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Steampunk in medieval Poland? Well, that’s intriguing!

Lucja is a young steam knight with two prosthetic arms powered through steam. Her aim? Seemingly to become a steam knight king, one of the most illustrious figures of Poland. To do so, she participates in tournaments, fighting with her fists only, refusing to kill or draw blood. The story leads her to Cracow, where most of the action will take place and where she will face tyrannical hussards.

I won’t talk much more about this manga, as its main drawback is that it is simply unfinished, most probably cancelled. The last volume ends with the beginning of a new ... arc, so there is not even a rushed ending. Even though the premise is interesting and we learn a bit more about Lucja's past, the steam technology and its history, there is not much more to it.

A fantasy manga about gemstones. This unique premise is sufficiently appealing to see what it is about. What is it about then? A classic, light-hearted story of a young girl coming to a big city in order to start a new life.


As MAL does not have a synopsis, here is one.

Housekishou no Shinjin takes place in a fantasy world where magical gemstones have recently been discovered. These gemstones contain untapped energy that scientists have learned to harness in order to make technological leaps. The drawback is that the gemstones are often found in hazardous places, surrounded by magical phenomenons.

The main protagonist, Mana, is a young ... girl from a small village that the gemstone technology has not yet reached. Her dream for years had been to become a gemstone hunter at the gemstone ministry, but she is not really the best candidate: she is unathletic, clumsy, an airhead and not exactly knowledgeable about gemstones. However, she managed to pass the ministry's exam thanks to her rare ability: she is able to see the magical aura of the gemstones, making the search easier. Her main issue, made obvious when she starts hunting, is that she cannot control her ability and that she tires herself quickly when using it.

The second protagonist, Ray Orven, is the daughter of an influential politician. Like Mana, she is a novice hunter at the ministry, expect that she is the complete opposite: athletic, studious, serious, used to dealing with gemstones, etc. Assigned to the same team, she has to work together with Mana, despite her initial reluctance.


You might have guessed it from the synopsis, but the main point of the narrative is the relationship between Mana and Ray, growing from hostility to friendship/rivalry. The story is definitely character-driven, with absolutely no impact outside the main characters. Of course, there are other characters, all of them co-workers from the ministry, from their superior and the other team members to Ray's self-proclaimed rival.


In the end, Housekishou no Shinjin is not exactly a memorable manga. It is not bad by any means, but it is not great either. The story and the characters do not shine by their originality, but the world itself is unique enough to be interesting, with some solid artworks. The manga takes only three volumes to end, which is good and bad, i.e. it is short enough to be enjoyable without getting boring, while the world could have been developed more with a few more chapters. Should you read it? Maybe, if you want a simple, short, cosy story in a fantasy world, with no global stake.

Zettai naru Isolator, adapted from the light novel of the same name, is the latest work of Kawahara Reki, the author of Sword Art Online and Accel World, supposedly letting him use what he learned from his past mistakes.

The main protagonist, Minoru, is a Japanese high schooler, scarred to life by the assassination of his parents and sister, who yearns only for a quiet life as a social recluse. At some point before the story, he is struck by a tiny alien orb, giving him the ability to cover himself with an invisible, impervious layer, isolating himself from almost anything. This event is rather vaguely ... described in the manga, but may be elaborated in the light novel. In the story, he soon discovers that others have received powers in similar circumstances, and that they are divided between those whose powers have created murderous instincts, the Ruby Eyes, and those like him, unaffected, the Black Jets. Minoru joins then an organisation of Black Jets with the intent of hunting down Ruby Eyes.

What is interesting here is the range of powers and how they operate. Each one is not a typical power most of the time, and is linked to the holder's state of mind when they received it. The first step to defeat the Ruby Eyes present in the manga is to understand how their powers work in order to better use the available Black Jets' powers.

Why can't I recommend this manga? Because this seems to be basically an advertisement for the light novel. The story is cut short after four volumes, with only the foundation of what is to come. You have to read the light novel if you want to continue, so you should be better off starting directly with it.

Nostalgic. Soothing. Poetic.

How about becoming a gondolier on Mars? Even though this may seem absurd at first glance, this is the foundation of a classic of the iyashikei genre.

To give you a bit of context, I was pretty late reading Aqua, as I had already enjoyed its sequel Aria and Amano's newer work Amanchu, both as manga and anime. So I was definitely not a newcomer and knew what to expect.

