, in 2019. And I got this feeling… the feeling that the award was well-deserved.

Let’s take some time to talk about…

Yeah. When I saw the Crunchyroll Anime Awards of this year, I got the feeling that Jujutsu Kaisen will get the award, despite having great competitors as Beastars and Keep Your Hands of Eizouken!!, and… I hoped to be wrong, because I loved these two series so much. Anyway. Now I have done the homework and I am finally ready to talk about My Own Impressions of the Anime of the Year 2021. And I think I have a lot to say, so please… wish me good luck. I really hope that this entry is good enough.

Having said that, let me first ask the typical questions:

Are you guys Ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

Now… on to Jujutsu Kaisen.

PREMISE

Based on the manga written and illustrated by Gege Akutami, Jujutsu Kaisen takes place in a world where supernatural beings live among us, and some of these are born from an energy that comes from our negative emotions, called Cursed Energy, and they are named Curses, whose sole purpose is to create a lot of harm and wreak as much havoc as possible. In order to fight these beings, we have the Jujutsu Sorcerers, capable of controlling the Cursed Energy with very powerful techniques.

One teenager, called Itadori Yuji, receives a mysterious talisman, a rotten finger, whose amazing amount of Cursed Energy attracts many curses. Afterwards, Yuji is confronted by one of these sorcerers, Megumi Fushiguro, and tells about the nature of the Curses. In order to fight them, Yuji swallows the finger and becomes the host of Ryumen Sukuna, one of the most powerful curses in the world. And despite his lack of magical powers, Yuji can effectively control Sukuna, so he joins the Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School, under the tutelage of Satoru Gojo, in order to kill Sukuna once and for all.

Jujutsu Kaisen started publishing in March 2018, and as of April 1st, 2021, it has published fifteen volumes, becoming one of the best-selling mangas in 2020s, with over 40 million copies. And, aside from winning the Anime of the Year award the Crunchyroll, Jujutsu Kaisen also received the Best Antagonist award for Ryomen Sukuna, and the Best Ending (LOST IN PARADISE, performed by ALI, who also performed «Wild Side» from Beastars.

Indeed, Jujutsu Kaisen was the surprise of 2020.

STORY

Ok. Now… Where to start to Jujutsu Kaisen?

I think these four words can describe my experience with Jujutsu Kaisen… Better than I thought. Everything got me hooked from the beginning. The characters, the story, the dialogues, the animation, the plot, and the fight scenes. From episode one, there is something that made me think that this anime is perfect. I mean… everything. But I don’t think I have enough words for the great excitement I felt; but I got convinced by how the series starts building its world, and involves the characters on it on the most natural way possible without forgetting the shounen elements that it’s making it so popular among animegoers.

Honestly, I haven’t felt this since Demon Slayer, because with every episode, you see that every bit of Jujutsu Kaisen is so carefully worked… is perfect. And you quickly understand the story, and once you know what the series is about, you can enjoy every segment of plot and character development, because once the story is solid and the characters are ready to live the journey, you are ready to enjoy everything that this world is about to offer… and to feel the surprises of your expectations masterfully far exceed. And of course… the charm of our protagonists.

Demon Slayer did this pretty well. Fate/Unlimited Works and Dr. Stone worked well because of this. And of course… Jujutsu Kaisen awakes this feeling of adventure and «expect the unexpected» that you always want; and, somehow, every episode manages to do it in this own way.

Also… MAPPA!!! You did it again!!! Well… What else can you except from the ones who did Dorohedoro? One of the other surprises of 2020.

Oh my!! I am having a lot of difficulties trying to be specific about other elements of the story, but there are so many wonderful things that I found that I need more than one entry for speaking about the story. Of course, I am not going to do that. I just started to watch Jujutsu Kaisen anyway, and I still have to see many episodes by myself. But for now, I am very happy that I finally did that because I now truly understand why this anime has become so popular. It has a very gritty plot, but it is adapted in a very broad way, any fan of anime can enjoy it.

And… the battles… What a joy!!!

Or…

I will stop here. Because I want to talk about the…

CHARACTERS

Now. I have really started to love the characters. Yuji is such an compelling protagonist; and like many characters like Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach and Izuku Midoriiya from My Hero Academia, he is driven by the wish to protect others; using his abilities and improving himself in every episode. But the best part… is that sweet spiked hair of his!! (Seriously, it’s like is a tradition on every Shounen story);

Megumi, despite reminding me Sasuke Uchiha, also has enough personality to make him memorable. Nobara, well… she is badass and cute at the same time.

• 

• 

Seriously… I just added her in my waifu list.

Finally, I want to do a very special mention to… Maki.

I simply have grown to adore everything about her. Her design, her personality, her powers, she… is so awesome. Somehow, she manages to become a better character than I thought. And…

Mai… When I saw her on Episode 8, I thought… she is beautiful and dangerous; I am looking forward to see more of her.

