#and the manga feels like a slice of life fantasy adventure

[arandomnomad]

I started reading Frieren this week to keep distracted, and you know what? It's really good.

[infinitelystrangemachinex]

I don't know your blorbos at all, but I'm so happy for you that they hugged. Your insanity over it has been delightfully infectious!

Thank you 😭😭 It's been such a fun week and I'm glad it's been fun to watch the meltdown from afar!

Like, it's probably clear at this point what happened, but let me provide the sequence of events just to shed a little light on the meltdown and what it's like being in the group chat right now:

Start reading a shoujo fantasy manga in 2009 (I was a teenager) and very quickly latch onto the B-pairing which is so doomed by the narrative the main character and the male lead kiss and sort of start dating within the first couple volumes, while this second male lead - whose literal name means it is his role in the story to bring these two other characters together against his own interests - silently yearns for the main character who is oblivious, while being the funny guy everyone underestimates, while having a backstory so tragic and violent he wants to spare every other character from it no matter how often he's asked, while being so genre-aware he's practically walking meta

Watch over the years as this shoujo fantasy becomes a slice-of-life about the main character's career as a fantasy pharmacist. The characters are now adults. This main character and the second male lead spend whole arcs together hundreds of miles away from the prince the main character is supposed to be dating. This goes on for YEARS

An anime adaptation goes for two seasons from 2015-2016. The fandom grows. Everyone pities the fans of the B-pairing because this is a shoujo and the A-pairing is already together. The small B-pairing fandom grows nonetheless, starts a Discord, and are viewed as insane people from there on out, which is absolutely true, but still

The manga continues in the meanwhile. After yet another arc where the B-pairing has an adventure together, the author goes on hiatus for 1 year

It's 2024. The manga returns from hiatus, where the first 2 chapters of the new arc immediately address the B-pairing and their circumstances. B-pairing fandom is starting to lose its mind but we are used to setting our expectations low and relying on speculation and fanfiction for romantic developments anyway

September 23rd, the 3rd chapter since the hiatus drops. The main character opines on the strengths and virtues of the second male lead and defends him to a stranger without knowing he's listening in. He drops his impenetrable funny guy/tough guy act, CRIES, and after 130 chapters of silent pining, thinking his presence is unwanted and his feelings are unwelcome which has caused him to always hesitate to even touch her, he hugs her

He asks her to keep his heart, which he means both platonically and, unbeknownst to her, almost certainly romantically. She says she'd like to just keep all of him - forever - and hugs him back

This happens on the first day of the B-pairing's ship week, which will have its 10th anniversary next year

This also happens while the B-pairing fandom is doing a reread of the manga

The B-pairing fandom loses its collective shit

More people are screaming in joy at each other in the Discord voice chat than have ever been in the Discord voice chat at the same time. Everyone feels both drunk and high for days at a time. It is now day 7 and it is still hard to believe this story development actually happened. The current arc has barely started. We are not okay

[ooglywooglies]

FINE, LILY ORCHARD DUNGEON MESHI RESPONSE POST I GUESS

im just going through all the video points and making oppositions to them based on what i think, thats it.

laios useless in the red dragon fight: this is setting up the premise of the story where laios is spacing out because he cannot strategize on an empty stomach which is why the party loses.

there is no urgency to rescuing falin after everyone escapes the dungeon: thats to show that all the adventurers are so used to the dungeons immortality that theyve forgotten about the consequences of death (and also they are not thinking straight bc they are hungry)

dungeon meshi is not slice of life in the traditional low stakes way a slice of life set in the real world might be. the entire premise is about making a fantasy dungeon crawler and its heroes more grounded and showing things that aren't shown in video games, eating, sleeping, bathing, etc. a major theme is life and death, what is needed to sustain life and how death is a necessary part of it.

the tone of the show is not meant to be serious/silly/serious/silly, its not supposed to be wholesome, fun, and heartfelt, though it can be those things, its supposed to be weird and demystifying because its about real life (though a fantasy lense) and real life doesnt adhere to tone either.

resurrecting falin, having a bath and dinner, and then thistle coming to collect her happening in two episodes is not crazy thats almost an hour of runtime

MISGENDERING THISTLE

some of the problems with this video are just the anime format which i cant completely fault, i think the manga is better paced and the humor lands better ill probably ignore those points going forward. but i feel like if you dont watch anime very much you probably dont really know them the common genre tropes, like i certainly dont.

the reason marcille is "infinitely more popular than the rest" is a) lilys girl bias b) everyones girl bias and thats it, a lot of people like decently written generically good looking female characters. but thats not even true laios is probably equally as popular as marcille is and senshi is VERY close behind both of them.

laios is literally only generic in looks and if youre going to bring it up you might as well mention how marcille is therefore EXACTLY as generic as laios is, they are some very regular white people. in terms of looks.

laios only cares about monsters and is an asshole: this is an intentional mischaracterization the OTHER CHARACTERS IN THE STORY make about laios, which is a result of his real flaw which is struggling to connect with other people. this is a character flaw, which is intentional and something laios himself is aware of and tries to overcome, it is part of his character arc. laios is also heavily autistic coded, im not sure if ryoko kui is even aware of it or if she herself is autistic and just wrote a bit of her own struggles into laios's character but this reading is widely recognized by people who are autistic so. like its hard to argue with a mass of people who see their disability in a character. (me included)

comparing his deadpan affect to lloyd (i dont know him tbh)s intentional controlled one makes no sense bc i assume lloyd is yknow a super secret agent who IS a super secret agent because of his self control or whatever. laios is just a guy. literally just a dude, who is autistic.

marcille and laios react to falins resurrection differently because they are different characters, showing different ranges of emotion are part of their characterization. having a limited range of expressed emotion in serious situations where emotion is expected of you is also a commonly recognized autistic trait (see me not crying at the airport when my now husband had to go back to his side of the planet when we were dating)

falin is also autistic coded and shares a lot of traits with laios because its supposed to be funny that everyone thinks falin is so talented and brilliant and lovely when she yknow picks up a bug or something but they think its annoying when laios presents the same traits.

refer to point 10 again

they are literally moving through the dungeon as fast as they can. it gets brought up, laios feels guilty about it but hes not indulging in his special interest as opposed to rescuing his sister, the adventure is enabling it. whats he supposed to do brood the entire way? do you think anyone would be physically capable of doing that? see points 1-4 again if not.

just because a different character would do something different doesnt meant the story would be better, the point of THIS story is an exploration of THESE characters

this is retreading a point but "marcille is the only character who feels like a human being" .... girl the ableism - it can be argued that marcille is a bit ND herself but she is laios's neurotypical foil, the entire point of their dynamic is she is the normal person to compare him to, to act like shes the only character that matters because shes the only one thats normal has some nasty implications.

