Alright. So from last week’s post, you guys are aware that I made my return to our Youtube channel, as well as the blog itself. The only major change was that fact that I would only be posting occasionally, as well as making occasional appearances on Youtube. That’s great news, right? Well yes, and no. Since making my “seemingly” farewell post on March 31st; thanking all of our fans and followers for making D&A Anime Blog what it is, it left me with time to think about the future of this project. I don’t think I’ll ever grow bored or tired of anime, because if I did, this project would’ve ended a long time ago.
I think now in the seven (going on eight) years that we’ve been active in the anime community, as well as the convention circuit, there are functioning aspects about D&A that I fear will put us on the path to a slow death. I’m not trying to scare you guys into thinking that D&A won’t be able to function at 100% capacity, now that I’ve pulled back on consistency. However at this stage of the game I got to be honest; we really need help!ย
Yep…we need help.
Growing a business also comes with growing pains, and in our case, D&A is growing at a rate that we might not be able to keep up in the long term. So what exactly do we need help with? Well, I’m gonna tell you.
#1. Writers and Contributors
Since stepping away, the rate of content that we produce for the blog has declined over recent months. At the time, I was the only writer producing articles and reviews just to keep the consistent flow of content going. However it was only accelerating my burnout, which in turn led to making a post about needing more writers and contributors to help produce content for us. From first glance I get that we ‘look’ like a high profile article print/publishing company, but that’s only on the outside. We are nothing but a staff of two guys who really love anime, Japanese culture, Marvel, and DC comics, and want to talk about it whenever we want. Our only problem now is the fact that for many writers, you have to pay them. (They do a lot of work, so they should be paid.) Which leads us into our second biggest issue.
#2. Revenue
There are so many ways you can make money as a blogger despite it being only passive income. We tried generating enough content and promotion to help land us 1,000 subs and 4,000 watch hours. (The subs we got, but the watch hours…not so much.) So we looked into other ways to try and make some revenue for this project, in order to cover operational costs and upgrades to on-site equipment for press coverage of conventions. Recently we’ve finally opened up our own merch store and got a couple new affiliates to try and generate enough revenue to keep us operating, but that’s just it – it’s only enough to keep us operating.
We want to make more revenue to provide compensation for our writers and contributors as a way to thank them, plus there are some other projects that we want to work on to help expand our brand’s presence within the community, and to other conventions everywhere. We’re really limited in the things we want to do, so if you guys want to see more quality content (and even exclusive content), you can send us a donation on the D&A Donations page, or by so merch from our store. Every little bit helps.
#3. Convention Content
Cons are expensive, there’s no other way I can say it. Because of the pandemic, a lot of our local cons have either dissolved or moved to other states. The average con goer is probably looking at $750-$1000 at best to go to a 3-day convention in 2023; depending where that convention is located, the hotel that they’re staying in, badge cost, etc. Its gotten harder for us to try and provide convention content for you guys due to the rise of prices, and lack of revenue. So we’ve been working on trying to get guest bookings in hopes of elevating half, or all of the cost of getting to these conventions. This will not only help us produce more convention content, but also expand our brand as a whole.
To close this out; D&A has become something special to both me and Aaron, and although many people have stated that we have so much potential, we’re also in dire need of help to reach our full potential. So if you’re out there and you like blogging about nerdy stuff, or want to become a part of our project, subscribe to our blog and social media platforms, and even send us a donation or by some merch.
A Candid Recap of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Pt. 4
Last time on Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Rudeus and Eris got sucked into this giant pillar of light that sent them across the world to the deadly Demon Continent. With no other choice but to make the long trip back home, they fall under the care of this super-strong Demon named Ruijerd, the so-called last of the Superd Demons seeking to clear his people’s violent name. As their journey spans across continents, they see untold wonders and experience great joy and hardship. After unexpectedly reuniting with his old man, Rudeus learns that the teleportation incident yeeted their entire home, with many of his and Eris’ family still missing; not to mention his best friend, Sylphie!
Despite this, Rudeus decides he still needs to get himself and Eris home. After that, he’ll help in the search for his missing family. Thus begins the final leg of Rudeus’ globe-trotting journey in the final part of our recap of the first season of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation.
Saving His Little Sister
Turns out Rudeus doesn’t need to wait long to start looking for his family. He gets another visit from, you guessed it, the Man-God! That weird guy gives Rudeus some traveling advice, telling him, “Hey, man. You oughta head to the Shirone Kingdom on your way home. That’s where you’ll find Lilia and Aisha.” And last he heard, Roxy was tutoring the Prince of Shirone, so he thinks it’s his chance to reunite with his beloved teacher. However, he is told to use an alias, though.
Things go off the rails pretty quickly, though. He finds Aisha (who is way smarter than I remember 6-year-olds being,) running from the royal guards. Naturally, he performs his big brother duties and saves her, only to discover that Man-God was right with his advice. Aisha’s so smart that she managed to locate his “Holy Relic” from Roxy, and pegged the brother she’s never met as a pervert. Ouch! It’s one thing to hear it from Eris, but from your own sister? That’s sad, Rudeus!
At any rate, Aisha’s been trying to get a message out to Paul for months without success, so Rudeus decides, “Bet. I’mma head in there, find Roxy, and she’ll help clear this up.”
