#his manga shines in the interpersonal conflicts

[kustas]

i know it's not like. your thing. but i figure we were all 13 once. do you have any thoughts on naruto? me and a friend of mine often bemoan how rich that story is in threads that are left completely unexplored in favor of your average shonen nonsense. like, for a story centered around child soldiers and mutually assured destruction, the story really isn't very interested in child soldiers nor the magical nukes

you're wrong actually for the first part! while i did get to read a bit of naruto as a preteen it was only the first volumes - my most important naruto experience was reading the full series about three years ago as a grown adult. and while i have a lot to criticize about it it's a case where i absolutely get the appeal. naruto is this popular for a reason. it's engaging, fun, and imo the artwork is amazing. an iconic manga/anime! there's so many cool elements from that manga and it's such a good shonen doing shonen things, taking you on a big scale adventure with a bunch of guys in a fantasy land with good concepts.

naruto falls apart for many different reasons too and the ones you mention consist of a sort of fatal flaw. the thing with these shonen anime with large scale warfare and 12 yo protagonists is you have to pick between two sides - taking the matter of their involvement in the conflict and its implications seriously (à la HxH) or not giving a shit about the logic of it all and just being there for fun (à la Soul Eater). naruto is constantly switching between the two, ass between two chairs as would say my mother, and this lack of commitment does a huge disservice to the writing.

naruto for starters, the guy not the series, is a very engaging character. he's an attention hogging menace of a kid who's willing to be a little shit if it means getting the spotlight, later revealed to be because no one cares for him. kids hate him for being weird and unpleasant and adults hate him for being a living reminder of a wartime disaster that gave their generation widespread ninja PTSD. this is not only a great concept but something I believe was the recipe to success for the character because a lot of the anime target audience would see themselves in that lonely weird kid. that touching backstory and layers to his personality go absolutely nowhere very quickly... because it's not exactly compatible with fun ninja school fighting shenanigans. or it could be but kishimoto is not a good writer.

many characters from naruto have similarly interesting backgrounds or quirks who go absolutely nowhere. there's multiple reasons for this but it gets especially annoying when the story switches back to dead serious So Deep monologuing about its serious topics, mostly trauma, and doesn't satisfyingly explore any of the issues. this is for characters but behind these character decisions there is worldbuilding and this is where i believe one of the big flaws of the series shines through: i think what it went for cannot be solved satisfyingly because the author's politics fucking suck.

the child soldiers, nukes and mutually assured destruction are pointed to as bad things, and their origin is explained, but their resolution must go through the magical mind filter of kishimoto which has a few rules set to it. as an adult who's not very involved into the interpersonal drama of the characters or the power scaling magic attacks you start noticing these patterns. people's actions have consequences, but a bad character's badness can be forgiven if they apologize nicely. nations can be cruel and start wars but they cannot be dismantled. revolution isn't the solution, coming to an agreement is. there's more too ofc. characters who's thoughts break those rules mean they are acting badly. this means that if breaking those rules is the solution to a problem it can't be solved normally and you get weird or unsatisfying endings to plot threads.

speaking of plot threads - boy, there's too many. I'm no fan of big series so that's a biais, but naruto has a cast of hundreds and present way too many locations and stories to satisfyingly deal with them. ask someone their top naruto characters and if you're like me who's only casually a fan you'll have to google two of them because you simply don't remember the guy. it's fine to not elaborate on your side plots but the main ones are just not appealing enough to carry it for me, as most of them either go for ridiculous amounts of powerscaling, abort their conclusion, or both.

so you end up with small moments, mini arcs or side characters who fascinate you drowned in a sea of war stories that don't want go talk about war too much and filler moments with an endless cast you might not give a shit about. there's no real overarching thread or "curve" to the intensity of the story. it's a writing that takes itself too seriously but when given the spotlight fails to elaborate.

second most iconic ninja in chief sasuke uchiha also represents this inequality well. he starts off as a tropey rival, enjoyable role for what he is in a juvenile pure entertainment sort of way. the story builds up on his tragic background, making you take him much more seriously as he gets roped in a weird kidnapping political mess, as a child. when you're already sat down for this more mature story he just fucking vanishes to come back here and there giving out villain speeches and doing sparse actions too far apart to leave your interest on. at this point his personality is unclear. it slowly starts clearing up and he becomes interesting again as his motivations are explained and you start getting answers to what caused his backstory in the first place. with these answers come a side serving of uncomfortable political biais from the author. and when you get to know all of his motivations explained it's to portray him as a bad guy who's making sense but guys he's still bad! and then fights happen with big anime magic and he agrees with the main character and marries trope girl from arc one. no consistency in highs or lows or even story presence which makes him hard to be enjoyed as a character...

i don't really have a good way to conclude this. tbh kishimoto neither which is why he threw aliens in and now sasuke is fighting dinosaurs

[madraleen]

Attack on Titan - Hajime Isayama Vol.30-31: An Emotional-Whiplash Commentary.

