#yes this is but a simple battle shonen

[cobaltfluff]

Me, watching the Bucchigiri OP: ah yes, Hiroko Utsumi strikes again

[roguedruid]

"Oh great druid this humble petitioner asks for your recommendations on fics you did not write but enjoyed greatly I look forward to getting your top 15."

Uhhhh Damn. Hold on. Lets seee..... I can give you eleven- in no particular order- that come to mind with a bit of searching. but questioner- I read so many fics. This is gonna be a crapshoot of fandoms, so hold on. Of Harrowed Hearts by Sable_Scribe: A Naruto fic which is sadly unfinished- but had an awesome vibe and really dives into the characterization of the Konoha 12 and their potential. It does have Naruto/Sasuke vibes- but when it last left off the slow burn was slow and Sasuke was barely realizing his emotions. The Games We Play by Ryuugi: It's posted on Spacebattles origionally- but it's been reposted a few other places. It's massive- nearly a million words. This was my first real 'Massive fic' i followed as it was updating- and my real intro to Space Battles/Sufficent Velocity as fanfic sites. Also- first Gamer fic that went *way* into the power scaling and endgame stuff. Jaune in this story escalates hard as fuck. I'm talking supernatural kung fu, elemental powers, the ability to destroy cities- And his threats are scary enough to match it. This was before Salem for most of the story- but the Grimm that show up are terrifying. Keeping on the forums real fast- Two Quests (Essentially reader driven stories) deserve to be on this list. Xander [Quest] by one Judge Mental is another of those Monolithic kind of reading experiences. it's massive- on a word count I can't even figure out- spread across like 28 threads. it starts as a simple premise- You are Alexander Harris- and you are born as the reincarnation of Ganondorf. Yeah- that Ganondorf. Things only escalate past that point- to where the last i checked we were possibly the strongest sorcerer on earth- and only 12.

"A Geeks Guide: CORE" series by Sage_of_Eyes. Again, monolithic in scope- it's a complete reimagining of the Highschool DXD mythology (yes, the ecchi novels/anime. Yes it's way deeper then it deserves. Yes, it's also metal as fuck)

Swerving back from forums:

A Drop of Poison by Angel Of Snapdragons: Naruto's Shadow Clones are fucking crazy- and if you've ever wanted to see the power fantasy of them escalating non stop- this is the good shit. Drifting by AlphaDelta1001: More Naruto- but this one has some of my favorite 'Kinda Genius' Naruto moments. It mixes up the timelines, throws in a completley revamped Chuunin exam, introduces tones of new characters- and completely revamps Naruto's methods- if you ever got bored of 'it's all Rasengan' in canon- this is definitely a suggestion.

From Fake Dreams by Third Fang: Fate Stay/Night. Supercharged. This is a bit of a controversal pick- mainly because Third Fang is one of those authors who's sense of humor is... off. Just a bit of that old school Shonen Jump Pervert vibe in the background- snarky comments and purile humor creep around the corners of his writing- but FFD is still immensly fun to read. The power creep- already high as fuck in Canon FSN- goes so high. Where recently Shirou isn't fighting Servants- But True Ancestors. Son of the Western Sea by Mac_Ceallach: If you want Percy Jackson going solo on a world-wide adventure- this is it. its after the War for New York, before the romans showed up- and Its got Percy just... being cool vibing. Hitting into other myths by accident. In contrast, if you want some true off the rocker Percy- An Impractical Guide to Godhood by Antony444 It's technically a crossover with A practical guide to Evil- but if you ever wanted to see olympus and the rest of the percy jackson verse just... implode with chaos? This is it. Flooding Hades with the flaming river- beating Ceaser in Gladatorial Events, fucking with the olympians? This goes hard. The Many Quirks Of Phantom Thievery by PsychicBeagle Persona 5, reloaded. Featuring New Game+ shenanagains, plenty of romance and memes, and puns. If you're a P5 fan, I highly reccomend it. It's Time For Another Good Idea, Bad Idea by Haurvatat: This is a weird one- for one it's Solo leveling, so it's fandom was kinda niche. on the other... It's got Cannabilism in it. But! As a Cook? this is a guilty pleasure fic. The cooking scenes are all written like Binging with Babish episodes, the humor is on point, there's actual stakes and emotions- theres closure? What more does a fic need.

[ask-cinnavanillamelody]

Mocha! Sometimes I feel like I'm just being too paranoid and this whole story is gonna be one big misunderstanding after another with no real antagonist. Sometimes I feel like disaster is waiting just around the corner and everybody is going to befall a terrible fate in just a few posts. Is that... good?

Would you rather I make a big bad who's just evil for the sake of it? Kill off characters just because? That's not the story I'm trying to convey. I love mlp, but one of it's main themes was as we all know, "Friendship is Magic" I'm exploring what happens when Friendship isn't the magic cure all to every problem? Life was simple for Twilight 1,000 years ago, she was with her friends, she loved her friends, and when a threat appeared all she had to do was make a big speech or realization about how "my friends are my magic!" And everything was solved.

I'm not writing essentially a Shonen protagonist story. There is no clear antagonist character, but there IS an antagonist that isn't going to go away with some magical rainbow blast . It's the current state of Equestria, it's Twilights grief, it's Cinna's struggle and fear of being herself, it's Sagi's constant battle with his instinct to cause harm and fear wherever he goes and dealing with the guilt of going too far, it's Sanori's battle with his ptsd and anxiety and separation from his loved ones, and what's being slowly introduced, his terrible ways of coping with it. The antagonist is life in this world that everyone is used to being sunshine and rainbows until the next big disaster.

Yes I'm keeping you on edge, feeling like at any point, if something goes wrong, it's going to be disaster for our protagonists. But that's what I'm going for! I love buildups that end in, "Oh, well that wasn't actually so bad". I love seeing characters that seem evil but turn out to be confused and misguided.

All of you were so convinced that Sagi would be some heartless reincarnation of the og king sombra, the guy who destroyed the tree of harmony and almost took over Equestria. Only to find out he's just a young man trying to find a way to live in a society where he's the last of his kind, and the only reason he's allowed to stay is because his mother is part unicorn, so he is too. Imagine how ot feels to live in a society where the main people who live there eradicated your entire species because they didn't understand them. Having to work for the woman who essentially killed your father and vanquished him to the shadows. (Multiple times) and that's just ONE of the characters I've made to subvert your expectations.

And you're dealing with a chaotic goddess here. On a whim, I could totally create an impossible monster for everyone to face. But it's not time yet, and that's lazy writing! Lucky for you all, I don't do things that lack effort. I put 200% into everything I like, including this blog. If my story is becoming too much for you, I apologize. I just really love making things for other people and having them enjoy them. (And, half the story is being co-written by another person who works half the time and focuses on other life things sometimes, so I have to fill the dry space with something, like twisting storylines or sudden twists because I can't move forward without them)

But, there is a character I'm planning to subvert your expectations with again. But I'm warning you this time, so maybe you'll be better prepared. If you have an issue with following the blog, or the story is becoming too much, I won't blame you for leaving. I know it's alot, and I'd be sad to see you go, but I understand.

If you do stay around, please be patient with me, I'm doing my best to make an enjoyable story to stick around for.

-Mod Mocha 🍫

[foreverfairytailfan]

🚨RANNT ABOUT FAIRY TAIL HATE INCOMINGGGG🚨

Long rant. Like LONG long. Feel free to scroll on by but I seriously needed this off my chest so just be prepared if you decide to read it💀 also not trying to (and wont with all due respect) debate with anyone about the things I’ve mentioned below, this is just purely how I feel inside atm, plus it’s super sloppy and emotionally charged; I would’ve done a much better job at talking if it was a debate post, but it’s not lol. Debating stuff about FT can always happen another time on another day so hopefully this post isn’t misunderstood to be starting something, just a simple rant :) okaythanksforyourtimehaveagoodday

Mentions of death, as well as murder/killing

——————

ARGH THESE FAIRY TAIL HATERS GET ON MY NERVES SOMETIMES FOR REAL! LIKE I GET PERSONAL PREFERENCES BUT THEY HATE OVER THE MOST STUPIDEST THINGS ABOUT IT!!

One thing I always see people complain about is how Fairy Tail hardly has any killings. First of all, wtf??? How have we become so desensitized that we want to see innocent characters to die? Like I get it contributes to good story telling by expressing the emotional process of it all, and I certainly know I’m not immune to a good and gripping character death when it’s done right, but come on do we really need to have people dying left and right ALL THE TIME?? If the story has to have so many deaths 24/7 to make it a good story, is it really a good story?

