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- BirthdayAug 3, 2006
- LocationIncheon, Korea
- JoinedJul 31, 2023
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Dec 19, 2024
Alright, so I wanted to wait for the first season of Dandadan to conclude before writing a review, as to not cloud the quality of my judgement. Dandadan is a decent anime, does it do everything right possible? No, from what I've seen it can definitely get better from here on, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy what I got. I think Dandadan as of now is a bit overrated, but I can still acknowledge the things it does right.
Dandadan is what happens when you take your average 3 AM conspirator and UFO sightings geek and throw them in a blender with a bucket
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of teenage hormones. That's the gist of it, but somehow that's still underselling how unhinged this fever dream of an anime really is. I like bizarre anime with a batshit crazy premise that somehow works. This isn't your standard teenagers discovering superpowers story, underneath this insanity lies something deeper. Supernatural stories usually color inside the lines. I thought I've seen everything the supernatural high school drama the medium could cook up. 15 year old meets a ghost, gets powers, and fights evil with said powers, it's a tale as old as time. But Dandadan looked at the entire supernatural genre and said, "What if we took everything and cranked it up to 11?" And in my humble opinion, I think Dandadan did just that.
Dandadan is special for a lot of reasons, but the reason I feel most compelling is the story centering around a female protagonist, which doesn't seem to catch your attention at first glance, but this is a shonen: A story for boys. I think that by itself is already a big step forward in writing a narrative that breaks the norms of the anime medium.
(Characters 9/10): This is likely my favorite part of the anime. The story introduces two very different people that are initially brought together by a shared interest in the supernatural. This being the case leads to a romantic connection that I don't experience often in shonen anime. Few do it right, but I like how instead of lumping BOY A with GIRL A because they're main characters, they actually built a genuine bond that's actually central to the development of the story as well, not just something to have on the sidelines to only be relevant in periodic instances. And of course, the way they interact with the other characters and the relationships that were once founded out of hostility can change and develop into something completely different. Then there's also the villians. Oddly enough, I don't see anybody talk about the villians. In Dandadan even the opposition has reason for what they do and have their own values to fight for, they're not evil incarnate just for the sake of it, and that lets me take the show more serious cause I like it when there's no clear evil in the show. It's easy to route for the MC, but I prefer seeing a battle of interests I can both understand and empathize with instead of main character vanquishing evil and having a bunch of lofty ambitions I can't identify with as much. Chainsaw Man is a good example of this, both animes are realistic in how they write their characters and the heroes aren't automatically looking out for the well beings of others and vice versa for the villians who also have their own side of the story.
(Animation 10/10): Dandadan has a lot of creativity. It presents itself with a unique coloring style, and uses sudden shifts from light to neon colors from scene to scene. The color palette and animation are definitely the backbone of the killer fight scenes and even to people who dislike the show, at the very least we can all admit the work the animation team put in was well worth the effort.
(Story 6/10): Now this is tricky, and my opinion will probably change later on, but I honestly don't get a rise out of the story I was hoping for. I really like the abnormal premise, but Dandadan doesn't really have much of a plot, or at least it's not exactly plot driven like other shonen in years past. A typical episode would be our characters being at school or at home and then a random alien/yokai appears. This type of conflict is resolved in about an episode or two until they come across another alien/yokai, typically the characters themselves being the catalyst. With that being said, it doesn't take away from the quality of the series as a whole since the arcs within the individual eps themselves are well written and I can't really complain in that aspect. I hope the manga will explore the story a bit since I think Dandadan has potential.
(Overall 7/10): So yeah, watch Dandadan. I will definitely be reading the manga since it's supposed to be getting better from here, and if you decide to drop it after this season, you would have stopped digging right before you hit diamond. So, I definitely recommend coming back once season 2 is animated.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Dec 8, 2024
The original Ranma 1/2 from 1989 is one of the most iconic animes ever, that made and even helped make anime popular in the west. Even with that being said, it really needed a remake because the original never finished adapting the manga, plus it had a great deal of filler episodes, which COULD affect the pacing. Depending on who you are, you may hate or love filler episodes, but that's a different conversation entirely.
I always jokingly thought Ranma 1/2 was called as such because half of it was filler, and after watching a great deal of the remake, I've come to understand remakes
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can really add a necessary touch to something that was good, and expand on it to make it even better. And of course, this brings me to another big reason why anime remakes are so prevalent: Advancement in technology.