"you or i would-" thats making some assumptions

marcille is tormented the most by the show because the show is about exploring a dungeon, a major character trait of hers is her inexperience, shes squeamish shes young and naive because she has EXCLUSIVELY studied dungeons in books she has only seen the dungeon in person for like a year or two (i dont remember the time frame but we know how time works for marcille anyway). senshi by contrast has been surviving exclusively off the dungeons resources for like 60 years. you mention that marcille grows a lot by the end but its not just about eating food she learns survival skills, she learns ecology.

sorry i need to take a break to just rant, isnt this woman a writer? i feel like all she can only see characters through common media tropes and so dungeon meshi is just breaking her brain because all of these characters are written from a strong foundation they all have roots that inform all of their flaws. i feel like she isnt willing to see them that way because she assumes that because this is an anime the author didnt put any thought into the characters beyond their designs and gimmicks, thats just speculation obvs its just the impression im getting

but like i see the way people talk about kui on here how she feels like one of us because the dungeon meshi characters are her ocs. how theyre not just characters for a story. its like imagine someone talking this way about YOUR OCS, your babies, the characters you put your heart and soul into and especially for someone like kui who has created so much depth for her characters for someone [who also calls herself a writer] to brush it all off bc it got an anime adaptation and anime has tropes.

i really dont like people who approach media from "ive seen this before" and i mean im a little guilty of it but its kind of a useless thought isnt it, for the most part things get made because someone wanted to make it not because it needed to exist. i guess its a hard thing not to think when theres just SO MANY shows and stuff out there but idk, i dont think its a healthy perspective most of the time.

chilchucks a bitch you cant listen to what he says and be like "the narrative is bullying marcille" chilchuck is bullying marcille, chilchuck is a bully

(oh it seems the numbers have reset, oops)

shes talking about why anime sucks again, i havent seen spy x family and i dont care to it doesnt appeal to me

retreading points but i forgot which ones laios thinking falins dragon form is cool is another example of how laios's character essence is that he doesnt think like other people. and i have to imagine that if not for the mind control aspect falin wouldnt be horrified by her dragon form either. neither of them care about the "obvious" socially expected reaction of "horrified" theyre thinking about a) what they like to think about which tends to be ooh monsters are cool and then b) whatever is most practical at this moment - i think its not just lily that struggles with this i think its a lot of people who follow social scripts tend to follow what the main cast of dungeon meshi is thinking so theyre horrified/confused by whatever laios is doing but he just intuits what actually materially matters and what doesnt. him thinking falin getting to have a cool dragon form has NOTHING to do with his feelings about saving her.

"your experience with autism isnt universal" neither is yours???? isnt that kind of the thing about autism (this is from her comments not the video but thats kind of her point about this point in the video is that she doesnt relate to laios's autistic traits) - guys shes saying sheldon cooper gets called out on his shit and grows as a person but laios doesnt... guys i dont even know what i can specifically say to make someone stop believing that because i dont know why anyone could believe that in the first place.

i dont want to write this point bc i dont want anyone to think i dont have any concept of like pervasive preferential trends in media but i think she specifically hates laios because hes a white man with autistic traits. i think if laios was a woman those traits would be not as bad (which is kinda funny bc i was talking about that being a joke with falins autistic traits earlier)

laios is funny to me :) (in the manga mostly)

i think she shouldve read the manga instead of watching half the anime but i guess thats it. if you (anyone reading this) see this out in the wild please dont make assumptions about me based on this post, it doesnt really tell you anything about me or my wider opinions.

i guess you can assume im autistic i did say that part, go ahead and assume that i suppose.

i think i have some clarifications i was gonna make but i got tired so i cant remember where they go or what they are, this isnt really meant to be a discussion its just me writing down some thoughts indirectly bc i didnt want to comment on her video. but its in response to a video so its only fair i guess if anyone wants me to clarify i can try my best to do that

[jovianjournal]

March 2024

Today we're talking about comics i read in March. I mostly read manga, from series i've already talked about before or don't have anything to say about, so i'm going to skip some books.

The Quiet End of the Mundane Age -- Theo Stultz

Probably my favourite comic from last year's ShortBox Comic Fair (the 2024 edition is coming very soon!! can't wait to spend wayyyy too much money on comics). A short story about academics studying an ancient civilisation and looking to bring back magic into the world (if i remember correctly... i really want to reread this one actually). the vibes are: delicious. my only complain is that it was too short, and i wish it was a whole series.

*

Minsucule Folle Sauvage -- Pauline de Tarragon

Tiny Crazy Feral Woman. a journal comic about depression and ennui, with cute pastel art. made me want to draw little introspective zines and reread sylvia plath.

*

Genderless Danshi ni Aisareteimasu / Mon petit ami genderless -- TAMEKOU, Narihira Kojiro, French translation by Blanche Delaborde

A finished series about a manga editor and her fem boyfriend. This is a cute slice of life story with some funny gags, but it is way less queer than advertised (the genderless boyfriend is Very Gendered, Actually). I liked the tidbits about Japanese queer culture, the art is suuuper pretty, but there are a lot of talks about appearance and popularity and social media which im not a fan of. Overall it's a light hearted read about conventionally attractive people, a good time.

*

Kûtei Dragons / Drifting Dragons -- Kuwabara Taku

Another favourite of mine. The adventures of a team of dragon hunters in a fantasy world! This story manages to have a big cast where everyone feels like an actual person. Not vegan friendly.

[kurisus]

So you love noragami we all love it any reading recs of things like it? Or that you just like?

YES!!!!!

So I have to preface this by saying there's nothing quite like Noragami. And there is nothing wrong with rereading Noragami over and over. But I still have a lot of recs that give Vibes or in general make me Feel Emotions, so here's a non-exhaustive list.

Anime/Manga:

Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya. I've been saying for years that Fruits Basket is Noragami if it was a shoujo. It deals with the same cycles of abuse and an outsider who tries to break them with pure compassion that Noragami does, although it's much more of a drama than a fantasy. Just watch it and think of Yato as the Zodiac cat. I rest my case.

Fullmetal Alchemist (Fullmetal Alchemist) by Hiromu Arakawa. Chances are you've read or seen this already but it's objectively a masterpiece by any standard you care to use. Whether you like shounen fights, deeply emotional interpersonal relationships, political dramas about war and revolution, fantasy based on Greek myth, or anything else, FMA balances them all perfectly (another thing it has in common with Noragami). I love it so much.

Code Geass. This may seem like a wildcard pick but I rewatched Code Geass a few years ago and realized there are a lot of shared elements (like, Suzaku and Kazuma are the same guy). I may be delusional but it's hands down one of the most insane anime I've ever seen, in a good way. Like how FMA and Noragami balance a bunch of genres, Code Geass is a mecha action anime, a school slice of life, a political drama, and a Shakespearean tragedy all at the same time.

Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto. Again this may be one you're familiar with, but after I caught up on Part 1 of the manga I was so deeply wounded I had to start thinking about Noragami again (which is a worse idea). Chainsaw Man is much more of a Shounen™ than Noragami is, and I still maintain that the saddest parts of Chainsaw Man are like happier Noragami chapters, but it's a very good story and one that also has a lonely, cast-out protagonist who craves human affection but has no idea how to get it (and when he does, it's ripped away from him).

Durarara by Ryohgo Narita. In the anime adaptation, pretty much the entire voice cast is shared between it and Noragami (in the Japanese dub). It is a very weird story about a lot of weird people who are competing to be The Most Normal Person In Ikebukuro, a task which they all fail at spectacularly. It doesn't have much in common with Noragami aside from the voice cast but I love it so I recommend giving it a watch (or reading the light novels if you're feeling adventurous).

Link Click. This is a donghua (Chinese anime) about time travel and it steadily drives me more insane the longer I think about it. The three main characters have such lovely relationships with each other and the emotions go OUCH every time. It's a little harder to pinpoint the connection with Noragami here, but it is a story about the things people will do for love. The writing is crazy good especially considering it's not based on a novel or comic; I haven't seen an anime-original with writing this good since Code Geass.

Not a specific anime but the other week I thought about, what if Yuki Kajiura had been the composer for Noragami? Her style suits its aesthetic so well so now whenever I watch something she wrote for, I yearn.

Books:

The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir. If you've looked at my blog at all in the last 2 years you'll know I am very sane over this book series. I actually made a Venn diagram comparing it to Noragami a while back, but the gist of it is that they deal with a lot of similar themes such as love, death, and the curse of immortality. It also has soooo many messy and complicated relationships and twists that leave your jaw on the floor. You can also use the worldbuilding to put your blorbos into and it's very fun for giving yourself Thoughts. For example I've done it both ways by putting the Noragami characters into the TLT universe and the TLT characters into the Noragami universe. Both are very painful.

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint by Sing-shong. I'm not done reading this yet (about 2/3 through), but the further I get the more I realize it's about all kinds of love, the same way Noragami is. The narrator forms a "party" of people in the apocalypse, and they go through life-or-death scenarios together, and the way they grow to love and care for each other is so natural and feels so earned whenever it pays off. If you want romantic relationships, queerplatonic relationships, parent/child relationships, or any other type of relationship, ORV has it. There is also a webtoon adaptation but I'm reading the novel because it's completed; the webtoon will take many more years to get there.

