#manga instead. its just so much more expressive and in depth both emotionally and in terms of worldbuilding

[threegunbrainrot]

yall wolfwood is so silly goofy in the manga

i'm still not all that far in, but compared to both tristamp and '98, he's so expressive and goofy. sociable as hell, too. he's so upfront kind with everyone, so long as they're not hostile.

he's just like. a complete mess of a man that i'm totally digging lol

he's emotional. he's dramatic. he's a brand new flavor of babygirl all on his own- completely unlike every other rendition of him

he's still got his moments of being a serious, brooding figure, but they're kinda rare honestly. more than anything, he's just Chilling. having drinks, striking up conversations, etc.

it's been awhile since i watched 98 trigun, but i remember that iteration of wolfwood being similar, but more serious overall. he still joked around and had this hilarious funky conman energy, but he still doesn't feel as emotional as trimax wolfwood.

and tristamp ww is basically a completely different person. someone who's pretty much always serious, though still has rare moments of... almost sarcastic/forced positivity. when he jokes around, it's always like there's something else behind it- like when he made that jab at elendira or tried to force-feed meryl bug guts lmao. he's still having fun, yeah, but it's all kinda muted.

idk, it's just interesting to see him so expressive- especially after engaging with fanon ww so much and seeing him portrayed as stoic and brooding all the time. and i wanna clarify that i adore all iterations of wolfwood's personality, all for different reasons. it's just interesting to compare them

...tho his loss of melanin is a crime befitting death. his nose, too. they STOLE from him. what did he do to deserve this.

[EDIT] it's also come to my attention thanks to a lovely someone in the tags who pointed out that trimax wasn't finished when 98 was being made. that changes things! glad i know that now.

[qevillous]

hai hello i wanted to ask abt how u view shadow s5 and any hc's you have for them as sort of both individuals and as a group :3 go as in depth as you like im a sucker for long detailed explanations

OUYH MY GOOOD SHADOW S5 OH MY GAGGDG

OH MYG OD okay hey

shadow s5 as a dynamic is so interesting to me because its very similar yet very VERY different all the same because of exactly who gets changed.

so first on like individual levels heres how i take the shadows ahem clears throat (STINKS that we dont have canon aloarmy but okayyy hinodeya)

shadow rider is canonically a coward, hes nervous and self doubting. hes verrrry exaggerated in the manga so i like to exaggerate him in writing. i think hes more of an incompatible follower who cant get picked by anyone instead of a compatible loner who chose to be alone like normal rider.

shadow army has no canon interp so i interpet them similarly to how eging jr was flipped but in reverse. theyre less organized, they dint fuckin button their shirt right they wear their coat unzipped shitty tie shitty facepaint yk the deal. i also interpret them as more aggresively rebellious where normal army is more of a passive stickler. that basically means they’re more laid back and explicit. 

shadow aloha ALSO has no canon. so i interp him as a loooserrr LMAO very sarcastic but very pessimistic, where normal aloha is more of a sarcastic optimist. he comments on shit in the background like hes talkin to someone even tho nobody gives a fuck what he thinks and he doesn’t particularly care about his surroundings. overall just the loser in the corner of a party sitting down holding a drink instead of the main focus. 

shadow mask is silly. silly guy. they’re obviouslt exaggerated a LOT in the manga so i like to tone them down just a bit, acting more happy for the sake of being happy instead of high energy. that contrasts masks ideal of being cynical for the sake of being cynical. i think both are sarcastic but on shadow masks side xe doesn’t mean it, and they come off as insincere, explaining how their excitement at the battle felt like excessive overkill despite it not being so.

shadow skull is very similar to normal skull in expressiveness, but is different in awareness. i think shadow skull is very aware of his surroundings but not very emotionally empathetic. i think what he lacks in empathy is made up for in his directness. 

shadow s5 is interesting because it pretty much completely throws the social dynamic of s5. normal s5 is 1 extrovert 1 ambivert 3 introverts, and instead of shadow s5 being 4 extroverts 1 ambivert 1 introvert, shadow s5 is ACTUALLY 2 extroverts 3 introverts. which makes it even more interesting because of just how much more balanced it makes their social interactions split into duos.

for example shadow raimask is very chill since they both share a similar mindset, where shadow raimask is chaos because they have directly oppising mindsets. on the flip side shadow alomask is direct opposites, and normal alsomask is ALSO direct opposites but swapped over. i could talk about it for a while but i think i would start rambling like a crazy person. i like the idea of shadow s5 in a more casual light instead of the manga’s exaggerated one. it would give more insight to their personalities and interactions but we cant have Anything can we bcz hindodeya haaaates meeeeee.