And how can I forget about Gojo-sensei. But… Am I the only one who automatically remembers Kakashi Hatake when looking ato Gojo-sensei?

• 

• 

So weird!

CONCLUSION

I really have a lot of fun with Jujutsu Kaisen, it is a really good anime that is worth binge. And I hope those who chose Beastars and Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!! as Anime of the Year at Crunchyroll, can enjoy it as much as I did. I still believe that the latter are two of the best, but I am prepared for what is about to come from this little, amazing shonen series.

And that’s it.

I hope my entry really got the spirit of how many felt with Jujutsu Kaisen. And I hope that you enjoy my entry, as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Have a great day. But before that…

Maki… I really love you!!!

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – The God of High School – Episode One – First Impressions

The God of High School

Genre: Action, fighting, martial arts

Studio: MAPPA

Hello my friends.

Happy July to everybody. Many things have happened since the last two weeks, especially because, unfortunately, the COVID-19 cases have forced a complete lockdown in Victoria. Furthermore, during that time, I have been working in my special project, the one that I have been doing for years. But now, I have a small pause to write about a special element that is helping me to be strong toward the pandemic.

That element is Crunchyroll.

And now, after so many days, I finally watch a new Crunchyroll Original. We all know which one I am talking about, but I will do the proper introduction.

Let me introduce you:

But before I start, I want to give a very special message to people from Melbourne and Victoria.

«It’s making me really sad that the COVID-19 cases resurged. And thinking that we are going to a complete lockdown, after a lot of hard word, is absolutely discouraging. But… Do not despair. Remember that we are in all of this together, and we were able to beat the virus once. We will do it again. I have faith, just remember… follow the instructions of the doctors, and always spread the words of the experts. Hygiene is first. At the end, we will get through this. So… always have hope.»

After that, let’s start talking about The God of High School.

PREMISE

Based on the manhwa written by Yongjie Park, and published by Webtoon, The God of High School tells the Jin Mo-Ri, a 17-year old high schooler, who is invited to the tournament of the same name, in which the most powerful fighters all over South Korea are invited in order to prove which is the strongest. The tournament itself does not restrict any martial arts or any weapons, so you can be using swords or spears as well. Furthermore, the organisers of the tournament have stated that they will grant the champions any kind of desire or wish.

Small trivia. This part of the premise reminds me of…

Sorry. I couldn’t help to notice that similarity.

Anyway, Jin also has a couple of very good fighters at his side, Han Dae-wi, who is one of the best karateka in South Korea, and Yu Mi-Ra, a young fighter who wields a wooden sword. All of them, are going to participate in this tournament that will, definitely, change their lives.

Aside from that, The God of High School is animated by MAPPA, who, as we already know, is famous for making wacky anime as Kakegurui, Zombieland Saga, and one of my personal favourites.

Dorohedoro

At this point, I am already starting to see MAPPA studios as an expert on very wacky animation, in which the expressions and the body proportions of the characters are much deformed than before, or if preferred, longer than usual, mostly for comical purposes, and other times, for «epic» purposes. You can see that in Zombieland Saga and Kakegurui. And definitely The God of High School has the same attributes.

STORY

At very first sight, The God of High School start like any typical high school anime we are all familiar with. We have this excitable protagonist, in this case, Jin, that realises he is very late for a very important event. When I first say the episode, I thought that event was high school. Hey. He was wearing his uniform after all. Then, he rushes with this bike to the event, that is where he meets out lovely Yu.

My apologies. I still watch it in Spanish

Yu, who has a very obvious «preference» for muscles. In his way, Jin meets a burglar, and goes after him. After a series of wacky events, Yu and Jin meet. And we have time for this lovely guy who broascasts live and raps.

On one hand, I appreciate that he is using a facemask

Then, Han, who just finishes his shift at work, goes and luckily catches the thief. Just in time, so all of the three arrived to the tournament.

For some reason, I had a lot of fun watching the logos of Crunchyroll and Webtoon behind. I know both companies sponsor The God of High School, but I still thinks is really cute we have a bit of cameos.

Anyway, The last event is one of the sweetest battle royales any Crunchyroll Original could ever present. And then…

After it, I got some really good moments. The God of High School really kept this balance between action and comedy, especially through its animation, courtesy of MAPPA studios. Really good start.

CHARACTERS

Dude… what’s up with your nose?

Finally, The God of High School really presented well its characters, from Jin to this wacky host with his Monty Burns-like. every single character has a very nice moment to offer. One thing that really bugged me was the pupils of Jin. Every time I looked at him at the eyes, I feel weird. Just look at him.

I hope it is only me. Because, with Princess Hibana, the shaped-pupils look great.

Anyway, the characters of The God of High School are really getting me excited, in the same way Tower of God did, as well as Leviathan. I said it once, and I will say it again… Korean talent has great stories and proposals for the fans.

I hope that Crunchyroll Originals keep coming for the months to come.