Mizunashi Akari, the main character, is a young Japanese girl from the 24th century. She dreams of becoming an Undine. What is an Undine? A female gondolier working in New Venice on Aqua, a future ... version of Mars whose terraforming worked too well, covering most of the planet with a vast ocean. The reader discovers then this new world through the eyes of Akari from the first page when she arrives on Aqua.

Despite being rooted deeply in science fiction, this element is far from omnipresent and is actually anecdotal. New Venice has been built to truly look like the original “Serenissima” in its prime, leading to beautiful scenes each chapter, while Akari leisurely discovers the hidden marvels of the city with her mentor Alicia and her friend Aika.

Who should read Aqua then? Those who enjoyed Aria or any other work from Amano Kozue, such as Amanchu. Those who want to get a short introduction to Aria. Obviously, this manga may seem a bit rough compared to its sequel, but the atmosphere and the character design that Aria (and Amanchu) is known for are definitely there.

A typical filler movie of a big shounen franchise.

If you want two hours filled by battles and great animation, you won't be disappointed. However, for those looking for compelling villains with clear motives, the result may not be the same.

The established characters, as always, are enjoyable to see, with a good part of the cast present here. Learning a bit more about the past of the kingdom is engaging.

The new characters, i.e. the villains, are genuinely interesting at first glance: cool design, unique powers, different from one another, etc. But their past and motives are clearly underdeveloped. As a result, it may be hard to ... feel anything about them. Why do they loathe the world, so much that they want to destroy it? At best, the viewer gets one or two shots that don't bring much information. Even though this is only a two hour long movie, an explanation or a 30 second short flashback for each villain would have been enough.

In the end, this is an enjoyable movie in which the animators put their heart into, but this won't be memorable for some people.

A girl and a robot travelling in a post-apocalyptic scene. Here is what offer the cover and the simple, almost misleading, synopsis. Not much to go on. Intrigued by it, I have read the entirety of this manga and can say there is definitely more to it.

In Kagi-tsuki Terrarium, the entire known humanity lives in the arcology, a technologically advanced megastructure completely isolated from the outside world. An arcology is actually a real concept of mostly self sufficient structures that some people have conceptualised. In the manga's arcology, the frontier between humans and robots has become vague. Robots have human-like personalities, which are transferred to ... newborn humans. A few centuries before, a great war took place in the arcology. One of the results was the loss of most historical data of this period and prior to this. Since then, people have been living in several colonies throughout the arcology, oblivious to their past and even the mere existence of an outside world. Recently, a decrease of energy, automatically generated from lost technology, has been observed and technologists, people specialised in these technologies, have been sent to investigate.

Chico, a young technologist, is accompanied by Pino, her robotic little brother. Together, they follow the path of their mother, also a technologist, who disappeared a few years before as she was searching for data to create a universal key, able to control the systems of the arcology. Among the two main protagonists, Chico is the hot-headed and benevolent one, who tries and helps everyone in need, even if this may be detrimental to their mission and her health, while Pino is the composed one who tempers her sisters' impulses and protects her when needed. Together, they go from one colony to another, some dead, some on the brink of disappearing, some still thriving, and meet different people, humans and robots.

Without any spoiler, Chico and Pino will learn some truths about the arcology, humans, robots and their past, potentially questioning their beliefs. Of course, both of them will learn more about about themselves, leaving to some drastic decisions.

In the first three volumes, Kagi-tsuki Terrarium is basically a manga about two people travelling through a world that is slowly dying, while the last volume is more about the past of the arcology and its people. While it is neither subtle nor deep, the manga tackles various subjects, such as humanity, the difference between humans and advanced AIs, civilisation decline, as well as transhumanism and the ethical issues surrounding it. In the end, these four volumes are a nice little trip that does not overextend itself.

What defines being human? Being a monster? How tolerant are humans toward change? How far can humans go when faced with the fear of the other, the unknown, death, rejection, alienation, loneliness, or even one's self?

These are questions I was certainly not expecting from this show when I started it. I am not fond of horror anime, or horror in general, to say the least, simply because I do not see the appeal. So I had some misapprehensions when I chose Shiki as my next-to-watch popular anime. I was prepared to drop it after a few episodes of scare jumps, blood and gore, but ... got nothing of it, got quickly hooked and can now definitely consider this show a great one.


