#i just watched the entire season of jujutsu kaisen today

[jinwoosbabyboo]

Him or Me?

LADS Men getting jealous over your latest hyper fixation. [Requested by: Anon]

Zayne

Who: Keigo Takami (Hawks) - My Hero Academia & Sanemi Shinazugawa - Demon Slayer

Zayne: You received another package today?

MC: Ahh my figurines!

You tear the box open in excitement while Zayne watches.

Zayne: You have quite a few figures of that red winged character

MC: He's my favorite

Zayne: He's your ... favorite?

MC: My favorite character from my hero academia yes

Zayne: and who is the bug eye'd one?

MC: Don't call him bug eyed

Zayne: Defending him now?

MC: His name is Sanemi he has a bit of a temper but he's really a sweetheart

Zayne: and he's also from your hero show?

MC: No he's from demon slayer

Zayne: Oh

MC: These two are definitely my top 5

Zayne: So there's a list

MC: A mental list

Zayne: Who is on this mental list

MC: Well number one is my red ear'd jealous boyfriend who's trying to hide the fact that he's jealous of these 2D characters

Zayne: I'm not jealous

You stand grabbing your figurines boxes as you move around him heading towards your room to build them.

MC: Sure *Kisses his cheek* jealousy is cute on you but don't worry no one can take me from you

Rafayel

Who: Trafalgar D. Law - One Piece & Itsuomi - A Sign of Affection

MC: Raf have you seen my sketch book?

Rafayel: *Avoiding eye contact* Nope

MC: Did you do something with it?

Rafayel: Nope

MC: Found it. Why was it under the couch?

Rafayel: You're a silly girl with a bad memory

MC: RAF!

Rafayel: What!?

MC: I'm missing like four pages in here!

Rafayel: Have you tried not missing them?

MC: Very funny ... coincidentally its only the sketches of Law & Itsuomi

Rafayel: Why do you need to draw that taffy guy and umami dude? Draw meeeee I'm your boyfriend

MC: I've already drawn you before

Rafayel: I only had one page in your book they each had two that's not fair *pouts*

MC: You're such a baby if I give you a second page can you stop ripping up my hardwork?

Rafayel: Make it four pages and you have a deal

Xavier

Who: Kento Nanami - Jujutsu Kaisen & Vash - Trigun

MC: Xav?

Xavier: yes my love

MC: Would you like to explain what happened to my Nanami plushie?

Xavier: I don't know what you're talking about

MC: He has mysteriously gone missing

Xavier: Are you sure you searched everywhere? You did work sixteen hours yesterday It's common to misplace items when you're tired

MC: I don't know I never move him from the shelf .... have you seen him?

Xavier: I haven't sorry

MC: Interesting ... my phone case with Vash is also missing

Xavier: You seem quite smitten with those two lately do you like them more than me?

MC: Xavier they're 2D animations they'll never be better than you

Xavier: Promise?

MC: I put it on my pinky

Xavier: 🥰

MC: Can I have my phone case and plushie now?

Xavier: Absolutely not

Sylus

Who: Sung Jinwoo - Solo Leveling & Shinichiro Sano - Tokyo Revengers

Sylus: What's so great about that show that you need to go to four different stores to get the entire book collection?

MC: I tried to get you to watch Solo Leveling with me

Sylus: I'm a busy man princess

MC: I think you'd really like it Jinwoo looks like a cinnamon roll and is a cinnamon roll but could still kill you

Sylus: Are you implying that me and this 2D man are similar?

MC: Hell no you look like you can kill and could kill ... you're only a cinnamon roll for me

Sylus: How perceptive ... and what book is that

MC: It's a manga get it right ... its Tokyo Revengers I'm still waiting on the next season but I need to know what happens because I need to see Shinichiro

Sylus: Who is Shin and why do you need to see him eat a cheerio?

MC: Not Shin eat a cheerio ... Shinichiro Sano aka the weak king

Sylus: How can you be a king and be weak?

MC: Those around you are strong

Sylus: Sounds like a kingdom waiting to fall ... are you almost done?

MC: What's with the curt tone?

Sylus: No reason we just have dinner reservations soon princess

MC: That's in five hours

Sylus: *Grabs the stack of books from MCs hands* My how time flies lets go

[kairiscorner]

⋆⁺₊❅⋆ holiday headcanons event !!

💬 details: in celebration of the upcoming holidays, i'll be leaving my requests open for the entire holiday season (so from today, december 22 up until january 1st !!) i might extend that further, but we'll see ^^ soooo what do i have in store for this event? well, here's what i got :]

❄️ making snow angels with them. ☃️ building a snowman with them. ☕ enjoying a cup of hot cocoa with them. 🧥 wearing matching sweaters with them. 🎄decorating the tree with them. 🎁 being their secret santa. 🌿kissing them under the mistletoe. 🎤 drunk karaoke with them at a party. 🔔 going caroling with them. 🎿 skiing with them. ⛸️ going ice skating with them. 🎆 watching the fireworks with them. ... and much more to come !

just a quick reminder !!

please abide by my rules before requesting anything! i'll be taking requests for haikyuu, jujutsu kaisen, and even demon slayer, chainsaw man, and select ensemble stars and bungo stray dogs characters !! if you have any other suggestions or requests related to this holiday event, don't be afraid to send it to my asks ~ ! that's all, and happy holidays everyone !!

[chxrrie-bxmb]

we just started jujutsu kaisen today because an irl friend of ours convinced us to watch it and... never in our entire life have we watched something with such strong a "what the fuck just happened" effect on us. i have No Clue what's going on (granted we're only on episode 5? 6 maybe? of season 1) but i'm completely hooked and this might become a hyperfixation for us

this is also the third piece of media we get into where the protagonist is our favorite character! the only other two are SDR2 and Bungo Stray Dogs

[sluntch]

A Simpler Day, a Simpler Week - A Writing Experiment - Day 6

Ayo. Welcome to day 6 of me writing something every day. This one is pretty short and sweet, but here we go anyway.

