#solo leveling volume 1

[originaljiraiyan]

Solo Leveling Season 1, Episode 9

[comicchannel]

Manga Books Manhwa (Chu-Gong) Solo Leveling - Volume 1

Link para compra BR: https://amzn.to/47meTCB

Buy here: https://amzn.to/4aJRr4V

[sisaloofafump]

Batman Comics Reading Guide

The goal of this post is to provide a bunch of launching off points for people depending on what they're interested in. As such, this is not a checklist. These are just suggestions that hopefully provide some context to navigate different eras and get a proper scope of the Batman comic landscape.

The amount of background behind characters and arcs can make it hard to jump right in (though these recommendations are geared to be more beginner friendly than average), so sites like the dc fandom wiki and comicvine are invaluable resources to catch you up on context. However, you can also learn a lot by just opening up a series and picking up the character cues as you go along.

IF I HAD TO CHOOSE JUST ONE...

Batman: Hush (2002) is amazing at introducing so many important characters at an entry level: Bruce, Dick (Robin I/Nightwing), Tim (Robin III), Alfred, Harley Quinn and the Joker, and Gordon. It also reintroduces Catwoman and starts her relationship with Batman, and explores his friendship with Superman and Lois. It also gets into much more about his upbringing than just the night of his parent's murder. My only hesitation is that it came out right before the resurrection of the second Robin, Jason, and lays the early foundation for it, so it's important to have some backstory regarding that going in. The art and the writing is great and while the story line gets intense, it has plenty of lighter interactions and art. It was originally published as Batman #608-619.

FIRST, SOME CONTEXT

There are always 2 ongoing series about Batman/Bruce Wayne and his teams: Batman, and Detective Comics. Depending on the era, these are either totally independent stories (like they are currently) or meant to be read side-by-side. It can be worth reading collected volumes of arcs rather than one of these streams individually.

There are also a bunch of series dedicated to supporting characters and teams that often have a lot of crossover. There will be info panels in the comics that tell you where a storyline started if a crossover happens, and the wiki/comicvine can help guide you if you get lost.

GOLD/SILVER AGE

If you're interested in his goofy Gold and Silver Age comics-start with a highlight collection! I recommend Batman Annual #5 (1963) from the 1940 "Batman" run. My personal favourite sub-era to read is the early 60s because it is both weird and easy to read. This era was almost entirely anthology comics, so it is very easy to bounce around in read one or two stories at a time.

Prominent Series:

Detective Comics (1937–): It was originally an anthology series but (almost) each issue #27 onwards has Batman in it! There are stories about other characters like the Martian Manhunter, and various non-hero detectives in each issue too.

Batman (1940–): A Batman solo series. Often includes three stories in each issue.

World's Finest Comics (1941–): He has a solo story in the first 70 issues. Issue #71 onwards are team ups with Superman!

Batman Family (1975-78): A short bronze age anthology staring Batman, Batgirl (Barbara), and Robin (Dick), however it really focused on highlighting supporting characters like Vicki Vale, Huntress, and Ace the Bat-Hound. It mostly includes reprints but each issue should have an original story as well. This was later merged with Detective Comics for 15 issues.

Prominent Character Issues:

Detective Comics #27 (1939): Introduces Bruce/Batman

Batman #1 (1940): Introduces Selina/"The Cat"

Detective Comics #38 (1940): Introduces Dick Grayson/Robin

Batman #16 (1943): Introduces Alfred (although his last name is Beagle, not Pennyworth)

Superman #76 (1952): Oh no! There's only one room left on this cruise and we have to share (Batman & Superman's first meeting)

Detective Comics #233 (1956): Introduces Kathy Kane aka the first version of Batwoman

Batman #139 (1961): Introduces Bette Kane aka the first version of a Bat-Girl

Detective Comics #359 (1967): Introduces Barbara Gordon aka current canon's "first" Batgirl

Detective Comics #357 (1983): Introduces Jason Todd. (His backstory is rewritten a few years later however)

DARK AGE

These are a few very important comics to Batman's history and you'll often see them referenced. You don't have to read any of them but it's important to loosely familiarize yourself with the contents.

Batman: Year One (1987): When they reset all of DC's continuity, this was the Batman origin they created. It set a new gritty vibe that some people loved, some people hated, but needless to say it is one of the most influential comics DC has ever put out. Features Bruce, Gordon, Selina, Alfred, and Harvey.

Batman: The Killing Joke (1988): This is a majorly influential Joker story and quite dark. It solidified the Joker's modern characterization and parallels to Batman. Barbara Gordon/Batgirl is assaulted and permanently(ish) paralyzed in it.

Batman: A Death in the Family (1988): Robin 2/Jason's death arc. The readers had voted on whether he would live or die. This was the result. Also published as Batman #426-429

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (1989): Dave McKean illustrated this!!. That's all I should need to tell you. It is a very interesting abstract exploration of Batman and Gotham's rogues and leans heavily on the horror aspect. I'll warn up front that there is a lot of demonization of mental health issues. It established Arkham Asylum as a major part of Gotham lore.

also the very famous but non-canonical:

The Dark Knight Returns (1986): A hypothetical future story where Bruce comes out of retirement. Carrie Kelley is the the new (and female!) Robin and helps him fight the Joker, Two-Face, and Superman. This is the first (and the best) of a trilogy.

MODERN AGE

A lot of new characters were introduced in the mid/late 90s and early 2000s. These include Tim Drake (Robin 3), Cassandra Cain (Batgirl 4/Orphan), Stephanie Brown (Robin 4/Batgirl 5/Spoiler), Kate Kane (Batwoman), Damian Wayne (Robin 5), as well as a focus on Helena Bertinelli (Batgirl 3/Huntress). It also started a third continuous series called Batman: Shadow of the Bat which ran from 1992–2000.

