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Jul 23, 2019
Hiro Mashima had already fully realized his ideal shonen in his debut manga, Rave Master. Although I was never fond of Mashima’s brand of shonen, I gained newfound appreciation of his style through Rave. What made this manga distinct from other generic shonen is the emphasis and love for friendship. This, first and foremost, is the defining characteristic of Mashima’s stories. And like any other Mashima work, this essential feature is both a strength and a flaw. His obsession in friendship gets in the way of meaningful character writing and consequential conflict. The characters never go beyond their archetypal models. It fails to sell big
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battles because the main antagonists aren’t simply compelling. It doesn’t help that Mashima doesn’t tweak the formula for each arc, making the entire trajectory of the series look like a sine wave.
Even though Mashima’s fixation on friendship is the heart of the series' flaws, it is also the reason why it does some things better than other battle shonen, even the greatest like One Piece and Hunter x Hunter. Friendship will always be a part of the shonen vernacular and it’s played out in different ways. In One Piece, camaraderie is found and strengthened as the characters embark on their grand adventure. Meanwhile, Hunter x Hunter explores friendship in all kinds of morality whether it be a twisted friendship between its heroes or wholesome fellowship between its villains. Rave is different as it focuses on the use of plot irrelevant adventures and slice-of-life elements. It shows us that friendship is formed in small detours and inconsequential adventures. It is strengthened by the little familial moments the heroes share together. And these bonds are simply affirmed in the battles they fought. Other battle shonen simply lack this element because they are plot-heavy. In comparison, Rave is never afraid to frequently indulge in its downtime where there is little conflict to build rapport between its bountiful cast. Even if the characters are walking cliches, their friendship is undoubtedly real and compelling.
Perhaps the lack of meaningful rapport between its heroes is the reason why Fairy Tail failed to reach the level of its predecessor even if they made the same blunders. Nonetheless, Rave is a fascinating experience and an entertaining read. Its strengths also caused its faults, but if there is any consolation, it is the fact that Mashima’s brand of shonen is worth considering.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 9, 2019
Sometimes I wonder to myself why I haven't already dropped Samurai 8. So far, it fails to grab my attention. There are two reasons for this, its uninteresting narrative and confusing aesthetics. These two sometimes go hand in hand together making every read a Herculean task.
The first problem lies in the fact that Samurai 8 is essentially another bland battle shonen in terms of narrative. It lacks early Naruto's heart and ambition. Normally, I have great patience when it comes to such kinds of manga. Even with Black Clover's clumsy start, it managed to carve a niche and refined its narrative. For Samurai 8,
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it's still an unknown but I trust Kishimoto on this.
Unfortunately, its aesthetic problems are far more sinister than its narrative troubles that it might be a deal breaker for this manga. I wish that Masashi Kishimoto was the one drawing this instead of Akira Ookubo. I was only able to follow other "generic" battle shonen because their art is as straightforward as their narrative. But for Samurai 8, it's potential for worldbuilding is pretty much stunted by the convoluted art. Reading Samurai 8 is not only a bore but its takes more effort to read than your average manga. There is no depth and shadows. It's hard to distinguish between character and background. It looks like a coloring book instead of a manga.
Unless there is a dramatic shift in the art, Samurai 8 might just be a missed opportunity for a compelling manga.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 9, 2019
Ookami Shounen wa Kyou mo Uso wo Kasaneru or, for short, Ookami Shounen is a harmless romantic drama. It almost feels refreshing with the lack of harem shenanigans and. especially, ecchi elements that pervade the romance manga landscape today. Unfortunately, it does nothing special outside of its unique synopsis. Keitarou's gender bending possess no significance except as facilitator for drama. Remove that unique plot point and it turns into your vanilla romance drama. But Ookami Shounen is an entertaining read nonetheless, it has cute moments and flashes of rapport between characters.
The highest praise I could give to this manga is that treats its characters
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as real human beings and give them agency that adds complexity. It enables great interactions between Keitarou, Botan, and Aoi. Unfortunately, its drama is hackneyed and superficial. It does everything competently but nothing great, making it perhaps the poster child of the inoffensive romantic drama (which I feel like is a genre that is almost non-existent). Ookami Shounen is short and it does not drag for long, making it a worthy read for any savvy romance manga fan.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 9, 2019
Frequently, the sports in sports manga has merely been used as a plot device to facilitate other themes such as friendship and teamwork. For example, Kuroko no Basket can easily be about any other team sport such as soccer or baseball with minimal changes. It's themes is universal enough and its superhuman abilities (and other shenanigans) can easily translate to another sport.
Slam Dunk is different.