Blatant Advertising
Yeah, it doesn’t work. Turns out the Prince of Shirone, Pax Shirone, is holding Lilia hostage along with the families of his guards. And all of this is part of some convoluted scheme to lure Roxy back. She quit years ago because Pax was pervy as Rudeus is. Unlike him, who worships Roxy as this holy god, Pax just wants her back to make her his unwilling baby mama. And he’s the same age as Rudeus! How messed up is that? And he takes Rudeus prisoner in an anti-magic force field.
Thankfully, this is where Rudeus years of working with earth magic as a side gig comes in handy. A few years ago, Rudeus sold this high-quality figurine of Roxy. And I mean super high-quality. We’re talking collectible-worthy. And to Roxy’s dismay, Pax got his hands on it, but it wound up in the hands of his older half-brother, Zanoba. He’s a Blessed Child, which is a layperson term for someone with extraordinary power; in his case, super strength that would make Sakura Haruno jealous. The downside is that it leaves him unable to experience the sensation of touch, his social skills are nonexistent…and he could kill someone by accident.
No, seriously. He accidentally killed one of his younger brothers, and did the same thing to his wife!
Gaining a Fanboy
Now, Zanoba describes the Roxy doll that Rudeus made down to the most minute detail. And this is one of the funniest scenes in the series, because this man is talking it up like it’s the dang Venus de Milo or David of Michaelangelo. The whole thing sounds like a promotion for an actual figurine the studio’s putting out (and it is!) Seeing this grown man gush over something reminds Rudeus of being an artist or celebrity at a fan convention getting to see their fans drool over them. And once Zanoba confirms that Rudy made the doll, he decides he’s gonna call him his master. Except…the barrier. So Zanoba goes, “Bet. I’m gonna go sort this out. Be back in five minutes.”
Spongebob Narrator: A Few Minutes Later…
So, Zanoba just wastes Pax’s guards like they’re ragdolls, grabs the guy out of his bed, and drags his butt down to where he’s holding Rudeus and demands he let the boy go! Otherwise, he will crush his skull! Zero hesitation here, people!!
It works, though. Between that and Eris and Rujerd breaking in and resolving things with the guards, who, I might add, have their families held hostage by Pax, the whole thing comes to an end. Pax and Zanoba, though, are exiled.
So, after this, Rudeus has found two of his missing family members, and both are grateful to him for it. Lilia even gives him some belated 10th birthday presents: the box with Roxy’s “Holy Relic” in it, and a necklace that sweet Sylphie made for him. With the two now safe, they head off to reunite with Paul and Norn, and Aisha tells Rudeus “Sorry I called you a pervert, big brother!”
…Yeah, she knew who he was the whole time. Dang, that kid’s smart!
Rudeus got Sephiroth’d…
Now, by this point, Rudeus, Eris, and Ruijerd have been traveling for about two, two-and-a-half years, and they’re finally reaching the end of their journey. They’ve had their ups and downs, and fair share of hardships and fun, but they’ve come out of it on top. So, by now, they’re feeling pretty confident in themselves. Heck, Eris even gets Ruijerd to acknowledge her as a warrior. That’s when the story takes another 180 and reminds everyone, viewers included, that things can change in a fraction of a second. In this case, the party of Dead End…gets Sephiropth’d.
They’re traveling on this mountain pass when Eris and Ruijerd suddenly freeze up in complete terror at this man coming their way. This man, this white-haired, sword-wielding man accompanied by a teenage girl in a mask, walks right past them, and the two look ready to wet themselves! Rudeus, though, just gets confused and wondering why they’re freaked out by this edgelord; or why he seems to know who Eris and Ruijerd are. He doesn’t know it, but he’s just met Orsted, the strongestbeingin the world. The man’s so terrifying, he’s literally cursed to make everyone who meets him want to wet themselves in terror!
And what happens next…can barely be described in words. When Rudeus brings up the name “Man-God,” Orsted goes full-blown Sephiroth. He proceeds to fold Ruijerd in seconds, slaps Eris into the mountainside, and proceeds to royally cook Rudeus. And then Orsted says, “Give the Man-God a message from me when you die. Tell him Orsted’s coming for him.” And then…Rudeus dies. He actually dies.
And the next thing he knows, he’s back with the Man-God, who says “Oh, yeah, sorry you got caught up in that. Me and old Orsted have beef with each other, I won’t bore you with the details. My bad!” But then, something crazier happens. Rudeus wakes up alive. After he died, Orsted’s friend, Nanahoshi, talked him into saving his life for reasons they couldn’t understand. But all Rudeus knows is how glad he is to be alive, and Eris is just holding him in her lap, bawling her eyes out over the fact that the guy she likes almost died in front of her, and she couldn’t do jack to stop it.
And thus, the second turning point in Rudeus’ second life ends.
…Came Home to Find it Gone…
After all of this, the trio finally makes it home to the Fittoa region, and just like Paul said, the whole place is in ruins. Most of the people are gone or still missing, and Rudeus’ hometown is abandoned. Rudeus finally sees home again, only for it to no longer exist. But now that they’re back and able to fend for themselves, Ruijerd bids them farewell. He has to continue his mission of finding other Superd’s and clearing his people’s good name.