[owl-eyed-woman]

Attack on Titan Season 2 Episode Reviews - Episode 1

It’s been a hard four years. But now, the wait is finally over. Attack on Titan is back and all is right with the world. So, with the advent of a new season (and a new era of joy in my life), I’ve decided to review/recap each episode of AOT Season 2. A bit of background: I was a big fan of AOT season 1 while it was airing, and after rewatching the anime these past two days in two glorious 6 hours chunks, it’s clear that this fangirl fire still burns. However, I have not read the manga - yes, I somehow managed to repress that temptation and yes, the struggle was very real. But honestly, not reading the manga has been a conscious decision on my part. I found the twists and turns so vital and thrilling in the first anime that I wanted to retain that experience for the second season. So expect a lot of shocked reactions and enthusiastic ramblings with each revelation, and perhaps some ill-advised speculation. There will most likely be some gushing in these reviews, but I will endeavour to include incisive critical analysis, of course. Enough background, onto the review! The show begins with a wonderfully brief recap, (good work show) before picking up where we literally left off, addressing that final, tantalising shot of the last the season: a titan within the wall. This is exactly what we needed, no pussyfooting around, no wasting time, we’ve only got 12 episodes so let’s just get right to it! Before the shock can settle in, Pastor Nick begs Hanji to keep the titan out of the sunlight, which is ominous to say the least. Hanji complies with this but, desperate for an explanation, tries to interrogate the Pastor, threatening to drop him from the wall. Pastor Nick remains tight-lipped though, knowing so much more than he’d ever willingly divulge, even under threat of death. It’s a potent reminder that they’re not just fighting titans but the worst parts of human nature, be it corruption, greed, complacency or, in this case, blind faith and irrationality. As a character, Hanji has always had this intensity about her, but her personality and thirst for knowledge has been presented more light-heartedly as almost goofy. Here though, we get to see some of the frightening ways this intensity can manifest as well as their very genuine frustration that the knowledge they desperately need is constantly hidden from them. It’s a necessary reminder of the emotional depths of a character who is too often dismissed as a ‘mad scientist’; they too have seen many comrades die for humanity’s survival and are just as dedicated to the cause, willing to kill or even be killed. But even more shocking than that, in the face of this new information, Hanji, one of the most joyful and enthusiastic characters in the show, isn’t invigorated or scheming, they’re just exhausted and terrified by the depths of their ignorance. Crucial information has always been hard-won for our mains, but not only that, it’s how much they don’t know that truly terrifies and takes a heavy toll.

No time to rest, though! Further demonstrating that AOT intends to use every second of its runtime, not only is a titan attack imminent, it actually arrived 12 hours earlier and the battle is already well under way. Following this revelation, the episode flashes back 12 hours to the activities of the rest of 104th cadets who are having some downtime at the Scout Regiment barracks. Being a soldier isn’t always high-stakes, sometimes it’s just sitting around, bored. It looks like this season will be focusing a lot more on the side characters and I am very excited if this is the case. AOT has been the ‘Eren/Mikasa/Armin Show’ for a while and it will be good for the show overall to start fleshing out some of their thus far underutilised characters, like Bertholdt, Reiner and Conny, who have been sketched more vaguely in character terms. Oh, and Ymir and Krista too! Yeah, there’s a fair few I’m excited to learn more about.

