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.

I FINALLY CASTED MY VOTES FOR THE CRUNCHYROLL ANIME AWARDS 2021 – PART III

Hello my friends.

It is time for post the third and final part for my choices of Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2021.

BEST COMBAT

Yuji Itadori & Aoi Todo vs. Hanami from Jujutsu Kaisen

There are two reasons for this vote.

The first one is that I haven’t watched the other battles (I am not living if I refuse to watch Attack on Titan: The Final Season, part 1), except from Elma vs. Tohru, from Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S, but I consider this one, from Jujutsu Kaisen, more impressive, especially because of all the hard work and effort put by Studio MAPPA.

The second reason is that, as I previously mentioned on one of my blogs, Jujutsu Kaisen indeed exceeded my expectations, especially during the choreography and the battles, in fact watching Megumi and Maki doing their combo on episode 19 was awesome!!!

So there you go. This year, Jujutsu Kaisen enchanted me again.

BEST ANTAGONIST

First vote goes to… Tomura Shigaraki, from My Hero Academia season 5

I am starting to believe that Tomura Shigaraki is this close to becoming one of the greatest antagonists of all the shonen genre, along with Orochimaru, Cell and Frieza. Every time I watch Tomura, I am more convinced that he is indeed the true successor of All For One.

And the part when Tomura’s past is revealed is really heartbreaking and disturbing at the same time. Finally, Shigaraki is one of my favourite characters of My Hero Academia, and one of the best antagonists (along with Dabi, Himiko Toga and Stain)

You got my vote.

Second vote goes to… ECHIDNA, from Re: Zero – season 2.

Just like before, Echidna has that sense of mystery, beauty and unpredictability that makes her charming. She is like some kind of Anti-Emilia, and a very popular character in my personal opinion.

And… Re: Zero is one of the best isekai of all time. So I had to give Echidna my support. And… I will finally be able to have some of her «special» tea.

BEST PROTAGONIST

Odokawa, from OddTaxi.

Of all the nominees, I think Odokawa is indeed the best, because of his calm personality, his wits, his mysterious and tragic past, and the work done by Natsuki Hanae.

And I really wanted to divide my vote between Odokawa and Ai Ohto, but at the end, I consider that Odokawa was better constructed and had a better story. It is not like I don’t like Ai Ohto.

Now… I am starting to regret not voting for her too.

And the others… I barely know about them, and since I haven’t watched Attack on Titan: The Final Season – Part I, I thought not to lie. And Bojji… I must watch Ranking of Kings.

BEST GIRL

First vote goes to… Vladilena «Lena» Milizé, from 86: Eighty-Six

Indeed, Lena is one of the best female leads of all 2021. She is an intelligent, resourceful, caring, compassive Handler of the Republic of San Magnolia, ascended to Major at a young age.

All the time she is taking the initiative, not being afraid of questioning the supremacist ideology of San Magnolia for the safety of the Spearhead Squadron, and trust me, she gets better on the upcoming volumes (I hope 86: Eighty-Six gets a second season).

Lena is like Relena Peacecraft, from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, or Kudelia Aina Bernstein from Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans.

One of my favourite heroines.

Second votes goes to… Shouko Komi from Komi-San Can’t Communicate

As I said in my review of Komi-san Can’t Communicate, Shouko Komi is the heroine that I relate the most, because I suffer from anxiety, and despite Komi-san’s problem is much worse, I understand how she feels. How hard is her life because of that.

And her chemistry with Tadano-kun, her antics with Najimi, and her cool personality, and funny misunderstandings makes her so memorable. So I must vote for her, if not… I rather go to jail.

Lena and Komi-san – Two of my Top Waifu of 2021.

BEST BOY

Izumi Miyamura, from Horimiya

Ok. I also voted for Hiroshi Odokawa, but I already said what I had to say about him. And I will avoid being repetitive.

But Izumi Miyamura is a really well-constructed character, he is a reserved student that keep mostly from himself, but beneath that exterior, he is full of piercings and tattoos that goes against everything related the first impression.

And both his character development and his relationship with Hori-san is full of chemistry and cuteness that probably does not make it original enough, but it definitely makes them entertaining and memorable.

It is a shame that I haven’t watched Ranking of Kings, because I will definitely voted for Bojji (I have that homework).

ANIME OF THE YEAR…

GOES TO…

What can I say?

A good plot, solid social commentary, memorable characters, splendid animation from A-1 Pictures, and a great story about war, discrimination and child soldiers. An anime that took risks.

And yes… I am fully aware that either Attack on Titan: The Final Season or Jujutsu Kaisen – second cour will get the award, but 86: Eighty-Six really hooked in a way that it has no words, and I find myself every time reading the light novels and searching about the characters on Wikipedia.

