Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul

 Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul (メイドインアビス 深き魂の黎明) is the third theatrical movie for the Made in Abyss franchise.  The movie is based on the manga of the same name by Tsukushi Akihito.  The movie played theatrically in Japan in January of 2020 and April of 2020 in America.

     While it is the third movie of the series, Dawn of the Deep Soul is the first new material following the 13 episode TV series.  The story picks up with Riko, Reg and Nanachi heading to the entrance to Sixth Layer.  the entrance is a safe zone known as the Ido Front and is overseen by the White Whistle Bondrewd, the same person who performed horrific experiments on Nanachi and Mitty.  They make it to the Ido Front relatively unharmed and are surprised to be welcomed by Bondrewd and his daughter Prushka.  Bondrewd seems to be well aware of who they are, which puts Nanachi on edge.

    Even though they seek safe passage to the Sixth Layer, they are informed that the only way they can access the portal to it is with a White Whistle.  Bondrewd confirms for them that no one other than the original owner of a White Whistle may activate it.  With their plans interrupted they wait to figure out what they will need to do in order to proceed.  While awaiting their fate Riko and Prushka become friends and Nanachi confronts her tormentor about his evil acts.  But things are not exactly as they seem at the Ido Front and the way forward will prove the hardest challenge they have faced so far.

    As with the TV series before it, Dawn of the Deep Soul crams as much cuteness as it can before turning a switch and becoming sadistic and cruel.  Horrific secrets and motives are revealed through the course of the film which greatly tests the resolve of our heroes.  It's incredible to see how far and how much these seemingly innocent characters have overcome to end up in the horrific mess that awaits them on this leg of their journey.

    There is not much more to discuss honestly, without getting into details of the plot that will spoil too much.  The artwork is little changed from that of the TV series, which was already fantastic.  The movie is close to two hours in length but the story seems to be shorter than it really is.  You will have to have watched either the series or the first two recap movies to understand most of what is going on in this film, but it is all worth it.  The adventure and world setting of Made in Abyss is as fantastic as it is horrific and well worth the experience.

    The film was released earlier in 2020 and then made available for streaming with a purchase in the Summer of 2020 in most English speaking countries.  At the time of this review it is not yet available on disc in North America.

Kare Kano vol 3

In volume 2 we saw Miyazawa and Arima come together as a couple, overcoming frustration through school duties and the interference of Arima's friend Hideaki.  In the end they confided in the other the desire to be dependable and reliant on the other.  What further struggles with the pair face as they live their new lives to the fullest?

 

    The time they spent together going on dates and enjoying themselves after the sports festival has taken its toll on their grades.  The exam results for the first semester see Miyazawa slip all the way to 13th and Aroma fall to 3rd.  Shocked by the sudden decline in the star pupils studies, the advisors bring the pair in for a meeting about their performance.  Miyazawa's resistance to the scolding confirms for  the rumors of their relationship.  The head teacher tells the two that they should stop dating and take their futures more seriously.  Refusing to give up her new found value as more than someone obsessed with pretending to be perfect, Miyazawa argues with them that the school shouldn't be interfering in their personal live.  Arima backs her up by asking them to allow the relationship as long as they resume their place at the top of student rankings.  The faculty relents, but only temporarily, contacting both sets of parents for a meeting about the relationship and academic performance.

 

    Miyazawa's parents get fired up with the prospect of the meeting, having overcome their own challenges for their love.  Their spirit concerns Miyazawa, who fears they could make things worse.  The real concern is how this will effect Arima's relationship with his adoptive parents.  The two families meet with the teacher to further discuss the schools concern over the relationship and it's effect on their studies.  Miyazawa's father agrees with his daughter and explains to the teacher that their goal is to give their children freedom to enjoy their lives instead of wasting their youth solely focused on studies.  Much to everyone's surprise Arima's parents agree as well, explaining how proud he has made them and the hope to be there to help him when he is in need.  Relenting under the unified front from both families the faculty decide to stop trying to prevent the relationship.

 

    With that challenge behind them they can once again enjoy their time together.  Unfortunately a girl in their class, Izawa Maho, has decided to turn the other girls in the class against Miyazawa.  She convinces them that her facade was only to get the two most sought after boys in the grade.  Dropping her mask only because they were now hers.  The girls see the wisdom in Maho's words and soon begin to give Miyazawa the cold shoulder.  Recognizing the situation and how her past self could lead to their feelings, Yukino decides to accept her fate.  She realizes that her life of tricking everyone meant she never truly connected with anyone.  Even though she has been the top student and admired by the faculty and student body, she has never been able to have meaningful relationships with anyone until she met Arima.  She feels that as long as she has him it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks or does.

 

Continue on to volume 4.