It would probably be illegal for me to not mention the series Batgirl (2000) here for the writing is incredible. However, the hyper-stylized art may make it better as a series to read later on.

There are many prominent story arcs, and you can find collected versions of them as the individual issues were split accross various character's series. Some important ones are:

Knightfall (1993): The villain Bane breaks Batman's back, and a religious zealot vigilante Azreal takes over for Bruce.

No Man's Land (1999): An earthquake destroys Gotham and the vigilantes work to restore order to the quarantined city. Introduces Cassandra Cain and highlights Barbara, Tim, Helena, and Bruce.

Under the Hood (2005): The bloody return of Jason Todd/Robin 2, very often referenced in fandom

Batman and Son (2006): The introduction of Damian Wayne/Robin 5.

Batman R.I.P. and following (2008–9): During this era, Batman is presumed to have died during a major crossover event The Final Crisis. Dick Grayson (the now grown-up Robin 1) takes over as Batman, Stephanie Brown becomes Batgirl, Damian Wayne is Robin, and everyone else is doing weird stuff. A major sub arc is Battle for the Cowl where the former Robins fight for the right to take over as Batman.

There is also a lot of fun crossovers with the justice league if you'd rather not stay in Gotham, here are some good ones:

World's Finest (1990): This is a wonderful Superman & Batman team up from the early 90s and has really great interactions between everyone's various personas. Steve Rude's art is so much fun and his versions of Lois and Bruce Wayne make me want to cry with how beautiful they are.

Kingdom Come (1996): a hypothetical story about the Justice League dealing with a new generation of morally careless heroes. Deeply influential and famous but more importantly, absolutely gorgeous. Do yourself a favour and just go stare and Alex Ross' art for a while (including in 2005's series Justice)

Trinity (2008): A great look at Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League. The first half focuses on the Trinity's similarities and differences in what they symbolize. It has a very interesting integration of Tarot too. However, they're absent for the vast majority of the second half—focusing on what the rest of the JL does in their absence. You don't need to read all of it.

Superman/Batman (2003–2011): A team up book of the title characters. The first arc is an all time favourite, and it has little crossover with their solo series, making for a read with little need for background context.

NEW 52

The New 52 (2011) relaunch event made a few major backstory changes to the Batfamily. It unparalyzed Barbara and reinstated her as Batgirl. Cass and Stephanie both lost their Batgirl (and Robin) histories and were completely set back to ground zero, ready to be reintroduced with new origins. It does introduce Duke Thomas/Signal to the team, as well as Harper Row/Bluebird (though she is not in many non-N52 books).

Honestly just avoid all of the New-52 for as long as you can, but if you do get tempted later on:

We are Robin (2015) and Robin War (2016): Features Duke Thomas, his friends, and later Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian. If you're going to read anything, read this. It is genuinely very good and worthwhile.

Batman & Robin Eternal (2015) focuses on the whole family (including Harper Row/ Bluebird!!) and re-introduces Cass and Azreal. It has a LOT of family bickering and team ups. Ironically, it doesn't really have Bruce or Damian in it.

REBIRTH & PRESENT

The Rebirth era and following (2016-) does mostly keep the same canon as the New 52 created. However, following the Dark Crisis event (2022), everyone's backstories were merged with their previous incarnations. It is not clear to what degree this effects each character, however Stephanie is back to having been Robin now.

If you're reading the Rebirth era, I recommend starting with the Detective Comics run rather than Batman. This is just personal preference but I strongly stand by it. It highlights lesser known characters (initially Kate/Batwoman, Steph, Cass, Azreal and Batwing, with Tim and Bruce) but most importantly, it's way better written. There are a lot of batfamily crossover events (like Joker War, or Fear State). So yourself a favour and read the collected editions so you catch all of it in one place.

Three major events happen that effect all Batman-adjacent comics, that (because they still fairly recent) I will not detail for spoiler reasons, however: Batman #50 (Sep 2018) and #77 (Oct 2019), and to a lesser degree Detective Comics #940 (Nov 2016), have lasting impacts on the series.

COMIC RECS

Batman and the Outsiders (2019) is amazing. It focuses on Cassandra and Duke. Read Detective Comics #983-987 first. B&tO is continuing off from it.

Batman: The Knight: a 10 issue series about Bruce's training years and the friendships he made. Introduces a prominent character who shows up a lot in Batman #100 onwards. This is just really great

Batgirls: If you like Barbara, Cass, and Stephanie, I highly recommend reading the first arc of this. The art and the story are a lot of fun

All-Star Batman (2016): features Duke Thomas with Batman blasting heavy metal music out of his chest. It's a series of contained stories and doesn't require context from other runs

Task Force Z: Jason is roped into leading a government team of resurrected villains. It is quite an interesting exploration of his current ethics. The rest of the family do make appearances as well.

And additionally:

Wayne Family Adventures: an official (but non-canonical) Webtoon about the various domestic shenanigans of the Batfamily. It's light and funny and heartfelt and updates every Thursday.

-------

Lastly, I want to recommend my favourite oneshot, and it has absolutely no bearing on any plot, characters, or world:

Batman: Dreamland (2000): It's Batman exploring Area 51 and he looks like this:

What more could you possibly want?

[duckprintspress]

My June Reads

Storygraph introduced auto-generated graphics for sharing our reads by the month, which makes it much easier to do a review, and here I am! Sorry it's kinda pixelly, the settings on Storygraph aren't perfect yet but they're planning to add functionality.

I've been posting on the Duck Prints Press Book Lover's Server for a while, so everyone knows there that the answer to "how do you read so much?" is the library, but just to be clear, if it's a graphic novel, I got it from one of three libraries - either my local system, @queerliblib, or the Japan Foundation Library. The last two are both free-throughout-the-US Libby libraries and they've both been awesome.

Prose books, I usually own.