As the first to encounter the incoming Titan attack, the 104th cadets are tasked with alerting the surrounding villages, but have no time to get into gear. The difficulty of prepping ODM gear is something I’ve thought about and clearly it’s on the showrunner’s minds as well with the opening featuring the gang suiting up, so to speak. ODM gear is amazing but by god does it look complicated and very intricate (I may or may not have had a dream once about frantically trying to put together my own set to fight a titan, but I digress). I’m digging this greater sense of vulnerability or even nakedness that comes with such a simple development and the ways it may change how future conflict is addressed. Not only this, the emotional stakes have been significantly raised for several of the characters as their home towns and families are explicitly and immediately at risk. The stage has been set for some tense, future moments!

In a brief digression from this main action, we visit Eren who is still recuperating from his titan battle. While Mikasa sleeps peacefully at his bedside, Eren dreams of his mother admonishing him for his weakness and his constant reliance on Mikasa. Eren has always had a complex regarding his own weakness and inability to protect those close to him – I mean, AOT literally begins with Eren unable to save his mother. He so desperately wants to protect those around him, but, unfortunately, Eren just isn’t the best protector, Mikasa is. Because of this, Eren often resents Mikasa and pushes her away when she attempts to get closer to him.

So, what does his comment about buying Mikasa a new scarf signify? The scarf is a symbol of several things; it symbolises their bond as family, Mikasa’s devotion to Eren and how he grounds her, and for Eren, quite simply, the time he saved her life. So, with this comment, Eren is renewing his commitment to being the protector instead of the protected with a new scarf showing that he has protected Mikasa as he once did. It seems as though he has entirely missed the point– Eren has always been a bit emotionally dense, especially when it comes to Mikasa. For Eren, the scarf primarily and most importantly represents the time her saved her physically. But for Mikasa, what matters is how he saved her emotionally. Eren’s heart is in the right place, as he is trying, in his own way, to say he truly cares about Mikasa. But Mikasa doesn’t need Eren to protect her, she needs him to be there for her emotionally. I’m interested to see if this dynamic plays out this season and how Eren and Mikasa continue to grow. Regardless, it’s nice to have a quiet character moment in such a plot heavy episode, even if it is more of a setup for future development than anything momentous in and of itself.

But there is only one star in this episode and that is the beast titan! Miche, who volunteers to stay behind to hold off the titans and give the others a head start, is given the dubious honour of first encountering him in all his glory. The design of the titans has always been such a vibrant, varied part of the show, in one moment unsettling, in another goofy and in yet another absolutely terrifying. The beast titan is yet another example of Hajime Isayama’s keen eye for designing unique and startling creatures. So much meaning is packed into his design! His almost ridiculously stocky, square body suggests a terrifying strength. His as of yet unseen 17m height highlights the fact that he can’t be classified under our previous understanding of titans.* His fur sharply distinguishes him from humanity and normal titans but his expressive, humanoid face and piercing, intelligent eyes throws into sharp relief his connection to us, and the threat his intelligence presents. Long ape-like arms combine the bestial with the uncanny while the decision to reference primate anatomy again suggests an uncomfortable proximity to humanity and hints at the theme of evolution. The beast titan is so effectively frightening because he occupies this uncomfortable, liminal space between species, further emphasising the increasingly unstable boundary between titan/beast and human.

It’s only appropriate for this to be the titan that delivers us a bombshell: some titans can talk. AOT has always been about breaking down the divides between monsters and humans, and the implications of this are mind-blowing. This reveal is also perfectly paced, with his first line delivered offscreen as we focus on Miche’s reaction instead. The action of the show itself seems to pause, forcing us to stew in this feeling of disbelief before confirming the origin of the voice. It’s the filmic equivalent of someone saying “is that what I think it is?”, revelling in that moment of incredulous shock. They’ve chosen a great voice too, appropriately ominous and imposing. It’s fair to say I am both terrified and mesmerised by everything about the Beast titan: his design, his voice, his intelligence, the way he can control the titans and how he seems to be studying humanity. As a side note, I want to give a shout out the to the goggle-eyed, big nosed chibi titan. He is disgusting and I love him.