So, in the last post, I mentioned injuring my ankle through overuse on a Friday, taking a 2:30 AM ER trip on Saturday and getting home around 7:30 AM the same day. Since then, I've been keeping off the ankle and wearing a boot to keep it from moving around on me. This means I can't really drive anywhere, can't go up and down stairs very easily (which is fairly comical given how many flights of stairs are in the duplex I live in), and can't workout during the week. Abbey is also on a business trip for the week so I'm alone for the time being. Turns out you really miss the extra caloric room built into the day from just a workout. Today I went over the limit into equilibrium territory to get rid of some leftovers that needed to be eaten. In that same vein, I also miss Abbey as, not only is it fairly lonely without her (though I can cope with help from Dil and the lads, especially during the day or in discord) but also that she helps eat some extra lefties that need to be eaten when she takes them for lunch and I don't have to be responsible for everything in the fridge. I suppose that's the tradeoff for only doing cooking up to this point to be specifically having two portions for dinner and then having some lefties ready for the rest of the week. I suppose the bonus was that the grocery bill was much this week as I'm only cooking twice (to stay off the foot) and only for myself.

Last night I made a creamy tomato-base soup and added cubed tofu to it. We usually have it with tortellini, but I wanted to try and make it a bit lower-calorie and use one of the two packs of tofu I had gotten for the week. to go under it, I oven-roasted some broccoli and sweet potatoes, a go-to vegetable in our apartment as they 1). are delicious and 2). make a bunch. They go really far into the week and are great as impromptu veggies for meals, should I not have another one, and are great on the salads (I call them "Big Salad" because they are colossal and delicious) I sometimes make for lunch throughout the week. I invited Dil over to partake for some company and to just chill. It was super fun. We watched the first episode of Arcane again, semi-preparing for season 2 of that, and the first two episodes of the newest season of Jujutsu Kaisen, which he is binging to catch up to as I write this. The week is, about as much as it can be, off to a rip-roaring start. I just need this ankle to cut it out and we'll be ok. But now my right knee started kind of hurting too, so I'm worried this might be going a bit deeper than I previously thought. That or I'm still somehow using the leg too much. Time will tell, I suppose.

Second-to-last thing for this entry: I start with a new therapist tomorrow. The therapy office I was going to had a change in how they can bill my insurance and the therapist I was working with at the time was one of the ones that wouldn't be covered. Our jobs are paying a bit better now but we're trying to buy a house and possibly have a kid within the next 3 or 4 years so every penny we can save is important. So I opted to get transferred to a new therapist that would be covered. It sucks to have to start over entirely but I was only about 5 sessions in with the initial therapist, so it's not like there was a years-long connection being severed. I still liked her a lot, though, and I had made some really good progress even in that short time. We'll see how this shakes out.

Last thing, short and sweet: I'm really nervous and scared that the endocrinology visit won't be able to be moved up before 11/29 and it'll take till even longer after that to get the surgery scheduled. I feel more and more like I'm just deteriorating or wasting away. This ankle thing is really rough and with another several months to wait to get this stuff treated I'm genuinely frightened of how bad it may get. I've got patience but I don't know how much is left.

60 days to go.

[jiaa88]

[chaithepie]

My name is Chai! 😁

So I'm moving here from Twitter because one of their new policies that they've implemented today that crossed the line for me. I mean... I'll still be posting there but I ain't paying to share my other social medias.

I'm Keana/Chai and I'm a digital artist and I've been doing art for nearly 12 years now. I do tons of fanart and oc art but will dabble into other mediums like crochet, sewing, pottery, etc (I have Adhd lmao). I also do commissions! Thay will be an entirely different post though so stay tuned.

That's all I want to say, but if you wanna know more about me...

I play video games too! You can find me on Playstation and PC. I mainly play Genshin Impact, but I also have tiny obsessions with Pokémon, any souls game (DS1, DS2, DS3, Bloodborne❤️❤️❤️, Nioh, Elden Ring, etc.), Monster Hunter, and a lot more. I also JUST got into Destiny 2 so...

I am also a ✨️weeb✨️, but I don't watch anime that religiously anymore (Again, I have Adhd). I do enjoy Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, DBZ, Inuyasha, and a few others. I just started reading the manga for Chainsaw Man but its been on and off.

Now, for my very specific obsessions for those who are interested (Or characters I've simped for lmao).

Tartaglia from Genshin Impact

Dude had me in a death grip ever since I played his character in his story. Like, at first I loved his playstyle. Then I started loving the characters personality. It definitely didn't get better since I've gotten him for the first time and it wont get better cause I recently C6 the motherfucker. Fuck this guy, I love him so much.

Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen

SPOILER FROM THE MANGA

I SPECIFICALLY love this dudes backstory. The way he learns how to fucking heal himself after getting stabbed in the throat, his annoying cocky attitude he has during a fight, he's a little piece of shit that I love so much. I haven't been simping for him recently, but with the new season coming out (WHICH IS HIS BACKSTORY BY THE WAY) it just might come back. I also bought a $200 figure of him. Worth every penny.

Dragons

Yes, I have been called a furry/scaley multiple times. I will deny it. I've been in denial for years now. Dragons are just the coolest things though. Shenron? Dude grants wishes, he's cool as fuck. Zhongli? My guy is an ex-archon and his backstory is badass. Every single Dragon type in Pokémon? There's a 90% chance they'll be in my team even when they're NOT dragon shaped. Jormangundr, Kukulkan, and Tiamat in Smite? Yeah, I main them, and yes they're all diamond. Point being, dragons are fucking cool.

