I remember when I first got into anime years ago and one of the shows I considered watching because of the praise it recieved was Parasyte: The Maxim. I intended to watch it but I got so caught up watching other anime that I eventually forgot all about it, until it was chosen at the anime club I go to. It was not long ago that we finished the final episode and I have a lot of thoughts about the whole series. Parasyte: The Maxim is directed by Kenichi Shimizu, and is a modern adaptation of the manga Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwakka, which ran from 1988 to 1995. The story follows high school student Izumi Shinichi (Nobunaga Shimazaki), who wakes up one night to discover a strange alien-like worm burrowing its way into his arm and moving towards his head. In a panic, he cuts off the circulation in his arm, causing the worm to settle there and eat it, taking its place as the Parasite Shinichi names Migi (Arya Hirano). However, Shinichi has very little time to deal with the new guest in his body before Migi makes him aware of other Parasites, ones who successfully took over their hosts’ brains and are now regularly feasting on humans. Viewing the two as a threat, the Parasites go on the attack, forcing Shinichi and Migi to work togethor in a tense partnership that draws many of the people Shinichi cares about into the bloody crossfire.
Shinichi and Migi battle multiple Parasites across the series, each more dangerous than the last.
This reluctant alliance between the human and Parasite grows magnificently across the story, with both Shinichi and Migi getting some excellent development, as Migi becomes more human and Shinichi less so, much of which ties into the themes of the story about what being human is and the effect we have as a species on the planet. It is not just Shinichi and Migi who are interesting though, because there are also a plethora of interesting supporting characters, like the Parasite Reiko Tamura (Atsuko Tanaka) who’s growing humanity was engaging to see progress. Of course, with quite a few characters in such a bloody series, it is inevitable that many of them do end up meeting tragic ends, creating numerous emotional and gut wrenching scenes… unless the character is being stupid. I say this because Parasite is a show where a few of its supporting cast make excellent candidates for receiving the Darwin Award. Seriously, the decisions some of these characters make are the most idiotic I have seen in a show.
Yes, I agree Shinichi. Yuko really is an idiot.
Thankfully, these instances of stupidity, although extreme when they do happen, are few and far between and it do not come from Shinichi or Migi. No, these two remain consistent in their intelligence and development, as they take on their opposing Parasites in many well done fight scenes, accompanied by a good score and animation. This quality extends to the OP as well, Let Me Hear by Fear, And Loathing in Las Vegas, which was such a great choice because the lyrics coincide perfectly with the events and themes of the show all the way to the end. Speaking of that ending, there is one aspect of it I am still a bit unsure of and this is the resolution to Shinichi and Migi’s relationship. It just felt a little abrupt to me and I think it could have used a bit more time. Otherwise, I actually loved this ending. The final conflict Shinichi has was one I did not expect but I think it made perfect sense with the story’s themes about human nature.
I don’t think the final conflict of the story could have been done better to be honest.
Overall, all of this adds up to anime which does live up to the hype behind it. There are some issues, like characters occasionally making absurdly stupid decisions and part of the ending feeling a bit rushed. However, the rest of it more than makes up for these minor problems, presenting an anime that has intriguing themes and a compelling dynamic between its two main characters.
I had heard how emotional of a ride To Your Eternity was before watching it, but I only became aware of what I was getting into when I heard that the manga which the anime is based off was written by Yoshitoki Ōima, the writer of A Silent Voice. I still find myself rewatching the anime adaptation of A Silent Voice from time to time and I always cry at certain points, whether its tears of joy or happiness. So, I knew coming into To Your Eternity that I was probably going to end up crying… I was still not prepared. Directed by Masahiko Murata, To Your Eternity begins with a seemingly cosmic being (Kenjiro Tsuda) releasing an orb which can take the forms of those it encounters to earth. At first, the orb takes the form of a mere rock, until a dying wolf stumbles across it, and the orb takes the wolf’s form, then coming across the young man who the wolf belonged to. And so begins the orb’s journey to learning what being human means in all of its beauty and suffering.
The meeting between the orb and the boy begins this emotional, tragic adventure.
Eventually being given the name Fushi (Reji Kawashima), the orb encounters many different people over the years, from the young March (Rei Hikisaka) and her sister-figure Parona (Aya Uchida), to the masked Gugu (Ryoko Shiraishi), to the elderly Pioran (Rikako Aikawa). Each of these characters leave an impact on Fushi’s immortal life, leading to many tear inducing moments when some of these characters meet tragic fates. What makes it hurt all the more is how excellent these characters are. Even the ones I was sure I was going to hate, like Pioran and Tonari (Eri Ingawa), I came to love. Except for Hayase (Mitsuki Saiga), that crazy witch can burn in the pits of hell and you will certainly agree with me on that when you see the horrific things she does. Although, we are supposed to despise her so she makes for a great villain. The characters whose stories affected me the most emotionally would definitely be Gugu and Pioran. Their stories are beautiful and tragic, resonating greatly with me.
Gugu’s story made me tear up multiple times. His was by far the most hard hitting story for me.
In fact, every storyline resonated with me, that is how great To Your Eternity is. I already consider it to be a masterpiece because of that and how it gave me so many feelings. The only criticism I even have is that the OP, “Pink Blood” by Hiraki Utada, does spoil some big events that happen, especially later on. This does nothing to affect the show’s quality, though, and the OP itself is great.
Although the OP does have spoilers, it also has many fantastic subtle hints at what will happen, creating a much bigger gut punch when you realise the context.
Along with this, the score and animation are also quite good and there was never a moment where I was brought out of a scene. No, I was gripped from beginning to end through all twenty emotional, gut punching episodes. I cannot recommend To Your Eternity enough. Just be prepared to cry until you’re all out of tissues when you watch this masterpiece of an anime. Season Two cannot come soon enough.