Anyway. Onward! My June reads:

How to Love: A Guide to Feelings and Relationships for Everyone by Alex Norris (graphic novel, short self-help stories about how to be in relationships, how to be alone, etc., all very inclusive.

Blue Flag Vol. 1 - 2 by Kaito (manga series about modern high school and a young man and his best friend - who has a crush on him - and a young woman and her best friend - who has a crush on her. poly vibes.)

The Tea Dragon Festival and The Tea Dragon Tapestry by K. O'Neill (graphic novels, very fluffy fantasy slice-of-life with various queer rep)

Squad by Maggie Toluda-Hall and Lisa Sterle (graphic novel, modern with magic, wlw high school student discovers that fitting in with the cool kids means becoming a murderous werewolf)

Clementine vol. 1 and 2 by Tille Walden (graphic novel, post-apocalyptic set in the same 'verse as The Walking Dead about a wlw amputee surviving against the zombies.

A Thousand Hopes, A Thousand Risks by Kelas Lloyd (short story, fantasy, pre-mlm between a young merchant and a god)

Ride On, Shooting Star by J. D. Harlock (short story, science fiction, a space courier wants to retire)

Deadendia vol. 1 by Hamish Steele (graphic novel, modern with magic/horror elements, about a trans male teenager who runs away from home and moves into a haunted house at an amusement park)

Giant Days vol. 2 by John Allison and Whitney Cogar (graphic novel, modern college setting, about the somewhat silly lives of the main characters)

Yona of the Dawn vol. 1 by Mizuho Kusanagi (manga, fantasy, about a young princess whose kingdom gets taken over by someone she thought a friend)

In the Dark vol. 3 by Jin Shisi Chai (danmei novel, mlm, last of three volumes - I read the other two in May - about an undercover drug cop who returns home after six years undercover)

The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation manhua vol. 6 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (manhua version of the MDZS novel, mlm, historical cultivation about a fraught political situation)

The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha (graphic novel playing on story of the fox maiden Gumiho in Korean mythology, with a side of wlw)

My Hero Academia vol. 9 - 12 by Kohei Horikoshi (manga series about teenagers at a high school for superheroes)

Frontera by Julio Anta and Jacoby Salcedo (graphic novel about a young man crossing the border between the US and Mexico illegally, and about the mlm ghost who helps him)

My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Nagata Kabi (autobiographical manga about a young lesbian in Japan trying to figure out her identity and find companionship)

Solo Leveling vol. 1 - 2 by Chugong (a manwha series set in modern fantasy Korea, about a young man is terrible at "hunting"...until he isn't)

Haikyu!! vol. 5 - 6 by Haruichi Furudate (manga series about young men who play high school volleyball)

Little Birds by Anaïs Nin (a collection of short erotic stories with lots of trigger warnings applicable and a few dashes of wlw, originally written in the 1930s and 1940s)

To Strip the Flesh by Oto Toda (manga collection of short stories, with the longest/most involved being about a young man's journey coming out as a trans man)

Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed (graphic novel exploring three stories of Egyptians getting first-grade wishes in a modern-with-magic world, includes NB rep)

Limerence by Jiang Zi Bei (danmei novel, mlm, about a young college student who breaks up with his boyfriend and ends up falling for his ex's roommate.)

Our Colors by Gengoroh Tagame (manga about a young Japanese gay man coming our of the closet and making friends/finding a mentor in an older gay man)

Silent Hearts vol. 1 by Jing Shui Bian (danmei novel, mlm, modern high school setting, lots of disability rep though not for either member of the main couple)

Rainbow! vol. 1 by Sunny (modern, maybe with magic, about a young woman with a tough life and the people around her; wlw implied in the future?)

Out of Left Field by Jonah Newman (real-life-inspired graphic novel about a young gay man navigating high school)

Escape From St. Hell: My Trans Life Levels Up by Lewis Hancox (autobiographical graphic novel about a young trans man with severe anxiety)

This was the most pages I've read in a month all year, and the second most individual books. There's actually one more book not pictured, as it wasn't on Storygraph and I opted not to add it.

Happy reading, y'all.

[tetrix-anime]

Ore dake Level Up na Ken Season 2: Arise from the Shadow (Solo Leveling Season 2: Arise from the Shadow) - Blu-ray/DVD Volume 1 Illustration. Release: 23 April 2025

[fallloverfic]

Thoughts on Solo Leveling Episode 18: Don't Look Down on My Guys

The sixth episode of season 2 was pretty good! Spoilery thoughts for the anime, novel, and manhwa prior to Ragnarok below:

In a weird place with this episode because my first real engagement with it after the preview was seeing a poster of "Kiba"/"Tusk" (aka Fang) on twitter. I imagine this is just a translation choice thing with the Japanese dub? It's not a major bother, it's just a thing to get used to.

Jinwoo's soldiers this ep:

Jinwoo stepping in was fun! The best part was definitely Igris' fight, though. He was just fun to watch, as usual. Also, the fight song for much of the fighting sequence was really lovely.

The guy who hates Jinwoo, whoever his Japanese VA is, did the funniest screech when he yelled, "THE NEWS?!"

I can't get over how ridiculously like... thirsty, Woo Jinchul was. He always is, but truly. The thirstification of Jinchul in general over the course of this story's adaptation is amazing.

In the Yen Press/Ize Press English translation of Volume 3, Chapter 6: Fang:

“Do you know him?” Haein asked.

Jinchul had asked about Jinwoo’s ability, not his identity. Jinchul was also a member of the association, which was currently keeping information regarding Jinwoo under lock and key.

Maybe Manager Woo knows something about him?

Haein was correct.

“I know a little bit.”

“Who… Who exactly is he?”

Jinchul put his sunglasses back on. “I’m afraid that’s classified information.”

In the Ize Press English translation of Volume 5, Chapter 12 of the manhwa:

Cha Haein: "Do you know him?"