Miscellaneous:

The Adventure Zone: Balance. This is a DND real-play podcast and it doesn't really have anything in common with Noragami but, like Noragami, it made me feel every possible human emotion, so I recommend it. It has a slow start but it grows into something so beautiful and creative and by the end of it I was sobbing in my car. Listen to it if you can, or at least listen to the music (it gets music later on and all of it is soooo good).

Okami. This is a video game heavily inspired by Legend of Zelda and much like Noragami it's a retelling of Japanese mythology, so the storyline will def have some familiar elements. I recommend playing it for yourself (it's available on Steam for PC and pretty much every other platform you can name), but a playthrough would be good too. It's nearly 20 years old and has withstood the test of time because the creators decided to make it look like a classic Japanese painting come to life, and the gameplay involves drawing, so it's very artsy and fun (although the controls are really weird).

Thanks for the ask! Hopefully you found something new, and I'll be sure to share if I find anything new to add to this list because I am always on the prowl for Noragami-adjacent things ❤

[kae-luna]

🌃//Writeblr Intro//🌃

Hello! Welcome to my corner of the internet. I am Kae Luna. You can call me Kae or Luna. I am pretty new to Writeblr, so please bear with me.

╮ (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) ╭

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🌊About My Writing🌊

✨Genres: sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, action, drama, psychological, LGBTQIA+

✨Subgenres: dystopian, cyberpunk, biopunk, solarpunk, post-apocalyptic

✨Common themes: diversity, anti-capitalism, female empowerment

Links🌐

Since I like both anime art and storytelling, I'm planning to make light novels. Some of them may be short stories, standalone novels, or series. :3 Going to put some of them on Wattpad and Tapas.

I try to balance unique settings with complex characters.

🌊About Me🌊

I've been writing and drawing since I was little. And before I could write, I would tell my mother my story and she'd write it down for me. I've always had a crazy imagination. When I was a tween, I got into anime and manga, so I learned how to draw in that art style.

I am 26, queer-romantic asexual, and feminine-presenting nonbinary. I identify as both a girl and a demi-boy. You can refer to me as she/her, he/him, or they/them. I don't mind. I'm also white and have ADHD, dyspraxia, anxiety, and depression that prevents me from getting a "real" job.

I'm pretty shy and anxious, but once you get to know me, I may say some weird stuff and dad jokes. I'm a big nerd and simp as well.

I am also a Vtuber, but made this alt identity since I didn't think my work would fit that persona.

🌊About My Blog🌊

Here I am going to post about my WIP stories and some of my art. I will also reblog others' art and writing. Many aesthetics, fandoms, and other stuff may be reblogged as well with tags if it inspires my work.

Here I hope to find more creators to connect with and find some epic creations. Feel free to message me if you'd like, though I am kinda shy. :3

I am okay with:

✨Asks

✨Tag games

✨DMs. I'm happy to make friends. :3

🌊My Likes & Favorites🌊

✨Aesthetics/genres: vaporwave, cyberpunk, pastel, eco punk, nature, grunge, post-apocalyptic, solarpunk, steampunk, fantasy, LGBTQIA2S+

✨Movies: Alita: Battle Angel, Ultraviolet, Aeon Flux, Spider-Man 2, Howl's Moving Castle, Black Panther, The Matrix

✨Shows: Doctor Who, Stranger Things, Umbrella Academy, The Witcher

✨Anime: Death Note, Attack on Titan, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

✨Games: Skyrim, Baldur's Gate 3, The Sims 4, Minecraft, Fallout

✨Cartoons: Aeon Flux, Batman The Animated Series

🌊WIP(s)🌊

Ultra Drive - Intro Post | Directory Post

Links: Wattpad | Tapas (coming soon)

✨Genre(s): sci-fi, cyberpunk, action, drama, psychological, dystopian

✨CWs: fascist government stuff, pandemic mention, gore probably at some point, discrimination and oppression, violence

When AlexiKa was a child, her world was changed forever when her family was forced to immigrate to the imperial city of Venicula after the Ebony Plague - caused by mysterious eumalyptus spores - infected her home town. Now a young adult, she works as a courier (and secretly an anti-corporation activist). When going on a delivery, she accidentally uncovers dark secrets and ends up infected with the same Ebony Plague that haunted her hometown as a child. But when she survives the illness and instead develops superhuman abilities, she joins a mutant resistance group to fight against the Veniculan Empire, the Gaia Corporation, and other mutants with immoral goals.

Adventures in Alsteria - Intro Post (coming soon!)

Links: N/A

✨Genre(s): fantasy, comedy, slice of life, action, adventure, LGBTQIA+

✨CWs: None ATM? Violence probably?

A trans femboy wood elf named Nel finds the homeland of his people - the rain forests of Falinor - and goes on an adventure to form a guild of adventurers! Still kind of in the vibes stage I guess, but I have some ideas formed for lore and characters. :> Something more cute and lighthearted for me to write in contrast to Ultra Drive.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't have much that I can share at the moment due to much of my writing being lost (school assignments or lost on old computers) or attached to other identities. I also had a looong writer's/art block.

[nthflower]

I think the reason I love kekkai sensen is because I love kitchen sink insane fantasy worlds and it just gives it to me just as I like it. Like everything I wanted from an urban fantasy fiction. Like when I say I love the kitchen sink worlds this is what I am talking about media specifically made for me.

How it treats magic or monsters or difficult dimensions or fantasy species is exactly how I love to see. And also casual civilian life part of series it's always there big part of series and it's feels the world so lived I love it.

It's an extremely chaotic rule of cool fantasy manga with exaggerated characters and violence and absurdity everywhere but also if you consider the world it happens it's just slice of life. Where we focus on daily life of our characters. No epic saga no big adventure as main focus.

[hxhhasmysoul]

So, if you asked to write your top 5 fav from JJK and HxH, what genre will you put them (or you agree that they should be in shounen)....

HxH top 5+:

Gon - he fits battle shounen well but he's also do great in a sports show. Any type of adventure story would suit him, it wouldn't need to be fighting related, he's so curious. And also detective stories, he's very perceptive. But also psychological horror or thriller where he has to face the darker parts of his personality. And high fantasy, Gon's obviously an elf or a hobbit or like a cross between them.

Killua - he would do well in some slow burn romance, period probably where a lot is unspoken. He could also do well as an eccentric detective, genius with poor people skills but actually very observant and empathetic on the inside XD

Alluka (and Nanika)- shoujo, possibly a magical girl one but with slightly darker undertones. You know, both cute and creepy. Or like darker, maybe supernatural or horror yuri drama. Nanika would either be her twin in this, or the dark magical being connected to her like she is in hxh. And obviously gothic horror.

Canary - she would also make a great magical girl, but also any kind of story of reluctant heroine would suit her - she serves the Zoldycks out of necessity but she also grew very emotionally invested in that. Also yuri drama would suit her very well. And considering how she scammed Amane in the Election arc I feel like some kind of story where she uses her wits to achieve her goals.

Leorio - apart from the obvious aka any medical drama, any scenario where it's him against the system. Probably cyber punk would suit him well, because of how such reality would clash with his values. But also rom com, he'd be kinda bad at it and it'd be funny.

____________________

JJK to 5:

Yuuji - I mean he's a shoujo manga heroine, I stand by it wholeheartedly. He's be good in slice of life but also in something very dramatic and painful. And he'd be perfect for romance where he's the clueless one and others pursue him, maybe even harem anime. Also some kind of story where he has a service job and deals with it, kinda heavy but funny story, probably heart warming in the end. Also musicals to utilise his singing skills and charisma.

