Anime

So Many Good Anime to Come out of 2023

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Blogging , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

RJ Writing Ink’s Best Anime of 2023

The Year 2023 was undoubtedly an absolute banger of a year for anime. From seeing how Satoru Gojo became an overpowered rizz God to the most upbeat zombie apocalypse to the end of the Rumbling, it has been a glorious year in anime. With 2024 now, it is the perfect time to reflect on the best to grace our screens. I’m RJ Writing Ink for D&A Anime Blog, and in no particular order, here are my picks for the best anime of the year.

Full disclosure: most of this list will cover anime I’ve seen this year. Thus, this is more of an opinion post than a formal review and breakdown. Most of my choices were anime that set the Internet ablaze with hype, so I think I’m good.

Attack on Titan: the Final Chapter

This should’ve been shown in theaters, plain and simple. Two years after the end of the manga, the anime Attack on Titan ended in two earth-shattering, apocalyptic specials that set the world on fire. As the long-awaited Rumbling flattened the world, fans saw the true horror of what Eren Yeager had unleashed in visceral detail. Everything from the music to the animation was on point courtesy of studio Mappa, delivering some of the best moments anime has seen in this decade. At the end of the day, the real triumph was how the finale improved the ending.

The ending to the manga garnered a fair amount of criticism over the past two years, and it seems the people making the anime took it to heart. As a result, the series finale saw several additional scenes that better explained things that seemed vague in the manga. IE, they better explained Eren’s rationale, how he hated himself for what he did, and how Armin reacted to it. That and it confirmed that, yes, Paradis did get centuries of peace before its eventual destruction. That’s as close to a happy ending as we’re gonna get, and I’ll take it. 

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Once again, Demon Slayer reminds us why it’s one of the greatest Shonen anime of the next generation with the Swordsmith Village arc. Having damaged his sword in the battle at the Pleasure District, Tanjiro and Nezuko head to the Demon Slayer’s secret Swordsmith Village to get him a new one. However, things go awry when two of the Twelve Kizuki infiltrate the village to destroy it. A desperate battle follows as Tanjiro and the other Demon Slayers fight to protect the makers of the only weapons capable of stopping the Demons.

As always, Demon Slayer remains a visual feast for the eyes. The anime has achieved international renown for the stunning beauty put into its animation, but something should also be said for the emotional depth of the characters. From the depravity of the Demons, as they embody the worst of mankind, to Tanjiro’s refusal to ever give up, there’s a reason why Demon Slayer is so popular. The best moment, though, comes in the final episode when Nezuko steps out into the light of the sun and is fine. Such a simple sight, once thought impossible, is enough to bring tears to people’s eyes. 

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

The story of Rudeus Greyrat, the man given a second chance at life via reincarnation, continues in Mushoku Tensei. Unfortunately, the anime picks up with Rudeus at rock bottom, having been seemingly spurned by his love, Eris. Rudy struggles to deal with the trauma of Eris’ abrupt departure as he journeys North to attend the magic school of his dreams. In doing so, he encounters faces both familiar and new as he tries to make the most of his second life, including a certain friend he hasn’t seen in years.

Say what you want about Isekai being a dime a dozen these days, but Mushoku Tensei is one of the good ones. That’s because, unlike many others, it goes out of its way to portray the protagonist as a flawed person whose first life still affects their worldview. While Rudy is still far from a necessarily good person, you can’t help but root for him as he tries to improve. And after the ill-planned stunt Eris pulled, you can’t help but want him to be happy. And the season still needs to be finished, with the second half coming in 2024. Here’s to seeing Rudy’s life continue improving until it isn’t. 

No spoilers. 

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You

Ever since he was eight months old, all Rentaro Aijล has wanted was a girlfriend to love. Unfortunately, by the time he reached high school, he’d been rejected 100 times. That’s when he visits a local temple, and its Love God tells him something incredible: he won’t just meet his soulmate in high school. He’ll meet all 100 of his soulmates. The catch is that if he rejects one of them, the resulting misfortune will eventually kill them. Refusing to let this happen or make anyone sad, Rentaro decides to date all of them. 

No, you read that right. This man is going to date 100 girls before he leaves high school.

Harem anime don’t always get a positive reputation, but 100 Girlfriends should be a big exception:

  1. The protagonist is aware of every girl falling for him and goes out of his way to make them all happy.
  2. Almost every girlfriend serves as a deconstruction of their character archetype. Behavior that would be one note in another series becomes more nuanced here and serves as actual issues they may have to solve.
  3. The show embraces the pros of the genre and takes them to new comedic heights.

I can’t remember the last time a harem anime made me laugh so hard, so much so that I wrote a whole, separate review of this!

Scott Pilgrim Takes off

Thirteen years since Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the world was glad to hear that the famous graphic novel was getting an anime adaptation. Animated by Science Saru and debuting on Netflix, the show saw most of the film’s cast reprising in what looked like a full adaptation of the graphic novel series. However, the end of the first episode changed everything. Instead of winning against the first of Ramona’s evil exes, Scott disappears and is presumed dead by almost everyone. Thus, the story shifts to following Ramona as she attempts to uncover who took Scott while everyone tries to move on from their lives.

Since fans expected a proper adaptation of the popular graphic novel series, some were unhappy that Netflix blindsided everyone. The majority of viewers, though, had nothing but praise. The anime keeps the spirit of the novels and film alive, and it’s clear that everyone was on their a-game working on this. Additionally, the changed timeline allows Scott Pilgrim to deconstruct itself without as much drama. The show gives Ramona more depth and shows that, despite her cool demeanor, she’s made just as many mistakes as Scott did. So, she gets that character development, and so does Scott when he returns. 

Jujutsu Kaisen

After years of waiting for the next chapter, fans of Jujutsu Kaisen got their wish with the show’s second season debuting on Crunchyroll. The first five episodes of the season serve as a prequel to the series, chronicling the events that turned a teenage Gojo into the man who would serve as Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi’s mentor and establish how he is that guy. He was so powerful that the follow-up Shibuya Arc saw him sealed away by the Cursed Spirits, the Jujutsu Sorceror’s fight. And from there, everything that could go wrong did go wrong, as everyone present in Shibuya either died or was thrust into hell.

Let’s come out and say it: the Shibuya Arc is one of the darkest arcs in Shonen history. Between the protagonist’s primary mentor being sealed away and Sukuna using Yuji’s body to destroy Shibuya and kill thousands. By the time the dust settles, the initial villains of the story, who aren’t Sukuna or Geto, are dead, and most of the supporting cast is either dead or heavily injured. Did we mention how Sukuna leveled the district? Not including Jujutsu Kaisen on this list would be a disservice to it. It gave fans everything they wanted and then some!

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

Have you ever had a job so bad that a zombie apocalypse seems like heaven in comparison? That’s precisely what Akira Tendou felt in his borderline sweatshop corporate job. So when an actual zombie apocalypse occurs, Akira’s first thoughts? He never has to work again! With a growing group of friends by his side, Akira decides to live his life to the fullest before he potentially becomes a zombie.