"Kawaii"/Japanese Aesthetics

Pink isn't my favorite color, but it is a color I like to wear. Sakura blossoms, cats, Torii gates, tea, etc. Yeah, I'll happily vibe with it. Animal themed clothings (Bear ear berets, Cat ear beanies, Frog hoodies) an absolute MUST. I almost bought Hello Kitty stuff multiple times cause it was cute.

So yeah, that is me. Pretty sure I missed stuff but oh well. 🤷‍♀️ Hopefully I'll adjust well here, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem. If you somehow reached to the bottom of this post while reading everything, I'm very fucking impressed. So I guess 2023 is me officially starting this account up.

[t3tsubaby]

Hiii can you do tsukki one where reader is vv shy and insecure about herself anddd she's always been told she's annoying and talkative and she stays awake all night and just forgets to eat sometimes kinda basically not taking care of herself and can it be angst to fluff w tsukki just using all this and more against her but then regretting ofc and boom fluff alsooo can it be in uni????

Thank you smmm for doing thiss

yes this is basically me plz don't judge 😭😭

Aw, this is such a cute idea, I hope I can give you what you requested!! Also, I’m not judging dw haha I’m the biggest fan of angst to fluff fics.

Tired

Tsukishima Kei x Reader 

Word Count: 1.2K

Genre: Angst to Fluff

Typing up your final paragraph for your English Composition class, you clicked submit and shut your laptop. Finally, you were feeling free from the burden of university. For now of course. But you decided to make the most of it and wanted to go visit your boyfriend who lived in a different dorm hall. After cracking your back and stretching your body, you changed into a casual yet very relaxed outfit compared to your previous pair of pajamas. 

You began walking outside, feeling the rays of the sun on your body. This just added to your happy expression. Not only were you excited to see your boyfriend, but the weather was nice, and you finished all your work for the week. You sped over to his dorm hall and got one of his friends to open the door for the building and his room. You saw him on his computer, probably doing some research for internships. You slowly wrapped your arms around his shoulders and greeted him.

“Hi Kei, what’re you doing?” you asked curiously. It was almost as if you could see the lines of irritation growing on his forehead.

“Just on my computer, you can sit on my bed or something,” he replied with a flat tone.

“Oh alright. Well actually since it’s Friday do you wanna catch up on Jujutsu Kaisen? The season finale comes out today and I’m really excited. I know we haven’t been able to watch the last few episodes so we can watch them today. From what I’ve read in the manga, I’m pretty sure we’ll see-,” you rambled on, but were cut off.

“God can you shut up you’re so annoying right now! I don’t want you here. You’re so talkative and irritating, shut up and go back to your room!,” Tsukishima yelled. Left in shock, you didn’t know what to say. Your brain completely blanked and suddenly you felt your body feeling hot with embarrassment. 

“Oh.. uh sorry. I’ll jus-,” “Do you not understand simple language? Are you that dumb? Get out.” he hissed at you. You looked up into his eyes for some support, even a glint of love, but you were only met with cold and hateful eyes. Not wanting to cause any more problems, you quickly walked out of his room, shutting the door. Your hands were shaking and you felt very uneasy.

You got some stares from people on the streets as a few tears were slipping from your eyes.

Once you reached your room you shut the door, took off your shoes, and flopped onto your bed, not bothering to turn the lights on. His words were replaying in your head.

You’re so annoying. You’re so talkative. You’re so irritating. You’re so dumb.

Another tear slipped out but you were quick to wipe it away. You spent the entire night thinking about how much his words hurt. After all, how could you sleep when your heart felt like it was in your stomach? You only realized it was morning when your 7 AM alarm began making noises. You turned it off and sat up to check your phone. Having a shred of hope that maybe he texted you to apologize, you had come to realize Kei hadn’t messaged or called. Not a single notification or sense of acknowledgment. The unsettling feeling in your stomach grew, which filled your stomach with any food your body may crave. How could you eat when your boyfriend thought of you so low.

You laid back down in bed and decided to stare at the ceiling. This routine had continued for a few days. You didn’t even realize the toll it had taken on your body until you decided to get up and get ready to try and distract yourself. Those past few days your thoughts were only consumed with what Tsukishima had said to you. You had barely slept and you were eating barely anything, often forgetting to drink water. Standing up, you felt your legs begin shaking underneath you and the last thing you saw was the carpet in your dorm before passing out.

Tsukishima had just woken up from his slumber. After pulling two all-nighters in a row, with his diet only consisting of $1 ramen and red bulls, he deserved lots of rest. Feeling a blush on his cheeks he got out of bed, excited to see you. However, as soon as he pulled himself out of bed he remembered just what he said to you a few days prior. He felt guilt and shame ooze out of his head and quickly came to the decision to go see you. He felt like his heart was beating at 20x the normal speed as he sprinted to your dorm. After getting a friend of yours to open the room for the hall, he opened the door only to see you lying on the ground.

He rushed to your figure on the ground, the only feeling in his body feeling panic. He picked you up and set you on the bed with your head on his lap and a hand on the top of your head. His thumb brushed upon your nose, eyebrows, and the other beautiful features of your face. He felt disgusted with himself. How could he say that about the person he’s loved for years? Tsukishima pulled a blanket over your figure after seeing your body shivering. Looking closely at your face, he saw the bags under your eyes and how your cheeks had gotten a bit shallow. “I’m so sorry my love,” he whispered to you before kissing your forehead. 

Slowly stirring, you adjusted yourself to the feeling of being in bed, only to realize your head was in your boyfriend's lap. You began to scooch away from him in fear of bothering him. 

“Wait please don’t. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry y/n. I never should’ve said those things. I don’t even know why I said that I was just so stressed and barely eating and not sleeping and I know those aren’t excuses and there is no excuse for what I said. I don’t think any words can show how sorry I am,” he rambled, beginning to cry. “Please don’t leave me. I don’t know what to do. I’m so sorry please y/n,” he finished, fully crying at this point.