Nobara - any story where she's the underdog climbing to the top or where she has assert herself against the world. She'd be great in slice of life too, especially comedy. And stuff with yuri on the side though no romance for her as the main plot, like she's more about her goals. And anything where she's ride or die, can be as tragic as Thelma and Luise but also a lighter play on that trope.

Kenjaku - comedy, obviously. Horror, duh. But also spy thrillers, both as the main character, kinda an anti hero, or the villain. And like any historical drama that is intrigue and/or creepiness heavy. And cyber punk with the body hopping. And obviously any story about them being an overbearing parent with a difficult relationship with their kids, like heavy family drama. Kenny's got range.

Sukuna - porn. Any story where he's the ruthless ruler or contender to power - period drama, modern, sf, crime. Any story where he's a cannibalistic serial killer, especially styled after true crime where he'd have groupies. Reality tv where he's the hated judge. But also some heavy drama where he has to deal with societal rejection and/or has to face the personal consequences of the way he is, like the thing Gege is denying him rn. Or a more silly and topey high school drama version of that like a bully getting his comeuppance and rethinking his life, something teen oriented.

Yorozu - so like mad scientist anything for her. But also Crazy Ex Girlfriend kinda thing where she slowly works through her issues and gets over seeking validation in shitty men. Also like Sex and the City but like if Samantha was the main character (as she should've been). Like a reverse rom com. She'd also do well in musicals and super hero stories before the started to strive for being serious, because she's over the top.

[saffronapplemanga]

Anime/Manga Recommendation Round Up

Anime and manga recommendation thread of things I’ve been enjoying in recent years~ 

~I’ll link any dedicated posts I have to these~

~Links to my other manga posts here~

My personal favs/ones I super enjoyed will have a ✨ on them :)

(Some of these might not have official EN translations since any physical manga I read are JP copies. I guess if any sound interesting, ask publishers to license them!)

I won’t get too much into what they’re about because I think finding out is part of the fun. I’ll mostly list the genres and a little blurb. Some of these I feel like I rarely hear anyone talk about so it would be cool to see people try these :) 

 PLEASE LOOK UP ANY TRIGGER WARNINGS!

HORROR, SUPERNATURAL 

✨The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumoku Ren 

(4 volumes, ongoing)

Available in English

Picked it up earlier this year up knowing nothing but was immediately gripped by the eerie mood. Takes place in the country side where mysterious things have been happening. My friend couldn’t stop reading when I recommended it.

ACTION, THRILLER, DRAMA, CRIME

✨Banana Fish by Yoshida Akimi

(19 volumes + side stories, completed)

It’s getting reprinted in English, so what are you waiting for!

Anime - yes and it’s so good…

The manga is from the 80’s-90’s but the anime updated it in 2018.

Without giving too much away, it takes place in NY where our characters are trying to break out of the vicious cycle of violence and figure out a mystery that’s also connected to a conspiracy. Lovable cast, keeps you on the edge of your seat. I’m obsessed.

DRAMA, ROMANCE, LGBTQ

Lovers’ Kiss by Yoshida Akimi

(2 volumes, completed)

JP only

A short story where high schoolers are just trying to figure life out. Yoshida-sensei has this way of writing human stories and melancholy/tragedy while still leaving a glimmer of hope.

HISTORICAL, SUPERNATURAL

✨Mushishi by Urushibara Yuki

(10 volumes, complete)

I think the physicals are out of print but you can read it on bookwalker. It deserves a reprint!!!

Anime - yes, it’s a whole vibe please watch it

I watched S1 ages ago but never got to the rest until recently. Recently picked up the manga and plan to read it eventually. Another top fav of all time. Amazing atmosphere. We see the daily life of mushi expert Ginko deal with mysterious phenomenon mushi cause.

COMEDY, SLICE OF LIFE

✨Yotsuba&! by Azuma Kiyohiko

(15 volumes, ongoing)

Available in English

This series is super cute, wholesome, and hilarious! Yotsuba is honestly a delight, and following her daily life as she befriends her new neighbors is just a good time. Yet another fav of all time.

DRAMA, ART, SLICE OF LIFE

✨Blue Period by Yamaguchi Tsubasa

(15 volumes, ongoing)

Available in English

Anime - yes, but… listen I’ve never said “don’t watch the anime” because everyone can enjoy stuff however they want but... don’t watch the anime… I’ve never been so offended by an adaption ;_;

After discovering something he’s passionate about for the first time, Yatora navigates the art world despite his fears and being a complete newcomer. This series made me cry so much, I love it… please

ROMANCE

In the Clear Moonlight Dusk by Yamamori Mika

(7 volumes, ongoing)

Available in English

Blind-bought this a while ago. Yoi is dubbed “Prince” by her classmates for her cool demeanor, but she’s not the only one.

YOI IS MY GIRL!!!

ROMCOM, ACTION

MARRIAGETOXIN by Joumyaku and Yoda Mizuki

(3 volumes, ongoing)

Available for free on Shueisha’s mangaplus site

Assassin Gero needs to produce an heir so his sister can stay with her gf, but the social skills he needs to win a girl over need some help. This series is so funny and wholesome, all around a good time!

ACTION, ADVENTURE, FANTASY

✨Yona of the Dawn by Kusanagi Mizuho

(44 volumes, ongoing)

Available in English

Anime - yes, but I haven’t seen it yet so idk

I’m not very far in this one yet, but I’m having a great time. Love the friendship, the found family vibes. Seeing Yona acknowledge that she is naive and then stepping up is awesome.

idk how I slept on this for so long since it seems like something right up my alley. Literally picked up a lot of all the 39 currently out volumes (it came with the light novel too), no questions asked. I’m only a few volumes in, but I’m enjoying it a lot. It’s giving me Ertugrul vibes (the historical Turkish drama). No, I won’t expand on that point, go watch Ertugrul!

I’m committed apparently...

ROMANCE

A Sign of Affection by Morishita Suu

(10 volumes, ongoing)

Available in English

Blind-buy. A cute romance between a deaf girl and a well-traveled guy.

FANTASY, SLICE OF LIFE

✨Ascendance of a Bookworm by Kazuki Miya and Shiina You

(3 seasons, ongoing)

Available in English - originally a light novel

Anime - yes, I’ve been watching this not reading it yet

Listen, isekai just don’t ever click with me, but this one does. There’s political drama and we get to learn about the culture and daily lives of people living in this world.

Our mc is reincarnated into a medieval fantasy world where access to books is limited, making it her personal hell. But don’t worry, she gonna do something about it! This series is so interesting and I love the character dynamics. Even if isekai aren’t your thing, try this!

DRAMA, HISTORICAL, POLITICAL

✨Requiem of the Rose King by Kanno Aya

(17 volumes, complete)

Available in English

It has an anime but I heard fans were really mad at the adaption. I haven’t seen it so I can’t comment.

Normally not the kind of thing I would go for, but this series has me constantly screaming. IT’S SO MESSY, but the good kind of messy. It takes every fiber in my body to contain myself when reading in public. It features an mc who was born intersex and a battle for the crown of England.

DRAMA

My Broken Mariko by Hirako Waka

(one shot)

Available in English

Saw this at the bookstore and I looked at the cover like “wow, she looks like she’s really going through it…and she’s carrying someone’s ashes, oh no…” Didn’t know anything else about it but, oof, it’s a heavy one…

DRAMA

Look Back and ✨Goodbye Eri by Fujimoto Tatsuki

(one shots)

Available in English - also on the Jump app

While Fujimoto-sensei’s more well-known work wasn’t 100% clicking with me, I tried his one shots and really enjoyed them. I particularly liked the cinematic feeling and environmental storytelling.

