Guys, this year has been filled with great moments as well as growing pains, and D&A has surely been on the receiving end of some of these pains. However a special individual once said: “Believe in the you, that believes in ME!” (its Kamina from Gurren Lagann), so we never gave up and continued on our quest to be the best blogs out there. Now with the seasons changing and everyone getting Pumpkin Spice fever, we’re prepping ourselves for the 2023 year; which we HOPE is filled with convention appearances! With that in mind, here’s what we’re doing for the 4th quarter of 2022 (or Oct. 1 – Dec. 31):
D&A Entertainment Weekly Returns (with a new logo)
We tried this new newsletter format for awhile, but we felt like it didn’t really have an identity all its own. We’re gonna fix that come October 3rd; so get ready for new posts, new character analysis, and new current events regarding the anime industry!
Premium Subscription Videos Will Launch The First Week of October
Never-before-seen content will be uploaded exclusively to the blog, and if you’re a Premium subscriber, you’ll be able to watch them for a monthly subscription of $5. We’ll be implementing this feature for our biggest supporters during the first week of October, and we’ll keep you updated when the Premium videos drop!
A New Music Page is Coming…
More like we’re renovating our current music page. There will be more information on it within the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
DJ Appearances will also be added to Con Appearances
Once we get the green light for conventions that we want to be “Guest(s) of Honor” at, we’ll post them on our Con Appearances page. Alongside that will be DJ Appearances by Avidd Minddset; so we’ll also be posting those appearances as well.
One-2-One Waifu Wednesday Specials Coming November 2022
Yes, we are going down this rabbit hole. Starting the first Wednesday in November we’ll be doing a One-2-One Waifu Wednesday character that we select. Yep, this is really happening.
Ok, that will do it for these announcements, so until October, stay nerdy my friends! 😉
Hey guys. It’s been awhile since our last post, but lately things have been a little chaotic on the ‘outer boundaries’ of the blog (or in this case we’ve been dealing with the craziness of life outside of D&A). Guess its safe to say that our online presence has grown to a level where being just a two-man operation, might not cut it in the ‘big leagues’, in the world of new article companies. For that we’re in the process of looking for volunteers to become authors and writers on the ‘blog side’ of D&A, so if you’re interested in volunteering, hit us up on our Contact Us page. We’re also working on opening up other positions within D&A as we continue to grow from being a hobby, into a business. For now, we’re looking to build a writing staff and expand our numbers internally.
That’s all we’ve got for now, so until our next post, stay nerdy! 😉
The end of One Piece is near, no matter how badly fans may want otherwise. Mangaka Eichiro Oda recently confirmed his goal to end his legendary manga in around three years. That means that the final battle for the fabled treasure that seems to hold all the answers to the mysteries of the world will soon be upon us. On one side, we have Monkey D. Luffy, the newest Yonko and the living embodiment of fun and freedom. On the other side, we have Blackbeard, the man who slew Whitebeard and took his powers for his own. For many fans, it seemed as though Blackbeard would be Luffy’s last and greatest challenge to claiming the One Piece.
Then, we learned about Rocks D. Xebec, the greatest enemy the Pirate King Gol D. Roger ever faced. Now, fans speculate that Xebec, not Blackbeard or the World Government, will be Luffy’s final opponent. That is something that I strongly think would not be a good idea.
Rocks D. Xebec, Gol D. Roger’s Biggest Enemy
Firstly, just who is Rocks D. Xebec? According to the Marines from Garp and Sengoku’s generation, Rocks was the most feared pirate in the world before the rise of Gol D. Roger. A vicious and bloodthirsty man, Rocks sought nothing less than world domination. To that end, he delved into secrets the World Government tried to suppress. In addition, he assembled a crew of powerful pirates that wreaked havoc on a global scale. Among them were three of the future Yonko: Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido. Rocks was considered to Roger’s first and greatest enemy.
Thirty years before the present day, the Rocks Pirates launched their most ambitious attack yet. On the island called God Island, they attacked the Celestial Dragons. However, they were beaten by an unlikely team up of Roger and Monkey D. Garp. After that, God Island vanished from all records, and Xebec was declared dead by the World Government.
