#The story of Taro Urashima I

[madcat-world]

浦島太郎の物語I (1 of 2) - Sija Hong

[kinokoshoujoart]

please pray for my husband Rock, the first and only SOS character to experience rapid twink death and age faster than his extremely very biological parents

based on this meme

[idekka]

????

[thenukacolachallenge]

was there ever an explanation of where the Energy Steroids that Hody Jones and the New Fish-Man Pirates used actually originated from? like yes, i know they were in the Tamatebako, but like. who put them there. who made them. was that ever a thing that was explained?

[pukanavis]

Fuyume Hanamura Idol Story 1

ーThe Yumenosaki Academy library, two years since the establishment of ES.

Fuyume: Excuse me?

Are there any fairy tales here…?

Oh, the shelf over there is the section for picture books and stuff?

Thank you for your help.

~...♪

(Ah, she was right. Yume recognises a bunch of the books over here.)

(They’ve got a good selection to choose from but the categorising is a mess. They’re just randomly thrown onto the shelf without any care for alphabetical order or release date.)

(Oh well…apparently no one has any love for fairy tales…)

(‘The Little Mermaid, ‘Momotaro’, ‘Tale of The Bamboo-Cutter’, ‘Snow White’, ‘Urashima Taro’, ‘Cinderella’—)

(Oh! It might not be the one Yume was looking for but he’s in the mood to read Cinderella today.)

(This story is another one that Yume adores.)

(It’s a tale about love being rewarded.)

…♪

Fuyume: …? Hm? Oh, uhm, you’re that nice person from earlier—did you need something?

You were so kind to Yume earlier, so he’d be happy to give you some company.

Huh? The Yumenosaki Academy library is off-limits to anyone that doesn’t work for or attend the school?

How could you tell that Yume isn’t a student here?

Ooh, cause Yume isn’t wearing the uniform…?

That makes sense…no biggie, Yume will be sure to wear the school uniform next time.

Yume is really good at sewing, so it won’t be a problem…fufu ♪

Huh? That’s not the issue?

Yume doesn't like anything you’re saying right now.

Here he was thinking you were a nice person.

Fuyume: Huh? Yume’s name is Fuyume Hanamura.

And you are? …Anzu-san? You’re a graduate of Yumenosaki?

You’re here at your old school to do some producer work, huh? It made you feel nostalgic so you’ve been walking around the grounds…? 

Oh, is that the case? Hmm…♪

Then, aren’t you and Yume in the same boat? Yume goes to a middle school separate from Yumenosaki and you’ve already graduated…right?

It sounds like neither of us are allowed to be here.

Let's work together then, okay? If you pretend you never saw Yume, he won’t go around yelling, ‘There’s a trespasser in here!’ …♪

What do they call it? A contract, business, bargaining? Let’s do something like that…♪

If you’re willing to comply, Yume will leave you be. He isn't particularly interested in you anyway.

Yume is just here to read some fairy tales.

…♪

Fuyume: Huh? Did you need something else? You want to know what Yume is reading?

Ehehe, you’re interested in fairy tales? Sounds like we can get along.

Ehehehehehe. Yume is just reading a picture book about the massively popular princess, Cinderella. Though, he actually wanted to read something else. 

Maybe you’ve heard of it? For some reason, no one in Japan knows about it—it’s a fairy tale about an amethyst. 

Even if you don’t know the story, maybe you’ve heard this quote before?

—”The amethyst broke into pieces.”

Fufu. I guess you haven’t heard of it. Oh well.

Basically, it’s a story about an ordinary girl that comes across an amethyst that can grant any wish that she desires.

In fact, she actually fuses with the amethyst and becomes a crystalised-human of sorts.

It’s a curse put on her by an evil witch…ehehehehe ♪

The plot is kinda similar to ‘The Happy Prince’. Actually, something like ‘Arabian Nights’ or ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ might be a better match.

After transforming into the wish-granting amethyst, the girl wishes for her crush to pay attention to her, or to become better friends with people—

With each little wish she makes, the amethyst uses its power and gradually begins to crack—

Aah…♪ Eventually, her body becomes so fractured that it crumbles away and she loses all of the love and friends that she had been granted.

Her loved ones view her like a monster and chase her away in fear.

After everything, the final wish she makes is—

Fuyume: —Ah, wait, Yume thinks you should read it for yourself to find out what happens next. Spoilers are a crime!

Ehehe. If there’s one thing Yume can say, it’s that he empathises with the amethyst girl and even admires her.