Maybe when I’m up to it, I’ll do posts on some of these that go into a little more detail on how I felt about them idk ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[halfagone]

DID YOU SAY THAT YOU READ WEBTOONS? What uh.... What are your favorites? 👉👈 I'm still trying to wean off reading manga, and the only webtoons I've read are Queen Cecia Wears Knickerbockers and Wayne Family Adventures 😂

Yes, I have read quite a few Webtoons in my day (Why do I sound so old right now?) I have not heard about the Queen Cecia Webtoon, but Wayne Family Adventures is a very good choice, in my totally unbiased opinion. 🤣

If you want more DC Webtoons, then there is Red Hood: Outlaws and there is Zatanna & The Ripper. I haven't caught up with either of them, but if you do love those characters or want to see more from them, I definitely commend checking those out. There was also the Vixen: NYC Webtoon, but unfortunately that one seems to be cancelled now. 🥺

If you're interested in completed Webtoons, then I have a few offerings. I love Siren's Lament, it's a wonderfully complicated Webtoon even if it does hurt my heart sometimes. Gourmet Hound is more of a slice of life with some drama for added effect, but I really did adore that Webtoon that the art was just so cute!! Flow has some incredible worldbuilding mechanics and it's just so tasty. If you want more hero Webtoons, then there's I Don't Want This Kind of Hero, although that one does contain some distressing themes at times so like... beware. And then there is one of my ultimate favorites, which is called Gepetto, which is inspired and based on the Pinocchio tale but more futuristic and dystopian, if that's your fancy.

As for ongoing Webtoons, there's Marry My Husband, which is one of those time travel Webtoons where the MC dies and comes back to life sometime in the past and tries to fix their future. The main story is done, but they do have side stories which have been super cute to read.

There's the ever famous The Remarried Empress, and you'll probably see a lot of references to characters from this Webtoon if you read other Webtoons with a similar premise of- arranged marriage, terrible consort, attractive male lead that is decidedly not the husband, but don't worry he will be.

There is a newer Webtoon called I am the Villain, which is part of the Isekai genre, I would say. It's a beautiful Webtoon, the art is just stunning, and I have no idea what's going on but I'm having a great time.

For more action-based Webtoons, there is Eleceed and if anything happened to my boy Jiwoo I will kill everyone in this room and then myself. And apparently I've done a poor job of that promise because this boy has gone through it, but he still a sweetheart and I love him for that.

There's also the Omniscient Reader, which was actually originally a webnovel called Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, but has since been turned into a manhwa and it's so long but it's so good. I love my sunfish man and ugly squid king (bonus points to anyone who knows that reference).

Here is a Webtoon I have complicated feelings about: Tower of God. This was actually the first ever piece of media I published fanfiction for. It's this really incredible, complex, mind-bending fantasy Webtoon. It is very long, it currently stands at 581 chapters and counting. Unfortunately, the fandom ruined the experience for me, and I pretty much quit all of my fics and that's how I found myself here in the DPxDC fandom! There is an anime for it, currently just Season 1 is out but fingers crossed on Season 2! 🤞But definitely read it first before you watch because the pacing is a little fast for the anime and you don't get that same sweet, sweet tension. I am lucky enough that I do still have one beloved friend that I can talk about Tower of God with, or else I think I probably wouldn't have put it on this list at all.

Eleceed, Omniscient Reader, and Tower of God are all manhwas, which are Korean manga for a shorthand explanation. So if you want to wean yourself off those forms of fiction then... maybe stay away from these because they can suck you in.

Speaking of beloved friend, @midnightenigma recommended to me the Like Wind on a Dry Branch Webtoon, and I am still so upset about it because I will never be the same. 😭 The worldbuilding for this Webtoon is amazing and I adore the slow building romance and plot, and the exploration of grief and just- I am not okay.

I have more things I could recommend but that's... probably as much as I should offer now. lol I hope you find a treat to read from the bunch, though!

[babygray]

Something I am watching this season:

Atarashii Joushi wa Dotennen (My New Boss is Goofy)

After the stress of working under an abusive boss caused his health to decline, Kentarou Momose finds a new job and starts working under a new manager, Yuusei Shirosaki, a competent, stoic-looking man who is surprisingly air-headed from time to time. With the support and care of his new coworkers, Kentarou slowly heals from his past trauma and begins to enjoy his work life. Based on the manga by Ichikawa Dan.

This past year, I've seen quite a few shows about guys that escape their abusive, exploitative, stressful jobs. Most of them, unsurprisingly, were isekai fantasies. For example, the titular character of Handyman Saitou in Another World was a competent but severely unappreciated worker who found emotional and professional fulfillment after traveling to a fantasy world and joining an adventurer party as their support thief. And Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead's Akira Tendou was so ground down by his abusive, exploitative workplace, the fact that zombies have taken over Tokyo is nothing compared to the joy of not having to go to work anymore.

These escapist fantasies, where something (like a truck or a zombie horde) helps the downtrodden worker leave their bad situation and puts them in a new, more refreshing place, are enjoyable, but these characters are pushed into freedom by an unknowable, uncontrollable, and ultimately unreal force.

My New Boss is Goofy's Momose doesn't escape his abusive workplace because an outside force pushed him to do so. After one last straw of abuse broke him and one inspirational advertisement sparked something inside him, he took the first steps needed to leave that job and search for something better for himself.

This was incredibly brave of him. But the story makes it very clear that the abuse he went through left a lot of trauma that will take time to overcome, not to mention the stomach ulcers. His new coworkers are kind, considerate people, ready to support him in any way they can, and they're not alone. At least once per episode, we see how strangers react to Momose and Shirosaki's interactions, both the goofy moments and the heartbreaking ones.

At least once, a complete stranger was pulled in to the point where he helps Momose avoid a dangerous situation. At least once, Momose's interactions with Shirosaki helped someone else escape their own abusive workplace.

Despite how we might feel, we're not alone, and we don't have to deal with life's struggles on our own. We are surrounded by people willing to help and that we can help in turn.

Momose has people that care about him, and watching him slowly recover from the physical and mental damage he endured fills my heart with gentle warmth. It's a funny, fluffy slice-of-life story that leaves me feeling relaxed and happy.

[ridley-was-a-cat]

Spring 2024 Anime Roundup

Anime of the Season – Delicious in Dungeon

Source readers both online and in my own house have been talking this series up for years, so when I saw that it was getting an anime, and that Trigger would be the ones adapting it, I was pretty excited. Despite that excitement, I admit that it took a little bit to grow on me.

At the beginning, I found it awkward that the crew was in a hurry to get back into the dungeon to resurrect a party member before she’s digested by the dragon who wiped them out, but the story kept stopping to describe in detail the monsters they caught and prepared for dinner. Once I started to see more of the way the dungeon worked, with its resurrection mechanic making death merely annoying for adventurers, and the complex population of dungeon creatures representing a whole thriving ecosystem, the pace began to make sense, and the plot started to really take off. Being hungry is what lead to their party getting wiped out in the first place, so they have to work with the dungeon as another cog in its gears if they want different results this time. As they travel deeper into the dungeon, the wild situations and plot twists lead the characters to gradually reveal more depth as they respond to the challenges, and coupled with an excellent voice cast and fantastic visuals, it truly becomes a superb fantasy anime by the end of the second cour. Once the second season adapts the entire manga in full, this will be one of those series we’ll be talking about for many years. 9/10

First Runner-Up – Tonari no Yokai-san

The way this series began, it seemed like it was going to be a laid-back slice of life about the people living in a rural Japanese village in an alternate reality where humans and yokai coexist together. Eventually, though, it revealed its more dramatic ambitions, and tested the connections the characters had with each other through a series of unusual events. I think I liked it best when it was quietly focused on the characters daily lives, but the sci-fi flavored ending made for an emotional finish. 8/10

Second Runner-Up – Oblivion Battery

I don’t like amnesia plots, and I find Mamoru Miyano’s zany comedy mode to be nigh insufferable, so I nearly dropped this series after one episode when he was voicing an amnesiac catcher who yells bad jokes until someone breaks out in pity laughter. Luckily for me, the show got better and better each week as it added more lost boys to the baseball team and handled everything from the yips, toxic sports culture, and disordered eating, all with tons of feeling and superbly directed animation. 8/10