Second, there was in fact death in Fairy Tail; it’s just not enough death for people to mention apparently?? While the deaths are rare in FT, when they happen I think it hits harder, and it makes it much more personal because it’s not a normal occurrence. It affects you on a deeper level because you weren’t expecting it already, you know? It shows us that death shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Third, death is not gonna happen frequently for Fairy Tail. Why? BECAUSE THEY ARENT ACTIVELY FIGHTING CRIME!! THEY ARE NOT A GUILD ABOUT FIGHTING PEOPLE!!! They. are. not. superheros!! They are a magic guild that cares about family, their town and townspeople, and supporting one another. They always try keep the violence to themselves (aka roughhousing) and taking jobs that can have potential battles involved.

They don’t ask to be dragged into shit like guild wars, fighting literal dragons and crazies, and life threatening forces! They fight because they’re good people who want to protect the ones they love, innocents, and their planet. This is not a shonen about killing their enemies and bathing in their blood and victory, all they want is to have peace and fun with each other. There is more to the story than death. There are multiple tragic things that happen in the series that are just as heartbreaking as a death.

It’s a feel good series that doesn’t focus on the deep negatives, but how people overcome said negatives and use the power of the love for their found family to fight for what’s right. You say it’s a surface level series, but the truth is your not willing to look deeper under it because you can’t be bothered to see there is more to a series than many deaths, killings, etc.

there are so many shows and mangas like FT that don’t get a quarter of hate like FT does and I just think it’s incredibly stupid and unfair to target a show over petty reasons such as LACK OF DEATH?? It’s a wonderful show that is supposed to cheer you up and make you feel happy, why can’t we just have a series that’s exactly like that and still be considered a good story? And yes, Fairy Tail isn’t perfect; no series is. It has its flaws just like any other shonen.

My point is that FT is picked on way too much for reasons that other anime’s display as well, and that there’s a lot of hypocrisy in FT haters. I never understood why Fairy Tail was the scapegoat for all the hate when their favorite shows and mangas do the exact same thing! If Fairy Tail isn’t what you’re looking for, then move on without shitting on it.

The people of Fairy Tail are extremely important to me, as cheesy and cringe as that sounds. They raised me, taught me lessons that I still hold dear to my heart to this day. It has picked me up in times of need while still being able to evoke strong emotions from me. It just gets under my skin when so many people either pick it apart and don’t bother to dig deeper behind the meaning of it, or just sexualize the characters constantly without paying attention to the valuable lessons we could be learning from them instead.

I know it’s just a show/series at the end of the day, and I shouldn’t let it bother me this much; but I can’t help it, the characters are like family to me and have helped me process many emotions and gotten me through dark times. I just think if you’re gonna hate, you should do your research first and then come back with plausible reasons. I respect all opinions (as long as it doesn’t hurt others) and I never try to say that they’re wrong and I’m right blahblahblah because we all have our own preferences and that should be celebrated, as well as be able to have the right to express them; but let’s not over do it with hate outloud and in the open where people can be affected by the hurtful things you say.

[onerabong]

Dark Matter rambles pt.2 (spoiler alert)

I’ve decided to start a new post cuz the old one was getting too long.

Ch.26

First of all, OH MY GOD

I had to calm myself down for a long time before writing this otherwise it would’ve just been a jumble of exclamations.

There is a LOT I wanna talk about in this chapter but I’ll narrow it down to three things- the battle, Einaros and GERYU.

Before we go in I wanna mention Boros’ dream. So his prophetic dreams are still coming to him, except with this one he was conscious. Well not conscious, but he could walk around, he had control over his body. I wonder what the difference was. With Exodia, a dream he’s had for so long warning(?) him of an attack, all he could do was experience what the dream gave him. It was vague, the only distinct thing being the environment around him, the dream only getting clearer as the real event approached. The two previous dreams he’s had was a prophecy of what will happen, something that will happen; there was nothing he could do about it. But with this one nothing seems to be happening, at least not yet. No signs of danger, no signs of anything really, only notable thing being the waterfall. Is it telling Boros of a place he’ll find himself in in the future? Probably. Is something important gonna happen there? Also probably. Maybe it’s another place with a clue? The place he’ll meet Geryu? No idea.

I used the term ‘warning’ above but that seems inaccurate. Warning implies that he could have done something to stop it. With Exodia maybe he could’ve persuaded the others to leave, but that seems unlikely. With the Maelstrom too, Proxima had the idea to stop the ship herself, even without Boros’ input. So his dreams are just showing him what will happen.. but now that he’s certain that it’s showing him the future, he’s determined to be prepared, he’s anticipating it. Is the new dream a result of this change? That he’s more prepared? Maybe, maybe not. But doubtless he’s had more control over it, even if it was only with his body. And he will be looking out for this place, anticipating it. That itself is a huge improvement compared to before, in my opinion.

(Also why was the Cyborg so cold when Boros mentioned his dreams?? His words sympathetic, but his tone cold- what does this mean? Does it have something to do with the voices?? This guy’s just wrapped up in mysteries!!)

Now onto the battle. AAAAAAAAA

Well the first thing I wanna mention is the centipede. Yes, it cracked me up to see that the monster was nothing other than a centipede, an acknowledgement to OPM’s love for those things no doubt😂

Speaking of OPM, it’s with this fight things are getting more and more like a.. shonen manga(??) seeing the main character getting stronger with every fight to be specific. Which is what OPM’s all about. So to see Boros doing that, to see this fic showing hints of what it will inevitably happen- it makes my heart race is what it does, to put it lightly.

And the way he fights, the way he defeated the creature; it wasn’t complicated, he just punched through it, but even in that simple fight we could see that he was being smart, strategic. The creature was so much bigger than him, so he waits for it to grab him first, bringing himself closer to what is most likely the creature’s vital spot; its head. And when it’s confirmed that he can do damage to it, he uses his enemy’s fight stance to give the final blow.

Two things- the copying of Iryo’s fighting style, and his energy output.

We are briefly shown Boros analyzing Iryo’s fighting style in the previous chapters. So to see him use it for himself, and victoriously at that, is SO exciting. How many of the Xar can replicate the exact moves of an enemy in a fight he’s had no control over? Not many I presume. Is it his desperation to keep his friends safe that has him learning so much from his traumatic experience? Probably. And this is rewarded with his complete calm during the fight, resulting him being able to control his stellar core, to push through his previous limits.. (limits huh)

And I can’t not mention the color of his energy turning blue, even if only briefly, to match what we’ll be seeing in OPM..

Also I love the little details like the sand crystalizing from his heat, and the shockwaves of each punch; it makes the fight so much more real.

All in all I think this fight was an excellent way to show how much Boros has learned and grown, and what his current capabilities are.. which is apparently what Einaros thinks of as well.. he is impressed.. But more on that in the next post.

[philosophiums]

hi, I recently came across your post about the failures of most popular shonen animanga (it was so great to finally see it articulated like that, wholeheartedly agree with it).

do you have any recommendations for shonen animanga that does it right? that maintains a story, keeps to the themes, doesn't fizzle out and turn into a mindless training->war->training format? nothing new comes to my mind but I also haven't been keeping up with post-2000s anime. please let me know which shonen titles impressed you the most!

oh boy.... i have a few suggestions. they're not all shonen though SKJBVDJKFVB

i'm not sure if Terror in Resonance can be considered a shonen, and it's only 11 episodes, but it's absolutely incredible. i showed it to a friend who doesn't watch/enjoy anime much and he insisted on watching the whole thing in one go because he was hooked

Mob Psycho 100 is beautiful and heartfelt and breathtakingly animated. it's full of story and meaning and i'm pretty sure it's like Done now, so you'll get the full story instead of waiting for the next season. highly recommend

Eighty-Six is gorgeous and has excellent sound design. there's a plot, there's well-animated battles, there's good character moments. it's mech without being like Big Robot mech. i have to warn you, though, that it's devastatingly sad. still really highly recommended from me though (i've watched it twice already)

No. 6 is also sad, but it's worth it. another 1-seasoner, this is a quick watch and has really great storytelling. it's been several years since i've watched it, but if i'm remembering correctly, it relies on a lot of "showing" instead of "telling" for the world building, which really set it apart for me since a lot of anime uses dialogue for exposition

Chainsaw Man is not shonen, but it's still very very good. the animation is top tier, the story is great, the characters are amazing, and it has really great pacing. as long as you're good with excess blood/gore and adult themes, you should enjoy it

Trigun Stampede has the vibe of shonen, imo, but it's certainly not shonen. it's also, quite simply, stunning. i really don't have a lot to say about it that i haven't said for the others, but you should definitely give it a shot. i personally really like the animation choices, and the music..... chefs kiss

i personally love Bungo Stray Dogs, but i also understand that it's an anime that you either click with right away or don't. the characters are unique and interesting, and there is actually a (tenuous) plot throughout all of the seasons, but it does have weakly explained power scaling (no training arcs, though, which is nice). i love the animation and really suggest watching at least the first two episodes of season 1 to see if you vibe with it

i also wouldn't be me if i didn't have Haikyuu in the list. it's a sports anime, sure, but it's shonen so it counts. is the plot super simple? yes. does it stay on-plot the whole time, though? yes. and the characters are wonderful, and it's funny and doesn't take itself too seriously. don't watch it for an engaging story, but do watch it for free serotonin (i rewatch it yearly, usually in the winter, for some happiness JSBDVKJDBF)

ALSO, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is a new anime (season 1 is almost finished releasing), and i think it's absolutely lovely. it's such an interesting take on longevity/immortality and, honestly, on how to tell a story. the pacing is unique, the characters are so lovable, and the animation is stunning (the way the animators have brought fabric to life in the anime is just incredible)

[tae-rambles]

On the topic of Sabo's scar, Imo Oda is a coward in designing characters at times.

