Welcome fellow internet dwellers. I consider anime a window into Japan. A unique medium to convey the peculiarities of the culture. The anime that I enjoy the most, reveals another facet, or opens another window into this insular island. Feel free to let me know what you think of my lists and opinions!
Recent recommendations: Usagi Drop | A wild, wild story. Touching, shocking (some would say disturbing), yet somehow very authentic. The world is vast, this kind of thing might be more common than we (westerners) think. Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master | Maybe the hidden gem of the year. Seductive in its story, characters, visuals, and music. A twist on, yet one of the best of the "historical" genre. The Fable | Extremely funny, interesting story. Sequel is not as good as the first. The Strange House | Interesting premise. Architects will enjoy this one.
There are some loose categories that have emerged from my viewing patterns. I've provided a few gems that exemplify each one:
History Hyouge Mono Golden Kamuy Kingdom | Read the manga. Enjoy your life. Action, politics, history, tactics, diplomacy, China. Everything that is interesting (for me) in one spectacular manga. Artwork and character designs are phenomenal.
I am so sorry I didn't respond on your message on time - so my reply is partly about war and partly about manga, ahaha))
So, war part
For now, I am okay – I didn’t become homeless, I am not a refugee, my family and friends are alive, I did not lose my job. But I do not know whether I would be okay tomorrow.
I live in Kyiv - the capital of Ukraine, and I did not leave it during war. First 2 weeks of war were hellish))))
For several weeks it has been relatively calm here, in Kyiv. I mean there are sirens everyday – we hide in our bathroom. And I do not relax – the threat of bombing, chemical attacks or missiles is f*cking high anyway.
There is terrible news, of course. Civilians are murdered in brutal ways, cities are totally destroyed. But there is also good news. I cannot even explain what an amazing and heroic time I am living in – the worst time made Ukrainians show their best. So many people are helping each other – volunteering, donating their money, helping people they never knew, actively gaining support from other countries. I am also proud of our army <3
Also, if you have any question to ask about Ukraine – don’t hesitate, please write me, I am okay with any sort of questions. I will respond to all of them. It is my duty to help my country on internet front. The more people know about Ukraine – the better.
Manga part:
>>mono no aware
It is an amazing genre! It is literally healing your soul. I also love the fact that I only seen Japanese media with slice-of-life genre. I mean you can make manga where schoolgirls are enjoying cakes after school or go camping - with literally no big plot overall, and everyone would like it. I cannot imagine it in American/European media - there you always must have some kind of plot. But Japanese can just enjoy the usual life and its beauties, and I think it is very nice!
>> Honey and Clover
Wow, I agree with you on that melancholy that is sometimes usually hard to bear. Umino Tica is a perfect author for drama stories. I mean nobody's dying, but you have this strong desire to cry at some point if her stories ;_;
>> I'm also so jealous of asian countries with cheap delicious food available late at night.
YES!! ME TOO!! I want more street food culture in Ukraine. I watch Youtube videos on Asian street food and feel jealous as well))))
>>One more recommendation
Thank you!
I also completed Shingeki no Kyoujin!!
It was somewhat second week of war, and I though "I am NOT gonna die without knowing how it ended" 🤣🤣🤣
So I re-read it completely and till the end))
If you want we can discuss it (I have so MANY comments). But I am afraid to write them right away, in case you didn't finish the manga.
>> I noticed you still gave it an 8!
Even though the storyline was not whole (to my mind at least), I loved that the show had guts. I mean it was an ambitious project and it was clearly made to stand out from other anime. I love when anime creators have the aspirations to be not like other anime. There so many cliche and predictable anime (and I'm talking not even about ecchi - mostly the slice-of-life and isekai), that having courage even to dare being something else receives my respect.
But still, as you said, visual part > the content part is not good thing.
I am a BIG fan of Jun Mayuzuki!! Her works are just incredible. I have never seen anybody making the atmosphere is manga so real. After the Rain was amazing - the mono no aware genre revival))) I hope you would love KGR as much as I do.
About what you said on noticing the beauty of cells - I had the same feeling when I read Umino Chica works - particularly Honey and Clever. She is a master of horizontal panels, that quite unusual for manga, and she brilliantly showed the emotions and mood of characters without dialogue, just panels. Loved it!