Or is he?
The Fan Theories About Rocks Being Alive
There are rumors and theories going around the fandom that Rocks D. Xebec didn’t die at God Valley. Some fans think he might still be alive in some form, with theories ranging from being the true mastermind behind the World Government to some kind of connection to Blackbeard. Regardless, these fans are convinced that Rocks might be the final challenge Luffy must face to become Pirate King.
I’m sorry, but no. Just, no.
Blackbeard Needs to be the Final Opponent Luffy Fights
So, I will acknowledge that, regardless of his status in the present day, Rocks has an important role to play in the final stretch of the series. Oda never introduces a character or concept without planning on it playing a part down the line. I can even admit that Blackbeard might have some connection to the Captain of the Rocks pirates. However, I do not think that Rocks will be the final big bad of the series. That honor falls to the World Government and, more importantly, Blackbeard himself.
If you read my review of where the top contenders for the One Piece stand, you should know my rationale for Blackbeard.
• He and Luffy both became Pirate Captains around the same time
• Both carry the Will of D.
• Blackbeard has a Devil Fruit that cancels out other Devil Fruits.
• Both believe in freedom and fate, but have very different ideas on what that means
• Blackbeard was responsible for the events that led to Ace and Whitebeard’s deaths.
In other words, Oda has been building Blackbeard up from the start to be Luffy’s antithesis. Thus, it makes sense that Blackbeard, not Rocks, be the final opponent that Luffy must face.
My Theory: Blackbeard is the Rocks of Luffy’s Generation
While I won’t deny that Rocks is important for that finale, I believe that it won’t be Rocks himself that will play a role. Rather, it will be his will and legacy that he left behind. Oda has repeatedly talked about the idea of inherited will being passed on. In this case, what if Blackbeard chose to inherit Rocks’ will and desire to conquer all? In other words, what if Blackbeard intends to do what Rocks couldn’t and conquer the world?
We don’t know what Blackbeard’s endgame might be, but given how he’s gathering Devil Fruit powers, world domination isn’t out of the question. One thing’s for sure, though. When the final clash between Luffy and Blackbeard comes, they’ll talk about it for years.
Anime (like music) has many genres; your action-packed fighters, your feely-type cryers, your parody-filled laugh out louders, and your cringe-worthy contenders. For many fans like ourselves if an anime title has a badass opening like Soul Eater (I love you TM Revolution), then you expect the anime itself to have the give you the same thrill you felt during the OP, right? Even the ones that some may consider ‘mid’ or ‘L’ in plot and character development have some decent openings. However we’re not touching on anime openings as we’ve already done that, instead we’re touching on the thing that appears during the anime openings; the Title Cards! Although they’re barely talked about if at all, sometimes title cards can give you an idea of what the atmosphere, feelings, and attitude of the show that you’re watching will be about. For this post we’ll be taking a look at some of the best, mid, and worst title cards in anime history in terms of their color scheme, and what feelings and vibes you get from them.
So let’s get started with one of the most well known anime logos! Dragon Ball!
The Dragon Ball Logo Family (without GT or Super)
Dragon Ball
Every 80’s and 90’s kid has grown up with this franchise. Goku, the saiyan of Earth fighting various villains who pose both world and universe-ending threats. Let’s kick this off with the first logo; the original Dragon Ball logo gives off a vibe of nostalgia with its drop shadow effects and retro shaded colors. It gives you a sense of adventure, excitement, and danger, as Goku begins his quest to collect the seven dragon balls from the forces of evil. The 1996 logo appears to be going through the adolescent transition that everyone has gone through once in their lives. The ‘O’ is basically the one-star dragon ball; which stays in the logos following up afterwards with its first return in the iconic Dragon Ball Z logo. There’s not a single shonen fan who doesn’t recognize this logo, and the feeling you get from it can only be described as an edgy 90’s teenager going through puberty.