You sat a foot away from him crying as well. Slowly you put a hand on his face. He looked up and you grabbed his hands and intertwined your fingers.

“Can I hold you?” he asked gently with his head down in shame.

“Okay,” you replied, unsure of your feelings.

He pulled you into his arms, engulfing you in a warm hug, hiding his face in your neck.

After a few minutes of hugging, he let go of you and began speaking.

“We need to get you something to eat and then you’re going to bed,” he spoke, looking into your eyes. You looked into his golden eyes and only saw the love you’re used to. You gave a soft smile and nodded your head. He stood up and set out a hand for you to hold, pulling you into his arms while standing up. He pulled you into his arms again, wanting to show you the love and affection you deserved. 

[deaddee-anime-brownfanlady]

More to Anime as an Whole.

Lately I’ve been thinking about how much have change when it comes to anime in todays media.  Like when it comes to anime streaming or anime as a whole that is continually growing in average popular entertainment nowadays when honestly not too super long ago I can remember a time when being into anime was consider a very niche interest or something you get heavily made fun of for or get called some type of weirdo insult for simply watching it,  I personally think its so fasnating and also great that anime holds such a large spot within popular mainstream media now thanks to the internet along with the many streaming services at the tips of our fingers or with just one click of a button. But at the same time I deeply wish these new-comers or newly converts watchers of anime would realize that  anime is so much more then just  "easy accessible Streaming content".  Not that there's any wrong with getting into the overly talked about or over hype latest Shonen series or just seeing mainly the latest and newest  recent anime shows.  But honestly you got a lot more to Anime as a creative, storytelling medium as a whole then just your Jujutsu Kaisen or your Wonder Egg Priority.   Like sometimes I wish some anime fans especially those that are just getting into the medium or even ones who been into anime for a pretty decent while would maybe take the time to at least try to branch out from the seasonal releases every year or even maybe try to branch out from only viewing one specific genre, not that’s there anything wrong with being into or watching new seasonal anime or checking out one type of genre, but yet at the same time I feel that some of those that do are seriously messing out on a lot more when it comes to  anime shows or movies and OVAs.  For me personally most of all my favorite anime series & such tends to vary a lot within different genres or years really, like for me it doesn’t matter if a anime is over 10 years old or 20s years old or if it come out  during the 80s or 70s / 90s and so forth, if its good or has great plot also storytelling then the decade it come out doesn’t matter to me. But anyway I just wish that some newcomers or other follow anime fans would perhaps try  to  broaden their horizons a little bit more when it comes to Anime as a entire medium.            

[nissakii]

Squid Game: First Impressions

In a world where money doesn’t just buy you comfort, but is detrimental to your livelihood and how you’re brought into the world, financial ruin is a destination that can lead to horrible conditions and heartbreaking situations.

Money can’t buy happiness, and while it is true in some cases it’s also no lie that money is the biggest contributor to comfortable living in this society, and we all work hard or even as hard as we can to ensure a safe life for us and our loved ones.

This is our main focus for today’s ‘First Impression’ post, as we will be going over the new Korean Drama: Squid Game or in the original Ojing-eo Geim. If you’re interested in more first impressions, you can look at our Jujutsu Kaisen, Tokyo Revengers and Vanitas no Carte post that we made so far!

In our ‘First Impression’ posts, we look at the premise and first episodes of anime and in this case a Korean Drama to see what really lies behind the series. This will mean major spoilers for the entire first episode of Squid Game, so if you wish to have a fully blind experience make sure to watch the first episode first and then come back!

If you’re okay with a little spoiling before deciding if the series is right for you, let’s continue on together!

As a child, Gi-hun used to play a game with his friends called the squid game, in which if you persevered through the end you would feel like the king of the world, but if you lost you would be left dead.

You heard it right, dead.

Of course as children it was merely a funny joke and no one was harmed supposedly, but many years later as Gi-hun is an adult the game becomes much more lethal suddenly.

With a dark premise that is all about innocent childrens games but a grimy and dark look from the start, the series starts off realistic with that finish of imagery that is pretty similar to our world right now as well.

But before we go further in the plot, let us first check out more about the production of the series.

The Netflix series with the genre tags of drama, action-adventure and survival has sparked a huge fanbase very quickly especially through social media and trends on the platform TikTok it has grabbed onto many viewers internationally and was the first ever Korean Drama to make the Netflix US’ number one spot in their top ten.

It was published on September 17th in 2021 after two years of production overseen by Siren Pictures Inc. and distributed as a Netflix original as an exclusive series.

The first season consists of nine episodes so far, with no announcement on any sequel coming out, but Netflix has been known to wait and see for the popularity of a series before continuing it, and since it has topped the charts a season two may not be confirmed but is not impossible.

Written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, who has had experiences writing and directing popular works such as “My Father” and “The Crucible (Silenced)” which both had very dark themes and seem to be a signature motive in Hwang’s directing.

The realism and crushing messages that are delivered in his dramas are not far from his newest series ‘Squid Game’ to which he stated himself that “I wanted to write a story that was an allegory or fable about modern capitalist society, something that depicts an extreme competition, somewhat like the extreme competition of life. But I wanted it to use the kind of characters we’ve all met in real life.”

Since he wrote the series all alone until he asked some friends for further ideas on how to continue the story, we will look at the cast who will represent these relatable characters.

The main protagonist Seong Gi-hun who we see from the first seconds of the episode is played by Lee Jung-Jae who one might know from “Oh! Brothers” (2003)” or the high grossing heist movie “The Thieves” (2012), whith many won awards and interesting roles in all sorts of movies he now steps into the role of a deadbeat dad.

Other interesting choices for the surrounding cast are Park Hae-Soo who plays the cunning Cho Sang-Woo and the female model that debuted as an actress Hoyeon Jung who plays Kang Sae-byeok also known as No.67.

