#shonen flop

[shonen-flop]

Is this manga bad? Even we haven’t made up our mind until the end of the episode!

We and our guest Shen from Shen Comix discuss Shonen Jump+ manga Nano Hazard.

Find it on Spotify https://bit.ly/3PpwkfC iTunes https://bit.ly/45Yf1aO or YouTube https://bit.ly/3L8MM1b

[revenantghost]

MAN, I hope that Studio Orange are as proud of themselves as they should be. They took on an IP that, by all means, was one hell of a hard sell!!! No shade, I love all Triguns, but the history is rough. ‘98 was an absolute flop in Japan. It formed a cult following in the west, but it’s been twenty years since the English dub first dropped in the US. The Trigun manga floundered so badly that it was initially dropped (when Nightow was consulting on ‘98, he didn’t know if he’d ever have the chance to complete it!) out of the shonen magazine it was in and switched the entire category over to seinen when it was luckily picked up elsewhere. And I don’t know how the sales went from there, it obviously did well enough that there were figures made, and Badlands Rumble popped up eventually. But again, it’s been ages since this very cult classic had traction. And not only that, when Orange dropped the reveal trailer, die-hard fans were not happy. After five years slaving over this development, it had to have looked bleak.

But not only did they manage to rope in tons of the old fans through showing the loving detail and care they loaded into Tristamp, they managed to whip up a ton of new fans into a frenzy over a franchise none of them had ever glanced at before. So many people, old and new fans, are here and loving Vash and creating a whole new thriving community from a beloved franchise that had been quietly chilling in the background for awhile. I myself would have never given Trigun a shot if it weren’t for Tristamp. And I just think that’s neat.

[viburnt]

Can we get some more leopard! dabi

FEED US

CONTENT WARNING: NSFW, mentions of pregnancy

Tags: @shonen-brainrot @doumadono @trickster-kat @imagination-mess @shionancientsblog

Leopard! Dabi as a partner

Leopards are very independent, they are felines after all. When they get a partner, however, they turn into one of the softest things to ever exist. Leopard! Dabi is just so touchy when it's mating season, rubbing his face against you and seeking your warmth no matter who is looking.

He likes to take long naps with you when the opportunity appears, wrapping his tail around your waist or legs and making that kneading motion on your chest or tummy.

Leopard! Dabi is very playful with you as a partner, borderline indulging in the things you normally like but he usually refuses to do to keep his cool facade. He also is very careful with intimate things about you: he fixes your clothes when they're disheveled, combs your hair with his fingers, licks any food stains off your face...

Low-key has baby fever when mating season starts, allowing Toga to show him baby clothes and picking possible names for his cubs. He is also very sensual about your mating sessions, tons of foreplay and kisses: slow deep thrusts, making sure his future baby mama gets all of it. It's impressive to see how intimate he can be as a partner when he has his mind set on a family.

This hybrid is also very lazy, when he is not actively lurking to cause mischief. His love language is flopping on top of you and crush you with his weight until you give up, then he showers you with sloppy kisses and a shit-eating grin.

Allows you to rub his ears from time to time but whatever you do, do not pull his tail. It's strictly forbidden for everyone to tug it due to how sensitive it is, the line between pain and pleasure is easy to cross. You can gently pet it and tease it but never dare to pull it unless you're willing to pay the price.

Leopard! Dabi's favorite mating position is sitting with your back against his chest; he bounces you on his cock while his teeth bite your shoulders, kneading your chest at the same time. He pays close attention to the way yo react, making sure you're comfortable. Can't stress his partner while he is trying to put a baby inside them!

If you do end up pregnant, no power on Earth will save you from his never-ending care measures. He may seem like an irresponsible punk with a laid back attitude but he puts his life in order just for the sake of that tiny bump growing inside you.

Tries to cook for you, fails. Tries to keep things tidy, fails. He complies with every craving though.

"Dabi, for the sixth time, get off me!" You huff, tying to push off your heavy boyfriend off you. He grunts and growls, digging his sharp claws on your shirt to prevent you from wriggling. "Stop it, it's nap time...," the leopard yawns, nuzzling your neck as his hot breath tickles your skin.

Giving up, you just wrap your arms around him, allowing him to comfortably rest. "Fine, fine! You win."

You hear a cocky laughter erupting from him, his warm lips meeting your cheek.

"As always."