Black Butler: Public School Arc – Ciel and Sebastian infiltrate an elite school to get to the bottom of a missing persons case, and find themselves involved in everything from underhanded bullying schemes to intense cricket matches as they stalk their prey. I can’t say this is my favorite arc in the series, but it was so good to see the Black Butler gang back in a TV anime, and with better visuals than before. 8/10

Vampire Dormitory – A girl passing as a guy while living on the streets becomes the thrall of a handsome young vampire, moves into his dorm room, and begins an absurd, gender-bending romantic adventure. At no point could I guess what was going to happen next, because the mangaka’s galaxy brain was operating on a level I can’t reach, but I’ll always remember it fondly as highly entertaining shoujo camp. 7/10

I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability – Every season there’s a show I didn’t look twice at before the season started that turns into one of my favorites, and this was it this spring. By all rights, I should’ve been driven off by the busty maids and the ten year old protagonist’s booty shorts and rosy knees, but he’s such a likeable little magic-obsessed gremlin, and the magic battles were so well designed, that I couldn’t help but have a great time. 7/10

KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! S3 – There’s just something magical about the main quartet in this series that makes the sort of raunchy situations they get into hilarious rather than obnoxious. It’s all the standard stuff of ecchi-adjacent shounen series, but the character’s chemistry and the story’s commitment to the bit makes it impossible not to laugh along with them. 7/10

Kaiju No. 8 – This series centered on a guy who’s been turned into a humanoid kaiju, who uses his new power to join the force that fights against the monsters, doesn’t really do anything that a million other shounen action series hasn’t done before, but the animation quality is pretty great, and the all-adult cast has good chemistry, making them fun to watch. Depending on the choices the story makes from here, it could easily go stale, but they’ve given me an promising setup with this opening arc. 7/10

Train to the End of the World – A group of high school girls from a small town take a wild train ride through a world turned inside out by the activation of a 7G wireless network on a journey to find their friend in Ikebukuro. The bizarre, chaotic world created by 7G is unique and fun, with each stop on the train line having its own kind of madness for the girls to navigate, and it makes for a good adventure story. It needed more ambitious visuals, or a slightly deeper story, to be a great anime, but it was consistently entertaining week after week. 7/10

Tadaima, Okaeri – While I found the omegaverse content confusing and a bit weird the whole way through, I’m glad I gave this a try. Not only is it useful to know for sure what you’re not into, I definitely enjoyed more of this than I didn’t. It did some very welcome things with showing a young married gay couple being physically affectionate and doting on their kids like a typical family, and the story did a good job with topics like reconciling with estranged family and making friends as adults. 7/10

Laid-Back Camp S3 – The camp girls return, and this season had them tackle everything from backyard camping, to touring various suspension bridges, to the many kinds of vintage trains still serving remote areas. This season lacked a bit of the magic that made me love the previous seasons, although I’d be hard-pressed to point to any one reason why, but it still reliably delivered an effective dose of chill each week, and had a top notch OP to boot. 7/10

Wind Breaker – Delinquents seem to be having a moment in anime right now, and this season’s entry has the main character showing up with a chip on his shoulder and planning to fight for the top, only to find out his school of tough fighters acts as a local defense force and mutual aid society. The large cast is stacked with colorful, likeable characters you want to root for in their nicely animated fights. If it wasn’t for an awkwardly placed, overly long arc involving a rival team, it could’ve been a great show instead of a good one. 7/10

Tonbo! – A former pro golfer hits a low point in his life and moves to a small island south of Kyushu to start a new job, where he meets a middle school girl with a wild talent for golf. The production values are not particularly high, but the writer’s deep knowledge of the sport really comes through, and it was a lot of fun to watch the heterodox, instinctual Tonbo confound the experienced golfers she meets along the way. I look forward to the second half this fall. 7/10

Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy S2 – I remember really enjoying season one of this series, and thought it was a fun romp that played around with common isekai tropes, but I don’t feel like I got that from this sequel. The plot cut around abruptly at some points, dragged on at others, and never totally got me on board with his scheming and maneuvering. I still enjoy the cast, and I’ll probably keep watching the series, but it definitely felt like a downgrade. 6/10

Touken Ranbu Kai: Kyoden Moyuru Honnouji – Adapting a stage play that adapted part of a mobile game, the swords reanimated as handsome guys go to the Sengoku period to make sure Nobunaga’s end goes the way it’s supposed to. The plot is quite similar to Katsugeki Touken Ranbu, but with less impressive visuals, and a more annoying focus character. I got more Mikazuki Munechika (my beloved), though, so I was mostly satisfied. 6/10

A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics – If you watched Hinamatsuri and thought that it would be better with sleazy fanservice, generic light novel art, and less funny jokes, then this is the anime for you. It was entertaining enough to watch the characters flail around, but it hits nearly all the same plot beats as a much better series, and it’s hard not to compare them. 6/10

Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again – I hung in after a plainly bad first episode, and I’m glad I did, because it shaped into a genuinely enjoyable comedic slice of life that looked at growing old, rural depopulation, and passing things on to younger generations. The production was just a little too economical to quite call it good. 6/10

Astro Note – In a pretty clear nod to the classic series Maison Ikkoku, a young man moves into a boarding house full of boisterous residents and immediately becomes smitten with the young owner. Unlike the other series, though, this one involves aliens and a talking dog. Whether or not someone would enjoy this series likely hinges on how well the comedy direction lands for them, and a lot of it left me cold, especially the reaction faces. 6/10

Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night – I honestly enjoyed the first half of this original series following four girls drifting aimlessly in their lives who come together to form a virtual pop group. The visuals were excellent, and the voice actors were giving great performances despite the occasionally awkward dialog. Starting from something I’ll call the “boob incident” in episode seven, however, the show lost all of my trust, and the writing fell apart at the seams before limping through the finale with a pile of overly facile resolutions. 5/10

Unnamed Memory – Sometimes you don’t need to be familiar with the source material to know that the show you’re watching is doing an awful job of adapting the story. Whoever did the series composition here has abridged the life out of the text, stripping out all character development and story background we needed to feel for our cursed male lead and his forbidden romance with a witch with a tragic history. Without this connective tissue, the plot cuts abruptly from scene to scene, leaving the viewer behind. 4/10

A Condition Called Love – I probably should’ve just dropped this at the three episode mark, but so many people in shoujo fandom stan it that I wanted to see if there was something more to it. Unfortunately, my opinion remains the same in the end: he’s a pile of red flag maladaptive behaviors, and a teenage girlfriend who can’t tell when she’s been wronged by people is not a substitute for therapy. I couldn’t root for the romance, and the production ranged from mediocre to straight up bad. 4/10

[stormblessed95]

My Top Reads of 2022

Not totally back yet for another day, so I'm posting about reading rather than BTS. lol feel free to skip over it if you'd rather! I just wanted to share some of my favorite reads of 2022. I read 159 books this year (24 of them during my tumblr break the last few weeks!), here are just a few that I loved! If you want more opinions over these or perhaps over books I didn't love as much, I'd be happy to talk more about them!

In no particular order:

He Who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon (5 stars):

Content warnings for violence, mentions of cannibalism and death

A LitRPG style fantasy novel that is both high stakes but Still light hearted at the same time. I loved seeing the mayhem happen and the characters grow. It left me so excited to see how the over arching story continued to evolve. Plus I loved the friend groups dynamics here too! It's a little unpolished and times, can be a little slow, told through a flashback. But I loved Jason for the most part and loved hearing his adventures. Super funny and enjoyable.

The Deepest of Secrets by Kelley Armstrong (5 stars)

Content warnings for murder, gun violence, animal attack and mentioned animal death, sexually explicit scenes

Book 7 and the final installment of the Rockton series, but with the promise of a spin off that makes my heart soar. I love this series an unhealthy amount. Amazing characters, amazing writing, fast paced, engaging, one of my all time favorite OTPs. Thriller novels that aren't terrifying but kept the suspense flowing the whole time too. Can't wait to see where Casey and Eric go next. Book 1 in the series is called City of the Lost.