 

Kare Kano vol 2

 In volume 1 we were introduced to Miyazawa and Arima, the top students of the freshman class and the vision of perfection.  Miyazawa's model student visage was only a performance.  She worked tirelessly to exude perfection and dependability.  In reality she was lazy and shallow, only living for praise and admiration, eschewing anything else.  Arima came from wealth and prestige and is the model student, but only for fear of disappointing his adoptive parents.  Arima confessed his love to Miyazawa only to be rejected, instead they became friends and allies...but Miyazawa is coming to terms with the love growing in her for her once rival.

    Miyazawa and Arima decide to live their public lives as their true selves, no longer hiding behind masks.  There closeness pushes Miyazawa to wonder more about his feelings for her.  She is unable to gather the courage to tell him how she truly feels, to the point where it strains her emotionally.  Through the wise words of her younger sisters she realizes that she was only trying to prevent herself from being hurt.  Actions that did not take Arima's feelings into consideration.  In the end she gathers the courage to express her love for him.  Unfortunately their timing is bad as they become overwhelmed with duties for the upcoming sports festival.  The moment they decide to become more than friends they are prevented from spending any time together.  Struggling through the mountain of work and management they are unable to be a couple until the festival ends.  Their love grows in the forced absence of the other.

    With the sports festival behind them they can finally enjoy time together as a couple.  That peace is short lived as the appearance of a rival for Arima's heart causes issues.  Hideaki Asaba is another freshman who attracts the attention of the girls through his looks.  He considers himself Arima's friend but really intends to use him to draw more women in for his nefarious schemes.  Hideaki, obsessed with pretty girls, wants to live a world surrounded by them, fawning over him.  He see's Arima attractiveness as a way to gather more to his flock.  Miyazawa presents a problem by being Arima's girlfriend.  Hideaki decides to battle Miyazawa over Arima's heart but in the end realizes that his ambitions are too shallow and Arima's love for her too strong.  Before the truce can take place Hideaki plants a seed of doubt in Miyazawa's mind and heart about her worth as Arima's girlfriend.

    As Miyazawa and Arima spend more time together their feelings become stronger, but so does their doubt.  Miyazawa struggles with his coolness and impenetrability.  Wondering what his thoughts really are and if she will ever understand or know the real him, residing deep in his calm facade.  Arima wonders at the delightful chaos that swirls around the real Miyazawa.  Her impulsiveness and random thoughts and delights make him see himself as boring and empty by comparison.  While alone in school on a rainy night they confide in each other the shared desire to rely on the other.  Allowing their own weaknesses to come to the surface with the other, to use that honesty as a way of support.  Where prior to their relationship they each charted a lonely path of excellence, they have now found someone else they can relax around and support with out being dishonest about their true intents.

     The final section of the volume is a side story told from Arima's perspective about how he first fell in love with Miyazawa.  She immediately gained his attention due to her upstanding place in the class.  He marveled at her the same way everyone marveled about him, not realizing his own potential and charm.  The more time he spent with her, due to their duties as class representatives, the more her allure guided his heart, bringing him into an unexpected world.

Continue on to volume 3.

 

Kare Kano vol 1

 So begins the journey of doing synopsis's of each individual tankoubon of Kare Kano (彼氏彼女の事情), short for Kareshi Kanojo no Jijyou, or His and Her Circumstance.  This slice of life romance was created by Tsuda Masami and compiled into 21 volumes in total.  The first 8 volumes were given an anime adaptation directed by Anno Hideaki.  The manga originally published in LaLa between 1996 and 2005.  The English translation was released by Tokyo Pop with Vol 1 coming out January 2003.

    The series begins by introducing it's heroine and primary narrator, Miyazawa Yukino.  Miyazawa is always the smartest, most beloved and admired student in her grade.  Since a young age she has done everything to maintain her high place in school society, thriving on the praise and worship of others.  her high school debut should have been her grand entrance as the best student of the new class, expect there was another student who surpassed her on the exam score.  While already fuming over being outdone, when the top student was revealed to be the incredibly hansom Arima Souichiro, Miyazawa decided then and there that her life's goal was to destroy her sudden rival.

    Arima comes from a family of successful doctor, his father is the chairman of a local hospital.  Aside from his impeccable social standing he is brilliant, attractive and excellent at sports.  His calm and caring demeanor is well loved by all around him, much the chagrin of Miyazawa .  While she presents the perfect student in public, it is in fact a well crafted façade that is painstakingly honed and curated.  While in the safe confines of her home she is ill-mannered and unkempt, relishing in her obsession with praise and admiration.  Her younger sisters, Tsukino and Kano, wonder at her strange personality and comment on how startling it was seeing her in public while they attended the same school.