[silentwalrus1]

Not done talking about how Ichigo’s bankai is a bigger flop than the fall of a twenty foot pancake.  Or how Byakuya’s bankai was narratively a fail as well. (Primarily bc it highlighted how shitty ichigo’s bankai is.) The Byakyuka vs Ichigo fight where we first see Byakuya’s bankai was a PRIME opportunity to make the fight conceptually as well as visually striking - because all the elements were there! Byakuya’s bankai supersaturates the area with his reiatsu and gives him pretty much total control over the fight - he can get you from any angle! A zillion times! How do you block a “blade” that’s a zillion tiny particles? You don’t! This is approaching the level of a chemical weapon! It also looks like a cherry blossom leafblower accident, echoing Byakuya’s whole deal - elegant, aloof, as coldly impersonal and implacable as a force of nature! This is sick as hell! 

Only who’s his opponent? Oh yeah, Ichigo. The kid who turned himself into a hollow 

And what do hollows do? Oh yeah they eat reishi

Ichigo’s bankai - fitting in with his whole deal THEMATICALLY as well as VISUALLY - should’ve been eating other people’s bankais.

This would’ve been:

1. thematically poignant - he has this unstoppable power at the cost of his humanity, and now has to struggle to defeat his enemies without losing himself, becoming a cannibal and eating them as well as their swords! 

2. Narratively satisfying - his enemies in canon ALREADY become his allies whenever he defeats them, classic shonen style; this would be mirrored in the act of him literally absorbing their powers to bolster his own! 

3. COOL AS ALL HELL.

Byakuya, the symbol of Seireitei, the cold, dogmatic institution that took Rukia away to be executed without question, versus Ichigo: the rough, untutored nobody, the animal clawing at the gates of heaven, a beast that will break all boundaries for the love of a friend. This fight should’ve been the unification of Hichigo, and they should’ve eaten Byakuya’s little lightshow whole 

[tench]

Tfw I should be pulling myself up by my bootstraps, but all I have is a pair of old flip-flops and I'm no shonen protagonist

[stilettomafiosas]

If you don't mind my asking; how did you develop your art style? I've been trying to work on developing my own style but I don't know where to even start. Your style seems so well developed, and I utterly adore it.

;w; its so kind of you to say so!! thank you!! I wish I could offer some insightful or exciting advice haha but I do have a short and a long answer!

the short answer: its the boring yet tried and true tip youll hear from everyone 😭😭 it all comes from a lot of practice over a lot of time!!

i kind of hate hearing that too because it seems dismissive BUT the practice isnt just drawing as much as possible, its also looking at art from other people, paying attention to the colors n shapes n composition around you, and at times just Thinking...

the long answer: style is ... hard to pinpoint! and in some ways, aiming to have your own very distinct style (and that being your main goal) can be restricting. focusing on that can keep you in a box of what's recognizable as Yours and hesitant to experiment or make changes. Ive seen some people who get hung up on making themselves a Brand draw no differently today than they did 10 years ago because they admit making changes or venturing into new subjects/styles "flop".... (and if your livelihood comes from selling art or merchandise and you rely on engagement to pay your bills thats another thing but as a hobby artist myself im talking more about a goal of just getting better at your craft in a way that makes you, personally, happy and satisfied and proud of it vs making what an audience wants to see and feeling rejected in pursuing other creative endeavors)

a lot of style development just progresses naturally over time as you absorb more art around you and train your mind to distinctly pick out what you like about other artwork and why. :] its all about the influence and how you incorporate that into your own work! so many of my artistic choices come from other artists, and the more you draw and the more you study other art, it becomes something thats a unique blend of You, even if not necessarily something immediately and strikingly unique that anyone could recognize as yours, its You cuz of the choices made in it and all the influences you enjoyed enough to pick up.

for me, it was pretty much doing studies + compiling an "inspiration/reference" folder (for doing studies) :3 ive been doing that since I was in elementary school and just drawing on loose leaf college ruled paper... I started out copying drawings in the funny papers we got on sundays, going to the library to get those "history of disney" kinda books that show a lot of cels or concept art, googling looney tunes screenshots to copy... it was So much copy, copy, copy. in my teen years it was shonen jump, i'd trace panels from naruto and one piece and shaman king, i'd freehand it, i'd redraw pages in my own way... and more recently ive kept it up with other interests (opening a catalog of model cars and filling sketchbook pages with car drawings... taking photos of cool scenery or bugs i see and blocking out the composition to figure out Why it looks appealing... going through an invertebrate zoology textbook and drawing creatures to understand their shapes/distinguishing features so i can anthropomorphize them in fun ways)

it might seem contradictory that spending a lot of time copying stuff leads to something thats your own but it does!! so much of art really does come from that internal library you build up, and building it up happens thru all that observation and exercising your hand to match up movements with the images in your head, and gaining experience + refining memory of how certain things are built or shaped or constructed. thats probably the number one tip i'd give to anyone who wants art advice... get a little sketchbook thats JUST for your eyes, and fill it totally up with stuff you copy. youll learn SO much and feel really refreshed for your own original works!

