bbmiralina

[bbmiralina]

Manga of the Moment: Kagurabachi

Dark. Violent. Addictive. Kagurabachi’s Got Me Hooked

Spoiler Warning: Since this is a deeper dive into Kagurabachi, this post contains spoilers — read with caution.

Status: ongoing

Type: shounen

Chapters read to date: 88

I love a good, dark manga. Kagurabachi delivers in both story and artwork. The second chapter was all it took to make me obsessed.

The world of Kagurabachi blends katana fighting with sorcery. Our protagonist, Chihiro, is hellbent on revenge after the death of his father, Kunishige. We follow him as he hunts down the group responsible for the attack. But it’s more than just about getting revenge. Chihiro also carries the weight of preserving his father’s legacy, which is at risk of being distorted by those who killed him.

It’s a tragic story. We frequently see flashbacks to Chihiro’s happy childhood with his dad, sharply contrasted by the grim reality he faces in the present.

Is the revenge-plot groundbreaking? Maybe not. But I don’t think it has to be. We’ve all seen this type of arc before, the death of someone important launching the main character into a darker phase of life. Revenge drives the narrative forward. Still, I’m really enjoying the story. Even if the setup is familiar, Kagurabachi presents it with enough style and emotional depth to keep it captivating.

The story touches on themes like finding your chosen family, the corruption of power, and loss and grief.

The core theme of the story is the way revenge can push someone to bend their moral compass and potentially draw themselves down the same path as the people they’re trying to bring to justice. Morality is tested throughout the manga. When in reality, making the “right choices” is a fallacy. It seems like most characters are operating in grey areas. Good and evil aren’t black and white. Examples being Hakuri being partly responsible for the death of his family members, or Chihiro taking so many lives along his path to get revenge for the death of his father. I think one of the best examples is Seiichi teaming up with the Hishaku (a tenuous partnership at best) to “kill” his peers, the other Enchanted Blade wielders, to protect the world.

I find Chihiro to be a captivating protagonist. His coldness and determination are aspects of his personality that the manga really emphasizes. I love his fighting style. He looks menacing, which leads to some absolutely sick fight scenes. My favorite moments are when he’s lurking in the shadows before a strike, or when he suddenly appears in a doorway, cloaked in darkness, right before slicing everyone up. He barely smiles—maybe a smirk here and there—which drives home the seriousness of the burden he’s carrying. And yet, he’s deeply endearing. At the end of the day, he’s a genuinely good guy. He uplifts those around him and does everything he can to avoid civilian casualties.

Chihiro comes off as a classic hero with tragic tendencies. At times, he’s a bit too obsessed with revenge. It’s like he’s walking a razor’s edge between justice and destruction, and there’s this real risk that he could lose himself to anger. There are even hints that the enemy might be counting on that. We’ll see how that plays out in future chapters.

The art in this manga is incredible. To me, it’s what elevates the entire story. Takeru Hokazono uses pure black with intention. The contrast between open white space and heavy black shadows gives the panels emotional weight. There’s a parallel here between the black and white contrasting ink and the fact that morality doesn’t operate in black and white. That’s proven by the choices that characters are making. The stark visual contrast amplifies the atmosphere and drives home the emotions behind the characters’ actions. The shading doesn’t just support the story, it enhances it.

Just a few chapters in, it was clear that Kagurabachi would be picked up for an anime adaptation (and it has!). I had a similar feeling when the Kaiju No. 8 manga was released. I’m especially curious to see how the anime will handle the manga’s dramatic use of black. I’m really obsessed (like really really obsessed) with the the art style. Will they bring in bold colors to replace it? Maybe bright red contrasted with black in the more violent scenes? That could be cool. This series has so much potential. I’m excited to see where the story goes and how it eventually looks on screen.

For now, I’ll probably pause reading until more chapters are out. Weekly releases kill me. I’d much rather binge a whole arc than sit through cliffhangers one week at a time.

If you're reading Kagurabachi, what do you think of it?

[bbmiralina]

Anime Diaries: My Hero Academia

I was skeptical—now I can’t stop watching

I held off on watching My Hero Academia for a while. Despite its great reviews, I wasn’t sure I’d like MHA—it just didn’t look like my kind of anime. But after a few persistent recommendations, my curiosity got the better of me… and before I knew it, I was kind of obsessed.