    Miyazawa begins to fret over Arima when she realizes that everything she worked hard at faking were qualities that he naturally possesses.  Her fears are wiped away when he casually confesses his love for her.  Seeing an opportunity to take control of their relationship she rejects his love.  Unfortunately for her, that advantage disappears when she accidentally shows her true self to him.  On a day off of school he delivers a CD to her house for her to borrow.  Thinking it is her sisters returning for something forgotten in their rush out of the house, she gives the stunned Arima a flying jump kick to the chest while wearing glasses, gym uniform and appearing generally unruly.

    On the return to school the next day her mind is plagued with her finely controlled ruse being exposed due to her uncharacteristic carelessness.  What will he do?  How will he expose her for the fake she is?  A week goes by and he acts as if her unexpected behavior did not happen but as she settles into calmness he strikes.  He black mails her into doing additional work for him in order to keep her secret from being released into the student body.  After some time she is pushed to the edge and tells him off, refusing to no longer be under his control.  Preferring her secret being revealed compared to his underhanded manipulation.  He surprises her by agreeing to no longer force her to do his work, saying it was only due to her own manipulation influencing him.  He used it as a way to spend more time with her.  While not in a relationship the event starts a friendship between them, with the earlier confession of love always in the back of Miyazawa's mind.

    With them spending their time together studying and chatting Miyazawa begins to fall in love with her rival but is unsure if his feelings have changed.  Changed with the exposure of her true nature as a deceiver.  She then begins to fear that even her friendship is dissolving when he abruptly begins to avoid her.  After of week of agony over his attitude towards her she confronts him.  The confrontation leades to finding out that he too is hiding within a shell of dishonesty.  Arima's parents are his aunt and uncle, his real father, an outcast of his family.  Until his adoption, Arima only knew hatred and abuse at the hands of his biological parents.  One day they disappeared, leaving he and a load of debt behind for the family.  The Arima clan looked at the lost abandoned child with scorn, believing that his genes would lead to him being a disgrace like his father.  Instead the eldest son of the clan, his adoptive father, decided that he and his wife would raise Arima as their own.  Understanding the situation he came from at an early age. he has striven to do his absolute best to not disappoint his adoptive parents.

    With Miyazawa encouraging him to embrace his true self the pair once again become friends and she wonders if he loves her as she now loves him...has her opportunity already passed?

Continue on to volume 2.

 

Hinamatsuri

Hinamatsuri (ヒナまつり) is a slice of life comedy series based on the manga of the same name by Otake Masai.  The series aired on 12 episodes over the Spring of 2018.

   Yoshifume Nitta is yakuza who suddenly finds himself as a sort of foster dad to a strange middle school aged girl named Hina.  Hina arrived one day in his apartment, encased an a large egg, no reason or explanation.  Hina is quiet and calculating, hiding enormous physical prowess.  Nitta ends up using his strange house guest to rough up a rival gang.  The end result wins him respect within his own gang and a sudden daughter who threatens him with extreme violence.

    Hina's past is unknown, but where ever she came from, she wasn't the only one.  Another incredibly powerful middle school girl, Hayashi Anzu, is soon sent to bring her back 'home'.  Anzu fails to subdue Hina and instead chooses to stay in the area...homeless.  Nitta forces Hina to go to school in an attempt at some semblance of normalcy.  Can these social misfits achieve some form of normal existence?

 

 

    Hinamatsuri starts out with the potential to be a show about discovering the machinations behind Hina and Anzu's existence and the unknown organization that controls them.  Instead we get a weird slice of life comedy that is pretty heartwarming at times.  The character I enjoyed the most was Hina's classmate Hitomi who ends up getting trapped in a job as a bartender...of which faculty members of her school patronize...and completely ignore her identity.  Anzu's story is amusing and heartwarming.  Failing in her mission she ends up staying around, living in an unhoused encampment in the neighborhood, where she is taught the value of hard work and companionship.  Anzu and Hina are polar opposites in both personality and world view.

    The show was enjoyable but doesn't really resolve anything.  What you get is a series of events that make the strange girls more human, with a strong eye on setting up comedic situations.  You don't really find out where they come from or what their purpose is.  The series just sort of ends with nothing really being changed or resolved.

    The series was simulcast on Crunchyroll and was released on disc by FUNimation.

Citrus

Citrus is a slice of life yuri romance based on the manga of the same name by Saburouta.  The anime ran for 12 episodes in the Winter of 2018.