One for All by Lillie Lainoff (4 stars)

Content warnings for ableism, SA, bullying, death of a parent, grief

I was so excited for this one! It was a little predictable and I honestly think it mightve been better If the romance was left behind all together. But the romance portion still wasn't bad. It was excellent for a debut novel. The representation for POTS here was amazing. I loved the strength in the MC, the friendships were all top tier and so sweet. I absolutely loved it! Especially well done for a debut novel too!

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater (3 - 5 stars through the books)

Trigger warnings, like ALOT of them. Full list can be found here

Had a billion friends begging me to read this one and I finally did! The author is the definition of why authors don't always belong in fandom spaces and is a bit of a mess, but I did enjoy these books! The first one started off super slow and was clearly a set up novel, but they just got better and better as they went. I wasn't a huge fan of her writing in other books, but it worked super well for this series. Massively character driven series and so much fun. The magic system was amazing. The friendship between Blue and the boys was top tier. I cried and I laughed and I had a blast. Not a huge fan of the ending, which felt like a bit of a cop out to me, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment enough to not still give it 5 stars at the end. Lol

Spy x Family Manga (4 - 5 stars)

Content warnings for violence, gun violence

This one was recommended by my sister snd I fell in love so fast. Lol I also then watched the anime after. Very slice of life cuteness, mixed with spy and assassin shenanigans. Chaos incarnate and adorable. The trails of parenthood were hysterical, especially as a parent myself too. Lol although I'm not mixing parenthood with Spy work 😂

Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei (4 stars)

Content warnings for alcohol, blood, depression, suicidal ideation, homophobia, drugs, racism, sport related violence, sexually explicit scenes

Sports Hockey Romance mlm and so cute and so good! What a great representation for living with bad depression too. MC going through so much, but his relationship with his sisters is amazing, his budding relationship on his team is so good. Rivals to Lovers trope that's perfection too! I loved it so much! Fast and easy and fun to read and enjoyable every second!

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker Chan (5 stars)

Content warnings for Ableism, Amputation, Castration, Death, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Misgendering, Murder (child) , Sexually Explicit scenes, starvation, torture (non-graphic), violence

This was INTENSE. But so freaking good. Historical meets fantasy. Mulan vibes, but way more grown up and based in more history. And it's queer. Fun, thought provoking, intense, and so well written too.

The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson (5 stars)

Content warnings for death and violence

This is the 7th book in the series and every book in it is AMAZING. Released this year and wow what an epic conclusion. I laughed and I sobbed and I loved every second. Binged it in a day. These covers are so ugly lol but the stories are so good. So thought provoking. Fast paced but every freaking word counts. Engrossing and amazing story telling. The intricate plot contentions through the entire cosmere had me feeling a conspiracy theorist in the best way

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (5 stars)

Content warnings for Misogyny & femicide, Rape mentioned, Physical & emotional abuse, Suicidal ideation, Alcoholism, Blood & gore depiction, Murder, Torture

This was so good!! So good! It could have used some more flushing out on the world building, magic system and character arcs, but overall I loved every second of it. It's giving me the morally Grey heroine and cast of characters I've always wanted. I loved that it set up with a fairly classic love triangle, but only to give us a bisexual polyship triangle! Badassery the whole way through too! Had me pretty consistently on the edge of my seat.

^the line to end love triangles with all efficiency lmfaoo had me rolling!

Happy New Year! For those who enjoy reading as much as I do too, I hope the new year brings you lots of new good books to read and enjoy!

[fallensnowfan]

For my 1200th post, I’m sharing a handful of my favorite manga and anime, other than One Piece.

Upper left - Dragon Ball Z: I’ve since gone back and watched most of the other arcs, though the Buu saga is how I got into the series as a smol child, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. My favorite memory relating to the series is having imaginary DBZ battles in the pool with a friend I still keep in touch with today. Most of these “battles” really just boiled down to us skimming inflatable pool toys across the surface of the water into the other’s face haha.

Upper middle - Castle in the Sky: Another I first watched as a kid, and holds the place of being the first animated show or film that made me realize that animation isn’t just western cartoons. I was completely enthralled and it remains a favorite, while also possibly inspiring my love of pirates. I see a fair few similarities between Charlotte Linlin from One Piece, and Captain Dola from this film.

Quick bullet points for the five slice of life series on my list.

Upper right - Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou: Follows Alpha the android in the calmest take on the post-apocalypse I’ve seen. Has wistful road trip vibes, even while Alpha isn’t traveling.

Center - Yuru Camp: Max comfy, appreciates both introversion and extroversion, while creating a nice middle ground between the two. Features lots of cute doggies and has a good chance of making you want to go camping, or at least eat camping food.

Middle right - Hakumei & Mikochi: Has a bit of an adventurous tone with some fantasy mixed in. Especially good read if you like clothes, food, and shopping.

Lower middle - Yotsuba&: A very simple and enjoyable manga. I like to describe the mood as what you would get if there were a Hunter x Hunter spin-off focusing on Mito and Gon, years before the start of Gon’s journey.

Lower left - Flying Witch: Similar vibes to Yuru Camp, just a bit sillier and with witches.

Middle left - Fullmetal Alchemist: Feels a bit cliche to put this here, though it’s a really solid and dramatic action coming of age story with solid characters through out. That Jugemu short with Scar and King Bradley is legendairy.

Lower right - Witch Hat Atelier: The kind of series where it’s best to go in knowing as little as possible, and reads best as a binge. It’s tough to say much about it without giving away anything important, though it consistently has some of my favorite characters, world building, art, paneling, and drama. The way it builds tension and uses the magic system are woven together in such a seamless way and I am eagerly looking forward to the release of volume 11 later this year!

[purpleeivy]

Hey so I know I’ve been gone for… ages.

Do I have an excuse? No

Have I been doing anything in that time? Also no.

I do however want your input if you’d be so kind.

See I want to make a manga or something like that. Or at least, I have two stories ideas that I really wanna do something with, but I think would only really work in a visual medium. Plus I just wanna draw.

So, answer in the poll which one you would rather I try and work on, and if I do end up working on it, which knowing me probably won’t be the case with my executive dysfunction, I’ll post progress (Nothing too spoilery tho, so don’t worry)

I suppose I should explain the ideas before you choose them so.

1. The Light at the End of the Tunnel

This manga/webcomic would revolve around the embodiment of death guiding spirits to the afterlife, and on their way there death asks the spirits about their life, and that’s sort of what the chapters would be like, just going through the life of the person with death, with both Death and the now dead person being the narrators. I sort of imagine this Death as sort of like The Doctor, in the sense that they have endless faith in humanity despite all the bad things. They would be able to shapeshift to make the person they are guiding feel more comfortable, however they would always have certain distinctive features. I’m gonna end up talking about this way too much lmao, I think that’s a good enough summary of what I want for you to grasp how it would be.

2. Unnamed rn, probably some sort of thing about the future or smth

This one would be set in a fantasy dnd-like world, and the protagonist would be a retired adventurer who decided to open up a bar and help other adventurers, especially the newer ones.

I like it cus it could be like a slice-of-life type thing where the bartender is just doing stuff and helping some adventurers, and he’s also insanely op and has a ton of magic and stuff. I’ve got a sort of idea of his personality and appearance.

This one was totally not inspired because i binged all of one piece and think the theme of doing things to help future generations is really interesting. It’s the case with a lot of the main straw hat allies, but especially Shanks, Whitebeard, and Garp (and probably others)

As always, good morning, good afternoon or good evening. (No goodnight since it’s 8am for me and I’m writing this on the bus to college)

love you all <3 (and especially thank you if you answer the poll, but if not thank you for reading anyway)

[pixelatedanimereviews]

Fall 2023 Plan to Watch

Happy Fall Ya'll

As today is the first day of fall, and the last season of anime for 2023 is fast approaching, I figured there was no better time to list out what we'll be watching for the Fall 2023 Season.