It will not be long until the Amazon Prime adaptation of Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time begins airing and I could not be more excited for it. I recently finished Book Nine, Winter’s Heart, and am planning to rank the books when I actually finish the rest of them. Until then, I will be reviewing every episode of the adaptation when it comes out on November 19. In anticipation of this date, a new trailer was recently released and it is interesting to say the least. By that I mean there is a lot to love about this trailer but also a few things book readers are concerned about. Before I talk about it, though, just in case any people happen to read this who have not read the books, I will keep most of this post spoiler free. I will have a spoiler section at the bottom where I talk about certain things from the books but, until then, this will remain spoiler free except for what we see in the trailer, character names and place names. The trailer begins with Moirainne swearing the oaths of the Aes Sedai, “to speak no word that is not true, to make no weapon with which one person may kill another, and to never use the one power as a weapon.” From here, the trailer cuts to her containing the captive named Logain as a Warder tells someone that Aes Sedai means “servants of all,” setting up the role they are supposed to serve in the world to the viewer. Then we see exactly what Moiraine’s goal is, with her and her Warder, Lan, heading to the Two Rivers in search of someone, followed by brief shots of our five Emond’s Fielders, Nynaeve, Egwene, Rand, Perrin and Mat. Speaking of Mat, unfortunately news has come out that Barney Harris will not be returning for Season Two and Donal Finn will be replacing him. The reasons for why this recasting happened is not currently known. Nonetheless, it is a shame considering that, from the trailers, Harris looks to be a pretty good pick for Mat. Let’s just hope he does a great job in this season and that Finn also follows up his performance well in subsequent seasons.
Hopefully the transition between Mats from seasons one to two works well.
Back to the trailer, we get a brief shot of one of the monsters hunting our characters, A Mydraal, and Moiraine says that the reason such monsters are appearing is because “the Dark One is waking, but there will be one who can stand against him and it’s one of the five of you.” This is definitely the most controversial part of the trailer for book fans but I will get into the reason why in the spoiler section down below. After this controversial moment, however, came a part of the trailer that I think most book readers can agree looks perfect: the Trollocs. I said they looked great in the few glimpses we got from the first trailer and I felt validated watching this new trailer for the first time. It looks like they’re mostly practical as well, giving the Trollocs an especially dangerous feeling. I cannot wait to see the moment when the Trolloc (maybe Narg?) breaks into Rand and Tam’s home, causing a fight to ensue.
The Tollocs look terrifying.
We then see Lan riding off, carrying someone who appears to be an unconscious Moiraine, before the scene cuts to them arriving at the borderland city of Fal Dara and possibly meeting Lord Agelmar. This is followed up by the much more gruesome sight of an Aes Sedai from the Yellow Ajah, bening burned alive at the stake by a White Cloak, Aemon Valda, who has a bunch of Aes Sedai rings, and drinks smugly at the sight of the burning woman, the reflection of this clear in his cup. Next, we have the unusual sight of Lan crying, beating his chest, and Moiraine crying with him, with Egwene. Rand then says he can’t lose Egwene, followed by a shot of her and Perrin being surrounded by White Cloaks, raising the intensity of the trailer since we just saw one burn a woman alive. Egwene insists that Rand won’t lose her, and then we get brief glimpses of two other characters, Loial at a Waygate with the main group, and Thom fighting off what appears to be a Mydraal. We then see more action shots of Moiraine fighting Trollocs with the One Power, Logain’s prison melting, Logain holding off an attack, Alanna fighting with her Warders ducking, and Rand preparing to let loose an arrow. Most iconic of all, though, are the shots of an Aeil fighting a knight in the blood snow.
Cannot wait to see what the context of this particular fight is because, if it’s in the books, I haven’t reached this part yet.
The title is then brought in with the just as iconic line from Moiraine, “The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills.” The trailer then finally ends with Perrin asking Egwene if she thinks they will ever go back home, followed by more action shots, and Egwene saying no. This trailer was great. I liked it even more than the first because it really gave an idea of what to expect from the show and got me excited for many scenes, like the Trolloc attack. Also, if you watched the special version of the trailer and moved the screen around, you will see various old tongue words and a face with fire eyes, which got me even more hyped for it. Explanation for the face down below. As for the rest of the trailer, it was fantastic and I cannot wait for this show to come out so I can review each episode as I watch them.
Spoiler Section:
That face was definitely Ba’alzamon and it has me quite intrigued to see how he will be implemented in the show. Now, for the rest of the book moments I wanted to discuss but could not because of spoilers. For starters, I find it interesting how the White Cloaks are looking to be much more vicious in the show than they were in the books. The White Cloaks in the novels are kind of a bunch of bumbling idiot fanatics. The show looks to be changing that by having Valda burn the Aes Sedai at the stake.
The White Cloaks really do look like smug villains in this and I am all for it.
Although, numerous people have raised concerns over how this would even be feasible and allowed in the world of The Wheel of Time. Another thing people have raised issues about is Lan being so emotional in that one scene where he is beating his chest. Lan is usually such a stoic character so this scene struck most book readers as an odd misunderstanding of the character. Showrunner Rafe Judkins has said this is because of Moiraine’s Warder bond with him, which could explain it in context, so we will have to wait and see how it is portrayed. Now for the most controversial part of the trailer, Egwene and Nynaeve being added to potential candidates for the Dragon Reborn. In the novels, Rand, Mat and Perrin were the only ta’veren and Dragon Reborn candidates. However, the show looks to be adding Egwene and Nynaeve and, in another teaser, Moiraine even states that the prophecies of the Dragon do not state whether the Dragon Reborn is a man or a woman. This changes a huge part of the lore because in the novels the Dragon Rebrorn is stated in the prophecies to be a man, which is a big deal because all male channelers eventually go insane because of the taint of Saidin, which we see when Logain channels in the trailer.