The idea of someone being happier in a zombie apocalypse sounds so absurd on paper, but Zom 100 does it so well it might as well be the anti-High School of the Dead. Besides being a rebuke of how oppressive corporate society is, the series also serves as a reminder of what it means to live life for oneself genuinely. Akira’s joy at his freedom in such bizarre circumstances is infectious and enough to inspire people in the universe without focusing more on what makes them happy. That, and it’s just plain funny. 

Baki Hanma

The Baki franchise has always been crazy, but this year, it reached absurd levels of ridiculousness. The first half of the season sees the world’s best fighters trying to fight Pickle, a 190 million-year-old caveman thawed out from ice that are dinosaurs for lunch. The second half of the season saw Baki prepare for his final confrontation with his father, Yujiro, the strongest creature in the world. The results: bones are bones, missing limbs, and punches flying at the speed of sound.

Baki is the kind of series that has to be seen to be believed. The idea of a caveman waking up in the modern day isn’t new, but a caveman that fought dinosaurs and made victims out of everyone he fought? It sounds so dumb, yet so awesome. Additionally, the fight between Baki and Yujiro isn’t just incredible but emotional. Watch this if you haven’t already!

One Piece

If there’s one anime that came out of this year more popular than ever, it’s the legendary One Piece. The long-running Wano Country Arc, which saw Straw-Hat Luffy and his crew and allies fight their most brutal fight to date against the inhumanly strong Kaido and his Beast Pirates, come to its climactic conclusion. Pushing himself beyond all his limits to defeat Kaido and save Wano Country, Luffy unlocked a new form so ridiculous that it can only be described as a weaponized form of Toon Force. 

Say what you want about One Piece, but the world eats well when it cooks. Clips uploaded by Crunchyroll took the top trending spot on YouTube multiple times throughout the year. The live-action Netflix series broke the mold by not being bad. And Luffy got his own balloon at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  

2023 Was a Badass Year for Anime

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Blogging , , , , , , , , , , ,

Best Anime Moments of 2023

Another year ends, another year of anime on the books. And this year saw some of the best anime in recent years set the Internet on fire. From Isekaiโ€™s setting new standards to martial artists fighting actual cavemen, this year had some crazy moments to show for it. Therefore, it only feels right to end the year by recounting some of the best moments.

Iโ€™m RJ Writing Ink with D&A Anime Blog, and here are my picks for the best anime moments in 2023. For this list, Iโ€™ll limit myself to anime that Iโ€™ve either watched or watched enough to get a general understanding of whatโ€™s going on. If your anime didnโ€™t make the list, apologies in advance. 

Rudeus and Sylphiette Get Together-Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

Growing up in Buena village together, Rudeus Greyrat and Sylphiette were inseparable best friends until the day he left to tutor his distant relative. Then the Teleportation Incident destroyed their home, scattered everyone around the world, and set them on different paths in life. Fate (and the handiwork of Princess Ariel) saw the two finally reunite after nearly ten years attending the magic school they always talked aboutโ€ฆonly for Rudy to not recognize her, and Sylphie too shy to tell him who she was. It took a year and the help of her best friends, but Sylphie finally managed to tell Rudy who she was. One romantic night later, and the two were a firm couple.

Thereโ€™s something sweet about childhood friends taking that next step to becoming lovers, and these two earned the right to do so. Sylphie trained hard for years to match Rudeusโ€™ level of magical skill, and had to endure the deadly intrigue of the Asura Kingdomโ€™s royal court. Meanwhile, Rudy spent almost three years trying to get home, only for his love, Eris, to seemingly abandon him. Rudy may have flaws, but he didnโ€™t deserve to get traumatized. Seeing Sylphieโ€™s love for him pull him from the depths of despair was immensely satisfying to witness. Even more so when Rudy didnโ€™t hesitate to ask Sylphie to marry him. Theyโ€™ve earned this chance to be happy!

Akira Realizes He’s Free from Work-Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

For three long, agonizing years, Akira Tendou had been stuck in hell. His dream job wound up being little more than corporate slavery, his boss gaslit him into thinking he was worthless, and the girl he liked was having an affair with the CEO. At the rate things were going, he was on the both to an early grave. Then the zombie apocalypse happened, and Akira suddenly realized something: he never has to go to work again. Cue the absolute euphoria.

All too often, people get stuck working in jobs that they come to hate. But whether itโ€™s because they need the money or theyโ€™d feel guilty for leaving or wouldnโ€™t know where else to work, they stay there and let it beat them down until thereโ€™s almost nothing left. It gets so bad in Japan that people have chosen suicide rather than endure another day of their horrible jobs. Thus, seeing the look of absolute euphoria on his face as Akira realizes that heโ€™s finally free is catharsis at its finest. It also sets the tone for Zom100 being one long middle finger to corporate culture. 

(Almost) Every Scene with Pickle-Baki Hanma

In a world filled with absolute powerhouses like Yujiro and Baki Hanma, how do you top them? By introducing an actual caveman so tough that he hunted T-Rexes for food. Meet Pickle, the evolutionary-defying caveman from the Jurassic era preserved for 190 million years in ice and salt, only to be revived in the present day. From the second he woke up, Pickle made victims out of everyone he ran into. He tore through the US Army, bent a Siberian Tiger into the letter โ€˜Cโ€™, slew Truck-Kun, and ate the limbs off several of the worldโ€™s best martial artists. He even made Yujiro use an actual technique when they had the manliest fist-bump ever.

Pickle is the kind of impossible, indescribable menace that could only come from a series as insane as Baki, and he is amazing. Thereโ€™s something both amazing and terrifying of seeing this evolutionary impossibility not only exist, but make mince meat of the worldโ€™s strongest. The fact that not even Baki, the main character, could beat him, only makes watching Pickle even more amazing. The only scene that isnโ€™t cool to watch is when he violated that news reporter who foolishly got too close to him. Assault is never cool. 

Gojo Unlocks Limitless-Jujutsu Kaisen

Satoru Gojo is many things: a master of rizz, an absolute troll, and Kakashi 2.0. But like many, he didnโ€™t start out like that; he had to work for it. After being stabbed and left for dead by Toji Fushiguro, Gojo survived by unlocking the full extent of his technique, Limitless. When he next confronts Toji, he proceeds to utterly decimate the assassin. Itโ€™s not even a fight at this point; just a beatdown.

Thereโ€™s a reason why everyone considers Gojo to be that guy, and this moment demonstrates what heโ€™s like when heโ€™s off the leash. As cool as it is to see him use the full extent of his powers, though, his behavior here is very, very unsettling. Heโ€™s laughing and raving like a lunatic or someone high on drugs, drunk on his own power and not caring at the fact that one of his friends is now dead. By the time he comes down from it, the sobering reality of how worthless having all that power is if he canโ€™t save anyone hits him like a freight train. As cool as this was, it also marked the start of Gojoโ€™s character development that made him become the teacher he is in the present day. 