Woo Jinchul: -lowers sunglasses- "Not well." -moves to empty space shot, Jinchul is not visible- "Not well at all..."

In the anime:

"We're acquainted..."

Like yes, it's basically just more of the front of his face. But... This man is GOING TO GET IT XD He showed up just to make sure Kihoon remembered who was Jinwoo husband #1.

I'm sure wiser people than I have figured this out, but I'm not sure the figure "Tusk" sees in his flashback is meant to be Ashborn or one of his soldiers (left is manhwa Episode 162, right is the anime Episode 18):

The horns are vaguely right and the armor is vaguely right. The helmet is a bit off, though, and his cloak is missing. It also doesn't look like Bellion, and it's not Igris. So it might just be some random soldier rather than Ashborn (or Bellion or Igris). Or a little Ashborn preview, who knows? This wasn't in either the novel or the manhwa (he just sees static in the manhwa). Cool preview, all the same, though I kind of hope it's not Ashborn because it's not as interesting-looking as Ashborn is, at least in the manhwa lol

Jinwoo is so surprised when he remembers other people are there, he's like, "Oh wait, I forgot you all were here..." It's really funny.

So for Haein's weird thing with the pick after Jinwoo leaves... in the novel she doesn't really do that as some nervous, "omg I'm already obsessed with this strange man" thing (Volume 3, Chapter 6):

[Unnamed mage]: “She gestured at Haein’s hand. “Why are you holding a pickax?”

Haein grew redder and redder as she stared at the head of the pickax. She set it down and asked, “Do you think that made me look weird?”

The mage cocked her head. “Depends on who you ask, I guess?”

Haein’s neck flushed as well.”

Same with the manhwa. It's pretty faithful (other than a female mage asking the question; Han Semi wasn't named in the novel or the manhwa, and Lee Bora didn't seemingly exist in the novel: only one female character is identified in the party, and it's Han Semi/an unnamed female mage), is visible (Volume 5, Chapter 12). Like you could imply that's why she's embarrassed (because Jinwoo saw her with the pick), but you could also just assume it's a weird situation and she's embarrassed.

So yes, I'm less than impressed with it being framed as her specifically being nervous about Jinwoo in the anime because Oh No The Woman Is Confused By Feelings. To be fair, this entire storyline has always been dumb? She's not stupid. She's used to going out traveling for tournaments. Why would she forget to take a weapon while doing reconnaissance at an active A-rank gate? If she's S-rank, and the pick-axe is basically normal, why would the weapon be an improvement over going barehanded?

I don't hate Haein. I just think the weird way she's kind of shoved into the story, particularly in the novel, but still in later adaptations, is really weird. One of the earliest reviews I read for the novel series was someone complaining that Chugong was being weird replacing Joohee with her, and I don't know if that's true, but I definitely always felt like Joohee was meant to be Jinwoo's love interest, and it feels like Chugong got bored with her and replaced her with Haein, who was massively underdeveloped as a result (again, the first time she shows up in the novel is during this arc), for which the manhwa and now anime have heavily compensated.

One thing they don't point out in the anime is that she's the only female S-ranker. Why? You go to other stories with Hunters and dungeons, like, oh, S-Classes that I Raised, and while the gender disparity is still really bad, in South Korea alone, there are 2-3 female S-rank Hunters (Kang Soyoung is able to get to S-rank, but she doesn't manage), and then Liette and Evelyn show up, so you've got 3-5 female S-rank Hunters, while the story also brings up issues of sexism and patriarchy. And while the SL manhwa in particular introduced other S-rank Hunters from other countries, including women, they're very minor characters (and I actually think it's like 1-2 at most? At least who don't die on Jeju; at least prior to Ragnarok, the only other female S-rank Hunters are from Japan). And never once does the story focus on why that gender disparity is a thing. And so despite her development, despite how she's basically the closest to Jinwoo in power, Haein really appears to solely exist because: Jinwoo needed a love interest who wasn't Joohee, and he was definitely not dating a guy (much as every dude in this story keeps throwing themselves at Jinwoo's feet).

So I don't hate her. I just struggle with pretty much all of her storylines. Because even with how much she's developed in the manwha and particularly the anime, they're still largely geared around that goal. It's why I was so happy the anime focused on her relationship with Choi Jongin. But then we got that stupid swimsuit scene. And the shit with Han Songyi. And now this. Heck, for various reasons, the anime removed her connection to Song Chiyul (at least for now, maybe it'll come back later in the scene where she's training with him again). So it's... sigh.

I liked seeing Jongin for five seconds. Always happy to see him. Confused at the implication there are more S-rank Hunters in Hunters than Cha Haein...? I'm not sure who else is higher than an A-rank in the guild who is not Jongin (who was standing with the secretary) or Haein...

I can't say I'm exactly excited about Minsung, but there are things about his presence that I think are still relevant for modern politics (random rich/powerful asshole who hires goons to block government buildings from the public, can't think of where that might be relevant /end sarcasm), so that's... that, I guess lol It feels less ridiculous than it did a month ago.

Looking forward to Episode 19! Looks like we'll finally see Esil outside the OP O.o

Season 1: Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12

Season 2: Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16, Episode 17, Episode 18 (you are here), Episode 19, Episode 20

[formulaorange]

2024 Winter Anime

It's here! It's finally here!!! Solo Leveling comes out this season! There's definitely a few others to keep an eye out for but this is the star of the winter season:

Solo Leveling One of my most anticipated series. I'm caught up on the english light novels (8 volumes) and I'm honestly so invested in this story. In a way it gives the same impact as One Punch Man but if the story progressed a little faster toward fame and growth in his power. Easily the best of the season. Noteworthy On Going Shows: Frieren - Episodes 17-28 One of the most mesmerizing and well paced fantasies I've seen. Also one of my 10/10s of all time. Worth looking into if you remotely like fantasy. Shangri La Frontier - Episodes 14-25 Another fantasy game series that honestly just looks like it's a fun game. Explores a lot of game mechanics within this full-dive VR type game that almost puts SAO to shame. Fun action, fantasy and fun for game lovers. Apothecary Diaries - Episodes 13-24 My current favourite drama/romance/medical mystery series. The characters are simple but the show highlights the different dynamics and almost feels like an enemies to lovers plot. New Seasons:

Blue Exorcist - Season 3 This is one of the og shows I watched growing up. It's a mythology school themed show that I loved. It's been 13 years since season 1 aired and I'm stoked to see it come back. It's being done by a different studio since A-1 is busy with solo leveling, so I'm not sure if it'll hit the same but I'll still check it out at least for the nostalgia.