At the end of it all, the final remaining piece of her—

Becomes a ring that showers the wedding between her best friend and the one she loved in joy.

After everything, her final wish is—wait, oops, Yume just realised how much he’s spoiling. He’s really really sorry.

You don’t mind? Really? You’re super kind, you know?

Ehehe. You see, Yume shares the same wish as the girl who became a ring.

—-“I wish for your life to be full of joy.”

During her final moments, the girl whose selfish asks led her to break apart used her last wish to bring someone else happiness. 

Ehehe. Yume doesn’t have the power to grant wishes but he’ll do everything he can to achieve that too.

For example, Esu goes to Yumenosaki so Yume snuck in to watch over him in secret.

Huh? Does Yume love Esu?

It depends how you define ‘love’ but yep, Yume loves Esu.

But it's sad, isn't it? The reality we live in isn’t a fairytale.

—The amethyst already shattered long ago.

[reivelation]

literary references in evangelion

toji suzuhara, kensuke aida, and the last name horaki are lifted from characters within ryu murakami's novel ai to gensou no fascism / fascism of love and illusion.

nerv's motto is a quote from pippa passes, a 1841 verse drama.

"God's in his heaven— All's right with the world!

this line is also quoted in anne of the green grables.

"'God's in his heaven, all's right with the world,'" whispered Anne softly.

isao takahata's anime adaptation anne of the green gables also includes a scene similar to the ending scene of the anime series.

the name of episode 26 (the beast that shouted i at the heart of the world) is a reference to the book by harlan ellison, the beast that shouted love at the heart of the world, a collection of short stories. "i" sounds very similar to "ai", meaning love in japanese.

the greek tragedies, oedipus rex and electra which is fairly self-explanatory... i hope... with the show's use of freudian concepts (shinji's oedipus complex and misato's electra complex respectively.)

the human instrumentality project is a reference to the book series by cordwainer smith, instrumentality of mankind.

despite that, the human instrumentality bears a striking resemblance to the plot of Arthur C. Clarke's 1953 novel, childhood's end.

plot synopsis on goodreads:

The Overlords appeared suddenly over every city--intellectually, technologically, and militarily superior to humankind. Benevolent, they made few demands: unify earth, eliminate poverty, and end war. With little rebellion, humankind agreed, and a golden age began.

But at what cost? With the advent of peace, man ceases to strive for creative greatness, and a malaise settles over the human race. To those who resist, it becomes evident that the Overlords have an agenda of their own. As civilization approaches the crossroads, will the Overlords spell the end for humankind . . . or the beginning?

in asuka and kaji's introductory episode asuka strikes, there are four battleships in the UN convoy named after the shakespeare plays titus andronicus, cymbeline, othello and tempest.

in 2.22, kaji says he feels like urashima taro, referencing the japanese legend named after it's titular character, a fisherman named urashima taro. the legend goes that the fisherman rescues a turtle and is rewarded by a visit to the dragon palace where he is entertained for several days but when he returns to the human world, he finds that he had been gone for at least a century and everything around him has now changed. this is a metaphor for how kaji left tokyo-03 for only two years yet feels as though everything around him has now changed.

episode sixteen being titled (there are alternate titles to several evangelion episodes) sickness unto death after the philosopher soren kierkegaard's book of the same name exploring christian existentialism.

speaking of episodes being titled after philosophical works from the victorian era, is the hedgehog's dilemma. originally described in arthur schopenhauer's collection of philosophical reflections, parerga und paralipomena. the hedgehogs dilemma is a theme seen over and over again in evangelion with episode 4 being titled after it.

the title of evangelion 3.0 + 1.0: thrice upon a time references the book with the same title, thrice upon a time by james p. hogan.

It's amazing enough when Murdoch Ross's brilliant grandfather invents a machine that can send messages to itself in the past or the future. But when signals begin to arrive without being sent, Murdoch realizes that every action he takes changes the future that would have been...and that the world he lives in has already been altered!

Then a new message arrives from the future: The world is doomed!

as qmisato pointed out, anno has referenced james p. hogan's works previously as well (nadia: secret of the waters' final episode being titled inheritor of stars referencing hogan's novel inherit the stars)

[worm-death]

Lupin Week 2024 Day #4

Legend of Rupanshima Taro (i hope this counts as mythology lol

Anyway, I took the story of Urashima Taro and included Lupin, since they kinda sorta did an episode based around it in part 2. Tried my best to incorporate a half ukiyo-e/lupin style in here

[doubleddenden]

Okay so Lockstin dropped his video about Teal Mask and the origins and inspirations behind it. And I was reading through various comments and I feel like I've hit the jackpot on Treasures of Area Zero as a whole

Time for DD'S Theory Corner

Okay so look at Ogerpon. As Lockstin pointed out, Oger is often used as an English translation of Oni- clearly it sort of represents the Oni from the story of Momotaro. Right?