Even the music was made by none other than Jung Jae-il, who’s name might not immediately ring a bell but is known to be the composer of the soundtrack for amazing movies such as Okja and Parasites, both having won multiple awards.

Now that we know more, we can start to let the plot unravel itself.

The Plot:

Gi-Hun is more than just a little short for money, since we see him for the first time as an adult living off of the money his elderly mother makes.

He gets mad at her for working so hard yet seemingly doesn’t contribute much to buy groceries and provides just a little money with his job as a driver. As he remembers darkly, his young daughter’s birthday was today, so he begs his mom for a little more money to take her to eat some nice food and buy her a present.

As she reluctantly does so, she walks out of the house and when she does Gi-hun steals her bankcard and runs away to try and steal money from her.

As sad as it sounds, Gi-hun has a serious gambling addiction as he somehow even after losing the first time has luck and makes some serious cash.

Totally ecstatic, he tips the young girl working at the counter and runs out into the world, happy to have won the money. He even calls his daughter telling her he’ll buy her a very expensive meal.

Soon enough, some loan sharks spot him and run after him to presumably get their money back.

After cornering him and trying to take his freshly earned money, he realises that it’s gone and with that he gets beaten up by the one in charge of all of the loans he’s taken on so far. With debts he can’t pay, he’s forced to sign some sort of paper with his fingerprint and gets left alone.

He then realises he has no money left to buy something for his daughter, and tries to play with a stuffed toy at an arcade, which only fuels his money loss.

His mother had told him beforehand that his daughter merely wanted some fried chicken, but even for that there was no money left.

As he picks up his daughter from school, they can only eat some tteokbokki, to which his daughter said it’s fine since she’s already eaten a nice steak with her stepfather. Even the present Gi-hun got from the arcade was a pistol shaped lighter, another disappointment for his daughter.

He promises that the next time her birthday comes around, he will get her an actual present and pinky promises her this time.

Dejected as he brings her back to her mother who only cusses him out, and frustrated when he misses the subway home he plops down on a bench to let the day loom over him.

Things change when a nice businessman sits down next to him and suddenly gives him the opportunity to bet on a game called ddakji, in which he will win 100.000 won if he succeeds, and gets slapped in the face if he loses the round. After multiple failures he makes some money and gets a card from the gentlemen who tells him there are other games like these where he can make even more money.

Gi-hun brings the earned money to his mother who accuses him of gambling again and promptly informs him that his daughter and her new family are moving to the US.

Struck by the realisation that he won’t have another birthday with his daughter in which he can redeem himself if he doesn’t sort out his financial situation and fight for custody, he calls the number on the business card he was given to play more games and get his life back.

Shockingly enough, he gets picked up by a weird guy in a pink overall and put to sleep in the car. When he wakes up he is in a warehouse with 455 other people all dressed in the same green overalls ready to play the games.

All the other players are in just as much debt or even more as him, and they all are on the brink of financial ruin, all playing to get the announced prize money.

All seems well until the first game rolls around, a seemingly innocent game of “Red light, green light” which spirals out of control completely as every person who moves is not just “eliminated” but actually shot and killed on the spot.

And so the bloody games begin.

Expectations vs. Reality:

In looking at the first episode and giving you my first impressions I hope to shed some light onto this new series so you can decide for yourself if you want to watch it or not!

Squid game was introduced to me via videos and trends on TikTok, showing just how much influence social media can have in terms of advertising.

From what I could see from the start, we’re very mysterious and dark vibes with the stark contrast of the neon colours of the overalls all of the staff and players were donning. Even the scenery of the games was curiously childlike themed although the story is very much the opposite.

With a general premise of a battle royal type of gameplay and very interesting and three dimensional characters with relatable flaws, I was pleasantly surprised by the realism that was playing into the series.

With Squid game, I expected something along the lines of sci-fi, and while there are elements of a future reality it is still the dark realism of a capitalist world and the struggle of staying afloat financially that sets the tone.

Another positive point is the genre of survival and action-adventure is no false promise, the events of the games and the characters leave you at the edge of your seat with iconic characters such as No.1 who is an old grandpa with not much more time to live.

The fear the viewer feels for the character with bloody violence scenes and hopeless and anxious characters that seem to have nothing left to lose is a refreshing and new rendition of older dystopian works such as “The Hunger Games” or other anime like “Danganronpa”.

If you are a fan of a lot of mystery and suspense building paired with children’s games that have more to them than first meets the eye, then you will surely enjoy Squid Game as it mixes different in testing aspects such as realistic characters with mysterious games that is an enjoyable watch!

Already watched the first episodes? I would love to know what you think of the series and what you expected and how your experience was! Share it in the comments below if you so desire!

Until then, make sure not to move too much!

Green Light! (Run!)

-Nissa

[recentanimenews]

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – 01 (First Impressions) – A Spark in the Gloom

When the immensely popular and critically acclaimed ufotable series Demon Slayer aired between April and September of 2019…I missed out. Being highly susceptible to FOMO, when it first appeared on my Netflix home screen, I decided to dive in, buoyed by going back and catching up on the currently airing Jujutsu Kaisen.

With the first episode in the bag, I can confidently say that this is right up my alley, and I really should have cracked it open back in Spring 19. In my defence, back then I was busy watching the excellent Dororo reboot, Part 2 of Attack on Titan’s third season, and the second cour of the promising Rising of the Shield Hero, so I wasn’t just twiddling my thumbs.

That said, I’m glad I went back to check this out. While the number of characters and storylines are sure to balloon before long, I loved how simple it starts out: a boy carrying a wounded girl through a bleak wintry forest. I can’t stress that “bleak” part enough—once Kamado Tanjirou returns home to find his entire family slaughtered but one sister, I couldn’t help feel like we were entering Grave of the Fireflies territory.

