Anime 2024

More Worldbuilding for Demon Realm!

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

Dragon Ball Daima Ep 4

Last time on Dragon Ball Daima, Goku, Glorio, and Superme Kai arrived in the Demon Realm, a dimension full of wonder and danger. Unfortunately, whatever plans they had to quickly track down Gomah and rescue Dende are derailed by the loss of Glorio’s plane. Now they have no choice but to proceed on foot. However, what’s unfortunate for them is fortunate for the viewers, as it lets this episode take the time to further explain how things in the Demon Realm work. From the methods people use to get around to how they enhance their strength, this episode does the best thing it can do for a land fans know nothing about: it keeps worldbuilding.

SOMEONE STOLE THEIR RIDE!!

Picking up right where the last episode ended, Goku, Glorio, and Supreme Kai have woken up to find that their plane is gone. The thugs that Goku humiliated at the bar stole it as payback. Given the urgency of their quest to get to Gomah, one would think recovering it would be a top priority. Instead, Glorio opts to take the unexpected route and decides they’ll continue on foot.

And before any viewers can point out that they can fly using ki, the show reveals it already thought ahead. The dense air of the area makes it difficult to fly for extended periods, leaving Goku and the others stuck on Terra Firma.

It might not seem like a big deal, but filling up this potential plot hole demonstrates how much forethought the people put into Daima. When Toei said that it would be returning Goku to his early days, they meant it! They’re doing everything to ensure that Goku can’t steamroll his way through their quest. That’s a sign of good writing!

Good Worldbuilding

As an added benefit to traveling on foot, the episode gets to continue the series’ worldbuilding efforts for the Demon Realm. Most notably, their stop at a tea shop for supplies demonstrates new story mechanics in the form of medicines. The Demon Realm has a medicine that serves as its equivalent to Senzu Beans, and a herb that can allow people to fuse together! Then immediately afterward, we get a new method of transportation in the form of giant, rocket-like seeds.

In one scene, we get introduced to the equivalent to two kinds of potions and a method of fast travel. At this point, there’s no point denying that JRPGs inspired Daima.

Covering Up the Plot Holes

In addition to introducing these story mechanics, another big piece of information we get involves the Dragon Balls of the Demon Realm. Viewers already know from listening to Gomah, but no one has been able to use the Demon Realm’s Dragon Balls because three guardians protect them. If they can’t beat these guardians, the Tamagami, they can’t have the Dragon Balls. It’s not a new concept, since GT had the Shadow Dragons near the end. But it still feels novel because solves an issue that I think many fans might have with the concept of the Dragon Balls:

“If the Dragon Balls are so easy for everyone to find, then why aren’t they protected to keep them out of unworthy hands?”

Keep in mind, when they were made, they were supposed to be hard to find, but Bulma creating the Dragon Radar made that pointless. Having their location known but protected by powerful warriors seems far safer. That, and it makes it seem like Daima is doing its best to make it so fans like TeamFourStar can’t point out its flaws.

A New Party Member Appears

At any rate, Goku’s need to fight powerful opponents makes the group change course to find the first Dragon Ball, and that leads to yet another bit of worldbuilding. In this case, we see just what the Demon Realm is like under Gomah’s rule, and it’s not good. The self-proclaimed king has his own army that he uses to extort villagers. They either forfeit what little money they have, or give up part of their life-span. It’s a sadistic choice that leads to suffering no matter what happens. Goku naturally steps in to fight the soldiers, but not before someone else does. A young girl that we’ve seen in the OP and ED for the series.

We don’t get her name in this episode, but judging by the title for the next episode, it’s pretty obvious that her name is Panzy. And if it’s not obvious by now, Toriyama based the names of the Demon Realm characters on puns involving flowers. The man was nothing if not consistent. And even though she only appears in the episode’s final act, it does a good of establishing her character. She’s brave and inventive, but her creations don’t always work the way she wants to. She’s like a younger version of Bulma, which could make for some interesting character dynamics in the future.

This episode might not be as action-oriented as some people would like, with most of the action taking place near the end, but that doesn’t make it a bad episode. Far from it; fans should appreciate the amount of worldbuilding Daima continues to give us. This is a story taking place in a realm that, until now, we know almost nothing about. I, for one, want to learn as much as possible about the Demon Realm. If that means that the story takes its time to get where it wants to go, so be it. It will be worth it in the end.