Honestly, modern day animation is incredible and I feel like a lot of people won't disagree with me there. But, I also feel like this is where the crowds begin to get a lot more "split". Yes, modern animation is nice, but you have to admit old animes really do have a vibe and feel unique to that time period, and it can be difficult to replicate that same feeling. A lot of people feel that with remakes, you lose a lot of stuff that makes the original unique. I also believe a lot of the negativity towards remakes comes from the inherent thought they're made to replace the original. However, the fact of the matter is the original will always be there. You can enjoy both the original and remake and have fun with the differences you can observe from both times.
If you like Ranma 1/2 in any shape of form, I'd seriously advise watching the remake, especially since this version will stay truer to the manga and you'll get to see it done in a new style, and it's a good thing to experience something new, even if you have to make room on the shelf of old relics.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 6, 2024
This is indeed a review. Everything that is stated is my genuine opinion, which I think I need to say so people know this is not a shitpost review. But, I will keep it short(ish).
Azumanga Daioh was a comedy manga serialized by Kiyohiko Azuma, an anime produced by JC Staff in 2002, and a series viewed by only the coolest people on the planet for the last 22 years. I love Azumanga Daioh with every fiber of my being, I live and breathe it...and it's a show you can view any time of the year without feeling an ounce of boredom. Even so, stating exactly
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why the series is good is a lot more difficult to do than simply proclaim. At the surface this really is just about some Japanese girls who went to high school. Some may sit through it and end up hating it by the time it's over, some on the other hand are chemically entranced by it. Allow me to explain...
Plenty of people take a look at shows like Lucky Star and Nichijou; which are already pretty popular animes in their own right. They dismiss them as boring or dull with no additional spice to it because of how slow paced it is. Sadly, people who generate these tired complaints are anime fans who stick solely with fast pace shows extending across multiple seasons. And no, I'm not here to hate on people who like shonen. I'll suck off Chainsaw Man all day and admit Jojo was ahead of it's time for the anime medium. But I digress, the slice of life genre has its own set of charms it brings to the table you can't find anywhere else. So what exactly is a slice of life? It's a depiction of mundane experiences in art and entertainment—more akin to melodrama than drama. Basically, a slice of should highlight the aspects of daily lives for an audience while utilizing both humor and the unique capabilities animation to mix boring daily life with ridiculousness.
Let's apply that to Azumanga Daioh. It's important to note that humor is an important element in most slice of life shows and Azumanga Daioh excels in this area and is first and foremost a comedy that's ACTUALLY funny. In fact, the manga is written in four panel form which is the Japanese equivalent of a newspaper comic strip. This allows for comedic timing and condense storylines to play a significant role in telling jokes. It's because of this Azumanga Daioh has a very unique way of making jokes and being humorous, in which I believe is translated as well as it could be for an anime. Ever tried translating scenes that were originally derived from comic strip pages with 4 panels? It's not easy!
And of course, there's the wonderful characters that stand the test of time. Azumanga Daioh being able to earn a place in the hearts of many for so long is for this very reason, and can still be enjoyed decades from now. I don't have much to say about them because that'd ruin the whole experience, but what I will say is each one of them and their individuality make the anime/manga as good as it is. Osaka namely being one of my favorite characters is indeed a testament to the goofy nature of this series. In short, Azumanga Daioh is all about the interactions between these girls enjoying daily life in high school. It's really an adventure, and just watching them grow up and go to college is a treat I think everyone should enjoy.
Just watch it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 6, 2024
The Symbolism of Kill La Kill (SPOILER WARNING)
I first watched this as a kid at the age of 7, and I felt nostalgic recently so I wanted to watch this amazing anime again, and I believe too that I can say this resonated with me even more than it did when I first saw it.
Kill la Kill is underappreciated. That’s right; I said it. One of the most hyped and popular anime of both 2013 and 2014 is UNDERappreciated.
“But gloozed, what do you mean by that?” some of you may ask. Well, allow me to explain: Too often Kill la Kill is advertised as a
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mindless, goofy, fanservice romp that prioritizes style over substance and is only good because of how ridiculous it is. Well, I beg to differ; Kill la Kill is not only entertaining, but it is an intellectual social commentary that empowers women, encourages individuality, and shuns both sexism and conformism. How did I arrive at this conclusion from watching a show about girls in insanely skimpy outfits beating the hell out of people? Read on friends, read on.