I worried it would feel like a constant replay of the Chunin Exams arc from Naruto (no disrespect—I love Naruto). I assumed MHA was just about kids training to become superheroes—and to be fair, it is for a few seasons, but those ended up being some of my favourites. There are plenty of student competitions and face-offs, but MHA moves at a pace that’s more my speed. The fights tend to be quicker and more to the point, which keeps things engaging.

The protagonists have huge hearts, and I really appreciate how much they grow over the seasons. The adult characters—especially the teachers—are kind, caring, and competent. They’re always trying to protect and guide the kids, and the students mostly support one another, too. The earlier seasons of MHA remind me a bit of Haikyu!!, in how students work together toward their goals with encouragement from the adults around them.

That said, the tone does shift. As the story progresses, the stakes rise, and things get noticeably darker.

The relationship between All Might and Midoriya is one of my most loved part of the anime. All Might is like a father figure, and it’s clear how deeply he cares. He’s written to be incredibly lovable. He has a heart of gold and he’s kind of a dorky guy. He laughs at his own jokes, his ringtone is his own voice, and he carries himself a bit awkwardly outside of his hero form. But what I love is that his dorkiness doesn’t take away from his greatness. It just makes him way more relatable of a character.

At the same time, there’s tension. As Midoriya grows stronger, All Might grows weaker and more obsolete. It always feels like he could disappear at any moment, and that impermanence makes you appreciate him even more. I’m constantly bracing for impact during his scenes—will this be the one where he dies?

Outside of Midoriya and All Might, the villains are a big reason I love this anime. Shigaraki?? He’s easily one of my favorite anime villains now. The hands covering him, the constant scratching, the dry lips—it’s all perfectly creepy and uncomfortable to look at.

His backstory unfolding slowly is well played (and well paced). That’s something MHA does well with many of its villains. Their stories are surprisingly thoughtful and often reframe how you see them. I love when a character you’ve written off suddenly becomes tragic and human. Shigaraki goes from being a typical villain to someone you actually hope can be redeemed.

I thought it was clever how My Hero Academia split the phrase “all for one and one for all” to represent opposing ideals—one for good, one for evil. It asks the question: is it better to concentrate power in the hands of one person, or are we stronger when we all bring our individual strengths to the table? That theme is clear in the 7th season, during in the final battle. Midoriya isn’t carrying the whole fight alone. While I was excited to see his fight with Shigaraki, it made sense that Season 7 focused on how the rest of the heroes stepped up too.

I really did enjoy My Hero Academia. The emotional moments land well, the character development is strong (Deku and Shigaraki especially), and I love how the show sticks to its main theme—we’re stronger together. Watching Bakugou grow or seeing the Todoroki family try to heal are really solid plot lines.

That said, sometimes the story feels like it's trying to juggle too much. There are so many characters, and while I get that giving them all screen time supports the theme of unity, it can also make things feel bloated. Not every side character’s moment feels necessary, and there were times when I found myself wanting the story to get back to the main plot. Some scenes with secondary characters didn’t keep my interest. I found this to be particularly frustrating in season 7.

Still, I totally see why the show is structured this way. It’s not just about Deku or All Might—it’s about everyone playing their part. The seemingly never ending list of characters isn’t just a narrative decision—it’s a philosophical one. Even if I would have preferred a tighter story, I can appreciate that committed MHA is to its message. Despite MHA having one of my biggest narrative pet peeves, I still thoroughly enjoyed it - I mean I watched 7 seasons in a couple weeks. The good far surpasses the things I didn’t like.

If you watched this anime, what did you think?

[bbmiralina]

Recap: Spring 2025

Here’s my seasonal review of the anime I’ve been watching this Spring.

My watch schedule was pretty light this Spring! I’ve been following 4 new seasons/anime. In between my Spring lineup, I’ve also been working to catch up on My Hero Academia, Sakamoto Days, and Link Click.