Like, the guy BLEW up and all he get is some red skin around his eye. HE SHOULDN'T EVEN HAVE AN EYE!!! And Toei makes it worse by doing their lighting tricks.

Kidd and Akanu on the other hand got full on facial and body scarring (for no reason at all in the latter's case) Akainu is a villian, and while Kidd is pretty grey he is potrayed as a blood thristy brute.

This thing were only evil and violent characters get to have actual scars while the good guys stay "pretty" feels very... abelist.

Same for the Strawhats! Nami doesn't have her shoulder scar, Luffy should be tained with marks all over his body and the same goes for Sanji and Zoro! For Sanji especially, scars could have been used as something he is very ashamed of since they show his weaknesses and his siblings don't have them. I feel like even Franky should have more...

(Also Law with his spots from the amber lead! But back in Marineford his backstory hadn't been made yet, so I'll forgive it. He should have had his bullet holes and arm scar from Doffy, tho.)

I actually just read this wonderfull fic on ao3 called "What do scars mean to you?" That explores this very concept and it just makes me wish more Oda wasn't soo keen on making his "normal" characters conventionally actractive while the only ones who are interesting are the villians and caricatures.

Well, Rip.

although i do agree that a bunch of the characters should have more scars (namely Sabo from the burns, Nami from stabbing the Arlong tattoo, and Law from getting his arm cut off) and thus understand your frustratio -, Oda is indeed very inconsistent and reserved when it comes to giving characters scars - i think this issue isn't as simple as "Oda is a coward". we need to consider both practicality and the meaning behind the character designs.

it would be a real pain in the ass to constantly draw/animate every single small scar a character might get especially if they're often reoccurring characters like the Strawhats (Luffy, Zoro, Sanji). One Piece is a fictional battle shonen manga - real life logic of how injuries affect the body do not apply here. the scars the characters sustain aren't supposed to be realistic but tell a story instead.

also, saying that Oda doesn't give his "good guys" (or as you so confusingly said: "normal" - what is that even supposed to mean? most of the characters in One Piece are some kind of weirdos and freaks (affectionate), especially the "good guys") non-conventionally attractive designs is just incorrect. yes, the conventionally-attractive-female design is an issue but that belongs in the can of warms called sexism that i won't talk about here. (i recommend MelonTeee's video on One Piece Women)

Oda isn't perfect by any means and has a some questionable tastes that are unfortunately reflected in his work but i don't think it's as black and white as you portrayed.

some last notes i have that i find unimportant to the discussion at hand but can't help but point out:

Akainu got his scars from his fight with Aokiji. i don't kunderstand why you think there's no reason for them?

calling Kid "a blood thirsty brute" is pretty surface level but i don't feel like deep diving into his character rn. it would take too much effort i'm not willing to give

[mysteriouspresence]

Madoka Magica and Evangelion: A Review

part 2/3

this is a brief, spoiler free introduction to Madoka Magica and Evangelion, two anime that i was surprised to find many similarities between. you can skip this post if you want to just see the analysis too, just click on this link → Part 3

i got carried away, so please expand to see the whole post!

to begin, let's point out the obvious differences that both franchises sell at a glance.

take this promotional poster of Madoka Magica:

(promotional poster for original Madoka Magica anime, source from official website)

from this first glance, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is very reminiscent of a shoujo show targeted at young girls (along with merchandise such as figurines, plushies, and props that can be easily put into toy stores). the premise of the story is simple enough as well — Kyubey, the magical animal sidekick, wants to recruit the main character Madoka and her friend Sayaka to become magical girls to fight against the evil witches who trap innocent's in pocket dimensional spaces known as “labyrinths” and torment them. In exchange, Kyubey promises to grant any wish they have, and grant them magical powers and strength that will let them right against their enemies. Sayaka is strong willed, tomboyish, and wants to use her wish to heal her sick love interest, while Madoka is kind-hearted but indecisive on how to best use their wish. the story also introduced three veteran magical girls: Mami, who takes Madoka and Sayaka under her wing as they consider their options; Kyoko, who lives in the city over and hunts competitively for witches; and Homura, who shows up every now and then to coldly warn the girls about the dangers of the job. Seems simple enough, right? 

now, let's take a look at the opening for our second series:

(video of Neon Genesis Evangelion anime opening, sourced from YouTube repost)

Neon Genesis Evangelion instantly gives shonen vibes (again, giant mecha toys sell very well) with its action scenes, kaiju-esque battles, and futuristic technology (albeit dated, since it was written twenty-plus years ago!) Shinji, a young boy, is called to the big city Tokyo-3 by his estranged father to pilot a giant robot (EVA Unit 01) to fight alien creatures known as Angels. though unwilling at first, due to his poor relationship with his father, he ultimately decides to take the call to action and learn to overcome his cowardice. he is joined by fellow pilots Asuka — a textbook tsundere girl from Germany — and Rei — a typical kuudere with a mysterious past. together, they fight tougher Angels in a monster-of-the-week fashion, learning to synchronize and get along with each other to improve their teamwork and reach greater heights. sounds fun, doesn't it?

both these series earned high acclaim and received canon movie expansions that continue the story, spinoff series with alternate universes and endings, and yes, merchandise for days. but all targeted at adults — the seinen demographic, to be specific — rather than kids.

why?

psychological horror. (Top: Madoka Magica episode 8, Bottom: Evangelion episode 25)

cosmic horror. (Top: Evangelion episode 22, Bottom: Madoka Magica episode 11)

thus, not suited for children and some adults too. Evangelion also includes themes and visual symbolism that allude to Freud’s studies in human sexuality, and both shows get quite bloody and violent in their dispatching of the enemies — this isn’t some bloodless exorcism or cool explosion seen in other shows. the viewer and the traumatized protagonists are forced to watch the people around them — their comrades, their mentors, their innocent friends, and random civilians — get injured and even killed in brutal ways. but just like the protagonists, the viewer cannot turn away. both become too embroiled in the tragedy that unfolds to escape.

yeah, i would not recommend my 14-year-old brother watch this yet.

behind the thin film of the cherry, childish themes of adventure and “14 year olds saving the world” is the exploration of the grim nature of sending children off to fight humanities battles and how cruel fate can be when the only option between humanity and a few lives is the latter. these two works from unexpected corners of fiction share a metric ton of cool parallels, converging and colliding through shared themes, plot elements, and character arcs. i believe that people should definitely check out these two key series if they enjoy trippy stories that work to subvert the viewer’s expectations using the conventions that existing trope sets have using genre deconstruction, to explore the deeper aspects of sub-genres often targeted to children in an adult light. after all, tons of dark magical girl/mecha series that popped up afterward were all inspired by, and encouraged by these two shows — in defying one genre, they helped establish a new one. 

[fanzillajacket]

Mark Your Shonen Weeb Memories With This Dbz Future Trunks Jacket

Trunks has been an impressive influence on the casual cosplayer’s list. In fact, despite his look being a bit too simple, his Dbz future trunks jacket has to be one of the most popular outerwear in the Dragon Ball series. 

After all, it was pretty epic when he made his first impression by destroying Frieza’s whole career by dicing him with his sword. For one thing, the battle between Goku and Frieza was one of the longest in anime history. Yet, this dude owned the alien lord within one episode. So yes, it’s obvious why the hype is worth it. On top of that, the female version of the getup is becoming a bustling trend due to the lush allure you can give off from it. 

However, if you research enough, you might have stumbled upon how the creator admitted that Trunks was inspired by the Terminator movie. And, of course, it is pretty accurate since the Android and Cell Saga show it. Not only that but Akira Toriyama is one of the most influential mangakas in history. And yes,  he'll will still be known as the legendary father of shonen anime. 