Mashle - Season 2 The funniest anime I've seen in a while. Man muscle brains his way through magic school and the whole show is a meme of harry potter and other magic series. Truly entertaining. Can't wait for this season

Delicious In Dungeon This is a series I've wanted to pick up the manga for for a while. It's about dealing with food and hunger when these adventurers are deep in a dungeon and learn to start cooking and eating what they can find down there. Funny concept but honestly looks like a lot of fun.

The Unwanted Undead Adventurer I read this manga and light novel so long ago. (Literal years - link to my manga thoughts and summary). I'm looking forward to the adaptation. I think nowadays this kind of story doesn't catch nearly as much attention as it did a few years ago. An adventurer dies in a dungeon and is reborn as an undead who can evolve as he kills other monsters and he deals with trying to fit in with the human realm again and evolving. I'm still looking forward to it after keeping an ear our for so long!

Mr. Villain's Day Off I recently heard about this series and thought it was such a cute concept. Us with all our villain complexes with enjoy this one. Will likely be a background show for me as there won't be a huge plot, regardless, still fun to watch. Burn the Witch - #0.8 - 30 min Special I think this won't be as exciting now that Bleach has come back and we aren't as depraved of Tite Kubo's work but I really enjoyed the original short series. Hoping for more of this world in the future. Sequels: Classroom of the Elite - Season 3 Tsukimichi - Season 2 (Link to review of season 1) The Dangers in My Heart - Season 2 More Continuations: Undead Unluck Ragna Crimson After going through 20+ shows every season, many with sub-par animations and the same fantasy twists, I've become real picky about which series are even worth trying to watch these days. Here are the ones that deserve at least 2 episodes in order: A Sign of Affection - Gets a special spot since it's incredibly rare to see disability representation in anime and it looks like it's done quite well- A romance between a guy and a deaf girl. Looks super sweet Bucchigiri?! - I honestly can't say this looks appealing to me personally but I've hear the name before and well it's MAPPA. (Give em a break) 'Tis Time for "Torture," Princess - looks well animated and just a fun watch Metallic Rouge - The sci-fi series for this season. I'm not sure I have it in me to watch something heavy like this this season but it looks decent. The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic The Witch and the Beast - Here for manga readers - lowkey looks like the manga will be much better and this might be a skip for me. Hokkaido Gyaru's are super Adorable (Ecchi) ALSO - Big reminder: Haikyu!! and Demon Slayer have their movies coming out this season as well (both theatrical releases so keep an eye out!!!) Demon Slayer: To the Hashira Training - Feb 2nd 2024 Haikyu!! - The Dumpster Battle - Feb 16th 2024

[raytorosaurus]

I have seen maybe half a season of TUA and didn’t read the comics so let me tell you seeing those panels where Vanya is yelling “We belong on that stage” (and in reference to herself and her taller blonde bass-playing brother) drawn in profile with literally Gerard’s haircut and outfit was a big shock to the system. I never even considered that he’d inserted elements of himself and his bandmates into TUA except for a bunch of weird edits people made comparing how much Aiden Gallagher looks like Frank but now I feel like I really need to read it.

im really looking forward to rereading all of the comics after this semester's over because i haven't done that since volume 3's run ended and i'll definitely make more coherent posts about it then but like. it's really really interesting to compare to all of gerard's other art because he is just...so distinctively him, even across different mediums and genres. tua and mcr and hesitant alien and kjna and his visual art etc etc etc like his artistic fingerprint is stamped so boldly and unapologetically all over them and that's something i really love about him. like his art, love it or hate it, is sooooo genuine always. even when he's purposely imitating other artists, he's very consciously doing it in his own voice, putting his own spin on it.

when i say tua and mcr are completely separate projects i mean it - i don't think one should only ever be discussed in relation to/in the context of the other - and, above all, tua is certainly not like...autobiographical, or a direct representation of real people/events. it's led by gerard but it has a different creative team than mcr does and that really shows as well - i definitely wanna talk ant this when i have more time but part of the reason im not sold on conweap as an album is because it's too umbrella academy - it's really evident that gerard was working on both of them at the same time, and letting one influence the other too directly. mcr's a band, not a Gerard Project, and umbrella academy is largely a duo (w gabriel bá), so they can't just be transplanted onto each other yk.

anyway I'm rambling but all this to say - tua isn't meant to be "about" mcr any more than bullets is "about" 9/11. but gerard's life was changed and shaped by his experiences in the music scene throughout his life, by dropping everything and living as a penniless artist, by becoming suddenly (in)famous, and that really shines through in tua. he says he drew inspiration from touring band life to write a dysfunctional family, and the dehumanising effects of fame and attention, and of being categorised and scrutinised on a private or public level, are huge themes - as is addiction, mental health, complicated grief.

