Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba-To the Hashira Training Review
In 2023, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba released a new movie to drum up hype for the upcoming Swordsmith Village Arc. It wasn’t so much a new story, though, as it was a compilation. It mainly covered the end of the Entertainment District Arc, which had some award-worthy animation, before segueing into the first episode of the upcoming arc. Having missed out on that, I resolved to avoid making the same mistake this time. So I got tickets for the opening night of the following compilation film, To the Hashira Training. And, even though it meant having to rewatch the finale to the Swordsmith Village Arc, it was still worth seeing.
The Calm Before the Storm
If you last saw it a while ago or never read my review, the first half of the compilation film is a good refresher. Tanjiro slew Hantengu of the Upper-Rank Four, and, in a tearjerker of a miracle, Nezuko gained the ability to survive in the sun. The bad news? Before he died, Hantengu told Muzan about Nezuko, making her his top priority. If he devours her, he’ll become immune to the sun, making him nigh-unstoppable. The final battle is upon them, and everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps knows it.
First Look of The Wind Hashira and Serpent Hashira from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba "Hashira Training Arc".
The anime scheduled for Spring 2024 and the first episode will be a one-hour special!
The preview the film gives us of the first episode of season four starts with the Hashiras Sanemi (the scarred guy who stabbed Nezuko) and Obanai (the one with the snake) going on a mission to rescue a woman from Demons. What ends up happening is they get a glimpse of Muzan’s stronghold before getting thrown out.
For those who hoped the season four opener would have some fantastic action, the opening is as good as it gets. The rest of the episode, as will the entire arc, is merely the calm before the storm. The remaining Hashira point this out when they convene at the Ubuyashiki Mansion, saying how Demon attacks have gone down. They know Muzan’s readying his forces to capture Nezuko, making a full-scale war inevitable. And with Rengoku dead and Tengen forced to retire, they’re short on manpower.
To highlight the sense of urgency even further, the leader of the Demon Slayers, Kagaya, is dying. The sickness that’s rotting his flesh and rendered him blind has progressed to the point where he’s bedridden. This means it’s up to the Hashira to prepare for the final battle. And, since this is a Shonen anime, there’s only one solution: an anime training arc.
Time to Train!
The Hashira (except for Giyu) decide they need to train not just themselves but the entire Demon Slayer Corps. So, they gathered all the lower-ranked members and organized a massive boot camp to toughen them up. The end goal is to get the lower-ranked members closer to their level, giving them a better chance of winning the war that’s to come. And while we only see the start of things, it looks like it will be brutal.
The program has another purpose, though. With Tokito and Mitsuri getting the same marks as Tanjiro, which gives him superpowers, the other Hashira wants to do the same. It may be the deciding factor in the final battle. However, all they know is that they can only come out when under extreme conditions that could kill them, and they come in contact with someone who already has the Mark. There’s more to it, though. Manga readers will know it, but the anime doesn’t state to increase the tension. From the looks of things, though, the Mark has some serious downsides.
The Hashira Training Arc is Coming!
Serious topics aside, the episode has plenty of funny moments to lighten the mood. The funniest, by far, revolves around Nezuko’s attempts to relearn how to talk. When Zenitsu returns and sees her walking in the sunlight, he gets lovestruck and asks her to marry him. Until that is, she calls him Inosuke. The latter insisted Nezuko get to know her name, much to Zenitsu’s annoyance. And my amusement.
The episode/film ends with Tanjiro preparing to join the training. More importantly, though, Ms. Tamayo, who’s been working on a cure for Demons, gets summoned by Kagaya to collaborate with one of the Hashiraโprogress at last.
How long will the anime’s fourth season be last? It may only cover the Hashira Training Arc, making it shorter than previous seasons. And, as much as I want to get to the final battle, splitting it up would make the pacing easier. Either way, I’m going to enjoy this.
Hey, everyone. RJ Writing Ink here, writing on behalf of the D&A Anime Blog. Aaron and I aren’t in the best state of mind right now. You likely know this by now, but late March 7th, it was announced online that Akira Toriyama, the legendary creator of Dragon Ball and dozens of other works, had passed away more than a week ago. Aaron was the one who wound up telling me on Discord. And my reaction was one of shock and great sadness.