Here are my thoughts on what I’ve been watching for Spring 2025

Lazarus

Windbreaker, Season 2

TBATE

To Be Hero X

The Apothecary Diaries, Season 2

Lazarus

Overall Rating: 6/10

I’m excited about the popularity of non-manga based anime — Link Click, Solo Leveling, To Be Hero X, TBATE, and more on the way. Lazarus is based off an American comic book, which isn’t that common (although not the first).

I knew nothing about Lazarus before I watched it. I saw a clip of the first jailbreak scene on my feed and it was so good that I was hooked and committed to watching the season.

This anime has incredible animation — Fight scenes are super satisfying, with detailed and smooth movements. I also love the colour tones. There’s this post-apocalyptic tint of yellow-green that really sets many of the scenes. I truly can’t say enough about the animation here - MAPPA nailed it, as they so often do. This style of animation — edgy, green shades contrasted by reds, sci-fi vibes — is the way to my heart.

Animating human movement is a real challenge, and I feel like MAPPA did a great job of delivering highly realistic movements. The camera’s animation is also pretty unique. I love the POV shots while Alberto is running/jumping/etc. Finally, this anime seamlessly integrates the use of 3D animation, in a way that doesn’t make it feel out of place - another really challenging thing to do.

The out-of-this-world flow and quality of the animation makes so much sense when you learn that the director for Lazarus was the same director for Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, Shinichiro Watanabe.

The plot is where this anime is weakest. I never read the comic books, so I don’t know if the plot was adapted for the anime or if this is just how the plot is meant to be. But it feels lacking. The first episode is great for setting the foundation of the story. The next few episodes feel like they don’t advance the plot a whole lot. It feels like we’re running into a lot of dead ends.

Axel breaks out of prisons compulsively - but why did he develop into the kind of person who makes that decision and is capable of doing so? The narrative’s answer is basically: just because. I feel like there are a lot of moments like this across the anime where things happen that make a character interesting, but the reason behind why they’re happening is barely touched on, if at all. There isn’t a single relatable character in the line up because the story doesn’t really do a good job of connecting you emotionally to anyone.

The animation is so good that I committed to continue watching the show until the end. But I found the plot to be frustrating because it was so lacking.

TLDR: If you like high quality animation - this is worth checking out. But I can’t recommend the story.

Wind Breaker, Season 2

Overall Rating: 8/10

Is it just me, or are delinquents getting a rebrand? Wind Breaker, Tokyo Revengers, Buddy Daddies, Sakamoto Days, gangsters, thugs, and hitmen have a lot of big feelings. I’m here for it!

Full disclosure — Wind Breaker has a soft spot in my heart. I’m pretty well up-to-date on the manga, so I’ve seen farther down the plot line. It’s heavily focused on male-friendship, kindness, emotions, and accepting people for who they are. It’s become one of my top comfort anime.

This season we see Sakura learning important lessons about trusting and depending on others, and what it means to be responsible for a team. We get introduced to another one of Bofurin’s Kings, Tsubakino. I like Tsubaki’s character in the manga and I wasn’t sure what to expect for the anime. Both the Japanese and dubbed voice actors were perfect.

I loved the animation for the battle with Keel or the Roppo-Ichiza fight with Gravel. Fight scenes in this anime are pretty solid in general. Beyond the fighting, this anime has a lot of beautiful scenes. They make good use of colours - like the sunset after Nirei and Suo finish visiting a sick Sakura. CloverWorks does this manga justice in bringing it to life.

There are a good number of supporting characters in this anime. I usually prefer tighter plots with fewer characters to move the story along. But in Wind Breaker’s case, each character serves a purpose and is loveable in their own way.

The plot gets lighter in the early-middle episodes of the season before the action picks back up. I like the lighter moments of the anime, just as much as the fight scenes. The episode about the elderly couple was so sweet. I feel like this is the general flow of the storyline - big battle, slice of life, big battle, slice of life. I’ve seen this anime categorized as “action” and that’s true but only half of the time. If you prefer hardcore action anime, did you watch Wind Breaker and did you like it?

I feel like Wind Breaker hits all the right notes. Not only is the animation great but the story touches on meaningful themes. For that reason, it surpasses Lazarus in my ratings.

TLDR: If tough guys with feelings isn’t your thing, don’t watch this. But if you like action with feel-good themes, this for you.