-for the record. usually when i read manga, i'm like, 'aww, i want to see how it ends, but also i don't, because characters might die and then it'll be over, and then i'll miss it UwU." with this one, i'm like, "PLEASE, PLEASE JUST GIVE ME ANSWERS AND LET IT END, I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" XD

-listen, i'm calling eren devil child for distancing reasons, for coping, don't show him all long-haired and beautifully drawn and emotional, i get soft

-LISTEN TO ARMIN, HE SPEAKS! FINALLY HE SPEAKS! HE STRATEGIZES!

-...i don't like seeing eren frightened. this devil child... i don't. i don't.

-JUSTICE FOR FALCO DAMMIT

-noooo :(((( they turned into titans

-MIKASA AND ARMIN ARE STILL SAVING YOUR ASS, YOU DEMON CHILD YOU!

-for real, it was to save falco? i thought galliard just happened to be there, wrong place wrong time

-i don't like seeing eren frightened, i don't, i don't

-FUCK YOU, EREN, JEAN AND CONNIE ARE SAVING YOU, EREN! ARE YOU SEEING THIS, EREN

-i know eren can't die like that, but heh. gabi.

-I DIDN'T NEED EREN'S CUT-OFF HEAD ON A SPREAD PANEL! CONTRARY TO APPEARANCES I DON'T ACTUALLY HATE HIM!

-eren. please. i don't know what i'm pleading for. just please.

-I CAN BREATHE! I CAN BREATHE AGAIN! EREN DOES NOT AGREE WITH EUTHANIZATION! NOW DO YOU HAVE A PLAN? or must i renounce you again

-FUCK YOU ZEKE, GRISHA LEARNED FROM HIS MISTAKES AND LOVED US!

-oooh okay. so owl DID say mikasa and armin, but didn't know what that meant.

-generally i don't vibe with timey-wimey stuff, but i'll go along with it, that's the least of my issues rn

-yeah, how much of the future do they know? and can they see THEIR memories? i mean. grisha saw eren's future. can eren see HIS future via grisha? 

-okay wait so, eren was able to influence grisha in the past because zeke brought eren into grisha's memories in the future? :O

-oh okay so eren did see his future through grisha

-devil child what do you mean by putting an end to this world, are we going to be okay

-mikasa's blushing her heart out at eren's 'what am i to you?' do you really need an answer, eren

-that spiky skeleton thing isn't devil child, right...? oh. it is. oh. oh boy. i regret not reading any spoilers. i regret everything. i suffer.

-armin once again being relatable, 'eren's on our side, he must be.'

-oh. and we're back to world destruction. hello devil child, i hoped you were gone, and yet. how do we stop eren from killing the entire world but paradis. how. h... DEVIL CHILD ARGH

-one brother was like, ‘i'll kill all of us’, the other brother is like ‘i'll kill everyone but us on this specific island.’

-but what was the point of seeing those refugees that made you cry, then?! what about the innocents, why destroy them? can't we talk

-okay, i'll give you that, it's amazing how at moments you side with... everyone, basically. like, now reiner is like 'eren is going to destroy the world' and it's like YES MAN DO SOMETHING

-i think eren sacrificed *his* humanity along with all of humanity to protect you all, jean

-bb armin, who cares if it provokes any conflict with any titan, eren controls the titans. is he not all-knowing though, why are his subjects attacking us

-yaaay, go gabi go! save kaya! save in general! just save!

-it's so funny that we've hit pause on the massacre and we're just focusing on interpersonal stories. like yes the world's being destroyed, but carry on

-i have the same question, gabi, can't eren turn titans into humans and vice versa

-well... eren yeager didn't NOT kill his own people...

-yes mikasa lil bb, think for yourself and shine, yeah? <3 but little bitch armin, you didn't have to phrase it like that

-oh. if even armin calls eren a lost cause...

-demon child trusted floch with the plan?! and not us?!

-Levi levi levi <3. well if he didn't die NOW, i doubt anything else will kill him, it'll be pointless for him to go out wounded and not in a fight... right?

-yeah, by the way, devil child, i don't think armin's ever been controlled by bertolt, i think he's been haunted by erwin's ghost all along

-if armin feeds himself to connie's mum and dies here, i'll kick a bitch

-GOOD BOY CONNIE, DAMN YOU ARMIN SCARING ME LIKE THAT

-annie with her face stuffed with food is so cuuuute

-HEHE NICE, HANGE, COMING IN WITH THE PLANS, HANGE NEVER DISAPPOINTS

-i mean, listen. the world's gone to shit, devil child is slaughtering everyone, and i must say i enjoy seeing the new allied teams of eldians, marleyans, volunteers, whatevers. like, this is BIGGER. this is bigger than all else, this is above nations.

-reiner must feel like he woke up to one of his nightmares

-yes, connie, save the world babies, go out there and be safe <3

-but okay, wait. if, as jean says, eren is doing all of that for them (which i don't doubt), WHY did he push them away? not entrusting them with the plan i can understand, but why was he actively a jerk?!