— DRAGON BALL OFFICIAL (@DB_official_en) March 8, 2024
Over the next few hours, I watched the Internet cry out sorrowfully, including Aaron and me. So many people, fans, content creators, and those whom Toriyama inspired to do what they love for a living, all mourning the loss of the legendary mangaka. As for me, at Aaron’s behest, I wrote a post for this blog breaking the news for ourselves. It didn’t feel right not to say anything about Toriyama, especially since Aaron told me it was why he and Donte started this blog. Afterward, I went to bed and tried to sleep as best I could. But as I drifted off to sleep, still trying to process the death of the great mangaka, a realization came to me. While I had seen plenty of people, both idols and loved ones, die before, there was a reason why Toriyama’s passing hit me and everyone so hard. And it was more than the fact that he died at only sixty-eight years old. Truthfully, even if he died twenty years old, it still would have felt too soon.
My reason was that the culture we know today might not have existed without Akira Toriyama and what he created.
Imagine what Akira Toriyama did when he created Dragon Ball forty years ago, like planting a tree in the middle of a field. He would then spend the next eleven years returning to it once a week to tend to it as it grew big and strong. Its trunk would start to reach for the heavens, its roots would burrow deep into the soil underneath, and its branches would become solid and sturdy. Eventually, it grew big enough to create seeds, and others would come and take them to grow their trees. Flash forward to the present day, and the original tree he planted will get big enough to tower in the skies, while the younger trees will grow just as big and potentially just as strong. If all goes well, then that field could become a forest generations down the line. But the man who planted the first tree would never live to see that. He would have to trust those who followed him to continue his work and make something unique out of it.
If you need clarification on this metaphor, then here’s the meaning. The tree itself is what Toriyama did throughout his entire career, with Dragon Ball primarily serving as the trunk. The branches represent everything that sprang forth from the popularity of the original manga: the anime, movies, video games, products, fan-made content, and all the people who found happiness, success, and more thanks to Dragon Ball. The roots are how the franchise has made its way into global culture. The younger trees represent the people who were inspired by reading Toriyama’s work to become mangaka themselves, giving us even more hit Shonen series like Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Fairy Tail, and likely many more. When you put all of that together, the result should be clear. What Akira Toriyama managed to do was create something that managed to incorporate itself into human culture worldwide. Something that has come to unite people from all walks of life over their shared love of this man’s work. No matter how you look at it, that’s impressive.
Now imagine what life would be like if he had never made Dragon Ball or if it had never become as popular as it is. Suddenly, you might get a world where anime has never become more than a niche interest outside Japan. Where many of the series that you love reading never existed. The people whose lives Dragon Ball changed for the better never got that chance. Bonds that started thanks to that shared love never came about, people who never turned that love into their careers, and more. It would be like the alternate timeline from It’s a Wonderful Life, in which George Bailey was never born, and Toriyama is Bailey.
Toriyama’s Legacy Lives On
Rest in Power Akira Toriyama! Thank you for Goku!Thank you for everything! ๐ Here's a rare Akira clip for those who would like to watch. pic.twitter.com/BMA3dBnmbu
Toriyama may be gone now, but his legacy lives on, and it’s more than just Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump, Dragon Quest, or whatever else he helped create. It’s the millions of people worldwide whose lives he changed, often for the better. The mangaka like Masashi Kishimoto and Eichiro Oda. The people who got to work on his series, both in Japan and abroad. The people who can make a living doing fanworks of Dragon Ball like TeamFourStar, DevilArtemis, Daitomodachi, and more. Even fans like me and Aaron. We’re all part of the legacy that Akira Toriyama left behind, and it’s mind-boggling when you put that into perspective. How many people throughout history can say they’ve affected so many people in such a positive manner? Not many.
Am I sad? Yes. I hate that Toriyama died so soon. But Dragon Ball can live on. If we want to do right by Toriyama, we need to ensure that people can continue to enjoy Dragon Ball for generations to come. I know that we’re all mourning for his passing, but no one is genuinely gone, so the world continues to remember him. And with the impact that Toriyama had on the world? I don’t think he’s going to be forgotten for a long, long time.