I won’t spoil Grave for those who haven’t seen it; suffice it to say it’s by far the darkest and bleakest Ghibli film and one of the saddest films ever, and things don’t end well for its pair of siblings. Demon Slayer differs in that while Tanjirou and Nezuko suffer horrendous tragedy, the opening episode ends with a spark of hope that breaks through the unyielding cold.

Granted, that hope is a spark and only a spark, made possible by a titular demon slayer named Tomioka Giyuu staying his hand when it comes time to execute Nezuko. Did I mention demon blood got into her wounds, thus transforming her into a demon? Well, that’s the sitch, because it wasn’t enough that Tenjirou lose his mother and other siblings.

While this could easily have descended into tragedy porn, there’s a sense that things can’t get any worse, and that it’s always darkest before the dawn (though Tenjirou is warned to keep Nezuko out of direct sunlight). That fact is reflected in the stunningly gorgeous wintry mountain landscape, which at least started out bright and cheerful before the clouds amassed.

Tomioka admits he shares part of the blame for Tenjirou’s plight; if he’d arrived a few hours earlier he could have stopped the demons before they attacked. But he didn’t get where he is today by dwelling on the past. What keeps him from killing Nezuko is that despite most likely starving for human flesh, rather than eat her knocked-out brother, she shields him from Tomioka. Instead he places some kind of pacifier in her mouth that seems to calm her (and give her a very cute surprised expression).

So the story so far is simple and familiar: kid loses almost everything, and seeks to find and kill (or…slay) the demons responsible, and save his sister. Naturally, he’ll need to become stronger to do that, and Tomioka tells him to head to Mt. Sagiri to find a man named Urokodaki Sakonji.

ufotable, renowned for its action sequences, wows with the landscapes first, but is no slouch when it comes to the showdown with Tomioka and the Kamado siblings. The action is beautiful and precise, but not overly flashy or show-offy. Tomioka is so quick it’s as if he can teleport. Tenjirou is a lot more clumsy in his movements, as befits his desperate mood, while the demonic Nezuko is both beast-like and balletic in her strikes, leaps and lunges.

All in all, Demon Slayer is off to a stirring, enticing start, front-loading the tragedy but also presenting its hero with a chance to claw back from the brink and salvage what remains of his shattered life. I’m glad Tenjirou isn’t left all alone, and while Nezuko is a demon, and that sucks, there seems to be enough of her left that she’s not an immediate threat to him. As their quest begins, so does my quest to cover it. Better a bit late than never, eh?

By: braverade

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: Crunchyroll Editorial Staff's Top Anime Of 2021

  2021 wasn't so much its own year as it was a horrible little expansion update to 2020. I could write a lot about the pain and sadness throughout the last 12 months, but instead, today is all about focusing on one of the things that got us all through — anime. Last year was full of great series, big and small, and our Editorial Staff is here to reflect on some of our favorites. Here are the Crunchyroll Editorial Staff's top anime of 2021:

      JUJUTSU KAISEN - I may be a salaried adult who pays taxes, but inside of me there is an edgy teen who will never die. That teen has bedroom walls plastered with System of a Down posters and thrives on good horror-adjacent shonen series. JUJUTSU KAISEN made that teen very, very happy. 

  Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S - I’ve said a lot about Dragon Maid on this site already, so I’ll just say this: Masterpieces don’t always have to be flashy. Sometimes all a story has to do to stick with you forever is to make you feel at home, just for a little while.

  Clannad/Clannad After Story - I have slowly been making my way through every Kyoto Animation production, and this year I finally watched Clannad for the first time. This series gripped me deeply with its story of family and unconditional love and left me with the realization that I need to call my mom more often. 

  The Heike Story - A Silent Voice and Liz and the Blue Bird, Naoko Yamada’s last two projects before leaving Kyoto Animation, saw a director increasingly obsessed with close-ups, literally and figuratively. The Heike Story sees that same director expanding her proverbial camera into an IMAX panorama, bending her style to adapt a huge, multi-generational war epic of classical literature. The project may not succeed entirely as an adaptation of Heike Monogatari with its jarring tendency to elide or compress huge events that would span multiple episodes under a different director, but it succeeds completely as a Yamada work, injecting a deep empathy and humanity into every aspect of the production. My anime of the year, hands down.

  Honorable Mentions: Attack on Titan Final Season, Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- the Movie: Mugen Train, Wonder Egg Priority, Tokyo Revengers, To Your Eternity, ODDTAXI

  - Cayla Coats, Editor-in-Chief for English regions

      The Heike Story - I had sort of a horseshoe effect of watching The Heike Story. Immediately seeing the credit list and central story it was based on, I knew it would be at the top of my watch list. As I continued with its early premiere, I started to wane, not because it lacked quality, but rather it was in the middle of that epic tale where it was easy to lose the forest from the trees. However, in the show’s last three episodes, it quickly climbed back up to one of my best of the year. Naoko Yamada and Science Saru brought an expert class in animation, adding in an incredible amount of empathy and humanization to an almost 700-year-old story of a family’s fall. 

  Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor - It’s hard to write anything about 2021 without acknowledging the impact of Squid Game, but I’m here to tell you that I’ve seen Squid Game’s Rosetta Stone, and that scripture points right back to Kaiji. I haven't had another show in a while where I had a constant response of "oh, maybe one more tonight," with the following episode putting me so on the edge of my seat I had to put another one on. Kaiji is a high-stakes tale about the impact of capitalism and money on the human brain and the only way to deliver justice is to give the manipulators in this world a taste of their own medicine. Don't ever forget that "The Future is in Your Hands!"

