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I first read this online during high school, I believe I was studying for exams and wanted to sit down and catch up to date with whatever shounen manga I had gotten stuck into recently. After I had finished though, I was browsing and I can't remember exactly how or why I decided to give this manga a read, (maybe it was the shock-value title) but in the end I finished it within the day, both ruining and making my week while helping neglect my studies further. Cut to a few weeks ago, and I had bought a physical compiled edition of 'I Want to ... Eat Your Pancreas' to recapture that day I spent reading this manga in my room...

Nostalgic praise and misty-eyed anecdotes aside...I F*CKING HATE and LOVE this STUPID AMAZING story *ahem* Apologies. This rollercoaster of a tale from the DEPRAVED/BEAUTIFUL mind of Yoru Sumino is so LOVELY/DUMB and has become my go to recommendation on my 'Hey Have You Heard of This?' list. I like to keep reviews spoiler free, (especially so for this book in particular) so unfortunately, I won't be able to fully articulate my love/hate relationship for this book but what I will say is that the 'hate' comes from a place of love for the book as it was probably the first book that has ever made me have to physically take a break before I could continue. Anyway, with that out of the way, let's get to the book.

I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (EYP) was originally a light novel written by the talented Yoru Sumino, who to my knowledge is not a stranger to these types of young adult romance/slice of life adjacent stories, although that's based on a quick google search as I am yet to become familiar with the rest of her work. That being said, this manga is in fact an adaptation of that light novel with art done by Idumi Kirihara, whose art was the medium through which I first became familiar with this story. Story wise, the tale follows the shut-in [insert name here]-kun (yes, you're hearing me correctly there) and the terminally ill Yamauchi Sakura, whose chance encounter spirals out of control into a friendship as they both live life to their fullest. The tale is sweet, and concise in a good way, Sumino has a story to tell, and she tells it beautifully through the lens of our [insert name here]-kun via pensive internal dialogues as we are slowly fed info through his faults and actions clumsily following Sakura's whims. Nothing feels rushed or forced and truly is told in a very cinematic way both visually and storytelling-wise (probably why it got adapted into a movie as well). I find it hard to fault the story on anything as while I cannot stand these sorts of narratives in YA novels and the like, I always find that manga and anime tell them much more beautifully and with more tact while still discussing heavier topics, as which is the case with this film. I understand I am being very vague here, and that is intentionally as I do hope for people to experience this story for themselves.

Art direction wise I have a few notes. As is the case with light novel to manga adaptations (ie Sword Art Online) I feel that as the art direction and design is done after the fact, there is often a disconnect between the storyteller and the illustrator/mangaka, in that sometimes the art for the manga adaptation feels soulless, lifeless and overall, quite bland. However, in the case of EYP, I find this to luckily not be the case. Is this a result of me being biased as the manga was the way I was introduced to this story? Perhaps, though I find Kirihara's illustrations to have a certain degree of polish that makes it feel as if it were a manga to begin with and not an afterthought. Sakura's demeanour and emotions are conveyed so powerfully through this visual medium that it makes me want to give the light novel a read just to see how Sumino conveys those emotions through text alone. In fact, Kirihara's art felt so perfect to me in terms of how Sakura and [insert name here]-kun's appearances, that it pained me to see that the anime movie took on a different art style (though that choice is a discussion for another day and probably has larger ramifications pertaining to animation style and ease of production). Overall, Kirihara's art is not a detriment to Sumino's sublime storytelling (alliteration whoo) and if anything elevates some of the most emotional and heartwrenching parts of the story to new, undiscovered heights.

I don't think I'm a harsh reviewer, nor an unfair one, but one who simply reviews based on my overall enjoyment of the piece. So, while I agree elements such as plot holes, simplistic story telling or cliches can ruin and cheapen narratives, as long as they don't take away from my enjoyment of the story they were trying to tell I am relatively unfazed. So let those harsher reviewers pick up my slack and nail this story for being too draggy or played out, or the art style for being too vanilla and bland, I find EYP to be a great comfort piece with a beautiful message on the way we live our lives that I think a lot of us would benefit from hearing.