Have you ever seen the โYouโre a victimโ meme? It comes from a SupaHotFire video on YouTube from six years ago, and is best used in situations where a person gets absolutely wrecked. And now that Jin-Woo is no longer the weakest Hunter in all mankind, thatโs what will happen to any monsters, or Humans, that get in his way. In this episode, Jin-Woo begins the true start to what will be a long list of people and beasts that he makes victims.
Round 1: Jin-Woo vs Giant Spider
After getting left to die by their so-called party members, Jin-Woo has two options: fight or die. And after facing off against the things heโs fought, the crippling fear that Jin-Woo once felt is not so great. Compared to the demonic statues, a giant spider is nothing.
The fight that follows in the anime seems to take a lot of cues from the likes of Sword Art Online. And thatโs not just because itโs produced by the same studio that does SAO. Like Kirito, Jin-Wooโd movements are based around speed and agility. He jumps, dodges, and constantly looks for new angles from which to attack. The way the fightโs animated even evokes some of the frenetic energy of Kiritoโs more over the top battles. In other words, itโs pretty fun to watch if youโre into that sort of thing.
Hilariously, by the time itโs over and you see how devoted Jin-Ho is to Jin-Woo, I canโt help but hear Deku, subbed or not. This is the beginning of a beautiful bromance.
Hereโs the thing, though: Jin-Woo is not a hero.
Hwang Dongsuk becomes a Victim
When Dongsuk and his party come back and realize that Jin-Woo and Jin-Ho arenโt dead, they realize they have to cover their tracks. When their attempts to coerce Jin-Ho to kill his newfound bro fail, though, they try to kill Jin-Woo themselves. He no-sells it, but thatโs not the issue. The issue is that the System gives him a new quest telling him to kill Dongsukโs party.
And, if it wasnโt before, what happens next establishes that Jin-Woo is an anti-hero. He might have balked at killing other humans before, but after seeing the worst of humanity in the double-dungeon, heโs ready to respond in kind. Even if the System didnโt threaten to kill him for refusing, Jin-Woo would still kill them. Heโs a man whose spent his whole life as a Hunter being a punching bag. Now that he has the power, heโs going to use it. And woe to anyone foolish to make themselves a victim of his.ย
Side-note: the music playing as Jin-Woo makes victims is hauntingly beautiful.
This Could be the Start of Something Beautiful
After the ordeal in the dungeon, Jin-Ho and Jin-Woo tell the authorities how the others died in battle, without including the specifics. Even if they did, the law would (hopefully) justify it as self-defense. Thereโs just one issue: Dongsuk has a younger brother whoโs also a Hunter. And from the way he was bragging, heโs likely a big deal. It wonโt matter to Jin-Woo, though. Heโll keep getting stronger and survive.
Having been unable to resist the wait, I wound up reading the entire manwha in a few days, and trust me. Things will only get crazier from here. By the time the story is done, Jin-Woo will claim more victims and it will be amazing. This is shaping up to be one of the big anime of the Winter 2024 season!
Few things in this world inspire as much awe, and fear, as a ninja. Spies, assassins, boisterous protagonists of some of the greatest Shonen Manga, ninjas are everywhere. And when Toonami announced that they would be coming out with an original series, Ninja Kamui, people took notice. Especially given how the anime involves a former ninja going on a quest to avenge his dead family. Itโs like John Wick, but with ninjas.
Somwhere in rural America lives Joe Higan, a family man with a happy life. Heโs got a beautiful wife, a cheerful son, and a successful farm, and a cool motorcycle. In other words, heโs set up as the man whoโs living the peaceful, rural American Dream. However, not everything is as it seems.
Truth be told, Ninja Kamui is very cagey about who Joe is and what his past was like in the premiere. Throughout the first act, the anime drops hints that Joe is running from something. When news reports of brutal, identical murders across the country start making the rounds, they put him and his wife on edge. They know who is doing them, but they try to reassure themselves that theyโll be fine.
As expected from Sunghoo Park, the action sequences in Ninja Kamui are stunning pic.twitter.com/8X2XmPwQ9D
Then comes the moment when these assassins do come for them. Even with how obvious it was that this would happen, it doesnโt change the fact that the fight that follows is brutal. Thereโs blood everywhere, heads roll, and Joeโs forced to watch as his wife and sonโs dead bodies grow cold on the floor in front of him.