  Evangelion 3.0+1.0: I said in our previous Top of the Decade article that I had no idea how Anno was going to wrap up Evangelion in 2020. While that date changed and we had to wait a little longer, I was right in that I certainly did not expect anything that my brain was about to process in the final Rebuild film. A part of the achievement of Evangelion 3.0+1.0 is not only Anno wrapping up a movie series 14 years in the making, but also the entire Evangelion franchise itself. While I don't doubt that there will be other side stories and random promotional materials for Evangelion, Anno has pretty confidently told himself and the audience that the Evangelion as we know it is done. There are not many times where you get to see a creator grow and reflect alongside their legacy-making art, as well as experience that journey yourself, but I'm sure glad I did. Bye-bye, all of Evangelion.     

  Honorable mentions: Tokyo Revengers, Oddtaxi, Laid-Back Camp Season 2, Pui Pui Molcar, Megalobox 2: Nomad, Beastars Season 2, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean

  - Kyle Cardine, Managing Editor for English regions

    ODDTAXI - ODDTAXI is pound for pound the best anime viewing experience I had in 2021. There’s a ton of hype for this series at this point, but none of it is hyperbolic. It’s one of the smartest, most well-written pulp stories I’ve seen in a long time, and the dialogue is as sharp as the character designs are remarkable. A must-watch for everyone, in my opinion.

  JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: STONE OCEAN - Topping the list of Shows I Already Knew I’d Like Before They Aired is David Production’s crack at the sixth part of Hirohiko Araki’s madcap JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. In fact, the only thing I didn’t dig about STONE OCEAN — at least in this first batch of episodes — is the switch from the usual weekly format. The binge model rears its head as a conversation-killer once again. Back when Golden Wind was airing, we had a whole week just to talk about the dang boat dance!

  Ranking of Kings - In terms of sheer artistry — from the characters to animation, color design, background work, and everything else in between — this might be my favorite production of the year. From the first episode on, I got very Ni no Kuni vibes from the whole thing, but those games have nothing on Bojji, one of the best protagonists of the year by far. I love everything about this show. 

  - Joe Luster, Editor for English regions

    Well, obviously, ODDTAXI deserves every bit of praise it’s received. Everything about the series, the story, the characters, the city, is so thoroughly fleshed out they may just be as intricate as the mysterious web of lies Odokawa has found himself tangled in. The contrast between Odokawa’s indifferent resignation and the larger-than-life story unfolding around him makes for one heck of an entertaining ride.

  Somehow, Aggretsuko completely flew under my radar until I turned on Netflix and saw it boosted to the top of my queue with the words “new episodes” under Retsi’s adorable face. Look, I love this show. It’s cute, it’s depressing, it’s relatable, and it’s loud. I kind of miss Retsuko’s brutal metal screams, it seems like those have been fewer and farther between the past couple seasons (maybe her revised YouTube channel will fix that), but the heart of the show remains. I made sure to binge it all in 24 hours.

  The show at the absolute top of my 2021 list is ZOMBIE LAND SAGA REVENGE. My daughter and I have seen the first season several times and we were beyond excited for the second. This was the show we made sure to watch weekly as it was coming out. We laughed at Kotaro’s usual antics and desperately wanted to know what his talent show performance was going to be. Watching him run around Saga learning what had happened to the prefecture he loves so much and searching frantically for the girls was heartbreaking. We were elated when Ai finally spoke (kinda) and cried when the metalheads cried watching Franchouchou’s big comeback concert because we’re giant dorks. Yugiri has been my personal favorite idol since day one and I literally gasped when her gorgeous voice launched into her first-ever lead song — a rumbling, trumpeting big band jazz bop. Watching this hilariously poignant story was such a great time and a huge highlight of the year. And that twist ending!! What the heck was that??

  - Carolyn Burke, Features Editor

    ODDTAXI - When I saw the first images of ODDTAXI I was not expecting to face the emotional roller coaster that turned out to be the series. The series has excellent characters with whom it feels easy to relate, a very human story despite being starred by animals and a magnificent ending which is a masterful closure to the story of its main character. Not only is it one of my favorite series of the year, but it has also proven to me that the first impressions can be deceiving, quite a lot.

  JUJUTSU KAISEN - I'll start by admitting that I'm not exactly young anymore, but that doesn't stop me from still enjoying shonen, and that's precisely what JUJUTSU KAISEN is in its core. But it's not just any shonen, it's the epitome of all those anime filled with a plethora of characters, breathtaking fights, and incredible abilities. MAPPA's animation in the series is superb and helps to deliver a perfect spectacle that combines visuals and storytelling. If you haven't seen it, you’re missing out on one of the best series of the recent years.

  Tokyo Revengers - Tokyo Revengers is not the pinnacle of animation and it's hardly the series with the most original plot in the world, but its countless plot twists made me feel at many moments like I did when I first watched Steins;Gate. It's hard to write a series with time travel and futures and pasts that change with the actions of the main characters, but here all that is irrelevant. What matters is that it succeeds in making you empathize with the characters, making you come to hate more than one of them, and also enjoy the hell out of it along the way. I can't wait to see more.

  -  Sergio Vaca, Spanish News Lead

    When I saw the first images and trailer for The aquatope on white sand I already knew I was going to love this series — and of course that turned out to be true. Watching Kukuru and Fuka getting closer and learning so much about life together at the Gama Gama aquarium was like a sight for sore eyes. With a beautiful animation produced by P.A. Works, I even learned a little bit about sea life! It kind of reminds me of Asteroid in Love, another amazing slice-of-life show that aired on the Winter 2020 season.

  Now, for this one, on the other hand, I had an absolutely contrasting idea of what it could be: Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway. The show is so different from what I expected at first, and I decided to watch the first episode just to be sure that I’d drop it right after. Well, that certainly did not happen. We follow a very problematic girl called Sayu, and she’s been through a lot. The young girl had to offer her own body so she could have a place to sleep at night — and all changes when she meets Yoshida, a 26-year-old salaryman who let her stay at his home … Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Yoshida is a “hero” or even “the good guy” in this story — he’s just doing the bare minimum by not asking her to do disgusting things, but it’s the way he cares (non-romantically) about Sayu, and he’s legitimately worried about what she might do. I didn’t expect the “drama” element on this show, but it surely worked out well and made me change my mind.