I Give “Chatty” a 4/5

Time to Get Back in the Game, Jin-Woo

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

Solo Leveling Ep 5 Review

If you’ve ever played online games with other people, then there’s a good chance this happened to you, or you saw it or heard about it. If a player’s not pulling their own weight in a group or keeps making things harder for others, the others may decide to not revive them the next time they die. Or they may have to leave them behind if it could endanger the rest of the group. It’s usually not done out of malice but logic. How, some players might purposefully use their weakest links as meat shields, or abandon them rather than give them the share of the loot. Why am I bringing this up now? Because Jin-Woo ends up dealing with these kinds of people in the latest episode of Solo Leveling.

And, yes. I intend to review each episode from here on out. This is a great show, and I’ve been reading the manwha online. It’s going to get crazy!

Jin-Woo is Now Jacked as Heck

After spending weeks stuck in the hospital, Jin-Woo’s finally cleared to leave. However, he’s no longer the same skinny guy who came close to death for the umpteenth time. Thanks to his System-enforced exercise routine, he’s gotten taller, put on a lot of muscle, and has a different appearance in general. To further emphasize how different he is, the episode opens up with all the nurses talking about how attractive he’s become. The nurse who comes to discharge him blushes when she sees him finishing up his exercise routine and then asks for his phone number. Humorously, since he’s not used to this kind of positive attention, Jin-Woo doesn’t realize he’s being hit on!

This kind of transformation isn’t something new. There have been a number of anime where the protagonist has undergone a radical transformation, turning them from either an unremarkable-looking or unappealing looking person into what Jin-Woo is now. This even happened to the likes of Spider-Man when he first got his powers. That said, it’s still amusing to see how everyone else reacts to the change. So, seeing the nurses gushing over Jin-Woo, I couldn’t help but smile in amusement.

Getting Back in the Game

In any event, now that he’s out of the hospital, Jin-Woo needs to start earning money; he’s got to pay the rent for his family. That means that it’s time for him to start going back into the Dungeons, and a local team is looking for two people to join so they can meet the minimum requirement to go dungeon-diving. Thus, Jin-Woo signs a contract with a man named Hwang Dongsoo alongside another temp, a newcomer named Yoo Jin-ho. Who comes way too overdressed for the job.

The first impression that Jin-ho gives is that he’s very much a rookie. He’s ready and eager to take on being a Hunter, but he doesn’t really know what being a Hunter is like. Some people might consider him annoying, but he’s got this dorky charm to him that makes him endearing. It also helps that the dub has him voiced by Justin Briner, the voice of Deku from My Hero Academia. That man is good at making the people he plays endearingly dorky.

Plus, it turns out he’s one of the people that you know you can trust to have your back.

Jin-Woo is about to Start Piling Bodies

What’s the most dangerous animal in the world? A lion, bear, elephant, or shark? While there are plenty of animals out there that can kill a person with little effort, they’re not the most dangerous. That honor falls to humanity itself. Thanks to our ability to think, reason, and adapt, humans are the most dangerous animals on Earth. And even being inside a dungeon filled with otherworldly monsters like giant insects doesn’t change that fact. As dangerous as those beasts are, they’re still hunted by Hunters. And, as this episode reaffirms, not every Hunter is as nice as Jin-Woo was or Jin-Ho is.

The show subtly drops a few hints as the episode progresses that something’s not right with the dungeon. While that could be chalked up to the monsters, the unease only grows as the group makes it to the boss’ lair. That’s when Jin-Woo realizes why Dongsuk’s group needed two more to help them: bait. To get their hands on the mana crystals, they seal Jin-Woo and Jin-Ho in the boss’ cave to wear it out so they can finish mining without worry. It’s a common tactic in MMO’s: weaken the boss first, then rush in and let the rest of the group finish it off. Except this will leave two people dead.

This is when Jin-Woo has the first of what will, no doubt, be many “I am HIM” moments. He looks at the giant spider, and realizes that it’s nothing compared to the giant statues. So he tells Jin-Ho that he’s going to handle things. Alone. 

Full disclosure: I wound up reading the manwha to see what happens next, and we are not ready. This is going to be the fighting animation that we need right now. 