Note: If you by any chance did not enjoy the H&C anime, give manga a second try - it is so much better.
Thanks for recs!
I have read a bit of Shinya Shokudou a while ago, but then translation was suspended. I loved the idea of telling stories in late-night diner. I even dream of having such place in my city. I mean here after 8 PM it is really hard to eat outside, which pisses me off.
I will try Ooku and Tsukikage Baby, thanx!
>>for me this is a website of relaxation
Words of wisdom! The best social network platform that ever existed hahaha!
Wow, our tastes for anime of 2021 are totally the same))
I also loved Odd Taxi and Ousama Ranking.
I did not like Sony Boy though. I liked that it established a lot of creativity in terms of animation. And I liked the effort to make it *not like other anime*.
But there were too many plot gaps, and it just irritated me that I can't go with the flow of plot. As well as many characters had the same haircut, I mostly distinguished only the Indian guy.
>>And Michiko to Hatchin I watch a very long time ago I think before I could appreciate how unique it was, so I need to watch it again!
Definitely! I watched it two times, and each time I appreciated it even more. It was made for mature audience, and that's why it didn't get enough praise I'm afraid. I really need more solo-made anime from its director Yamamoto Sayo - I think she has great potential.
My biggest highlight of the last year was manga Kowloon Generic Romance. It stroke my heart somewhere in the softest spot)))) It just has all of my favorite subplots - urban life, Hong-Kong, cute adult romance, character development, mystery, dystopia. And it has very strong atmosphere of location - when you read it, it seems you are living there. LOVE IT ahaha)))
Other manga worth mentioning is Ikoku Nikki, Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia, Kaijuu 8-gou, Sousou no Frieren, Metamorphose no Engawa.
Considering anime I liked Shadows House, 3rd Fruit Basket and Yuru Camp 2. I kind of enjoyed Fumetsu no Anata e. Kind of because I hated the last arc.
I also took a courage and rewatched all the Monogatari seasons (there were so many).
It is very uneven show. For some episodes you are like "this is masterpiece" and some episodes made me so emotional.
But also some episodes are so bullshit filled with the most stupid ecchi scenes.
So watching it was a roller-coaster - never knowing where you will end ))
I read 20th Century Boys more than 10 years ago, and it amazed me so much! Ever since then I'm planning to reread it every year, yet I'm so afraid rereading will somehow blur my love for it. I'm afraid I would like it less. But maybe one day I'll get the courage...
Yeah, totally agree on One Piece! Many people are so biased about it. And partly I can understand them - most of shounen manga is repetitive staff with same plot twists. I do not understand how Oda-sensei manages to create so many interesting (3D to say) characters. And the plot doesn't get boring at all. More of that - it is mostly a very emotional read and I cried several times reading it (not that I'm crying when reading other manga).
I am reading the manga since 2011)) I mostly do not read it every week. I am waiting roughly 1-1,5 year for chapters to gather and then read them in a bunch.
Have you been watching/reading something remarkable lately? How was your 2021 as an anime fan?
Sorry for the late reply, i have to put on some works lately. To be honest the story, art and almost every aspect in Berserk itself was pretty intimidating too. It was just like reading Junji Ito manga but packed with action and drama. But yeah in the end the most depressing thing is the fact that's Berserk probably will never be finished because the author passed away a few weeks ago, big condolonces for his family also.
Fortunately i never touched the anime, i've heard pretty bad things about it, which is not surprising because it was adapted by Pierrot Studio. Well specifically chinese history, no i haven't found any besides Kingdom. But if you're interested to history as general, you should go check Vagabond, a manga that sets on post-Sekigaharan Battle in Japan circa 1610 (if i'm not mistaken), it depicts the story about Musashi Miyamoto a famous samurai and philosopher in Japan. The story-telling itself, let's say pretty far from Kingdom that focus on Shin's restropective journey to become a Great General Under the Heaven. When Vagabond tends to focus on introspective journey of the MC's to seek what's the meaning of true power is. The art is god tier tho, because we talk about the famous Takehiko Inoue here. But you should go check it, i don't think think it will surpass Kingdom, but they were clearly at the same tier.