and if you feel discouraged, keep in mind that things tend to look better from an outside perspective! you see my art as having a developed style, and i very much appreciate that comment cuz to me, it's jumbled haha. i can draw the same character in very different ways in the same day... even the way i draw hands varies depending on what set of ocs I'm playing with. each of my stories presents some different artistic choices, and draws from a few different inspirations, so even if all the characters and the ways i draw them are recognizable as my art, they would still look a bit strange if they were all together because I have multiple "styles" ehehe

so in short, rock on with making art thats enjoyable for you and dont let an idealistic goal of a distinct style hinder you from having fun with the process & being proud of what you make. cuz honestly if you hold out waiting for the moment of realization that youve developed a style, you might never have that moment! not for lack of having anything distinct about your art, but just because its natural to be more critical and lost in the details of your own work than an audience would be. you likely already have aspects in your art that are recognizable as yours! consistency is good in some regards (like animation or comics) but dont be hesitant about trying things that are new or drastically different from your usual!

[chattegeorgiana]

Sakura's popularity in Japan took a serious hit when she attempted to move on to Naruto at the Kage Summit. This shift alienated Japanese fans who value loyalty and true love and even Japonese fans started to hate Sakura.

He knew Sakura catch bullets for that nonsense. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like he’s a writing god who could accurately predict all critical reception. he also said he misread sai & Kimimaro whom he expected to be super popular but flopped astronomically. But with Sakura? it’s a battle shonen where fans value either raw power or emotional value. He didn’t include sakura in the action for the longest time, and on the emotional side, he used her to victimize naruto & humble sasuke as the “actually not that good” guy who needs to be surpassed. and Sasuke gets humbled for naruto to look good and Sakura in turn looks bad. like how he could put her in that position with the minimal action & negative emotional value combo and be shocked that some little girls didn’t identify with that misogynistic like "Women are fickle are autumn skies" .

Kishimoto managed to put all Sasuke, SasuSaku and NaruHina and the JAPONESE fans against Sakura in that fake confession.

Kishimoto was trying to to portray her positively, but fumbled up and received a backlash he did not except, which seems to have affected his writing for her later.

Sakura confirming that she loves Sasuke in chapter 540 and saying that a girl's feelings can't change after failing in love was an attempt to save her after the disaster of 'girls are fickle as autumn skies' from the fake confession. I think NaruSaku fans needs to undertand Japonese really values loyality and true love above all and they didn't wanted to see Sakura move on to Naruto after she declared her love to Sasuke and SS are always the most popular pairing in Japan.

Perhaps NaruSaku could have worked, but the misconstrued and bad writing confession at the Kage Summit ultimately sealed its fate.

I’m assuming since you came from YouTube to paste the comment from there to here, you’re really looking for an answer, aren’t you?

Just because I don’t have the time now to reply to all the YouTube comments, doesn’t mean that I don’t see them, ya know?

So, tell me, before I reply to this, where do you want it replied? Here, or on YouTube? Since you clearly follow my steps all around my socials and are in desperate need of my reply over this statement, which, what I can tell you from the get-go, while it may sound “factually correct” to new-comers, there’s a LOT of data you’re not addressing here and/or downright decontextualizing, in order to make it feel like Sakura’s hatred stems only from NaruSaku’s fault, an idea/belief/perspective or whatever you want to call it that a certain subset of the SasuSaku fandom started spreading recently.

And my guess is that you’re one among those very people, since it’s not the first time you’ve poked me with this.

It’s just that… you’re factually incorrect that’s all. And I’m going to prove it to you with receipts.

The question tho, as I said, is where do you want me to do it, here or on Youtube?

Or hey, maybe I can make a whole video about it… Hmm, you’ve given me perspectives now.

[shonen-flop]

On this episode of Shonen Flop we’re covering Fabricant 100 with our special guest Kermit the Grog! If you’re a fan of existential questions, morally gray protagonists, or giant women, then damn do we have an episode for you!

Listen to it on our site, YouTube, Spotify, or just look up “Shonen Flop” wherever you listen to podcasts. You’ll find us don’t worry.