Just like Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and Iron-Blooded Orphans before, 86: Eighty-Six will remain with me and I will mentioned it a lot… at least until I fully watched Attack on Titan: The Final Season.

CONCLUSION

And there you go!!!!

My personal choices for the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Another year, another group of blogs.

Some will agree with me, some will definitely have different opinions. But what is true is that 2021 gave us a lot of awesome anime, and the favourite, the ones that most of the fans love will be awarded.

I am as excited as you are, especially because i finished the tradition of giving my favourite for the awards on time.

Let’s hope for the best.

And… you know what Henrietta said to me? If Lena does not get the award, it will be my fault.

Right Henrietta?

YOU BET YOUR BEHIND IT WILL BE!!!

Hehe. She loves me.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – YURI ON ICE!! MY OWN IMPRESSIONS

Yuri!!! On Ice

Genre: Sports, skating, BL

Studio: MAPPA

Hello my friends. Welcome to another blog entry.

After finishing the day with a beautiful Girls Love story…

I fell more eager to start this day with a Boys Love story. And let me tell that is absolutely one of the greatest yaoi stories of history. Once more… the title says it all.

«Don’t stop us now, the moment of truth

We were born to make history.»

Yeah. We are.

But before I start, I must ask the same questions, I have to in order to start making history:

Are you guys ok? Feeling Healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

And now… time to be born to make history. This is Yuri!!! on Ice.

PREMISE

Yuri!!! on Ice is an original anime series, produced by the always welcome Studio MAPPA, which aired between October and December 2016, in 12 episodes, directed by Sayo Yamamoto (the same director behind Lupin the Third: A woman Called Fujiko Mine). The choreography was in charge of former professional skater, Kenji Miyamoto.

23 year-old Yuri Katsuki is a very talented skater, but he is not precisely in the best moment of his career. After a lot of losses, including the Grand Prix Final, Yuri puts his career on hold and returns to his hometown in Hasetsu, Kyushu. Once there, Yuri decides to skate and perfectly imitates the beautiful routine of his idol, Russian skater Viktor Nikiforov. Unbeknownst to Yuri, his performance is recorded and becomes viral, something that indeed catches Viktor’s attention. Viktor moves to Hasetsu and catches Yuri, making himself the latter’s coach.

However, 15-year-old skating prodigy Yuri Plisetsky, discovers Viktor’s decision, travels Hasetsu and confronts him and Yuri. Now both Yuri K. and Yuri P. compete in a beautiful sets of skating matches, full of wonderful choreographies, always under the watch of Viktor.

Immediately after its released, Yuri!!! on Ice became a phenomenon, being praised by critics and professional skaters, being called as one of the best anime of 2016; while both Yuri and Viktor becoming a very renown iconic of LGBT anime, among other beautiful yaoi couples like:

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Eiji and Ash; Ryoma and Izumi, and practically every couple from Given.

The opening song, History Maker, performed by Dean Fujioka, is definitely one of the best songs I have ever heard.

Furthermore, the success of Yuri!!! on Ice was so big, that in the 1st edition of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, the series won seven awards (Anime of the Year, Best Boy, Best Opening, Best Ending, Best Animation, Best Couple, and Most Heartwarming Scene), becoming the most awarded anime of the Crunchyroll Awards, along with My Hero Academia, season 2 (with seven awards as well).

Currently, Studio MAPPA is animated a sequel movie, called Yuri on Ice The Movie: Ice Adolescence, originally scheduled to be released in 2019, but delayed constantly. (And No. the COVID-19 apparently has nothing to do with it).

Before I move forward, I will share with you a link of Dean Fujioka’s History Maker, with lyrics.

STORY

Before I continue, let me share a personal anecodte.

Back in 2017, I heard about this anime, which I heard it was a marvel, and a sensation, some even called it a beautiful masterpiece. Naturally, that anime was Yuri!!! on Ice. Everyone kept saying Yuri!!! on Ice this, Yuri!!! on Ice that. It was all over my ears. Then I said… «Give me a break. This should be some overrated trend.» You know, sometimes when people calls a movie, a tv series or a cartoon a masterpiece, only to find out it is indeed overrated and this only merit is to divide fans.

Anyone?? What a weird 2017

Then I changed my mind and thought it was the history of a singer with blueish appearance, whose singing comes across the universe.

Anyone?

The point is that I decided to watch the first episodes of Yuri!!! on Ice, and… it was nothing like I saw before. An anime of a young skater that meets a really handsome man, they start a nice friendship and participate in many skating events, with really beautiful choreographies. I might be outdated, but by 2017, I didn’t remember seeing something similar. And it was worth it.