    Yuzu Aihara is a girl with more sense of fashion than tact or candor.  Her mother remarries and they move, forcing her to transfer to an upscale all-girls high school.  The flamboyant girl has a hard time fitting in and following the strict regulations.  The student council president, Mai Aihara, in particular causes her much stress.  Before she has had the chance to adjust to the new surroundings her new step-sister moves in with her and her mother.  Little surprise...Mai Aihara is her step sister.  Mai's family owns and runs the school.  Her grandfather is the school's chairman and her father used to teach there.  He broke from his families tradition and left the profession to travel the world...typically absent from Mai's life.

    If Yuzu's situation wasn't difficult with having to share a bedroom with her biggest academic obstacle, it becomes dangerous when she inexplicably begins to fall in love with her.  Yuzu hasn't had much interest in other girls as romantic partners but something about Mai has struck her with feelings she has never experienced.  When Mai doesn't exactly reject Yuzu's awkward advances the situation turns stressful for both of them.  What is it that these two want in life and can that be provided by the other?  Can they even have a future together given their status as step-sisters and their positions in society?

   I really enjoy campy romances and this one was rather campy.  But I am not sure if I ended up enjoying this one.  The artwork wasn't too bad, but the characters and their motivations weren't believable enough for me.  Mai's entire personality is a pampered spoiled and ignored brat who has no idea how to express her desires and feelings to other people, she is an alien.  Yuzu is the yuri version of a shonen male protagonist.  She's flighty, inconstant, unable to express herself or prevent uncomfortable misunderstandings.  The idea of them being step siblings does little to change things up as well.

 

    I have seen worse series, but I have seen way better and in the end I wasn't satisfied with the conclusion of the story.  At times its uncomfortable and blatant who the audience is for this story.  From a certain perspective you can just consider this a typical shonen romance story developed to an audience that would rather not have to deal with a male protagonist interrupting their fantasies.

 

    The series was streamed on Crunchyroll and is available on disc via FUNimation.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Sempai

 Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Sempai (青春ブタ野郎) or more simply Aobuta, is a psychological romance slice of life anime based on the light novel series of the same name by Kamoshida Hajime and Mizoguchi Keeji.  The anime aired 13 episodes on TV in the Fall of 2018.

     'Adolescence Syndrome' is a mysterious affliction that targets adolescent children when their mental health is heavily threatened by their environment.  Azusagawa Sakuta seems to attract those who are suffering from this affliction to himself.  Sakuta feels compelled to help anyone dealing with 'Adolescence Syndrome' due to his own experiences with it.  A few years prior to the story his younger sister suffered from the affliction due to social pressures at school.  Sakuta himself fell victim to it due to the impact of his sisters health.  An older girl he met while in the hospital helped him overcome his own hardships and instill in him the drive to make life better for others.

    Now, a few years later, with life more or less resuming its calm familiarity Sakuta becomes entangled in a number of his peers struggling with the syndrome.  Using his own experience with he and his sisters previous struggles he dives head first into trying to resolve the issues.  While paranormal in nature a close friend of his helps him to keep track of the issues and possible solutions by comparing them to well known quantum physics theories.  Sakuta, while not adept at science, uses everything he can to help those who suddenly find them in uncontrollable circumstances, for both their health and his own peace of mind.

     Immediately the series reminded me of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.  The main character narrates a lot of the story through internal dialogue and works on his own to control and reverse super natural events around him.  As the series progressed this similarity remained.  Particularly in a story arc that was similar to the infamous Endless Eight arc.  Through the course of the story a rogues gallery of characters are added to the cast, who continue to be involved in future arcs, building the circle of friends around the loner Sakuta.

    Aside from the similarity of Haruhi, Aobuta is an entertaining journey.  Sakuta is dry, crass and completely believable as a real person.  This is a strong point in the series, the realistic attitudes of the cast, not a sugar coated stylized version of high school students in modern Japan.  Even his sister and her blatant imouto stereotype is understandable and believable.  The idea of injecting theoretical physics into the series is also quite appealing to me. While some/most characters in the series appear to be empty tropes we are all familiar with, when you are able to peer into their actual thought processes and world views you realize they are not cut outs.  Aobuta is well written, engaging and delivered in a way that continues to build on it's self even as it moves through well defined story arcs.

    Aobuta was streamed on Crunchyroll but as of yet is not available regionally on disc in North America.  A movie was released in late 2019 that continued the story.

Top 5 TV Anime - Revisited

 Over 6 years ago I did a series of my top 5 picks for TV anime, movies and OAV's.  While the amount of all of those topics I have consumed since then has been drastically less there are some titles I have watched in that time period that necessitate a revision of at least the TV and movie list...OAV's are a bit of a weird thing right now compared to their place historically.

    To start off I will recap what the original Top 5 TV anime list looked like.