[animebw]

Short Reflection: Winter 2023 Anime

Is it just me, or did this season of anime kind of blow? Yes, anything would be a step down after the absurdly stacked Fall 2022 roster- and in fact, two of my favorites this season were continuations of shows I already liked from fall (Blue Lock and MHA)- but man, there was just a stench of failure around so much of Winter 2023′s offerings. Not just in how many of them turned out to be disappointments, but in how many of them didn’t even get to finish in time! Barely a week went by without another show suffering long delays, production after production crumbling under the weight of mismanagement and corporate apathy that doesn’t care how many animators are worked to death for an inferior product as long as they can make some extra cash from rushing it out early. I mercifully managed to avoid all the victims of these delays (well, almost; RIP Kubo-san Won’t Let Me Be Invisible), but even existing in the same space as them felt like it took a toll on everything else. This was a rough one, folks. But there were still some gems worth highlighting, so after spilling my thoughts on Onimai, Trigun Stampede and MHA Season 6, here are my thoughts on the rest of the anime I managed to finish this season!

(Also no Vinland Saga review yet cause I’m waiting for the season to be over, but spoilers, it’s still really fucking good. You’re shocked, I can tell.)

Tokyo Revengers Season 2: 1.5/10

You know what? I give up. I gave Tokyo Revengers every opportunity to finally pull itself together and turn into a good show. But not only did it drop the ball so hard the shockwave registered on the Richter scale, it felt like it was actively going out of its way to suck as hard as it could. Every single plot thread in season 2 is bungled so horrendously, from Takemichi’s increasingly unforgivable stupidity to the insulting cul-de-sac fights that change nothing about the status quo to the truly infuriating mishandling of every female character (Hey, I know, let’s give Yuzuha a panty shot while she’s being beaten by her abusive brother! Great idea!), that there is no possible way this show can ever recover. Even if the next season is somehow a masterpiece that fixes all the series’ issues- which it won’t be, let’s be honest- it won’t change the fact that Tokyo Revengers has established a new low for lazy, intelligence-insulting storytelling in shonen. The only reason it managed to get so popular is that it keeps making you think it’s about to do something really cool and meaningful with its high concept. But at this point, it’s all but proven that it never will. Fuck this show, fuck the manga it’s based on, and fuck everyone who accepts this barely-animated hackjob slop as anything close to acceptable entertainment.

The Fire Hunter: 2/10

Between this and Mars Red, I’m really starting to hate studio Signal MD. They’ve got a habit of turning fascinating highbrow fantasy premises into some of the dullest, sloppiest, most poorly produced pieces of pretentious dogshit that think they’re high art imaginable. And this one’s directed by Mamoru Oshii! He’s supposed to be a veteran director who knows his shit! How did he turn out such a colossal flop? Almost nothing in The Fire Hunter works on an audiovisual level; the animation is embarrassing, the direction is incomprehensible, the editing is somehow even worse (I have never seen such poorly timed painterly insert stills), and the whole thing is smothered under a droning soundtrack that drowns every scene in the same overbearing, tuneless sonic dead air. Even the best script in the world couldn’t survive this cataclysmically bad production, and suffice to say, this is very far from the best script in the world. It’s equal parts mind-numbing exposition, dull narration, and pointlessly mean characters with no interesting internal struggles or worldbuilding to justify the air of arrogance about the whole affair. The Fire Hunter desperately wants to convince you it’s art, but it’s just crap. Skip it.

To Your Eternity Season 2 (2nd Half): 3/10

I’ll give it this: the second half of To Your Eternity’s second season is unquestionably better than its first. Not a very high bar to clear, I realize, but after the utter slog that was Bon’s introductory arc, it’s good to have actually interesting things happen for a change. Unfortunately, for all the fresh air the siege of Renril brings to the proceedings- new characters, new kinds of stakes, a bonkers re-imagining of what Fushi’s powers are even capable of- it’s nowhere near enough to save this show from running itself into the ground. Whatever magic To Your Eternity once had is well and truly gone, buried under a flood of terrible production compromises and questionable story choices that have lead it down a path it can never recover from. No matter how much future arcs might try to turn things around, they’ll never escape the lesson this show has somehow forgotten it used to preach: when something dies, it can never truly return. To Your Eternity is dead. It’s over. Let it rest in piece while it still has some faint shred of dignity left.