The Beginning After the End (TBATE)

Overall Rating: 3/10

This is a tough anime to review because I love the web comic.

I learned about the web comic, by chance, right as the first anime episode was airing. I decided to watch the first episode, before reading the web comic. I was so into the plot that I decided to not watch any further and try reading the novel. I blew through the web comic in less than a week and I’m now up-to-date. All I can say is, thank god I read it before I watched it.

I then decided to revisit the anime, which I saw in a completely different light after reading the web comic.

The anime took some big liberties with the story. There are flash backs to Arthur’s former life as Grey, early in the anime, that don’t really match with the web comic. The scenes with Sylvia felt short and rushed, for such an important part of the plot. Or the part in the novel where Arthur negotiates with Lilia’s dad to train her to awaken her mana, in exchange for supplies to use while adventuring - they completely removed that reason for sending him into auction house’s storage room. Instead he just asks to pick something out and they let him. The battle scene between the exam proctor and Arthur was essentially cut and we just see him get rated as a B-class - which removes how and why he negotiated for a lower class. These changes start to add up and what we’re left with is a significantly watered down version of the original story.

But the most insane decision was to take away Sylvie’s voice/inner dialogue???

The animation is frustrating. Frustrating because it felt like the animators weren’t given enough budget to create something good. Let me start by saying that this web comic is beautiful. It’s extremely well illustrated and has the potential to be a show stopper anime. I don’t know what Studio A-CAT was thinking. Characters often remain motionless, with only their mouths moving (badly) as they spoke, while the scenery moves behind them like a slideshow (if there’s any background movement at all). There’s a clip of Arthur walking down a path that gets reused basically back-to-back. The special effects used to represent a mage’s powers are a missed opportunity - they feel out of place, like an overlay that wasn’t integrated into the scene.

It’s normal for an anime to cut corners here and there. Budgets are always limited. Even solo-leveling invested more heavily during certain scenes over others. You’re going to have still backgrounds while characters move around or reuse an animation here and there. The problem isn’t that this happens in TBATE. It’s that it’s the norm in TBATE. There are no reprieves from the corner cutting. There are ways to animate something beautiful/interesting without going overboard - like adding some smoke or dust, etc. to create atmosphere, or maintaining the camera in motion to keep the scene engaging.

On top of it all, I find Grey’s adult voice actor to be overdoing it. But the other issues overshadow the voice acting so I won’t linger on this point.

What’s particularly frustrating to me is that, unlike Lazarus, I know that TBATE had an incredible plot to work with. Not only did the animation studio drop the ball on the animation, the director of the anime fumbled the narrative of TBATE as well.

It’s going to take a lot of soul-searching from the creators for TBATE to recover from this. They would need to completely change the animation quality and commit to following the web comic’s story more closely. I know there’s demand from the community to see this story come to life. They’ve already been greenlit for a second season. Studio A-CAT needs to do a 180 and head back to the literal drawing board with their animation and story-pacing strategy.

All of this being said, I wouldn’t have discovered TBATE when I did, if this anime wasn’t made. I wonder what people who never read the web comic think of the anime. I might have reviewed it less harshly without reading the web comic first. If you’re someone who only watched the anime but didn’t read the web comic, I really want to hear from you. What was your impression of the anime?

The only reason I gave this anime a 3/10 is because its existence might lead more people to the web comic.

TLDR: I can’t recommend watching this anime. But I strongly recommend you read the web comic. It’s still ongoing and there are over 200 chapter. There’s still a lot of story to tell.

To Be Hero X

Overall Rating: 10/10

Donghua’s are crushing it out there! To Be Hero X is the latest success story from a Chinese studio.

This anime has it all - interesting plot and jaw dropping animation. I’ve grown to love the way that the story is initially told in silos, focusing on one character and one plot thread at a time. I was constantly hypothesizing, in real time, about who Hero X is. I can already see some pieces of the plot starting to come together, which just makes me want to watch the upcoming episodes more.