The showโs second act adds a pair of FBI agents working on the attack, sensing itโs connected to the other murders. Theyโre not wrong, but when the culprits come back to finish the job, they canโt even do anything. There’s a chance that theyโll play a bigger role in the series, if only because theyโre named.ย
a very strong debut of Ninja Kamui along with Sunghoo Park delivering on the fight choreography and action animation as expected since it is his bread and butter pic.twitter.com/xZBWUhAupO
The real highlight of the episode, though, is the moment those assassins come back for a still-alive Joe. If the entire sequence, which is bloody yet has a dark beauty to it, seems similar toย Jujutsu Kaisen, thereโs a good reason. Sunghoo Park, the man who directed the episode (and runs the studio that made this anime) directed the first season ofย Jujutsu Kaisen. The results speak for themselves as Higan goes on a rampage, killing his would-be assassins, and saving the man who killed his wife last.ย
Higan become the John Wick of Ninjas
The end of the episode only adds on another layer of mystery surrounding Joe Higan. His familyโs dead bodies hinted at it, but it isnโt until Joe pulls off his face that we get confirmation: they were wearing high-tech masks. Between this, the military-grade gear his assassins used, and the savviness they have with technology, paints a grim picture about this group. Whoever they are, theyโre dangerous.
While the ones who directly killed his family are dead, Higan knows itโs not over, leading to some payoff for a good instance of foreshadowing. Earlier in the episode, Joe found his son playing with an Oni mask, something that he and his wife were uneasy about. Given their killers similarities to Oni, it’s a big hint that they were once part of this same group of ninjas. Seeing Higan pull out an Oni mask out of the secret hole in his house is just confirming what we already knew. That, and that Higan is about to go John Wick on these ninja’s butts.
As far as premieres go, Ninja Kamui does a good job of balancing the thin line needed. It provides the basic setup and premise to use, but at the same time, it leaves enough unanswered to keep people in the dark. And when people are left in the dark about something, they tend to want to know more. What is the name of this group of ninjas? Why did Joe and his wife leave them behind? Those questions will be answered over the course of the next eleven weeks, and I’m looking forward to it.
If Sun Jin-Woo had any remaining doubts that he’d gotten stronger, they are gone. Last week, he didn’t just kill the boss of the dungeon he was in. Except for Jin-Ho, he killed the party that tried to kill him. At this rate, he might start thinking he’s unstoppable, which could be a huge problem. Thankfully, Jin-Woo’s conscious enough to understand that if he doesn’t want to die, he needs to keep getting stronger.
This is good because he’s got the authorities interested and angered one of the strongest Hunters in the world. Time to level grind!
For someone who just had to kill six people, the episode starts with Jin-Woo handling things well. Some people would be traumatized by killing another human being, even if it was in self-defense. Jin-Woo, though, doesn’t even use that as an excuse to cope. It’s more concerning how irritated he is at how they thought they had a chance against him.
Jin-Woo recognizes the benefits that becoming a Player has given him, both for his confidence and his family’s well-being. Plus, he discovers in this episode that his body detoxes him so fast he can’t get drunk. However, and not just because the System forces him to do so. It’s because he’s attracting unwanted attention.
First, reports about what happened have reached the Hunter Bureau and the desk of Mr. Woo. AKA the guy who saw Jin-Woo after the Double Dungeon Incident. He’s starting to suspect that something’s up with Jin-Woo, which could be an issue. However, what’s more important is the guy that Jin-Woo’s angered.
Remember Dongsuk, the leader of the party that Jin-Woo killed? He wasn’t joking about his little brother being a big deal. He’s an S-Rank Hunter living in America and is now out for revenge.
Jin-Ho is a True Bro
At least there’s one person who isn’t out to get Jin-Woo right now: Jin-Ho.
It might be because his dub voice is done by Justin Briner or the sincere manner in which he conducts himself, but Jin-Ho is the kind of guy Jin-Woo wants in a best friend. Not only does he keep his mouth shut about what happened out of gratitude, but he makes a massive offer. His dad’s the CEO of a big construction company, and he wants to set up his own Hunter’s Guild. If Jin-Ho helps do raids to help him become a Guild Master, he’ll give him a building worth billions.