                #5: Neon Genesis Evangelion

                #4: Denno Coil

                #3: Death Note

                #2: His and Her Circumstance

                #1: Azumanga Daioh

    Evangelion I feel was on the list partially because of it's impact on anime in general, influencing my own personal feelings on its value for myself.  Death Note as well was on the list more for how impressed I was with the writing than my actual favoritism for the series.  I have tried a few times in recent years to watch it with my kids but we just end up making fun of it as little more than 'Extreme Journaling'.  Azumanga Daioh is potentially still my favorite comedy of all time in the anime world as well as His & Her a very cherished romance.  Denno Coil is still fantastic and unique but I am not sure if I can consider it a top 5 any more?  It has been too long since I have last watched it to know for sure...but here goes.  The updated Top 5 Otaku Network favorite TV anime of all time - revised edition.

    #5: His and Her Circumstances

    You can read the synopsis from the original Top 5 post where this was #2.  While it has dropped to 5 this is still a series that is very near and dear to my heart and reflects what I would consider an almost perfect romance anime.  I need to re-watch as it has been too long and reread the manga as well, perhaps later this year.  I also had planned at one point to do a volume by volume breakdown of the story...hmm, yes that shall be coming.  Either way, I still love this series.

    #4: Kaiba

    Kaiba is a unique story about a character who has lost their memory and goes on a journey to reclaim it.  The main character has to determine who is a friend and who is a foe purely based on their current actions, in a world were minds can be transplanted into any body or applicable receptacle.  Life is less sacred due to this ability and the wealthy utilize desperation for entertainment and escapism, while the destitute sell themselves for survival.  

 Kaiba's artwork is a throw back to the original days of TV anime with a heavy dose of French Expressionism.  It is an incredibly unique and fascinating story that does well to be re-watched every so often.  The series is an original creation by director Yuasa Masaaki, who has become a favorite of mine.

    #3: Azumanga Daioh

    Again, you can read the previous synopsis but just hearing the opening bar of the theme song lifts my spirits and greatly improves my mood.  A cornerstone for slice of life comedy series, you can't really top the crazy cast of characters or heartwarming friendships...

    #2: Nichijou

    ...or can you?  It follows the absurd daily activities of the residents of a small town, who would normally lead comfortable boring lives...but nothing is normal here.  The primary characters are a trio of imaginative school girls, who's antics become absurd in both context and execution.  Other strange characters are a grade school aged science genius, her robot companion and talking stray cat.  A classmate who comes from extreme wealth and carries his pampered life into every facet of existence.  There is no overall plot line and most episodes or episode segments can be viewed in any order.

    Nichijou is the king of absurd slice of life comedy.  There are others that are crazier in antics but quickly fly off the rails.  Nichijou, while incredibly insane at points, always drives right back to reality and keeps going.  The fast pasted wit of the original author paired with the amazing artwork from Kyoto Animation give an unforgettable experience.  Nichijou really is the best slice of life comedy around...in a field that has some very solid contenders.  While Azumanga Daioh is cute and innocent with its absurdity, Nichijou covers a wide range of ages and personalities with its antics.

    #1: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju

    What can be translated into Showa-era Rakugo Double Suicide Story is a very compelling drama about three people trying to reconcile their guilt while deciding the fate of a dying traditional art form.  The story deals with a reformed yakuza grunt trying to convince one of the last masters of the rakugo art form to make him an apprentice.  The master is in his twilight years and plans to let his performances and lineage die with him as the modern world consumes everything.  His life is filled with regret due to the daughter of a fellow performer being under his care for decades.  The first portion of the story is largely the master telling his history while the second half of the story deals with how the three main characters face the changing times.

     This is perhaps the best example of the power of story telling.  There is little in the way of action as much of it is the characters performing rakugo (one-man expressive story telling).  The rakugo is used as a companion to the unfolding stories, emphasizing the events in the characters lives.  So much is conveyed with just expression and voice that overly complex battles in more popular series seem hollow in comparison.  This is true story telling.

Weathering With You

 Weathering With You (天気の子) is a theatrical supernatural drama by Shinkai Mokoto.  The film originally played in theaters in Japan in 2019 and North America in 2020.

    The films begins with runaway high school student Morishima Hodaka attempting to start a new lie for himself in Tokyo.  During the boat ride to Tokyo he is saved by a suspicious man named Suga Keisuke during a freak storm.  After struggling to survive on his own, with no ID or place to work he shows up at Suga's business.  Suga runs a small time magazine specializing in super natural phenomenon.  At this time Tokyo is experiencing continuous rain and the magazine decides to investigate any supernatural reasons behind the wet weather.  The investigation leads them to a legend of a 'sunshine girl' who has the ability to stop the rain.

