#however whenever i start collecting a manga series its sometimes hard to not get the urge to complete it

[eunhos]

.

[dropintomanga]

Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia - 2 Sides of the Same Coin?

Whenever you hear about Koyoharu Gotoge’s Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, you tend to hear about the records the series has smashed in Japan since the anime adaptation aired. From taking over entire top 20 Oricon manga charts to being one of Japan’s most highly grossed movies ever to influencing political campaigns, Demon Slayer is a once-in-a-lifetime hit that captivated an entire nation. (Oh, and Gotoge is the 1st mangaka ever selected for the Time 100 Next list)

However, outside of Japan, Demon Slayer isn’t as popular as one of its other Shonen Jump brethren, Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia. Demon Slayer still sells well and fans love the series over here in The United States, but manga sales charts are filled with more My Hero Academia volumes than Demon Slayer volumes.

I’ve been thinking about both series’ popularity in the context of the East versus West dynamic.

As cultural experts will tell you, Western principles are built on a sense of individualism. You deserve the freedom to choose your own path. You can make it on your own. No one should get in the way of what you want. Eastern principles are all about collectivism. Make sacrifices for the prosperity of the group. Don’t do anything that hurts other people around you. The world doesn’t revolve around you.

When I think about My Hero Academia, it makes sense that Western fans love it a bit/lot more than Demon Slayer. We all want to be heroes of our story. We want to be more than who we are. It’s about youth who are focusing on their own growth and getting away from their comfort zones to find new opportunities to become stronger.

Demon Slayer isn’t about being a hero. It’s about a guy who wanted to make his demon sister human again. He’s not interested in being the absolute best to save the world. While saving Japan ends up being a consequence of his actions, family is what’s important to main lead Tanjiro Kamado. Also, superheroes aren’t nearly as popular in Japan compared to here (with the exception of Spider-Man). 

There was a book I read, Amaia Arrazola’s Tokyo Travel Sketchbook, that briefly discussed the Japanese conventional idea about family. Post-WWII, Japan promoted the idea that it was going to take women to stay home and take care of the home life while the men went out to be the breadwinners. Japan had to, since it had to take everyone together to rebuild the country. However, after the real estate bubble of the 1980s’ was burst, the idea of family being the center really fell apart as Japanese men lost their status as breadwinners due to jobs being finite and gone.

I also remember reading about the history of Western influence in Japan. There’s been a bunch of debate about whether Japan truly embraced Western ideals. To be fair, a lot of voices that claim Western influence being high in non-Western countries tend to be Westerners themselves. Japanese voices on Western ideals may have been been misunderstood in the first place. Demon Slayer takes place during a time of transition where modernity was growing in Japan, while My Hero Academia uses the Western love of comic book superheroes as its basis for its story.

When I think about Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia’s popularities in different parts of the world, it’s perhaps the Western vs. Eastern view of how striving for new opportunities often means loss of community. In My Hero Academia, we do see the psychological effects of bad family influence due to the relentless pursuit of status in a modern world. I saw this mostly early on with Shoto Todoroki (this is being explored even further with the rest of his family as of this writing) and much later in the series with Tomura Shigaraki’s past being revealed.

I noticed that a lot of things are blamed on bad parenting (especially in Western culture). A lot of psychological help does suggest that the family has a big role in influencing a child’s development. However, are they to blame for everything? Outside factors, like social inequality, do play a role. Endeavor, the father of Shoto and top 2 hero at the time, had to deal with so much perceived inequality (i.e. being compared to All Might) that it drove him to abuse his own family. When Deku told Shoto that that his power was his alone regardless of his upbringing, Shoto saw that he was in a place of equality since he was in a supporting environment among his peers compared to his dad. He’s started to understand how life experiences with other people and circumstances can change someone for better or worse as he reluctantly re-connects with Endeavor (who’s trying to redeem himself). 