But!!!

Remember this? Ogerpon wears a mask over what looks to be a very cute face. Pon, as Lockstin pointed out, can be a sillier version of Chan, and also the bonking sound of something hitting something soft.

Theory: Ogerpon is not the bad guy. In fact, he's probably bullied and wears the mask to scare people.

It could also combine with the original story of the red and blue Oni, instead scaring so the Momotaro trio can be praised as heroes. Their names do oddly sound "this is fine" and "a okay!" Or "all good!" In comparison to "Silly Oger," you know?

Okay, then I had another thought

Remember my theory about Indigo Disk maybe having some inspiration from The Tale of Urashima Taro? Short version is this:

A man named Taro saved a sea turtle that was being bullied by children, and in return the sea turtle brought him to an underwater kingdom called The Dragon Palace, where he was welcomed and well fed by the princess. She gave him a box when he felt homesick and told him to never open it. When he went back home he saw that a few days to him was 300 years at home. He thought the box might help but instead it made him old.

All of that is to say that we have a possible connecting theme.

Bullying.

The sea turtle was bullied by children. Scarlet and Violet's entire Star Fall plot revolved around the aftermath of Team Star being bullied. Ogerpon is also most like being bullied or AFRAID of bullying. Although what Terapagos could be bullied for, I'm unclear. Maybe being used to create things like the Tera crystals or something else entirely.

Anyway, big big theory is that we're getting more bullying allegories of some kind.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Backup Drummer

Right off the bat, we follow up a note from last time. Kuma's upping the ante on being an unreliable narrator. Now we're doing it a second time. A nested flashback. Fun! I love this, same with the idea it's a pointless exercise. Tragic though it may be, the idea these letters never find Bonney is such a great narrative nugget. Type of thing where...well, I was gonna say you see a flash of static that was there intentionally to cover a key detail but we did that one didn't we?

Seeing this flashback start to fray and break down is interesting. We keep seeing it and now I definitely think we'll have shenanigans upon our return. That's not the only bit of narrative peculiarity though. There's another beat that caught my eye even more:

We've done the "static" effect. Covering up a detail with sound effect Kanji. This one feels more like...listening to the radio at the edge of the station's rage. When it starts to intermingle with another station on the same frequency. This is such a weird little blip. "A smart hawk hides its claws" is a great idiom for all this then we shift to a brief moment with Stussy going oddly philosophical. She went too quiet during the time between the cutaway and this flashback, don't forget her. If there's another "Rashomon" break from the main story she might be a good one. Especially with this weird little adjacent element of a potential relative for Kalifa. It is odd how we get Lucci, Kaku, and a replacement girl. Not to mention the three brothers. Sabo was in Vivi's story, Luffy Bonney's, and the OG Stussy has already been around Marco so Ace fitting in isn't that much of a stretch. Still think Rashomon & Riddles is one of my better ones.

Don't forget she gets tied up in the Tamataebako thread too. Bonney is sorta inherently tied up with Urashima Taro by default with that power while we're at it. Likewise with Vegapunk, but that'll be a little secret for later. Which means now we have to get to Bonney's grand escape. That was our deal. Bonney's really horning in as someone who can fill this open role we've identified. What does our story have to say here?

Distortion. Who does "becoming Nika" remind you of? Club, white hair, doggy form, tboy swag...it smacks of Yamato's Oden fixation. Credit where credit's due, I can argue Kiku threads the needle of these Egghead characters, but Bonney's a good mix of Carrot/Kiku/Yamato as well. Still, this plus the narration feel a certain way to me. Like they're really, really reasserting Bonney as a rival. Her own captain. Someone who could have taken Luffy's place if he wasn't here. Fair is fair, our main narrator being unreliable has happened too. With the redacted announcement of the Luffy v Kaido battle. But this makes me wonder how much we'll even focus on Bonney if this flashback continues. Remember she's the third Supernova this arc set up to end her saga.

We'll get to Luffy & Kuma tomorrow, but I have a last thought on Bonney. With all the Thriller Bark elements floating around, did she lose her crew to the buzzsaw of the New World? As in, end up like Moria? Interesting parallel on the table at least. I always thought Yamato was intriguing from the vantage point of like, being perfect if Luffy did blunder into the New World too early and meet the same fate. Yams is a great person to bail you out and start a new crew. Not like anyone wanted that outcome but you can't forget Moria's shadow hanging around. Potentially even literally given the Blackbeard ship could be stolen.