When Rudeus and Eris make it to Eris’ former home, it’s no better. The good news is that Ghislaine and her other servant Alphonse survived, but that’s about it. Tragically, Eris’ parents wound up in a dangerous place, and by the time Ghislaine reached them, they were already dead. Her grandpa survived, but some sleazy politicians used him as a scapegoat for the whole disaster and had him executed for that. In other words, Eris has no family left. Rudeus is all that she has left in the world.
What happens next remains a massive controversy. Later that night, while contemplating what to do next, Rudeus finds Eris showing up in his tent and telling him she turned 15 recently. She’s an adult now, and there’s only one thing she wants: for Rudeus to be her family.
Remember the promise they made on his 10th birthday? Eris doesn’t want to wait another two years. She wants Rudeus now.
…And Then Gets Walked out On.
Now, this is where Rudeus shows just how far he’s come since he started his second life. Because, at one point, he would’ve jumped at this opportunity with no hesitation. But now he’s gotten the chance to emotionally mature enough to appreciate what Eris is offering him. And he’s smart enough to recognize that Eris is likely jumping the gun on this as a means to A.) cope with the fact that her family’s gone and he’s all she has left. And Rudeus says, “Eris, look. As much as I would love to take you up on that, we can’t. It’s not how our first time should go!” But Eris managed to roll a Nat 20 on feminine charm for that night, and despite Rudeus’ brain saying this is a bad idea…his heart won’t listen. And on that night, Rudeus and Eris both became adults.
When Rudeus wakes up the following day, he’s on cloud nine. Even with how his home’s in ruins, he’s got himself a girlfriend that he loves and thinks they will be together forever! But then, when Rudeus is at his happiest, he experiences one of the absolute worst things that he could ever experience. As he goes back inside the tent, thinking about important stuff, like all the dates they’ll go on, their wedding, what to name their kids. Except…Eris is not there. All he finds is a pile of her hair and a short letter saying they’re not compatible right now and she’s leaving on a journey.
…
…
…
…
…Did Rudeus just get dumped?
Eris Fs Up. BIG TIME
Now, before we start hating on Eris, let me explain.
So, Eris did mean every word she said about wanting Rudeus to be her family. She had fallen for him a long time ago, and if he had told her that they should elope, she would’ve without a second thought. But after Rudeus fell asleep beside her after sharing their first times, she realized that what happened…wasn’t healthy. Learning her family was dead, coupled with the chance that he might leave her to find his Mom and Sylphie, and multiplied by watching him almost die in front of her…she panicked. She didn’t want to lose Rudeus, so she did all this to keep that from happening. But then she realized, “Oh my God, what did I just do? I just tried to baby-trap my man to keep him from walking out on me. That is so messed up. WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH ME?!?!” It was that same co-dependency thing that made Paul split Rudeus and Sylphie up for a few years. It’s not healthy, and would hold them both back.
So, Eris came to a decision. She was going to go with Ghislaine and have an anime training arc for the next few years to get stronger. Strong enough not to have to rely on Rudeus to protect her anymore and stand by his side as his equal in life.
Now, nobody can fault Eris for doing all of this. She’s doing it to protect her man, which is understandable. But here’s the thing: firstly, she doesn’t tell Rudeus this face-to-face. She knows if she does, he’ll talk her out of it, so she writes a letter to him, hence the letter. Also understandable. However, instead of explaining all these complicated thoughts and emotions like she should, her bright idea is to write a letter that says “Right now, we’re not compatible, so I’m leaving on a journey.” That’s all she wrote. Like an idiot. Like a 15-year-old idiot who thinks that Rudeus would be smart enough to figure that stuff out on his own.
Morgan Freeman: Eris didn’t know it, but it was at this point…she f*cked up.
Not only does Rudeus not understand it, he thinks he just got dumped. Anyone would come to that conclusion after reading a letter like that. What were you thinking, Eris!?!?
Picking Himself Up and Starting Over Again
So, Rudeus has spent the entirety of his second life trying to better himself. He started off as a scumbag, but he learned from his first life and actually grew to be a better person. He even faced his fears of the outside world, met all sorts of new people, and thought he got a girlfriend. And where has that left him? His home’s gone, his mom and childhood friend are missing, and the girl he gave his first time to seemingly walked out on him.
So, just like that, Rudeus finds himself falling into the same trap that ruined him in his first life. He shuts himself off from the world, doing nothing but eating and sleeping as he wallows in self-pity. For real, what the heck was Eris thinking? She just broke his heart and left him when he needed people the most!
But this time, things are different. Even though he just wants to shut himself off from the world right now, Rudy remembers his family from both his lives. He shut himself off from his parents and siblings, and he let every chance to make things better slip by until it was too late. So, even though he got his heart broken, he’s not making the same mistake twice. Not while his mom and Sylphie are still out there waiting to be found! So what does he do? He picks himself back up, grabs his staff and his stuff, and leaves what’s left of Fittoa to find his mom, and hopefully, Sylphie.
And that is where the first season of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation ends.
Mushoku Tensei is Isekai at its Finest
Now, say what you want about the Isekai genre and how it is everywhere these days. The medium of Japanese Cartoons are dealing with an overpopulation problem. It’s gotten to the point where Western Audiences are either sick of watching it, or hate-watch to call it trash. With that in mind, those not in the know would write Mushoku Tensei off as yet another piece of Isekai garbage. The thing is, it’s not.