The Influential Anime Legacy Will Follow On

The Creator of this anime was an artist whose creativity was ahead of their time. On top of that, the creator of Hunter X Hunter admitted that they were dimensions ahead of them. And yes, because of Dragon Ball, we have One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach. There’s no argument as to why Akira Toriyama was like the grandmaster of the anime world. 

What’s more, is that it is a tragedy and the jolt to the fanbase has caused such a shock regarding his death. But personally, It is even more of a shock when he admits before his death that he didn’t like anime. Yet, a few fans think he felt his identity was mainly known for creating dragon ball when he wanted to be acknowledged as a respectable artist. Consider how he created Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest, and Blue Dragon. The mentioned franchises are pretty enticing in their own way, but none have reached Dragon Ball's peak.

But still, his name will always be an example, and he was a human with his own natural flaws. So, in a way, it’s understandable if you look at their motives in a wider perspective for feeling that way.

The Valorant And Vivacious Leather Jacket By Future Trunks

This Dbz future trunks jacket gives you a feminine grace while wearing it. Sure, the appeal is prissy, but it could very well suit a tomboy with this underrated charisma. On top of that, the Full-Length Sleeves are pretty figure-hugging and elevate your boldness further. You can style this in many ways for those festive occasions you have in mind. But yes, you might need some styling tips to enhance your vogue move.

A Birthday Party To Dive Into

The First tip we have for you involves you wearing a black turtleneck sweater, a yellow necktie, and beige khaki pants. With this look, you would look attractive, charming and emboldeningly feminine. And that would make you ready for a Birthday party that you have in mind for your friends. Moreover, it would be that occasion when you can enjoy the food, the music, the people and take some selfies for your vivid memories.

The Bar Night With The Girls

The Second tip we have for you involves wearing a blue jeans that suit well, as you wear white loafers. Furthermore, you would look captivating and cute as hell, and you would be ready for that Girls’ Bar night. On top of that, it would be one of those times when you can help your sisters in case they have personal conflicts. Because the ambient bar night is where you get to lighten the chest with your social pack.

Live On, Stylish Weeb!

The festive appeal of this Dbz future trunks jacket is too enticing. Furthermore, if you style with this better, you will be that aesthetic eye-grabber of the week. 

Lastly, we are glad you’ve reached this far with the book and wish you the best of days to come. 

[m39]

Doom WADs’ Roulette (2007): Ultimate Torment And Torture

My brother in Christ!

Another partial conversion that uses a shit ton of enemies from the Monster Resource WAD that first appeared in 2007 due to KDiZD! All three of these partial conversions that won Cacoward in 2007 and all use this roster at least partially!

...

I don’t really have anything else to say; I just wanted to point that out.

G9: Ultimate Torment and Torture

Main author(s): Daniel Gimmer (Tormentor667)

Release date: September 11th, 2007

Version played: 1.07

Required port compatibility: GZDoom

Levels: 10

If you suddenly feel like you are playing KDiZD’s distant cousin, then you aren’t wrong, for this WAD is another project made by Tormentor667; although, this time it’s more like a one-man project rather than a community one.

Now you might be wondering What in the actual fuck is “Ultimate Torment and Torture”? To put it simply, it’s a remaster of the series of WADs under the same title (without the ultimate of course), now sprayed all over with Tormentor’s ZDoom’s features obsession, including background noises, a shit ton of new enemies, and other ZDoom stuff that may or may not be completely worthless on the long term.

Now since I didn’t play this series in any capacity, I’m gonna judge this WAD by its own merits. And if you didn’t already notice, do not expect this review to be completely positive; I’m not really a fan of Tormentor’s overly-designed WAD slop.

And although there isn’t really any plot in the text file in the WAD itself, there are text screens that describe what’s happening at the moment you are playing this map. But it all boils down to this – there is a hellish pentagram or something that summons demons and you go after it to end it all... again.

The plot, despite being rather simple (it’s a Doom WAD after all), takes itself too seriously in my opinion. It feels like it wants to sniff its own farts thinking it’s deeper than it thinks. The pretentiousness is especially high as you reach the final episode, with an unskippable monologue from the main character (who, by the way, sounds like Diet Caleb from Blood) rambling some kind of generic shonen anime hero speech filled with never give up this and da people I love that shit. This thing is funnier than most of the Mockaward winners that I played for crying out loud; for the wrong reasons, yes, but still.

But at least you can skip most of the textscreen stuff with the use key... after a small delay.

Now with the basics known, let’s take a look at another Tormentor’s projects.

You might probably know by this point, but if there is one thing that Tormentor is really good at is the visual aspect of his WADs (solo or community-made). And UTNT doesn’t disappoint in this. The oppressive foundry facilities in the second episode; snowy areas surrounding the base in the third one; the bastion with the demonic portal that acts like a bridge between episodes three and four; the mountain that you climb in the final episode; these are some of the highlights in this WAD.

It might be a little bit overboard with the details that aren’t just tiny objects lying around that are not some random debris from the wall, but it’s still amazing for the WAD from 2007.

Oh, and by the way, you can turn off some of the weather effects in most of the maps. Just remember to bind the key to it.

The music is a mixed bag for me. While half of the music tracks fit surprisingly well, the other half has a chance to make you laugh with the WAD sniffing its farts of pretentiousness again. It’s like the same problem as the plot; it gets a pass in the first half, but it gets ridiculous in the second one.

The final boss track is the worst case of unintentional laughter. No matter what you think about Revolutions, when it comes to the final battle between Neo and Agent Smith, the music fits really well. It doesn’t fit at all when you are flying around like a madman trying to destroy a satanic pentagram that protects itself with a demonic energy cylinder while dodging/trying to kill Cycloid Emperors that protect these things! IT JUST DOESN’T!

...

sigh

It does get better gameplay-wise at least.

I don’t really think this WAD is complicated. After the first playthrough, it didn’t really feel that tiring (at least for me). It does have backtracking sometimes, but honestly, I have experienced worse cases than UTNT.

What’s really cool about this WAD is that you can start from any of four episodes. If you are a Pistol-starter, you will enjoy this option (at least partially since you can start like this only at the beginning of an episode instead of in its middle).

You can also play as three different classes. I don’t know what are the differences aside from the starting weapon and the maximal amount of health since I played as only one class to not waste my time, but still, I’ll describe what I know:

The Marine starts with the Shotgun and 100 HP;

The Scout has 75HP and the Pistol (that shoots slightly faster from what I’ve seen);

And the Commando starts with 150HP and the Minigun; NOT the Chaingun mind you, but a Minigun. I’ll get to that weapon later.

There are two variants of the final level. The regular one takes place at the bottom of the mountain, where you climb it up while fighting the entire demonic army. There is also a graveyard with tombstones of people behind this WAD (like many other WADs before this one). This one is more of an epic type.

The secret variant (AKA the Director’s Cut) is hidden in the second part of the final episode. In this case, there are three areas full of monsters, where in the first two you have to kill a specific amount of Mancubi and Arachnotrons respectively (kind of like in Dead Simple) and in the third area you must press two switches to unlock the elevator to the final boss.

I’m not really sure which one is better. The hidden variant feels easier and has a lesser amount of annoying monster variants for the cost of a smaller amount of terrain to maneuver, while the regular variant feels like one last stand of the demonic army that fits perfectly well in a Doom WAD while having more bullshit moments.

UTNT is somewhere in between when it comes to how hard it is. It’s rather challenging, but I don’t think you will end up completely destroyed if you were playing WADs for a while before playing this one.

Every episode ends with the boss fight, where you fight up to four tough enemies depending on the skill level. It’s kind of a neat idea with the health pool showing up at the top of the screen, although I would like it more if the second boss fight had a larger area because I don’t think it was tested enough to be fun (or at least not as fun as the other two).

The final boss is... kind of stupid, I guess? You have to kill one of its guardians to make it vulnerable and fire at it (preferably with BFG). If you don’t realize it in a minute, you will end up with no ammo to blow it up. And again, the music doesn’t help.

Oh yeah, there is also stealth filth once in a while. -_-

I know it’s at worst one enemy per map, but still. What is it with these people keep adding this garbage to their WADs?

There are dozens of new enemies in this WAD. I’m fine with some new enemies to spice things up, but UTNT goes way too far with them. Some of these appear only once in the entire WAD! It’s like Tormentor didn’t know what to do with some of them and just slapped them in random places on the random map.

I don’t have time to ramble about every single one of them. Besides, I already talked about many of these in my previous reviews (like ZDCMP1, KDiZD, and Cheogsh among some of these). So instead, I’ll do quick rounds for every class of these bastards.