With Demon Slayer, there’s the infamous Spider Family arc, where the villain, Rui, created a fake family in order to fill a void in their life as a demon. Rui ends up abusing their “family” to drive their superiority. They killed their parents at a young age while they were still human due to a fear of not being loved by them. The whole point of the arc was that everyone deserves some kind of loving family in their life. It’s hard to get through life by yourself even when you’re an independent spirit. I do feel though that certain relationships with family members/friends should be cut off if they are abusive like the case with Rui’s. There’s even more stories similar to this with the rest of the Twelve Moon demons (especially another family-related one with the arc that will be featured in Season 2 of the anime, which I might discuss later this year).

My Hero Academia is about moving forward with some reflection. Strive to be a hero of your life. Don’t think of the consequences as long as you’re saving innocent lives. Demon Slayer is also about moving forward, but remembering that there are points in your life where you need authentic connection and that bad people are still human beings who just feel disconnected from the world.

It also feels like both series address the issue of what connection-seeking traditions to pass on to newer generations that feel family/friendship seem lacking today. In My Hero Academia, there’s All for One’s desires to have successors to pass on his Quirk to even if they are dangerous. In Demon Slayer, there’s Kagaya Ubuyashiki, leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, who wanted to end his family’s curse and realizing over time that demons who wanted to fight back (like Tanjiro’s sister, Nezuko) against Muzan Kibutsuji should live. As someone who’s a Chinese-American, I've thought about what I could pass on as my culture has millennia of history and it does feel like age-old traditions/rituals are being passed over for materialistic convenience. 

I do think it comes down to whether we pass on values or beliefs. Beliefs are basically “What’s good? What’s bad? This is real to me even if it’s not to anyone else!” There’s way too much emphasis on them. Beliefs tend to be very binary because people are often more than just their beliefs. Values are just abstract rules to everyday life and don’t involve personal beliefs. I feel like not enough emphasis is focused on values. For example, things like compassion and respect are values, not beliefs. I had to embrace what values I had to finally grow as a person because some of the beliefs I held to in my mind were hurting me. 

Demon Slayer leans more toward appreciating values (usually ones that appeal to the Japanese mindset) due to Tanjiro’s personality, although My Hero Academia is a mix of appreciating both beliefs and values. While I do wish that “values > beliefs”, My Hero Academia does have some good insight on how beliefs can shape/warp values for both sides. 

Both series take a look at the tension between family and the self in their own ways. It’s much more so with Demon Slayer due to how much the concept of family was important in the growth of Japan in the past. I think we can agree that while there are cultural differences in handling it, the idea of family is lost on both sides of the world. American and Japanese cultures aren’t very tolerate of “gray zones” (i.e. illegal immigrants who have families, sex workers who have families, etc.) and want life to be more black or white. That’s why many fans who don’t feel accepted for who they are look to other outlets for some kind of family that will accept them.

Healthy families of all kinds lead to stronger communities that in turn lead to a better world for everyone. I sometimes feel that modernity does family no favors. It’s fine to grow, but constant growth without self-reflection becomes harmful. Plus, family always comes back to affect you one way or another. You can’t ever fully get away from family as they’re the starting point to everyone’s life. 

The only thing I can say is accept that your family/community, good and/or bad, is a part of your identity when you have conflicting thoughts and then take it from there. Denying that is just like trying to hide all your problems instead of dealing with them. It never ends well.

Blood is thicker than water and as both Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia show, when it’s shed, it can lead to disastrous consequences - both individually and collectively.

[razberryyum]

Gintama manga chap 699

~

Dear Gintama gods and Sorachi-sama,

During the last three and a half months where the world was without any new Gintama—which frankly felt like three and a half years—I tried filling every single day with some amount of Gintama so that I wouldn’t miss not having new Gintama as much, but in the end, nothing can beat the excitement and anticipation of looking forward to a new Gintama chapter and nothing can compare to the sense of satisfaction and relief of finally being able to feast my eyes on some new Gintama. I can only imagine this might be what drug addicts feel like when they finally attain their high.  I don’t even want to think about the severe withdrawal I’m undoubtedly going to suffer a couple months from now...or whenever the third issue of Jump Giga comes out in this current run. But I should stop thinking of the potential dreary future and focus on the fact that there is a new chapter of Gintama right now, at last; all is right with the world again.