In the end, Miche, shaking off his shock, tries for one last, heroic attack before being devoured under the beast titan’s orders. I will miss you, weird sniffing guy. To be honest, I found this death scene a little too sadistic. While gory deaths are undeniably part of the appeal of AOT and essential to keeping the stakes high and tense, it seems to go on for just a touch too long as we see him being violently torn and bitten apart by several titans. There’s a fine line between impressing the visceral terror of such a death and revelling in the violence thus cheapening the moment. Ultimately though, any opinion on this is intensely personal and, in this case, I won’t definitely rule on whether Miche’s death is tasteful or tasteless.

And now after waiting four long years, a new wait begins for the next episode. It’s going to be a long, long week. See you Sunday!

*Yes, there have been taller titans (colossal ones even) but I think its’ notable that his height of 17m specifically surpasses the typical classifications of titans i.e. 15m titans. **I did not expect to write this much, I will try to keep things more succinct next time

[recentanimenews]

My Week in Manga: May 8-May 15, 2017

My News and Reviews

The Bookshelf Overload for April was posted at Experiments in Manga last week; otherwise, things were pretty quiet. Initially I had an in-depth feature scheduled for this week, but I’ll probably end up pushing that back to next week instead. I spent last Thursday through Sunday in Canada with the family for vacation and the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) which I’ll be writing up like I have in years past. We had a great time, although not everything went exactly as planned.

Speaking of TCAF, Heidi MacDonald, Brigid Alverson, Deb Aoki, and Erica Friedman were apparently all sharing a hotel room for the event. I haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet, but they took advantage of that fact by recording a podcast in which they (and eventually Robin Brenner and Eva Volin as well) discuss a wide variety of topics including manga, queer comics, food, libraries, and more: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3. I only found out about the details after I got back home, but once again some people had trouble crossing the border between the United States and Canada in order to attend TCAF. In one notable case, Anne Ishii, one of the folks behind Massive and Gengoroh Tagame’s interpreter and translator, was detained for over two hours before eventually being allowed to enter the country.

A few things from elsewhere online last week: Anyone who picked up the Attack on Titan choose-your-own-path book from Kodansha Comics will want know about the corrections and errata that were recently released online. Kodansha also confirmed it would be releasing the Neo Parasyte M manga anthology (a sort of companion volume to Neo Parasyte F which I greatly enjoyed). In other licensing news, although an official public announcement hasn’t been made, The OASG received some confirmation that Udon Entertainment is currently “deep into the localization” of Rose of Versailles and Sugar Sugar Rune. No release dates have been set yet, though. Seven Seas hasn’t mentioned any release dates for its most recent set of licensing announcements, either, though I wouldn’t be surprised to see Okayado’s MaMaMa: Magical Director Mako-chan’s Magical Guidance, Mintarou’s DNA Doesn’t Tell Us, Tekka Yaguraba’s Sorry For My Familiar, Hiroaki Yoshikawa’s Crisis Girls, Tsuina Miura and Takahiro Oba’s High-Rise Invasion, and Coolkyoushinja’s Mononoke Sharing all released first.

A couple of Kickstarters that have recently caught my attention, too. Chromatic Press’ latest campaign is raising funds to print the first volume of Magical How? by Eurika Yusin Gho (aka Eyugho). Though on occasion I’ve mentioned Magical How? on Twitter, I haven’t really wrote much about the comic here at Experiments in Manga. (Or at least not yet.) It’s a pretty fun series though, a sort of magical girl/boys’ love mashup with energetic, full-color artwork and lots of humor. The other project I specifically want to mention is for the second volume of Beyond, a queer speculative fiction comics anthology. If successful, the project will also allow the award-winning first volume (which is great) to be reprinted.