The plot has intensity mixed in with comedic relief and the story is very well paced. The main concept behind the plot is giving “Black Mirror” vibes, where individuals have societal “trust” ratings. The more people there are supporting you, rooting for you, etc. the better standing you have in society. If the world believes you’re lightning fast, then you will be lightning fast. If you disappoint fans or cause some rupture in the trust people have in you, you’ll lose your powers because you will have loose the public’s faith. This opens up an opportunity for agencies to socially engineer heroes through carefully crafted marketing strategies.

The animation style is complex. It combines 3D and 2D animation - think Arcane but with more 2D (there are entire 2D scenes and majority 2D episodes in To Be Hero X). It’s extremely hard to successfully switch back and forth between 3D, 2D, and scenes that are a combination of both. The director, Li Haoling, is talented for pulling it off. I read that three animation studios contributed to the making of To Be Hero X and it really shows, in the best way possible. Just a guess but this might be how they nailed both 2D and 3D animation styles and seamlessly combined them.

Remember several paragraphs above where I said animation studios always have limited budgets? I’m starting to wonder if that’s true for Chinese animation studios.

For example, there’s a scene that isn’t core to To Be Hero X’s plot — I think it’s episode 8 — where a journalist (who does end up being important later on) is talking to his boss and smacking his hands together in frustration to make a point. Hand movements are notoriously hard to animate because there are so many bones and joints that move in tandem. The more bones/muscles/joints you need to consider when animating, the harder it is to make the movement look realistic. Without a doubt these studios have equipment to make this job easier, but still, even with a motion capture suit, you would need to touch up the movement. Usually studios save the highest level of animation for big scenes (think Solo Leveling’s ending for season 2) because it’s so costly and time consuming to animate at that level consistently. The scene with the journalist’s hand movement is so high quality, you literally never see that level of animation for a character in a minor scene. The level of effort put into this animation is, without an ounce of exaggeration, mind blowing.

This anime is still releasing episodes, so it won’t be finished before the end of the Spring season. It’s only a little over halfway through the story at the time I’m releasing this post. But I’m extremely impressed by what has been released so far.

To Be Hero X gets a perfect score from me because, not only do I have zero negative notes, I feel like it successfully pushes the boundaries in terms of plot and animation.

TLDR: This is the anime to watch from the Spring 2025 line up. This is high quality storytelling paired with high budget animation. It doesn’t get much better than this.

The Apothecary Diaries, Season 2

Overall Rating: 9/10

Context about me — I’m really into learning about the properties of different herbs. It’s one of my hobbies. So The Apothecary Diaries is right up my alley in terms of the plot and Maomao — our consistently sharp-witted protagonist.

In this season we learn more about Jinshi’s real identity and the narrative flirts with the idea of Maomao finding out too. Well… Maomao appears to already have her hypothesis formed, because she’s brilliant. But she won’t dare to say it out loud because she doesn’t want to get wrapped up in knowing such a dangerous secret. Speaking of flirting, Maomao and Jinshi have some close calls — there were a couple of near kisses. Jinshi is clearly getting more impatient.

The Apothecary Diaries is a slow burn in terms of the plot. The mysteries are crafty, intelligent and never rushed. What I love about season 2 is how the individual mysteries we see in each episode end up being linked to the greater storyline of political betrayal/conspiracies and Jinshi’s identity. It’s rewarding to be able to solve the mysteries in one episode but then we get a second wave of gratification when we realize out how these smaller moments relate to the narrative as a whole.

The animation of season 2 is the same great quality we saw in season 1. The Chinese imperial aesthetic is beautifully done. One improvement I noticed, in terms of animation from season 1 to season 2 was the lighting. I thought season 1’s animation quality was great but it’s always cool to see how an animation studio finds ways to raise their own bar.

I really don’t have many notes for this anime. It nails the style it’s aiming for and I can’t wait to see where this story goes. I’m unsure what season 3 will look like because I haven’t read the light novel and the manga is already behind the anime. I’m not apprehensive, just looking forward to the surprise! I think the studios (OLM/TOHO) have proven themselves.

I rated it a 9/10 because not only is the story and animation top tier but the female protagonist is uniquely written and it helps the anime stand out among the other anime I’ve been watching.

TLDR: Season 2 improves upon what was already a great first season. It delivers a great detective-mystery style anime with beautiful aesthetic and a unique female protagonist.