You can see the taint of Saidan (or corruption as it will be called in the show) when Logain channels to protect himself from this knife attack.
The possibility of a woman being the Dragon Reborn would remove a lot of the stigma and fear around them because they could be much less dangerous than a male one would be, potenitally causing some plot holes. Still, this possible contradiction in lore could be worked around, and I expect the writers did this to create more of a mystery for who the Dragon Reborn is. Maybe they’ll set up Egwene to be it, creating hope through the Dragon Reborn being a woman, only to rip that hope away when it is eventually revealed to be Rand, causing panic to spread because the saviour of the world is doomed to go insane and could destroy them all. So, let’s try not to judge this or any of the other changes until we see them in the show with context because they could be implemented well. For example, I am quite interested to see how Logain’s show original storyline could play out. It could serve to hype up his character more for his storyline, which I am still waiting to pay off in the books but it looks to be getting there eventually. Overall, I find many of these changes to be intriguing, even if some of them are a little worrying. Either way, it does not decrease my excitement for this show. As Moiraine said, “The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills,” and it will either weave this show to be good or it won’t. Time will tell.
After watching and loving Tanya the Evil, I decided to be more open to watching isekai’s and my first stop was Overlord. I had actually tried watching this anime about a year or so ago but, for whatever reason, only got to episode three before I gave up. This time, I actually committed to watching all three seasons and I enjoyed each one. Adapted from the Light Novel by Kugane Maruyama, and directed by Naoyuki Itō, Overlord follows the story of Satoru Suzuki (Satoshi Hino), a salaryman in the future who is playing his favourite video game YGGDRASIL on its dying day. Role playing as the skeletal overlord Momonga, Satoru decides to stay logged in until the game shuts down for good, only for him and the game’s NPCs from his tomb of Nazarick to be transported to another world. Trapped in the body of his player character, Satoru takes on the name of his guild, Ainz Ooal Gown, and seeks to spread his name throughout this new world in the hopes of discovering other players trapped with him. It’s just too bad that the NPCs, now very real monsters, see this as an attempt at world domination and now Ainz has to act like he is this all knowing overlord to keep their trust. This makes Overlord different from many other anime out there because our main characters are quite literally evil. And by “quite literally evil” I don’t mean, “oh, they’re just morally grey characters.” No, what I actually mean is, “Jesus Christ, Ainz! Did you really have to go THAT far?”
That said, I am surprised that many people were surprised by the terrible things Ainz does in the third season, when he had been doing terrible things in the first two as well.
It’s a good thing that many of our central characters are so entertaining because, if they weren’t, then we would hardly be able to stomach their evil acts. There’s Demiurge’s (Masayuki Katō) constant and humurous overestimating of Ainz’s abilities, Albedo (Yumi Hara) and Shalltear Bloodfallen (Sumire Uesaka) fighting over Ainz, Cocytus’ (Kenta Miyake) warrior code, and Sebas (Shigeru Chiba) the butler who is the one good guy of the bunch. All of these characters are incredibly overpowered, which could have been a big problem because, in most shows with characters like this, their power makes it obvious that they will win any fight they have, resulting in zero tension. However, because of the characters’ evil status, this is not the case with Overlord, though, as the ones our main characters face off against actually are good people and likeable. Thus, the tension of these fights come not from us wondering if our main characters will win, but through us wondering if the likeable side characters will survive.
Every time a relatable character goes to fight Ainz, you will find yourself hoping that someone or something can come along to save them.
Despite the overpowered characters not being an issue because of how their fights are handled, I do hope that in the future of this story there is a point where Ainz has to actually struggle in a fight, without secretly having it all in the bag. Maybe he could finally come across another YGGDRASIL player trapped in the world with him and they could offer him a real challenge? Well, even if that does not happen, at least there will still be the entertaining characters with great humor accompanying Ainz’s continued unplanned takeover of the world. These elements really do hold the show together though because the animation is nothing special. It’s usually pretty good but there are some atrocious instances of CGI, especially in the third season.
Please. No more CGI goblins in the fourth season.
One thing that stays consistently great about Overlord, though, is its openings. “Clattanoia,” ‘Go Cry Go,” and “Voracity” are all top notch openings that do a great job of showing what you can expect from their respective seasons. I’m glad I picked up Overlord again. I may have given up on it the first time after episode three, and I also felt like the first season did not grab me very well, but from season two onwards it’s been an enjoyable time. Fingers crossed that Season Four can be just as good when that arrives, maybe with some improved CGI too.
I doubt there’s anyone who has not at least heard of Squid Game yet. The South Korean series, distributed by Netflix, has become a worldwide phenomenon, in the short time since its release. This review is probably not going to be any different from the numerous other ones you may have heard, heaping praise upon the show. However, like many other viewers, I was so enthralled by Squid Game that I couldn’t just not talk about it. Created and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, the series begins with Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), a gambling addict, who is in debt to loan sharks, desperately trying to salvage his relationship with his daughter who lives with his ex-wife. After a strange encounter with a salesman (Gong Yoo) at a train station, Gi-hun is invited to take part in a series of children’s games where the winner will win a substantial amount of prize money. Joining him in the games is Gi-hun’s childhood friend Sang-woo (Park Hae-soo), an elderly man with a terminal illness (O Yeong-su), the good nautred Pakistani Ali (Anupam Tripathi), North Korean refugee Sae-byeok (first time actress Jung Ho-yeon) , murderous gangster Deok-su (Heo Sung-tae), and 450 others, who also all have crippling debt. However, the supposed kids games take a turn for the horrifying when the players learn the hard way that this is a death game, where most of them will probably be “eliminated” by the guards for losing before all six challenges are completed.
Gi-hun and the 450 players will have to survive first if they want a chance to win the prize money.