When the 2010’s hit they brought back the iconic look but did a shadow gradient on the bottom, and made the one-star ball slightly bigger with a lighter circular fade in the middle. At this point they wanted to appeal to the next generation of Dragon Ball fans while still keeping the nostalgic look older fans have come to know. A few years after “Resurrection F” they replaced the ‘Z’ with Super, but still kept the iconic look of the logo. We’re not gonna talk about GT’s logo because it looks like something a high school freshman who took one graphic design class threw together. (No offense if you’re in this camp, but we’re pretty sure ya’ll can make a better GT logo than what we got.)
Shonen Anime Logos!
Shonen Anime Logos
Shonen anime is always action-packed and usually has those “never give up” type of characters that are usually the MC, but what about their logos? One Piece’s logo actually gets straight to the point because it tells you that the series is gonna be about pirates. The ‘E’ is a ship’s anchor, whereas the ‘O’ is actually the logo of the flag on Luffy’s ship; and the ‘I’ is a red silhouette of Luffy himself! FMAB made their logo look like actual metal with the word ‘Brotherhood’ being the same color as Edward’s jacket. Bleach’s logo has the flames on both sides representing the many fire-based attacks found in the show, along with Soul Reapers, Hallows, and Ichigo. Attack on Titan’s logo gives me a feeling of dread, survival, and giant naked mutant men; which is basically what the series is about! The red slash line could represent the wall that the titans are on, but that’s just our theory.
Hunter x Hunter’s logo gives me the same feeling I got when I watched Dragon Ball, and Naruto along with its Shippuden logo kinda felt like it was trying to take the Dragon Ball to Dragon Ball Z route in terms of its logo, and the attitude of the series. In a couple of ways…it did. I’m not getting One Piece vibes from Fairy Tail’s logo even though the ‘T’ looks like a hook, and Seven Deadly Sins…there’s a compass in the logo, and it definitely gives me a sense of action, demons, betrayal, magic, and booze. (Its Fairy Tale without dragons or the ‘friendship mechanic’.)
Some of these isekai logos are ok, and some are…mid
Isekai Logos
So many of these long-ass titles from this oversaturated genre are a toss-up when it comes to plot and character development. Many of them are 12 episodes long with some of them making it to season 2, but for the rest of them, it feels like they’re just copying and pasting the SAO or Log Horizon formula (for the JRPG-ish ones). In terms of logo and color scheme; a lot of isekai titles appear to go for the cooler colors as their drop shadow, or just inverse them and have a thicker black stroke to emphasize what its trying to represent. I’m not sure what I’m getting from Isekai Cheat Magician’s logo, but Konosuba’s logo gives me a feeling of laughter at Aqua’s expense.
Ecchi logos can be just as bad as the series…with exceptions
Ecchi/Harem Logos
For a small fraction of the anime community, ecchi and harem titles are the go-to guilty pleasures that most male anime fans lament over; from your panty shots to your “baka” moments. There’s little to no plot or character development in any of these titles, EXCEPT High School DxD! That series has all the ecchi and harem that you’d find…but with a purpose. (It actually HAS a story behind it!) Shimoneta’s logo is basically the “Parental Advisory Explicit Content” sticker you’d find in 90% of Hip-Hop and Rap albums. Not. Even. Joking.
At the end of the day, its not really about the logos that give you a sense of what the anime that you’re watching is about, but the feeling you get when you watch the opening as a whole. From the music to the artistic direction that the opening video is going in, anime title cards are like the frosting on a triple layer cake; it just makes the overall product look sweet. As for which ones are the best, the mid, and the worst, we’ll leave that up to you guys (if you’re into anime logos at all). For us its not just about the logo of a title alone; but what that title brings to the table in terms of story, character development, setting, and writing. With all that being said, you’ll probably be fine with this logo!
This logo is just perfect!
God is GOOD! Panty & Stocking’s logo was just perfect with the ‘P’ and ‘Y’ being all lacey on the top, and ‘Stocking’ resembling well…striped stockings. Garterbelt was squeezed in the middle because lets face it; he’s the middle character no one in the show cares too much about, not even the angels. Hopefully they keep this logo for the second season, as well as all of the crazy zany sex jokes and adult humor.