Giant Beasts of Ars: 3/10

Did someone open a time portal to 2006? Giant Beasts of Ars feels exactly like the kind of original fantasy anime that studios were pumping out two decades ago- and unfortunately, that’s not a compliment. It gets off to a good start with a strong introductory episode that sets the tone well for a fun magitech adventure with some giant monster fighting, but the second that adventure gets under way, pretty much everything goes to shit. The characters are bland. The world itself is dull and uninspired. The action is lifeless thanks to a weak production that can’t give these fights the oomph they need. And the plot escalates from understandable low-key stakes to some of the most asinine “suddenly we’re fighting god now” swerves I’ve ever seen. Seriously, the way this story loses all sense of scale in its final episodes as it barrels head first toward a climax left me stunned in disbelief. Never mind the fact it ends on an asspull cliffhanger that’s almost certain to never get resolved because nobody’s going to want a second season of something this limp and underbaked. What a waste of time.

Kaina of the Great Snow Sea: 3.5/10

I was really excited at all the fantasy anime coming out this season. After being swamped in the isekai sewers for so long, it was such a relief to see the industry remember they could tell stories about actual fantastical worlds and not just, you know, reskinned Dragon Quest knockoffs. So imagine my how immeasurable my disappointment was when one by one, all these promising series let me down. Kaina’s Naussicaa-inspired world of snow seas, giant spire trees and steampunk skiffs navigating an allegorical prayer for co-existence with nature and rejection of militarism should have been an easy slam dunk, a new Miyazaki for a modern landscape. Unfortunately, as beautifully realized as the world is- Polygon Pictures is no studio Orange, but their impressive background art and environmental storytelling continue to make a strong case for CG anime- the writers forgot to populate that world with anyone worth getting invested in. The characters are the stockiest of stock archetypes, photocopies of photocopies of tropes that have already been worn to the bone by decades of misuse and overuse alike. If you’ve seen even one generic fantasy anime, chances are you’re already sick of these characters, and there’s nothing fresh or particularly meaningful here to make up for the lack of originality. Don’t get me started on how poorly the princess is treated, yegh. Is it too late to unplug the concept of fantasy anime for a few years and hope it recovers some steam before we plug it back in?

High Card: 3.5/10

There is no excuse for High Card being as lame as it ended up. A Kingsmen-style goofy gentleman spy action comedy written by the author of Kakegurui in which secret agents in dapper suits fight with the power of magic transforming playing cards? And the entire world is themed around cards and card games (the country is Fourland, the spy organization is Pinochle with its office on Old Maid street)? This should have been a camp masterpiece every bit as delightfully unhinged as Kakegurui. This should have been the most gloriously Anime Bullshit (affectionate) experience of the year. But instead, it was mostly just Anime Bullshit (derogatory). It takes so little advantage of its concept, wasting episode upon episode on trite plotlines and cliche developments, jumping between so many tones and focuses without ever settling on a single one. I came here to see Twink Bruce Wayne summon bazookas out of thin air with the power of Instant Interdimensional Marketplace, not slog through the umpteenth iteration of “the stoic katana girl needs to open up to her male colleagues” or “tragic little sister with an incurable illness.” The bouncy ED, which sees the main cast all singing together in the car, was the one consistent bright spot, and even that started feeling more and more like an insult as time went on. If only the rest of the show were as loose and freewheeling as those painfully short 90 seconds per episode promised.

Don’t Toy With Me, Nagatoro-San Season 2: 3.5/10

Look, I’m no prude. I’m not above trash. Nagatoro’s first season was far from a masterpiece, but it had enough actual charm and character depth that I didn’t mind coming along for the ride. But the thing about trash is that just like every other show, you still have to do it well. Nagatoro wasn’t ever entertaining because it was a shallow wish-fulfillment rom-com for masochists, it was entertaining because it found something recognizably human in spite of being a shallow wish-fulfillment rom-com for masochists. And sadly, whatever spark made that first season work didn’t survive the transfer to OLM studios. There are fun moments here and there, but the overall package is just too half-hearted to care anymore. Not even the introduction of Nagatoro’s sister keeps the proceedings from feeling increasingly mindless. What’s the point of this show, really? What does it offer that I can’t get better elsewhere? Because if the only appeal is the teasing gimmick, well, Teasing Master Takagi-san is right there, people. You could be watching an actual good show about a girl mercilessly teasing her crush instead of this flavorless assembly-line mushburger of an anime. Just saying.