Yes, it has themes concerning friendship or teamwork but it hardly emphasizes on that. Slam Dunk is not merely a sports manga, it is a basketball manga. While most sports manga uses its sport as a means to tell a
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stories of thematic variety (mind you it's not a bad thing e.g. Ping Pong the Animation), basketball is essentially the core identity of Slam Dunk. They are practically inseparable.
Slam Dunk is a celebration and a tribute to the sport. It boasts human drama between teammates, underdog stories, explosive demonstrations of physical ability, and simply the catharsis of winning. These qualities are the reason why people love and follow basketball and it is also the reason why Slam Dunk is so beloved. The intensity of emotions felt at the end of Shohoku's match against the might Sannoh is no different from Cleveland Cavalier's miracle victory over the Golden State Warriors back in 2016. Takehiko Inoue's love for basketball and love for the passion of its players is so evident in the manga.
Slam Dunk contains some of greatest sports matches in all of sports manga like the second game against Ryonan and the struggle against the titanic Sannoh. Reading Slam Dunk is essentially watching the sport at its finest. Every game is as intense as an NBA finals game. Every demonstration of Sakuragi's potential feels like watching your favorite rookie succeed. Every exhibition of Rukawa's dominance is reminiscent of the greats of the sport. Every clutch shot, every game-saving rebound, every comeback, Slam Dunk is a manga of outpouring emotions. It is the pure essence of basketball packed in Takehiko Inoue's vivid and detailed drawings. Nonetheless, Slam Dunk is so good at evoking these emotions it doesn't matter if you follow the sport or not.
If you are a fan of basketball, reading Slam Dunk is a necessity. If you are not a fan, give it a chance, you might just love the manga and probably learn to love the sport as well.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Oct 15, 2017
Black Clover undeniably embraces its predecessors. It has the classic underdog story reminiscent of Naruto, the sense of community that Fairy Tail and One Piece possess, and the hotblooded energy of almost every shonen manga ever. Black Clover does nothing new under the sun but it embraces things we are familiar with and turns it to a fun ride.
While Black Clover has nothing special to offer in its first few arcs but it's slowly improving with characters becoming more human and arcs getting more entertaining than the last. The author has a great understanding of character interaction that's why it's easy to get attach and
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root for the Black Bulls. Speaking of the Black Bulls, they are one of the reasons why I didn't drop the manga. While some of the characters are better than others, the chemistry of the group is great that leads to very good group fights. The manga preaches friendship and teamwork and it clearly practices it.
Black Clover is still very derivative but it has done well for itself. The past few chapters (Ch. 129) are even better than the usually stellar Boku no Hero Academia. Black Clover is slowly getting better and even if it might not be something special and new. A good story doesn't need to be unique but what it does need is something that would make you turn the next page.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 31, 2017
As Fairy Tail ends, I would like to give thanks to Fairy Tail, my first anime and manga that led made me start to watch anime and read manga. I would like to thank Mashima for this work. Now onto the review.
When Fairy Tail started, it wielded the sense of wonder and mystery in a land of magic and mages. The world was quickly established, the first page of the first chapter immediately introduces the Magic Council then weaves into Natsu in Hargeon Town into meeting Lucy while it establishes the world in the background. Mages, guilds, magic council, finding draconic fathers and it quickly
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establishes the protagonists Natsu and Lucy, which are interesting characters. When Lucy joins the guild, we are introduced to a plethora of characters. We are also introduced to Gray and Erza which are gonna be part of the main crew. In the early arcs of Fairy Tail, Mashima showcases his talent in worldbuilding and character development.
Although, it follows the monster of the week formula for the first few arcs things change as we get to the Phantom Lord arc, one of the best arcs in the series. In my opinion, the series had its best arc in the Tower of Heaven. In this arc which focuses on Erza and her tragic past, I can already see the overarching story of Fairy Tail. We get some references to Zeref back in the early arcs like Lullaby and Galuna but the Tower of Heaven seemingly establishes itself as the arc that will start the main story. The Tower of Heaven is my favorite arc of the whole series because of the great characterization and development of Erza and the seemingly Aizen tier plan of Jellal. One thing I really appreciate in this arc is the symbolism of Erza's armor as the symbol of her hiding her insecurities and protecting herself from other people but when she fought Jellal she does not don her armor that symbolizes that she is not afraid and hide anymore of her past and her insecurities.
After the Tower of Heaven, things began to change. The Laxus and gang arc was pretty decent, it lets other characters to shine. My first major complaint of the whole series was the revelation of Mystogan's identity because it just doesn't make sense since it kind of lessens the impact of the last arc. Move on to Oracion Seis arc, where the cracks began to show. We are introduced to a few new characters, some more interesting than the others. Oracion Seis was kind of a decent arc but nothing really stands out. Jellal's "revival" is really redundant. Edolas arc's premise is ridiculous, the plot seems out of place in the context of the story, but it was a decent arc. At this point of the story, Fairy Tail stagnated, it did not live to the heights of the early arcs and it's turning into a formulaic shonen. Enter Tenrou arc, the S-Class trials, the entrance of Zeref into the story, Tenrou invigorated my interest in the series. The actual arc is still formulaic but it's a significant improvement of Oracion Seis and Edolas.