That will do it for our take on anime logos, so until next post, stay nerdy! 😉
For many anime fans; plot and character development can make, or break a series. If that’s the case, then what about the series’ title card? The first thing you see in every anime opening before that actual episode starts, is the title or logo of the series that you’re watching. What does it say about the series as a whole? Does it give you clues as to what you’ll be in for if you decide to tune in? We break down and analyze how different anime title cards appeal to different anime watchers, and what feelings they give off as a result. Coming later this week!
Dragon Ball Super Broly’s One-2-One Analysis!
Every Dragon Ball fan knows that there are two different versions of Broly; the OG one that didn’t give a damn and blew up everything while trying to kill Kakarot, and the Dragon Ball Super reimagined version who was exiled from Planet Vegeta. The one that we’re reviewing is the DBS version, and we’ll compare the two based on the concept and development of their character. Coming later this week!
Sonic Redemption: The Rise, Fall, and Return of an Icon!
Sonic has been through a lot in the past 30 years; and with two live-action installments (with a third on the way), two new games, and a series on Netflix (if its still there), it looks like the Blue Blur wants to remind us that he’s NOT dead just yet! From his decades-old rivalry with Mario to bridging the gap between old fans and new ones (basically having one classic Sonic game and one Modern one), Sonic continues down a path of redemption after what appeared to be an inevitable downfall during his career as an icon; after making the transition from 2D to 3D. More on that later this week!
That’s all we’ve got for this issue of D&A Entertainment Weekly! Until next post, stay nerdy! 😉
If you haven’t noticed by now, I am an anime fan. Throughout this journey I’ve had my fair share of online debates, silly squabbles, waifu wars, and toxic fandoms. However like many of us who have stepped into the world of anime during our childhood, I’ve had the chance to watch award-winning titles from the captain of Studio Ghibli himself; Hayao Miyazaki. Anyone that’s heard of him already knows what titles he’s known for; Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, need I go on? He’s one of the most respected individuals in the anime industry to this day, but at the same time he’s also the most critical of what the industry has become. While many in the anime community may discredit his opinions about the state of the industry, others just might understand where he’s coming from. For me of course I’m not one to pick sides when it comes to controversial topics, but Miyazaki’s ‘anime was a mistake’ statement really got me thinking of what he thought would happen to this industry…
I wonder how he feels about oversaturated Isekai…?
Several months to maybe a year ago I talked about unpopular opinions about anime, and how easy it is to get into online arguments over little details about shows where the outcome wasn’t in favor of its fans. Lately it appears that the balance in the overall quality of anime, has shifted into an overproduced quantity of it in the last couple decades. I feel like if some fans took the time to read between the lines of what Miyazaki really meant, they would actually discover that his ‘anime was a mistake’ statement, wasn’t EXACTLY what he said; but rather he feels like with what anime has become in the modern age, Miyazaki thinks that the industry is full of creators who never had any real world experience when creating their characters. One of the things that drew me in to Miyazaki’s films is his way of storytelling and worldbuilding, that was different from what you’d find in most modern anime.
Honestly, Miyazaki was on a whole other level with his plot and character development; and actually took his audience on a journey that felt both heartwarming and realistic – based on the character’s personalities and traits. With modern anime its different; while there are some titles that do in fact have good plot and character development, there’s about ten others that do the complete opposite. I will say however there are some titles out there that take a page out of Miyazaki’s playbook in terms of characters with ‘real world’ personalities, issues, and how to overcome them.
Some titles do come close to Miyazaki’s level…
When it comes to character creation and how Miyazaki goes about doing it, he’s all the way old school. No amount of begging and pleading for him to try and use the modern anime method, will get him to consider it. Everything was hand-drawn; from the characters to the setting of the story itself. Miyazaki wanted his characters to be relatable; through their personalities, behaviors, and how they act and react in certain situations throughout the plot of the story. Now when it comes to how female characters are portrayed in anime, that’s where a lot of Miyazaki’s issues with the industry come from.
The biggest issue being anime tropes.
How many women have you seen in the real world just drop kick a guy for no apparent reason when he makes an honest mistake? Well, that’s one of the issues that Miyazaki has with female characters being portrayed in certain anime genres; especially the ecchi/harem ones. (Isekai, you aren’t safe either.) Its not just that though; as bland male leads, weak women, OP protagonists, panty shots, fan service, lolicons, complex characters, and airheaded male/female characters, are also big offenders in these titles. The list can go on but that’s the basis of what Miyazaki believes that anime has become, and guess what…it has.