Miyo Stands up to her Half-Sister and Stepmother-My Happy Marriage

Saying that Miyo Saimori had a horrible family would be like comparing apples to orange. Treated as an unwanted reminder of the arranged marriage he never wanted, her father did nothing to stop her stepmother and half-sister from abusing her and treating like a servant. It wasnโ€™t until she was sent away to marry the enigmatic Mr. Kudou that she finally started got to experience happiness for the first time. In a jealous fit of rage, though, the evil stepmother and sister kidnapped Miyo and proceeded to beat her senselessly until she agreed to renounce her engagement. However, for the first time ever, Miyo stood up for herself. 

Seeing fictional characters like Cinderella and Miyo suffer domestic abuse from their own family is bad enough. The fact that such things happen in real life, though, can be downright heartbreaking. The worst part is that not everyone can escape this ordeal like Cinderella and Miyo did. Thus, getting to see Miyo find the strength in her to stand up to her family is cathartic to watch. What makes it better is knowing that Mr. Kudou stormed their home and let it burn to the ground to get her back. Thatโ€™s karma at its finest.

Netsuko Walks in the Sun-Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba-Swordsmith Village Arc

From the beginning of his journey, Tanjiroโ€™s goals as a Demon Slayer have been simple: turn his sister, Nezuko, back into a human, and defeat the Demon Muzan. The Demon Slayers made a huge step towards the latter goal during the Swordsmith Village Arc. The Demon Slayers managed to slay two of Muzanโ€™s Upper Ranks, but to do so, Nezuko was left standing outside when the sun came up. However, instead of burning into ashes like other Demons, a miracle occurred: Nezuko had become immune to sunlight.

Hands down, this is one of the most heartwarming, tearjerking moments in the entire Demon Slayer series. Tanjiro has fought tooth and nail to ensure that Nezuko can become human again. To see him burst into tears when he thinks the whole reason he became a Demon Slayer go up in smoke, only to find Nezukoโ€™s fine. After all the pain heโ€™s gone through, this little victory of his makes it all worthwhile.

Sukunaโ€™s Rampage-Jujutsu Kaisen

By its nature, Jujutsu Kaisen is a dark series, but thatโ€™s balanced out by the lighthearted comedy found in many Shonen manga. The Shibuya Arc, though, had no such protective netting, as everything that could go wrong did. Gojo getting sealed alone was bad enough, but then the Cursed Spirits upped the ante by force-feeding Yuji Itadori ten of Sukunaโ€™s fingers. As a result, Sukuna was unleashed, leveled the Shibuya District, and killed multiple Cursed Spirits and likely hundreds of civilians. And thatโ€™s only putting it lightly!

Everything about this moment is the pinnacle of what Shonen anime aspires to be. Seeing what Sukuna can do when left free for an extended period of time was flat-out terrifying. From killing Jogo to battling Fushiguroโ€™s most powerful Shikigami, everything about this is flat-out awesome. Well, for the viewers. For . 

Shanks Scares Greenbull out of Wano Country-One Piece

Kaido and Big Mom had been defeated and Wano Country was finally free, but there was one last battle to fight. With the two Emperorโ€™s out of the way, Navy Admiral Greenbull tried to march right into Wano to kill Luffy, only to be met by Momonosuke, the Red Scabbards, and Yamato. While they put up a good fight, Greenbull looked ready to overwhelm themโ€ฆuntil Shanks pulled up from afar.

Shanks is one of the most popular characters in One Piece for a reason, often acting as an avatar for series mangaka Eichiro Oda himself. And when Shanks gets and tells someone to back off, itโ€™s best for them to listen. Shanks only had to unleash a fraction of his Haki to paralyze Greenbull without ever leaving his ship. Another burst of Haki was enough to make him turn tail and leave Wano Country altogether. 

The cool thing about this, though? He didnโ€™t necessarily have to do that. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Jinbei were already observing the battle from the capital. They couldโ€™ve intervened if things got out of hand, and likely wouldโ€™ve beaten Greenbull. Shanks did it to remind everyone how badass he is!

The Entire Finale-Attack on Titan: the Final Chapter

This finale deserved to be a feature-length movie released in theaters. Wrapping up the Attack on Titan anime with a bang, this two-part finale saw Eren Yeager unleash the Rumbling onto the world in order to wipe out all of humanity beyond his home island of Paradis. His former friends in the Scouts and the remaining Warriors of Marley are forced to abandon their past grudges to save the world while thereโ€™s still a world left to save. What ensues is an absolute desperate fight for survival that pushes everyone involved to their absolute limits.

Everything about these two specials qualifies as a best moment for 2023. The animation reaches new levels of quality, the music is on point, the action is breathtaking, and everything is just perfect. In addition, the anime improves on the ending to provide better context. Itโ€™s as close to perfect as one can expect.

Luffy Goes Gear Fifth for the First Time-One Piece

This was the moment that One Piece fans had been waiting the entire series for, and they didnโ€™t even know it. As the Wano Country Arc reached its climax, Luffy was once again bested by the monstrous pirate Kaido, seemingly for good. Just when it looks like all hope for victory seems lost, Luffyโ€™s body begins to stir as the sound of drums begins to pierce the heavens, heralding the awakening of his Devil Fruit and unlocking of Gear Fifth.

There are almost no words to describe how unbelievably epic this moment was for fans. The intimidating yet whimsical sound of the drums. The way itโ€™s juxtaposed against Luffyโ€™s unheard-of transformation. An elephant the size of an island proclaiming the second coming of Joyboy in Luffy. Luffyโ€™s grin at the end indicates that heโ€™s about to kick some serious ass. This moment needs to be studied as an example of building up hype. And given how the following episodes see Luffy turn into SHONEN POPEYE, itโ€™s hands-down the best anime moment of 2023. No ifs, ands, or buts!

So Many Waifu’s to Choose From!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Blogging , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

RJ Writing Ink’s Picks for Best Waifu’s of 2023

The year 2023 is over, and that means it’s time for us to reflect on everything that’s happened. For anime fans, that also means it’s time to look back the anime we’ve watched, and just as important, which girls and boys we consider to be the best. This year saw tons of amazing waifus; so much so that before the year was out, we had to name them all. I’m RJ Writing Ink for D&A Anime Blog, and in no particular order, here are my top picks for best girls of 2023. 

For this list, we wonโ€™t just be including girls from shows that premiered in 2023. We will also be including girls who gained prominence on returning shows in 2023. Also, it goes without saying, but no loliโ€™s.

Tomo Aizawa-Tomo-Chan is a Girl!

Ask her best friend, Jun, and heโ€™ll say that Tomo Aizawa is the best friend a guy could have. One problem, though: Tomo wants to be more than just friends with Jun, and heโ€™s clueless about this. Thus, Tomo has to find ways of getting him to stop seeing her as just one of the guys and seeing her as a girl. 

If tomboy supremacy is a thing, then Tomo Aizawa embodies it. Confident (mostly), friendly, and unwilling to take anyoneโ€™s nonsense, Tomo is every tomboy loverโ€™s dream personified, with even girls being known to fall for her. The main issue that she has is that her tomboy ways have left her deeply insecure about her feminine side and make her think she needs to change that about herself to get Jun to like her. The anime focuses on her trying to do so, only to realize that she never had to do so. Jun already loves her the way she is, and so do plenty of fans.