[godzilla-reads]

🌏 Tamamo the Fox Maiden and Other Asian Stories: A Cautionary Fables and Fairytales Book edited by Kel McDonald, C. Spike Trotman, and Kate Ashwin

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

A graphic novel collection of several fables and fairytales from Asian countries, including some famous and some lesser-known, while also including an array of countries!

When I got this book I was worried it’d only feature stories from Japan and China, but I was pleasantly surprised to find stories from Laos, Georgia, Iraq, and many others! Each story features an artist who has great talent in art and storytelling.

My favorite stories were “The Demon with Matted Hair” from India, “Urashima Taro” from Japan, and “The History of the Spectre Ship” from Iraq.

I highly recommend!

[aura-bug]

favorite yo-kai from each tribe?

Brave: Either Asura or Hovernyan, I fucking love Asura's designs/origins (<- nerd) and I am just VERY attached to hovernyan bc ykw2 is my favorite game

Tough: Toadal Dude. no contest. "surfer dude war general who is also a frog" is the funniest possible combination of character traits you could come up with. AND his name is TOADAL DUDE? thats peak. amazing. wonderful. Robonyan is very close in 2nd though

Mysterious: oughhhhh mysterious is one of those tribes where it's hard to pick a favorite bc there's so many I like 😭 if you held me to gunpoint and forced to me choose just one, though, I'd probably say Tengu. Neat design, I'm a folklore nerd, and he's just one of the guys I got weirdly attached to for no reason. idk. I liked his anime episode with Tenguriginal a lot omg

Charming: ouGGGGGHHHHHH another hard tribe,,,,, probably either Whirlweasel or Princess Pearl. Whirlweasel's anime episode was so fucking cute ??? like??? it had no right to be that adorable. what. also their design is just very gender

Princess Pearl bc I'm a sucker for all of ykw3's added legendaries asdfgh,, I like her little fish guy and the story of Otohime/Urashima Taro is just very iconic

Heartful: Predictabull. I can't explain this one. I just think he's a silly little guy. his folkloric origins are also very cool I like the kudan/other prophetic yokai a lot

Shady: Either Hidabat or Wobblewok. Hidabat's entire existence is just so insanely funny to me. Imagine allowing some loser recluse to live in your closet bc they're scared of the outdoors, then you slowly start finding out they're actually some sort of multi-millionaire that can just casually call up limousines and buy out entire houses and get in touch with extremely famous people n shit. headcanon: hidabat mines bitcoin

also wobblewok is just one of my favorite yo-kai in GENERAL. friend form AND boss form. people have died trying to confine this thing to the depths of hell and it looks like a big chocolate pudding cup with a dopey face. and its named WOBBLEWOK. thats a name that people were so afraid of that they DARED not to speak it out loud. WOBBLEWOK. its so silly I cant

I love its name I love its design I loved its goofy anime episode I love the way it goes "hiiiiii :)" when you fight it in blasters. everything abt wobblewok is perfect to me

Eerie: Arachnia!! Arachnia!!!!!!! also sort of Arachnus but I love Arachnia so goddamn much. I've talked at her before so I'll spare all the details but I want to *holds gently in hands* her. if you add a tsuchigumo/jorogumo character to your franchise they're basically guaranteed to be my favorite

Also Arachnus bc the donut war plot line is so fucking goofy I love it. It's one of the reasons why I'm biased towards 2. I was a bony spirits kid 💔

Slippery: OURGHHHHHHHHGHGH,,,,,,, dude this is the hardest,,,,,, there's so many slippery tribe yokai that I love to deathhhh 😭

Noko is so cute... I'm biased towards Venoct bc dragons...... I'm biased towards Draggie/Dragon Lord/Azure Dragon bc dragons.......... I'm biased towards Draaagin bc dragons................... I'm biased towards Mython bC DRAGONS.............................. I'M BIASED TOWARDS WHYVERN KING BC DRAGONS...................................... ARE YOU SENSING A PATTERN HERE

oh also whisper ig

If I HADDDDDD to choose, I guess I'd go with Whyvern King. Out of all the other dragons he has my favorite origins, being based on Nanda Ryuo, the most powerful of the 8 great dragon kings from folklore. and I was WAITING for SOMEONE to make that "nanda = why" pun eventually

Wicked: Unfairy, my favorite little piece of shit rat. their medallium entry literally calls them a pain in the ass. they're so goofy. sorry to all the unkeen fans out there ily all but UNFAIRY should've been the face of the wicked yokai. UNFAIRY shouldve been the main poster child for psychic specters. unfairy shouldve come in plushie form and I shouldve been able to bulk buy hundreds of them. I think it'd be funnier to have this little shit's face plastered on everything like some sort of parasite that'd be soooo funny

Enma: Lucas. "But aura, he's-" I don't care. Lucas.

