#this series is a hidden gem

[spectre-writes]

Why you should read 'The Witch and the Beast' manga by Kousuke Satake

Alrighty folks, time to talk about this manga:

Looking at the covers, you're probably thinking ‘oh, this is some cute paranormal romance kinda thing, right?’ Well, that where you’re wrong… this manga is a hell of a lot more action packed and filled with horror than you’re thinking, and while there’s certainly a degree of… ‘something’ going on, it’s subtle, it’s complicated, and it’s anyone’s guess where it’s going. 

Heads up that there will be a few spoilers in this. I'll start off by dropping some fight scene panels so you know I'm not fibbing about how action packed this manga is:

This is a dark fantasy where the world is one filled with magic, where witches are considered the biggest threat, and have a reputation as being evil (which while not all are, there are some super bad ones out there). Basic plot is about our two main characters taking on witches.

So, who are our main characters? Well, first off we have Ashaf. He’s a mage working for ‘the order of magical resonance’, which specializes in dealing with magical problems/threats. He’s polite, calm and collected, and acts like everything is going to plan (even when it very much isn’t). Carries around a coffin and has crow familiars so a treat for you goths out there. His motives are… ambiguous but we’ll get to that in a bit.

Our second character is Guideau, someone who is violent, fowl mouthed, rash and… pretty much Ashaf’s complete opposite. But she’s agreed to work with him and the order. Why? Well, she’s been cursed by a witch, and needs to find that witch to break the curse… What curse you ask? Well… minor spoilers, but that’s not Guideau’s actual body… Guideau’s actual body is a beast of world destructive power that looks like this:

Yep, that’s right. Massive non-bindary/genderfluid energy there… my personal interpretation is non-binary in a sort of ‘whatever pronouns are most convenient go, but idgaf I just wanna kill that witch’ way, based on the fact Guideau never objects to anyone using female pronouns or male pronouns or states their gender. 

In fact, this whole manga has massive queer vibes… As well as another character later on who plays fast and loose with gender roles, there’s a way to temporarily break a witch’s curse (giving Guideau access to his original body), wanna know what it is? You have to kiss a witch… so yeah, we get scenes like this:

I really wasn’t expecting this and personally this whole aspect of the manga was a treat, though I get that might not be a factor for everyone.

There are some great side characters too, my personally favourite being a necromancer and her servant. She’s very sympathetic/kind to the dead and believes in treating them with respect, which is refreshing to see.

Now, Ashaf and Guideau… it’s complicated. Guideau’s motive is simply to find a way to remove her curse by locating the witch that cursed her, and that’s the only reason she agreed to work with Ashaf. As for Ashaf… well, he says their interests align, and I’d say he definitely has some stake in this, but there’s definitely some stuff he’s keeping quiet about and that’s something we’re going to slowly have to unravel. But I think it’s fair to say they’re growing closer, the question is… where exactly is that leading? I genuinely don’t know and that’s part of what I’m enjoying the most, I pretty much never get invested in stuff like this but I'm hooked. Big spoilers ahead but look at these panels and tell me you’re not intrigued…

Now, as for the world building… I really love how mages write to cast, it’s a nice little detail, and I enjoyed learning about how necromancy functions in this world. The witches also seem to have quite varied powers, which can make their fights seem more unique and means you don’t always know what to expect from them (unless you know their lineage). There’s vampires too if that’s your thing, elementals, and who knows what else going forward. I’m curious to learn more about ‘the order of magical resonance’, there’s definitely some mystery there too… Solid stuff on the whole.

I just… really love this series, and I’d love more people to give it a try too. My only warning is there is some gore, so if that’s an issue for you unfortunately you might have to give this one a pass. Otherwise, please give it a shot! It deserves attention.

[lemonsourcrisis]

Blue Eye Samurai (2023-) dir. Jane Wu "In 1633, Japan closed it's borders to the outside world. Completely. Citizens would never see a white face, nor any face that was not Japanese. A child born mixed race would be considered less than human. Pitiable. Impure. Monstrous. From these times rose a legend. Of a swordsman. Of a sword. Of revenge."

[nostradamvs]

Severus Snape nobody will ever make me hate you

[fuck-i-like-too-much-stuff]

Yes this is a TanFang scene, BUT MATT AND MICK WERE MAKING THE HEART SHAPED TREAT THINGIES IN THE BOOTH TOGETHER AND I JUST NOTICED SO Y'ALL MUST HEAR ABOUT IT😭

[vertigoartgore]

1993's Enigma Vol.1 #5 cover by artist Duncan Fegredo.

[rastronomicals]

2:43 AM EST November 19, 2024:

Bob Dylan - "Seven Days (Live)" From the album   14 Hidden Gems From The Bootleg Series 1963-1997

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

Giveaway with the May 2023 Mojo

[airenyah]

ok but hear me out.... dunk in a calm/quiet/serious role and joong in a sunshine boy/cinnamon roll role:

[dotted-clouds]

I finished reading a manga I haven't read in 13 years called Silver Diamond ... honestly it was fantastic read for a 2003 manga..

have my mans Senroh Chigusa 💕

[conjuringcutlasses]

Conjuring Cutlasses UPDATE! 💜⚔️

In which we meet brand new Conjurers- Harper and Minnie!

Read the latest update of my webcomic for FREE today on the Conjuring Cutlasses home site!: Conjuringcutlasses.com

[jpnnewmusicdaily]

るれーぶえらび (Le rêve et la vie) by Seri Ishikawa / 石川セリ

Album: 気まぐれ Year: 1977 Label: Philips → Universal Music Japan Lyrics: Hidemi Nobashiri / 野走英美 Music: Kiyoshi Hasegawa / 長谷川きよし

[johnny-2000s]

I figured out the perfect first film- join me to put it to script!!

[radargrind2091]

Felicity, Bree, Danessa, Sage, Patter, and their Besties - Enchantimals Icons

-Left images are from “Meet the Enchantimals” web episodes

-Right images are from “Finding Home”

-Enchantimals (c) Mattel Animation and Kickstart Entertainment

[sunny-ha]

I think im slowing creepin into the investigators fandom

[justarandomspanishspeaker]

watch this Pilot please it's so good >⁠.⁠<

*Walks in*

oh! don't mind me,just leaving the recomendation that if you like some good 1920's ambiented story, smooth animation or charismatic(and chaotic) protagonists troupe, Cats or simply a good web cómic series i can recomend you to take a look at...

Lackadaisy!

Lately the animated Pilot was released and i only feel allowed to say that it's one of those YouTube hidden animated gems,the story,the characters the music,everything Is astounding! I highly recommend it (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠❤

~----------------------✨----------------------~

[misteria247]

Was looking through my books the other day and I'd forgotten that I owned the hidden gem known as Nichijou: My Ordinary Life and to say I'm pleased with this development would be an understatement.

[rastronomicals]

7:33 AM EDT July 20, 2024:

Bob Dylan - "Dirt Road Blues" From the album   14 Hidden Gems From The Bootleg Series 1963-1997

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

Giveaway with the May 2023 Mojo