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Joshikausei is a slice-of-life, school-centred, comedy manga by Ken Wakai. The manga is written and presented without dialogue, just pictures and sound effects. Its what has given Joshikausei some attention as the mangas quirky and sometimes surreal humour stands out among manga of the same genre and tone. The story of Jushikausei is centred around three high-school girls, their friendship and the adventures and the comedic situations they find themselves in. Seasoned manga readers may be put off by the initial concept of Joshikausei because, being honest, it's not exactly something all that original. However, what is original about this manga is its presentation and ... execution. It proves that unoriginal concepts can be done well, especially when given the freedom to try different ideas, like a 'silent-manga' even if some people will just write it off as a gimmick.

Let me be clear, the 'silent' and 'wordless' aspect of Joshikausei is a gimmick, there's no real reason for the story to be told that way. But it's like that regardless. And I like it that way, because of the comfy atmosphere and paced aesthetic it gives to the manga. Each chapter focuses on some small skit or gag that is relegated to a theme, and you'll find yourself reading through them in a blast. It's specifically because of its 'wordlessness' that you can absorb the pages at a flowing rate, with no need for complication, it's such an enjoyable read. In Joshikausei 'wordlessness' may be a gimmick, but it's not a fault. Ever since I read The Arrival by Shaun Tan, I have been craving silent comics, and this manga certainly fills the void.

(6/10) ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

Chito and Yuuri are two good friends, who have found themselves wandering the destructive remains of humanity. As they climb to the higher levels of the older civilisation that once remained, they come across many strange and wonderful things. Their journey to the top-most level leads them on a path of contemplation and discovery of the fate of the world and eventually themselves. Girls Last Tour explores many of these themes through often comedic, nonchalant and intriguing ways, as opposed to the many overly dramatic, vapidly tragic and violent trappings one would expect from a post-apocalyptic story.

In the fall of 2017, Girls Last Tour ... received a 12 episode anime adaptation by White fox studios. The anime was immediately met with a positive perception by both people who had read the manga and people who were new viewers. The anime has cultivated an almost cult following, as the setting, characters and wold of the manga really come to life with colour, movement and sound. The music should get a special mention as many moments of the manga are fulfilled with wonderfully composed tunes that match and advance the experience of the scene. This sentiment also applies to the Girls Last Tour opening and ending themes. Absolute bangers! And the ending theme's animation is done by non-other than Tsukumizu themselve! Amazing! The Girls Last Tour anime adaptation added a lot of personality to the characters by way of the voice actors performance. Chito's stoic and intelligent curiosity and Yuuri's care-free obvious nature are both portrayed wonderfully.

The one downfall possible downfall of the anime adaptation is that is doesn't adapt to the manga's ending. This was partly because of the manga, at the time of its airing, not actually being compleated yet. It's a real shame that the conclusion to Girls Last Tour wasn't animated, because it's one of the most discussed endings to a manga in recent memory. But it couldn't be helped. The anime ends on a good note, it feels conclusive and satisfying, despite the characters not actually having reached their intended destination.

The Girls Last Tour really captures the spirit of its source material and delivers on an interesting story with good animation, music, directing, backgrounds and overall style. I can definitely recommend this anime people how are interested in this series and want to see a well-adapted story that stays faithful to the original manga.

(8/10) ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

Girls Last Tour is a post-apocalyptic, slice-of-life manga by Tsukumizu (Tkmiz). Chito and Yuuri are two good friends, who have found themselves wandering the destructive remains of humanity. As they climb to the higher levels of the older civilisation that once remained, they come across many strange and wonderful things. Their journey to the top-most level leads them on a path of contemplation and discovery of the fate of the world and eventually themselves. Girls Last Tour explores many of these themes through often comedic, nonchalant and intriguing ways, as opposed to the many overly dramatic, vapidly tragic and violent trappings one would expect from ... a post-apocalyptic story.

The overall tone of Girls Last Tour has been compared to that of another post-apocalyptic manga, Yokohama Shopping Log. Both stories have an often undescribable tone in the face of catastrophe, which is known as 'mono no aware' in Japanese. 'mono no aware' is an "aesthetic primarily oriented in creating empathy towards the inevitable passing of all things", and to acknowledge "the importance of memory and continuity with the past." It's definitely a tone that's not often explored in western media, especially -once again- in the post-apocalyptic genre.

Girls Last Tour has very creative and often abstract in its depictions of humanities old ruins that Chito and Yuuri often find and interact with along their journey. Its this attention to detail and imagination in the setting that really draws the reader into the world of the manga. We soon find ourselves wondering what our duo will do next. What will they eat? Where are they going? What if 'this' happens? What if 'that' happens? Girls Last Tour has a way of opening questions. It's a charm of the manga that will act as a great light for the story as it enters darker themes and territories towards the end of the volumes.

I absolutely adore the world and characters of Girls Last Tour, and that is especially thanks to Tsukumizu's interesting illustrations and unique art style. I would recommend Girls Last Tour to people who are interested in a distinctive post-apocalyptic story, that explores the daily struggles of two charming and quirky protagonists.