CONCLUSION

I know see that The God of High School has a lot of potential. And I can’t wait until next week to see the next episode, as long as the pupils of Jin don’t stare at it. Or else… they will take my soul. Until next week. I will sim;y go back with Princess Hibana.

Especially for the new episode of Fire Force, season 2.

I better be prepared.

Yes, my princess.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – Dorohedoro (Sweet Amazing Craziness)

Hey Guys. This is Jaime again.

And welcome to another sweet anime review.

Today, I am bringing you what could be one of the greatest surprises in anime of 2020.

I am talking about…

DOROHEDORO!!!!

One anime that helped me recover from this…

But before I continue, my friends, I must ask you… The Question.

Are you happy today? Having an amazing time? 

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

Now, let’s go to the review.

PREMISE

Based on the manga written and illustrated by Q Hayashida, Dorohedoro tells the story of Caiman, a man with the head of a lizard and no memories of his previous life, who is trying to find his identity back, as well as the person responsible for what he has become. On his quest, he has his best friend, Nikaido, the owner of a really decent restaurant, called Hungry Bug.

Both live in this post-apocalyptic place called The Hole, where humans live and try to survive, because it is an absolutely hostile environment, especially because The Hole is frequently invaded by another species, the Sorcerers, who live in a dimension of their own, and display a magic fog that causes a lot of damage to Humans.

Naturally Caiman and Nikaido engage in fights with the Sorcerers, and when I say fights… I mean… Really violent ones. And nothing will stop them to find the Sorcerer behind what happened to Caiman.

STORY

Nevertheless the journey will be anything but easy for both Caiman and Nikaido, for, in the Sorcerers’ World, there is En (No really, that’s his name), the head of this powerful corporation who spreads the magic in the Hole, called The En Family, and who is sending his «cleaners» to kill our beloved protagonists, including the powerful Shin, who slices his victims and has a hammer as a weapon; the voluptuous and tall Noi, who is both Shin’s kohai and En’s cousin; Fujita, who wants revenge against Caiman for the death of his former partner, Matsumara; Ebisu, a petite girl who has a skull mask and a really weird attitude.

And of course, there are also amazing allies for Nikaido and Caiman; professor Kasukabe, an expert and passionate about sorcerers, and Jonson, a… cockroach.

No really. This is him…

I have no comments.

I must continue by saying the following…

I HAVE… NEVER EVER HAD SO MUCH FUN.

Seriously guys. I understand why the manga of Dorohedoro is so popular. This anime is absolutely bonkers!! Everything is so crazy, and so entertaining I really can’t stop watching every episode; like I said, the fights are absolutely violent, yet so enjoyable, and in many times, you will ask yourself.

«How is this even possible?»

Even for anime standards. Yet, the action is so creative and unpredictable you will enjoy every animated frame, going hand by hand with one of the most peculiar animation styles of 2020. (In fact, it can challenge Eizouken on that department, turning into a fight to death). Honestly, I don’t know if this is 2D  or 3D, but it perfectly matches with the insanity that is the plot.

Moreover, the soundtrack is so vivid and fluid that it adds to the fun. The band (K)NoW_NAME is in charge of the fantastic music, including the opening, «Welcome to Chaos», and the three endings… You heard me well. THREE!!!

1. Who am I ?»,
2. «Night SURFING»
3. «D.D.D.D.»

Personally, after listening to this soundtrack, I thought…

«WOW!! I just found the perfect rivals of MYTH & ROID»

I can’t stop recommending this soundtrack enough, my friends. You can be listening to these songs for a very long time, and are perfect for parties and clubbing. Also, in my opinion, Welcome to Chaos is one of the best opening themes of 2020.

Along with…

Overall, the story gets better and better.

Personally, the anime adapts its source material better than other post-apocalyptic, full violence-packed, anime like Deadman Wonderland or Gyo Ugomeku Bukimi, and the fans will come back for more.

CHARACTERS

Before I forget, there is another sentence that perfectly describes the setting of Dorohedoro, and comes from Bayonetta:

«A World of just villains.»

«Or at least, anti-heroes.»

Yeah. Those were two. (Please don’t sue me.)

Because yes. Practically everyone in Dorohedoro is a villain, from Caiman to Shin, including Fujita and Ebisu. But there is this particular detail that makes all of them so likeable and charming, one statement that also fits for the characters of Bayonetta.

«They are so casual.»

All of them end up living life as a treasure, including Nikaido and Caiman, and they show a great care of each other, even those who are the true antagonists. Of course, not everyone will agree with my words, but I think it is almost like that.

And the masks of all of them were really nice.

So yeah… Good story, extreme action, beautiful animation, and… charming characters.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, Dorohedoro is a must-see for this 2020, especially if you are a fan of the manga. One of the best anime of 2020, and one that, like with Keep your Hands off Eizouken!!, fans will revisit for quite a long time.

Dorohedoro consists of 12 episodes and 6 OVA. I will be watching all, but first…

«LET’S GET SOME GYOZA!!!»