The story takes place in Sotoba, which is, let us not forget it, a remote Japanese village of the 90s and steeped in traditions and isolationism, without internet. This is the typical place where people live their own way and do not want to be disturbed. Of course, this is also the perfect place for the events to come. Who will care about the rumours of some deaths in a backwater village? The mystery is building during a good part of the show. As viewers, we know something is wrong, we might even already know that vampires are involved. But what is interesting is how the village reacts to this mystery from an episode to another, from the rare ones desperate to find answers to the majority denying anything upsetting their daily life, and how Shiki reveal themselves progressively, stronger and stronger.

The narration here is driven by its vast cast of characters, mainly four of them that I try to briefly analyse below.

Ozaki Toshio. Heir of a locally reputable bloodline of doctors, he inherited the role of the village practitioner, as well as the local clinic. Even though he is pressured by her mother's expectations, he fully embraces his medical career and devotes himself to the villagers. As such, he is among the first ones to notice something is wrong and is terribly affected by his powerlessness to stop or even explain the string of deaths. After overcoming his “modern pragmatism” and accepting the existence of vampire-like creatures, he takes upon himself to bid his time in order to bring an end to this threat, whatever the cost, even if this means the death of other villagers.

Muroi Seishin. Similarly to his childhood friend, Ozaki, he is the heir of the local Buddhist temple and, as such, is expected by everyone to take up his father's mantle as head priest and pillar of the community. However, his approach to his legacy is the opposite. Even though he seems perfectly fine with it, he is pressured by his family and the villagers and loathes his fate internally. Out of despair, he even tries to end it all during his studies, when he was “free” of the village's shackles. In Sunako and the Shiki, he progressively sees another way. In the end, making the link with his allegory of Abel and Cain, he kills his despised human self to free himself.

Yuuki Natsuno. He is maybe the weakest main character, in my mind, as he did not leave a lasting impression to me. However, he is still crucial in the narration. From the city, he had to follow his parents, who wanted to distance themselves from the modern cities and live in a rural area, even though they vehemently oppose any kind of rural superstition. And indeed he is important, as he is the one who prevents Ozaki from being hypnotised by Kirishiki Chizuru, then hypnotises Kirishiki Seishirou in order to hunt Shiki, and at last brings down Tatsumi, sacrificing himself in the process as was his plan.

Kirishiki Sunako. At last, our “young 100-year old vampire” was also forced into her current situation. She obviously did not ask to become a Shiki. Her parents, for an unknown reason, did not kill her, confined her and sent her each day a new servant to satiate her thirst, making her used to the act of killing to feed, despite herself. Then followed decades of lonely vagrancy until the modern era. She wants now to belong somewhere and have people to live with, thus her plan of making a safe place for her kind from a remote village.
To me, the main characters are linked by the same thing: they are forced into a position. However, they do not deal with it the same way. Ozaki embraces it, Muroi rejects it, Natsuno is engulfed in it and Sunako drags others in the same position.

But there are also a good number of side characters, fleshing out the village and the story, particularly on the Shiki side, thanks to risen villagers, from Megumi to Ritsuko, who are as varied and “human” as humans are. However, the Shiki could (should?) have been more developed to reinforce the main theme of the show. We do not really see how Shiki become insensible to human life. Is it their nature? What then about the ones rejecting it, like Tooru and Ritsuko? Or are they forced to kill, out of starvation, much like Sunako, before getting used to it? We obviously see they have impulses to feed, but is it only when starving? Basically, how much is due to their nature or to the “guidance” of the Kirishiki? And what about the Kirishiki household? How was it formed? Where do Tatsumi and Yoshie come from? What is the story behind Seishirou? These are all questions whose answers might have served the narration and make some characters more impactful in my opinion.


Who is in the right? The humans or the Shiki? Ozaki, Muroi, Sunako? Well, all of them and none of them. Humans are obviously in their own right when they do not want to see loved ones die. And so are the Shiki who must consume human blood in order to survive. However, do Shiki really have to kill their victims? Is hoping their deceased loved ones would rise, and thus forcing them to forsake their humanity, even out of despair and loneliness, a right thing? Do humans have to kill every last Shiki, without trying to understand them, even when they are behaving the same way as before and are crying for their life? Do they have to enjoy butchering them and seeing them suffer, as well as being emotionless in front of the corpses of the ones they once loved? What about the ones bitten, hypnotised or merely suspected who are killed without any remorse? In the end, there is no true right answer and this is a strength of this show: each viewer has his own answer. Personally, both sides are ultimately wrong and all paid the price.