like...i actually got into mcr through the tua comics lmaooo. i read volume 1 because of wonderful @blackmoldmp3 talking about it and immediately said oh. i need more from this dude's brain right now. and i was soooo not disappointed haha. i really am obsessed with quite a lot of the things gerard is also obsessed with as an artist. the particular themes and imagery and scenarios he's fixated on are really very consistent throughout everything he does - only the way they're discussed or portrayed does change over time. i don't rly subscribe to the idea of gleaning specifics abt artists' personal lives from their works because, beside all else, it just does them a huge disservice (that's my number one gripe with the popular talking pounts around hes alien and frank's solo work in particular; however "confessional" you wanna read art as, it's still art that was created with skill and intent.)

anyway that's way off topic dkfnfj. what i do love about this kind of thing is looking at distinct creations in the context of the rest of an artist's body of work. like...yeah, gerard's said there's a lot of mikey in klaus. has dressed similarly to vanya and the kraken and the seance at times etc etc. has compared himself to the rumor, because she's the one he relates to most. puts a lot of his familiar ideology surrounding music and performance into vanya. puts angry teenage vanya in a shitty punk band with her disillusioned teenage brother on bass, and puts a classical music prodigy in a punk band as an excellent guitarist, writing songs about killing the president etc etc. i could go on! because these things are just scattered everywhere through the comic, just like all of gerard thematic and aesthetic and ideologic fingerprints.

so what's reallyyy interesting to me is looking at umbrella academy as something gerard wrote on the road with mcr across multiple years. volume one was released while the tbp world tour was ongoing, and volume two only a few months after. the progression of parade -> tua -> conweap -> danger days is SOOOO fascinating to me, especially because one of the things that really works about danger days imo is the way it kind of shakes off some of the tua-style gritty cynicism and returns to mcr's defiant, extravagant theatricality. if you go through tua with a fine-tooth comb you'll definitely find the most direct comparisons to conweap, in terms of mcr. the way dd approaches the themes it has in common with tua is just.....so different, and so so mcr. and then you can see the at times self-referential development on those things in hesitant alien - AND THEN VOLUME 3 COMES AROUND AND LIKE. AUUUGGGGHHHHH the change and growth there is SO apparent. btw i don't mean "growth" "progression" etc in this post to mean "improving" - i just mean change and development in a neutral sense, bc it's so interesting to see it laid out there in an artist's body of work. but like. man it makes me crazeeee actually the way gerard picked tua back up....almost certainly around the same time mcr started discussing a potential reunion. and the way that foundations revisits and reconceptualises mcr's existing catalogue is paralleled in the way vol 3 of tua is, like...........like there's so much life lived there, between those things. gerard's even said he's changed his plan for the ending (if we ever see it 🥲) because he has more compassion for his own characters now and doesn't want to see them broken down for good. he says he's gotten better at listening to other people - for starters, he's a lot more conscious of his own subconscious racism/whiteness that came through at times in the original run and has expressed regret for that (namely, the entire main cast being white, with a couple of side characters being uncomfortably stereotyped).

but just like. augh. im not gonna lie man i have no idea what i've just typed im sorry it's probably so rambly bc I'm so dizzy rn and definitely am not gonna proofread it or whatever skdjfj but. I LOVE ART! I LOVE ARTISTS! I LOVE DIVING DEEP INTO AN ARTIST'S BODY OF WORK AND WATCHING THEM REINVENT THEMSELF AND/OR DOUBLE DOWN ON THEMSELF (SOMETIMES FOR BETTER, SOMETIMES FOR WORSE). obvs this fandom genuinely does have a big issue with invasive/un-self-aware parasocial behaviour but there's a difference between that and like. getting obsessed with a particular artist. that's so normal and in fact necessary to life imo. i think every artist literally has to have ppl like that i can't imagine any other way to live it's just a specific type of human connection at a distance baby. don't get me wrong tho i also wanna chew on his thigh. anyway.

my god. how did i get here what even was your question. tua. yes it's crazy. it's not for everyone for sure but it has enough of the shit that makes me crazzzzyyyyy that it got me into mcr which made me crazierrrr so. yes i can recommend. especially if ur like me and lovvvve stories that are a little bit fractured by design. that dance around big parts of the story, where there's as much significance in an absence or in a tiny background detail than there is in any dialogue or action scene. most of the criticism i see of tua is about the pacing but like. to my tastes it's a really great use of the comic medium yk? lmk if you want content warnings or something there are plenty skdjfj.

[thenostalgiadepartment]

Here is my reading list for December 2024. I read more digitally this month than I usually do. There were several titles I wasn't ready to commit to purchasing physically (and some that I'm glad I didn't) 🧵

Home Office Romance by Kintetsu Yamada

The newest one-shot by Kintetsu Yamada (the mangaka of Sweat and Soap) is about two people who meet during the COVID-19 Pandemic. This slice-of-life romcom is adorable and sweet in all the right ways. Rating: ★★★★☆

Senpai, This Can’t Be Love! by Shinta Harekawa

This single volume story is a workplace romance about a senior CG designer that mentors a new hire who shows nothing but indifference towards him. That is until he finds out underneath that frosty exterior this new hire is his biggest fan.  I think this story needed more time to develop its characters to have the emotional pay off. I wouldn’t recommend anyone to go out of their way to read this title. I think there are a lot of better manga to read in this genre. Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Let’s Eat Together, Aki and Haru by Makoto Taji

Two roommates share a love of cooking and eating together. The art style is very adorable and goes great with the slice of life theme. Don’t be hungry when you read this though or it’ll make you salivate.  This manga was very similar to She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat if genderswapped and the two main leads started out as two best friends but a little lighter on overall store depth. With only three volumes it's worth reading if you’re looking for some cozy manga. Rating: ★★★☆☆

H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu by Gou Tanabe

“In his house at R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.” After the death of his grand-uncle, a young man stumbles upon a link to a disturbing cult and a mystery that changes his life forever. Tanabe captures the unhinged and terrifying themes from these Lovecraftian stories just as they’ve done in previous adaptations. The full page spreads, the dark ink background, the expressions of these characters, all shown in an art style perfectly befitting these eldritch horrors. Rating: ★★★★☆