This is in by no means order of rank, just how they got colleged together. All in all, we'll be starting the season with 25 shows and 4 (at the time of posting) that we'll be keeping an eye on for an official release as they still haven't been picked up.

Spy x Family Season 2 《Action ▪︎ Childcare ▪︎ Comedy》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 7th} If you haven't seen Spy Family (btw I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be Spy vs Family, but whatever) then that's on you I guess. Like you still have time to go watch season one, and you should because it's about to get good! I'm just excited for some good comedy mixed with just the right amount of James Bond style action.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End 《Adventure ▪︎ Drama ▪︎ Fantasy ▪︎ Magic》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Sept 29th} I first heard about Frieren from one of Gigguk's videos when he was talking about the manga. I love me some true fantasy anime, and I have a feeling that if the anime is as good as the manga is, that I'll be writing probably several think pieces about it.

The Kingdoms of Ruin 《Action ▪︎ Adventure ▪︎ Fantasy ▪︎ Gore ▪︎ Sci-fi》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 6th} The premise of Machine vs Magic/revenge plot seems really interesting, and I'm intrigued by the Gore tag.

The Vexations of a Shut-in Vampire Princess 《Fantasy ▪︎ Vampire ▪︎ Comedy》 {HiDive ~ First Episode Aires Oct 7th} This looks like silly nonsense, and we love the "Vampire that doesn't drink blood" troop.

I'm Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness《Fantasy ▪︎ Romance ▪︎ Comedy》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 4th} This title is a mouthful, but I'll forgive it as long as there is a good amount of sassy comedy.

The Apothecary Diaries 《Drama ▪︎ Historical ▪︎ Medical ▪︎ Mystery》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 21st} I know a lot of people are super excited for this show. We really enjoyed Raven of the Inner Palace and are excited to see more shows just like it. The animation and artwork in the promo video look gorgeous, so we'll see if it lives up to the hype.

The Ancient Magus' Bride Season 2 Part 2 《Fantasy ▪︎ Magic ▪︎ Mythology ▪︎ Slice of Life》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 5th} I'm so ready for this part 2! We fell in love with series back when season one first started airing. The art, the world building, the characters and their growth, and the mix of mythology is just so perfect! So excited to get to be back in this world and experience the journey it takes us on!

Ragna Crimson 《Action ▪︎ Fantasy ▪︎ Isekai 》 {HiDive ~ First Episode Aires Sept 30th} Dragons. That is all.

Undead Unluck 《Action ▪︎ Supernatural ▪︎ Comedy》 {Hulu ~ First Episode Aires Oct 6th} Look, all I know is that the last couple of anime that Disney has acquired have been bangers so I'm not going to miss out on this either.

I'm in Love with the Villainess 《Fantasy ▪︎ Girls' Love ▪︎ School ▪︎ Comedy》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 2nd} This is one of two Yuri that we are getting this season. This one looks to be silly and goofy, and I'm always down for some silly girls love fun!

Butareba - The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig - 《Fantasy ▪︎ Isekai ▪︎ Comedy》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 7th} This.........I mean why not. As long as it doesn't take an Inukai-san's Dog turn then I'm sure it'll be entertaining. I'm hoping for my sanity that it's just wholesome fun.

I Shall Survive Using Potions! 《Fantasy ▪︎ Isekai ▪︎ Reincarnation 》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 7th} You know, every seasons got have at least 3 dumb, turn your brain off, lazy writing but oddly fun Isekais. This will probably be mine for the season.

FLCL: Grunge 《Action ▪︎ Avant-garde ▪︎ Comedy ▪︎ Mecha ▪︎ Sci-fi》 {Max (HBO) or Adult Swim ~ Currently Airing (Sept 8th)} Oops, I guess I'm already behind. Oh well! I'm also adding Shoelace to this as well because it aires in a couple of days (Sept 30th), but other than an article saying that it'll be on Toonami there's no official release posting for it. Anyways, I'm excited to see it, as that grunge punk artsy look is something I don't see often, but I enjoy it when I do. I heard the last two spin-offs didn't do great so I'm hoping these don't fall flat.

Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange 《Action ▪︎ Adult Cast ▪︎ Drama》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Sept 30th} I'm going to give this 3 episodes. I'm hoping for some intense drama, but have a feeling that this will feel like one of those "cop propaganda" shows that are prolific here in the US.

Shy 《Action ▪︎ Drama ▪︎ Super Power》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 2nd} Who doesn't love a shy Super Hero trying to overcome their shyness to save to help maintain the safety of the world! I'm gonna give it at least 3 episodes because this could either be really good or really bad.

KamiErabi GOD.app 《Action ▪︎ High-Stakes Game》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 4th} I was really worried at first that this was going to be some kind of spin-off of King's Game. None that the synopsis is out, we're worried it'll be some kind of mash-up between King's Game and Platinum End. I want to be wrong. Please, let me be wrong.

16bit Sensation: Another Layer 《Adult Cast ▪︎ Otaku Culture ▪︎ Comedy ▪︎ Workplace》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 4th} Hehe haha, twist of fate, now you work on this hentai game in order to help us save the studio and also your job. I'm just enough of a degenerate that I'll probably enjoy this.

Migi & Dali 《Mystery ▪︎ Comedy》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 2nd} Mystery Comedy? Spooky twin boys that pretend to be one boy. Huh.

Protocol: Rain 《Drama ▪︎ Video Games》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 7th} Take the "High School Idol group that's trying to save their school" troop, but make it e-sports, net boys, and the net cafe that "saved" them. Hoping it'll be interesting.

My New Boss is Goofy 《Adult Cast ▪︎ Slice of Life ▪︎ Comedy ▪︎ Workplace》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 7th} I don't know why, but a part of me was hoping that this man's boss was actually Goofy, but it's not Disney Jailed so there was, not gonna lie, a bit of disappointment when I realized that wasn't the case. I'll still watch it. Just means that I'll have a few less "Hyuck" jokes when I do my review.

A Girl & Her Guard Dog 《Romance ▪︎ School》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Sept 28th} We are...apprehensive about this one, but will give it at least 3 episodes, but if it gives us the creeps due the Age-Gap Romance troop then will probably drop it.

Stardust Telepath 《Girls' Love ▪︎ School ▪︎ Comedy ▪︎ Supernatural 》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 9th} This is the other comedy Yuri this season, but this one has an alien girl instead!

Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductuons 《Detective ▪︎ Mystery 》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 2nd} Wow are we a sucker for these kinds of shows. However, we've seen these swing from really good to truly awful. Hopin' I don't have to drop this one.

The Family Circumstances of the Irregular Witch 《Fantasy ▪︎ Slice of Life ▪︎ Comedy ▪︎ Supernatural 》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 1st} A funny, lighthearted story about a Witch and her silly little human she raises. This will probably be what I watch to wind down in the evening.

Tearmoon Empire 《Drama ▪︎ Fantasy ▪︎ Comedy ▪︎ Romance ▪︎ Time Travel》 {Crunchyroll ~ First Episode Aires Oct 7th} Ah, the old is Time Travel just Isekai debate. We, for one, do not think that it is as it's still that same world even if time has changed. That aside, there isn't enough of these one world time travel shows these days, so it'll be interesting to see how this one shakes out.

These are the 4 that, at time of posting, do not have an official release (streaming or other media) to the US

The Four Brothers of Yuzuki - Where are there parents? Who is the main brother this story is about? Will there be overwhelming merchandise of these brothers who look the same but are different ages as well? These are the important questions that may never get answered.

Paradox Live - I don't know why, but for some reason, I'm getting DMMD vibes off these guys. I love DMMD. Why is this not available here in the US?

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You - I very vaguely remember playing this clicker idol game. Kinda sad I probably won't get to see how this show turns out.

You Were Experienced, I Was Not: Our Dating Story - Experienced how? I need to know! Don't keep secrets!!