It’s a very tempting offer, one that benefits both of them. It would help Jin-Woo hide his strength for a bit longer, and Jin-Ho can show he’s worthy of his father’s trust. Sadly, Jin-Woo has things he must accomplish first.
This whole conversation highlights what’s great about Jin-Ho. While he wants Jin-Woo to help him for his benefit, he’s also doing it to help Jin-Woo. He’s genuinely grateful to him for saving their lives and wants to do everything to help. Even if Jin-Woo still says no, he’ll keep his secret. Granted, he’s worried that Jin-Woo might kill him, but the loyalty is genuine. That’s authentic bro material, there!
God of War: Manwha Edition-Cerberus Boss Fight
The big highlight of the episode, though, remains the impressive fighting. After blowing past his daily training, Jin-Woo gets a key to unlock an S-Rank dungeon. He can’t resist the chance to see how far he’s come, leading him to head inside. What he encounters, though, can only be described as God of War fused with an urban apocalypse.
SUNG JIN WOO VS Cerberus FINALE was mf insane๐ญโผ๏ธ Taito Ban as the VA is the undisputed GOAT for him as everything from the voice acting to direction was absolutely PEAK๐ฅ ๐๐ป #SoloLeveling#ไฟบใฌใpic.twitter.com/DZNAZ1Iva2
Anyone who’s ever read Greek mythology will know how dangerous Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog of the Underworld, is. The Cerberus that Jin-Woo fights is something straight out of the likes of Dark Souls and as bloody as God of War. It also isn’t as one-sided as it is in the manwha; it’s a deliberate attempt to make Jin-Woo not feel so OP. In the end, it makes his ultimate victory all the more badass.
Solo Leveling keeps managing to raise the bar when it comes to fights, and this is only the start. If you’ve read the Manwha (I binged it in less than a week), you know how insane the fights will become.
In the end, Jin-Woo leaves the dungeon feeling a little more confident in himself. What he did in the last episode wasn’t a fluke. Now he knows he’s tough and will only get more challenging. At the same time, he took enough of a beating that he knows that he’s not invincible. No matter how powerful he gets, he shouldn’t start thinking himself to be unbeatable. However, doing these dungeons will still be worth it, as they lead him on a path that could end with a potential cure for his comatose mother.
Sadly, there will be no new episode next week. We’ll only be getting a recap. The silver lining, though, is that we’ll be able to catch up on the dub.
I haven’t played it in years, but I’m a big fan of Assassin’sCreed. Besides getting to run around through history, one of the big draws to the franchise is the overarching conflict between the Assassins and the Templars. Or, as they go by in modern times, Abstergo Industries. Abstero is this massive, globally-spanning megacorporation that the Templars use to help them control society. That means they’ve got eyes and ears everywhere, and the money and resources to do anything. The main reason I bring this up is that, after learning a little more about the group that Joe Higan was a part of, they reminded me of the Templars, Abstergo, and even the Assassins. At least we now have a name to call them by: AUZA.
Like I Said, Abstero
Just like in the premiere, the show’s second episode remains intentionally vague about the organization that Joe used to be in. The episode does reveal a few details, enough to get the bigger picture, but not enough to work out the fine details. Here’s what we do know:
Higan was part of a secret society of Ninjas that protected Japan from the shadows.
They eventually fell under the control of a foreign power, which some didn’t agree to, with Higan among them.
Higan, and all the people the Ninjas have killed, had defected from the group after the decision
Throughout the episode, the show isn’t subtle about who this group might be: AUZA, a technology company that reeks of Abstergo/Templar-adjacent motivations. Their motto, “from the cradle to the grave,” feels less like a friendly promise to look out for people and more of a sinister threat that they will follow you until you die. And while it’s never stated in the episode that it was them, it’s heavily implied in the episode that they’ve got enough pull to manipulate the government.
Even a Ninja Needs Help
This is the group that killed Joe Higan’s family, and the group that he’s going up against. And Higan can be as ruthless as them, as shown by how he tortures oen of the people who killed his family for days on end before burning him to death. He didn’t do it for information, either; he was simply venting! However, he’s still only one person. Even Bryan Mills, John Wick, and Batman need help, and so does Joe.