And so begins the desperate struggle of the players to survive and win, with numerous instances of heartbreak and betrayal. Squid Game is, without a doubt, one of the most intense experiences I have had with a show. Almost every single episode had moments that left me shaking with anxiety out of fear for what could happen to these characters. Speaking of, the characters are another thing this show excels at. I came to care about so many of them, including some of the ones who are only around for a few episodes. Even the characters you are supposed to hate are well written, with me literally screaming at the TV in disgust at their actions a few times. They are all just so well crafted. Squid Game may be centered around the death game, but it is the character drama that is the heart of the show. This brings us to episode six, “Gganbu,” which I am sure we can all agree is the best episode of the entire series. It is an absolute masterpiece that left me an emotional wreck after it was all over.
Be prepared to cry when you get to episode six of Squid Game.
It’s not just episode six, though, because all nine episodes are incredibly well crafted, with numerous excellent examples of foreshadowing and symbolism that make it great for a rewatch. Apparently, Hwang had been trying for well over a decade to get approval to make Squid Game and, in my opinion, this was a good thing because it allowed him to plan out his story expertly. The end result is various reveals that recontextualize a lot of moments as the story goes on, which left me feeling shocked and sometimes even betrayed (in a good way). Accompanying this is the excellent commentary on capitalism, which South Korea just seems to be the best at, considering how well this commentary has been handled in other shows and films from the country, like the Best Picture winning Parasite. Then there’s the score by Jung Jae-il, which is also great and helps improve on the already emotional and intense scenes. It’s not all perfect though because there are a few hiccups here and there. The most obvious issue, which is something everyone else has criticized, is the acting of the VIP characters. I’m not sure if it’s the actors or the direction they got but their parts were mostly atrocious, with awful acting and dialogue.
The VIPs are easily the worst part of Squid Game.
Although, I’m sure our reactions to the VIPs are how most foreign viewers react whenever an English speaking film has someone acting in their language terribly. Another thing I have seen people criticizing is the final episode, Episode Nine, “One Lucky Day.” Honestly, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this ending at first either, however, after thinking about it and hearing other interpretations of the ending, I actually came to enjoy it quite a bit. There’s plenty of foreshadowing for what happens and it stays consistent with the characters and their progression, while leaving the story open for a season two.
The ending of Squid Game is certainly not a happy one, although concerning the subject matter it is rather fitting.
Some are already eagerly anticipating this potential second season, while others are afraid they might ruin it if they continue. Personally, I will be okay if they decide to leave it at one season but I do also want another one just to see where they will take it all from here. A second season is almost guaranteed at this point, though, because of how high the viewership for this has been. Squid Game is a fantastic show, despite a few issues, and it made me experience so many emotions throughout.
Over the past few months, I have got into reading webtoons and found plenty of which I believe to be interesting. From horrors, to comedies, to adventures, to dramas, there’s plenty of great stories that you can find on Webtoon. So, I decided to post a brief discussion about the five ongoing ones which I have found the most enjoyment in reading. It must be noted though that this list may not be encapsulating the best webtoon stories out there because I might not have found those ones yet. These are just the ones I have read so far and find to be the most entertaining.
5. The Wendybird by WmW. Illustrated by Thabfu.
We all know the story of Peter Pan. A young girl named Wendy wishes for adventures, and then the magical Peter Pan shows up looking for his missing shadow and takes Wendy and her siblings to Neverland, where they go on adventures with the Lost Boys and Tinkerbell, and fight Captain Hook. Well, what separates The Wendybird from the other Peter Pan stories out there is how it not only focuses on Wendy more as a character and her growth, but also goes into the darker aspects of Peter and the Lost Boys’ characters. If you take the time to think about Peter as a character, his actions can be pretty messed up, so it was a nice change of pace to start reading this story and see Peter and the Lost Boys’ less than heroic actions being called out. This does not mean that Peter is completley bad, though, because the webtoon also focuses on his insecurities, which cause these negative traits, really well. Then there’s Wendy, who is a very active character in this story rather than just being along for the ride in the adventures. It is interesting to see her slow growth from an inexperienced girl, naively excited for Neverland, to slowly becoming disillusioned with both Neverland and Peter. It looks like things are going to become even messier between her and Peter as the story goes on and I am all for it. The other characters are also pretty good, with Tiger Lily being a much more active character, like Wendy, and also a genderbent Captain Hook, who looks to have an actual interesting motivation for being so villanous. Overall, The Wendybird is an intriguing new take on the Peter Pan story and I am interested to see how both Wendy and Peter’s characters will move forward in this story.
4. Finding Wonderland by WmW. Art by roousuu.
The second and last story by WmW on this list, Finding Wonderland is one of their more recent works but it is the one I found the soonest and became the most invested in. I was drawn into the story pretty quickly, what with its numerous quirky characters and interesting take on Wonderland itself. Finding Wonderland follows Alex, a soldier and executioner for the Red Queen in Wonderland. However, this changes when a rabbit by the name of Lucky infiltriates the castle. Lucky works for the Black Knave, a supposedly evil prince who can create and control monsters known as Nightmares. Realizing Lucky’s trust in Alex, the Red Queen sends Alex on a quest to find Lucky and take down the Black Nave once and for all. As Alex meets up with Lucky and begins their journey, she encounters a number of eccentric characters and starts to realize the situation in their world may not be as clear cut as she first thought. This is in regards to a certain reveal that happens early on, which makes the story much more interesting for it being there and has me curious about how it will continue to play into the narrative. I won’t spoil what this reveal is though because I think it’s better if you see it for yourself. There is a lot of mystery in this story and I have my fingers crossed that WmW can wrap the questions to these mysteries nicely. As for Alex herself, her journey is similar to Wendy’s in finding out the dark truth about the world she inhabits, and I have been quite enjoying her growing bond with Lucky as the story has gone on. Pair this up with the interesting twist to the story and I often find myself having quite a lot of fun with Finding Wonderland, which is why it is ranked as the fourth most interesting webtoon I have come across.