-holy shit attack on school castes with eren is such a jarring contrast that it gives me whiplash. but okay yes, with these new alliances and with eren's notable absence that fortunately keeps my rage and sadness levels in check, i'm feeling hopeful again

[tshepiso-reads-books]

Best Books of 2020 | So Far…

2020 has been a particularly strong reading year in its first six months. In this post, I’ll be discussing my six favourite books of the year so far. This was a fairly difficult list to put together because there were so many books I felt deserved a spot on the list. I finally managed to pare it down to six and I’m excited to gush about them.

Beastars · Paru Itagaki

My dive into the Beastars manga was unplanned but appreciated. This shonen manga follows a world of anthropomorphic animals in a society that bars the eating of meat. The manga primarily explores the complex relationships between herbivores and carnivores in the high school Cherryton Academy. Beastars is dark, gothic, and impactful. Paru Itagaki’s character work and the ways it interacts with her worldbuilding is impeccable. The way Itagaki delves into the power dynamics and hierarchies of the relationships between herbivores and carnivores is amazing and I adore the deep dives she does into the various characters and how their place in the pecking order of society affects their views of themselves and the people around them.

Sovereign · April Daniels

Sovereign is hands down one of the best pieces of superhero media I’ve consumed this year. The sequel Dreadnought elevated this story to something more than a standard YA superhero tale. April Daniels tackled trauma and the after-effects of violence impeccably. She allowed her characters to naturally progress as people. Danny isn’t the best person in this book and the effects PTSD had on her weren’t pretty. But her growing to recognize the toxic patterns she fell into, apologize for her mistakes, and get help is such a satisfying story. Sovereign went way darker than I expected it to, but that was to the story’s benefit because Daniels delved into these themes wonderfully and ultimately told a story filled with hope.

The Kingdom of Copper · S. A. Chakraborty

S. A. Chakraborty is a masterful writer and The Kingdom of Copper sings because of it. Chakraborty’s tight-knit ever moving plot thrust me through this 625 paged tome in 48 hours. The character work in this book was stunning and seeing the ways Ali and Nahri had grown and changed in the five years since The City of Brass was appreciated. The intricate political machinations of the Daevabad trilogy are what make it stand out and Chakraborty absolutely nailed this tense and hair raising conflict throughout the series so far. What made this book so compelling was the blending of politics, characters, and worldbuilding that made every action and every plot movement intense and breathtaking. Chakraborty is good at what she does and I cannot wait to see how it all ends in The Empire of Gold in a few weeks

The Fated Sky · Mary Robinette Kowal

The Lady Astronaut series is exemplary on so many fronts and The Fated Sky went above and beyond my already high expectation. Were Mary Robinette Kowal shines is in her characters and relationship building. Dr. Elma York is such a fantastic protagonist because Kowal’s writing brings her to life. All of Elma’s interpersonal relationships were so rich and engaging; from her wonderfully supportive marriage to the various antagonistic relationships Elma has with her coworkers. I was invested in all of them because I genuinely cared about Elma and wanted to see her thrive. Kowal is also excellent at unpacking the bigotry of the 1950s and 60s in a way that feels genuine and speaks to our modern sensibilities. Elma in The Fated Sky is constantly confronted with her privilege as a white woman and learns how to use that privilege for good without speaking over the people she’s trying to help. I’m also an absolute sucker for space so the actual space exploration in this book was wonderful. As someone who loves movies like The Martian and Hidden Figures the way Kowal integrated real science with the magic of space exploration worked for me on every level.

The Broken Earth Trilogy · N. K. Jemisin

It’s difficult to describe in a handful of words the power of N. K. Jemisin’s writing. I’ve never read anything as moving and rich as The Broken Earth trilogy and journey Jemisin took me through was painful and heartbreaking but ultimately hopeful and beautiful. I will never not be in awe of Jemisin’s work. The way she tackled themes of oppression, the cycles of violence, and generational trauma was astounding and her intricate character explorations were phenomenally done. At this point, if you are in any way a fan of adult fantasy and you haven’t read The Broken Earth trilogy you are actively doing yourself a disservice because these books are some of the most stunning pieces of literature I’ve ever read.

The House in the Cerulean Sea · T. J. Klune

Finally, my absolute favourite book of 2020 so far is The House in the Cerulean Sea. This quiet, unassuming novel blew me completely out of the water and filled me with so much joy, love and happiness. This simple story about a man who has allowed his life to slip into mundane mediocrity finding love and family shattered my entire being. It’s very difficult to describe the warmth infused into every page of Klune’s writing but believe me when I tell you I can’t imagine anyone disliking this book. This is a story about healing from trauma, standing against bigotry, and protecting the innocence of children and on every level, T. J. Klune wrote a story that spoke to me.

So those were my favourite books of 2020 so far. I hope you can tell just how much I love every single book on this list. If you need further convincing to each of these story’s brilliance I have full reviews for every book I talked about here on my blog. 2020 has been a wonderful reading year so far and I can’t wait to see what the second half of the year has in store for me.