I was wondering how you would start Gintama’s new life in Jump Giga and one of the scenarios that crossed my mind was that you would probably start chapter 699 with a totally irrelevant parody of some type, probably Star Wars related, just so you could tease and torture us a bit before actually delving back into the meat of the story, so I was quite delighted when you did just that. Except I did get two things wrong about the parody: it’s not Star Wars related and it’s actually quite relevant since it provides a very helpful recap to the events leading up to the gang’s current situation inside the Seibouists’ ship. And while I probably couldn’t appreciate the Dragon Ball Z homage as thoroughly as actual fans of the series did, I did find the parody completely amusing, especially when you had baby UtsuShou riding on top of Gintoki (yes, obviously, I have no idea what that was in reference to, but I’m assuming it’s something integral in DBZ...I just thought it was hilariously adorable).  

There was so much Joui love in this chapter; my overfilled heart was in danger of bursting. What was especially touching was how much they obviously wanted to meet up with their teacher again; it was as if they were little kids again, yearning to reunite with their beloved parent/mentor so that they can tell him everything that has gone on in their lives. I really do hope we get the opportunity for them to have that moment, even if it could only last a page or two. After all they’ve been through, it would just be so beautiful and heartwarming if they could stand before the form of Shouyou-sensei again and just tell him how much he meant to them and how much they miss him. Just imagining such a scenario right now is already filling my eyes with tears. I know it’s on the sappy side, but haven’t they earned this sappiness, if even for just a few minutes? And while I’m at it, I also hope they will get one group hug between the three of them. I mean, even though there were enough hand-holding moments to make my heart melt into a puddle of goo, I still want to be greedy and ask for a real hug between the three Joui boys. I know it might be a little out of character for them...especially for someone like Takasugi who would probably kill Gintoki right after for touching him in such a sentimental way...but I really want to see that so bad even though I will most likely cry so hard that I would probably pass out afterward.  

And while I’m talking about hugs,  Sorachi-sama, please, have mercy, let our Yorozuya actually reunite in the next chapter? They’re SO CLOSE that I’m beginning to feel the lack of a reunion like a physical pain. I know this was already a longer chapter than usual, but it actually flew by so quickly, and I found myself rather disappointed when by the end, we didn’t even get the three of them in the same room at the very least. I know I should be grateful that they’re at least nearby, just like I’m grateful that the Shinsengumi boys (translation: Hijikata) is also getting closer to Gintoki, but the fact that Gin-chan, Shinpachi and Kagura didn’t get to actually see each other still made the distance between them seem way too far.  

A big part of why the chapter felt shorter than its 53 pages is because everyone was rushing to reach their goal: the Joui boys to Baby UtsuShou, everyone else to Gintoki.  I loved the frenetic energy that you maintained through each page, I rarely had a chance to catch my breath as we jumped from one frenetic scenario to another. It felt like we were back in the days of the Liberation Army war, where danger and life-threatening moments were happening around each corner and there is really no chance for a break. But I do hope you give us a break eventually...as much as I love the action-filled moments, I love the quiet moments of Gintama as well, sometimes even more because of the emotions they usually conjure up, so I hope we would be afforded the opportunity to experience such precious moments soon...if not in the next chapter then hopefully the one after that.  

I know it might seem like I’m harping a lot on what I hope to see in the future chapters but that’s because I feel like all the events within this chapter were a sort of set up to what will come next. Of course the revelation that Utsuro had taken over the control of the Tendoshuu old farts was indeed chilling, but I can’t say it was entirely shocking since I think you even hinted at that many, many chapters ago when you showed us a bunch of Utsuros making up the Naraku in the past. At the time I was confused and wondered why there looked to be clones of Utsuro, and eventually figured you probably just meant it as a figurative representation, but I guess with this newest development you might have actually meant it literally. I hope your intent is to eventually have everyone fighting a Utsuro in a collective effort to defeat every part of him completely, because THAT would actually be a supremely cool and amazing.