Fairy Tail had a timeskip, in accordance to the Shonen Scriptures. When 7 years have passed a lot changed, and Fairy Tail once again captures the sense of wonder and mystery that prevailed the early arcs. We got a tournament arc for a change and behind the curtain, a conspiracy unveiling. Things are getting interesting. But in the end, it was a huge letdown. The arc had a great hook but it didn't have a climax that deserve its buildup. The power levels doesn't even make sense anymore at that point. Tartarus arc is decent enough but it's not really enough. This is fault of bad characterization. Especially Natsu's character despite being the lead has stagnated throughout the series. Natsu is just not interesting enough to be a protagonist. He doesn't have depth and virtually no development. Natsu spouting words of friendship and flaming punches gets really old and it does not change even in the final arc.
Speaking of the final arc, it's where everything goes wrong. Alvarez Empire came out of nowhere and we got 12 characters that can easily defeat Saint-level characters. The whole arc is just a mess. The arc is supposed to be a war arc but it does not feel like one because there are no long term consequences. Deaths are reduced to cheap plot device and not used in a meaningful way and what's worse is that they are faked. Deaths in the arc doesn't hold any semblance of emotion. The power levels have been more wacked in this arc. The introduction of plot points that are unnecessary and boring, including "Why has His Majesty' son not loved?", Irene and Erza, Lacarde's existence, Anna and Neo Eclipse. The Spriggans are unmemorable considering they are the strongest mages in the series, some where just easily defeated. Chapter 536 was just a big slap in the face as Natsu defeats a guy who possess infinite magic and can instantly kill you in one simple fire punch and the hype completely collapse around Acnologia as he was conveniently defeated by something that is doesn't even exist in the series 10 chapters before.
Fairy Tail had a great start and great potential for worldbuilding. It just began to lose its sense of direction and stagnated. As the series continues, Mashima is just lost on what to do with the story and the characters. Battles are not suspenseful because there are no consequences. Some characters are over utilized, underutilized, or mishandled completely. Mashima should take time in exploring the world he created and develop his characters. In the end, Fairy Tail failed to build upon its solid foundation and was the cause of its downfall of quality.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Oct 17, 2015
Gate is interesting because of the fusion of modern world and fantasy/Roman/medieval world. I always like seeing guns and missiles rekt knights and traditional tactics and weapons and these makes Gate satisfying because it’s done right and we can see the difference between two world and unsatisfying because I still got to wait next year.
Gate’s cast isn’t anything special but at least the MC is kind of likable and most of the characters have different traits, personality and characteristics. Rory as a yandere, Lelei as the curious, cute mage, Tuka as you know…. I don’t know, traumatized because her father is dead? Then we got
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the MC Itami which not your usual otaku, because Itami is actually a human being who works in the military (although he seems a bit OP) , then Pina Co Lada (God, I love that song) who is what we expected as a princess, patriotic and will do anything to save her nation from getting rekt by Glorious Nippon.
Gate’s technical aspects aren’t bad either. We got nice and realistic animation of weapons and tanks and helicopters. It has a good music, a good OP and ED and most of all, Wagner. The censorship didn’t bother me at all since I haven’t read the manga and it wouldn’t make a difference even if I read it before.
Gate is a fun show and it has little problems especially the unrealistic politics. Nonetheless, it always gives me satisfaction every week.
Story – 7/10
Characters – 6/10
Technical Aspects – 8/10
Overall – 8/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 8, 2015
Tamers isn’t perfect by any means. But being ambitious enough is what makes it good.
Tamers isn’t also your ordinary kids anime. Written by Serial Experiments Lain’s writer who drove inspiration from NGE. Tamers is one hell of ride.
The story of the Tamers begins like a generic Digimon anime. DigiDestined meets their digimon, for exception that they are not transported into the DigiWorld. Tamers start slowly, building it’s characters and the setting around them. The appearance of the Devas made it seem like it was a generic Digimon anime. Not necessarily a bad thing. They are only setups for the last stage. Tamers shines when it’s
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nearing its closing. DigiDestined especially Jeri Katou, learned what despair means. The final episodes are focused on Jeri’s development until her realization which result the defeat of the D-Reaper.