Firstly, Mushoku Tensei was one of the early pioneers of the wave of Isekai that’s been hitting anime for the last decade. A lot of the tropes, plot devices, and the like that people complain are done to death in Isekai these days? Mushoku Tensei was one of the ones that made all that a thing. And if you look closely, you’ll see that it did this stuff better than a lot of the stuff that’s followed in its wake. All the stuff people call “Isekai Trash” tries to copy the success of Mushoku Tensei, Sword Art Online, Re:Zero, and the like. More importantly, though, Mushoku Tensei avoids the trap that a lot of Isekai fall into: world-building and character development.
Yes, the story starts out slow before getting into the big adventure, but it does this because it takes the time to develop the world and the characters who inhabit it into real people. More importantly, the main protagonist, Rudeus, doesn’t start out as another stock light novel hero who’s an instant ace and whose past life doesn’t matter. What happened in Rudeus’ first life shapes who he starts out as and who he wants to grow beyond, and despite his best efforts, he doesn’t always succeed. It takes him years to grow out of his perverted scumbag mindset, and even then, he’s still got that pervy aspect to him. Plus, he experiences just as much hardship as he does joy. This second life of his isn’t easy, but that’s the whole point. When it comes down to it, Mushoku Tensei is a story about life, and learning to appreciate it for all its worth. Even bad experiences can have value, not just the good.
So, yeah, Mushoku Tensei is what Isekai should aspire to be. This stuff’s good.
Season 2 Drops July 2nd, 2023
Now, the story of Rudeus Greyrat is not over, far from it. The light novel series it’s adapting is 25 volumes long, and so far, it’s only adapted up to the end of Volume 6. So, if each season has a similar amount of episodes and covers the same number of volumes…that’s about 4-5 seasons of this. Be ready for the long haul.
Fortunately, we’re in luck. The trailer for the new season dropped on Crunchyroll’s YouTube channel recently. According to it, the new season starts July 2nd, and it will see Rudeus embark on a new journey, meeting new and familiar faces. And more importantly, trying to get over what happened with Eris. I will review it, so be sure to check back in when the time comes.
My Clueless First Friend Initial Review by RJ Writing Ink
Have you ever had that one friend that’s so different from you? You question why your friend’s in the first place. Or you’ve seen a show about a gloomy person who has a super happy and upbeat person decide to be friends with them? Better yet, have you seen fictional protagonists who can win over the most closed-off people by being so kind, no matter how dumb they are? Combine all those concepts into one, and you get the anime “My Clueless First Friend.”
The result: something so hilarious, sweet, and heartwarming that you can’t help but smile!
The Shy Grim Reaper and the Embodiment of Kindness
My Clueless First Friend revolves around Akane Nishimura, this shy Elementary School girl. Because of how creepy her eyes look, everyone makes jokes about her, saying that she’s a “Grim Reaper” and that if they hang around her, they’ll get cursed! As a result, she has no friends and is very lonely in her life.
One day, a new transfer student, Taiyo Takada, this hyperactive, extroverted bundle of energy, shows up and hears about her nickname. His response? “THAT’S THE COOLEST THING EVER!!!!” Thus, Takada latches onto Nishimura like glue, becomes her first friend, and helps to bring her out of her lonely shell.
And for a long time, he’s convinced that Nishimura’s an actual Grim Reaper! He’s so clueless that any attempts to make him understand this go through one ear and out the other.
Taiyo Takada, the CHAD Chuunibyo
To understand the thought process of someone like Taiyo Takada, one must understand what a ‘Chuunibyo’ is. A Chuunibyo, or ‘chuuni’, is a kid who usually acts all high-and-mighty, makes dramatic speeches about stuff, and may or may not believe they have special powers. Now, Taiyo himself would be a loose example of this. While he’s prone to being melodramatic and wears his emotions on his sleeve, he doesn’t think he has special powers. However, after hearing everyone call Akane a Grim Reaper, he’s convinced she does. And where other kids find that scary, he thinks that’s the coolest thing in the world.
It gets even crazier from there. No matter how many times people try to bully him for hanging out with Akane, he doesn’t let it get to him. He’s so pure-hearted that he fails to grasp the idea that someone’s insulting him or Akane. As a result, he takes every bad thing someone says as a compliment, throwing said bullies so far off their game they just leave.
In other words, Taiyo’s a clueless idiot. But he’s also the best friend anyone could ever ask to have, especially Akane. He doesn’t even realize it, but it’s clear early on that he’s gotten Akane to fall for him. I love this kid! It helps that his dub VA is Madeline Morris, who also does Rudeus for Mushoku Tensei.
Akane Nishimura, the Cutest Introvert You’ll Ever Meet
On the other end of the duo, we have Akane Nishimura, the girl everyone calls the Grim Reaper. Because of the way her eyes look, her classmates cruelly taunt her and give her that nickname, not wanting anything to do with her. As a result, she’s never had any friends, to the point where she lies to her Dad about her school life so he won’t worry. She even tries to tell Taiyo not to hang out with her since she knows everyone else will bully him for it.