Now, I already know that a bunch of people are going to accuse me of reading too far into this show and finding false messages in material where meaning does not exist, but the only time you can justifiably accuse someone of “reading too deep” into a series is when he/she makes claims without supporting them with sufficient evidence. Hopefully the readers will find my evidence to be satisfactory, because I certainly do.
So here is what I think Kill La Kill means: First, consider the kamuis themselves; the clothing made of 100% “life fibers” that give Ryuko and Satsuki incredible power. Specifically, kamuis are outfits that are worn by only girls (no boys are ever shown wearing them at any point) and are given to them by their fathers when they come of age (for Satsuki, this was supposed to be on her “wedding day”, a ceremony that for many cultures marks “becoming a woman”). Kamuis give the women wearing them lots of power, but demand a blood sacrifice and blatantly sexualize them. Hmmm, curious isn’t it? It seems to me that the kamuis are supposed to represent the female body. The fact that they are always passed down from father to daughter could be a reference to the fact that it is the father’s DNA that determines the gender of the child and the fact that the kamuis demand blood could be a reference to a woman’s period. The fact that they are given to only girls and only when those girls “come of age” is also a key piece of supporting evidence. Also keep in mind that Senketsu forced himself on Ryuko and didn’t give her a choice regarding whether or not she wanted to wear him, much like you don’t get a say in when puberty hits you. Now, bear with me on these next two connections, because this thought will be long and drawn out: The fact that the kamuis give power to Ryuko and Satsuki is a representation of how individuality empowers women. The reason that the kamuis sexualize Ryuko and Satsuki is an allusion to how the media and society as a whole objectifies women, whereas the other character’s responses to the kamuis represent the judgmental aspect of society and how dressing a certain way will always cause people to draw conclusions about you, gossip about you, and make assumptions about you. The sexual nature of the kamuis also references the advantages and disadvantages that sexuality gives women. Remember how the power of Senketsu decreased the more Ryuko was embarrassed? That doesn’t sound like a pointless plot device to me. When she was able to completely ignore societal norms and be the one rebel who stood up to the system (i.e. be herself), she became stronger and ultimately happier. In fact, this anime is filled with anti-conformity imagery, but we’ll get to that later.
It’s at this point that you may be thinking “So what? You’ve established that Kill La Kill is one big metaphor for puberty in females, but what’s the message behind all of this? What does it all mean?” Well, there are literally a million ways to interpret that, but my interpretation is this: Kill La Kill is encouraging young women to not be influenced by societal norms, the media, or peer pressure while encouraging them to embrace their individuality. To elaborate on that, let’s discuss yet another symbolic character: Ragyo Kiryuin. Ragyo represents the media, specifically how the media manipulates people, causes them to make poor decisions, and objectifies them. She is the embodiment of how corporations feed off of the fears that we have of our own bodies, the fears we have about peer acceptance, and the fears have about ourselves as a whole. She strives to force people to cling to their own sexuality until they become completely consumed by it (literally, thanks to the life fibers).
There are several clear hints that this is the case throughout the series, one being the bath scene with Satsuki. It’s important to remember that this scene happens right after Satsuki’s kamui (her body) nearly overcame her own will; it is a moment of weakness and confusion for her. In this scene, we Satsuki being blatantly perverted by Ragyo (the media) and being told what she should do next. This clearly draws parallels to how impressionable young people often look to the media or big business for answers about what is happening to their bodies and what they should do about it despite the fact that the only motivations of those entities are to exploit and objectify them. There is even an episode where we see Ragyo quite literally brainwash the general public and bind them to her will using life fibers; even Ryuko is brainwashed. However, the way that Ryuko breaks out of the brainwashing is key; she uses her hair. This is important when you consider that Ryuko has been repeatedly identified throughout the series by the red streak in her hair, which is a fashion trend that many teens utilize to demonstrate individuality. Mako even uses a hand gesture to represent Ryuko using her red streak multiple times during her “speeches”. Ryuko’s hair represents her individuality and Ragyo represents the media: So Ryuko used her individuality to break free of media influence and corporate control. The hidden meaning behind this scene is quite clear.