[eeby-beeby-saiki-k-fan-blog]

hey guys wanna see me try and brute force a saiki k undertale au

just a "which character would fit which role and why" type post,

spoilers for undertale

also be prepared for a really long post if/when you press keep reading, I might've had a bit too much to say about this

Kusuo could fit Frisk pretty nicely, there's this general vibe that Frisk's just being dragged through the story by the other characters. When they interact the narrator says something along the lines of "you tell [character] this" and that might be a pretty good interpretation of telepathy.

Akechi would be Chara, there's a popular theory that Chara is the narrator, Akechi played the part of narrator during the Urashima Taro play so there's that. They both speak pretty formally, Akechi also just straight up looks like Chara. That bug eyed stare and smile he usually has along with his hair cut makes him really remind me of them. Chara's very left up to interpretation so pretty much anyone could be Chara honestly.

Kusuke fits Flowey the best for sure, the whole "everything is a game" type mentality and everything. He could be warp instead of a flower, then maybe for the god of hyper death form he could be Mr K or something.

Teruhashi would either be Toriel or Mettaton. The whole having a massive fanbase thing could really easily make her Mettaton, her arrogant attitude is also pretty similar to Mettaton's. (btw this is not me hating on Teruhashi, that whole "girls are not allowed to like how they look or like attention" narrative people have is toxic) (just feel obligated to say that) I say Toriel because I'm really just not sure who else would be Toriel? Her savior complex could make it work.

I think Kuboyasu is gonna be Sans, has that general chill unless provoked type vibe you know?

Kaido would be Papyrus. This one's the most clear. Papyrus isn't delusional the same way Kaido is, but if Papyrus talked about dark reunion instead of joining the royal guard you'd have nearly the same character. Nendo as Sans would be pretty similar to how they interact in the anime, half a braincell between the two of them (it's Kaido's) Kaido and Kuboyasu being put together also just works, "sworn friends" and such.

Hairo would be Undyne, flaming passion and such.

Nendo would fit Monster Kid pretty well I think

I'd say the best fit for alphys would be Suzumiya Hii, since she acts the closest to alphys (BY THE WAY. I'm ignoring a lot of the relationships in Undertale. Alphys x Undyne is one of those, I mean Hairo x Suzumiya is a little weird.)

Yumehara is gonna be mettaton, this might seem a little out of left field but I'll explain my reasoning. A lot of this is just Mettaton's old diaries and his old house remind me of Yumehara, it's got that vibe y'know.

Mera would be Muffet, Muffet Mera. There was one post a while back that showed if you killed Muffet she dropped 0 gold. Also Mera definitely eats and hangs out with spiders just saying

Figuring out who Asgore would be is by far the hardest. I'm gonna say Matsuzaki, just the best idea I have. (btw this is one of those "ignore the relationships the role entails" things)

You know,,, I'm not sure how the monster/human dynamic would be translated here. One idea is psychics won the war against humans so like the humans are underground and the psychics fall into the mountain. This would make it so Aiura and Toritsuka could be the souls in this au (yeah only two souls). Considering that idea messes up the roles a bit though because of Kusuo Kusuke and Akechi, Kusuo and Kusuke are fine but Akechi isn't psychic I'm pretty sure.

An alternate idea for this dynamic: psychics underground humans on the surface. You could say that Kusuo was on the surface at first because he was "acting" as human. There's also that one theory that every Saiki k character is psychic, considering that makes this au a lot easier lmao

It's basically take your pick based on if you like the "everyone's psychic" theory or not

So the roles here are:

Frisk - Kusuo

Chara - Akechi

Asriel/Flowey - Kusuke

Toriel - Teruhashi

sans - Kuboyasu

PAPYRUS - Kaido

Jerry - Takahashi

Monster Kid - Nendo

Undyne - Hairo

Alphys - Suzumiya

Mettaton - Yumehara

Muffet - Mera

Asgore - Matsuzaki

I do have some alternate ideas though,

Kuboyasu as Undyne, Hairo as Asgore, Nendo as Sans, Kusuke and Makoto as Alphys and Mettaton respectively, I've had my fill for writing today though so that's it

anyways this au really doesn't work lmao

[vibrantpuppeteer]

Wait. Wait just a gosh-darned second. Those three new Pokémon introduced in the part 1 DLC alongside Ogerpon are named Okidogi, Monkidori, and Fezandipiti. A dog, monkey, pheasant, and oni... IT'S THE STORY OF MOMOTARO!