So when all the hints fly over Taiyo’s friend, and he keeps taking that “Grim Reaper” stuff as compliments, she’s thrown for a loop. And the more and more he turns those insults into compliments, the more amazed she gets. It’s pretty clear early on that she’s fallen for him because she won’t stop blushing whenever he says something nice about her. Takada takes the cruel nickname she has and turns it into a term of endearment. This is good because it’s eventually revealed that Nishimura thinks her nickname’s appropriate for sadder reasons.
*Minor Spoiler Warning to Follow*
It’s revealed a few episodes into the show that Nishimura’s Mom died when she was young. To be more precise, she died shortly after giving birth to Akane. While none of her family blames her for it and showers her with love because they know that’s what her mom would want, Akane can’t help but blame herself. She thinks she’s taken her Mom’s place, and it’s why she never liked the Grim Reaper nickname. And poor Taiyo! When he finds that out, he thinks he’s been a horrible person calling her the Grim Reaper.
Clueless First Friend is Such a Sweet and Heartwarming Anime
This is another spoiler, but Akane eventually tells Taiyo that she doesn’t mind him calling her the Grim Reaper. Through his sheer levels of kindness, he turned the nickname she hated into one of endearment. It’s one of the sweetest things I’ve seen in anime in some time, and it’s why I love My Clueless First Friend.
The world we live in can be harsh, cruel, and unforgiving at times. That’s why it’s important that we remember to treat each other with kindness. With that in mind, I think what Akane and Taiyo have is the kind of friendship everyone should have at least once in their lives. If we had someone like Taiyo Takada in all our lives, the world would be all the better for it. My Clueless First Friend is on my watchlist for the Spring/Summer Anime season of 2023!
Ash and Pikachu End Their Run as the Heroes of Pokรฉmon
Twenty six years, 1,200 episodes, three generations worth of fans, and the start of dozens of films. That’s how long the world has known Ash Ketchum and Pikachu. They have been the face of Pokรฉmon since almost the very beginning. Ask anyone about Pokรฉmon, and their faces are likely the first things that come to mind. However, now the franchise is entering into a new era, and Ash and Pikachu won’t be part of it as the main characters. This past Friday, the final episode of Ash and Pikachu’s journey premiered, giving millions of fans the chance to say one final goodbye to the boy and mouse that inspired so many of them.
Truthfully, though, this farewell, for now, was in the works for months. Last year, fans of Pokรฉmon got to see Ash do the impossible: he became the Pokรฉmon World Champion! For the boy who seemed to lose in almost every League he fought in, this was a moment many feared would never come to pass. Nintendo wouldn’t let it so they could keep sending him on adventures to promote the franchise. Yet he did it, and the world cheered.
Ash Starts His Next Journey Without Us
The only question left is, what now? Do Ash and Pikachu continue their journey, or will they rest on their laurels? The answer turns out to be a bit of both. Beginning in January, the series aired what amounted to an epilogue series. Ash and Pikachu continued their journey, Team Rocket continued their antics (though they briefly split up), and Ash reunited with his OG companions, Brock and Misty. It was the perfect way to bookend our time with Ash by reuniting the original trio for one last journey. Still, the question remains: what will Ash do now?
When you’ve devoted so much of your life to a goal and finally see it through, a scary thing is trying to figure out where to go after you succeed. Ash has served as someone capable of teaching people the significance of never giving up on a goal despite hardship. That’s an important lesson not even some adults understand, and eventually, despite fans thinking he’d never do it, he finally does. Therefore, it’s only fitting his final episode as the MC has Ash teach us what to do after we fulfill our dreams: set ourselves a new goal in life and work at it. In his case, Ash wants to go out and befriend every Pokรฉmonin the world.
I wasn’t overly interested in this epilogue series, but I still consider it a fitting send-off for Ash and Pikachu for the time being. The one gripe I have is at the end of the finale where Ash sees a rainbow. In the first episode, Ash earnestly began his Pokรฉmon journey after seeing a rainbow and the Legendary Pokรฉmon, Ho-Oh. I think it was a missed opportunity not to have our time with him bookended by Ho-Oh returning. Regardless, it’s still a nice callback as we say goodbye to Ash for now.
And I do mean for now.
I Think We’ll See Ash and Pikachu Again Someday
Even though our travels with Ash are over, I doubt that we’ve seen the last of him. Ash and Pikachu have been the face of the Pokรฉmon for decades, and there’s no way The PokรฉmonCompany, Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures will let that fall by the wayside now. They’ll likely continue to call upon Ash and his Pikachu to appear in future projects for recognition purposes. In addition, they might decide to come back to the OG duo at some point.
There’s a precedent for this in pop culture. Everyone thought the Dragon Ball franchise had retired by the mid-2000s, only for the franchise to enter a renaissance with the release of Battle of Gods. The Animaniacs came back twenty years after it ended. The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder brought the Disney show to a new generation. If there’s still a big enough audience and potential stories to tell, then a brand or franchise will only stay there for a while. It’s a blessing and curse, but it might be a blessing in this case.
Until the day we see him again, though, thank you, Ash Ketchum and Pikachu. You made the childhoods of millions of people worthwhile, and we will never forget you. Sayonara, Satoshi!