Final Verdict 10/10
"This manga is sweeter than sweetbreads"

Opening? A Banger. Animation? Pretty dang good. Plot? DEFINITELY THERE. Jokes aside, the Chainsaw Man adaptation was a great watch. So many things they did here departed from the norm, whether it was the 12 SEPARATE ENDING THEMES (absolutely wild for a music nut like me) to the feel of it from start to finish, I really enjoyed watching it. I read the first few chapters that are covered by season 1 after watching everything, though I did find myself more enamoured by the animation, polish and action presented by the anime. Yes, I was also at first put off by the CG used in ... some portions, but I'm in the camp of it doesn't really bother me unless begins to impact my overall enjoyment, and the fights scenes were still dynamic and vivid after the fact, so consider me unbothered. I was originally going to give this a 9/10 just to be fair, however I'm also a strong believer that if an anime, manga, book, show, etc speaks to you, IT SPEAKS TO YOU, and while it was less speaking and more screaming incoherently at me with the occasional chainsaw rev, I really enjoyed this one.

Final Verdict 10/10
"DORYOKU, MIRAI, A BEAUTIFUL SHOW!"

What can I say about the Uzumaki adaptation? Eh, it was alright.

Initially after hearing that one of Junji Ito's most prolific pieces was about to be adapted into an anime, after that 'shonky' Netflix anthology, I was sceptical but indifferent as I had never read Junji Ito's work. However, soon after thinking that, I was gifted the deluxe edition and found myself amazed by Ito's macabre imagery and his ability to convey such a compelling story along with it, and found myself wondering as to how an anime studio (let alone Adult Swim) could adapt something so unique into an episodic limited series? So, ... I watched the trailer and again was shocked at how good it looked and told myself I would see it through and that there was still hope yet for an Ito adaptation that looks good in motion and...and...I was soon proven incorrect. While I don't find it to be the worst of the worst, I can definitely see how and why long time Uzumaki and Junji Ito fans may have felt slighted and frustrated at this adaptation and I would argue that some of these complaints are very much real and not just a matter of bias for the source material.

For what it did well I found that ironically by doing away with the episodic nature of the original manga for a more streamline, interconnected narrative that incorporated ALL of the classic Uzumaki stories (save for the lost chapter), the anime felt more alive, with a bit more flow than the original manga. The voice acting provided for the show was also quite good and found that a lot of the characters sounded like I thought they would have funnily enough. Lastly, the animation in episode 1 was an absolute highlight as I for one never thought any Junji Ito story could be shown/animated in such a way as to emulate the source material and Ito's linework so effectively.

Sadly, what it didn't do so well in also overlaps with some of these positives. While it was great to see every story adapted and interconnected, some stories just didn't fit very well, the worst examples of this coming in episode 3 where several storylines such as the 'Jack in the Box' felt shoehorned in or rushed through. The latter issue also proving to be an issue after the first episode where many of the stories then felt rushed with little time for them to truly shine, the hospital story(s) was one such victim of this in my opinion. I feel some stories should've been cut in the final compilation of the stories, though I acknowledge it would've been odd to have left out either one or two stories when all the others were adapted, so while it wasn't done the best and I feel more time should've been dedicated to some of these stories, it is refreshing at least to see an adaptation that truly utilises all of the source material.

Now to discuss the elephant in the room, By and large, the biggest blemish on this adaptation is the animation, specifically episode 2's animation as it was just bad (along with some grating moments in 3 and 4). Grinding, PowerPoint presentation and ugly are the main things I've heard, and I'm sure if not for the new Blue Lock season, more people would be talking about this right now. I'm told there were issues pertaining to the budget of animation behind the scenes, as well as this being in production hell for a bit which probably compounded the issue, but that is a bit of speculation on my part, and I do feel a lot of the animosity comes from how the trailer used mostly episode 1 footage and thus felt a bit like false advertising on the airing of episode 2. And this is in no way meant to be a slight at the animation teams, but the final result cannot be ignored and episode 2 was definitely a visible drop off

My final verdict? I've been waiting for this anime to wrap up for a week now so I can say my final thoughts, so I do apologise for going off about this at length, however the Uzumaki anime is not something I can really recommend. Though I prattled on about the animation, it didn't bother me as much as I know it did others, if anything it's serviceable beyond episode 2, but the pacing of the stories was handled very thoughtlessly I found. While I appreciated the little things they added to make the series more cohesive, the series felt like it was hurtling toward the finish line after episode 1, leaving little time to process or comprehend what was going on, I myself only just catching my bearings as I had read the manga beforehand...which leads into my final thoughts. While I acknowledge the adaptation offers something new that manga fans are sure to enjoy, I cannot recommend someone watch this anime just for those little tidbits. The anime is fine for people who prefer this medium, though I would urge anyone who wants to experience the Uzumaki story to read the manga.