Most anime fans would actually agree with what Miyazaki is getting at in terms with what the industry (as well as the fandom) has become. It all leads back to the word ‘Otaku’, and why Western fans have embraced the word as something positive rather than the original meaning from the Japanese. So why have we created an entire culture around a word that is viewed negatively among the country’s inhabitants? Why have we excepted the origins of this word as part of our society; even though its a derogatory term for ‘basement dwelling’ incels who obsess over fictional anime characters, and send love or hate letters to manga artists or anime voice actors? Now that I think about it; Miyazaki doesn’t truly have a problem with the anime industry as a whole, he just doesn’t like weeaboos. (Neither does most of the general public to some degree.)
The most well respected man in the anime community…doesn’t like a ‘certain group’ of the community.
Hayao Miyazaki is from a different generation of anime directors, creators, and producers. He’s by-the-book old school in terms of his style, and how he captures the beauty of his art. To him; anime is an artform that is meant to capture its audience visually and emotionally with its breathtaking scenes, relatable characters, and well put together plots. None of his movies had ‘one-note characters’, tsunderes, senpai chicks, 2D thots, bland MC’s, or over-powered saiyans (sorry DBZ fans). To some fans it feels like Miyazaki’s living in the ‘dark ages’ with his world and political views, and regardless of how the community feels about his criticism on what anime and its industry has become, fans are still passionate about the medium as a whole.
Sure its not perfect, and that fact that so many ‘wars’ and debates still find a way to rear their ugly heads from time to time (Sub v. Dub, waifu wars, etc.) is an ongoing issue, anime fans continue to show their dedication to the medium and the industry; whether they agree with Miyazaki’s criticisms, or not. As stupid as some of these tropes are, they somehow manage to find a way to crack a smile on the faces of fans from all around the West. While it took nearly 20 years for anime to become widely accepted among mainstream audiences, it still feels like it has a bit more of a way to go. Anime, its fandom(s), and the industry are always going to have issues to sort out, but when it comes to Western fans; we’re ALWAYS going to be overexcited about our favorite titles getting renewed, who best girl or best boy is, cosplaying at anime conventions, and enjoying Studio Ghibli films.
Do I personally believe anime was a mistake? No. I think if more artists and creators took the time to go out and draw inspiration from people in the real world, they would be able to tell stories with real-world influence and make their characters relatable. With the way the community is now, some fans are starting to go back and watch more Ghibli films and older anime titles that didn’t have all the crazy tropes you’d see in modern titles. I think, with the direction that the anime industry is going and what anime has become, has allowed it to ascend from the depths of being an ‘underground’ niche medium; becoming accepted from others all around the world and even among mainstream audiences. To reach its final form however, anime creators have to ditch the ‘Otaku mindset’ and get inspired by the beauty of the people and places in the outside world around them.
Six years and nine months ago I was sitting inside our current studio with A. Goldman wondering what it would be like if we had our own anime blog. We’ve spent the last five years going to Otakon when it was still in Baltimore, while going through all of the pictures that we took of us, and other cosplayers. During the month of December 2015 I made the decision to start building our nerdy empire; a website that was going to be different from any anime blog that you would find out there in the world. It wasn’t gonna be your kid brother’s anime blog where all he’d talk about was DBZ and Pokemon all day, it was going to become an experience that you’d have to see to believe.
In January 11, 2016 we made our debut as D&A Anime Blog at a new convention that came to Baltimore known as Animore. The vibe of that convention was very much like conventions of old; where it was just about the medium and the fandom, and not about the mainstream Hollywood attention that its getting today. Right out of the gate people were excited about what we were all about and wanted to support our dreams of being one of the best anime blogs out there. We even became friends with a lot of the voice actors that were there as well; from Anthony Bowling to Tia Ballard (and eventually Steve Blum, Josh Martin, Josh Grelle, and Monica Rial). We also started doing panels during the convention’s run from 2016-2020; but also around that time we started going to other conventions like Zenkaikon, Anime USA, Saikoucon, Thy Geekdom Con, and more! Things were going great and everything was awesome…or so we thought.