3. Shotgun Boy by Carnaby Kim. Illustrated by Hongpil.
With the webtoon ranked at number three on my list, we go from fun to terrifying. Carnaby Kim is definitely the most accomplished writer on this list, because their stories have been pretty popular and one of them, Sweet Home, even got a Netflix adaptation. Shotgun Boy is the prequel to Sweet Home but so far you do not have to had read Sweet Home to understand it, although some characters from that also great webtoon do show up. The story follows Gyuhwan, a teenage boy who has been facing some pretty reprehensible bullying for years now. Everything comes to a head during a school trip when, chased into the woods by his main attacker, Seongbin, Gyuhwan comes across a shotgun and makes a spur of the moment decision to use it to kill his bullies and everyone who ignored his suffering. However, upon returning, he finds his fellow classmates under attack from brain eating monsters and now he has to defend the very people he originally sought to kill. So, yeah, not gonna mince words, the main character of this story does plan to commit a mass shooting. This is naturally a very disturbing topic to cover and could even be seriously problematic. Even after reading up to where the story is at, I’m not sure how I feel about it, considering the city I live in also suffered a mass shooting, when a guman attacked two mosques, tragically ending 51 innocent lives. At least I can say that the circumstances surrounding this fictional planned attack and some of the real life attacks that have sadly happened in the real world are very different, and Gyuhwan is learning how terribly wrong he was to plan such an evil act. As for the rest of the story, it is very well written, and quite horrifying, with various likeable characters you want to get out of this situation, and a few, like Seongbin, who you would not mind seeing getting their brains eaten. Even some of the brain eating monsters are interesting, with a recently introduced one named Samshik having an fun yet creepy personality that has me wanting to see more of them. I’m also quite curious to see how this ties in with Sweet Home, which I have also begun to read and am having a great time with so far. If you like horror action stories, then I would definitely recommend Shotgun Boy. Just know that it does deal with heavy subject matter, especially in regards to its main character’s intentions.
2. Hero Killer by Kkulbeol. Illustrated by Beolkkul.
There are so many superhero stories out there nowadays that it’s hard to find one that is not influenced by another. This is the case with Kkulbeol’s Hero Killer, which wears its inspirations on its sleeve, obviously being heavily inspired by My Hero Academia. Not only are the character designs of Rachel Sinclair and John Nash dead ringers for Himiko Toga and Dabi, but the main character’s villain name is Hero Killer, the exact same title that the villain Stain is given in Kohei Horikoshi’s story. This is not a criticism though because Hero Killer owns its status as a work clearly influenced by other superhero media, as it uses its influences create something new and interesting. If I could describe it through other works, it would be as a mixture between the My Villain Academia Arc and The Boys. The story follows Ihwa, a young woman out for revenge against the Hero Clan for the murder of her sister. As she uses her Gift (this story’s version of Quirks) to kill multiple corrupt heroes, she is eventually recrutied by the villain organization known as the Nameless, lead by the ruthless and mysterious Engen, the Smiling Man. What follows is, so far, an entertaining story with some great action and character exploration. We still need to go a bit more in depth with Ihwa’s backstory but she’s still interesting, as are the rest of her villainous compatriots and the “heroes” who they fight. Whatever side they fall on, the characters the story chooses to focus on are all fun with their own unique personalities, which should make for even more interesting conflict between them in the future, wherever this story decides to go. Hero Killer may have numerous similarities with other super hero stories but it uses those similarities to create something that feels fresh and unique, and I would suggest it to anyone who likes this genre.
1. I’m the Grim Reaper by GRAVEWEAVER.
The number one webtoon I have read that I would suggest you should is I’m the Grim Reaper by GRAVEWEAVER. It is a story that I binged rather quickly up until where it left off because of how great I found it to be. Since then, I have been consistently reading the following chapters, everytime it updates. I’m the Grim Reaper tells the story of Scarlet, a woman who recently died and finds herself in hell with no memory of who she is, only to be met by Satan, who says that she is his favourite sinner and offers her a deal. Either she can be sentenced to the ninth level of hell, where she will suffer for all eternity, or she can become a Grim Repear for him, returning to earth to kill one sinner a day. Faced with eternal damnation, Scarlet makes the obvious choice of taking Satan’s offer. Teaming up with a former detective named Chase, who is extremely dissatisfied with the unjust reality of their world, Scarlet eventually finds herself trying to discover who she was, why she died, and why what she did was bad enough for her to be sentenced to hell’s ninth level. All of this while she has to deal with Satan’s demands, other Grim Repears, and even angels. I am The Grim Repear is by far the longest webtoon in this recommendation list, yet I finished it in just a few days because of how much I was enjoying the story, the characters, and mystery surrounding Scarlet. Speaking of these characters, many of them are likeable and their interactions are great. Scarlet and Chase have a great bond and I like how the feelings they have slowly been getting towards one another has been built up. There is even some tragedy involved with many of the characters whose lives Scarlet interferes with. Hell, even Satan himself is an interesting character with a tragic backstory, making him a great antagonist. It’s also cool to look back on some of the earlier chapters and then look at the more recent ones to see how the quality of GRAVEWEAVER’s art has become even better over the years. I’m the Grim Reaper is definitely my favourite webtoon that I have come across so far, with its great story, characters and mystery, all of which I am eager to see how they will be wrapped up in the future, which made it a sure pick for number one on this list.
So, there you have it, the five webtoons that I would recommend, although there are many more that I have started reading, which I am enjoying quite a bit. There are so many great stories on Webtoon and whatever kind you like I bet they will have the one for you.