If that’s not enough for you, consider that Kill La Kill is jam packed with anti-conformity and anti-authority imagery. Before I go into that, let it be noted that what specific kind of authority the show is attacking is disputed. Some say that it is attacking the Japanese school system and its over-bearing chain of command while others see the show as a political critique of fascism. If you ask me, I don’t think Kill La Kill was trying to critique any one, specific kind of authority; I believe that it is a statement against all authority as a whole and a message for young people to “Row, row, fight the power!” (To quote another anti-authority work that Kill La Kill’s creators worked on). First, consider the stupid amount of power that Honnouji Academy’s student council has over the students. This is an entity that has the obviously unreasonable ability to kill their students, completely strip them off all free will, and convict them of thought-crime if it even appears that they will rebel against their authority, not to mention their Orwellian slogans (“Fear is Freedom! Subjugation is Liberation!”) This setting is very exaggerated and done in an almost satirical fashion in order to parody the way society stunts individuality; a very clear message if you ask me. Also, consider the way that the one star students and the generic club members are drawn by the animators: They are all made to look EXACTLY the same for a reason. The scene where the tennis club is hitting tennis balls at Mako particularly sticks in my mind: All the club members look exactly the same, their tennis-grunts all sound exactly the same, and their serves are all in perfect synchronization with flawless, machine-like precision. These one star students don’t even feel like human beings; they feel like cogs in a machine. There is nothing that makes them unique or special because they have surrendered to the system and conformed to what the Academy wants them to become; loyal, unquestioning, and well-behaved students who do as they are told. The show purposefully makes being a part of the Academy look as unpleasurable as possible in order to send a message, that message being that conformity takes the purpose out of your life and strips you of individuality.
There are many more symbols I could discuss, such as Nudist Beach, the Rending Scissors, and the names of the kamuis, but hopefully I have at least presented enough evidence to get you thinking about this topic. Regardless of how silly, pandering, and misogynistic Kill La Kill may appear on the outside, there is MUCH more depth and substance to it then people give it credit for. I think it is a masterfully written allegory with an important message behind it all the while maintaining an incredibly engrossing and entertaining storyline at its face value, and that is extremely hard to do. If, after reading this blog entry, you STILL think I’m full of shit and using apophenia, keep in mind that creators of this anime have earned the benefit of the doubt based solely on the merit of their passed works. One of the lead writers, for example, kicked off his career by helping to write a little anime known as Neon Genesis Evangelion, aka the most symbolism-loaded anime of all time. The director of the show also directed the anti-authority Gurren Lagaan and the allegorical FLCL among other things; so the fact that Kill La Kill is likely symbolic shouldn’t be such an unreasonable or unfathomable thought to anybody. I hope those who have stuck around this long got something out of my analysis and I hope I have gotten you think about anime in a more open minded and multi-faceted way; it is a much more intelligent medium then people give it credit for. Have a nice day!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 16, 2023
Okay, I'm gonna try and go about this right.
You know how you watch an anime or read a manga that sort of changes you? Like the way you interact with the world or your mood just shifts? Kind of like after watching School Days or something. Well, this is pretty close to that, in the sense you feel a little discomfort after reading through like...idk 5 min one shot of a silly argument between brothers regarding the younger one not wanting to cross dress for the older brother.
Read this because the title really caught my eye in the way you see a trash anime
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and then watch it for shits and giggles. To be honest, it was so bad that I actually ended up enjoying it a bit, if that makes any sense. But, it's really not worth the read...the dialogue is nothing special either and the whole premise just seems dry. Furthermore, the humor isn't all that great, but I've definitely seen worse so I guess that gives this some points.
I'm probably a bad judge, since I don't even read ecchi that much, but here we are. It's not like I'm completing shitting on it, it's just the fact this is obviously aimed toward a certain demographic that I'm not apart. I will say, though. The art was at least consumable, and would probably make for a good hentai if you were into that sort of thing.
Another thing is this basically being pedo bait automatically drives someone like me away, but it at least had a pretty satisfying ending where the younger brother uses his girlish charms to convince the older brother to let them get a haircut. So I guess you can call it wholesome in a way, but that's really all for redeeming qualities. Oh wow, I basically just rephrased the title and gave context.
I'm gonna go think about life and process what I just read.
W manga, would read again. [Being held at gunpoint to say this]
Reviewer’s Rating: 1
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