Hey guys, this is Donte’ J. Lewis representing 1/2 of D&A Anime Blog and D&A Studios Entertainment. You probably already know the story by now of how D&A came to be; Aaron Goldman and I worked on a concept for a website where we could post our con pictures that we took, and after tossing many ideas back and forth, we created an anime blog consisting of convention pictures, and anime reviews. In 2016 we made our debut at the first annual AniMore convention; then several appearances at Otakon, Zenkaikon, Saikucon, Anime USA, and Thy Geekdom. We’ve met so many awesome people along the way during our venture, as well as many of our favorite voice actors we’ve come to know throughout the years. Saying all of this makes the next part of what I have to say really hard…harder than you can ever imagine as a blogger, and content creator.
After this post is published…I’ll be signing off from D&A.
I don’t regret ever creating D&A, and everything its done in the lives of both Aaron and I. I am more than grateful for all of the people I’ve met and had the privilege of meeting. To me; D&A is a story about dreams, and no matter what life throws at you, you should never give up on them even though the road is tough. I’ve been a fan of anime since 1997, and throughout the years and decades I’ve noticed the change in the way we consume it. With mainstream companies getting their foot into the market (and even buying anime-centric companies like FUNimation and Crunchyroll), it seems like a lot of the aspects that made anime and its community special, seem to be fading away. Anime is no longer that shy kid in the corner that was picked on in school, now its an adult with a 401K and a six-figure income.
Now it seems like my attitude towards anime has changed. While I still have a genuine love for it, I just don’t have the same level of time for it as I used to. These days IRL commitments have really demanded a lot of my attention, as well as on-going personal trials and a shift in priorities. Don’t worry, its nothing serious.
So…what happens now?
So, where does D&A go from here if I’m stepping down? That’s a good question. After an extensive discussion, Aaron and I have decided that he will be the one to take over as administrator of D&A Anime Blog. This means that contributor posts will have to be accepted by him, and only he can invite other contributors.
“If you’re leaving, what will happen to your Youtube channel?”
Our channel will be fine. Aaron will be posting content on a weekly basis, so there will always be content for you to watch. There’s also a very, very, veeeery slight chance that I’ll make a cameo appearance on our channel every once in a while.
“If you’re leaving, what will happen to convention appearances?”
That’s also a very good question. In the off-chance that Aaron does get booked for an anime convention, I will be there too. As for me, if I’m pulled out to a con as a DJ for the Friday and Saturday Night Rave, then you’ll know me as Avidd Minddset.ย
Alright guys, I’m gonna leave you with this. D&A started off as a passion project between two longtime friends, who were bullied during their school years because of their love for anime. It grew into something amazing; where they got to meet their childhood heroes, awesome cosplayers, and be a part of the anime community overall. Who knows what will happen to the future of D&A, and if it will finally reach its peak in becoming one of the best blogs out there. The fact that D&A even exists at all, is an accomplishment in its self.
So from the bottom of my heart, I love each and everyone of you guys, and thank you for making D&A such a fun ride for me. Aaron will be the one taking over D&A and its affiliates, as I will be stepping down. This will not effect our friendship in any way; as many were wondering if my departure from this project would mean the end of our friendship. Now…with all of that said, this is Donte’ J. Lewis signing off from D&A.
Hey guys. Well, January 2023 is pretty much over at this point, and many are wondering what will become of the future of D&A. In our earlier post (from last year) we started that we’re in a period of ‘where do we go from here?’ and what is the next step, or next phase of our journey. Regardless of what direction we go in, we’re still happy and grateful to all of the awesome fans and voice actors we’ve met during the start of our nerdy lil’ journey. The doors are still open if you’re interested in writing contributor posts to our blog, as long as you make sure your grammar is good, and you fact-checked your sources. We know this post will probably leave you with more questions than answers, so for the ones that you do have, here’s our answers to them.
Is This The End of D&A Anime Blog and D&A Studios Entertainment?
No. We’re still creating videos and content on our Youtube page for you guys to check out (we’ll leave links below), and while we may not post as often as we used to, there’s awesome reviews and articles coming from our contributors. Everyone has a dry spell at some point in their journey, this just happens to be ours.
Will D&A Make Appearances at Conventions?
This one’s been the hardest to answer; mainly due to logistical standpoints, and financial conundrums in regards to location and travel. Our convention future is up in the air; with no actual timetable of when we’ll return to them. (We probably will, we just don’t know when.) There’s periods where we even thought about hosting our own convention-like event for two days, however we would need the support of our fans and the anime community to make it happen.
Will The Nerdz of the Decade Podcast Return?
We don’t have an official timetable of when the podcast will return with new episodes, but we’ll update you on when (and if) it returns. We do want to bring more guests o the show, but we’re playing it by ear in terms of their availability.
That’s all we’ve got for now, so until our next post, stay nerdy and keep rooting for us.
When an anime protagonist wants to overcome insurmountable odds and beat an enemy that kicked their butts, what do they do? They have an anime training arc, get stronger, and then go back for a rematch. In this case, Special Division 4 has a collective anime training arc to take down the Katana Man. However, will it be enough to take down the Katana Man and his Devils?
Yes. That’s what happens with an anime training arc.
Training Time’s Over, Time for Payback
Having trained under Kishibe for an unspecified amount of time, Denji and Power start to show some improvement. At least, that’s what Kishibe says, since he pushes back their training to once a week. However, he also lets them know that they’re going to be launching their mission to take down the Katana Man and his rogue Yakuza the next day. The Special Division’s future rides on their success; if they fail, Denji and Power die. In other words, they shouldn’t fail.