Overall, I’m happy with the anime I got this Spring. Yes, TBATE was a let down, but the other anime more than made up for it.

What were you guys watching from the anime released over the Spring? If you have recommendations that I didn’t watch, I want to hear about them!

I’m so looking forward to this summer’s anime lineup. I have +10 anime to watch which is an insane line up. No clue how I’m going to review all of this. If you haven’t already, check out my top picks for the summer here.

[bbmiralina]

Anime Diaries: Frieren (Season 1)

The weight of a thousand years, magic, and memories rolled up into one incredible story.

Spoiler Warning: Since this is a deeper dive into Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, this post contains spoilers — read with caution.

Check out my substack for more posts:

Frieren is a masterclass in storytelling. It’s already a popular anime, but honestly, I think it deserves even more hype. The story is unique, the themes run deep, and it's all so beautifully told. It should have won Anime of the Year, in my opinion.

While most anime rely on suspense, action, or drama to keep you engaged, Frieren leans into quiet reflection. In a world where attention spans are shrinking and so many shows are chasing more flash, Frieren does the opposite — it invites you to slow down. To sit with your thoughts. To think deeply about time, memory, and legacy. And that’s kind of beautiful.

One reason this quiet reflection works so well is the animation. There are stretches where characters walk silently through forests or small villages — no dialogue, just the sound of nature and gentle music. It creates space, almost like the anime wants you to absorb the moment, to let whatever lesson it’s trying to teach sink in.

That’s not to say there’s no action. The fight scenes are elegant, fluid, and absolutely stunning. (The Aura and Lügner battle? Incredible.) What stood out to me was how differently the camera moves during these scenes. Outside of a battle, the camera is often still or slow-moving, again encouraging reflection. But during fights, it zooms, pans, and flows with a different kind of energy — signaling a shift in tone and intensity.

As beautiful as the visuals are (and truly, screenshots don’t do them justice), it’s the story and characters that make this anime something special.

One of my favorite things about Frieren is Frieren’s emotional development. At the start, she’s emotionally distant. When you live for a thousand years, most people pass through your life like moments. Getting attached doesn’t make sense when everything feels temporary.

But the Hero Party — especially Himmel — leaves a lasting impact. In one of the rare moments we see Frieren show emotion, she cries at Himmel’s funeral, grieving his death, but also the time she failed to appreciate while he was alive. It's only after his death that she starts to unpack just how much her time with the Hero Party shaped her.

I found it heart-wrenching watching her slowly come to terms with what Himmel meant to her — knowing he’s already gone. He was a legendary hero, and his legacy lingers everywhere, literally — statues of him are scattered across the world. But it’s not depressing. Those reminders seem to bring her comfort. She’s proud of the legacy he left behind, and his memory guides how she connects with others.

Frieren and Fern are the sweetest duo. Frieren starts out as Fern’s teacher, but as Fern grows into her late teens, their relationship feels more like a reversed parent-child dynamic — Fern is definitely the stern one, and Frieren is the aloof, easygoing “older sibling.” Their chemistry is so charming. I live for each of Fern’s frustrated expressions.

Heiter was absolutely right to bring them together. Fern gives Frieren a reason to stay present, while Frieren offers Fern a sense of connection and chosen family.

What I love most is how understated both of them are. You know Frieren is powerful, but even then, when she actually shows what she can do, it still takes you by surprise. It turns out that soft-spoken Frieren is a terrifying badass — and she’s trained Fern to be just the same. Quiet, composed, and lethal.

And finally, Stark. Stark joins the group a bit later, and at first, he seems like comic relief. But as we get to know him, his depth becomes clear. He’s strong, yes — but hesitant when it comes to fighting. Not because he’s weak, but because he’s carrying trauma: the loss of his brother and the weight of trying to live up to Eisen, the great warrior.

What I love is that, despite his fear, Stark fights anyway. That’s what makes him brave. He shows us that courage isn't the absence of fear — it’s pushing through it.

Stark and Fern are definitely developing feelings for each other. “St-ern” is the perfect couple name, especially with how hard Fern is on him sometimes. I’m all in for their slow-burn love story.

I think Frieren is best enjoyed in a cozy cabin in the woods, with snow falling outside and a fireplace glowing — the perfect match for the storybook atmosphere this anime creates. I can’t wait for Season 2 this winter.