Without any further to do – the monsters of Ultimate Torment and Torture ladies, gentlemen, and others:

In the Zombie section we have Rapid-firing Trooper (Wolfenstein SS as an actual Doom enemy), Mutant Marine (tougher Shotgunner variant), Chaingun Major (Hoovy from KDiZD as a tougher variant of the original Hoovy), Bazooka Boy (from Obituary, shoots rockets), Plasma Zombie (‘nuff said), Railgunner (‘nuff said too), and Suicide Bomber (basically Headless Kamikaze as a Doom enemy; my personal favorites).

In the Imp section we have Catharsi (Cyberdemon if Imp; volley of projectiles, leaves a bomb when the die (if he didn’t gib)), Dark Imp (homing projectiles), Skulltag Imp (faster projectiles), Void Imp (Undead Warrior reskin), Soul Harvester (much more annoying homing projectiles; some of them are semi-invisible), Shadow (weaker Arachnotron, for some reason uses stock Imp noises despite having original ones in the past), Devil (tougher variant that can shoot constantly; uses Doom 64 Imp noises), Imp Warlord (has a couple of different attacks), Nightmare (can be hit when attacks and is constantly invisible before doing that), and Stone Imp (Imp if melee).

In the Hell Noble section we have Satyr (melee), Hell Warrior (has a shield), Hell Guard (no idea if he counts here but, whatever; shoots a volley of three projectiles), Hell’s Fury (tougher Baron), Lord of Heresy (tougher Baron but with wings), Belphegor (tougher Baron but with the volley of three projectiles), Afrit (flying, tougher Baron), and Bruiser (basically if the Bruise Brothers were actual bosses).

There are two new Cacodemon variants – Enhanced Cacodemon which shoots three fireballs and has slightly less health, and Cacolantern which shoots faster projectiles.

Same with Pain Elemental – we have Plasma Elemental (‘nuff said) and Tortured Soul (toxic clouds among other projectile).

There are also other enemies, which are Arachnophyte (Spider Bitch but flies), Blood Demon (tougher Pinky), Death Incarnate (hitscanning Revenant that has a small chance to not resurrect), Rail Arachnotron (‘nuff said), and Terror (Lost Soul that has a gigantic blast radius after it dies).

There are also the Source’s Guardians that I mentioned earlier. Look like Cycloid Emperors, kind of annoying to fight, and when they die, they leave their heart or something that functions as stronger medikit

We can’t forget about the bosses too. Aside from Bruiser Demons and the evil pentagram that function as bosses of episodes 2 and 4 respectively, we have Hectebi in the first episode (which are tougher Mancubi) and Giant Spiders in the third episode (Maulotaur reskins that burst out smaller, annoying to kill, regular spiders).

You collapse on the floor.

...

Phew...

Now with the demonic army described (apologies for the information errors if you notice one), let’s talk about new weapons.

Surprisingly, compared to the hegemony that are new monsters, you only get three new weapons. The first one to talk about is the Minigun that I mentioned earlier. It’s basically a much faster Chaingun but with a long break before firing again, meaning that it’s better for close encounters rather than sniping.

You have a flamethrower called... Flamer (how original). It’s your typical WAD flame thrower; don’t get burned by it yourself.

The final weapon is actually hidden in the secret in the first episode. It’s called Pyrocannon Prototype, and it feels like a napalm launcher that shoots mini-nukes. Perfect for bosses, so don’t use it (nor flamethrower) in any other circumstances.

I encountered some bugs while playing UTNT. The most prominent one was when Hell Warriors were completely invulnerable to anything until they raised the shield (something that didn’t happen in the previous WAD when these hulking cats appeared). Another bug that I encountered was in the second episode, where after exiting the secret area, the music from there was still playing; I had to enter and exit it again to properly change back to the original track.

The worst time was with some stability problems. There was one tiny moment in the first part of the fourth episode when there were some framerate drops due to the large amount of enemies and allies fighting each other, but there was a much worse one in episode two, during my secret-hunting run, when after the area with the blue key, the framerate started dropping like crazy, down to around 1.5 FPS.

Gee, maybe it wouldn’t happen if not for the gargantuan amount of shells, bullets, blood chunks, and gore chunks that appear everytime you kill at least one enemy (at least that’s how I think). I wonder if Tormentor ever thought of that situation.

The Ultimate Torment and Torture... makes me sad. I genuinely feel this WAD had the potential to be one of the best WADs ever created but the Tormentor’s obsession with (G)ZDoom features, many enemies that were slapped on this WAD without any reason for nothing but a small cameo, and the pretentiousness that pores out to the surface of the WAD’s plot makes it impossible to reach that status. It’s yet another WAD of its time that by modern standards feels outdated.

There is also another map known as the lost episode. I don’t know how to reach it without warping to it (if it’s even possible to get there normally), so I’ll leave it for the bonus round.

As for me, my break from Doom WADs might end up longer than a week, since I’m planning to buy a new PC that has SSD Hard Drive. So I’m going to move all important files to it once it arrives.

But until then, I’ll see you next time.

Have an early, happy 30th Doom anniversary.

[lemongogo]

hi i was reading ur tags and just wanted to share my interpretation of the whole haibara situation bc i am very emotional abt him. imo, if gege had chosen to set the manga back in 07 during gojo and nanamis teenage days, there’s no doubt in my mind that haibara would be the main character. initially u might think it would b gojo but if we follow the stereotypical shonen protag archetype, gojos abilities were already much too powerful and developed for him to make a suitable mc. in that vein, bc haibara was still learning and had vast room for improvement, along with his happy go lucky and optimistic personality and what with nanami being his angsty emo deuteragonist, he would’ve made for the most perfect stereotypical anime protag (if we also take into account gojo and geto as his powerful upperclassmen who inspire him to train harder to b more like them then it makes it even more perfect). so yes i think haibara was meant to heavily parallel itadoris character.

ur also correct in saying haibaras death was catalyst, as it led to nanami running away from the jujutsu world. haibara and nanami, while we didn’t see too many interactions between them, were pretty clearly meant to b best friends. seeing ur bsf who’s ALSO a fellow child die in battle was probably definitely hella traumatizing, and i think it made nanami realize that the jujutsu world was just taking children and placing them into the role of a savior before they were even properly equipped to deal with it. so nanami leaves yadda yadda yadda and then he comes back. and i think he sees a lot of what he saw in haibara in itadori as well. nanami doesn’t want the same thing to happen to this child who isn’t much younger than the age in which his best friend died, and so he kinda takes on the responsibility of making sure to protect what little he can. i think he kinda sees it as his second chance of sorts, a way to finally do what he couldn’t do back when he was 17 years old. so haibara appearing to nanami as he’s dying and questioning his purpose was i nanamis conscience reminding him of the one he lost, and the ones he’s still trying to save. the guilt of haibaras death never truly left him, and so by protecting this new generation of sorcerers i feel like he’s trying to combat that pain with his new purpose of being the adult he wishes he had access to when he was a kid.

(also it’s not rly clear how haibara died exactly, but the manga implies his lower half was ripped off or destroyed or smth, going by the shape of his body under the sheet in the morgue)

okay that’s all sorry for rambling i just. i get very sensitive abt haibara and nanami sometimes LMFAO

omg omg no dont be sorry , if anything im so sorry to keep u waiting AHKHAK i rmbr reading this the first time u sent it and it was so sad that i legitimately couldnt think abt it for a bit LMAOO no but thank u so much for taking the time to write this ;_;

i loveee love love how such a small scene can hold incredible significance like that. although i know there is more than meets the eye, as you've explained, i love how anyone can read that and just Understand, albeit abstractly, haibara's influence . the implications it holds for nanami and nanami's motivations, and how that , in turn, affects itadori. theres something so heart rending abt that. like the perseverance of someone's legacy (?) i guess?? and while haibara didn't get a good ending, it's part of his story that moves forward with those who still have a chance . its really special !! and i love that gege decided to allude to him in that moment

i especially love that we don't have to see haibara's face to know its him. and that the simple gesture of him pointing towards itadori was enough. SOBBINGGG

after everything u told me abt him i >............................."so haibara appearing to nanami as he’s dying and questioning his purpose was i nanamis conscience reminding him of the one he lost, and the ones he’s still trying to save. the guilt of haibaras death never truly left him, and so by protecting this new generation of sorcerers i feel like he’s trying to combat that pain with his new purpose of being the adult he wishes he had access to when he was a kid." OUGHHHHGGGGHOSPOHEFN<SS<FN)(#)(#@$@*_)*

they sound like they were so important to each other ;_; i honestly might look into the few chapters they do have, im tempted..