The past year has sadly not been kind to the great WIT Studio. Apparently they have lost 501 million yen, or 4.5 million dollars, in the fiscal year. This is extremely unfortunate when you consider not only what they have put out before, like Attack on Titan for example, but also what they put out after such a loss. One of these anime was Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s song, probably one of the year’s best anime. Created by Tappei Nagatsuki and Eiji Umehara, the story is set in a world where AI technology has progressed to the point that many of them appear human. One of the most advanced AI is Diva, called Vivy (Atsumi Tanezaki) by one of her young fans, and her reason for existing, or her “mission” as the AIs call it, is to make people happy with her singing. However, this may not be so simple because she suddenly finds herself being recruited by an AI named Matsumoto (Jun Fukuyama), who was sent from the future to stop an AI takeover where all of humanity was slaughtered.
Preventing rogue AI from killing all of humanity is hardly an original concept, but Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song tells it extraordinarily well.
Reluctantly joining Matsumoto, Vivy goes on a series of missions to prevent the AI uprising and learn what it means to sing with your heart, all in the span of 13 amazing and emotional episodes. What makes these episodes so great is how they not only build upon Vivy’s character, and her growing partnership with Matsumoto, but also develop the many different side characters in their own side narratives, whether they be human or AI. The emotion produced from these scenes is helped by the excellent animation and soundtrack. This standard of animation also extends to the action sequences, which are nothing short of spectacular, with their constant fluid movement.
If you pause at any point in an action scene of Vivy, you will most likely find plenty of detail, showing how much effort was put into animating all of this.
As for the soundtrack, there are many amazing songs that I have found myself constantly listening to ever since I finished the show. From the OP “Sing My Pleasure,” to its counterpart track by Grace, to the titular “Fluorite Eye’s Song,” which got me tearing up when I finally heard it. All of this combines to create a spectacular anime that I would highly recommend. I cannot think of a single weak episode among the lot. They all either bring an emotional moment or an interesting twist to the story, with fantastic development for Vivy, Matsumoto and the side characters, alongside an excellent soundtrack and vibrant animation.
Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song is a complete package anime. I’d call it a masterpiece.
I hope that Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song can help get WIT Studio’s profits up, along with whatever anime they go on to produce in the future. Check out this emotional rollercoaster ride of an anime if you have not already.
When I first read Kentaro Miura’s Berserk and reached Chapter 363, I remember excitedly going to read the next chapter, only to realise it was the last one released before Miura’s tragic passing.
I was sad to see that I and many other fans would not know how Miura intended to continue the story, especially after the cliffhanger of the Moonlight Boy meeting Guts again.
This is why I was very excited to hear that there was one final chapter Miura completed that would be released, Chapter 364, “A Tear Like Morning Dew.”
After eagerly anticipating the chapter for a while, I finally read it and am pleased to say that what may be the final chapter of Berserk we ever get did not disappoint.
Picking up from the end of the previous chapter, “A Tear Like Morning Dew” begins with the first of many father and son antics, with the Moonlight Boy instantly climbing atop Guts’ Berserker Armour to rest on his head.
Guts brings him inside so he can be with Casca and what follows is a humorous sequence where Schierke mistakes the child for a disguised Danann.
The face she pulls when she realises she was wrong is so comically out of place with the rest of Miura’s artwork that it heightens the comedy of the moment.
After this scene, we get our reunion between Casca and the Moonlight Boy, only now Casca has all of her memories.
The connection between the two is obvious and Danann quickly picks up on it, along with the boy’s connection to Guts.
The following panel of Guts sitting outside while everyone reunites with the Moonlight Boy is both beautifully drawn and also highlights his purposeful distance from Casca, due to her trauma, as illustrated by the bottom panel of Casca lying in bed with the Moonlight Boy, seperated from Guts.
Once this distance is illustrated, we get many more wholesome moments between the seperate parents and their child, as Casca continues to bond with him while Guts trains.
This training does not last though because the Moonlight Boy quickly interrupts, sneaking into Guts’ Berserker Armour in a downright adorable moment.
After helping the boy out of the armour, Guts then leads him back to Casca, telling him to go be with them, once again keeping a respectful distance from Casca.
Their relationship is truly tragic and it is a sad thing we may never know how it ends for them.
Even sadder is the scene that follows, the final scene of this potential final chapter, which serves to punch us all in the gut.
This is Berserk after all, so we all knew there just had to be a catch to the numerous wholesome scenes with the Moonlight Boy in this chapter.
Turns out that catch is the brutal confirmation of the theory that the Moonlight Boy and Griffith are connected.
As Casca has a dream remembering her connection with her mutilated ghost baby and how this saved her during the Conviction Arc, she seems to awaken with a realization and runs outside to see Guts standing before the Moonlight Boy.
The child begins to speak, however, as he does so, their body begins to change.
“I had a dream. Under the fool moon, I was a child embraced by a nostalgic warmth. But when I wake from the dream, only a vague sense of longing remains… that too, will soon disappear… with a single tear like morning dew.”
With these fittingly poetic lines, the speaker turns, revealing the Moonlight Boy to have transformed into a Griffith, tears spilling from his eyes, bringing the chapter and potentially the story of Berserk to a close.
This was a fantastic chapter, full of both wholesome moments and gut punches.
If it really is the final chapter of Berserk, then I think it is a fitting one.
Is it frustrating for it to end on such a massive cliffhanger?
Certainly, however, it is important to take into account whether this story should continue without Miura’s guidance.
What were his wishes concerning the future of the story in case of his passing, if he had any, and will anyone be able to take over the story until its conclusion?
It is not unheard of.
For example, Brandon Sanderson took over the Wheel of Time after Robert Jordan’s unfortunate passing due to a terminal illness.
Maybe there is someone who could take over Berserk and end it for Muira.
Again, though, Muira’s wishes do need to be considered here first and foremost.
He is the creator of Berserk and his wishes for his series should be respected.