  Of course, I couldn’t end my part not mentioning Tokyo Revengers! I was left in full bloom after the end of every episode. At first, before I watched the series, I just thought “there’s no way I’m going to enjoy following some youngsters living a “wannabe gangster” lifestyle. Well, I was wrong. You get so attached to every member of the main cast and can’t help but cheering for them (at least for the most part).

  - José Sassi, Portuguese News Lead

      The Case Study of Vanitas - 2021 was full of surprising titles with Ranking of Kings, Backflip!!, LINK CLICK, ODDTAXI, and Those Snow White Notes. There was but one title more striking than all the others: the anime adaptation of Jun Mochizuki’s fantasy manga The Case Study of Vanitas by studio BONES. The world-building is absolutely stunning, and the colorful and artsy animation is gorgeous. Both Vanitas and Noé had a hard start in life, and it turns out that their salvation may lie within their friendship. Apart from that, the voice acting performance by Hanae Natsuki has been one of the best I’ve heard all year long (or maybe longer). And don‘t get me started on the exceptional soundtrack by renowned composer Yuki Kjiura, who is doing the steampunk-inspired world justice. The best of all? The series will be continued with a second cour in January with an even better and deeply moving arc. 

  BELLE - Besides all these fantastic series, I wouldn‘t want to miss the film adaptations. 2021 has been relatively light on films, but the remaining ones had even more impact. I‘m talking about Pompo the Cinéphile, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko, and of course Mamoru Hosoda‘s masterpiece BELLE. Especially the last two films were profoundly moving and portrait precious and different angles between a very loving and broken family. You have to equip yourself with many tissues to survive the waterfall of tears that is sure to come.

Honorable mentions: TSUKIMICHI -Moonlit Fantasy-, My Senpai is Annoying, Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan, The Saint‘s Magic Power is Omnipotent, JUJUTSU KAISEN, and Looking for Magical Doremi

  - Melanie Höpfler, German News Lead

    My favorite this year is undoubtedly Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid S. It's hard not to fall for the ultra-cute crew who make up the cast of the series. Have you seen Kanna?! Quick to watch, accessible, funny, and sexy: the perfect combo.

  Another title that marked me this year: Restaurant to Another World 2. Each episode being almost independent of the others, it is a pleasure to discover each week which new people and which history will accompany the new customer of the restaurant and especially the dish that goes with it. Amateur of good food, it is a pleasure to see the culinary shows of the platform.

  Finally, I think the last title I remember is The Fruit of Evolution: Before I Knew It, My Life Had It Made. Being a gamer, I liked the construction of the character like an RPG with the acquisition of skills. It also reminded me of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. But I find that the humor is even more present there. And the more time passes, the more our hero seems to be setting up his own harem in this universe where he has landed against his will. From loser to super-man, life has changed drastically for him.

  - Guillaume Ghrenassia, French News Lead

    Those Snow White Notes - What does it take to find your own sound? From the very first episode, we are drawn to the raw talent of Setsu who's skillful yet lost in the shadow of his grandfather. Throughout his journey, he is put through many dramatic moments to help him — rather push him to finally set himself free of all that is limiting him and to open himself to life's opportunities. Whether you like him or not, Setsu is a relatable character. We've all been there one way or another. Life is about discovery and through Setsu's journey, we learn a lot about that. Don't get me wrong, it's a series about music so there's plenty of it, and the performances are vibrant, they take the viewer to a whole other place, and it's indeed a splendid experience to learn about a culturally significant instrument, which is the shamisen.

  - Nada Ali, Arabic News Lead

    JUJUTSU KAISEN - This is a story about curses, sorcery, friendship, and monsters in the modern world. The action is filled with outstanding music and amazing animations. This anime is "My Besto Friendo." I can't wait to follow the next steps of the story, unveiling even more grim secrets and galvanizing myself for every fight our heroes will face.

  JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: STONE OCEAN - I've been a JoJo fan, ever since I was reading the manga. I've waited (not so much) patiently since the end of Golden Wind. My stan is now quiet inside my geek soul, awaiting for the second part of Stone Ocean. I hope that the scenes I like more in the manga, like the ending, will be depicted well as Araki did.

  To Your Eternity - This series killed me, more than once. The narration is astonishingly beautiful and poetic, in a sad and introspective way. Following the steps of Fushi made me ponder about humanity, deeply. If you want something that will fill your eyes with priceless tears, please watch this anime.

  Honorable Mentions: Attack on Titan Final Season, Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba-, Tokyo Revengers, and Fena: Pirate Princess

  - Francesco Ventura, Italian News Lead

    JUJUTSU KAISEN - The series brought me back to when I only started watching anime and was obsessed with shōnen. Therefore, I would say the nostalgic feeling has played the main role in liking the series despite the fact that the plot was kinda cliché for all shōnen stories. However, in recent years I’ve noticed that I can’t ignore anything, that was released by MAPPA, so watching JUJUTSU KAISEN was mandatory to me. Honestly, I would like to erase my memory to watch JUJUTSU KAISEN for the first time again.

  Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan - Well, I don’t really want to share my deep analysis here because we all know this anime is somehow too realistic and too millennial. Simply, we all can relate to the story and see ourselves in the main characters. Although the animation, the coloring, and the soundtrack were pretty simple, the character development drew me the most.

  Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway - I would call it a hidden gem of the last year because the anime can surprise even the most unemotional people. There is too much drama and realism that explore family dynamic issues, domestic and physical abuse, the fear of neglect, what consent is, and more. The main title is confusing but it’s not a story about an older guy and younger woman, therefore don’t be distracted by the false naming and just watch it.

  - Asya Zabolotskaya, Russian News Lead 

By: Cayla Coats