The Tale of Outcasts: 4.5/10

There’s something strangely endearing about The Tale of Outcasts, despite its many flaws. Does it read like every thirteen-year-old girl’s embarrassing stash of unpublished Ancient Magus Bride fanfiction? Yes, unquestionably. But you know what? There are far worse things to be. Maybe it’s the isekai exhaustion getting to me, but there’s something so refreshing about a cringey wish-fulfillment fantasy adventure populated by stock archetypes and hacky plotting that’s actually, like, wholesome? That feels like it was made out of genuine amateurish love for Victorian splendor mixed with demon furries instead of incel resentment that the world isn’t catering to their every whim? Yeah, it’s still cringe, but it’s charmingly cringe, not revoltingly cringe. I still can’t really recommend it unless you’ve got a real soft spot for deep-voiced daddy beast people who can be your angle or your dveil, but out of all the bad shows I kept up with this season, this was the one where I never minded clicking on that next episode button, and that’s gotta count for something.

Urusei Yatsura (2nd Half): 5.5/10

I think it takes a change in mindset to really appreciate Urusei Yatsura. True to its 70s roots, this is not an anime to watch for a constant sense of forward progression. This is a show to be enjoyed as a reliable weekly comfort, 25 minutes of mayhem every 7 days with a familiar cast of characters bouncing off each other endlessly. If you come in looking for a tightly woven narrative that’s always driving toward a forseeable endpoint like most modern anime confined to single cours runs, you’re likely to be disappointed. But if you let yourself just enjoy the chaos and don’t worry about what might come next, I think you’ll find a lot to like here. If nothing else, I appreciate Studio David sticking to that old-fashioned spirit. But I have to admit, I might’ve preferred a more streamlined adaptation that doesn’t waste a second of runtime. What can I say, I’m used to modern anime pacing. Or maybe I’m just annoyed by yet another instance of a tomboy character who wants to be more feminine. Which, you know, not Ryunosuke’s fault that particular trope has gotten so beaten to death these days, but still. Sometimes making changes for modern times isn’t such a bad thing, you know?

Revenger: 6/10

So y’all hear about this Gen Urobuchi guy? Apparently he was pretty famous back in the day or something, IDK. He’s been plugging away at his goofy Taiwanese puppets show for the past few years and slapped his name on the story concepts of a few high profile projects for extra buzz, but now at last, he’s returned to grace us with a full story and script from his own hands! ...and apparently from 17 years in the past as well, because from what I’ve heard, Urobuchi originally wrote Revenger back in 2006, well before the one-two-three punch of Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero and Psycho-Pass that would make him a household name. And boy does it definitely feel like a trial run of those shows. Not that it’s bad by any means; it’s slickly produced, the cast has good chemistry, and the Booch is clearly having fun coming up with creative ways for evil bastards to be mercilessly slaughtered. But that’s really all it is, with little of the staggering depth and emotional complexity that would later earn him a place among the greats. It’s a first draft of basically all the thematic ideas he’d later perfect: the corruption of systems of power, the failure of blind heroism, the necessity of finding hope even in the darkest corners of the earth. I still recommend it for any fans of creative edgy violence, but don’t come in expecting another Madoka. It’s a bite-sized snack of an Urobuchi show, not the main course. And I’m totally fine with that; it’s entertaining enough on its own modest merits to be worth a look.

Play It Cool, Guys (2nd Half): 6/10

Yeah, I knew this one was gonna grow on me. There’s nothing like a really good low-key deadpan comedy to put me in a good mood at the end of a long day. Really, I think Cool Doji Danshi’s secret weapon is how much it appreciates the mundane awkwardness of everyday life. I have been in many situations much like its titular characters, little moments of confusion where the pieces don’t quite line up how they’re supposed to and before I know it I’m putting my umbrella in the fridge because I momentarily mixed it up with the groceries. And also like its title characters, I’ve learned just how damn important these moments are to my life. None of us are perfect meat machines 100% of the time; in many ways, our clumsiness is what makes us human far more than our accomplishments. And there’s something so wonderfully comforting about watching these boys (and men) come to appreciate their own imperfections much as I’ve done of myself. We need more shows that celebrate that simple silliness as well as this one does. So if you’ve been looking for something to lift your spirits in this increasingly grim world, I cannot recommend this show enough.