I Give “A Pretty Good Deal” a 4/5 

‘Solo Leveling’ Might be First Big Anime of 2024

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

‘Solo Leveling’ Initial Review

It’s safe to say at this point that anime and manga have gone mainstream in Western Culture. More and more anime based on popular manga, light novels, and the like are coming out of the woodwork. But now, what the West considers anime (Japanese animation) is expanding its scope to works beyond Japan’s borders; specifically, to Korea, home to a plethora of webtoons and manwha. And right now, the one everyone’s talking about is the bloodiest since Attack on Titan, Solo Leveling.

This isn’t an exaggeration. Solo Leveling might be one of the bloodiest anime of the year. 

A Bottom-Feeder Gets RPG Superpowers

Ten years ago, portals and gateways opened up on Earth that led to other dimensions. And in those dimensions were monsters and entities straight out of a fantasy MMORPG. With conventional weapons useless, people started gaining the ability to hunt and kill these monsters, giving rise to the Hunters. There’s one catch, though: once you awaken your abilities, your stuck with whatever rank you get; no leveling up or getting stronger. Which stinks for those at the bottom, like Jin-Woo

Sung Jin-Woo is an E-Rank Hunter at the bottom of the barrel and is called the weakest ever. He can barely do any damage, he goes down too fast, and regularly comes close to death every time he fights in a Dungeon. But he keeps at it to support his family, until the day the inevitable happens. The party he’s in gets caught in a dungeon that starts slaughtering them in ways that haven’t been seen since Attack on Titan! And when the survivors can escape, he has to get left behind, thinking its for the best…until he realizes that this is a horrible way to die.

That’s when he gets this little notification like from a video game saying he qualifies to be a “Player.” Next thing he knows, he’s waking up in a hospital, completely healed. There’s one catch, though: he’s now being forced to do daily activities to get stronger or risk dying. The upside to that? He’s now able to level up like in a normal RPG. And he’s the only one who can do this.

Jin-Woo has just entered a real-life RPG.

An Interesting Take on a Premise That’s Been Done Before

As far as premises go, the concept behind Solo Leveling isn’t what one would call unique. Other anime have revolved around a similar premise.

  • Supposed weakling gets thrown into situation that can kill them.
  • Weakling gets a lucky break/special skill that helps them to survive and level up.
  • Weakling goes from being bottom of the barrel to OP as heck.

For reference, look up Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest. It’s like Solo Leveling, but an isekai and not as good.

I’ve never read the webtoon or web novel versions of Solo Leveling, so I wound up going into this anime blind. After what I saw, though, I can see why it’s so popular and breaking the Internet with it’s hype. The animation is dark, bloody, and beautifully well-done. The story (which is only four episodes in) doesn’t skimp on the details of how dangerous being a Hunter would be, either. While the first episode is lighter on it, episode two sees people in Jin-Woo’s party dying left and right. Limbs get blown off, a man gets crushed to death by a statue’s foot, and one guy got split right down the middle! It’s horrifying, yet you can’t look away. And Jin-Woo’s near-death experience rivals Eren Yeager getting eaten by a Titan in terms of horror! 

Speaking of Eren Yeager, Jin-Woo has a few traits in common with the wielder of the Attack Titan. Like Eren (at first), Jin-Woo is a good person put into horrific experiences that harden his heart. Yet Jin-Woo can’t quit being a Hunter, no matter how dangerous it is. Firstly, Mother is on life support due to being poisoned by mana from the Gates. Secondly, his sister needs the money for school. But he’s so weak that he can barely make ends meet, and his new status can help change that.

Don’t Underestimate RPG Mechanics

At first, the gains aren’t that noticeable, but anyone whose player an RPG should know better. Upgrading stats even a little can make all the difference, as seen in Jin-Woo’s first solo dungeon. While he once struggled against the weakest enemies, he gets strong enough to take down a snake the size of a house. With his bare hands, no less! And then he pierces the defense of another Monster a group of low-ranking Hunters were barely holding off with a broken Sword! The man is like a Korean Kirito meets Deku!

I’ve been reading Manwha and Webcomics for years on Webtoons, but Solo Leveling might be one of the most interesting and exciting that I have seen to date. And after spoiling myself by finding out what’s going to happen, I know I’m going to enjoy this show. Might even make it a weekly review.