Us and Crispin Freeman at Anime USA in 2018
After Animore’s 5th anniversary in January 2020, we received warnings of a possible outbreak of coronavirus we know as COVID-19, and the worst was yet to come. After March of that year; anime conventions and other mass social gatherings started getting cancelled and dropping like flies, although there were a couple defiant ones who thought they were better than everyone else, many in the anime community decided to go virtual with their convention experiences. The last two years tore me apart; from not being able to go to conventions due to Covid, to Animore closing their doors permanently because of the effects that COVID-19 did to them on a financial standpoint.
Now we’ve reached that ‘Seven Year Itch’ phase of our business where A. Goldman and I had a few speed bumps in our business partnership; and even gotten mad at each other at one point. (It’s not just married couples that go through this.) It was extremely hard on my end to not go to cons as attendees anymore; but as all-expenses paid guests with appearance fees to help us expand what we do, and give back to our fans who’ve helped us along the way. It took awhile for me to understand that; because no longer were we going to go as just ourselves, we were going to go as paid performers with a 3-panel convention entertainment experience we call “The D&A Experience”.
Project Paradise Teaser
So I started doing what all other agents do for voice actors in the anime industry; scout out bookings for anime conventions that we wanted to bring this unique experience to. You never know who’s watching, so that’s why you got to keep going if you want that dream gig or that dream experience. For me, that’s what it all came down to; a chance to get back on the road and have all of the fun at conventions like we did in the past, but now making money to help fund and expand our business. As for “Project Paradise”, well, that is still our mission to one day have own own anime convention. January 11, 2026 will be our 10th anniversary as D&A, and what better way to do that than to launch our anime convention campaign through “Project Paradise”.
I will say that once the official name of our con is revealed (probably Spring or Summer 2023), it’ll take on the convention model it was inspired from; Animore. I want to bring anime conventions back to Baltimore, but its gonna take a lot of support and money from the anime community. We’ve been on this journey of ours for a while, and from the looks of things we’re only just beginning.
Isekai is one of the most saturated genres in anime history, and like we’ve spoken in our initial rant about it, there’s always some ‘new’ title that drops EVERY DAMN SEASON! From the people who brought you ‘The Time I Got Sucked in to Another World with my iPhone 12’, comes ‘That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Refrigerator’! Japan loves coming up with things and objects that people can be brought into another world to be reincarnated as, but despite how stupidly long these titles are; and how generic most of the protagonists can be, there are exceptions. One of those exceptions comes in the form of a parody of all of the common tropes found in isekai anime titles; including how useless party members can be. One of the biggest useless party members happens to be a goddess (if you’d even call her that) of water, and also has the personality of a fish out of water. Guys n’ gals, meet Aqua, a useless goddess.
OMG! You’re useless!!
Konosuba is one of those shows that takes the ‘norms’ that you’d find in every isekai trope, and throws it out the window. You’d think upon first glance it would be about a generic MC getting transported to another world after death, and waking up in a forest to search for the king and become a knight and fight off dragons in order to save the kingdom, right? NO! Konosuba takes all of that and tells it to go kick rocks; because Kazuma (the ‘generic’ MC) doesn’t give a damn about fighting the demon king, he just wants to party and live it up in the new world he’s in. (And even drags Aqua along for the ride.)
Aqua is basically the first person Kazuma meets and already hates her guts…and the fact that she made her panties invisible so people wouldn’t see them. (Yeah, but now they can SEE YOUR BARE ASS!) Well, as air-headed and useless as she is within Kazuma’s party, Aqua brings a sense of comic relief and joy.
Part 1: The Origin of the Useless Goddess
So, was Aqua useless from the start? Well she’s worshiped in the Axis Order in the Fantasy World, and is basically in charge of trying to get Japanese people who’ve died to be reincarnated into the Fantasy World. However Eris was the one taking one most of her responsibilities, because Aqua would rather read manga and be lazy. (No surprise there.) Kazuma wasn’t like other Japanese people; instead when he was reincarnated, he took Aqua with him as a cheat item (which she hated) and the two of them started getting odd part-time jobs in order to make a living in the Fantasy World. Eventually Aqua started getting noticed throughout the town for her abilities and also her troublemaking; which places Kazuma as the one who ends up as her “babysitter”. When it comes to responsibilities…yeah, Aqua’s pretty useless.