As for Takasugi’s injury, honestly, I’m not too worried about him. That doesn’t even look to be a mortal wound and I am assuming he still has enough of Oboro in him to at least survive it. At most he’ll probably just end up with an unsightly scar there, but I have confidence he will live through that. He’s been hurt worse.  

Other than that, there were a couple of touching moments amongst Kyuubei, Tsukuyo, Sacchan, and Zenzou where they pretty much declared their affection for Gintoki that I definitely appreciated, but what I found the most touching of all was actually Gin-chan's confession of love almost for Takasugi, when he admitted to him that he found what he finally regained what he had lost in the past and his memories were composed entirely of Takasugi. Not to mention the moment was further punctuated by the joining of their hands. My shipper heart was stirred, even if they are not my coupling of choice.  Even though I don’t believe Takasugi would die in the next chapter, especially since Matako and Henpeita are nowhere to be seen, to play devil’s advocate, if he were to, at least all his emotional loose ends with his two childhood friends would have been neatly tied up and he should have no regrets about anything anymore. Not to mention, at least then hopefully in the afterlife, he would be able to reunite with Bansai.  Again, I don’t wish for his death at all nor do I think it would happen, but I guess what I’m saying is that, I would also be able to understand and more easily accept it.  

Since my understanding of Jump Giga is that it is released in an irregular schedule, I don’t know when you will bless us with the next chapter of Gintama, but as usually, I hope the rumors/intention of it ending in the next two issues will not come true. My hope is that now that you’re not subjected to a weekly deadline grind, you would be able to enjoy life more and become re-inspired so that you will find a way to continue Gintama even though we will only get it like six times a year, or however many volumes of Jump Giga are produced. I don’t know how you can be sufficiently compensated for such a relaxed release schedule or if you could even live off of that since the monetary returns are probably much less than if Gintama were released on a weekly basis, but I can only hope that things work out somehow so that you benefit from having Gintama continue to run in Jump Giga for many more years to come while we also benefit from continuing to have Gintama in our lives. I can only wish for the best and humbly ask that my Gintama prayers continue to be answered. Thank you for everything, Sorachi-sama.

Yours truly,

A silly fangirl with Gintama dreams

(^3^)

[entergamingxp]

Kakarot Review — Not Too Super, Just Saiyan

January 24, 2020 12:15 PM EST

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is a nostalgia-fueled retelling of the Z Fighters’ adventures that is brimming with content… it’s just really boring.

About 20 years ago, I used to come home from school to watch Cartoon Network’s programming block Toonami. This is where I was introduced to anime. More importantly, this is where I first watched Dragon Ball Z. Although it took numerous episodes for one person to conjure up enough energy for an attack, I always found it to be so interesting. Even with its not-so-great animation and long-winded storytelling, I was enthralled. It may not be the best, but it is definitely one of the most popular animes and mangas of all time.

As such, it makes sense for a game based on Goku’s iconic adventure to be translated into a video game with modern sensibilities. Sure, we’ve had games like Dragon Ball FighterZ (which is amazing), the Xenoverse series, and Budokai series, but none of them have been nearly one-to-one representations of the anime. That is where Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot comes in. The new “open-world” action RPG by CyberConnect2 and Bandai Namco is a nostalgia-fueled adventure, letting you play through the many sagas the Dragon Ball Z series has told.

“[Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot] is a nostalgia-fueled adventure, letting you play through the many sagas the Dragon Ball Z series has told.”

It may be good for those wanting to relive the Z Fighters’ many grueling battles, but there is something about Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot that doesn’t sit right for me. Much of it has to do with its action-focused gameplay and RPG systems.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot’s gameplay can be broken down into two different pillars: open-world and action. Earlier, I put open-world in quotations because it isn’t open like Skyrim or Red Dead Redemption 2. It’s more on par with Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain or Borderlands 3. Earth is somewhat of a hub world, which is where the game first begins. But this world is broken up into different areas, which you will have to endure a load screen for a brief moment. So, you aren’t traveling through one large landmass, rather a few smaller areas that are open to exploring.