Of which I am one.

Sylphiette-Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

Introduced as the first friend that Rudeus Greyrat ever made in his second life, Sylphiette has been in love with him since day one. That only made it harder for her when he went away to earn money for them to attend magic school, only for the Teleportation Incident to separate them even further. When they finally reunited at that same magic school, Sylphie despaired when Rudy didnโ€™t recognize her. Once she gathered her courage to reveal her true identity, though, she learned that not only had he never forgotten her, but returned her feelings. 

Can we appreciate how much of an angel Sylphiette really is? Despite knowing of Rudeus character flaws (of which there are many), she always saw the best in him even when he didn’t. More importantly, when she learned about the psychological trauma he endured from his first love abruptly leaving him, Sylphieโ€™s first response was understanding and compassion. Her love for Rudeus saved him in one of the lowest points in his life. No wonder why he immediately asked her to marry him. 

Miyo Saimori-My Happy Marriage

Miyo Saimori did not have a happy life. Unwanted by her birth father and treated like a servant by her stepmother and half-sister, Miyo spent her whole life thinking she was worthless. All of that changed, though, when she was engaged to the cold but handsome soldier Kiyoka Kudou. Despite his reputation of scaring off his prospective brides, she soon learns that heโ€™s not the cruel man people make him out to be. And with his support, she begins to come out of her shell and finally learn to stand up for herself.

Miyo Saimori is like the Japanese version of Cinderella, if what Cinderella went through gave her low self-esteem. Spending her whole life being seen as useless by her own family, Miyo starts out the series with little hope for a better life. However, once she gets her fiancรฉ to warm up to her, and gains the supportive environment she never had, she grows out of her timid nature. While sheโ€™s still a bit of a wallflower, she shows everyone that she has an unspoken will to her that makes her far stronger than she seems. 

Shizuka Mikazuki and Beatrix Amerhauser-Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

Since these two are from the same anime, I OK combined their entry into one. 

First running into Akira while he was looking to get beer, Shizuka had a demeanor so cold, she couldโ€™ve been an ice queen. While this was partially due to her logical nature, a large part of her cold demeanor stems from her control freak father dictating everything about her life. As she comes to spend more time with Akira, though, she starts to lighten up and learn never to let others tell her how to live her life. 

In contrast, Beatrix Amerhauser is very much an extrovert. A young German woman with a lifelong passion for Japan, she came to the country right as the zombie apocalypse started. However, not even zombies would stop her from seeing the country she dreamed about for years, becoming the fourth to join Akiraโ€™s growing travel party.

Both these girls couldnโ€™t be any more different from each other, yet both have aspects that make them great waifus. Theyโ€™re both considered very pretty by men and are subjects to varying degrees of fanservice, but itโ€™s their personalities that are the big draw. Underneath Shizukaโ€™s cold demeanor lies someone who cares deeply for the people she considers her friends. And seeing Beatrix get excited by her love of Japan is enough to get anyone around her fired up. In other words, theyโ€™re both great women and great waifus.

Mitsuri Kanroji-Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Born with an abnormal level of strength, poor Mitsuri managed to scare off any prospective marriage partner. While she did try to hide her strength to attract a husband, she quickly realized how miserable her life would be to live like this. Rather than try and act like what others considered to be โ€œnormal,โ€ Mitsuri chose to embrace who she was by becoming a Demon Slayer. Now among the strongest people in Japan, Mitsuri hoped to find a man even tougher than her in the hopes of finally finding love.

Okay, real talk. If Mitsuri turns guys off because of her abnormal hair color or for how strong she is, then the problem isnโ€™t her; itโ€™s all of them. Compassionate, beautiful, and willing to lay down her life for what she thinks is right, Mitsuri Kanroji is everything most guys want in a girlfriend. The fact that she hasnโ€™t found a husband who likes her for her is a travesty. 

Ramona Flowers-Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

She is, quite literally, the girl of Scott Pilgrimโ€™s dreams. Those familiar with the story of Scott Pilgrim know the tale of Ramona Flowers. She is a cool skater girl with even cooler hair and has a lot of exes that Scott has to fight to date her in peace. However, all of that goes out the window when Scott disappears in the middle of fighting her first ex. While the others in Scottโ€™s life try to move on with their lives, Ramona takes it upon herself to find out who took him, becoming the main character in this new story.

While the graphic novels and the film adaptation hinted at it, the anime version of Ramona Flowers fully fleshes out her character beyond being a manic pixie dream girl. Sheโ€™s just as flawed as her prospective boyfriend, Scott, with her actions being just as responsible for how her exes turned out as they are. At the same time, seeing her come to terms with her past mistakes as she tries to find Scott shows how she can change herself for the better. Because of her willingness to make amends for past mistakes while still being an all-around fantastic girl, Ramona deserves a place on this list. 

Every One of Rentaroโ€™s Girlfriends-The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You

Sorry, but given the premise of this crazy harem anime, itโ€™s impossible to choose one of Rentaroโ€™s growing list of girlfriends as best. So, much like gigachad Rentaro, I’m going with all of them. 

Hakari is sweet and openly affectionate. She may have a bit of a perverted side, but sheโ€™s very supportive of her fellow harem members and their happiness.

Karane may be a tsundere, but that personality type is popular with many anime fans. She may have trouble expressing her true feelings, but when push comes to shove, her love for her friends and Rentaro knows no bounds.

Shizuka is adorable-looking and very well-read, but at the same time, very shy. Her shyness was only made worse because everyone, including her mother, saw her as a freak for only using books to communicate with others. Underneath her shyness, though, Shizuka has a lot of courage and is willing to do anything to help her newfound family. 

Nano is an archetypical kuudere, cold and efficient to the point that she could be called a Vulcan. But once Rentaro gets into her heart, she starts to learn how to embrace her emotions more. Plus, she can dress up to look like an actual Prince Charming. That is a rare talent, indeed!

Kusuri might look like a loli, but thatโ€™s due to her genius backfiring on her with a semi-permanent drug, leaving her with the body of a child. When she does return to her actual age, though, sheโ€™s like a red-headed version of Bulma from Dragon Ball: brains and beauty combined.

As Hakariโ€™s mom, the introduction to Hahari made her appear cold and controlling of her daughter. In truth, though, that was because Hakariโ€™s father died before she was born, leaving Hahari to raise her by herself at age 13 (she had herself artificially inseminated, all right!) After Rentaro proved how genuine his feelings for Hakari were, though, Hahari didnโ€™t just give them her blessing. She wound up becoming his sixth soulmate, much to everyoneโ€™s exasperation.

And this is just the first six. Rentaro is going to have 94 more before the story comes to an end.