The animation is beautiful. It is MAPPA studio after all. What else can be expected? Similar to A-1 Pictures, we will get some wonderful animation. And the story is even better. Viktor starts being very harsh with Yuri, but patient, which becomes a beautiful love story; and then when the moments of skating are indeed a spectacle. Seriously, I don’t think you will find any choreographies like those in any other anime. The animation, the music, along with the movements combine together to make an audiovisual marvel that will always age well, especially for 2017.

But from my perspective, these dances make you feel as if you were in the audience… or in the Winter Olympics. A show that brings anyone to tears. (Didn’t happened to me, but the sensation in my heart always remains fresh).

Also, the story feels pretty natural. The bond that Yuri and Viktor create feels extremely genuine, and the energy brought by Yuri P. adds for a lot of comic relief that is really hilarious.

And every episode has the same atmosphere. Nothing gets boring, so you want to see what happens next.

At the end, you understand why Yuri!!! on Ice has become so popular. But that’s not all.

CHARACTERS

I think Yuri!!! on Ice proved that, if a story is wonderful, can be mostly because of its characters.

Like I said, Yuri and Viktor are a wonderful couple, and Yuri P, despite being a brat and a force to be reckon with, is still a pretty likeable character. All make a really chemistry, ready to bring action, passion and beauty, ideal from a sweet trio.

Extra praise from Junichi Suwabe, who brings an excellent performance from Viktor.

The rest of the cast, especially the skaters, are also pretty nice. What I really love is that they become from different countries (United States, Canadá, Switzerland, South Korea, Kazakhstan), which brings more realism and culture toward the skating competitions.

Case in point, we have Seung-gil Lee.

Notice the eyes, notice the skin colour, the hair, and the side of the face. It is a beautiful contrast, the series really worked hard to make this characters a unique design, especially in comparison to Yuri Katsuki. What I mean is that, while both are from Asia, they come from different countries (Yuri is from Japan, and Seung is from South Korea), and this makes the context of Yuri!!! on Ice richer more believable.

There are other characters that I wanted to have more development though, like with Yuko Nishigori and her family.

I do not know. Perhaps it is my viewpoint, but I got the feeling that she and her family could do more in the story. It is not a disaster, but it is something I wanted to point out.

Anyone, the characters are really good.

CONCLUSION

Indeed, Yuri!!! on Ice is one of the best BL anime you can ever see. But it is more than that. It is about overcoming your limitations, good sportsmanship, friendship, hope and, of course, love. The best part is that it doesn’t need swords, violence, blood to present good conflict. Everything, from the animation to the story, is well-crafted. It is not perfect, but a beautiful series to watch.

I wish I could tell more, but, at the end, it is better to watch than to describe.

And I want to finish this entry with the following statement…

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL BISEXUALITY DAY!!!

See you around.

#bisexualityday

YOU STILL OWN ME A BLOG ENTRY… AND MY MONEY!!

One day Henrietta… One day!!

JAINITUOS MANGA REVIEWS – Chainsaw Man チェンソーマン – First Impressions

Chainsaw Man (チェンソーマン)

Genre: Dark Fantasy, Horror, Comedy

Shueisha

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

First and foremost, I want to thank every one of my readers for the recent views on my entry of the manga of Peach Boy Riverside.

That means a lot to them. You guys are fantastic, and I love you all.

Personally, I haven’t watched the first episode, because I have been very busy, very afflicted, but now I am getting back on track, especially because I recently applied for something really cool, and that I have trying to apply for months. That is why I feel very motivated to do another manga review.

Well… the title speaks for itself. With that said…

CHAINSAW MAN

But before start doing my review, I want to ask the same question as always…

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

And now, let’s get our chainsaws out and celebrate madness… (Just kidding). But let’s get into this madness called… Chainsaw Man.

STORY

Ok my friends, Before I continue, I must make you a confession, and that is… I already read all the volumes of Chainsaw Man…

NAH! JUST KIDDING!

I am recently reading chapter 5, and despite reading the summary of the story at Wikipedia, far from feeling spoiled, I feel more hooked to the story than ever, of course I am not going to do spoilers (Obviously), but trust me when I say that this story is worth it.

Now wonder why MAPPA is directing an anime adaptation that looks badass.

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Anyway.