These open areas may house a number of things that may help you progress your characters further than if you just played through the main narrative. This includes side quests, items, shops, training, and collecting Dragon Balls and Z-Orbs. All of this work together to make your characters stronger.

However, all the open-world activities are downright boring. Yes, training will allow me to learn new moves for each playable character. Yes, garnering Z-Orbs will make those moves stronger. Yes, cooking food with Chi-Chi will increase my stats. Yes, performing side quests may give you a break from the story you already know. But all of it just doesn’t seem worth touching.

In my first 5 hours, I tried doing everything. I played through as many side quests as I could, explored the open landscapes, and tried to get the most out of my characters. However, after those beginning moments, I began to realize none of that really mattered. Since you play as multiple Z Fighters — which include Goku, Piccolo, Gohan, Trunks, and Vegeta — your experience and skils are all split. It never really feels like you are progressing your characters through these supplemental means because you can’t really choose who you bring into the main battles since it is following a specific storyline. Rather, they are just there to make very incremental changes to your characters and extend the amount of game that is there.

There is also another system introduced early in the game called Community Boards. These are used to focus on certain aspects of gameplay. To do this, you will use Soul Emblems — which are essentially just stat representations of Dragon Ball Z characters — and connect them together on a Community Board. Certain Soul Emblems have bonuses for connecting them with specific Soul Emblems. For example, if you want to increase stats that will affect your fighting ability, you’ll want to dedicate more Soul Emblems to the Z Fighters Community. Connecting Goku and Gohan together, with Goku being proficient in the Z Fighter stat, will give a +2 bonus to the Z Fighters Community Board.

I only mention the Community Board system because the game puts an odd amount of importance on it. However, I feel like you could just put the Soul Emblems you earn on any of the Community Boards available and get very minimal increases. I never felt it actually made a difference. It is just another piece of padding to give it that RPG flair you are probably expecting.

“Sure, combat was kind of fun at first, but without any diversification in the gameplay, it just ended up being dull.”

As mentioned, the other pillar is the fighting portions, which actually progress you through the story. The moment you boot up the campaign, you are given a tutorial and it’s overwhelming. It shows you the control scheme, gives you a long written explanation of how combat works, and throws you into a battle against Goku’s rival Piccolo. It’s a lot to take in at once, but I did get a handle of it pretty quickly.

Soon after, I just started getting bored with the combat as it became somewhat mindless. I would just mash the dodge button, then mash the melee button, then maybe use a special ability if the moment seemed right. If I had other characters assisting me, I’d use them whenever they were available to use. But that method is essentially used for every single battle. It doesn’t get any better than that, even against the big villains like Frieza. It’s the same process every time.

If anything, I would get more frustrated with some of the battles since it would pin me against 3 or 4 characters without any assists. Since it is a bit hard to track when another enemy is going to strike, it added a layer of tedium to what was already a boring process. Sure, combat was kind of fun at first, but without any diversification in the gameplay, it just ended up being dull.

If there is anything going for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, it is how it is presented. I love hearing “Cha-la Head Cha-la” right when the main menu pops. Introducing each new mission like a new episode from the anime is also a really nice touch that certainly had me reminiscing. Everything, from the music to the sound just feels right.

“While it may remind you of your fond memories of the anime, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is a drag that fails to entertain for its duration.”

Graphically, I really love Kakaraot. There is a bit of a disconnect between the character models and environments, though. The characters look like the hand-drawn models you’ve seen in the anime while the environments are more akin to something you would expect from a video game. But it does work, especially in more industrialized environments. There is a flatness to the buildings that really give it a cartoonish and bland look. This sounds bad, but it works with the very stylized character models. It feels like you are in those worlds.

The actual animated cutscenes (the ones that don’t use the in-game models) are spectacular. They are super vibrant, colorful, and have an animation style that puts the original anime to shame. It is really great being able to relive these iconic moments in a brand new way.

