Back to AgriasO's Profile AgriasO's Profile

Strain.

You must ask yourself... What in the hell is this? Who read this series? There are like 300 other people on this website who've apparently read this. [There are thousands of people reading Naruto and One Piece and Bleach -- almost hundreds of thousands]


Strain brings together the writer behind Fist of the Northern Star and an artist who's brought his realistic [but stylized] and gritty art to other manga I can't correctly name [If you read the manga, you might see various "Meet the Author" things]. Does the combination do this Seinen manga a favor?


It does. The best way to describe this manga is that ... it's pretty close to the pulp cop/crime drama it wants to be. It plays out like an ambitious crime movie from the 80s. It's full of serious moments and the unintentionally funny moments that are endemic to B movies that try really, really hard [or don't try].


The synopsis will provide the set up for the story, but to summarize it a second time; mysterious Malaysian hitman Mayo [not short for Mayonnaise] -- who draws horses in his free time -- is willing to kill anyone for five dollars. You could buy a burger, soda, and fries for that. [Apparently all he needs is to bang a hoe for sustenance.] [Ma, with a certain pronunciation, is Chinese for Horse]


The story proceeds to throw a host of evil doers with unique quirks, intrigue, and plot twist as our dear protagonist tries to make sense of it all, firing his own fair share of bullets along the way.


Since the manga is only 5 volumes [40 chapters in all], it's pretty brief. The manga rarely ever takes a breather, constantly throwing new developments at the reader.


It's a blast to read and it attains an awkward balance of cool/silly while boasting a bundle of nude scenes. For those who care, penises are apparently invisible, save for 2-3 panels.


It really is a violent and vulgar manga, though I find it to be worth it. Please consider investing some time into the first couple of chapters and see if you like it. I can't promise a perfect manga but I can guarantee a pretty positive experience if you give it a chance.


Thanks for reading and have a good day.

Samurai Champloo is a fairly old anime now at least [meaning this review is real real late!]. I'm sure many people have seen it, but I'm more curious about those who've simply heard of it, haven't watched it, or maybe haven't even heard of it.


If someone already hadn't made it clear, Champloo is a apparently a Japanese word meaning Mix or Blend. The series does exactly that, bringing contemporary hip-hop motifs into late Edo period Japan.


The show is very fun and its periodic battles really work to make the two samurais [Mugen and Jin] appear much more cool. Staying in line with pre-established themes, both ... samurais are presented more and more difficult foes that they eventually conquer, much like any other combat oriented anime or manga.


Another element that drives the entire story is Fuu's desire to find the Samurai that smells of sunflowers. The anime elaborates and develops this plot point mid way into the series and ultimately yields an arc that gives the anime a satisfying end. Since this is an anime about a journey, it's almost like a slice of life anime.


Each quest attempts to develop the characters further, introduce more elements into the story, and strengthen the bond between the traveling trio.


The ending is bittersweet, which is my opinion, probably one of the best ways to end an anime or manga since -- the ending of a series can rarely ever be purely happy since it's ending. The ending is open ended but offers enough details to imply all the possibilities that could exist after the 26th episode comes to a close, leaving it to the viewers imagination.


To top it off, the ending presents the best example of Fuu, Jin, and Mugen being dynamic characters. They all gain something from the journey, learn about each other, and more importantly -- themselves. In a world they felt alone in, they can finally feel a sense of company or togetherness -- even as they go their separate ways.


The visuals are great. The style is fairly realistic with some exaggerated moments. Combat is highly stylized and fun with lots of movement and little pauses to think and ponder the enemy's fighting style, think about next moves, etc.


The sound is good and the music varies from hip-hip to traditional Japanese music. You may be familiar with Obokuri-Eeumi, a song sang by Ikue Asazaki, that is played during a certain episode in the series. The intro song is very somber and downplayed in spite of being hip-hop but the sad/uplifting ending themes are very nice [in my opinion].


Overall, the one thing I really liked about this anime was the connection I felt to the characters. I desperately wanted them to stay together forever[a condition commonly found with most anime and manga], but I was fully aware of the inevitable end to their journey -- Heck!, even the characters knew. Additionally, this was an anime that I felt motivated to watch. Certain anime, I get tired of watching an episode or two, but with Samurai Champloo -- I wanted to keep watching episode after episode.


If you haven't already watched Samurai Champloo, please consider watching it. The 26 episodes is definitely worth it and offers a unique experience that's rare in the anime/manga world.


If you've already watched it -- maybe it watch it again!


Thanks for your time and have a good day!

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEQtkLNTmRs] Obokuri-Eeumi
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3aNq4h0grs] Intro
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sccg1CZzi4] Ending 1
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBEwXlBaNdc&feature=related] Ending 2

Binbougami ga! is an excellent example of a simply outrageous anime. I'd chalk up Beelzebub or Kore wa Zombie Desu-ka as similar animes.


I was on the fence with the anime originally because of the story synopsis. On top of the weird girl with the bandana, I was turned off until the 5th episode came out. Then I started to watch the series.

Binbougami ga! is hilarious and completely slapstick. It features obvious references to other anime/manga or Japanese tropes while boasting a simple but fairly heartwarming arc as Sakura Ichiko proves she is a dynamic character.

Comedy wise, the visuals and voice acting really bring it all ... together beautifully.

Character wise, everything is pretty fun. The main characters bring a lot of a fun to the table especially. In fact, most of the characters are surprisingly unpredictable at times, yielding some funny results.

The music matches sequences well and the track is fairly reminiscent of Final Fantasy XIII's battle theme and victory fanfare which is -- odd.

The only thing that's detracted from this anime for me is the bad video players I use and at the start, I had some serious problems with Misfortune God's bandana and cast -- but I eventually warmed up to it and I learned to tolerate watching the first 10 minutes of an episode more than once.


Ultimately, if you've already picked up the series -- you've probably already decided your views on the anime with 6 episodes under your belt. However, if you were on the fence about it -- please give 1-2 episodes a chance!

The driving plot point of the anime is fresh in the midst of a fairly awkward summer season and allows for fun slapstick comedy on top of some fairly bittersweet moments.


PS; The intro song seems familiar, but I can't really put my finger on it. It's an okay song, although the end theme isn't much fun -- for me at least.


Have a good day and thanks for reading!