Sugar Apple Fairy Tale: 6.5/10

Do my eyes deceive me? A non-isekai, shoujo oriented fantasy that’s all about slavery being a bad thing? Stop the presses, we’re defying all the norms over here! Between this and the new season of Vinland Saga, it feels like we’re finally starting to push back on the noxious floodgates that Shield Hero pried open, and I could not be more thankful for that. Now, is Sugar Apple Fairy Tale a perfect depiction of the dynamics of slavery? Fuck no, it’s a young adult wish-fulfillment romance about a hot sulky fairy boy falling for the woman that was once his owner, this thing’s as problematic as an Antebellum-era Uncle Tom’s Cabin ripoff. But at least it’s actually trying to say something about the effects of dehumanization on a societal scale and how it manifests, and I’d argue it succeeds more often than it trips over itself. Plus, how fucking great is it to have an actual shoujo romance again? Set in a charming fantasy world with some actual originality? Sugar Apple Fairy Tale’s not perfect, but its charms are evident of a trend I hope to see countless other shows follow. The more fantasy anime looks like this instead of The World’s Strongest Necromancer is Reincarnated With a Cheat Skill In Another World Harem (I just made that title up, but admit it, you weren’t sure at first), the better off we’ll all be.

Ippon Again: 6.5/10

We seriously need more good female-centric sports anime. The guys have been dominating the field with their shounens and seinens while the girls are forced to subside on moeblob table scraps more concerned with being cute than actually telling a compelling sports narrative, or else being handed the absolute bottom of the production barrel (cries in Farewell My Dear Cramer). Ippon Again isn’t gonna right the ship all on its own, but it’s a damn good first step. The characters feel like believable teenagers, their judo matches are given genuine weight and strong animation, and while it suffers from some tired sports anime cliches, it always executes them with heart firmly on its sleeve. At its best, it captures the same freewheeling adolescent spirit that defines the likes of A Place Further Than the Universe, and I don’t say that lightly. It’s no masterpiece, but it’s a damn good time with no caveats, and hopefully it’ll only be the first of many great lady-centric sports anime to come.

Tsurune Season 2: 7/10

If you’ve somehow forgotten about the first season of KyoAni’s pretty boys doing archery show Tsurune from back in 2018, well, I don’t blame you. As a testing ground for the studio’s rookie talent to take their first crack at putting their own show together, it was by far the studio’s most workmanlike production, an all-around solid experience but lacking the insane polish and panache that defines the KyoAni brand. But my god, what a difference five years makes. Tsurune’s second season isn’t just a massive upgrade on the production front, it’s a complete overhaul on the show’s entire look and feel. It’s sweeping and elegant, it’s vibrant and explosive, it’s as expertly poised and shimmering as a bowstring drawn at dawn right before it releases a brilliant arrow. This show has gone from KyoAni’s simplest looking show to one of its most richly cinematic, complete with earthier color tones and revamped score from Fruits Basket composer Masaru Yokoyama. Yes, it’s ultimately still just a show about pretty boys learning to shoot bows well as they overcome their issues together. But with such a massive step up in its look and feel, it’s officially become just as much appointment viewing as any KyoAni masterpiece.

Blue Lock (2nd Half): 7.5/10

Now that’s more fucking like it. Last season I bemoaned the lack of edgy death game nonsense I was promised in this edgy death game sports anime, but once we reached the second selection, Blue Lock kicked into high gear and made good on its premise at last. Betrayals! Allies turned enemies! Enemies turned allies! Overcharged homoerotic rivalries and break-ups alike! Overdramatic shonen boys trying to crush each other underfoot to grow stronger! Self-actualization through rejecting the power of friendship and embracing the power of “Fuck this guy!” This is everything I wanted when I first learned about Blue Lock’s premise, twisting the classic shonen sports formula into an equally blood-pumping tale of clashing egos and selfishness as everyone fights to become the best player by embracing their worst selves. It might have taken a hot second to get there, but now that it’s arrived, this show has become some of the most deliriously entertaining chaos you’re likely to find in the genre. Well done, you mad genius.

Buddy Daddies: 8/10

Man, whoever’s making the decisions on what shows PA Works produces is really on a roll lately, huh? It takes a real genius to look at premises like Ya Boi Kongming and Akiba Maid War and see an opportunity to create something truly special. But even that pales in comparison to the brilliance behind Buddy Daddies, a.k.a. “Hey, so this Spy x Family show is about to take over the world, right? What if we made our own version of that, but mix in the homoerotic buddy-cop energy of Tiger and Buddy to make it stand out?” That’s the kind of galaxy-brain thinking that’s rapidly making this studio a personal favorite of mind. And it’s that kind of confidence and pure solid storytelling chops that make Buddy Daddies just as entertaining and endearing as its most obvious inspiration. It’s not exactly the same- it’s set in modern day, it’s more focused on the child-raising than the assassin stuff- but it’s every bit as good at nailing that specific sweet spot of deliciously entertaining spy action, wholesome family hijinks, and the bittersweet space in between trying to reconcile those two worlds. Heck, Miri’s a way more realistic four-year-old than Anya ever was; you can tell the writers really did their research on what it’s like to care for a child that young. The year’s still young, but I think this show is already a strong contender for the feel-good masterpiece of 2023. Just don’t go in expecting the hot guys to kiss, because you will leave disappointed if you do.