‘Zom100’ Came Home for the Holidays!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Zom100: Bucket List of the Dead Eps. 10-12 Review

It’s been three months since the last episode of Zom100 came out, thanks to delays with production from behind the scenes. Many people despaired that one of the year’s best anime would never be finished. However, after three months of hiatus, Akira is back for the holidays! When we last left off, he and his friends had settled in his secluded hometown in the mountains, safe from the zombies. Unfortunately, their oasis was about to become a battlefield thanks to another quartet looking to do whatever they wanted. Unlike Akira, though, this group wants to hurt everyone around them! It’s up to Akira and the others to save his home in this three-part finale!

Getting to Know Everyone in Akira’s Hometown

At this point, Akira, Kencho, Shizuka, and Beatrix have integrated themselves into Akira’s hometown. Akira is helping his parents work in the field. Kencho has taken to trying to cheer up a little girl named Angie, who lost her parents. Beatrix has learned more about how the villagers keep the zombies out. As for Shizuka, she works as the village’s unofficial doctor. As a kid, she always wanted to study medicine and become a doctor, but her dirtbag wouldn’t let her because it wouldn’t be a high-paying job, which doesn’t make sense. After all, being a doctor is one of the best-paying jobs in the world. 

All this downtime allows everyone to relax and bond with the villagers and other refugees. Akira, in particular, tries to devise a way to repay his parents for everything they’ve done for him. As someone lucky enough to still have both his parents, it’s a sentiment I can greatly relate to. Plenty of kids give up so much for the sake of their kids, and not every kid can fully repay or express that gratitude while they still have a chance. It’s a genuinely wholesome moment and one I enjoyed getting to see.

It’s too bad the moment gets ruined by a group that’s the yin to Akira and his friend’s yang, who open the barrier, keeping the zombies out so they can destroy the village.

Higurashi and his Group of Haters 

Meet Kanta Higurashi, a 24-year-old shut-in and the anti-Akira. Like Akira, his life before the zombies was terrible, with no friends, family, or job. This made him bitter at the world and blame everyone else for how his life turned out. Thus, when the apocalypse happened, he decided to indulge in everything he wanted and found others who wanted to do the same thing. In other words, he’s a mirror version of Akira.

Here’s the difference, though. The problems that Akira and his friends had before the zombies came were external, resulting from things that weren’t always in their control (bad job and worse boss, bad Dad, etc.) Higurashi’s group? As the zombies come pouring in and each member of Akira’s group has to fight a member of Higurashi’s group, it becomes clear that most of their gripes are self-inflicted.

  • Kurasugi hated his wife because she always complained about him never being there for her. In reality, though, he failed to put in the effort that came to a successful marriage, expecting his wife to do everything for him and ask for nothing in return. That’s not how marriage works!
  • Atenbou (who tries to French kiss Shizuka) complains he’s had bad luck, but it was due to his lazy and careless nature. I.E., he forgot to put out his cigarette in the restaurant he worked in, which burned down.
  • This woman named Kanbayashi got fired from her job, but it was because she had an overbearing attitude, insisted she was always right, and was generally a Karen.

Thankfully, Akira’s friends all beat each other while shutting down their arguments about why they’re jerks.

  • Shizuka points out how Atenbou’s lack of care for anyone but himself means his bad luck is self-inflicted. Then, she helped all the elderly people capture him.
  • Kencho outsmarts Kurasagi by diving into a cesspit to hide himself from the zombies. Gross, but effective.
  • Beatrix shuts down the water mill, providing power to the electric fence, trapping everyone, and points out the fact that so many different cultures and ways of thinking in the world mean that no one can be right about everyone. She’s then eaten by zombies instead of crushed by a water wheel.

As for Akira, he outsmarts Higurashi by disguising himself as a zombie to get close enough to pin him. Higurashi (who went to college with Akira and Kencho) then breaks down in tears and complains about how miserable his life has been.

Happiness is Something that Has to be Worked for

As sad as it is to see Higurashi cry about how miserable his life was, like his friends, a lot of his misery was self-inflicted. While his introverted nature did make it hard for him to reach out to anyone, it wasn’t like no one tried to. Akira did offer to befriend him in college, but his fear and loathing at how carefree Akira seemed to be led to him refusing this offer. 

According to T.V. Tropes, Higurashi is a deconstruction of the NEET archetype that’s become popular in many skis. Unlike someone like Rudeus Greyrat, who puts in the effort to be a better person, Higurashi doesn’t. He gave up on the world, so the world gave up on him and led him to what he is today. Unfortunately, Higurashi gets bitten by a zombie amidst his epiphany, denying the chance for a redemption arc. Instead, he sacrifices himself to lure the zombies away.

On to the Next Adventure

In the end, everyone’s able to escape the zombies, seal back in the tunnel, and rebuild the village. And, though I’m not sure if it’s shown onscreen, Atenbou’s the only one still alive and works to help rebuild and make amends. The bigger question, though, is what Akira and the others will do now. 

As it turns out, Akira’s father is suffering from a painful illness. The good news is it’s hemorrhoids, something a doctor can take care of. The bad news is that zombies make that pretty hard. Not wanting to let his Dad die this way, Akira comes up with a new goal: find the cure for the virus.

In almost every zombie story, one of the top priorities for survivors is to find a cure for whatever’s creating the zombies. Barring that, it’s trying to get them under control and rebuild society. Thus, the fact that Akira wants to eventually find some way of ending the zombie apocalypse is kind of expected. Given who he is, though, some people might not believe Akira can be the guy who could save Japan or the world if it’s spread that far. However, I think he might be able to do it.

No, really. Akira might be the guy who saves the world. He’s outgoing and friendly, bringing out the best in others and inspiring them to be better. If he managed to win over Shizuka as he did, then he might be able to get everyone to unite and stop the outbreak.

Thus, Akira, Kencho, Shizuka, and Beatrix all head out on their next adventure: finding a cure for the plague and completing more on their now-shared bucket list. Thus, the first season of Zom100 came to an end. 

A Season Two on the Horizon?

I will be upfront about this: I want to see a second season of Zom100 under better circumstances.

This anime is one of the best out of 2023; there’s no denying that. The problem is that it was plagued by production issues that led to delays and more. As a result, much of the hype around this amazing series started to fizzle out. This is sad; I’ve taken to read the manga, and it’s pretty good. This anime has much more potential, and I hope it continues. Until then, though, I will enjoy what we’ve gotten.

Happy Holidays!

I Give “Hometown of the Dead Pts 1-3” a 4.5/5. Each

‘One Piece’ Getting a Remake from Studio Wit

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime , , , , , , , , , , ,

2024 Shall Be the Year of One Piece๏ปฟ

This year, One Piece fans got to eat well. Next year, One Piece fans will be eating even better than before. 

One Piece is a modern-day epic that few can measure up to. It’s a story about following your dreams and living life to the fullest. And right now, it’s more popular than ever. It’s the latest film earned big money in North America. Luffy got his balloon at this year’s Macyโ€™s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The live-action Netflix series broke the curse of lousy live-action adaptations. And when Crunchyroll posts clips from the anime on YouTube, they trend. Bottom line, One Piece is more popular than ever. And next year, it’s going to get even better. 