This Wolf is Not Scary by Riko Sakura

A story about two half-human, half-animal guys on the opposite ends of the food chain. I didn’t really get what I wanted from this manga. The story has no depth or character development even for a single volume, but the art is nice. Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Solo Leveling vol. 10 by Chu-Gong, So-Ryeong Gi and Hyeon-Gun

This volume picked up towards the tail end with the start of a fight that's been simmering since volume 2 of this series, quickly escalating into a heavy hitter duel. Beru is one of my favorite characters despite his origins. His chibi form is adorable. Rating: ★★★☆☆

Colette Decides to Die by Alto Yukimura

Overworked apothecary Colette decides to jump into a well one day to avoid her never ending droves of patients. She unknowingly travels to the underworld to discover not even the underworld can keep her from work when Lord Hades is in need of an apothecary as well. I love this story so far and the artwork. It has a surprising amount of depth I wasn’t expecting. This series is emotional and caught me off guard a few times with how introspective this story is. Rating: ★★★★★

All or Nothing by Shikke

A four man friend group is suddenly split when two of them reveal they are dating. The two outcasts then decide to try a physical relationship to see what the big deal is. There really is nothing here for readers. No story or character development. Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary vol. 1 by Mine and Area Ikemiya

A broke mercenary is forced to join an incompetent new party for funds. After a disastrous first mission, he learns one of his companions is more than she seems. This manga is based on a Light Novel. The artwork is good and the main character was interesting enough. The end of the volume started to develop the story more. Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Confession by Nobuyuki Fukumoto and Kaji Kawaguchi

After a hiking accident, two friends become lost in a blizzard. Thinking his death is imminent, the injured man confesses to a murder. However, instead of dying, they both find shelter. The problem is now that their rescue is on the way, the secret hangs heavily over them both. The premise of this story was interesting but the execution was comically bad. Rating: ★★☆☆☆

The Second Alpha by Shibue Yofune

On his first day of his new job an alpha meets his fated mate only to discover the omega of his dreams is already wearing a wedding ring.  Finally an actual STORY in an omegaverse manga, and a good and unique premise too! I would give it 4 stars but there’s a dubcon heat scene at the start of the manga. Other than that the story is actually quite heartwarming and deals with what happens when you get a second chance at love. Rating: ★★★☆☆

I Hear the Sunspot: Four Seasons vol. 2 by Yuki Fumino

The cliffhanger from the last volume is finally explored, bringing with it the amount of drama you would expect from this series. I’m curious to see how all the plot threads evolve as the story continues. Especially with the troublesome new hire. The romance is still going at a snail's pace, but the story and side characters make this series worthwhile. The last section of this volume was a short story titled My Little Boy. This story in particular showcased just how wonderful Taichi’s grandparents are. His grandfather is 10/10. Rating: ★★★★☆

Thunder 3 vol. 1 by Yuki Ikeda

Three friends travel to a parallel universe to save one friend’s sister. The retro gag manga style cover first drew my interest however the story isn't that deep so far. The art style transitioning from gag manga to hyperrealism does a lot of the heavy lifting for this story. Rating: ★★★☆☆

[havendance]

Library Trade Haul Roundup post!

I already talked about The Old Guard: Opening Fire, but onwards to the rest!

Hawkeye: Private Eye by Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, and Jordie Bellaire. I already touched on some more general thoughts here, but to talk more specifically about this book, I thought that it was fun. I liked the private eye premise of it all. Coming into this primarily because I was interested primarily in seeing more of the creative team at work, I came away knowing Kate BIshop more (which I suppose is the purpose of a solo...). Anyway, this was in standard graphic novel size like the upcoming DC compact collection (or whatever it's called) so seeing the size of it and how it worked was also nice.

Pretty Deadly vol 2 and Pretty Deadly: The Rat by Kelly Sue Deconnick, Emma Rios, and Jordie Bellaire. I'd read Pretty Deadly volume 1 previously and I think I should have read it closer because I came out of it going 'I'm not entirely sure what the story of this was but it was a very pretty comic.' I do feel like I understand what happened in these two better. Pretty deadly continues to be a very pretty comic. It has a lush quality to it that's always a pleasure to read.

X-Men Red vol 1 and 2 written by Al Ewing with an artistic team that changes enough I won't list them out. These were grabbed off the shelf because they looked cool and as the first X-men comic I read it was a wild ride. My previous exposure to the X-men was watching X-men: Evolution as a kid and this was not that. I'm over here like "krakoa? resurrection protocols? Why isn't Xavier in a wheelchair?" This series features x-men are on Mars which is named the dune-esque name of Arako and is also habitable now for some reason. Anyway, these kicked ass and each volume had multiple 'oh shit' level moments and it got me interested in checking out just what is going on in more current X-men comics.

The Authority Book 1 by Warren Ellis, Bryan Hitch, and Laura Martin. This is a book for people who enjoy watching extraordinarily competent and powerful people kick ass and save the world from various huge threats and I am that target audience. Jenny Sparks is very cool and I met her just in time to watch her die :( This was my first entry into Wildstorm and it's got me interested in reading more and checking out Stormwatch (and reading more of Jenny).

Captain America: Red Menace Ultimate Collection by Ed Brubaker, penciled by Mike Perkins and Steve Epting, and colored by Frank D'Armata. I am continuing my Captain America by Ed Brubaker read at last (needed to wait until I could check this physically out of the library.) I care less about Sin as an antagonist but Steve and Bucky coming together in the finale was so good. Slipping back together into partnership like nothing had changed but Bucky can't stay when it's done ;; Next up are the civil war tie in issues.

[originaljiraiyan]

Solo Leveling Season 1, Episode 6 Review

[otakunews01]

Solo Leveling Season 2 Blue-ray and DVD

Volume 1 Jacket Cover.