Meanwhile, Mike Moriss, that FBI agent who talked to Joe, is surprised to find himself taken off the murder case. He knows something’s wrong and that his bosses are covering something up, and he’s right. Like I said, AUZA got that pull! However, he and Emma (his partner) can’t do anything about it without getting in trouble. At least, not officially. Once Joe gives Mike a call, though, the veteran agent becomes the Jim Gordon to Joe’s Batman.
The Jim Gordon comparison is pretty accurate. He’s a good officer of the law that knows when something bigger is going on. However, there’s only so much Mike can do to help, and events that transpire show how big this is…and out of his depth he is. When the ninjas come back for Joe, he’s left sitting on the sidelines while an epic ninja battle goes on. Bullets fly, there’s smoke and ninjutsu techniques, and one of the guys splits into two people! And all to the sound of rap and hip-hop music. Holy cow, this is amazing!
Only 2 episodes out and you can already tell Ninja Kamui is a classic in the making ๐ฅ๐ฅ pic.twitter.com/rfNkbJvPxf
By the end of it, though, Mike’s no closer to answers, and Joe’s got no leads on finding his former comrades. Worse, there’s a good chance that Mike might die before this show is over. The fact that he’s about to retire is a red flag!
So, to recap: Joe was part of this order of ninjas that’s now working for a corrupt company. He refused to accept that and went rogue, and now they’re trying to kill him. And this is only the second episode. Imagine what’s coming down the pipeline in the next few weeks!
Hello, everyone, RJ Writing Ink here with a special announcement regarding a new series I will be doing. So, a few months ago, it was announced that Donte, co-founder of this blog, would be leaving to pursue his own projects, leaving Aaron as the head of the blog and myself as one of its writers. Before he left, Donte liked to write recommendations he was watching for everyone to check out. In the past, I have done some posts for anime that I have liked but didnโt have the time to review episode by episode, such as My Clueless First Friend, and The 100 Girlfriends. Itโs a fun, easy, and time-saving way to get the word out about whatโs airing thatโs worth watching.
In the spirit of what Donte did, and with Aaronโs permission, I will be picking up where the former left off. Iโll be checking out anime that I feel are worth writing about but donโt have the time to review each episode. The first post to this series will be coming soon! Hope you enjoy, and thanks for your continued support of the blog!
Before he became the man who created One Piece, Eichiro Oda was a young man who aspired to become a mangaka. In the 1990s, he cut his teeth in the industry with a series of one-shots that would be published in a collection after One Piece started, but one in particular stood out. So much so that Oda would eventually incorporate it into the overall story of One Piece itself. Almost thirty years after it was published, this one-shot has been adapted into an ONA on Netflix. While Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation doesn’t reach the same levels of action and silliness as One Piece does, it demonstrates the groundwork for what would later become Oda’s massive success.
A One Piece Prequel
Taking place several hundred years before the events ofย One Pieceย in an unknown location,ย Monstersย revolves around Ryuma, a wandering swordsman with a few eccentricities. Chief among them, he’s constantly begging for food, always repays his debts, and considers anyone who bumps into the scabbard of his sword as challenging him to a duel. That seemingly comes back to bite him when a passing con man frames him for trying to attack him and uses a horn to summon a giant dragon. However, there’s more to the story than people realize…
The main that should stick out regarding this ONA is how familiar the main character, Ryuma, feels. With his appearance, wandering nature, and skill and dedication to the sword, one would assume that he’s the prototype for Roronoa Zoro fromย One Piece. They’re not wrong, as Oda would refine many of Ryuma’s traits into Zoro. It’s more than that, though. After the end to the Wano Country Arc, Oda confirmed in an OBS that Zoro is, in fact, a direct descendant of Ryuma. This only makes the events of the ONA all the more important to the greater lore ofย One Piece. In addition, the special ends with the moment when Zoro bested the zombified Ryuma during the Thriller Bark arc, earning his sword and (unknowingly) the right to call himself his descendant.
Not that Zoro would ever care about something like that.
