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. It’s like John Wick, but with ninjas.
Somwhere in rural America lives Joe Higan, a family man with a happy life. He’s got a beautiful wife, a cheerful son, and a successful farm, and a cool motorcycle. In other words, he’s set up as the man who’s 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 they’ll 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 doesn’t change the fact that the fight that follows is brutal. There’s blood everywhere, heads roll, and Joe’s forced to watch as his wife and son’s dead bodies grow cold on the floor in front of him.
The show’s second act adds a pair of FBI agents working on the attack, sensing it’s connected to the other murders. They’re not wrong, but when the culprits come back to finish the job, they can’t even do anything. There’s a chance that they’ll play a bigger role in the series, if only because they’re named.
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 to Jujutsu Kaisen, there’s a good reason. Sunghoo Park, the man who directed the episode (and runs the studio that made this anime) directed the first season of 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.
Higan become the John Wick of Ninjas
The end of the episode only adds on another layer of mystery surrounding Joe Higan. His family’s dead bodies hinted at it, but it isn’t 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, they’re dangerous.
While the ones who directly killed his family are dead, Higan knows it’s 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 insane😭‼️ Taito Ban as the VA is the undisputed GOAT for him as everything from the voice acting to direction was absolutely PEAK🔥 🙏🏻 #SoloLeveling#俺レベpic.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 🔥🔥 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 didn’t have the time to review episode by episode, such as My Clueless First Friend, and The 100 Girlfriends. It’s a fun, easy, and time-saving way to get the word out about what’s airing that’s worth watching.
In the spirit of what Donte did, and with Aaron’s permission, I will be picking up where the former left off. I’ll be checking out anime that I feel are worth writing about but don’t 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 of One Piece in an unknown location, Monsters 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 from 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 of 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 at Monsters, and one will also find some of the concepts and ideas that Oda would incorporate into 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 in One Piece.
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 of 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 doesn’t pick their single partner.
C.) said chosen partner isn’t who the viewer considers best girl.
But what if there was a harem anime that didn’t do all that nonsense? A harem anime that goes out of its way to avoid the pitfalls of its counterparts while also playing the genre’s 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, he’s been rejected by every girl he’s confessed to. All one hundred of them! So, he goes to a local shrine and prays to whoever’s listening to give him a girlfriend. Then, the shrine’s Love God appears and lets him know the good news. Hes not destined to meet his soulmate in high school: he’s destined to meet 100 soulmates!
One month later, Rentaro’s 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 can’t choose. That’s 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 one’s 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 other’s 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 he’s 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 won’t 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 it’s 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, it’s built different, and here’s 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, he’s not a dense kind of protagonist who isn’t unaware that the girls are in love with him. Rentaro’s 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? He’ll devise a way to ensure they can all share the honor.
Have trouble talking out loud? He’ll 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? He’ll 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 doesn’t 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 doesn’t 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, she’s very perverted and keeps imagining lewd ways to earn Rentaro’s 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 doesn’t know how to respond to love or friendship.
Kusuri Yakusen is a chemistry genius stuck in a loli form, a jab at the whole “legal loli” 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.
And…I’m not gonna spoil who the sixth one is or her problems.
And unlike many other girls in harem anime, meeting Rentaro doesn’t 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 isn’t 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. It’s likely that by the end of the series, it won’t 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. It’s not just limiting the waifus to Rentaro’s 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 hasn’t always gotten the best rep. At best, it’s wishful thinking. At worst, it feels like self-insert fiction for those who can’t find love. But 100 Girlfriends isn’t 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. That’s 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, 100 Girlfriends 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 Aijō 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.
The year 2023 is over, and that means it’s time for us to reflect on everything that’s happened. For anime fans, that also means it’s time to look back the anime we’ve watched, and just as important, which girls and boys we consider to be the best. This year saw tons of amazing waifus; so much so that before the year was out, we had to name them all. I’m RJ Writing Ink for D&A Anime Blog, and in no particular order, here are my top picks for best girls of 2023.
For this list, we won’t just be including girls from shows that premiered in 2023. We will also be including girls who gained prominence on returning shows in 2023. Also, it goes without saying, but no loli’s.
Tomo Aizawa-Tomo-Chan is a Girl!
Ask her best friend, Jun, and he’ll say that Tomo Aizawa is the best friend a guy could have. One problem, though: Tomo wants to be more than just friends with Jun, and he’s clueless about this. Thus, Tomo has to find ways of getting him to stop seeing her as just one of the guys and seeing her as a girl.