[autumn-foxfire]

Im sorry ill be adding onto ur ask box but u talking about bnha again made me think of bnha again and ughhhghgg

Latest chapters have been BORING. We know Star wont defeat afo cuz of course so its really annoying that so many chapters are being dedicated to the fight. We dont know shit about Star and afo has rapidly been losing my intrest so its just like watching two action figures clash while also knowing how this is inventibly going to end cuz it would make no sense for a newly introduced chara to defeat the big bad. If this was a half a chapter to chapter it would have been fine but its been several chapters so far n its so annoying to read something u give so little fucks about cuz ur hoping characters u DO care about will eventually show up again. This just seems like hori binged a bunch of marvel movies or smtng

Adding on to that....isnt Stars intro v similar to Lady Nagants? Like we randomlyget introduced to these two female characters we havent heard a thing about up until that exact moment, who seem to have a significant connection to an already estsblished character but it turns out that connection is flimsy at best. They fight an already established character, lose and are nuked off probably never to be mentioned again.

Like

I get that Hori is trying to show that afo is an international threat now but wasnt there a better way, couldnt he have established star sooner? Like all mights bedn doing fuck all how hard would it have been to throw in a scene of him talking to her on the phone here n there? Just so we can know she Exists before her big finale lmao

Idk...u here about big shonen manga crashing n burning at their end but its sad to see it happen n bnha is sadly inching towards being completely unenjoyable with each chapter. By now im almost hoping Hori will put it out of his misery fast if this is all we can hope for quality wise feom incoming chapters

Don't apologise for speaking to me Lucy T-T I love our chats and I've missed them since I've been afk (or would it be aft because it's more tumblr I've been taking a break from XD)

I can't believe the drop in quality in the manga. Stars and Stripe was a bigger mistake than Lady Nagant at this point and now that I've seen from the new leaks, I'm left hating this character more and more. Stars and Stripes wasn't needed.

There has been no reason for this battle whatsoever and yes, I'm taking into account the new leaks which, if you haven't seen them yet, I'll put them below a readmore:

She dies but her spirit seems to live on in the vestiges realm and we see her attacking AFO in there.

My question is why Hori had to introduce a random character we have not attachment to do this. Surely, if he wanted this grand moment where someone lives on beyond death and shakes AFO, it would be a member of the ESTABLISHED CAST that we have grown to love, not some random woman from America he introduced 4 CHAPTERS AGO.

You're right Hori could have shown AFO as being an internation threat and one of the simplist ways would have been AFO having a villain uprising in multiple countries. You know, he's said to have an underground empire, nothing says Japan will be on it's own when you have other countries fighting tooth and nail to keep villains in control in their nations and can't spare any help to Japan. There you go. Done. It was as simple as that and wouldn't have wasted 4 fucking chapters on a character we do not give a single shit about.

BNHA is crashing and burning and I'm watching this flaming wreckage hoping that I'll be able to salvage my favourites at the end.

[codenamesazanka]

So both the Villains and Heroes have love as the core of their motivation. Yes, both. Just in different ways: League’s love is for each other, intimate and personal, very concrete and close; whereas the Heroes’ love is very general, for the abstract masses, as many people as they can save. Both form of loves are great, both are needed, and one cannot exist without the other. When unbalanced though:

Too much love for just your friends, and you’ve got the League, who are willing to do anything for each other’s happiness, even if it means the rest of the world can (and will) burn. Too much love for the general masses, and you get Heroes that are supposed to sacrifice everything - anything - to be the ultimate Plus Ultra ‘Hero’. 

*

At the core of the League, the reason they’ve all gathered up for, the reason they’ve stayed despite/because of everything, their ultimate dream - all boils down to love. 

In the League, you’ve got Spinner who is incredibly empathetic towards Shigaraki (and Toga and Machia); but in his dedication to Shigaraki, he’s given up in the rest of the world. Toga wants to indulge in her unique and quirky way of showing affection, although it does mean other people could get hurt. Dabi, I think, deeply desires his father’s pride and attention, but failing to receive that, he falls into dark, bitter despair. Mr. Compress is willing to exchange more than a pound of flesh and blood for the protection of everyone, while Twice had just straight up gone and went full shonen protag, bursting with extreme, pure friendship that turned the tide of the battle at Deika - but in saving Shigaraki and the others, they’ve also contributed to the end of the world. 

And Shigaraki wants to destroy the world, because when there’s nothing left, there’s nothing to dislike, nothing to cause pain or anger or grief. that’s beautiful, empty horizon he wants for his friends. 

The basic idea behind these motivations is simple and very sympathetic - the need to connect with others and the desire to love and be loved. It’s what has been denied to them for most of their lives, often because of the way society is structured, leaving them behind and sometimes just completely kicking them out. But this taken to the extreme, is dysfunctional and pretty harmful to everyone not them. 

The League is full of love, and that love is only for themselves and each other, limited only to their tiny circle; they’ll support each other to the bitter end, even if it’s at literally everyone else’s expense. 

*

With Heroes, their idea of serving ‘the greater good’ is doubtlessly noble - protecting society, helping as much as possible, saving as many people as you can, etc. But it’s impossible to save everyone, it just can’t be done, so they aim for the next best thing: the majority. With that, we’re in the numbers game, and when the focus is on numbers, it often means making the ‘logical’ decision to take the option of ‘the most’. Helping the most people possible, but so unable to even pay attention to the outliers. Saving most of the flock at the expense of abandoning one lost sheep. 

Endeavor’s desire to be a hero isn’t ‘love’, but it is true - as Shouto says himself - that Endeavor is “an amazing hero”, who had ranked No. 2 for years, who has the record of the most solved cases, whose employees at his huge company love him, apparently? It wasn’t enough for him, though - he wanted to be the strongest (in this contest of what he thought was ‘the strongest hero is the best hero’), and so he ruined his family in his attempt create a ‘masterpiece’ who can be No. 1. From a purely (and very cold, with complete disregard for ethics) numbers perspective, producing a natural No. 1 Hero is a great thing - all the potential disasters averted and people helped. And so what’s one small family of five compared a perfect, strong Hero who can save the lives of millions? (That was obviously not Endeavor’s goal at all - his dream was much more self-centered and narcissistic - but the theoretical ideal end result would’ve technically been another ‘Symbol of Peace’.) 

And then: during Tenko’s walk, he says himself that one lost kid is nothing to the many and much more urgent hostage/murder/theft/whatever-crime cases Heroes could be and were solving elsewhere. All Might saves millions, for decades, but his sacrifice is his own life and body, which is easy to dismiss, except he later realizes that also has impact on the people close to him, re: Inko making him promise not to die. Hawks makes the decision to kill someone he admitted was ‘a good person’, someone who extended genuine friendship towards him, for the potential of saving the rest of Japan (and it didn’t even work/he might have made it worse). And who can forget Nana and Kotaro, and the consequences of that?

*

So you can save the world at the expense of hurting yourself and your loved ones, or you can keep all that love for your friends at the cost of bringing in the apocalypse. This is of course a false dichotomy, and neither is sustainable on its own. You gotta love the world in order to have a place for the people you love to exist -- and you need people to love, be loved by, and be happy with in other to have a world worth existing in. (There’s a much better way to phrase this but i can’t think of it, sorry.) 

But I think that’s where Villains and Heroes are at right now, to be very simplistic about it. Sacrificing the one/few for the many, or abandoning the many for the one and the few? All for one, or one for all? 

[recentanimenews]

RECS: Top 30 Anime of All Time According to Gigguk

  If you’re new getting into anime, you will know how overwhelming it is to pick a new series to watch. With so many shows out there where do you even start? 

  Hopefully I can make your life easier for you.

  Hi there, I’m Garnt, better known Gigguk online. I’ve been making anime videos on YouTube for far too long (13 years) and somehow I’ve been lucky enough to turn it into my job. I’ve been asked by Crunchyroll to list down some of my top anime recommendations, as my good friend Connor “CDAWGVA” has done before me.

  As much as I want to roast his list, I have to give him credit for being able to fill up 30 different spots of anime that doesn’t start with Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure but unlike Connor, I’m an Anime YouTuber who actually watches anime so lets see if we can do something a little better. Joey “TheAn1meman” will be promptly making a list after me as well, I’m sure claiming that his list is better than mine, but don’t listen to him.

He doesn’t watch anime either.

One of the most difficult question I get asked is what are my favourite anime. My favourites can vary VASTLY from day to day based on my mood, memory, and what I had for breakfast. So if there’s one question every Anime YouTuber HATES, it’s a list of their top favourite anime recommendations.