[bbmiralina]

Watchlist: Summer 2025

**Check out my substack here**

I’m trying to get outside as much as I can this summer - you have to make the most of the nice weather in Canada. But this summer line up is just too good!

Here’s what’s on my watch list this summer:

Dandadan Season 2

Kaiju No. 8 Season 2

Sakamoto Days Season 1, Part 2

The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity

Gachiakuta

The Summer Hikaru Died

Tougen Anki

Silent Witch

Nyaight of the Living Cat

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Arc

Chainsaw Man Movie: Reze Arc

Lord of Mysteries

My top picks for Summer 2025 are Dandadan (S2), The Summer Hikaru Died, and the Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man movies. I’m predicting these four anime will be the highlight of my summer list.

Chainsaw Man

After a three-year wait since the first Chainsaw Man season I am beyond excited and have really high hopes for this movie. The Public Safety Saga as a whole is incredibly good. The storyline is hard to predict, the whole story is kind of unhinged? No, it’s absolutely unhinged. But then it’s also really deep - touching on feeling lonely, suffering loss, and Denji discovering his own identity once he is able to move beyond meeting his most basic needs. Chainsaw Man is one of my favourite manga because of those eight arcs.

On a side note, I paused reading anything related to the Academy Saga because I rather read it as a whole and not wait for each chapter to be released. The movie should cover chapters 39-53, which I think will be doable. I’m sure the animation is going to be stunning.

Demon Slayer

Speaking of stunning animation, every new season of Demon Slayer improves upon the one that came before it. This is pretty impressive, given that every season of Demon Slayer has incredible animation quality.

Ever since we saw the first animated scene of the infinity castle, I’m always waiting for it to make an appearance. I’m obsessed with the animation for the room movement. I think the strumming sound comes from a sangen? Please correct me if I’m wrong. Every time you hear that sound, you know things are getting serious. This is my favourite arc of the entire manga so I’m really looking forward to this movie.

I completely trust the animators of Demon Slayer, they never let us down. Every season/movie has done a great job of honouring the manga. It’s interesting that two of the biggest series of the season are both releasing a movie this time around. I’d really like to catch both Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man in theatre if I can.

The Summer Hikaru Died

If you’re looking for a new anime to start this season - this is the one. After I started reading The Summer Hikaru Died, I kept hoping it would get an anime quickly. It’s a horror manga and the story takes place in the Japanese countryside. The environment is important to the story - from the character’s slight countryside dialect to the forest to the constant noise of the bugs and frogs. I wouldn’t describe it as scary but there’s an eerie vibe throughout the story.

I don’t know the studio that’s creating this anime. I don’t recognize any of the studio’s other work, but I’m encouraged by the imagery and trailer that was released. This manga has amazing content to work with but I can imagine it might be hard to get right. My heart really can’t take another bad anime adaptation of a story I love (I’m still recovering from TBATE). Putting positive vibes out there in the universe that this anime gets done right. We can always use more horror anime in the world. I really hope this one resonates with viewers.

Honourable Mentions

Honourable mentions go to Dandadan (S2) and Kaiju No. 8 (S2). Dandadan’s use of colour is exactly my style - bold, punchy, vibrant colours against a lot of dark. We’re all rooting for Momo and Okarun (and for Okarun to find his missing ball). Dandadan isn’t a manga that I’ve read, pior to watching the anime. I enjoy when I get to go into an anime completely blind. I don’t know how their opening theme is going to compete with the one from season 1, definitely some big shoes to fill there. This makes me want to make a list of my favourite anime opening themes.

Kaiju No. 8 is another manga that I started reading when it initially came out. The moment I started reading, I couldn’t wait for it to become an anime - thankfully I didn’t have to wait long. I thought the plot’s foundation was so smart - like yeah, what happens after the fight is over, the heroes leave, and there are monster guts all over the city? Who cleans that up and how did I never think about that before??

There’s been a lot of buzz around Lord of Mysteries. Most coverage is about the insane animation quality. I’m excited to watch this one, given what other Chinese animation studios have been able to produce. Victorian era, steampunk worlds aren’t what I gravitate to naturally, but if any anime has the potential to overtake my predicted top anime, it’s probably Lord of Mysteries.