Oh lol its because of the bad Reputation of the fandom. I remember the crazy shit they did back when season 2 came out. There's also that side of the fandom that isn't necessarily juvenile and immature but thinks rick and morty is some kind of ultimate best show or they measure wether you're smart or stupid based on wether you liked it or not. The show is really not as smart as people make it out to be and not as original as people make it out to be, its derivative in a lot of ways - but a fun watch nonetheless. I really liked it
So its mostly just being scared of people thinking i'm some kind of elitist when i say like rick and morty
And yeah, i gues sthats the other side :P i've seen ppl that have negative affinity to me so i don't complain about anything above 50%
I'll still check out the novel of chiisakobe tho :)
I saw noburu kotera san in your favorites, but the page is mostly empty. I'd love to check it out, why did you like it? :)
Well, there's right about zero chance of a S2 of Nami Yo after all so there's not much choice but to read it. Do you have any other recommendations in that vein? I love grown-up slice-of-life with less than glamorous characters...
Haha nah bro, i guarantee you, that was from Weezer song, i just cited it. Anyway yeah, you got a good taste of manga too, that's why i sent you a friend request. Kingdom is like my favorite manga of all time beside Berserk.
All Comments (24) Comments
I am so sorry I didn't respond on your message on time - so my reply is partly about war and partly about manga, ahaha))
So, war part
For now, I am okay – I didn’t become homeless, I am not a refugee, my family and friends are alive, I did not lose my job. But I do not know whether I would be okay tomorrow.
I live in Kyiv - the capital of Ukraine, and I did not leave it during war. First 2 weeks of war were hellish))))
For several weeks it has been relatively calm here, in Kyiv. I mean there are sirens everyday – we hide in our bathroom. And I do not relax – the threat of bombing, chemical attacks or missiles is f*cking high anyway.
There is terrible news, of course. Civilians are murdered in brutal ways, cities are totally destroyed. But there is also good news. I cannot even explain what an amazing and heroic time I am living in – the worst time made Ukrainians show their best. So many people are helping each other – volunteering, donating their money, helping people they never knew, actively gaining support from other countries. I am also proud of our army <3
Also, if you have any question to ask about Ukraine – don’t hesitate, please write me, I am okay with any sort of questions. I will respond to all of them. It is my duty to help my country on internet front. The more people know about Ukraine – the better.
Manga part:
>>mono no aware
It is an amazing genre! It is literally healing your soul. I also love the fact that I only seen Japanese media with slice-of-life genre. I mean you can make manga where schoolgirls are enjoying cakes after school or go camping - with literally no big plot overall, and everyone would like it. I cannot imagine it in American/European media - there you always must have some kind of plot. But Japanese can just enjoy the usual life and its beauties, and I think it is very nice!
>> Honey and Clover
Wow, I agree with you on that melancholy that is sometimes usually hard to bear. Umino Tica is a perfect author for drama stories. I mean nobody's dying, but you have this strong desire to cry at some point if her stories ;_;
>> I'm also so jealous of asian countries with cheap delicious food available late at night.
YES!! ME TOO!! I want more street food culture in Ukraine. I watch Youtube videos on Asian street food and feel jealous as well))))
>>One more recommendation
Thank you!
I also completed Shingeki no Kyoujin!!
It was somewhat second week of war, and I though "I am NOT gonna die without knowing how it ended" 🤣🤣🤣
So I re-read it completely and till the end))
If you want we can discuss it (I have so MANY comments). But I am afraid to write them right away, in case you didn't finish the manga.
Even though the storyline was not whole (to my mind at least), I loved that the show had guts. I mean it was an ambitious project and it was clearly made to stand out from other anime. I love when anime creators have the aspirations to be not like other anime. There so many cliche and predictable anime (and I'm talking not even about ecchi - mostly the slice-of-life and isekai), that having courage even to dare being something else receives my respect.
But still, as you said, visual part > the content part is not good thing.
I am a BIG fan of Jun Mayuzuki!! Her works are just incredible. I have never seen anybody making the atmosphere is manga so real. After the Rain was amazing - the mono no aware genre revival))) I hope you would love KGR as much as I do.