Edit: So I was watching some YouTube discussions (as you do when something exciting is announced), and part two draws parallels to the tale of Urashima Taro. Terapagos is a turtle Pokémon. Urashima Taro saved a turtle from being bullied, which rewarded him by taking him to an undersea palace. Blueberry Academy? It's entirely underwater. I doubt we're going to be sent 100 years in the future and given a box that'll make us old if we open it, but if there's anything Pokémon loves is items tied to legendaries. What if instead of a box that ages our character, it ages Terapagos into the form teased in the books and back to its cute form by using it? Sorta like Hoopa and its lamp were.

[daeva-agas]

Hi Agas! If you're reading the current SLBP event, do you know which folk tales each route is based on? Masamune's is stated to be the Crane Wife and I'm pretty sure Yukimura's is somewhat based on Urashima Taro, but what about the rest?

Akechi’s one was Momotaro. Nobu’s is the “straw hat Jizo”. It's a story about a poor old couple that gave hats to Jizo statues who got snowed on, and in gratitude the Jizo statues gave them food so they can survive the winter.

Saizo’s one, not sure, but it sounds like the dog that digs up gold (I haven't read Saizo's event).

Kojuro’s one I completely have no idea about.

[japanicus-nerdus]

Photo of the Day: Turtle Boat

This was taken in Katsuura, Wakayama Prefecture. There is a hotspring hotel on the far side of the bay, Urashima Hotel. The hotel runs a ferry service from the town to the hotel. The ferry dock is relatively close to the train station so I guess it’s convenient for the guests. it’s also probably faster than driving. Urashima Taro is a Japanese fairy tale akin to Rip Van Winkle. The story starts…

[beneaththetangles]

Fantasy, romance, and shonen feature prominently in our reviews this week, but so, too, do two rarer releases for manga-associated brands. They include Guardian of Fukushima, a Franco-Belgian work inspired by Japanese culture and the 2011 earthquake, and Tezcatlipoca, a Japanese novel combining Aztec mythology and modern organized crime. Read on to see what we thought of these departures from the usual, as well as more typical light novel and manga fare!

Ayashimon • The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses (Vol. 1) • Guardian of Fukushima • I Kept Pressing the 100-Million-Year Button and Came Out on Top • Sweet Poolside • Tezcatlipoca • Unnamed Memory (Vol. 6)

-----

Unnamed Memory, Light Novel Vol. 6

FYI: this is the final volume of the series, so some mild spoilers are unavoidable. The first volume of the story introduced magical mystery man Valt…and promptly killed him. Well, he’s back in a big way. This series has often had a mystery-of-the-week feel, but certain plot threads—Valt, time travel, witches, the anti-magic sword Akashia, a pair of mysterious orbs, etc.—have helped link the various narrative episodes about Oscar the king and Tinasha the witch, and many of them come together for this finale. I found it a little confusing, but some of that is probably because it’s been too long since I read the preceding volumes, and some of it is probably because time travel is supposed to be a bit puzzling. Be warned that this is a wild ride and you shouldn’t expect everything to be wrapped up in a tidy package. I found the ending is reasonably satisfying, but it’s definitely more “and the adventure continues” than “happily ever after,” and it left me with questions. The Afterword even hints at the possibility of a sequel series. The banter/bickering and mutual trust between Oscar and Tinasha remain charming and enjoyable, and (some) mysteries get resolved. If you’re looking for a fantasy-mystery-romcom, I definitely recommend the completed series that is Unnamed Memory. ~ Jesk

Unnamed Memory is published by Yen Press.