Quick Takes

Captive Hearts of Oz, Volume 1 written by Ryo Maruya, illustrated by Mamenosuke Fujimaru. One of the most interesting things about Captive Hearts of Oz is that the English-language release is actually the first time the manga has been published; rather than licensing existing content, the series is a direct collaboration between Seven Seas and the creators. Captive Hearts of Oz is Maruya’s debut work in English, but Fujimaru already has a notable presence due to the numerous Alice in the Country of… manga that have been translated. I suspect that it’s intentional then that Captive Hearts of Oz has a similar vibe to those series. Interestingly, there’s no explicit romance in the series yet although the manga is reminiscent of an otome game. Dorothy has simply been swept into an unfamiliar world where she meets a number of unusual people, many of whom just happen to be attractive young men. Captive Hearts of Oz is a somewhat unusual reimagining of a Western classic which may (or may not) have more depth to it than initially appears. At the very least there’s something dark and mysterious going on, although after only one volume it’s not entirely clear exactly what that is. The narrative is frustratingly disjointed in places, but I am curious to see how Captive Hearts of Oz continues to develop.

Goodnight Punpun, Omnibuses 4-5 by Inio Asano. At this point in Goodnight Punpun, the series’ titular protagonist has entered early adulthood and his life largely remains a directionless disaster not entirely of his own making. He’s not completely blameless, though. I find that I have to time my reading of Goodnight Punpun very carefully. The manga has a very pessimistic worldview with which I can very easily identify, so if I’m already feeling mentally or emotionally exhausted, it’s usually a good idea for me to wait to tackle the series. On the other hand, it can sometimes be extremely cathartic to completely acknowledge the unfairness and darkness of the story and its real-life parallels. Either way, Goodnight Punpun is an incredible and powerful work, but it’s also very hard-hitting. Asano seems to be very aware of this and very aware of some of the related criticisms that have been leveled at the series. I, for one, have at times questioned whether or not all of the pain and suffering in Goodnight Punpun ultimately serves a purpose or if the manga is simply reveling in gloom and despair. I’ll admit that I’m still not sure and probably won’t be convinced one way or another until the manga’s conclusion, but Asano does directly recognize those concerns by having the creative work of some of the series’ characters similarly criticized.

So Pretty / Very Rotten: Comics and Essays on Lolita Fashion and Cute Culture by Jane Mai and An Nguyen. I don’t have a particular interest in fashion, so if it wasn’t for the fact that I make a point to follow the work of Nguyen (aka Saicoink) I might not have gotten around to reading So Pretty / Very Rotten for quite some time. That would have been a shame because So Pretty / Very Rotten is both a terrific and fascinating work. I was certainly aware of Lolita culture previously, but I can confidently say that I have a much better understanding of it and even appreciation for it after reading So Pretty / Very Rotten. The volume examines numerous topics related to Lolitas–history, culture, fashion, identity, gender, expression, community and more–through approachable and accessible essays, both personal and academic (the Lolita lifestyle is one of the areas of Nguyen’s research), as well as through comics and illustrations. It’s a mix that works quite well. The essays are informative and the comics are cute and engaging, effectively demonstrating the concepts addressed through visual narratives. So Pretty / Very Rotten also includes an interview with and essay by Novala Takemoto, a prominent figure in Lolita culture who is probably best known in North America as the creator of Kamikaze Girls.

The Whipping Girl by Nuria Tamarit. I’m not entirely certain, but I believe that The Whipping Girl is the first published solo comic by Tamarit, an illustrator from Valencia, Spain. Even if it’s not, I certainly hope that there will be more in the future if for no other reason than Tamarit’s striking artwork is gorgeous. Color pencils are prominently used to illustrate The Whipping Girl and the effect is lovely. Writing-wise, the work isn’t quite as strong; The Whipping Girl feels like it ends rather abruptly, even considering that it’s a short comic to begin with, but it’s still an enjoyable tale. The story largely follows Agape, the whipping girl of Prince Dalibor. He’s a bit of a jerk, intentionally behaving improperly in order to get back at Agape who is generally much more capable than he is. She finally gets so fed up with the whole situation that she decides to make a run for it. Neither she nor Dal are able to anticipate the complete extent of the repercussions of her actions, and both are surprised to discover how close their bond really is. Overall, The Whipping Girl is a very satisfying comic with beautiful artwork, expressive characters, and a great sense of humor. Agape in particular is a delight, an intelligent, strong-willed young woman with an attitude.

By: Ash Brown