Chainsaw Man is written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto, who previously brought us Fire Punch, another sci-fi wonder. The story takes in an alternate Japan, 1997, where Devils and Humans live together, the Soviet Union still exists, and apparently the Holocaust never took place (This part scares more than the overall gore of the manga… I mean it). Most of the Devils are dangerous for humans, however, some of them can make a contract with a human host, to inhabit their bodies, making them Fiends, which are, for the most part, tolerant to humanity (Remember, I said tolerant, not kind)

We have Denji, an impoverished young man forced to repay a debt from the yakuza that originally belonged to his late father. To do this, he has a small Devil with a Chainsaw, called Pochita. Denji longes to a normal life, and is very fond to Pochita. One night, the Yakuza betray Denji in order to secure a contract with another Devil, and in the verge of death, Pochita offers Denji to revive him by making a contract of their own, Pochita will save him if Denji can live a «normal life»

And is how Denji becomes…

CHAINSAW MAN – ART By – Calibraneum

Denji massacres the yakuza, as well as the Devil these people try to ensure. Shortly the incident, the Public Safety Division, the devil hunters recognised by the Japanese government, arrive, and their leader, a beautiful woman called Makima, finds Denji and «recruits» him to work with them, under the condition that Denji becomes her pet. And I am saying this literally, because now Denji is forced to do everything Makima orders, he just can’t say No.

Or else…

From here, Denji tries to live a normal life while trying to survive one of the harshest and most violent realities of this world.

Most of this only happens in Chapter 1 & 2. And trust me… it gets better from here.

Chainsaw Man started publications from December 2018, and recently finished last December.

There, there.

Don’t feel sad. Apparently there will a Part 2, according to Shueisha. So don’t worry, there will be more Chainsaw Man to enjoy.

THAT’S THE SPIRIT.

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE STORY

Ok. I must say this right away.

I REALLY LOVED Chainsaw Man. The story is very original, and it evolves in the most organic way; the characters are really likeable, the battles are gory and spectacular, and the art is fantastic, as it should be in a horror manga.

Of course, it does not have the same attention to detail as the art of Junji Ito, but it still is amazing.

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Sincerely, Tomie (right) looks creepier.

And despite being a REALLY, REALLY… REALLY violent story (Well… What else can you expect from this manga?), Chainsaw Man has a lot of humour, and also sometimes can be really cute, when you see Pochita, or mostly when we get to know the characters better. I will mention them later.

Luckily, Chainsaw Man avoids the same mistake as other edgy series like Magical Girl Site, or Redo of Healer; prioritising shock value over substance instead of having a balance between both. It is all about nuances.

Or Layers, as Shrek points out.

But Chainsaw Man manages horror, fantasy and comedy with great beauty. No wonder why studio MAPPA is making an anime of it, because an idea this crazy will be perfect for such an amazing studio. However, I still imagine Chainsaw Man as a spin-off of Dorohedoro, because they share similar sensations.

In other words, if you enjoy Go Nagai and series like Devilman Crybaby, or the same stories from Junji Ito, Chainsaw Man is the story for you, especially if you want to see less crying; but if you do not feel comfortable with so much violence or gore, then these two images will represent your final reaction.

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CHARACTERS

And now, it is time to talk about the characters.

I will start saying that, this time, the art makes the characters as compelling as the story. Overall, Chainsaw Man has a lot of pretty interesting characters, everyone of them has a pretty defined personality and you remember them.

Nonetheless, I will like to highlight five characters in particular.

The first one is Denji. From Chapter one, our protagonist evolves into a strong man, but even before he becomes Chainsaw Man, you really like him. As a matter of fact, for those natives English speakers…

Have you noticed that Denji almost sounds like Danger?

It is like a foresight for what he about to become.

The second character is Pochita, because…

How to say No to this cuteness?

The third one is Aki Hayakawa, who quickly becomes one of Denji’s best friends. And of course, another of Denji’s closest friends. Power. No. That’s her real name. I really grow to love her, despite reading only the first volumes of the manga, and checking the wiki of Chainsaw Man, Power has become one of my favourite characters. However, I can’t stop thinking that she is some close relative of Zero Two, from Darling in the FRANXX.

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Is Power really a Fiend or a Klaxosaurus?

And last, but not least, we got the fifth character, probably the «symbol» of Chainsaw Man, Makima (Not Makina, like I thought). Just look at her.

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Every time I see her, I feel scared. I haven’t feel like this from an anime female character, since Akito Sohma. But other times, I confuse her with Ophelia Phamrsolone, from Fate Grand/Order. But if you think she is imposing from the start… you haven’t seen anything. Like I said, I read the synopsis on Wikipedia, and Makima is more than what meets the eye.

Wanna know more? Read the manga.

CONCLUSION

Chainsaw Man is an excellent alternative for those fans of horror manga, or those who definitely enjoyed Dorohedoro. Like I said, it has fantastic characters, awesome art, compelling characters and an organic story.

It is worth check it out. This weekend, give it a try, and I will love it… if you like gore and violence, of course.

Well… Happy weekend everybody. Time to go home, but first…