There were some fairly small technical problems in my time with Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, but they were issues nonetheless. Load times feel a tad long, especially when you first load a save. I also had some odd skipping issues with the cutscenes. Sometimes, the video would just stutter. It didn’t really affect my experience, but it was certainly noticeable.

While it may remind you of your fond memories of the anime, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is a drag that fails to entertain for its duration. Its repetitious gameplay, odd systems, and abridged storytelling lack the heart the anime had. If you’re a big fan of Dragon Ball Z, you might have some fun with Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. But if you’ve never experienced the Z Fighters’ epic adventures, there are better action RPGs out there to play.

January 24, 2020 12:15 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/01/kakarot-review-not-too-super-just-saiyan/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=kakarot-review-not-too-super-just-saiyan

[recentanimenews]

9 Doraemon Gadgets That Are Way Too Powerful for a Kid

Today marks the 50th anniversary of Doraemon, one of Japan's most beloved children's series. From manga to TV anime to its yearly films, it's enchanted generations of readers and viewers. It's had the sort of impact shows like Sesame Street have had in the West, becoming an integral part of childhoods. Well-known actors who cameo in the films are often huge Doraemon fans themselves, and consider the roles the achievement of a lifelong dream.

  For those who haven't encountered the show, here's a quick breakdown. Nobita is an average ten-year-old schoolkid who loves reading manga and hates doing homework and chores. He has friends and rivals, including his crush Shizuka, but his best friend is Doraemon: an earless robot cat from the 22nd Century (or the 21st century, in earlier versions). On days when Nobita is attempting to put off responsibilities—that is, every day—Doraemon produces a futuristic appliance from his fourth-dimensional pocket to assist in Nobita's plans. Sometimes the device helps, but other times it teaches Nobita a lesson about friendship, hard work, or, you know, doing your homework.

    Some of these gadgets are relatively harmless and have become beloved by fans, like the iconic "take-copter" that allows the characters to fly around. Others, though, make one wonder what exactly people are getting up to in the 22nd Century. And while Doraemon may in some cases have been using these over-the-top items to teach Nobita a hard lesson, they're still... well, over the top.

  So to celebrate 50 years of friendship, magic, and adventure in Doraemon, we're looking at some of the weirdest futuristic gadgets that maybe Nobita (or anyone, for that matter) shouldn't have had access to.

    Ten Commandments Tablet

  So your mom is about to cut your allowance. What do you do: get your act together, start looking for a paper route, or use a magic artifact to inflict an act of God on her? I'm not sure about you, but Nobita went for Door #3.

  The Ten Commandments Tablet lets the owner write down ten rules that, if broken by anyone, will result in them being struck by lightning. Nobita's first rule was "Thou shalt not cut Nobita's allowance"... and when Doraemon realized he may have made a mistake, it was followed quickly by "Thou shalt not take back gadgets you lent to your friend."

  While rules can't be erased, they can be negated by later rules—as Nobita found out when he got zapped after writing "Thou shalt not just make up whatever rules you want."

     Devil Card

  Technically this is a bit of a cheat, as Nobita received this from a monster rather than from Doraemon himself... but without Doraemon, there would have been no monster in the first place, so we're counting it.

  The Devil Card, besides sounding completely safe and not at all like something that will mess you up, drops free money whenever you shake it. There is, of course, a catch: for every 300 yen you accumulate, you will shrink by 1mm. And you won't get any heigh you lose from the Devil Card back. Combine that with a kid who wants free money to buy manga, and before long Nobita is swimming in his own clothes.

  Doraemon does get Nobita back to his normal height with the Big Light, a flashlight that does just what it says. The combo of the Devil Card and the Big Light seems like the ultimate free money hack, but Doraemon dispatches both the monster and the card. Nobita will have to singlehanded destroy the economy some other day.

  Go-Home Music Box

  This frog-shaped music box does just what it says on the tin ("frog" and "return home," though written differently in Japanese, are both pronounced kaeru). This little dude plays "Hotaru no Hikari," a Japanese song set to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne" that's often played at the end of school days, broadcast days, and business hours. Play it in front of whoever needs to get lost and they'll just... go home.