    Hodaka ends up rescuing a girl from two men wanting to recruit her to work at their hostess bar  The girl, Amano Hina, worked at a McDonalds that Hodaka frequented before working for Suga.  In their escape from the men, they end up at a secret shrine on the roof of an abandoned building.  Hina confesses to Hodaka that she can pray to make the rain stop.  Seizing on the research he was a pat of he convinces her that she is the Sunshine Girl.  They start up an online business selling her powers to momentarily stop the rain to anyone willing to pay.  But what will it take to actually break the cursed weather system plaguing Tokyo?

    The story is a slight departure from his previous works and actually felt more like a Hosoda Mamoru movie than a Shinkai one in some aspects.  The central idea revolves around the main characters who are running away from themselves and treat of reality snapping them back into place.  Yet they don't fear the eventual repercussions for their actions and act outside of the rules of society.  They are all outcasts in their own right and are joined together through fate alone, a fate that is driving them to change things for better or worse around them.  Yet they are solely focused on the now and nor the future ahead of them.  The characters are all fleshed out enough to make them compelling and the story interesting enough outside of its relentless forward movement.

    I have been a fanboy for Shinkai since Voices of a Distant Star, so it's really no surprise that I really enjoyed this film.  Though this one felt a bit different than most of his previous works, which tend to have a heavy air of melancholy.  Weathering With You was actually upbeat and humorous at times though still laced with his typical sense of impending doom.  The artwork is his typical immaculate and realistic style.  But by this point in his catalog is actually not as impressive...it's strange.  Overall, the movie was enjoyable and recommended for fans of Shinkai or anime in general.  Unlike Your Name, I don't feel compelled to expose non-anime viewers to this one as much.

    The film was released in America by GKids and is available streaming and on disc.

Tower of God - Anime

Tower of God is a shonen action anime based on the manhwa of the same name by S.I.U.  The series ran for 13 episodes in the Spring of 2020.

    Set in a world that is centered around a momentous tower of which fame and fortune can be found for those who survive the climb to its highest levels.  Bam, a boy who only knows abandonment, finds himself on the first floor of the tour following his only companion, Rachel, leaving him to climb.  Upon meeting the towers caretaker, Bam is allowed to test for his ability to climb the tower.  His only motivation is to be with Rachel on her journey.  Once he succeeds the first test he finds himself in a large field, with many other entrants.  The second test provides an important lesson to Bam about the reality of the tower and its challenges, that of fighting against the others who are climbing and the tower its self.

    As Bam strives to continue his journey to find Rachel he gathers a group of companions around him.  The grouping is both due to forced team making for different challenges but also due to his likeable personality.  Everyone has their own reason for climbing but keep as much of their intents as hidden as possible.  Bam on the other hand is an open book who is experiencing everything for the first time since all he had known prior to this journey was seclusion and darkness.  

    Tower of God in reality isn't anything new in the world of shonen.  The anime is really nothing more than a series of tournament arcs.  That said there is something intriguing with the story and the world is impressive and diverse.  Bam comes across as the typical emotionless main character, the vessel that the reader pours them self into.  But...that's not exactly the case with Bam, he really is a compassionate and caring individual.  He doesn't really know hate and is very grateful to interact with people based upon his past of isolation.  The other characters represent a healthy and diverse personality matrix as well.  Overall the story as its presented is enjoyable and compelling, even if it follows some basic troupes.

    But, there are a few issues.  The biggest is that the anime, being 13 episodes, barely scratches the surface of what exists for the story.  The 13 episode do a good job of telling the story that takes place between issue 0 and 78 of the manhwa, with only a few things left out.  But...as of the writing of this review there are 485 issues.  The other issue is the artwork...its mildly pedestrian.  It would be nice if more effort/time would have been put into it, instead of just what appears to be a rush job.  That said the story and characters make up for that.  I was so compelled by what I saw that I immediately started reading the manhwa after the final episode dropped.  Now, like everyone, I have to wait for the author to return from their prolonged break.  Tower of God is a breath of fresh air in the shonen landscape that has a very complex and interesting world.  Hopefully we will see future seasons of the anime.

    Tower of God is currently available for streaming on Crunchyroll and the manhwa can be read in English on Webtoon.

Kimague Orange Road - TV Series

 Kimagure Orange Road (きまぐれオレンジ☆ロード) is a 48 episode TV series adapted from the manga of the same name by Matsumoto Izumi.  The series aired on TV in Japan between 1987 and 1988.

    Kyosuke Kasuga is your average 9th grader who has moved to a new town and entered a new school.  The day before he begins school he comes across a beautiful and whimsical girl who gifts him her hat, he becomes smitten with her instantly.  The reason his family has moved is du to their unique nature as espers.  He and his younger sisters have psychic abilities and whenever they're secret becomes exposed they have to pack up.