Early One Piece is getting a Remake

Next year marks the 25th birthday of the One Piece anime, and it will be commemorated In a big way. In an announcement on Twitter, Netflix announced that they would be remaking the anime from the start. More importantly, instead of being made by Toei, this remake, named The One Piece, will be produced by Studio Wit. Wit is renowned for creating the first three seasons of Attack on Titan. More recently, it’s also Co-animated another popular Shonen anime, Spy x Family, alongside CloverWorks. 

This is big news for One Piece fans. Despite being more popular than ever, One Piece can still intimidate a lot of potential fans from enjoying it. At 1,100+ chapters and 1,078+ episodes long, it takes a lot of dedication for newcomers to work through. Even factoring in the movies that abridge some of the earlier arcs, it will still take a while to get through! An ongoing fan project, One Pace, cuts out much of the filler and padding by Toei, but it’s still long.

This remake offers a chance to retell the earliest days of One Piece better than ever. With updated animation in the vein of Attack on Titan and the ability to not include filler, One Piece can retell its early days and attract even more fans. 

In Other One Piece News

In addition to the remake, there are plenty of other things that One Piece fans have to celebrate going into 2024. In January 2024, Netflix will be debuting the ONA Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation. Based on a one-shot One Piece mangaka Eichiro Oda created in 1994, the ONA tells the story of the Samurai Ryuma as he travels his country and fights powerful monsters. It’s also a story that’s been retroactively added to the timeline of One Piece, so this is official lore.

There’s more: The live-action One Piece series is getting a second season. Making huge waves in the summer of 2023, the series broke the trend of bad live-action adaptations of popular anime. It helps that Oda actively guided production, and Netflix listened to him. 

Lastly, January 7th will mark the animeโ€™s official start to the Egghead Island Arc. Currently ongoing in the manga, this arc has already seen multiple jaw-dropping moments and reveals that fans are eating up:

  • The official introduction to the mysterious Dr. Vegapunk. 
  • The backstory of the enigmatic Bartholomew Kuma
  • The rapidly changing status and allegiance of several named characters.
  • Confirmation that one of the most hotly anticipated locations in the series is imminent.

The bottom line is that now is a great time to be a One Piece. With the series directly into its final saga, it’s the perfect time for people to participate in this legendary story. One Piece could go down as one of the greatest stories ever told. Stories like it only come once in a generation or even generations. 

Itsuki Gets Curb-Stomped by Rishia

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews , , , , , , , ,

The Rising of the Shield Hero S3, Ep 11 Review

At this point, it should be obvious that the Four Cardinal Heroes are in need of some serious therapy. None of them were mentally ready to handle getting summoned and told that they’re heroes meant to save the world. Now, Motoyasu can only see women as talking pigs except for Filo (who he now stalks like crazy.) Ren went through his bandit phase after losing his party and getting conned by Witch. Naofumi’s the most stable of them thanks to making friends he can trust. But Itsuki might be in the worst state of them all. He’s so in denial over the fact that he’s wrong that he’s letting Witch string him along.

Man, Witch sucks.

Itsuki Has Started to Lose It.

From the start of the episode, it’s clear that Itsuki has started going off the deep end. He’s mentally monologuing about how he’s on the side of justice. He’s telling himself that he’s not inferior to anyone and denying the fact that he’s messed up a lot. Then when he sees that Naofumi’s behind his match with Rishia and that he brought all the Demihuman kids, he accuses him of gathering more slaves and using them for money and profit. Then, he tries to attack Naofumi, putting everyone’s lives in danger in the process!

It becomes apparent to everyone, especially the viewers, that Itsuki is not in the best state of mind. And we get a glimpse into just how deep-rooted these issues he has are. In his world, an alternate Japan where people could have psyhic powers, he wanted to be a hero, but then he found out that he wasn’t as strong as he thought he was. Unlike Deku, though, Itsuki never got the chance to become stronger; he just got bullied and made to think that he was weak. 

Then he got summoned to Melromarc and told by everyone that he was one of the people meant to save their world. He had an entire country brown-nosing him, and that went too much to his head. Because when you’ve spent your entire life being told you’re not special, you’re willing to believe those who sing your praises, no matter their intentions or sincerity. Thus, like the other Heroes, he fell for Witch’s lies hook, line, and sinker.

Thankfully, Rishia is there to give him a reality check.

Rishia is a True Friend

Rishia is probably the only person who genuinely believed in Itsuki from the start. He saved her from imprisonment, so she followed him and admired his sense of justice…until he threw her out. Now that’s started to overcome her own inescurities and become a badass, she’s ready to help Itsuki in this time of need. And help her she does.

The fight between Rishia and Itsuki is less of a fight and more of a one-sided curb-stomping. Despite being in the thrall of the cursed Bow, Rishia still manages to curb-stomp him. To rub further salt in the wound, Rishia also criticizes his views on justice. Itsuki thinks his form of justice is the only form of justice, but that’s untrue. By its nature, Justice is different between person to person, culture to culture. One groupโ€™s idea of justice is anotherโ€™s idea of tyranny. The fact that Itsukiโ€™s refusing to acknowledge this doesn’t make him a hero; just a self-righteous bully. 

It gets to the point where even Itsukiโ€™s Bow gets tired of its wielders nonsense, and gives its power to Rishia to end things. She does, but Itsuki still refuses to listen to reason and runs off to find Witch.

Itsuki is a Broken Shell

What happens next surprises no one but Itsuki. Witch and the rest of his So-called partyโ€™s long gone. They spent all that money he won on themselves and left him with a Mountain of debts, utterly breaking him.

It’s not fully explained in the anime, but the light novels reveal that whatโ€™s happened to Itsuki is even worse than people thought. Because he used the Cursed Series of his Bow, the Pride Bow, he’s lost his free will. As a result, the sight at the end of Rishia leading Itsuki is because of PTSD. He can no longer do anything without being ordered to do so. It’s that bad.

The only consolationโ€™s here are the fact that Itsuki is with someone who actually cares about his well-being. The Four Heroes are now United under Naofumi. And they now have an army of strong companions to help them. Things seem to be looking up. 

Since there’s only one episode left this season, I’m waiting to see how things go wrong again. 

I Give “Justice vs. Justice” a 4/5

Raphtalia Must Be Protected at All Costs!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews , , , , , , , , ,

The Rising of the Shield Hero S3 Ep 12

Raphtalia is one of the best waifus in the history of the Isekai genre. She’s beautiful, kind, and strong, and she was the big reason that Naofumi never entirely gave into the despair from his early days as the Shield Hero. While Naofumi either ignores or remains oblivious that she’s in love with him (for now), he will still go to war against anyone who would hurt her. That is precisely what happens in the final episode of this season of Shield Hero. When an entire country targets Raphtalia for reasons straight out of Game of Thrones, Naofumi marches to war.

A Ridiculous Misunderstanding

Having spent the entire season tracking down the three Cardinal Heroes and setting them straight, things seem to finally be going right for Naofumi. The Heroes are cooperating, Lulorona Village is flourishing despite some setbacks, and everyone’s getting stronger. Gaelion’s even started teaching Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Sadeena how to use Dragon Veins. Things finally seem to be doing well for the Shield Hero.