Guardian of Fukushima

This isn’t a manga; it isn’t even Japanese. Instead, it’s a Franco-Belgian bande desinée in the tradition of Asterix and Tintin, but one that tells a very Japanese story: of the earthquake of 2011, the devastation it wrought, and the one man who arose amid the chaos as the “guardian of Fukushima,” Naoto Matusumura. He is the one who returned to the restricted zone in order to care for the animals that had been abandoned during the evacuation—pets and farm animals alike (even ostriches!)—and who has remained there ever since, breaking the law on a daily basis and becoming the most irradiated man alive in the process. But Guardian of Fukushima is not just another retelling of an inspiring true story. Instead, Matsumura’s tale here is “liberated by fiction” (foreword), as writer Fabien Grolleau and artist Ewen Blain re-envision a 21st-century hero in the context of centuries-old Japanese folk tales, legends, and spirituality, in a manner reminiscent of Studio Ghibli’s eco-activist films and Kawatsura’s The House of the Lost on the Cape. The work draws on a rich tapestry of references: from yokai and guardian spirits to the giant catfish Numazu whose thrashing is responsible for earthquakes, to the tale of Urashima Taro, the fisherman and champion of sea life who returns home to find a world transformed—much like Matsumura himself, as the foreword points out. And it works really well, most of the time (the yokai sequence being the exception—it’s not very well integrated into the overarching narrative). Matsumura’s story is moving, but the volume wisely resists becoming overly sentimental and instead emphasizes the protagonist’s steadfast commitment to his conviction that the value of animal life is on par with that of humanity. The graphics are stunning, with the brilliant color work characteristic of bande desinée and a charming hand-drawn feel, right down to the quavering panel lines. The animals are full of personality, and much care has been taken to render the natural landscape with the vibrancy of spring, even amid the destruction. All in all, this volume is a treat for the eye and the heart as well, and a fitting tribute to a man who has laid down his life for creation. ~ claire

Guardian of Fukushima is published by TOKYOPOP.

Tezcatlipoca, Novel

A bold attempt to mix ancient myth with a modern crime tale, Tezcatlipoca is creative, heavy, and for long stretches an absolute page-turner. But it’s also ultimately underwhelming. The modern-day myth traces the lives of a number of characters caught up in a horrifying crime trade (I won’t spoil it here except to say that it’s very 21st century), but two men in particular: a neglected boy with extraordinary strength who is confined for an act of violence he committed as a juvenile, and a drug lord whose family has been assassinated by another drug cartel. The latter, Valmiro, is fueled by his grandmother’s stories about the Aztecs and their great warrior kinsman, as he bides his time in building a new empire with ancestral determination and through cruel, ritual killings; his is a story of revenge against those who killed his family. Tezcatlipoca is an epic tale, beginning decades earlier and an ocean away from Japan, where the main story eventually moves to. It reminds me of another novel involving cartels, Clear and Present Danger, in how absorbing the straight-forward explanation of events are in both novels and how deep the authors dive into character descriptions. Unlike that Tom Clancey book, however, Kiwamu Sato’s similarly lengthy tome spends a great deal of time in the abstract world of Aztec myth and religion, as Valmiro creates a “familia” that is centered on that fierce and brutal culture. In fact, Sato spends too much time on the Aztecs. As compelling as they are, the gangsters’ imitation of the ancient warriors becomes a bit repetitive in the tale, and there are too many gods and terms to follow along closely. While weaving the past with the present, the author seems to lose sight of the drug lord, who is the most interesting character in the novel; it’s a major oversight, particularly because the entire book hinges on weaving together his story with Koshimo’s, and it doesn’t happen with the same care as how their backstories are crafted. Instead, that and most of the elements in Japan are rushed, including a slam-bang climax and a final scene that is wonderfully poetic but would have made a deeper impact if given more time to develop. It’s a disappointment because if Sato had written the final act with as much patience as he did the earlier ones, Tezcatlipoca very well may have been a special novel rather than the mixed bag it ultimately is. ~ @animepopheart​

Tezcatlipoca is published by Yen Press.

Ayashimon, Manga Vol. 1

One of newest entries into the “beat-’em-up” category of shonen manga, Ayashimon is bursting with energy while sticking to the tried and true of the genre. And it appears that the formula has produced a winner. Ayashimon‘s protagonist is Maruo, an impossibly strong young man who is dissatisfied with life since it’s nothing like the shonen manga he adores. His worldview totally shifts when he encounters Urara, the daughter of the deceased leader of the now-fractured Enma crime syndicate, who contracts with him to be her muscle in a quest to take power. The one-on-one battles, which take place within the concept of “ritual” duals, are cleanly drawn and dynamic. The characters are stylish and the world is creative, flipping Kabukicho into a den of demonic yakuza—the titular ayashimon who wear human faces to disguise their monstrous identities. It’s a violent series, featuring beheadings and amputations, but it doesn’t feel graphic, perhaps helped along by the ayashimon “dying” for only 99 years and their bodies transforming into cash upon “death” (I’ll let you make the symbolic connections there). Meanwhile, Urara and Maruo make for intriguing anti-heroes, criminals who are not-so-bad compared to the awfulness around them. Volume one ends on a cliffhanger involving what appears to be one of the series’ main antagonists, creating high stakes for a series that feels like it shouldn’t have any because of the immortality of the ayashimon and the OP qualities of Maruo. It just goes to show what a talented mangaka can do with an entertaining concept. What a great start! ~ @animepopheart​

Ayashimon is published by VIZ Media and releases on March 7th.