The fire ultimately destroying Sotoba can be seen as a retribution. Some may think this is simply for the genocide perpetrated against the Shiki. Others may think about the generalised insanity and frenzy of the villagers, losing a bit of their humanity, becoming desensitised to death and murdering fellow living humans. At last, we can also see the fire as a divine retribution for the desecration of the local temple, climax of the insanity, spilling the blood of innocent monks on sacred ground. On another note, this presents a new start for the villagers, stuck until then in their fear of the other and of change that, in some way, led them to this disaster.


There is much more that could be said, but this is enough for this review. In the end, Shiki is a show that I will definitely remember. To me, it is less a horror show than a mystery and psychology thriller that asks philosophical questions and makes the viewer think about humanity.

Soul-searching. Poetic. Harsh.

Behind a first cover picturing a cute young girl and an ominous being, Soukon no Shoujo to Sourei no Tabi tells a story about the cycle of life and death and the coexistence between nature and humans.

- Narrative

In this world, nature god-like entities, known as Spirits, are both revered and feared by humans. Alive, they provide bounties to the lands around them. Dead, their bodies release poisonous miasmas, spelling doom to the same lands and living beings they once blessed. At some point in time, Soul Senders appeared, humans seemingly gifted with special powers, able to send off deceased Spirits and to cleanse ... their bodies. However, there is a cost as they must suffer from the miasmas while doing so.

The initial worldbuilding above sets the conditions for interesting situations about the role of Spirits, Soul Senders and humans. For example, conflicts arise as some people think that Spirits should simply be exterminated to prevent any risk, while some others want to use Spirits and Soul Senders in order to pursue their own goals.

The story revolves around Alpi, a young girl who is journeying as a Soul Sender with her old butler-like servant and protector, Pelenai. Her primary goal is to find some clues about her parents, both of them Soul Senders as well, who have disappeared a few years before. During their travels, they face different situations requiring the intervention of a Soul Sender, obviously of a grim nature and each time taking its toll on Alpi. They also meet other Soul Senders, generally more experienced, and pass by temples for purification purposes, while improving the worldbuilding.

While there are revelations about the nature of Spirits and Soul Senders, most of them, especially the ones involving Alpi's parents, are made in the last volume. This makes unfortunately the last chapters an information dump. Even worse, some of the answers to Alpi's personal quest of looking for her parents are only briefly treated, making these less impactful than it should be.

- Characters

Alpi is a young girl who has lived most of her life in a temple and barely remembers her parents. As such, she is not exactly socially aware, and obviously sometimes acts like a child. However, she is completely devoted to her duties as a Soul Sender, always trying to mend the lands corrupted by dead Spirits, often at the expense of her own safety. She is a fervent believer in the coexistence between Spirits and humans, and is horrified by anyone harming a Spirit, even with good intentions.

Pelenai, on the other hand, is seemingly old, composed in most instances, well-mannered. He is Alpi's sworn protector, always acts with reverence toward her, but he is also affectionate and sometimes educates her, given her young age. Not much is actually known about his past and the story reveals some major secrets about him later on.

The two main characters work well together, Pelenai complementing Alpi's shortcomings. While the journey is a perfect opportunity for Alpi to grow, to learn the significance of being a Soul Sender and ultimately to make her own path, Pelenai is not outdone and also sees some welcome development toward the end, erasing any doubt on his mind and reaffirming his devotion to his protege.

- Art

The cover art design is what first drew me to the manga. It conveys the otherworldly and disquieting nature of the Spirits, beings that would be hard to describe accurately with words. To some extent, this is what can be seen throughout the pages inside, which also does not shy away from showing the ugliness of death through the tattered boy of Alpi while sending off Spirits.


While not being a great manga, Soukon no Shoujo to Sourei no Tabi is a nice journey in a unique fantasy world ruled by the harsh and transient aspect of nature, life and death, and meeting different people with their own lives, views and hardships.

Who is the bride? Right from the title and the first minute of the show, this question is asked. After two seasons, the answer is finally revealed in this movie.

For a bit of context, I did not read the manga. Maybe I will. I have been a Miku supporter since the first season as this my favourite type of character. I also have been impressed with Nino's development in the second season, from an obnoxious girl to a caring sister and serious contender. I managed to avoid spoilers, but had an inkling that the “winner” would be either Itsuki or Yotsuba, so I had little ... hope about my favourite outcomes.