  File this one under "Kids really shouldn't have this, but I definitely want one for next time I throw a party."

  Honest Taro

  This is a doll that reads your mind and says what you're thinking. I don't know about you, but that's what we in the industry call a cursed doll.

  However, Doraemon and Nobita actually use Honest Taro (a.k.a. the Truth Doll) willingly and on purpose. The initial goal was to help out Nobita's uncle, who was too shy to confess his crush to the woman he likes. Honest Taro would read Tamao's mind and say it for him.

  To be fair, the goal is eventually achieved... but not before things go spectacularly wrong in all the ways you're assuming they would.

  Dictator Switch

  The story goes that, in the 22nd century, an evil dictator used this device to delete anyone who did not adhere to their every word. The people will disappear from existence, with only the switch's owner and anyone who witnessed the disappearance remembering they even existed. This raises a lot of questions, the first being "What is Doraemon doing with it?" Rather than giving it to a museum or lab, he gives it to Nobita, who uses it to send anyone who teases him straight to the cornfield.

  After a nightmare about everyone mocking and abandoning him, Nobita goes on to learn that a double-click will delete everyone in the world except the owner and user. Fortunately, those are two separate people in this case, meaning Doraemon is around to inform Nobita that the disappearances can be undone.

  This was probably meant to be a lesson about how to cope with bullying and paranoia, and I'm guessing it worked, but that's a big way to go about it.

  Anything-Controller

  It's a steering wheel. You stick it on anything. And now it's a car. You can literally control anything just by sticking this steering wheel to it.

  In the context of the episode it's used to move heavy furniture around, which sounds great. But Doraemon has also given Nobita access to devices that control people and occasionally just un-exist them. Even if it's being used responsibly now, I'm not sure how I feel knowing this is just one pocket-dive away from Nobita sticking it to his dad's head and using him as an epic mount.

  Human-Making Machine

  Okay, back up. Doraemon has a machine that will literally create human life. There it is, in Nobita's room. Nobita uses it. He creates a person. The person's name is Newton. This is a thing that actually happens. 

  There are two mitigating factors to this that may not even be mitigating factors. One is that this gadget is considered "forbidden." So at least Doraemon knows he's not supposed to be letting people use this (though it still happens). The other is that the gadget doesn't create particularly humanoid humans. Anything that comes out of it is a mutant. Not sure if that's worse or better.

  In later seasons, the machine creates fictional characters and animals, which is maybe a little better? At any rate, we've probably hit the boundary for how ridiculous and disturbing Doraemon's collection is.

  Literally Just a Bomb

  Doraemon, no.

  Sushi Conveyor Belt of People I Want to See

  Let's close out with something a little less terrifying: a gadget that's still overpowered, but could be great under the right circumstances.

  The "Sushi Conveyor Belt of People I Want to See" once again does exactly what it says on the tin: press the button and put in an "order," and whoever you name will teleport onto the sushi conveyor belt. You'll get a bit of time to hang out before they go back to where they were before you called for them.

  The whole "teleporting against their will" thing is a bit worrying, obviously—but for long-distance friends, this plus a quick phone call to the teleportee to arrange a convenient time would be the answer to a lot of prayers. Overpowered? Yes. Super helpful when used responsibly? Also yes... which ranks it above human delete buttons and spooky dolls.

  As strange as Doraemon can get, it's still won over fans around the world. Its messages of hope, perseverence, friendship, and love make it a long-lasting addition to the world of anime, and one we hope continues to be loved for years to come. Just, you know, maybe keep an eye on what kind of world-ending tools you let Nobita have access to.

  Do you have any Doraemon memories? Share them with us in the comments!

    -----

  Kara Dennison is a writer, editor, and interviewer with bylines at VRV, We Are Cult, Fanbyte, and many more. She is also the co-founder of Altrix Books and co-creator of the OEL light novel series Owl's Flower. Kara blogs at karadennison.com and tweets @RubyCosmos.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com