Whether this magnificent story ends here or continues, “A Tear Like Morning Dew,” is yet another brilliant Berserk chapter and Muira deserves all the thanks for gifting this great story that has influenced so many other creators.
Chapter Eight: My Benefit. The eighth chapter of Sui Ishida’s Choujin X, “My Benefit,” is another solid chapter that picks up well with the aftermath from Tokio and Ely’s fight with the Snake Choujin, Nari.
It starts off by immediately dismissing my theory that Tokio’s name being mistaken for Zaven in the last chapter would allow him to hide his true identity from the Choujin organization, while continuing to help them.
It actually turns out that whole Zaven thing was just a gag because the organization of Yamato Mori knows who Tokio is and have given him the story that he is now a witness for a secret agent, so his family and people at school will not learn that he is a Choujin.
The only one who does know from Tokio’s life is obviously Azuma, who takes the time to apologise to Tokio for yelling and not helping him when he needed it.
Tokio forgives him and admits Azuma was right about him constantly relying on people.
Things seem good between the two but the next panel displaying the light reflecting off Azuma’s glasses, hiding his eyes, does raise some suspiscion.
I wonder what is truly going through Azuma’s head?
After this, Tokio goes to Yamato Mori to learn about his registration.
It’s here that he meets up with Ely and two other Choujin, Simon Kagomura, who was the Choujin who saved them from Nari last chapter, and Maiko Momoma, the woman seen with Ely in the last few chapters but who had her face hidden previously.
The two inform Tokio and Ely about the registration system.
Simon and Maiko, along with others at Yamato Mori, have Class A registration, meaning they can use their powers for research or the betterment of society, like protecting people from Choujin attacks like Simon did with capturing Nari.
Tokio and Ely are about to receive Class B registration, which will only allow them to use their powers if they or others are in danger, or by accident since Choujin powers are connected to emotion.
Tokio does express some interest in getting Class A registration but Simon’s scolding gets him to meekly relent.
We then get our first look at Maiko’s powers when she uses super strength to clear a fallen tree.
She makes Tokio and Ely look away when she does this though, so she must be shy about it for some reason.
Either that or there is a practical reason for her trying to hide her power, which could be revealed later.
Following this, Tokio and Ely are interviewed by Sandaq, who drills them on what they consider to be good and evil, and who they consider their allies and enemies to be.
He then hits them with the impotant question that shapes the chapter and possibly Tokio’s life going forward: what do they hope to benefit from their lives?
For Ely, the answer is easy: money.
That’s right, we got another Ochako Uraraka on our hands here.
Although, the dream for money to make them and their loved ones happy is pretty much the only similarity between the two.
On another note, I’m interested to see what the other character’s thought about Ely’s declaration, since it could be interpreted as not being noble and the reaction panels we get from Tokio, Sandaq, Simon and Maiko are interesting.
Yet, this bit is cut short for a comedic moment when Sandaq questions if it will make all of her wishes come true and Ely says most of them, reminding us again of her crush on Sandaq.
I wonder if this will become a running gag or if Ely’s crush on Sandaq will become disillusioned in the future?
Maybe like how Tokio and Azuma’s friendship could become broken if their bond is going the way I think it is.
Once this comedic moment is over, Sandaq turns to Tokio and asks him the same question but, unlike Ely, Tokio has no idea what he hopes to benefit.
It is interesting how most other protaganists in manga have some kind of goal or dream to achieve at the beginning of their stories.
Izuku from My Hero Academia wanted to become a hero, Eren from Attack on Titan wanted to exterminate the Titans, Denji from Chainsaw Man wanted a good life and to touch some boobs.
Tokio, on the other hand, does not know what he wants and it is a pretty good change of pace.
He and Ely really are complete opposites.
Whereas Ely is already certain about what she wants in life, Tokio is hesitant and uncertain.
Ely later confronts him about this, asking what’s the point of living without a dream, probably coming off more insulting than she intended.
With this scene expanding on the opposites dynamic of Tokio and Ely, it also offers a possible character arc for Tokio in the future, as he could slowly begin to sperate from needing Azuma and discover his own dream and strive towards it.
This could also be foreshadowed in the next scene where a news report states that a vulture and a tiger remain at large, having escaped from the zoo Tokio and Ely fought Nari in.
Tokio is definitley being represented by the vulture and Azuma most likely the tiger.
Whatever Tokio decides his dream is though, there will probably be complications to achieving it, no doubt mostly caused by the enemy Choujin out there.
We get our first look at two of them after the zoo symbolism, and these Choujin are revealed to be named Ririka Umezawa, or Ume, and Richard, or Ricardo, in the next chapter.
These two dangerous Choujin have been sent to clean up after Nari, probably by the masked Choujin who started this whole thing.
But, because this is Choujin X, there has to be some comedy so, instead of ending on this ominous note, the chapter instead ends with Tokio curiously asking his sister what dreams she has, only for her to shout that it is to marry into money.
I guess her and Ely would get along then.
Overall, “My Benefit” is another solid chapter for Choujin X.
It formly introduces us to some interesting characters and excellently sets up the future of Tokio’s character arc, wherever that may take him.
Chapter Nine: Sinker, Part 1 – Grounder Boy. Chapter Nine picks up from “My Benefit” in an interesting way because, while it continues to expand on Tokio’s lack of a dream, it seems to contrast this with a new character whose dream was destroyed by him becoming a Choujin.
This contrast starts with two sets of characters, Tokio at his home, and the Choujin Ume and Richard in what appears to be a motel, watching Azuma’s baseball match on TV.
On a side note it is intriguing to see how this world differs somewhat from our own through the portrayal of baseball, with the bases seemingly being in the shape of a hexagon.
The main focus is on how this sets up the introduction for the new character though, with Azuma’s skills being compared to that of a student who was even better than Azuma.