Anyway, here’s a list of my top favourite anime recommendations:

    (Image via Netflix)

  1.    Neon Genesis Evangelion

I don’t think it’s really possible to pick a “Greatest Anime of All Time” but if I had to pick one that was most important to me, it’s Evangelion. I know starting off with literally one of the most influential anime of all time isn’t exactly breaking the mold but I do firmly believe that this is something every anime fan should watch at least once… when they are ready.

This isn’t really a franchise you enjoy, it’s one you experience. Some won’t like that experience and that’s fine, but for those who are able to come out of this with something will be given an experience you can’t find elsewhere. This show has stood the test of time, it’s the product of a creator laying himself bare on screen showing the darkest depths of the human psyche that you will either reject, not understand at all, or connect with on a level deeper than many pieces of media will ever be able to do.  

Oh, and Giant Robots go pew pew as well. 

  2.    Fate/Zero

The Fate franchise may seem daunting to newcomers now but at it’s core, it’s very simple:

  Seven teams.

One Winner.

Last team standing get’s any wish they want granted.

Ready, set, go.

It's a battle royal with Mages that can summon heroes from history and legends, and yes, that is as cool as it sounds. 

This isn't just a simple Fortnite romp through Tomato Town though, this is a Shakespearian tragedy of 7 teams playing 5D chess with each other. Whether it be writing, animation, music, Fate/Zero is an absolute masterclass in so many aspects.

  3.    Hunter x Hunter  

Shonen battle is the lifeblood of popular anime, without it I'm sure alot of us would never have watched anime in the first place. Its formula has been passed down and replicated through the ages, so it can be hard to find a single one that truly stands out. 

Hunter x Hunter is what happens when you take the best parts of an established genre and condense it down into a 148 episode package. Whether you are looking for awesome fights, underdog stories, tournament arcs or one of the best power systems in all of anime, shonen doesn't get much better than this.


  4.    A Place Further Than The Universe

Sometimes inspiration can hit from the most unlikeliest of places, and if you had told me years ago that one of the most inspirational Anime I would ever see would be about a bunch of cute Anime girls travelling to Antarctica, I would've said you have the wrong person. 

If you've ever had that desire to go on an adventure or do something crazy to shake up your life but never had the courage to do so, this might just give you the final push you were looking for. 

Cute Girls doing cute things? How about cute girls doing amazing things.

  (Image via baccano.jp)

5.    Baccano!

I've yet to meet a single person who hasn't thoroughly enjoyed Baccano!, because if they did I'm pretty sure they'd be allergic to fun. 

Bacanno! encapsulates a pure, entertaining ride. Take a bunch of larger than life characters who'd give Tarantino a run for his money, add some immortal gangsters to the mix, put them all on one train and just let the mayhem ensure. 

This is a show that proves you don't need something particularly deep to be ridiculously entertaining, it's funny, it's exciting, it's absolute chaos but most of all, it's just a fun time.

  And here’s the rest:

6. One Piece 7. PSYCHO-PASS 8. Monster 9. Gankutsuou 10. Black Lagoon 11. Devilman Crybaby 12. Gurren Lagann 13. Attack on Titan 14. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 15. Code Geass 16. Hajime no Ippo 17. the Monogatari Franchise 18. Vinland Saga 19. Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt 20. Mob Psycho 100 21. Log Horizon 22. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 23. Haikyuu!! 24. Anohana 25. Your Lie in April 26. Ping Pong the Animation 27. Welcome to the NHK 28. Made in Abyss 29. SSSS.GRIDMAN 30. Fullmetal Alchemist

And there it is. 

Now, a lot of these aren’t my “personal” favourites, but I don’t think the general audience are ready for some of my spicy personal picks. Honestly if you’re just looking for something new to watch you can’t really go wrong with anything on this list. 

    You can subscribe to Gigguk's YouTube channel here, and to the Trash Taste podcast channel here. You can follow Gigguk on Twitter here.

  ---

    By: Guest Author

[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Pokemon Master Quest, Episodes 51-54

In which we stand on the precipice of the end, and a trip inside Larvitar’s mind results in one of the best episodes yet.

On the Verge

It’s been a long road to get here. And I mean, a long road. The journey from the start of Johto to the very edge of the Johto League has taken us on so many sidetracks and detours and unexpected pit stops that I can’t even remember them all. But there’s no denying the smell in the air now; the end is right around the corner. In a matter of episodes, Ash will face his final challenge in the Silver League and bring Pokemon’s original run to a close. That can’t help but feel at least a little momentous. It’s taken over 250 episodes to reach this point. That’s almost as long as it took for Gintama to grow from a scrappy sci-fi meta comedy to the thundering powerhouse performance of the Courtesan of a Nation arc. That’s almost the length of Naruto before its Shippuden upgrade. Most anime are lucky to run even half as long as Pokemon’s initial run. And those 250 episodes weren’t just episodes of a show; they were the start of a full-blown cultural phenomenon. For years on end, Ash, Pikachu, Misty, Brock, and Team Rocket took the world by storm, redefining children’s entertainment and smashing the boundaries between anime and Western audiences like never before. For such a simple, often shallow show, Pokemon meant something. And now that first spurt of energy is finally coming to an end.

There’s a lot I could expand upon there. About the magnitude of Pokemon as a show, how it’s changed over time, how it’s stayed the same, what it means to see its first form wrap up. But right now, I’m focused right where Ash is: the immediate challenge ahead. With the improvements to the show’s action setpieces, the Johto League might deliver the kind of shonen catharsis that the Indigo League was sorely lacking. Even just the brief fight against a friendly Magby trainer was well realized with lots of interesting moves and quick strategy. Certainly, Ash is feeling the excitement; as strong as his Pokemon are, he knows he can’t slack off if he wants to have a shot at winning. The road’s only going to get steeper and steeper now that it’s nearing its end. Even a brief catch-up with our old friend Casey only drives home how close things are getting to the climax, now that her little Chikorita has fully evolved into Meganium. These are no longer the kids they started out as; these are trainers ready to stand among the best of the best. And I, for one, am really interested to see how their final battle goes. One way or another, it’s gonna be an ending to remember.

Head Trip

And speaking of endings to remember, imagine my surprise when a run-in with the Unown resulted in one of the show’s most shockingly excellent episodes yet. Yes, I know me complaining about the legendary Pokemon not being as cool in the show is kind of a meme at this point, and really, the Unown going from “ancient unknowable alien force of nature” to “cute smol bean who misses his friends” should’ve been just as lame as everyone else’s downgrades. But then, the show makes the smart choice not to focus on the Unown and instead use it as a vessel to dive into some straight-up surreal mindspace fuckery. I love the idea that it’s creating a pocket dimension inside Larvitar’s head that’s reliving all its memories backwards, and the way it careens wildly from one trippy symbolic location to another makes for a really entertaining ride. It’s also interesting to see the show start using the kind of CG integration that the movies have been getting more comfortable with over time. But when we dive into the nightmare shard lodged in Larvitar’s mental egg, and that’s where things get great. Holt shit, I love how intense these nightmares get! We see images of Larvitar’s egg being stolen by poachers and his mama Tyrannitar getting absolutely wrecked with explosives, and it feels just as overwhelming and upsetting as it must have been for poor Larvitar. The shadows, the lighting, the raw, overwhelming soundscape, the evil black shards that cascade like crystal to form these twisted images... this isn’t just unique imagery, this is genuinely affective nightmare symbolism that sells how traumatized Larvitar is thanks to those bad experiences. Even the image of the shard stuck in the egg works as a symbol for how deeply this pain’s been embedded in Larvitar’s subconscious. This trauma’s stuck in the deepest part of Larvitar’s being, and it continues to prick and prod at the poor Pokemon like a splinter you just can’t pull out. And the brutality of the imagery within that shard makes it perfectly clear why Larvitar’s default response is to freeze up when faced with people he doesn’t know. After such awful experiences with humans at a foundational level, how could it not shrink away from them?

But then we get the single most powerful image in the entire episode. Larvitar’s soul is trapped in a tower of angry black shards, jutting out like thorns to protect it from outside threats while ensuring it can never escape either. But Ash sees it struggling against its self made prison. And he realizes that despite all the sadness and hurt it’s experienced, it still wants to break free. It still wants to live a happy, open life, no matter how terrifying it might be to step outside its shell. So he rolls up his sleeves and races forward through the black thorns, stopping at nothing to free Larvitar from his cage and pull him into a world where he can smile free of fear. That’s good. That’s really good. I got emotional in ways I genuinely didn’t expect. Ash pounding his fists against the metaphorical ice cage until it shatters just hits you, man. Yeah, it’s a simple enough metaphor, but the fact that this show was able to pull off a metaphorical representation of trauma and overcoming fear that kids can understand without losing any of its emotional weight is an achievement to be proud of. For as simple as this show is, I forget that every once in a while, it can pull off something that truly resonates on a deeper level. As long as Pokemon’s able to reach these heights, it’ll remain a show worth sticking with. I don’t know if Johto has any more of those waiting in the wings, but I can’t wait to find out.