Then, due to a ridiculous misunderstanding, the Heroes get caught in another conflict.

It all started when Naofumi asked Erhard to make Raphtalia a Miko Outfit based on the one she wore in Glass’ world. While the anime doesn’t explain why he did this, the Light Novel’s do: because he thought she looked cute. It was for cosplay, plain and simple. However, when Sadeena comes back and sees Raphtalia wearing it, she freaks out and begs her to take it off.

Then, all hell breaks loose as the village comes under attack from demihuman ninjas.

Q’Ten Lo and their Stupidity 

The ninjas prove tough enough to fight on even ground with the Cardinal and Vassal Heroes, cancelling their powers. It takes everyone’s help to take them down, but then they blow themselves up before they can talk. And the whole time, they were going about “Heavenly Emperor” and not letting Raphtalia claim it. Thankfully, no one dies, but one kid’s left in bad shape.

Afterwards, Sadeena took everyone aside and explained everything. To the east of Melromarc is the country of Q’Ten Lo, which is a stand-in for Feudal Japan, complete with an Emperor and isolationist policies. In the past, the royal family went through a whole Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon scenario, fighting and killing to decide the next Heavenly Emperor. By the time the dust settled, only two people were left, and one of them was Raphtalia’s father. He and her Mom didn’t want to get involved in that nonsense, so they bailed and moved to Melromarc before she was born. Sadeena, whose family had guarded the royal family for generations, went with them. In other words, Raphtalia is a Princess, and those assassin’s tried to kill her to prevent her from claiming the throne.

It turns out, the Q’Ten Lo government had had assassin’s watching Raphtalia and her parents all her life, ready to kill her at a moment’s notice. And when they saw her wearing that miko outfit, they misunderstood it for her gunning for the throne and overreacted by picking a fight with her and the Cardinal Heroes. Like idiots. Like a bunch of idiots. 

A Pissed off Naofumi Goes to War

So, let’s look at the evidence:

  1. A bunch of Assassin’s overreacted to Raphtalia’s innocent cosplaying (because Naofumi thought she looked cute.)
  2. They attacked Raphtalia, her village, and the people in it.
  3. They tried to kill three of the Cardinal Heroes, the one’s supposed to save their world from the Waves, which would screw over everyone.
  4. By doing so, they risked an international incident with Melromarc.

The thing that Naofumi cares the most about, though? These people knew about everything that Raphtalia went through. Losing her parents to the Waves. How she and her friends got enslaved with many of them dying. They knew about everything she went through before she met Naofumi and since, and didn’t do a thing to help her. 

Naofumi’s response: he’s going to war. 

While revenge is a part of Naofumi’s decision (and in this case, an understandable response), there’s logic behind it. This country was willing to kill the people meant to save their world for reasons that, in the grand scheme of things, are incredibly petty and stupid. In addition, the Phoenix, the next of the beasts after the Spirit Tortoise, will revive in two months. They can’t afford to be distracted like this. So, Naofumi tells everyone present that they’re headed to Q’ten Lo to put their leaders in their place. However, to get there, they must first travel to the one nation Q’ten Lo interacts with: Siltvelt. AKA, the land that worships the Shield Hero like a God. Thus, the season ends with Naofumi flying ahead on Gaelion to give the others a spot to teleport. 

Things are about to get Game of Thrones in here.

The Next Season Should be Fun

Full disclosure: I’m a fan of stories that have political intrigue in the vein of Game of Thrones. Since the show ended, though, I’ve also come to love these stories for another reason: to laugh at how trivial, petty, and stupid the scheming is.

No, really. After seeing how badly Westeros was ravaged from people fighting over a throne that, in the end, no one claimed, made me realize how pointless the whole thing was. Especially given how the entire thing took place while an army of ice zombies gathered in the far north. Replace the White Walkers with the Waves of Catastrophe and the Phoenix, and the Shield Hero deals with the same thing. They’re ready to destroy the world, and idiots in power are playing politics. And unlike Jon Snow, Naofumi has far less tolerance for their nonsense.

So, whenever the next season comes around, we’ll see Naofumi going to the country that worships him and then overthrowing a country dumb enough to make an enemy out of him. Not a bad way to end the season.

As for the season, it doesn’t quite reach the height of excitement that the first season did. Nor did it have quite as interesting a premise as the second season (even if several factors ruined it). However, this season feels like it was meant to be a breather before a potentially big storm. The storm in question being what will go down in Q’ten Lo.

I’m looking forward to it, regardless. 

Also, I’m with Naofumi on this. Anyone who tries to hurt Raphtalia will suffer. Like these two.

Chainsaw Man is Getting a Movie!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime , , , , , , , , ,

Chainsaw Man fans are going to eat well soon. They’re getting a movie soon.

Chainsaw Man is one of the hottest Shonen series out right now, and for good reason. Part of a recent wave of dark Shonen manga and anime, Chainsaw Man has taken the world by storm. Set in an alternate 1990s Japan in which Devils are real and the manifestations of mankindโ€™s fears, Chainsaw Man tells the story of Denji. After getting killed by his Yakuza handlers, Denji fuses with his Devil companion, Pochita, to become Chainsaw Man. Now he works as a Devil Hunter for the government hunting down other Devils in exchange for good food, a roof over his headโ€ฆand the promise of getting laid. 

Chainsaw Man isn’t like previous Shonen hits, and it shows. It’s dark, gritty, and filled with so much blood and gore that it would make concerned parents faint from shock. Thus, it’s pretty popular and liked by people in the Shonen demographic and adults who technically outgrew it. The anime was released in Fall 2022, and much like the manga, it was immensely popular. While the reviews for the anime on this blog were critical towards the end, one cannot deny that Chainsaw Man is good. And while thereโ€™s no word on when Season Two comes out, the movie will continue the story with the Bomb Girl arc.

In the manga, the Bomb Girl Arc takes place in the wake of the Katana Man Arc. As Denji continues his duties as a Public Safety Devil Hunter, he seemingly meets the girl of his dreams, Reze. However, even those who have watched the anime know that when good things happen to Denji, they tend to get ripped away from him. Hard. And that’s all I’m going to say without spoiling anything.

I don’t know when this will come out of if it will be out in theaters. However, if it’s released in theaters, I’m going to want to see it on the big screen. Regardless of whatever problems I might have had with the anime, I can’t deny how great Chainsaw Man is. It’s going to be fun!

A Founder’s Thoughts with D.J. Lewis: Naruto 220…

Aside D&A Anime Blog Anime, Anime Conventions, Blog Updates, Filler Posts

Time. It’s the one thing we don’t get enough of, and the one thing we always wish we had more of. For many of us we feel like if we had more time to do the things we like, we would feel a greater sense of joy and less stress in our daily lives. However life can throw you a curveball when you least expect it, and now you have to make adjustments in the time you spend to those things you like to do. There’s one other thing about time that secretly scares many of us; it always moves forward. This post isn’t really about time, but its more like…its time to move on.