The success of what will happen is the main source of drama for the episode, with Makima even visiting the Yakuza upper echeleons to get more intel…is what I wish she was just doing. In addition to that, she then intimidates the Yakuza into cooperating with the government or face destruction.
This moment show’s how no-nonsense Makima is about her job. When the Yakuza boss refuses to cooperate at first, saying they’re a necessary evil to keep worse gangs from outside Japan out, she doesn’t have it. She gives him a bag of eyes from their other members, their families, and more. It’s a morbid sight and one that would intimidate most people. As I’ve said before, Makima scares me.
The Raid Begins! The Other Members of Special Division 4 Make their Debut!
The third act of the episode sees Special Division 4 start their raid on the forces of the Katana Man and Sawatari (the girl with the Snake Devil). This moment serves as a chance for us to meet the other members of their group, and most of them are either Devils or Fiends.
It’s more apparent now why Makima’s Division is cause for concern. Most of the members are either crazy people, Fiends, Devils, or some combination of all three. Denji fits right in with all these oddballs, for better or worse.
Aki’s Anime Training Arc Pays Off
The real highlight of the episode, though, is Aki. He made a contract with the Future Devil, who, despite it’s strange appearance, is a troll by nature. It likes to mockingly say that “the future rules,” and unlike others, it’s worked with, it barely asks for anything from Aki. All it wants is to live in his right eye, and it will let him see a few seconds into the future.
The catch to this, though, is that it wants a front-row seat to Aki’s inevitable death, something it found very interesting. Like I said, it’s a troll.
As I said last week, it’s pretty evident that most of these people aren’t going to live to see retirement. The implication that Aki’s death is so morbid that the Future Devil wanted a front-row seat to it makes it pretty obvious. However, it’s still disturbing to see that the series equivalent to Sasuke will likely die before the anime ends.
Regardless of the short life expectancy, it’s clear that the anime training arc’s paid off. The Yakuza are going down. The one regret that I may have is the fact that the first portion of the anime ends next episode. Here’s hoping they can finish the Katana Man Arc in that time.
The first round between the Yakuza of the Katana Man and Public Safety Division 4 of the Devil Hunters has ended. Both sides have retreated to lick their wounds and mourn the dead. In this case, most of Division 4’s either dead or quit. Aki’s lost his partner, Denji got his butt kicked, and Power? She ran away like a coward. Thus, in accordance with the laws of Shonen anime, this defeat means the protagonists must train to get stronger. To do that, Makima brings in someone crazy. So crazy that he makes Denji and Power look sane in comparison: Kishibe.
Master Kishibe Pulls No Punches
With most of their members dead or quitting Public Safety to go private, Makima needs to make sure her remaining members (the main trio, Kobeni, and Madoka) are up to the task. To that end, she arranges for each of them to get stronger in some fashion. For Aki, this means forming a contract with a new Devil. For Denji and Power, though, this means training under the strongest Devil Hunter they have: Kishibe.
Kishibe only likes three things in life: booze, women, and killing Devils, and he’s good at the last one. So good, in fact, that he was Aki and Himeno’s teacher at one point. In other words, he’s as nuts as they get, and brutal to boot. When he meets Denji and Power at a cemetery, the first thing he does is attack them and beat them to near death.
While his training methods sound sadistic, there’s a method to his madness. Only the strongest and craziest people can become Devil Hunters and survive. And with his monstrous strength and lack of fear, Kishibe’s crazy and strong enough to train Denji and Power.
The bad news? His training methods involve beating them within an inch of their lives until they can beat him. It’s brutal, Spartan, and sadistic…but effective. They do slightly better the next day.
Aki Goes Devil Shopping
As for Aki, he finds himself dealing with a different problem. After what happened with the Katana Man and that girl with the Snake Devil, he’s out of a Devil Contract. Thus, his next step is to get a new one from one of the Devils the Public Safety Division has captured. What follows is like a cross between going to buy something at the store or adopting a new pet. In this case, the “pets” are Devils that can kill him.
The one that Aki considers is the Future Devil. Considering how it represents the fear of the future (which can be pretty scary), I can imagine that such a being must be pretty strong. The uncertainty of the future scares a lot of people, thus making it very dangerous.
Iโm suddenly very worried.
None of These People Will Live to See Retirement, Will They?
The more I watch Chainsaw Man, the more I realize something bad: none of these characters are going to live to see retirement, are they?
I’m being serious. With the rate of casualties as a Devil Hunter, I don’t think anyone of these people can expect to die in their sleep from old age. Not Denji, not Power (can she even age?) And certainly not Aki. Thanks to his contract with the Curse Devil, he only has two years left to live. He knowingly gave up his chance at a long life to get revenge on the Gun Devil. And I thought Sasuke was bad.
Regardless of their short lifespans, the trio fo Denji, Power, and Aki seem determined to live life to the fullest. Firstly, that means finding the Katana Man, and putting him in his place. And once they undergo their anime training arc, they will do so. For Himeno.
To paraphrase Wolverine from the X-Men comics, “All right, Yakuza bastards. You took yer best shot. Now it’s my turn!”