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady: 8.5/10

We’ve done it, folks. We’ve finally cracked the code on how to make modern isekai great. Step One: Center it on a female protagonist with an actual personality instead of an empty self-insert male-patterned cooler full of stale oatmeal. Step Two: Make your story all about subverting the exhausting masturbatory self-centeredness of vanilla isekai in favor of a symbolic or literal revolution to give power back to all lovers of fantasy instead of pandering to maladjusted thirty-year-old manchildren. Step Three: As part of that progressive reinvention, make it GAY. AS. FUCK. The Executioner and her Way of Life was a strong step in the right direction, but as good as that show was, there was clearly still room to push things even further. But now, at last, that potential has been fully realized by the stunning tale of a reincarnated princess and a genius young lady coming together to revolutionize the world. Folks, MagiRevo fucking rules. The main leads are wonderful separately and even more wonderful together, the production is strong enough to carry the story’s soaring ambition, and it’s a genuinely powerful exploration of the harms caused by archaic systems of patriarchal power, and how difficult it is- but also how necessary- to change what’s been leading a society down the wrong path for so long. And while it drags a little in the midsection, it all culminates in a spectacular final act and a final episode that had me sobbing in my seat for 25 straight minutes. This isn’t just the best isekai since Re:Zero, this is a triumph of queer fantasy carving its own revolution through a genre that’s desperately needed it for far too long. So come join me and raise your banner with Anis and Euphie, because their journey deserves all the attention we can give. I promise, you won’t regret it.

[is-bakugou-alive-yet]

Ive said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t really care about MHA anymore, but a follow this blog because 1 I think it’s really funny, and 2 I hope he stays dead. Bringing him back would be such a safe way to go, but killing him and keeping him dead, one of of now the fan favorite character is just dead forever would be iconic and could completely change thriftier of shonen manga. Like within the context of the story I think he’ll come back, but within the meta I really hope he stays dead.

I keep flip-flopping on whether I want him to revive or stay dead.

We're almost a month away now, and I'm like: keep him dead for another month

But after that? Him staying dead for the rest of the manga would be really funny even if I may want him to live.

He's my little bastard gremlin son that I love to torture.

[thisbelongsto-nohbodys]

Sasha comes home in a funk and flops on the couch next to Anne and Marcy.

Anne: Everything okay, Sasha? Bad day at work?

Sasha: *sigh* A lady brought her kid in and during evaluation it was determined that he had high amounts of narcissism, delusions of grandeur and believed himself to be the main character of an Shonen anime but not the happy one. More like the lone wolf, sad boy types so he also has aggressive anti-social tendencies. Everyone else made the same diagnosis but when it came around to my opinion about him…um…

Marcy: Sash…what happened?

Sasha: I, um, I called him a punk bitch.

Anne: Sasha! You can’t say that about a kid!

Sasha: You can if they’re acting like a punk bitch…just not professionally…

Anne: At least you won’t have to deal with him.

Sasha: Actually I was assigned him, so Mar-Mar, I’mma need a crash course on how the character development of the loner wolf anime boys is.

Marcy: Got it!

Anne: This won’t need well…

[gender-trash]

i have REALLY bad blorbo brainrot rn and im so annoyed that my half-assed posts about programming are ✨hits✨, like, 70 notes minimum, especially beloved by transfemme programmer tumblr for some reason, and meanwhile my posts about naruto are invariably flops

come to my blog... i promise it's not a psyop to get you personally invested in a poorly written side character from a fractally terrible mid-2000s shonen anime (lie)

[artemis-in-space]

The thing about Luffy is that I'm pretty certain he's never come anything but 1st in the One Piece popularity polls.

Like I've noticed nearly every other Shonen I read that does them, first place flip flops between characters, but Luffys never lost his spot.

[7upofficial]

what was so unique n striking about madoka magica was exactly the teenager bubble with no outside adult prospects looming. i think most shonen/adjacent anime that are flops fail at this

[yugiohz]

shonen jump said your manga will FLOP if you don’t gaybait and horikoshi said bet