The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses, Manga Vol. 1

I never expected Miss Miyazen Would Love to Get Closer to You to have a potential rival when it comes to shonen romcom cuteness, but The Girl I Like Forget Her Glasses is a worthy contender! Komura is excited about his new homeroom and the cute girl next to him…who happens to forget her glasses all too often! While he is happy for the (multiple) instances when he can talk and help his crush, he feels his heart might give out way too soon from how close she has to get to him so she can see his face! This was such a cute read! I was surprised by how fast I read it, but Komura is so, so, so adorable that it was hard not to look ahead to see what his expression would be on the next page! Ha! His reactions are always worth seeing, especially when Mie gets very close to his face. Mie was also pretty funny, and I loved how she would talk like a samurai sometimes because it honestly just added more to her cute charm. After reading this first volume, I’m so excited this will be getting an anime, as I think it’s going to be such a delight to watch onscreen! Definitely recommending this series if you like sweet and wholesome romances with some great art! ~ @lauraagrace​

The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses is published by Square Enix.

Sweet Poolside, Manga

Shuzo Oshimi’s first weekly serial has finally been published in a bound volume. Nearly twenty years after it originally ran and followed by many other successes (The Flowers of Evil, Happiness), this one-volume work exhibits Ochimi’s talent but is deeply flawed, as the author admits himself in a cute side manga at the end of the work. Sweet Poolside is about the relationship between two swimmers, drawn particularly from Ota’s point of view as a boy whose body is less mature than some of his classmates. In fact, he has baby-smooth skin and no hair on his body other than atop his head, which is at the opposite end of the spectrum from the beautiful Goto, who feels enough of a kinship with the boy to ask him to help her improve her confidence by shaving her. Strange, yes, but you could see how such a storyline could develop into a warm and meaningful series, can’t you? And there are nice moments in this limited-run manga, mostly in the awkwardness that Oshimi puts on full display through Ota’s thoughts and actions, but there are not enough to make it as warm and sweet as I would have hoped from this coming-of-age story. Sweet Poolside also features erotic elements meant for the male gaze, as Goto is illustrated in sexually charged ways—while Ota, though arguably shown more graphically, is drawn as such only to add to the adolescent awkwardness of the story rather than to its eroticism. Sweet Poolside would have been better and sweeter if Goto was treated more fully like Ota. As it is, we’re left with a story that doesn’t quite come together and a female lead who’s nothing but her body—not a manga I would recommend. ~ @animepopheart​

Sweet Poolside is published by Kodansha.

I Kept Pressing the 100-Million-Year Button and Came Out on Top, Light Novel Vol. 1

Volume one of I Kept Pressing the 100-Million-Year Button and Came Out on Top serves as a reminder that sometimes an adaptation exceeds—in this case far exceeds—the source material. I called volume one of the manga a “pleasant and unexpectedly fine read,” but the original light novel which it adapts is dreadful. The story is precisely the same—Allen, a bottom-tier, no-talent swordsman, punches a “100-million-year-button” that takes him to an alternate dimension where he trains for that amount of time (and then again and again), leading him into OP-hood before he begins to attend a special swordsman academy. Yes, the idea is silly, but the manga tackles it with optimistism and fun. The light novel has the same tone, but the writing is too atrocious for me to enjoy the cute characters and funny events. The narration is only slightly better than “And then I did this…and then I went here…and then this happened…” as the story moves from one scene to another without rhyme or reason. More visual media are able to hide these issues, but awful writing is more obvious in a light novel. Other substantial problems, like a lack of characterization and creativity in the world-building, also derive from the weak writing. I encourage you to skip this volume, but if you want a fun and upbeat fantasy/school story, check out the manga adaptation—it features all the good parts without being weighed down by the bad. ~ @animepopheart​

I Kept Pressing the 100-Million-Year Button and Came Out on Top is published by Yen Press.

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“Reader’s Corner” is our way of embracing the wonderful world of manga, light novels, and visual novels, creative works intimately related to anime but with a magic all their own. Each week, our writers provide their thoughts on the works they’re reading—both those recently released as we keep you informed of newly published works, and those older titles that you might find as magical (or in some cases, reprehensible) as we do.