However, Richard says that he had to quit because he turned into a Choujin in the middle of a match.
This student is then revealed as Tezuya Shiozaki, who will clearly be a big focus of the next chapter, if the Part 1 in the title refrencing him is any indication.
From his introduction, we cut to an expansion on Richard and Ume, as Tokio sees their wanted posters.
Noticing this, another new character, Ichiro Sato, who is explained by Simon to be Sandaq’s protege, tells Tokio that Ume is the Paper-Cutout Choujin who is responsible for numerous bank robberies.
As for Richard, he is a Tentacle Choujin who works as a bodyguard for criminal organizations, but also betrayed one of these groups, killing all of the members.
Since we have seen Richard working with Ume, I wonder if that means she hired him to help her in whatever job she has been tasked with?
Back to Tokio, he sees Ichiro taking Tezuya for his latest Choujin evaluation and Tokio becomes intrigued when Simon tells him that Tezuya used to go Tsuru High, like him.
This intrigue is interrupted by anoter great gag when Ely wonders aloud if Yamato Mori could make her some cash, and her eyes become coins, much to Tokio’s exasperation.
From here, we get a brief look at Ichiro’s evaluation of Tezuya, during which he claims to not be interested in baseball anymore, and afterwards has a brief interaction with Tokio.
Following this, Tezuya goes home to his siblings, only to take part in a bank robbery later.
It would seem losing his dream of baseball thanks to his Choujin powers caused Tezuya to go down a dark path.
Once this is displayed, we get another showcase of Tokio and Ely’s days at Yamato Mori, with them watching a presentation on what the consequences can be if they lose control of their Choujin powers.
Maiko also falls asleep during this, which is comedic since it seems she was supposed to be supervising.
In the next scene, we then get an expansion on Tokio and Ely’s growing friendship, with Tokio teaching Ely how to use a phone so she can call her grandfather.
The two then walk out, with Ely consoling Tokio, telling him it does not matter if he does not have a dream, motivating Tokio begin trying to find his own dream .
This causes Ely to ask if he can help her find something, but we don’t hear what.
Then, for the last scene, we cut back to Tezuya, who discovers one of Ume’s cutout dogs, which shocks him when he grabs hold of it.
This is concerning because if Ume and Richard learn of Tezuya’s darker side then they could try to recruit him, maybe even blackmailing him.
Yamato Mori certainly would not be pleased if they learned of Tezuya’s nightly activities, after all.
Still, Tezuya has a chance of redemption from Tokio and Ely, as the chapter ends with the two of them seeing him illegally use his Choujin Powers to steal a soft drink when the vending machine won’t accept his money.
How fitting that the chapter ends with the Choujin whose dream was destroyed by becoming one about to have a conversation with the Choujin who does not have a dream and the one who does.
This could lead to some interesting growth for all three characters, so I am intrigued to see where Chapter Ten will go.
The ninth chapter of Choujin X is another solid one from Ishida.
He has yet to release a bad chapter for this series.
I loved the first season of The Saga of Tanya the Evil so immediately after finishing it, I naturally moved on to watching the movie, which was released two years after the show. Directed once again by Yutaku Uemura, and based off the light novels by Carol Zen, The movie sees Tanya (Aoi Yuki) and her battalion of mages sent to infiltrate and spy on the Russy Federation, this world’s version of the Soviet Union. However, once inside, the plan instantly goes awry, causing a chain of events that creates a film which is a worthy sequel to the anime.
“They’re Commies. Blow the s#$t out of them.” With these words, Tanya and her batallion begin their mission.
I was not let down by this movie, even though I felt like some things could have been improved upon. The first of these things is Tanya’s relationship with Being X. Her rivalry with the self proclaimed deity was a highlight for me when watching the show, so I was disappointed to see Being X not drop in personally to gloat to Tanya in the movie. Another disappointing thing was that there is a flash forward, which clearly spoils the outcome of the entire war. This should have been cut entirely. I have heard it is like this in the light novels but, come on, knowing what’s going to happen to the Empire does remove the tension, somewhat. The last criticism I have is of Tanya’s actual rival in this film. You see, certain circumstances inside the Russy Federation lead to Tanya being confronted by the daughter of a solider who she killed in combat. This girl’s name is Mary Sue (Haruka Tomatsu). No, I am not kidding, there is literally a character called Mary Sue and, as her name suggests, she is ridiculously overpowered, most likely because of Being X’s involvement. Now, I know Mary Sue being overpowered is clearly the point. She is a character that is supposed to play off the stereotypical tropes of the Mary Sue archetype, possibly serving as a parody. However, Mary does not feel like a parody but rather just a general usage of the Mary Sue trope, without anything new or interesting done, which makes her pretty annoying.
Mary is more like an actual Mary Sue rather than a commentary on the trope.
I know I have been criticising this movie a bunch when I said I enjoyed it and I did. I just wanted to get a few of my grievances out of the way first before I got into the praise. First of all, Tanya is once again a fun character to follow. Not only is it still exciting and somewhat funny to see a salaryman in the body of a child plan and then carry out military operations, but the animators also clearly go all out animating her expressions, especially when she indulges in her sometimes crazy outbursts. Just like in the show, the action is also great, with the sound design once again being stellar. Then there’s the comedy, which had me burst out laughing a few times.
This reaction is pretty funny. Watch the movie and you’ll know why.
I will also say that this film contains a scene which is probably my favourite of the entire anime so far. Watching this movie after the anime left me wanting more, so I was overjoyed to hear that a season two is currently being made. Hopefully it will live up to the standard set by its predecessors. Until then, there’s also a comedic OVA “Operation Desert Pasta,” which is pretty good as well. The Saga of Tanya the Evil: The Movie is a worthy follow up to the anime and I cannot wait to see more from the monster in the form of a little girl.
THE REVIEW MONSTER 