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Feb 11, 2023
This manga singlehandedly converted me from an Eva hater to a Eva fan. If this is your first time reading Eva, I recommend you watch the anime first. Because one of the best experiences you can have while reading the manga is comparing it to the anime and feeling so much better because you know what was changed.
To give you some background, I gave up while trying to watch the Evangelion anime. It was too "deep" for my tastes. I still watched a good chunk of the show--around 16 episodes I think--but by the time I dropped the series, I hated every character and had
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no intention of continuing the series. So when I decided to pick up the manga on a whim, I was absolutely blown away.
First, the art is amazing. I always had mixed feelings on the art style of the anime, but Sadamoto's linework in still form knocked it out of the park. It is simply immaculate. The shading, the thickness of the lines, the facial expressions, the composition, etc. I could go on and on about how good everything looks.
Second, the story and the characters in the manga are *satisfying*. The anime almost intentionally makes everything unsatisfying to be more artistic. This can really appeal to some people, but I could not stand it. Nearly every character gets a subtle shift in their personality that makes them less "realistic," but much more appealing as characters.
Let's take for instance, Kensuke Aida. You may be thinking right now, "Shinji's classmate that wears glasses? Why is he important?" It's because I believe the changes made to Kensuke in his introduction to Shinji are a perfect little microcosm of everything I dislike about the anime and everything I love about the manga. When Shinji gets confronted by Toji, Kensuke is there with them. In both versions, Toji gets pissed off at Shinji for reasons outside of Shinji's control. In the anime, Toji beats up Shinji while Kensuke just kind of watches, despite the fact Shinji is a goddamn hero who saved the entire city. In the manga, Kensuke stops Toji before he could fight Shinji basically saying 'dude what the hell are you trying to do to the guy that saved this city'.
In the anime, Kensuke's actions are "realistic." Most people don't really have a strong moral compass. Most people wouldn't stop their Toji from beating up Shinji, knowing how his sister could have died. But that realism is immensely unsatisfying! I was yelling at my screen when watching the anime "my guy, aren't you going to stop Toji??? Shinji literally fought off the thing trying to kill all of you guys."
But the manga, almost as if it knew this exact thought I had, addresses it directly! This isn't just an isolated incident either. The reason why I use Kensuke is that even something this minuscule that most people wouldn't have thought that much about is changed in a way that makes the story feel better but without too big of changes to the story or the characters.
A lot of people will point to how much of a gigachad Shinji in the manga is compared to the anime. However, Shinji's actions from the manga to the anime are still almost mostly identical (except for a few at the very end but let's ignore those for now). The only thing different about Shinji is his mindset and how he views himself and the world. Shinji actually grows in a meaningful way because he is willing to improve rather than being depressed 80% of the time.
These types of changes are all over the story, Asuka, Kaji, Misato, Akagi, heck, even Gendo receives a more fitting and appropriate end to his character arc here than in the anime. Some may disagree whether these changes are "improvements" or not, but it definitely made reading Eva at least a hundred times more enjoyable than watching it.
Evangelion is a masterpiece. But I never would have known that without this manga.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Feb 10, 2023
The author Fujimoto loves his subversions and anti-plots and Fire Punch is no exception. The story pulls you in with its immersive world and fantastic art while setting up a pretty typical revenge plot.
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against run-of-the-mill revenge stories. Especially when it's flared up (ha) by such over-the-top and creative ideas like Agni being literally on fire for years and his sister-lover being burned to death right before his eyes against baddies that enslave children and hook them up to machines to use them as living resource generators.
But then Togata comes into the story.
If you were fully immersed into the
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story like I have and expected the story to play out like any other revenge story, your reaction to seeing Togata wouldn't be "haha what a cool character," it would be "who the hell is she and why is she barging into this story about Agni?" Because everything up until Togata enters the story makes sense. Sure, they're all really extreme, graphic, and gory, but they still make sense within the frame of the world.
Togata ignores that frame to defeat (who seemed to be) the final boss effortlessly, manipulate our protagonist Agni for her own goals, and reference Spider-Man. This single character caused a complete genre shift that shook me to my core. It was like watching a romance movie but then in the middle of the movie, there's suddenly a zombie apocalypse and the characters now need to fight for survival. Utterly nonsensical, yet Fire Punch pulls it off.
This is what I meant by "anti-plot." Whenever you think you have a good idea where the story is headed, Fire Punch subverts your expectations but in a way that is somehow acceptable. The introduction of Togata essentially destroyed any and all future for a classic revenge story. But in turn, that made Agni question himself and his purpose. He asked himself why he was going on this journey for revenge to begin with and found what he really wanted to do. He attained newfound purpose in his life that he never would have realized without Togata there to get in his way.
This was an absolutely refreshing new spin on a story that I thought I saw a million times over. And it doesn't stop there. Religious cult, confrontation with Doma, the Ice Witch, Doma's daughter, etc. Fujimoto just keeps on coming with these crazy new ideas that aren't just limited to the setting of the world but the structure of the story as a whole.
When I finished the manga, it gave me a feeling of satisfaction like no other story before it. I believe Fire Punch to be one of the greatest works of fiction written and I recommend everyone to at least give it a shot.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Feb 10, 2023
Onimai will be an absolute joy to some and an absolute hell to others. It's not just the fanservice either.
Most everyone already spoke of the fanservice in the show, but even without the visual fanservice, the plot itself is a narrative fanservice. To some people, the prospect of someone changing your gender using a drug just so you would stop being a shut-in (albeit with the option to turn back if you wait it out) will be horrifying and downright insulting. But to some people, it'll be a turn-on.
Speaking from the perspective of someone who has never had any strong feelings about their gender, the
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synopsis of Onimai sounds like a wonderful escapist fantasy. Not only did the protagonist turn into a cute girl, they also have a supportive little sister who goes through an immense amount of effort to try and get their life together. They even have the option to turn back to being a guy if they want.
Don't get me wrong, this is absolutely a loli fetish anime. But there is an important distinction between the types of fetish/fanservice at play here. The visual fanservice appeals to those who want to *see* the cute little anime loli. The narrative fanservice appeals to those who want to *become* the cute little anime loli. (And if anything, combined with the protagonist's background and shyness in regards to his new appearance, I would say this show appeals more to the femboy fans than the loli fans.)
Ultimately, the matters I have been discussing is about the niche, eccentric aspects about this show. If you ignore the fanservice or the implications of the setting and the plot, there's really a lot to enjoy here. There's great visuals, excellent voice acting, relatable comedy, and heartwarming moments that make up the bulk of the show. However, much like the one friend who refused to read the wholesome crossdressing romance manga I adamantly recommended, there will be a lot of people out there that won't enjoy this show purely due to said niche appeals of genderbending/loli fanservice.
TL;DR High quality show, but check the tags before you start watching.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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