    On the first day of school Kyosuke meets a fiery underclassman who has a bit of a reputation as a delinquent.  The underclassman, Hikaru Hiyama, is best friends with the mysterious girl he met earlier, Madoka Ayukawa.  Surprisingly, Ayukawa has a fearsome reputation as a delinquent and trouble starter, Hikaru's antics don't help to quell that image either.  Kyosuke couldn't believe that the girl he met earlier was as rotten and doomed as what everyone said.  He desired nothing more than to find out more about her and get closer.

    In the process he end's up half halfheartedly dating Hikaru, if only for his inability to turn her advancements down.  Due to his real feelings being for Madoka, he tries to hide his extra curricular activities with Hikaru.  At the same time he takes every effort he can to spend more time with Madoka, getting to learn who she really is.  Madoka, in her own way is enjoying getting closer to Kyosuke, but is hesitant to express herself honestly for fear of the damage it would to do the oblivious Hiraku.

    My first and really sole exposure to KOR came with the broadcast of the final move, Kimagure Orange Road: Summers End in the late 90's during the Sci FI channels anime movies weeks.  The movie struck a chord with me and I have always enjoyed the characters and their world.  But, I never went beyond the end of the story until Crunchyroll added it to their lineup.  After the first episode I immediately regretted waiting so long.  I enjoyed the innocent romance immensely.

    Given the age of the series it is quite dated, this applies to both artwork and story line sensibility.  It is very much set in the world of 80's Japan where anything was possible.  Though looking at it now, 30+ yeas later and comparing it to similar anime something's never change.  This had always been on my list and I am glad I finally watched it, I do need to rewatch the final movie and track down the other movie.

    The series is currently available for streaming on Crunchyroll.

Too Long Dormant

     Life get's in the way sometimes and things you put a lot of effort into for personal fulfillment get pushed to the background.  I general my anime viewing has been pretty subpar compared to years and years of ravenous consumption.  It's hard to say if it is due to disinterest in so much that is coming out lately or not.  But there are definitely fewer titles that interest me than there have been in the past.  In 2010 or so I got turned off pretty heavily from anime in general and took a break for a few years while pursuing other hobbies.  While I really haven't gotten back into it by any capacity close to what it used to be I also never stopped watching anime or reading manga.  I just don't hunt it out like I have in the past.  SO for now, I have a number of series I need to make up for and drop reviews on...some I will probably have to create my own flashback episode for!

    Here is what is on the docket for current/new series though.  

    I am supper excited for the return of Higurashi!  Even though I never made it through the second series or any of the following OAV's.  

   I am eagerly awaiting the start of the anime adaptation of To Your Eternity...hopefully we get more than a single cour.  I have been reading the manga since it first appeared on Crunchyroll and am a huge fan to say the least.

    Spriggan...Spriggan is returning I believe next year, Neflix is involved?  Honestly its a title I never figured would get a rehash.  I have been half assed trying to track down a copy of the original movie for a cheap price, but so far no luck.

    Season two of Promised Neverland.  The return of Cells at Work!  My daughter keeps pestering me to watch Aggretsuko.  Shaman King!!  All that we need now is an end to isekai...thats all we need oh and you know a fix for the world problems currently but...an end to isekai.

    My manga consumption has pretty much been relegated to what's on Crunchyroll.  Continuing series I am following are, Space Brothers, A-Jin, Joshi Kausei, Aposimz, To Your Eternity, Crossing Time, YanOta and One Room of Happiness.  I did recently start re-reading Gantz but got distracted...need to pick that up again.

Can we just talk about how much Moebius seems to influence Nihei's work?

Domestic Girlfriend - Manga and Anime Overview

  Domestic Girlfriend (ドメスティックな彼女) is a shonen romance created by Kei Sasuga.  The series originally published in Weekly Shonen.  An anime adaptation aired over the winter of 2019 and ran for 12 episodes.

    Back in January of 2019 I wrote a post about Dome x Kano which had just started its short anime run.  To get up to speed you can read it here.  That post pretty much laid out the basic framework of the series in general and isn't worth rehashing, especially given in the chronology of the blog it was very recent.  That said, I felt it was time that a more in-depth look at the manga and the anime was needed.

    Waning for those who have not read or watched it the following dissertation is going to get into a number of spoilers through out the length of the story, so you can either skip this entire post or proceed as warned.