The Seeds to Oda’s Success
Look closer atย Monsters, and one will also find some of the concepts and ideas that Oda would incorporate intoย One Piece. Besides the dragon, there are two main villains. One is a hammy bandit that wouldn’t look out of place next to Buggy the Clown, while the other acts like they’re the good guy, only for it to be a facade. One is a card-carrying bad guy, the other is more insidious, but both are bad news. And both are the kinds of enemies that the protagonists usually fight inย One Piece.ย
The special itself is short, only clocking in at about 25 minutes. However, it makes up for it by capturing the anachronistic feel of the original one-shot, the art style of the anime, and Oda’s sense of comedy. Getting to see a creator’s early work adapted and comparing it to what they’re most famous for is an interesting experience. And while Monsters isn’t as grand, silly, or epic as One Piece would become, you can see the seeds of what Oda would one day create.
Overall, Monsters is less of a must-watch for 2024, and more of a gift for longtime fans of Eichiro Oda. If you ever wanted to see more of what Oda did in his youth and how it would help shape the mangaka he would become, though, I’d recommend giving Monsters a watch.
Also, if you want to read the original one-shot, Viz Media just published it onto their website. Click this link to see it for yourself.
I Give “Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation” a 4/5
RJ Writing Ink’s Candid Review ofย The 100 Girlfriends Who Really REALLY Love You
Most anime watchers know, or at least have heard, of the premise behind the harem anime. An everyday protagonist suddenly themselves the center of attention amongst a group of attractive people. Said attractive people are all in love with or interested in them for various reasons. And hilarity ensues as they try to maintain some sense of normalcy in their lives. The formula gets tweaked somewhat, but the premise remains, and it can be a guilty pleasure because
A.) their quality varies from amazing to absolute garbage, with the same going for the characters
B.) the protagonist doesnโt pick their single partner.
C.) said chosen partner isnโt who the viewer considers best girl.
But what if there was a harem anime that didnโt do all that nonsense? A harem anime that goes out of its way to avoid the pitfalls of its counterparts while also playing the genreโs strengths to Mt. Everest levels of silliness? And most importantly, one with a protagonist who is a true CHAD and considers every girl to be best? That anime is here and it sets the new standard for harem anime: The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You.
The Beginning of CHADom
Meet Rentaro Aijo, a boy going into high school who only wants one thing in life: to experience love. Unfortunately, despite his good looks, friendly personality, and natural charisma, heโs been rejected by every girl heโs confessed to. All one hundred of them! So, he goes to a local shrine and prays to whoeverโs listening to give him a girlfriend. Then, the shrineโs Love God appears and lets him know the good news. Hes not destined to meet his soulmate in high school: heโs destined to meet 100 soulmates!
One month later, Rentaroโs at his first day of high school when he runs into two beautiful girls: Hakari Hanazono and Karane Inda. And the two fall for him on the spot and beg him to date one of them. Rentaro is over the moon! But he canโt choose. Thatโs when the Love God drops some harsh truths. Firstly, he was only meant to have one soulmate, but due to a clerical error via watching a Miyazaki film, he wrote 100. Secondly, rejecting oneโs soulmate will rob a person of all their luck. And they will eventually die.
So what does Rentaro do? Does he:
A.) Waffle on the decision like other harem protagonists?
B.) Only choose one and knowingly sentence 99 other girls to death?
C.) Date them behind each otherโs backs like a scumbag
D.) None of the above
Play this:
The answer is D.) none of the above. In the first of countless moments that demonstrate his CHADness, Rentaro tells them that heโs gonna date both of them because he loves And just to prove how serious he is, he gives them these four-leaf clovers they spent hours looking for yesterday because they heard it would set them up with their love!
And just like that, Rentaro starts his path toward gathering a harem of 100 girls so they wonโt die.
You’re not dealing with your average harem anime.
At first glance, 100 Girlfriends might seem like another harem anime. However, once one enters the story, they will find itโs anything but. It improves on many of the genre’s strengths for the sake of storytelling and comedy. At the same time, it also ensures that it avoids the many pitfalls people have with the genre. In other words, itโs built different, and hereโs why.
Exhibit A-Rentaro is a CHAD among CHADS
There have been a lot of different harem protagonists over the years, but a big problem is that a lot of them seem like bland, uninspired, cookie cutter self-inserts. Some examples stand out, like Issei Hyoudou, Tenchi Masaki, and Yuuki Rito, but they can even have their problems. Rentaro, on the other hand, is built different.