(8/10) ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

Centaur's Worries is a supernatural, slice-of-life manga by Kei Murayama. In this manga, humans have become extinct, the world is populated by supernatural creatures, with wings, hoofs, tails, horns, halos and animal ears. While Centaur's Worries mainly focuses on Himeon, her friends, family and acquaintances, the manga soon introduces a rich fantasy society, with its own politics, genetics, mythology, science and culture. The story of Centaur's Worries is ultimately about this society, in the many ways it differs from ours, and the ways in which it is strikingly similar.

While developing an interesting story around the culture of this strange world, Centaur's Worries is equally ... focused on exploring the quiet, personal moments of the characters lives and everyday routines. This is where the undeniable element of slice-of-life plays a major role in the manga, as the reader is shown often mundane and normal occurrences of the characters lives. However, because of the supernatural and fantastical elements of the mangas world, stories can often become completely foreign and surreal at the drop of a dime. It's this balance of two seemingly juxtaposing genres that is so entertaining and aesthetically compelling about Centaur's Worries.

I would recommend Centaur's Worries to people who are interested in the daily lives of monster girls. This manga has its fair share of fan-service moments...but, on the underside of that, Centaur's Worries is a comfy slice-of-life manga that can balance serious stories and explore an expanded, rich lore.

In spring 2019, Joshikausei received a 12 episode anime adaptation by Studio Seven. As a fan of the manga, I decided to give it a watch. As someone who was used to my favourite manga receiving terrible adaptations, I knew what I was in for. The Joshikausei anime adaptation is poorly animated, has generic music, with lacklustre designs and energy. You'd think that a show without words would do all it can with the musical score to retain our attention and complement the scene. However, the music in Joshikausei sounds like minimum-effort trash, just on-par with the rest of the adaptation.

The charm and adventure ... of the manga is completely lost. Studio Seven haven't made anything even remotely interesting besides 'I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying', which was probably just a fluke on their part because everything else they are involved with looks like garbage. The adaptation looks ugly and rushed, the only thing I am thankful for is that the episodes are short and to the point with no mucking around. I only really needed to see the first episode and a couple minutes into the second episode, to see that this wasn't worth my time.

My only hope is that this adaptation gets people to check out the source material. If Joshikausei anime looks interesting to you on any level check out the manga, its comfy, fun and a lot better than this poor excuse of an adaptation.

(2/10) ❤ ❤

Airy Me demonstrates how thematic mystery and individual interpretation can wildly affect a person's opinion on a single video. It's a story that is intentionally abstract and vague, allowing the viewer to come to their own conclusion to the story and its meaning. "A test subject is administered daily medication by a nurse in a ward where mysterious medical experiments take place. One day, when the nurse presses the switch of the test subject, they successfully transform into a chimera." (Japan Media Arts Festival) Airy Me is an animated music video inspired by Cuushe's 2009 song of the same name. The distinctive music blends masterfully ... with the animation, as the line-art shifts and changes in time with the song. The soft, wistful and sometimes pained vocals of the music adds greatly to the entirety of the video. The character design and animation are a blend of cute blobs, contrasted with the visceral contortion and body horror that appears later half of the video.

Yoko Kuno is a graduate of the Department of Graphic Design at Tama Art University. While a student, she created installations, sculptures, and animated works centring on themes of young girls, animals, delinquents and other motifs with an undefinable graphic quality. Yoko created Airy Me from 3,000 still images drawn over almost two years. Images were drawn with coloured pencils and crayon and edited with Adobe Photoshop and After Effects. It received the Animation Division New Face Award at the 17th Japan Media Arts Festival. Yoko is also known for her commercial work as a Rotoscope Animation Director on the film The Case of Hana & Alice. Also as a storyboarder, key animator (ED) and episode director (EP11) for Land of the Lustrous.

I love watching Airy Me, and every time I do, I notice something visually different. I always leave with a warm mellow feeling. It's a feeling that I can't describe, I have only ever felt it while watching this video. It's short, so you should watch Airy Me if you want to see something amazing, emotional, and different in tone from many of the other animated music videos out there. Airy Me is a perfect blend of a creepy/cutesy aesthetic that I would like to see more of in animation.

(Lyrics)
Unable to sit still, I practice those steps
One, two, three, one, two, three
Unable to settle down, my head is now in Madagascar
Becoming transparent, I want to melt into the night
Tonight like air: Airy me
I don't want to be anything
The town's lights, like marble lights, assault me
I climb Tokyo Tower late at night, twelve

I become suffused into that red
Cover you in syrup, I want to eat you
And then, we're flying off, inside a crazy dream
The distant landscape we just saw, I want to melt into it
I don't want to feel anything
But when you laugh, and that puts a stopper on me
But, you know, the world just turns so fast
Like you always do, laugh for me
If you don't at least do that, I'll soon
I feel I'll disappear