On sale April 23th

Source

[old-danmei-fan]

10 people I'd like to know better meme!

Thank you @lyasshelves for tagging me!

1. Last song : Big Boy by T.O.P, I've recently discovered Big Bang and T.O.P is my new bias

2. Fav color: I don't really have a favorite, but the colors I tend to gravitate to are dark reds and greens

3. Last book : Volume 6 of Erha

4. Last movie : just rewatched the Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame recently but in French for the first time.

5. Last TV show : Solo Leveling, and I'm a little mad all the people in my life that have watched it didn't tell me that Jinwoo is a fucking necromancer?! I would have watched it so much sooner than I did if I had know that. Also the part where he got hot because he was dumping all his points into his strength stat is hilarious to me.

6. Sweet/savory/spicy : depends on my mood, but i do have a large sweet tooth

7. Relationship status : not answering that one, sorry.

8. Last thing I googled : signs of a stroke or heart attack in cats. My sister's cat isn't doing too well unfortunately

9. Looking forward to : it not being so goddamn cold where I live.

10. Current obsession: all the choso and svsss edits I have saved to my phone since I thought TikTok was disappearing

Tagging (no pressure to answer, obviously! Do it if you want to) : @talk-danmei-to-me @marloviandevil @lemonsrosesandlavender @flowersdiceandlove

[beneaththetangles]

This week’s Reader’s Corner is full of really cool releases, including a new edition of a classic X-Men manga; one-shots from Oda Eiichiro; the newest volume of Steel of the Celestial Shadows; volume ten of both Issak and Solo Leveling; and not one, but TWO Oshi no Ko releases. Check out our thoughts on these series and more below!

-----

I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time (Vol. 4) • I’m the Grim Reaper (Vol. 1) • Issak (Vol. 10) • Oshi No Ko 1st Illustration Collection: Glare x Sparkle • Oshi no Ko (Vol. 8) • The Small-Animallike Lady Is Adored by the Ice Prince (Vol. 1) • Solo Leveling (Vol. 10) • Steel of the Celestial Shadows (Vol. 4) • Sword Art Online: Kiss and Fly (Vol. 2) • Wanted! Eiichiro Oda Before One Piece • X-Men: The Manga: Remastered

[tetrix-anime]

Ore dake Level Up na Ken (Solo Leveling) - Blu-ray/DVD Volume 1 Illustration. Release: 27 March 2024. Anime is listed with 12 episodes across 4 Blu-ray volumes.

[fallloverfic]

Solo Leveling Episode 13 Thoughts

And we're back! The first episode of season 2 was great! Spoilery thoughts for the anime, novel, and manhwa below (CW: blood):

Everyone looks really great in the new opening (though I'm not the biggest fan of some of the Cha Haein shots, but, well, sigh, Japan). I'm okay with the song, not the biggest fan (or of the ED, though I like the OP more than the ED), but time will tell! Maybe I'll come around to it. Particularly love the shots of Choi Jongin, though.

I can understand why they're skipping things (e.g., Sung Jinwoo's run for clothes and getting a haircut before the teacher conference), but I think at a point some of it doesn't make sense, especially with Han Songyi. Like it's very weird that a teacher, without parental/guardian consent, asked a random adult unaffiliated with the school to check in with an ostensibly stranger teenager he doesn't know, potentially alone (unless that's just Jinwoo being weird, which isn't unusual). But that it's not really explained in what context he was asked to do so in the anime only makes it weirder. Like you can guess, it's just... it's not a typical thing for teachers to do this (idk maybe it's more common in South Korea? I don't know why it would be, feels like a lawsuit waiting to happen) and honestly really dangerous.

I love all the extra stuff they're adding with Choi Jongin's investigation about Jeju. Him chatting with Go Gunhee is so fun.

Handsome man.

Hwang Dongsoo is still an ass and Woo Jinchul is so Done TM with it all. Dongsoo's VA (Junichi Suwabe) is still too good for him. (Yes, I love villains who get great actors, but it's really distracting that he has Sexy voice and is so otherwise entirely uninteresting alkdjlaj). This is another manhwa original thing: Dongsoo never goes back to South Korea in the novel. He doesn't show up again in the story until something that happens later (though I assume it's this season, given the contents of the OP; both the red gate and the thing I'm thinking of are in volume 2 of the Yen Press English release). I imagine the idea was to make better use of him as a character or something. Maybe give Woo Jinchul more spotlight, I don't know.

Happy to see Park Heejin again :3 I love that the anime involves her more in the story (she's friends with Gina and Lee Bora and shows up at the cafe meet-up in S1E6). Mad that they made Kim Chul hot but do love they keep him as a scumbag.

The Hyakki look great! Very weird lol I still don't know why Dubu was so obsessed with the creepy wide smiles.

And we get some worried but handsome Baek Yoonho :3 I'm not surprised it was kept, but I still find it fascinating that Dongsoo showing up was added for the manhwa (and obviously kept here). But the anime removed the scene where Jinchul (while chauffeuring Dongsoo) learns about the red gate, and Dongsoo has them go to it because Dongsoo wants to kill Jinwoo faster. So they just... show up. Because.

Woo Jinchul is so Done TM with all this S-rank nonsense, poor guy.

The song that plays when Jinwoo's soldiers fight the ice bears is really nice. And the fight sequence is really good. I just love how Jinwoo's soldiers are designed (glowy blue on black with some red is so good, visually), and the shadowy-dust effects just look so nice (and we have the return of the glowing butts lol). Igris, of course, is amazing.

And he brings Jinwoo his first trophy! And Jinwoo rewards him with a shoulder pat :3 Jinwoo/Igris fans, eat your heart out :3

A great episode! Looking forward to the next one!

Other episode thoughts:

Season 1: Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12

Season 2: Episode 13 (you are here), Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16, Episode 17, Episode 18, Episode 19, Episode 20