Final Score 5/10
"Just barely serviceable, but the spirals made me dizzy."

Give me this and a laptop/typewriter on a desert island and I will have a full dissertation praising the absolute powerhouse that is Fujimoto-san and his portfolio, because MAN does he have range. Well-deserved praise aside Sayonara Eri/Goodbye Eri is another one-shot from the mind of Tatsuki Fujimoto. Coming fresh off the heels of his other works Look Back and (of course) Chainsaw Man, Goodbye Eri follows the story of amateur filmmaker Yuta shortly after the passing of his mother, and how the trajectory of his life becomes forever changed upon a chance encounter with a mysterious schoolgirl named Eri. Pardon my vagueness as this ... is truly one of those few works that you must read blindly the first time through or at least with minimal information as Fujimoto's visual and narrative storytelling is quite literally immaculate. The complexity the characters or rather the complexity of their interactions juxtaposed against the somewhat light-hearted visuals are so very Fujimoto, with the work fully embodying such human experiences such as death, love, trauma and acceptance and feeling so alive. Additionally, Fujimoto's love for film is also felt through the entire piece from the subject matter to the construction of his panels, Fujimoto's admiration for the filmic arts is put on full display, making this one of the only manga I've ever read as being a true 'love letter to film'. Ultimately another must-read. Nay. A desert island read for you to lord over the countless hours on a sunbaked shore, basking in the light of life... *ahem* that is to say, it's a very good book, pick it up!

Final Verdict 10/10
"Fujimoto-san, TAKE MY MONEY"

Uzumaki is definitely one of the mangas of all time. Jokes aside, having finally read Junji Ito's most prevalent and paradigm shifting works, I can now say with confidence that his storytelling as well as his command and construction of the page is masterful and is very much deserving of the nominations and awards he has acquired. To address Uzumaki specifically, it truly is a grippingly grotesque and spine-chilling manga that verges on the edge of Lovecraftian horror and similarly doesn't release you from its grasp until completion. Having been gifted the deluxe edition recently, I found myself unable to put it down and just ... had to see the spiralling story and twisting panels to its end, and while not a piece I find myself revisiting for fun, I find it to be a must read for anyone interested in all facets of manga.

Without delving too deeply into spoiler territory, the book centers in on a Japanese town called Kurouzu-cho and delineates an anthology of different happenings in the town, seemingly centering around Kirie and her boyfriend Shuichi. I am in no ways a fan of horror let alone body-horror of any kind, having avoided Ito's works in the past for this reason, also believing that his depictions of body-horror were nothing more than for shock value. However, I am both pleased and disturbed to find that without Ito's illustrations, this book would most likely not be as effective at conveying its story as it does in its current state. In fact, both panel and text work together harmoniously to enforce and sell the overwhelming horror on display, the almost annotation-like descriptions of some of the horrors Ito presents, only making the impossible seem more possible with each chapter you finish.

While I found this anthology to be very engaging, each of the stories presented within are not made equally with some more interesting and with more fleshed out ideas than others, however each has its positives and Ito's ability to weave each story seamlessly into the greater narrative is not something to scoff at. This interconnecting of stories centering around Kirie really makes it feel as if Kirie is a real person living in this demented town, emulating that sense of dread that so many of the characters are feeling in Kurouzu-cho and creating a reading experience unlike any I've had the pleasure of experiencing before.

However, what keeps it from a solid 10 out of 10 for me purely boils down to personal preference. As I said earlier, while having a great respect for Junji Ito's works and what he has accomplished, I will not ignore the grisly and macabre nature of his works. So, while I don't believe this to be the most disturbing work on the market, it is certainly confronting, and something I would not want to subject to myself on a semi-regular basis no matter how good the narrative. Though again this is a personal preference. More positively, Ito's weaving of Kirie's seemingly disconnected experiences into a cohesive narrative is done in such a fantastic way, with some stories even being revisited later in the book, though there are a handful that are inconsequential to the overall narrative.

Final verdict? Uzumaki is one of those manga you have to read at least once to just experience masterful storytelling and narrative composition. While the world building isn't as meticulous as we have come to be accustomed to in larger ongoing series, the blanks and ambiguous portions that are left really help to sell that sense of existential dread and spiralling down into insanity felt by the town's denizens. It first draws you in, and soon after as your eyes start tracing the concentric rings of the spiral it is already too late as you begin to spiral down into Ito's demented narrative until you too become part of the spiral...