Character writing is not generic nor convoluted. The Tamers felt natural as they grow. Takato is a shy and cowardly guy but he mans up as the series go. Jenrya grows up as good brother as well. Ruki is cold, calculating yet she grows to show the side that she cares and being warm with the Tamers. They have develop bonds with each other and let each other grow. Their Digimons also play a large role. Jeri receives a special treatment as she was a catalyst of the happenings at the final episodes, Tamers isn’t just about the 3 Tamers, it’s also Jeri’s story. Impmon has also gone through the same thing. The supporting characters are having solid contribution and roles balanced in the show.
One thing that amazes me, is it’s final antagonist -- The D-Reaper. An emotionless corrupted program, a thing that has no specific goal nor emotions. Just killing data wherever it touches. A great concept.
Tamer’s fallback with it’s animation. Horrible even with the standards of 2000 anime. It’s horrible mix with the early CG of Japan made it almost unwatchable to me. The music was fantastic and keeps me on the edge of the seat.
Final Verdict:
Tamers is ambitious, and it does a very good job for a kids anime. Tamers is no Evangelion. It’s not entirely as convoluted as it seems to be. But Tamers is good at what it does. A coming-of-age story.
Story - 8/10
Art - 3/10
Sound - 8/10
Character - 9/10
Enjoyment - 8/10
Overall - 8/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jul 4, 2015
“Just because you’re correct doesn’t mean you’re right.”
Emiya Shirou
We are now in the second season of Unlimited Budget Works. Expect spoilers ahead.
I’m not a big fan of this cour (or season as MAL insists). It failed in everything it needed to do. The Caster arc was not really good since Caster was a plain villain. Ilya’s death failed to make at least a little impact on the show (This is why Heaven’s Feel exists). The characters in the show just come and go. Archer vs Shirou and his ideals produced episodes of tedious and repetitive dialogues. The dialogues are overwritten and awkward. Gilgamesh seemed to
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be a decent final villain. Rin remains a generic tsunderin. The plot is decent enough but it’s characters suffer.
Ufotable has done an exemplary job in its production. We have decent choreographed fights, godtier animation, detailed backgrounds. The VN soundtrack has it’s cameo which I really really like. Aimer’s Brave Shine and Last Stardust are great songs, Brave Shine captures the atmosphere of the show by Aimer’s amazing vocals. Same with Last Stardust. Overall, the OSTs are godtier.
Final Verdict:
Fate/Stay Night is decent at best. It’s not really bad, not necessarily good either. Mediocre plot and characters, godtier OST and animation. It’s a shame actually, Nasuverse is one heck of a fictional universe, I really like Fate’s worldbuilding but it have to suffer from Fate’s story, Kara no Kyoukai is better than Fate. I’m gonna rate this a 6. It’s mediocre but it was pretty enjoyable to the least, and ufotable’s production saved it. So it’s passed
Story - 6/10
Art - 10/10
Sound - 8/10
Character - 3/10
Enjoyment - 7/10
Overall - 6/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Mar 20, 2015
Classical music anime and romance combination is not new to the medium. I’m pretty sure some here knows Nodame Cantabile. Then last year, another anime aired with similarities with Nodame Cantabile and probably might be a more tearjerker than anyone expected.
The first half of Shigatsu is most defining moments of the series. The violin and piano competitions backed by amazing direction is really memorable. Not only that, small moments and interactions between characters and individual monologues along with yet another amazing direction is carrying the series altogether.
Shigatsu’s second half becomes more on romance but it went downhill. Melodrama was taken on a extreme level
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and was misused. The problems of the second half does not only end in that, it has many redundant moments that makes pacing awfull Speaking of pacing, the second half is awfully slow. Comedic timing is misplaced and destroys the mood altogether. It ruins the supposed drama. Misused melodrama and misplaced comedic timing is a sick combination that can be seen in other anime like Angel Beats.
Although the story suffers with flaws, Shigatsu humanizes its cast in the finest manner. Characters motives were revealed in their internal monologues. Some characters had a full episode to develop them. Kousei and Kaori are both archetypal characters but they manage to prove they are far deeper than that. While Tsubaki has her own internal conflicts, some episodes gives insight to that conflict, because of this she managed to become a good character on her own right.
Shigatsu’s driving strength is its endearing frames and amazing art direction. They have graceful effect on the plot that makes it better. Sometimes, I just watch Shigatsu for that. Shigatsu’s soundtrack is amazing. HIkaru nara is really a unique piece of music and sets up the proper atmosphere. This is backed up by Nanairo Symphony, which is good in its own right.
Final Verdict:
Shigatsu started good but it’s degrading by episode since the second half, but the last episodes came up for it. It’s still a good show but it could be better. (+ for positive things and - for negative things)
+ Beautiful frames and amazing art direction. Well-developed and humanized cast. Endearing soundtrack.
- Awful comedic timing and weak second half.
Score: 7/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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