Finally, I know virtually nothing about Nyaight of the Living Cat, but it’s about cats so I have to watch it.

What anime are you most looking forward to this summer?

[bbmiralina]

Meet Mira

For my first post, I wanted to introduce myself. Hi! I’m Miralina and I created Give Me Anime as an outlet to discuss the anime I was watching and, from time-to-time, the manga I’m reading.

When I’d get home from school, I would rush to watch whatever anime was on during the early afternoon timeslots on the kids channel; Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, Digimon, and Pokémon. Then one day I caught an episode of Dragon Ball Z and I was hooked. I used to stay up late to catch whatever shows were playing at night (Dragon Ball, Gundam, Naruto, etc.). When streaming became a thing, it was exciting to discover all the anime I never have access to. The world of anime felt endless.

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I thought it might be fun to answer some questions so that you can get to know me through my anime preferences. Let the interview begin!

What's your favorite anime? We can slice this question in a few different ways, but if we go with number of times I’ve rewatched it, probably Haikyu (my #1 comfort anime). Number of watches aside: either Demon Slayer or Attack on Titan.

What’s an anime that you think everyone should watch? I’m interpreting this question as if I’m being asked by someone who is new to anime - so I’m thinking something easy to watch, that would wow you with the art style while also having a story that keeps you hooked. To me, that would be Spirited Away. Otherwise, if you watch a ton of modern action anime, try Ghost in the Shell. If you’re looking for something modern but unique, try Orb.

Which anime do you think deserves a sequel or another season? Maybe an odd choice but I would love it if Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan got a second season. It’s an anime about adults who work on a children’s TV show and how soul sucking it can be. The adults on the show are going through the struggles of adulthood, the realizations that their lives aren’t quite turning out how they imagined, all the while having to keep a constant stream of positivity and high energy levels as they interact with their child audience. Despite the heavy topics, it’s actually a comedy and I find it incredibly funny and watchable - hits nice and close to home in adulthood.

What kind of anime do you enjoy watching? I watch everything and anything. But I probably watch Shonen/Seinen anime the most.

Who’s your favorite anime character? Lately, I’m loving Frieren. She’s cute, kind, a little socially awkward but she tries so hard to compensate for that weakness. She’s totally unassuming but then you learn she’s like the One-Punch Man of mages. My answer changes all the time. I could pick Itachi Uchiha for the nostalgia (and because he’s awesome), or Shoyo Hinata because his determination is inspiring, or even Gin (from Gintama) because he’s beyond ridiculous and always gets me laughing. I feel like my favourite character changes based on whatever mood I’m in.

When did you start watching anime? Since I can remember - like 5-6 years old?

What anime do you dislike? I don’t know if this is controversial because it seems to be popular and well rated but Oshi no Ko. I tried, I really did. But I could not get past the first few episodes. Maybe if I did it would have gotten better? I’m opened to being convinced to give it another try. Tell me why the story was compelling for you.

What was the last anime you watched? I’m watching a bunch of anime at the same time (between what I watch solo and what I watch alongside my husband) but currently, I’m watching My Hero Academia on my own.

What’s your favorite anime opening? Link Click Season 2, I get chills every time. It’s the animation, the way it changes slightly as the story progresses, the song, it comes together beautifully.

What’s your favorite anime scene? An impossible question to answer definitively. This answer also depends on the mood I’m in. For now, I’ll go with the Kakashi vs Obito fight (season 18). The animation and combat sequence blew my mind when I first watched it. It still holds up over a decade later.

What’s your favorite thing about anime? I’ve always loved the art, even as a little kid. My husband is a 3D generalist and, from watching him, I’ve learned the type of work that goes into every frame. Whether it’s an old school, hand drawn anime, or something more modern incorporating 3D, I have a deep appreciation for the animation. Aside from that, I really like being able to watch anime with other people or talking about anime - just the shared experience of it! It’s always going to be a family activity in our household.

Going forward I’ll make posts about some of the anime I’m watching. I’ll also put together a review of the latest anime season and set out my top picks for the season ahead.

Meet you here again at the next post!