About what you said on noticing the beauty of cells - I had the same feeling when I read Umino Chica works - particularly Honey and Clever. She is a master of horizontal panels, that quite unusual for manga, and she brilliantly showed the emotions and mood of characters without dialogue, just panels. Loved it!
Note: If you by any chance did not enjoy the H&C anime, give manga a second try - it is so much better.
Thanks for recs!
I have read a bit of Shinya Shokudou a while ago, but then translation was suspended. I loved the idea of telling stories in late-night diner. I even dream of having such place in my city. I mean here after 8 PM it is really hard to eat outside, which pisses me off.
I will try Ooku and Tsukikage Baby, thanx!
>>for me this is a website of relaxation
Words of wisdom! The best social network platform that ever existed hahaha!
Wow, our tastes for anime of 2021 are totally the same))
I also loved Odd Taxi and Ousama Ranking.
I did not like Sony Boy though. I liked that it established a lot of creativity in terms of animation. And I liked the effort to make it *not like other anime*.
But there were too many plot gaps, and it just irritated me that I can't go with the flow of plot. As well as many characters had the same haircut, I mostly distinguished only the Indian guy.
>>And Michiko to Hatchin I watch a very long time ago I think before I could appreciate how unique it was, so I need to watch it again!
Definitely! I watched it two times, and each time I appreciated it even more. It was made for mature audience, and that's why it didn't get enough praise I'm afraid. I really need more solo-made anime from its director Yamamoto Sayo - I think she has great potential.
My biggest highlight of the last year was manga Kowloon Generic Romance. It stroke my heart somewhere in the softest spot)))) It just has all of my favorite subplots - urban life, Hong-Kong, cute adult romance, character development, mystery, dystopia. And it has very strong atmosphere of location - when you read it, it seems you are living there. LOVE IT ahaha)))
Other manga worth mentioning is Ikoku Nikki, Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia, Kaijuu 8-gou, Sousou no Frieren, Metamorphose no Engawa.
Considering anime I liked Shadows House, 3rd Fruit Basket and Yuru Camp 2. I kind of enjoyed Fumetsu no Anata e. Kind of because I hated the last arc.
I also took a courage and rewatched all the Monogatari seasons (there were so many).
It is very uneven show. For some episodes you are like "this is masterpiece" and some episodes made me so emotional.
But also some episodes are so bullshit filled with the most stupid ecchi scenes.
So watching it was a roller-coaster - never knowing where you will end ))
Sorry for a late reply, btw :)
Yeah, totally agree on One Piece! Many people are so biased about it. And partly I can understand them - most of shounen manga is repetitive staff with same plot twists. I do not understand how Oda-sensei manages to create so many interesting (3D to say) characters. And the plot doesn't get boring at all. More of that - it is mostly a very emotional read and I cried several times reading it (not that I'm crying when reading other manga).
I am reading the manga since 2011)) I mostly do not read it every week. I am waiting roughly 1-1,5 year for chapters to gather and then read them in a bunch.
Have you been watching/reading something remarkable lately? How was your 2021 as an anime fan?
Thank you so much))
You have very good taste in anime! And the style of your lists is also amazingly beautifully made *_*
Fortunately i never touched the anime, i've heard pretty bad things about it, which is not surprising because it was adapted by Pierrot Studio. Well specifically chinese history, no i haven't found any besides Kingdom. But if you're interested to history as general, you should go check Vagabond, a manga that sets on post-Sekigaharan Battle in Japan circa 1610 (if i'm not mistaken), it depicts the story about Musashi Miyamoto a famous samurai and philosopher in Japan. The story-telling itself, let's say pretty far from Kingdom that focus on Shin's restropective journey to become a Great General Under the Heaven. When Vagabond tends to focus on introspective journey of the MC's to seek what's the meaning of true power is. The art is god tier tho, because we talk about the famous Takehiko Inoue here. But you should go check it, i don't think think it will surpass Kingdom, but they were clearly at the same tier.
So its mostly just being scared of people thinking i'm some kind of elitist when i say like rick and morty
And yeah, i gues sthats the other side :P i've seen ppl that have negative affinity to me so i don't complain about anything above 50%
I'll still check out the novel of chiisakobe tho :)
I saw noburu kotera san in your favorites, but the page is mostly empty. I'd love to check it out, why did you like it? :)