If you’ve noticed by the title, I indeed do have a Naruto episode reference that talks about the 220th episode of the first half of the series. That is the series finale where Naruto leaves the Hidden Leaf with Jiraiya for about 2 years and 6 months. Well…as for me and D&A, let’s just say I’m on that ‘Naruto 220 Type Beat’.

In 2016 Aaron and I made the decision to go on this crazy ride, to become one of the best anime blog/websites out there in the U.S. and the world. Our first anime convention was Animore in Baltimore, MD during its first year on January 11, 2016. From there we would go to various other conventions; such as Zenkaikon, Otakon (our original convention), SaikuCon, and Thy Geekdom Con. Just this year we made appearances at Stellar Con, PuchiCon, and Ocean City Comic Con. Around January 2020 we were receiving reports of the first few cases of coronavirus in the U.S., however it didn’t really start hitting close to home until March of that year. We spent the next two years with no in-person conventions, so we made a podcast on Youtube called “Nerdz of the Decade”, to help us keep our sanity while also nerding out about anime and video games.

It was also around this time that we wanted to take what we do seriously, and start a business. I’ll admit, at first I was a bit confused due to the fact that when we started this, we really didn’t have any intention of it going as far as it did. So adjustments were made and we backed away from the convention circuit until Fall 2023; when we made our return to cons through Stellar Con, PuchiCon, and Ocean City Comic Con. Even though a part of me was happy being back on the circuit…it didn’t really feel the same. Although I was among cosplayers and other anime fans, the ambiance was a little different. Maybe it could be with conventions marketing and targeting a younger demographic, old heads like myself have either stopped going to those “family-friendly” cons, or just went to some of the afterparties held offsite from some of the semi-major/major cons.

Maybe that’s where I’m at. Maybe its time to chill from the con circuit for awhile. Maybe its time to acknowledge that fact that I’m having a “Naruto 220” moment, and depart for a new chapter in my life as an anime nerd. If it means I gotta peace out from D&A, then that’s what I’ll have to do. I know last time was really a hiatus to get my head together, but this time is much different. Aaron and I are still friends, and he’ll always have my back no matter where I go or end up on this new chapter. The blog and business will still be here, it’ll just be under new management. For those who want to become contributors, you can still hit up our “Contact Us” page.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank each and every one of you guys for making this journey with D&A a fun one. Perhaps somewhere down the line we may cross paths again. I may be out the door, but make sure you support Aaron as he goes on his new venture in making D&A one of the best businesses out there. This is D.J. Lewis on his “Naruto 220” saying thank you, and stay nerdy!

Itsuki Needs to Get Some Sense Knocked Into Him

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews , , , , , , , , ,

The Rising of the Shield Hero S3 Ep 10 Review

Two Cardinal Heroes down, one to go. Naofumi managed to find Ren and Motoyasu and, more or less, got them under control. However, there’s still one Hero unaccounted for: Itsuki, the Bow Hero obsessed with being this symbol of “Hidden Justice.” Or, in other words, he’s a kid who’s trying too hard to be Batman, but he’s coming off as Red Hood or Damian. If Naofumi and the others want to help Itsuki, talking won’t work for him. They’ll have to use force, no matter how much his former companion, Rishia, might not like it.

It’s worth it. He needs to get taken down a peg for his own good.

“Perfect Hidden Justice” Sounds So Cringe

Thanks to the Gaelion debacle, Naofumi sends Filo and Melty out to gain more levels to compensate for the loss. Beyond that, though, life in Naofumi’s village has returned to normal. The peace proves short-lived, though, when S’yne (conveniently away fighting in the arena) returns with surprising news: she’s found Itsuki.ย 

Ever since the Spirit Tortoise incident, Itsuki has handled things very poorly. Rather than figure out what he did wrong, he decided to double down on his negative traits and step into full-on cringe territory. Now he’s fighting in the arenas as the gladiator “Perfect Hidden Justice,” a name everyone agrees is cringe. Worse, when Rishia tries to talk to him, he slaps her out of the way, much to everyone’s disgust.

Itsuki’s Paradoxical Hero Complex

This is something other than what gets touched upon in the anime, but web and light novels gave us greater insight into the character of the Three Cardinal Heroes. In Itsuki’s case, he’s a contradiction. On the one hand, he wants to be like Batman or Spider-Man and deliver justice from the shadows. On the other hand, he also wants people to sing his praises and to look cool while saving the day. This contradiction makes him very ineffective as a hero; he has a bunch of insecurities, and unlike Naofumi, he’s not with people with his best interests at heart. At least not anymore. Now, he’s working with the personification of the corrupt elite, Witch. She and the rest of his party have him fight in the arena to get money to save slave children. However, no, but Itsuki buys that. Witch is using the cash for herself.

What’s incredibly frustrating about this is that Itsuki should have no excuse to listen to Witch. He knows that she framed Naofumi; the slave crest the Queen put on her made it clear she’s a liar. Yet she continues to get away with this well past the point where she can. Either she’s got a silver tongue on the level of Starscream, or the Heroes mental states are so fragile since the Spirit Tortoise that they’ll listen to anyone who says anything nice to them. 

It also doesn’t help that Itsuki’s unlocked his cursed series for his bow.

Rishia Steps Up to Knock Some Sense into Itsuki

So, to recap, Itsuki’s unlocked his cursed bow and is being strung along by the Witch. He’s entirely given in to his delusions of being a Batman, but he’s coming off as a Damian or Red Hood. And he’s using an alias that sounds like an edge-lord would come up with. As Atla points out, there’s only one way to make Itsuki see reason: they have to beat him up. 

There are better solutions than this, but it’s their best. When people can’t see eye-to-eye or reason in real life and fiction, settling things with fists and weapons might be the only option left. It’s like when Naruto had to defeat Sasuke at the end ofย Narutoย to get him to see reason. Except in this case, Rishia is Naruto, and Itsuki is Sasuke.ย 

The decision to have Rishia fight Itsuki is important on several levels. Rishia has always struggled with self-esteem, which Itsuki and his party made worse. She’s grown more substantial and more confident since Naofumi’s group took her in, but beating Itsuki will prove to herself how strong she’s gotten. Additionally, losing to the person he thought was weak might be the reality check Itsuki needs. 

Gearing Up For the Season Finale

This episode was a pause for what was to come. Itsuki is the last of the three heroes Naofumi needs to help see sense, thus the toughest. Motoyasu buckled after Witch, and the other girls turned their backs on him. Ren went through that bandit phase, but Eclair beat him and Wyndia helped him start to come to terms with his past mistakes. However, Itsuki pushed away the one person who could help him, Rishia. Now, Rishia needs to beat him to bring him to his senses. It happens a lot in anime, but the emotional weight of a friend fighting another friend to save them from themselves works. 

There are only two episodes left in the season, and I’m hoping that the next episode gives us a good showing. It’s time for Itsuki to get help, whether he wants it or not. That, and his alias is super-cringe.

I Give “Perfect Hidden Justice” a 4/5