    Within the short scope of the anime we have Natsuo dating Hina until they get discovered and she is forced to leave the school to keep the relationship a secret from everyone.  Rui is well aware of what happened however.  Hina moves away, not letting Natsuo know where, so she can start over with her life.  In the meantime Rui and Natsuo begin dating.  Their relationship, hidden from their family, continues through high school, the return of Hina and into college.  Natsuo begins his path towards being a novelist and Rui decides to become a chef.  Hina has decided to leave teaching and is floundering aimlessly, wanting only to be by Natsuo and Rui's side, supporting them while suppressing her true feelings.  The series wraps up a number of years later after a series of interesting developments that I won't really get into.  But in the end Natsuo is given a choice between the two sisters...and to say the least I was pretty disappointed in the choice.

    Sasuga's other work, GE Good Ending is probably the best shonen romance I have ever read.  I enjoyed it immensely and some of the joy carried over into Dome x Kano.  But there were a lot of things that ended up getting glossed over for better or worse.  While incredibly prevalent in the first portion most of the story completely ignores the plot of hiding the relationship from the parental figures.   Instead it focuses on other things, sometimes boring over played romance troupes, but other times decent story arcs that even bypass the romance aspect.  When the taboo subject matter does return its pretty dramatic but not drawn out.   Its the last arc of the story that gets frustrating and the climax that leads Natsuo to his final decision is boring.  But, the story had to come to an end.  At times it seemed like it was just pointlessly pushing forward with no real goal in sight so its good it ended and tidied up the main plot lines.  A large chunk of it does find Natsuo in a pretty meaningful relationship even though some things around him threaten to derail his happiness.  As time progresses the side characters, who were so important in the first part really slide into the background.  As they become adults and enter into new environments they do begin interacting with other characters, but they don't seem to be as prevalent as the original side characters.  A vary realistic part of the story is just how insular you can become as an adult, loosing those close interactions with the peers of your childhood.

    Overall Dome x Kano is a decent read, especially once Rui and Natsuo get out of high school and into the adult world.  Overall Natsuo is a pretty typical romance character which is the downside of the story.  Rui is by far the most emotionally dynamic character of the main three with Hina being sidelined for a good chunk of some arcs.  Hina is also a bit directionless and emotionally immature compared to the younger characters.  The anime was really well done but unfortunately ends right before Rui and Natsuo decide to start their relationship.  It would be nice to see a return to the series now that the manga is finished but that seems highly unlikely.

    If you have made it this far you can probably figure out who he ends up choosing, and I apologize for being too transparent.  But the journey is still worth the time even if you know who he picks in the end.  Over all, worth the time but I am unsure if I can revisit it.  I do need to re-read GE Good Ending though and still cling on to the idea it may see an anime treatment at some point.

Appare-Ranman!

 Appare-Ranman! (天晴爛漫!) is an original TV anime created by Hashimoto Masakazu.  The series ran for 13 episodes and aired over the Spring and Summer of 2020.

    The series is set in a fictional mashup of post Edo Japan, 1890's and the 1920's.  The series follows eccentric (both in thought and look) Sorano Appare as he casually flees Japan with his unwilling companion, upright heir to a samurai family, Isshiki Kosame.  In a set of random chances they end up across the Pacific in Los Angeles.  Once there they learn of a cross country car race that has a winning prize pool large enough to get them back home.

    The race is an effort by the largest car manufacturers to show off the new mode of transportation to the world.  Unfortunately for everyone the race ends up attracting a motley crew of criminals and weirdo's...Appare and Kosame included.  Appare is drawn to the race as a mad scientist inventor and quickly converts the steam ship that got them to America into an all terrain...boat.  Will the confident eccentric and his honor bound prisoner/companion be able to survive the challenges ahead of them as they race across the continent?

    The first thing you need to do to enjoy Appare-Ranman! is to suspend ALL belief.  The series is at its core a test in reason and reality.  The next biggest challenge is to not be distracted by the rampant stereotyping in its cast of characters.  From the the solitary black character who looks like Boosty Collins, to the vaguely Native American kid to the eye candy Chinese immigrant.  All of the primary characters have there own filled in backgrounds which directly relate to their motivations and personalities...accept for Appare.  He's just driven by his own sense of accomplishment and we really don't see his back story.  While the catalyst for the plot is the race a large portion of the anime focuses on other things, like character back stories and continuous plot derailments.  So while at first glance it looks to be a modern historical take on Speed Racer the race is more a McGuffin for the assembled cast.

    In general the series was watch-able.  I didn't watch it until it was done and crammed it in 3 sessions.  I don't think i would have kept interest if i would have watched it as it came out.  The artwork is lack luster, with lazy CG on many places and nothing entirely compelling overall.  What kept me hitting Next at the end of each episode was to see where everything was going as it really wasn't about the race.  In the end it didn't truly redeem its self for the time spent...but I also don't regret consuming it.  Would I recommend it...probably not.  You're not going to miss much is anything if skipping.

    The series is available in North America via FUNimation and their partnerships.