Final Verdict 9/10
"Junji Ito has mastered the art of the spiral"

A must watch. I admit I ignored this one when it first came out as I had no real interest in sci-fi or cyberpunk at the time but have recently since been wanting to get back into those genres, and sadly I wish I had done so sooner. The eye-popping animation from Trigger with the high-octane yet gut-wrenchingly tragic story arc of David really reminded me of Iron-Blooded Orphans (another favourite of mine) and just made me unable to turn off the series until I binged watched the whole thing in a single day. Even if you are indifferent to the genre or Studio Trigger's ... previous works, I highly recommend giving this one a watch through on a rainy day. While certainly not perfect from a narrative point of view (leaving it up to the pre-established lore of the game series to do the heavy lifting for the world building), I can give it a pass as the emotions I felt experiencing this masterpiece made any small plot holes or incoherent city-speak jargon practically inconsequential to my enjoyment overall. Also, the soundtrack slaps so it also gets bonus points for that.

Final Verdict 10/10
"I REALLY feel like staying at your house"

My Hero Academia (MHA) an already declining in popularity manga and anime (this coming from a fan since season 1) hits it's 5th season, which not only contains one of the most beloved story arcs from the manga, but also one of the most hated ones as well. So what does Bones decide to do? Pad out more than half the season with the chaff, and leave little to no time (NOT EVEN AMPLE TIME) for the Villain arc.

Plot wise, nothing was changed from the manga, and if anything they made the joint training arc a little more dynamic and fun. BUT WHY? An arguably ... meaningless arc that exists only to display and show off the powers of characters that could've been explored much deeper and efficiently ALL THE WAY BACK in the tournament arc! Was the animation good? Yeah sure I guess. Did they explore Deku's connection to OFA more? Definitely and that's all good and fine, but 12 episodes of just straight up meaningless fights!? Come on Bones.

But the inclusion of this arc would've been fine, if it wasn't at the expense of the Villain arc.

ONE OF THE MOST if not THE MOST beloved arcs in the entirety of MHA for the way it shakes up the formula, and truly shows how the League Of Villains have grown from being complete losers to an actual threat, is SHAFTED to say the least. Not only is the preamble for the main body of the arc long and arduous in anime form (at least it felt that way), the animation for some of the most pivotal scenes is the animation equivalent of AFO's wrinkly-ass, preserved plum face. One of my favourite scenes from the manga is where Shigaraki tears through a crowd of civilians with his newly strengthened decay ability, so imagine my shock when that scene became down graded into a literal before and after shot in the anime, I mean the MANGA HAD MORE FRAMES! And before you say, it was out of their skillset or budget, there is test footage from other scenes in the arc that didn't make it in, that look 10x smoother than the final product, and from the movies we've seen them produce for the series, we KNOW for certain it isn't a skill issue. AND if it was a budget issue, WHY NOT DIVERT THE FUNDING FROM THE LESS VISUALLY DEMANDING ARC THAT CAME BEFORE!? Idk i'm not part of the industry and i won't claim to be or know what I'm talking about, but still, it just seems odd that such a widely beloved arc didn't get the love it needed.

Conclusion, the visuals in this season are great, but just at the wrong moments. It's problematic when you can say the manga animated it better than the anime. Story wise? It's more MHA, if you were a fan of the fights and/or story before, you'll probably still like it here now.

Final Verdict 4/10
"The true villain of this season was the animation..."

'Nakitai Watashi wa Neko wo Kaburu' or by its localised english title 'A Whisker Away' is a movie you can watch for sure, whether you should is an entirely different story. Now I don't dislike this film for what it is necessarily, but because of the potential it had, that isn't to say the film itself is still quite dull. When I first saw the trailer i was instantly gripped by Studio Colorido's visuals, bringing forth vibes of their previous project 'Penguin Highway' and a presence akin to that of a ComixWave production, that is to say I was excited. Counting down the days till ... I could watch it, yet when the long-awaited day arrived, and I had finished the film I was left...unsatisfied.