We got in this movie a satisfactory conclusion to two seasons' character development. Each of the quintuplets had their to shine in the two seasons (yes, even Yotsuba).

Ichika, the eldest one, the big sister, who learns how to stop always acting and express her true feelings.
Nino, the archetypal tsundere, who becomes more self-conscious about her desires while still caring consistently about her sisters.
Miku, the introverted Sengoku period lover, who acts more and more boldly, putting aside her insecurities.
Yotsuba, the cheerful, “dumb” sister, who accepts her shortcomings despite her best efforts, dealing with her complex of inferiority hidden with fake optimism and selflessness.
Itsuki, the youngest one, the serious one, who decides to follow their mother's footsteps of her own accord.

Most of all, every one of them has discovered, or rediscovered, what she wishes to do in the future and accomplishes it in the end. Special mention on my part about Nino and Miku: I really appreciated how they opened together a restaurant, combining their dream and their sisterly love.

Let's not forget the last main character: the groom. Fuutarou, an academics-obsessed teenager, who accepts a tutoring job only for the money, and then learns how to sometimes let go of his studies, how to socialise, how to simply have fun, and, as one of the core themes of the story, alongside with family, how to express himself.

All of this development finds a nice wrap-up in the movie, thanks to its structure, particularly with the school festival that we relive from each of the sisters' perspective.

About the ending, as this seems to be a pretty hot topic, I was not disappointed. Of course, I would have preferred Miku, or else Nino, or even a harem ending (seriously, they all love each other, so why not?), even if I didn't expect any of these. Miku and Nino crying together in the classroom hurt. Miku embracing Fuutarou before the marriage hurt. But these are my personal choices (not the harem, though…), how I would choose. Yotsuba is Fuutarou's choice, not mine, not ours, and he had every right to pick her. Another thing I was not disappointed with is the fact that, despite all of what happened, the sisters still support each other and their sibling love is intact, if not stronger, to the point they plan to go on the honeymoon together.


I honestly was not expecting a proper conclusion and this depth of development, revolving around family and the acceptance of one's feelings, when I started the first season during its broadcast, so I am really happy about how it turned out. This makes it one of the anime that I am glad I persevered with, gaining momentum over time until the climax in the movie.

Do you like gag-driven slice of life? Do you like games? Do you like cats? Then you are at the right place!

- Characters: the gamer and the beast

The manga begins with Riko, a young office worker who is appreciated at work for her diligence. However, she never works overtime and never hangs out with her co-workers. Indeed, she hides a secret: she simply can't imagine spending her free time on anything else than games, especially games akin to Monster Hunter or Dragon Quest, as well as MMORPG and gacha mobile games. Her brain is 100% wired with games.

Then enters our second character, a young cat ... that Riko, despite herself, takes in and names Omusubi (from a Japanese dish). The woman then has to adapt her daily life, while maintaining her passion for games and her tendency to link everything to games, including her cat's behaviour. Quickly, she discovers the wonders only known to cat owners and gets addicted. So much so that, following the advice of the “sage”, a pet store employee she befriends, she adopts another cat, our third main character, named Soboro (still from a Japanese dish).

While being, in my opinion, a gag-driven manga, Riko is a character that evolves through the story. From someone who is obsessed with games, works only to finance her passion, and is completely clueless about cats, she becomes proficient in cat ownership skill, and lives as much for her games as for her cats.

- Narrative: a straightforward gag-driven manga

The structure of the manga is pretty basic. Each chapter is more or less independent and revolves around one gag in the daily life of Riko, Omusubi and Soboro. Most often, Riko will be confronted with some behaviour she can't explain at first, until she finds a solution from games, from cheat skills to hunt parties. Some other times, she discovers the “duties” of a cat owner, such as taking them to the veterinarian, the pet groomer or bathing them. At last, she finds herself expanding her social life discussing about cats, with the “sage” at first, but also with her co-workers and on social media. Many chapters end with the retelling of the events from the cats' point of view, offering some explanation to the mysteries of cat behaviour.

As stated in the beginning, this manga certainly won't be as compelling for people having no knowledge of how games work, or at least RPG, and people with no interest in cats. For the others, this might be a nice, funny and relaxing read in eight volumes.