That was the exact thing that went through my head while watching the new episode of Chainsaw Man. The Devil Hunters got ambushed by the Yakuza and seemed to be on the ropes. However, the Yakuza failed to finish the job. Now it’s their turn to hit back, and Makima’s not taking any prisoners. She’s killing them!
Round One! Winners: Yakuza
Last episode, the Devil Hunters came under attack by Yakuza working for the guy whose grandpa Denji killed in the first episode. Now that man can turn into a Katana-Devil hybrid similar to Denji, and he wants them all dead. What follows is probably the best fight in the anime to date. Chainsaws and Katana slashing, blood’s pouring, and it’s just flat out epic.
Sadly, it’s over all too soon, with Katana Man slicing Denji in half to beat him, which is also awesome. And with Aki out, Himeno dead, and Power missing, there’s no stopping Katana Man and his associates (including the girl with the Snake Devil) from taking Denji.
However, the Yakuza made one big mistake, one that a lot of villains make. When you’re out to kill your enemies, never turn your back on them until you’re sure they’re dead.
Now it’s Makima’s turn.
Makima…She Scares Me
As someone who’s only watched the anime, I have no clue how Makima survived the Yakuza’s attempts to kill her. For now, I’ll chalk it up to plot armor/contract with whatever Devil she has in her back pocket. It doesn’t matter, though. What matters is what she does next…and it honestly scared me a little.
So after killing her would-be assassins off-screen without batting an eye, Makima comes up to her colleagues and tells them “I’m going to need a temple and some death-row inmates.” As soon as I heard that, I knew where this was going: she was going to sacrifice them to use some terrifying powers to deal with the thugs who decided to mess with her people.
I don’t fully understand what she does, but seeing Makima sacrifice these condemned prisoners makes the Yakuza explode! It’s like something out of Death Note, but far bloodier. It was horrifying! Seeing all those criminals blood and guts exploding is nightmare fuel.
If I didn’t have my reservations about her before, now I’m convinced: Makima is dangerous. However, what she does is one of the three best moments of the entire episode.
Where Was this Kobeni Last Arc?!?!
The last great moment of the episode comes from, of all people, Kobeni. Kobeni, who I kept saying wasn’t cut out for being a Devil Slayer, and a female version of Usopp, but less lovable, saves the day. After killing her assassin (her friend doesn’t make it, though,) she tracks down Katana Man and the snake girl. Then she manages to fight them both off and send them running for the hills. In a series already filled with badass moments, this one stood out.
When I was watching this, though, all I could think of was “where the heck was this Kobeni when they were trapped in the hotel?!? I want more of it!”
In all seriousness, though, I was actually impressed with how badass Kobeni was in this episode. Not only did she kill her attacker, but she saved Denji. As far as I care, that makes up for her trying to sacrifice him a few episodes ago.
Let the Devil Hunt Begin
So, the episode ends with both sides regrouping following the first battle. While many Devil Hunters died, including Himeno and Arai, the Yakuza got off far worse. As for Denji, I’m sure he’ll recover. He’s regenerated from being chopped into pieces thanks to Pochita, so he should be able to grow back the lower half of his body.
This episode was by far the best one yet. I’m glad I started watching Chainsaw Man, because it’s one of the best shonen anime in this new generation of the genre. The one hang-up I have is how the action sequences end too soon. I need the chance to enjoy them, Studio MAPPA!
Oh, and RIP to Himeno and Arai. We hardly knew ye, but the former will live on in fan-art.
Ash Ketchum and Pikachu’s Story to End in 2023, Make Way for New Heroes
After 25 years of trying, Ash Ketchum finally did it. He became the very best like no one ever was. Sadly, this also means that our time with Ash Ketchum is coming to a close.
The Boy Who Became the Very Best…
In November 2022, Ash Ketchum, the fictional protagonist of the Pokemon anime, set the Internet ablaze. News came out of Japan that the latest episode had seen Ash defeat the Pokemon world champion Leon in a battle that could only be described as the stuff of legends. In other words, our boy Ash was now the Pokemon champion.
Fans all over the world cheered for Ash Ketchum. After so many years of being denied, Ash Ketchum became the best trainer in the world. However, this presented a unique problem. With Scarlet and Violet about to release, would we see Ash continue his journey? The answer turned out to be no.
In a video released on social media, the Pokรฉmon company announced that starting in January, the next batch of episodes for the anime would close the book on Ash and Pikachuโs journey. The anime would cover a new generation of trainers in Paldea, featuring their own starter Pokรฉmon.
…Like No One Ever Was
Thus far, fan reactions have been mixed. Ash Ketchum and Pikachu have been the face of the franchise for 25 years. Their journeyโs a big part of why Pokemon got so popular and beloved by generations of children. Saying goodbye is something we all suspected could happen. It actually happening, though, is surreal.
On the other hand, fans also argue that itโs time for Ash Ketchum to rest. He did what he set out to accomplish: he became the very best like no one ever was. While I doubt that this is the last weโll truly see of him, itโs time to let Ash go. Our boy needs to continue his adventures alone.
Ash Ketchum was the very first anime protagonist I ever met. Pokรฉmon was my gateway to the world of anime, and without it, my life would be very different. I stopped following Ash actively after the Johto League, but he always had a place in my heart. Letting our boy go will be incredibly hard, but Iโm just glad he finally became the very best. Besides, now we can debate whether the new girl is Ashโs daughter.
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