Part 2: How Useless Is Your Goddess?
Aqua is an unaccountable airhead with a ‘kid-in-a-candy-store’ personality, who can be really annoying at some of the worst times. Though she won’t pass judgement on push her beliefs on people, she speaks out of term and has landed herself and the rest of Kazuma’s party in hot water. As a goddess Aqua has validation issues; as she constantly seeks praises for her good deeds – only to ruin her merits moments later. Aqua is also a terrible lair, and has no concept of what a ‘lie’ is and how to tell one due in part to her honesty. Because of this its easy to trick her into doing things or even getting her to agree with you on certain topics, and while she thinks highly of herself, Aqua isn’t the brightest when it comes to business sense.
On the flipside; Aqua can be smart when she wants to be, and has been known to be a walking encyclopedia for Kazuma and the rest of the team. Although she’s a goddess, Aqua forgets just how powerful her priestess abilities actually are; and has performed feats that others would deem extraordinary. She’s not fond of toads or demons and surely hates the undead, but she’ll get along with them if she gets to know them long enough. (Not the toads though.) As far as her skills are concerned, they may seem impressive on paper, but in actual battle…they’re useless against normal people and toads. Aside from her Priestess Magic, Aqua has powerful skills like “God Blow” and “God Requiem”, but she can also bring people back from the dead, purify unclean water, cause biblical floods, lift curses from those possessed by demons, a master craftswoman, can do water bending (just a little bit, don’t get excited Last Airbender fans), has holy magic, and is also great at party tricks. I know it looks like I made Aqua not sound as useless as she seems, but in the anime only half of this stuff is seen.
Okay, so you’re not as useless…
Part 3: The Legacy of the Useless Goddess
Many supporting characters in isekai anime titles are equal in strength and intelligence to a certain degree, as for Aqua, you’re kinda rolling the dice and hoping for the best. She’s totally useless when it comes to certain responsibilities, but she also knows how to entertain a crowd with her party tricks. Perhaps she’s not totally useless at everything, she’s just more skilled in other areas as opposed to the ones most people would assume she’s good at; but they’d be wrong. While she’d be okay for quests where there’s demons and undead involved, Aqua would still need to be babysat when it comes to keeping herself from getting in trouble around town. Also, she needs to PUT SOME DAMN DRAWS ON! Nobody wants to see that booty every single day (not unless you’re a freak); ask Kazuma when he’s groaning and rolling his eyes. At the end of the day, Aqua’s gonna be Aqua, and there’s nothing you can do about that.
That will do it for this One-2-One. Until next post, stay nerdy! 😉
Founding member Donte’ J. Lewis of D&A Anime Blog / D&A Studios Entertainment talks about his experience at AniMore; a Baltimore anime convention running from 2016-2021, and how that convention shaped the identity of what D&A is today. Could it be that he and Aaron Goldman might be trying to run an anime convention of their own? More on that story later this week on A Founder’s Thoughts with D.J. Lewis.
The Most Useless One-2-One Ever!
When it comes to anime, there’s always your usual suspects; your Tsundere types, your “Notice Me Senpai!” types, and your airheaded types. This week we do a deep dive into the hallow cranium of the most useless goddess ever…Aqua. The One-2-One on Konosuba’s biggest airhead drops on Tuesday September 6, 2022.
Miyazaki: The State of The AnimeIndustry
“Anime was a mistake,” said one Hayao Miyazaki during a Tokyo TV interview. Many fans in the West respect this man for his amazing work on films like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, and more. However his take on what the anime industry is like today; might be either met with either sarcastic derision, or mutual understanding. Could it be that Miyazaki saw or felt a first glimpse of what would happen to this industry years (or decades) down the road? We do a deep dive into his works, his artistic direction, and why he feels the industry is filled with otaku. Coming later this week!
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D&A Anime Blog 