Firstly, heโs not a dense kind of protagonist who isnโt unaware that the girls are in love with him. Rentaroโs fully aware of their feelings for him and schemes they come up with to get closer to him, and is openly receptive to them.
Secondly, he is not passive; he is active. He spent years bettering himself to be the ideal boyfriend, which shows. He will go out of his way to ensure each growing harem is happy, even at his own expense.
Argue about who gets his first kiss? Heโll devise a way to ensure they can all share the honor.
Have trouble talking out loud? Heโll transcribe your favorite book into a text-to-speech app for you to communicate. By hand!
Sees some creep trying to put hands on his girlfriends? Heโll come back from death to save them!!
Plus, unlike someone like Issei, he always acts like a true gentleman and treats his girlfriends with the utmost respect. He doesnโt play favorites; he loves them all equally. He is the ideal that every boyfriend or husband should aspire to. He is the true CHAD, the ultimate rizz-god, CHADtaro Aijo!
Exhibit B-The Series Deconstructs a lot of Waifu Archetypes
Given the series premise, its inevitable that it will come to include a lot of character archetypes. In a break from many harem anime, though, 100 Girlfriends doesnโt include them simply for the sake of it, but deconstructs them. It shows the real effects each archetype would have on people; not all are pretty.
Hakari acts prim and proper like the perfect girl on the outside, but on the inside, sheโs very perverted and keeps imagining lewd ways to earn Rentaroโs attention.
Karane Inda is a tsundere, which makes it hard for her to express her true feelings, even when she wants to. Imagine how hard that must be for someone to endure daily?
Shizuka Yoshimoto is a cute girl who hardly ever talks, but not by choice. Her natural shyness already made it hard to speak up, but getting bullied and called a freak by other people, including her mom, made it even worse.
Nano Eiai is like a Vulcan, suppressing her emotions in favor of logic. While that helps her natural intelligence, it also stunts her emotions to the point that she doesnโt know how to respond to love or friendship.
Kusuri Yakusen is a chemistry genius stuck in a loli form, a jab at the whole โlegal loliโ thing. On top of this, her mad scientist tendencies led her friends to abandon her. A drug she made that the girls accidentally ingest turned them into kiss zombies bent on making out with Rentaro at the cost of their personalities.
AndโฆIโm not gonna spoil who the sixth one is or her problems.
And unlike many other girls in harem anime, meeting Rentaro doesnโt magically fix their problems. Rentaro may help them, but they are still things they have to actively work on. That fact alone gives them way more depth than most girls.
Exhibit C- It follows Through on its Premise, and Treats Everyone Equally
The title isnโt just for show. It fully intends to give Rentaro 100 girlfriends before the end of the series. By this point in the manga, CHADtaro is already at 27 girls. Itโs likely that by the end of the series, it wonโt include every kind of waifu. It might have to make some up. In addition, the story makes its intent known by the time the anime ends. Itโs not just limiting the waifus to Rentaroโs age range. All types of waifus are on the table!
And remember what was said about every girl being best girl here? The series follows through on that, and so does Rentaro. He loves all his girlfriends equally and never favors one over the other. Even protagonists who embrace having a harem have a girl they love the most. But Rentaro is filled with so much love, he can love all of them. Nobody gets left out in the Rentaro family!
100 Girlfriends is the Pinnacle of Harem Anime
Harem anime hasnโt always gotten the best rep. At best, itโs wishful thinking. At worst, it feels like self-insert fiction for those who canโt find love. But 100 Girlfriends isnโt just wishful thinking or a mere self-insert story.
100 Girlfriends is built different. It takes everything good about the harem anime and elevates it to new levels of romantic comedy. It makes fun of the genre while also furthering its evolution. Thatโs the feat that only a great story can pull off. And the main character has the kind of rizz every guy wants.
In other words,ย 100 Girlfriendsย was one of the best anime of 2023. Go watch it on Crunchyroll. You will not regret it!
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:
The protagonist is aware of every girl falling for him and goes out of his way to make them all happy.
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.
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 isthatguy. 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.
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