One of the biggest criticisms comes from the main character's actions towards the boy she likes, in that if the roles were reversed and it was instead a male pursuing a female in such a manner, being cancelled would be the least of his problems. But even despite the hypothetical real-world implications, the lead in question isn't even very likeable, being quite full of herself and doing little to make the audience sympathise with her except through her persistence in turning her unrequited love into one that is reciprocated. This fact isn't helped that by the end of the movie (despite all the bridges she's burned), she manages to get the boy out of left field, and we are expected to just be okay with it as if the shitstorm that were the consequences of her actions hadn't just unfolded before us mere minutes ago.

Aside from characters however, the plot and story is also quite lacking. The pacing of the film just feels odd, with the use of non-linear story telling making the overall film quite messy and not aiding the narrative effectively in my opinion. Not saying that it's impossible to achieve effective non-linear storytelling in an anime, it's just that this film isn't the best example of it. Also, the cats we MUST talk about the cats. Although the design of the cat island and its denizens are fantastic and very pleasingly unlike the box-office 'smash hit' Cats, I feel they were underused, especially when you consider that half of the promotional material seemed to lead viewers to believe bulk of the movie would take place on the cat island, which it doesn't instead spending most of its run-time following cat girl running around town. This combined with the lacklustre and somewhat goofy final confrontation turn this film's plot from a fantasy world traversing, coming of age story, into just another bad coming of age story, with a sprinkle of fantasy. However, I will admit I went into this film hoping to find a Your Name adjacent film (in terms of story and not production value) and thus may be coming down harshly on the plot as a result, however I still do believe this film's plot is still lacking and does not provide an entertaining nor fulfilling journey, with characters seemingly changing their emotions and motivations on the flip of a coin.

Perhaps I judged A Whisker Away too harshly, having eaten way too well after watching masterpieces like Weathering With You and Your Name, however I have no doubt that this film was intended to ride the highs of those film, perhaps even competing with them and at the very least trying to garner the affections of those who enjoyed those films, to which I would say it gloriously fails at. An overall forgettable film with the most memorable aspect of which being how socially unacceptable the main character acts, combined with the fact that this was a Netflix production is a recipe for a movie that will be lost to the annals of Netflix's ever growing anime portfolio. It's nothing short of a miracle how this film can remain available in my region, while tried and true great anime films can still be ripped from their library.

Final Verdict 3/10
"Not even the cats could carry it..."

Manga needn't always take itself seriously or have convoluted plotlines with time travelling shenanigans or endless drama at every turn, sometimes all a manga needs to do is be a slice of life about an ex-yakuza who's living his best life! I first picked up Gokushufudou or Way of the Househusband as an experiment, as the cover was enticing and the allure of the aesthetic of the titular character Tatsu was too great for me to resist. What i found however was perhaps one of the only mangas, nay BOOKS that I have truly 'laughed out loud' at. The characters are charming, the adventures are ... wacky yet still having some credibility and believability to them, and even though an overarching plot is lacking, I stay up to date just to see what Tatsu, the Househusband has gotten himself into this time. Overall, a charming piece of manga media that is honestly funny and a great change of pace for someone who reads waaaay too much shonen and the like.

Final Verdict 10/10
"Makes me wanna be a househusband"

Makoto Shinkai's storytelling truly shines in Your Name/君の名は and Weathering With You/天気の子, however Shinkai's Garden of Words/言の葉の庭 is an underrated composition that flies under the radar (imo). Although Shinkai's films as of late utilise a lot of music composed by the RADWIMPS and have a meticulous soundtrack, the concise and visually stunning Garden of Words finds its tone in a sense of reverence and pensiveness, as the story's two focal characters begin to unfold and divulge more of their secrets. That isn't to say the music is negligible, as the soundtrack accentuates key moments of the narrative, following what unfolds onscreen in true Shinkai style, ... except instead of RADWIMPS, we are treated to Motohiro Hata's amazing rendition of Senri Oe's 'Rain' perfectly bringing the film together. Although I cannot sing enough praises for this movie, I will acknowledge that if you're looking for a new film to fill that Your Name/君の名は or Weathering With You/天気の子 hole in your heart, I don't think this film is exactly that! Instead, the film swaps out grand schemes and large gestures for more grounded and material acts of love, one that many can relate to more closely and vividly than an of Shinkai's more recent works. I find Garden of Words to be a piece that unashamedly shines in its calm, pensive nature and revels in its expression of juxtaposition of life's turbulence against the somewhat ironic beauty of that chaos, like a chance encounter with someone on a rainy day.

Final Verdict 10/10
"I'm not crying...it's the rain..."