Best of Team Rocket

-”We chose a playing card theme to royally annoy you!”

-”He could just plug them in.”

-Poor James. Give him his carnivorous buddy back!

-AND WE JUST COME FULL CIRCLE ASKDJHASKJDHAS

-Why are the Victreebell getting married WHAT IS THIS EPISODE

-”Look over yonder!” “Which way is yonder?”

-”They say failing to plan is planning to fail!” Okay, that’s actually good advice, though.

-”Hey, wait, our plan was supposed to work this time!”

-”Weezing, do anything!”

-”Prepare for trouble in slo-mo.” “Make that a cup of latte with joe.” the fucking music aksjdhakjsdhksad

Odds and Ends

-OH GOD BROCK OPENED HIS EYES BROCK ACTUALLY OPENED HIS EYES IT’S THE SIGN OF THE END TIMES RED ALERT RED ALERT

-Wait, don’t you know a Shellder biting his head will turn him into a Slowking? Why are you scared like you don’t know what’s happening all of a sudden?

-”But they can’t see what they’re doing either!” askjdhasdh congrats you played yourself

-Something’s different about the color grading in these episode. Everything’s a couple shades darker and less vibrant.

-”You bet your ponytail on it!” I really missed Casey, didn’t I?

-So is the crooked Magikarp salesman just the cabbage guy of the Pokemon world or

-Wouldn’t be a Casey episode without a corny chant to wrap things up. Miss ya, girl.

-”Some kind of fluffy, mushy, squishy, Wow Wow kind of thing!” ”She got hit hard.” Nah, that’s just Misty being Misty.

Next up: League time. See you then!

[doorbloggr]

Sunday 22/8/21 - Media Recommendations #16: Top 3's of Right Now

In terms of new media to recommend this week, there is none. So this week I'm gonna do a bit of a recap/best of media thing. From the categories of Music, Anime, and Videogames, I'm gonna list my top 3 of right now.

What do I mean by Top 3 of Right Now? Well, personal taste in consumable media is very malleable and subject to change over time. So today, I'm gonna quickly highlight what I can declare my Top 3 Favourite Songs, Anime Series, and Videogames are, as the Mitchell of August the 22nd, 2021.

Some of these things I'm recommending I will have discussed in a previous Media Recommendations post, but my discussion of each of the things I talk about today will be very short. So without further ado, let's start with music.

● Top 3 Favourite Songs

▪︎3rd: Caramelldansen - Caramella Girls

I can't really explain in words why I like this song so much, but it's just really good. I am not fluent speaker of Swedish, so I do not understand much of anything in the lyrics, but that's the magic of good music, you don't have to understand. If a song bops hard enough, the lyrics can be complete nonsense and still make worldwide charts even outside their native tongue. Caramelldansen also manages to capture that quintessential excitable weaboo nerd energy that I've come to accept is definitely part of my being.

This spot was the hardest to place out of any other placing in this post. There was about 6 songs I could declare as being my 3rd favourite song of all time, but at the very second I'm writing this, midnight on Sunday, I decided that Caramelldansen is my third favourite song.

▪︎2nd: Foolish Heart - Nyanners

One thing that will always make me enjoy a song is a funky beat. Music that just pumps and jams. Foolish Heart is fun to groove to and there's not much more to it. I also have a soft spot for bitter-sweet lovesongs, and there aren't many songs I know that are as bitter about the sweetness of love than this. I follow the artist who does this song on many of her socials and I was a fan of it the second it came out, and it will probably stay in my regular rotation for a long time.

Honourable Mentions:

Old 45s - Chromeo

A Thousand Miles - Vanessa Carlton

Mr Blue Sky - ELO

Mansion Party - Ninja Sex Party

Roundabout - Yes

▪︎1st: I Want You - Savage Garden

I had actually heard this song a bit when I was much younger, but it was only recently I became obsessed with it. It is the song used in the closing credits during JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4, and I instantly fell in love with it. It's just so funky and goes so damn hard. It's a soft song, but also very powerful. The vocals are so smooth and the instruments are so sexy. It's been my favourite song for many years in a row now, and I think it's gonna keep that number 1 spot for a while longer yet.

● Top 3 Favourite Anime Series

▪︎3rd: Darling in the Franxx

Darling in the Franxx just vibed with me on an emotional level. My very soul was touched by how much love this anime exudes. Studio Trigger are known foremost for their intense action and over the top characters, and sure this anime has those in spades. For someone who hasn't watched it, it may appear to be a cosmic mecha anime, but in fact, it is a romance story first. I can't really explain it well, but Darling in the Franxx just punches you right in the soul with how much emotion there is. It is a beautiful anime.

▪︎2nd: Food Wars - Shokugeki no Soma

There's just something fun about rooting for a snarky protagonist who is overconfident. Especially when, most of the time, they are precisely big enough for their boots. Food Wars is a complete 3 course dinner that fills many different niches of anime. It's a lesson in many different cultures, it is food porn, it's a battle shonen, it even has light romance, but never lets that take centre stage over the journey of the protagonists. I'm admittedly a lover of tasteful fanservice here and there, and Food Wars delivers just the right amount of echi to entertain those into it, but no more than necessary. Food Wars is just... a lot. And it's great.

Honourable Mentions:

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o!

Dagashi Kashi

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Log Horizon

▪︎1st: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood

FMA is just such a full package. It has a fun and interesting cast of characters. A complex and vast setting that is neither overexplained nor underexplained. A cast of villains that are all unique and the perfect balance of sympathetic to hateable. And most importantly, it does not outstay its welcome. I was very much considering putting JoJo's Bizarre Adventure up here, but the issue is that like, many other series, a series can be too long. A good anime has to be long enough to sink your teeth into, but if drags on for too long, it can become exhausting. FMA spends the perfect amount of time building up the plot and ends where it should. Edward and Alphonse Elric are the perfect dynamic duo, and every character has such fun designs and personalities. I could blab on for ages on why I love Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, and I have in a previous post. So go search that up in my pinned post if you want a longer breakdown. It is an anime MUST WATCH.

●Top 3 Videogames

▪︎3rd: Super Smash Bros Ultimate

The very idea of Super Smash Bros is something that appeals to gamers everywhere. A suite of characters from all over gaming that are all playable in one huge game. You get to play that classic "my favourite character could kick your favourite character's butt" in real time. I'm not a big fighting game guy, but Smash has a very accessible jumping off point, simple controls and a system of combat that's only really as deep as you need it to be. Smash Bros is also a very important game to me socially, since I owe all my current closest friends to meetings I had interacting with the competitive scene. I used to be really into competitive Smash too, and Smash Ultimate in particular had a fairly balanced cast, in that if you were committed enough, you could dominate with any character. But even if I've grown exhausted with that scene, and only ever play the game casually now, I owe a lot to this series.

▪︎2nd: Animal Crossing New Horizons

As of right now, Animal Crossing is not a game I play.... at all. But for the few months after the game released, ACNH was a religious dedication. I'm in a pretty shitty place these days. Can't see friends, can't even go to work, the world is falling apart as our leaders can't get Covid under control. But while I was playing ACNH, it brought structure and purpose back into my life for a while. I had villagers depending on me, museum collections to complete, flowers to breed, an island to transform into my vision of a nice place to live. It was nice. This number 2 spot might be taken by a different game in the future, but this year, Animal Crossing New Horizons was a very important game for me.

Honourable Mentions:

The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess

Pikmin 3

Jackbox Party Pack (the whole series)

Shovel Knight Treasure Trove

Pokémon Soul Silver

▪︎ 1st: The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild

Despite Zelda being a huge part of my identity, I didn't actually get into the series until my mid teens. By that point, most of the later games were very formulaic and linear. And sure that can make for a very compelling story and experience, but BotW just threw that idea out the window. Breath of the Wild is a game you can just get lost in. Spend an hour just dicking around in the middle of nowhere and it's a blast just to move around. The world is tranquil, and also exciting. The game is gorgeous and fun to play and there's just too much to talk about. I've played the game from start to finish at various levels of completion about 5 times now, (one playthrough being a 2 hourish speedrun to the final boss) and every playthrough I found new locations, puzzles, interactions that I never encountered before. It's a game that just matched my being perfectly and I doubt a game will leave an impact like that for many years to come.