If tomboy supremacy is a thing, then Tomo Aizawa embodies it. Confident (mostly), friendly, and unwilling to take anyone’s nonsense, Tomo is every tomboy lover’s dream personified, with even girls being known to fall for her. The main issue that she has is that her tomboy ways have left her deeply insecure about her feminine side and make her think she needs to change that about herself to get Jun to like her. The anime focuses on her trying to do so, only to realize that she never had to do so. Jun already loves her the way she is, and so do plenty of fans.
Of which I am one.
Sylphiette-Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation
Introduced as the first friend that Rudeus Greyrat ever made in his second life, Sylphiette has been in love with him since day one. That only made it harder for her when he went away to earn money for them to attend magic school, only for the Teleportation Incident to separate them even further. When they finally reunited at that same magic school, Sylphie despaired when Rudy didn’t recognize her. Once she gathered her courage to reveal her true identity, though, she learned that not only had he never forgotten her, but returned her feelings.
Can we appreciate how much of an angel Sylphiette really is? Despite knowing of Rudeus character flaws (of which there are many), she always saw the best in him even when he didn’t. More importantly, when she learned about the psychological trauma he endured from his first love abruptly leaving him, Sylphie’s first response was understanding and compassion. Her love for Rudeus saved him in one of the lowest points in his life. No wonder why he immediately asked her to marry him.
Miyo Saimori-My Happy Marriage
Miyo Saimori did not have a happy life. Unwanted by her birth father and treated like a servant by her stepmother and half-sister, Miyo spent her whole life thinking she was worthless. All of that changed, though, when she was engaged to the cold but handsome soldier Kiyoka Kudou. Despite his reputation of scaring off his prospective brides, she soon learns that he’s not the cruel man people make him out to be. And with his support, she begins to come out of her shell and finally learn to stand up for herself.
Miyo Saimori is like the Japanese version of Cinderella, if what Cinderella went through gave her low self-esteem. Spending her whole life being seen as useless by her own family, Miyo starts out the series with little hope for a better life. However, once she gets her fiancé to warm up to her, and gains the supportive environment she never had, she grows out of her timid nature. While she’s still a bit of a wallflower, she shows everyone that she has an unspoken will to her that makes her far stronger than she seems.
Shizuka Mikazuki and Beatrix Amerhauser-Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead
Since these two are from the same anime, I OK combined their entry into one.
First running into Akira while he was looking to get beer, Shizuka had a demeanor so cold, she could’ve been an ice queen. While this was partially due to her logical nature, a large part of her cold demeanor stems from her control freak father dictating everything about her life. As she comes to spend more time with Akira, though, she starts to lighten up and learn never to let others tell her how to live her life.
In contrast, Beatrix Amerhauser is very much an extrovert. A young German woman with a lifelong passion for Japan, she came to the country right as the zombie apocalypse started. However, not even zombies would stop her from seeing the country she dreamed about for years, becoming the fourth to join Akira’s growing travel party.
Both these girls couldn’t be any more different from each other, yet both have aspects that make them great waifus. They’re both considered very pretty by men and are subjects to varying degrees of fanservice, but it’s their personalities that are the big draw. Underneath Shizuka’s cold demeanor lies someone who cares deeply for the people she considers her friends. And seeing Beatrix get excited by her love of Japan is enough to get anyone around her fired up. In other words, they’re both great women and great waifus.
Mitsuri Kanroji-Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
Born with an abnormal level of strength, poor Mitsuri managed to scare off any prospective marriage partner. While she did try to hide her strength to attract a husband, she quickly realized how miserable her life would be to live like this. Rather than try and act like what others considered to be “normal,” Mitsuri chose to embrace who she was by becoming a Demon Slayer. Now among the strongest people in Japan, Mitsuri hoped to find a man even tougher than her in the hopes of finally finding love.
Okay, real talk. If Mitsuri turns guys off because of her abnormal hair color or for how strong she is, then the problem isn’t her; it’s all of them. Compassionate, beautiful, and willing to lay down her life for what she thinks is right, Mitsuri Kanroji is everything most guys want in a girlfriend. The fact that she hasn’t found a husband who likes her for her is a travesty.
Ramona Flowers-Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
She is, quite literally, the girl of Scott Pilgrim’s dreams. Those familiar with the story of Scott Pilgrim know the tale of Ramona Flowers. She is a cool skater girl with even cooler hair and has a lot of exes that Scott has to fight to date her in peace. However, all of that goes out the window when Scott disappears in the middle of fighting her first ex. While the others in Scott’s life try to move on with their lives, Ramona takes it upon herself to find out who took him, becoming the main character in this new story.
While the graphic novels and the film adaptation hinted at it, the anime version of Ramona Flowers fully fleshes out her character beyond being a manic pixie dream girl. She’s just as flawed as her prospective boyfriend, Scott, with her actions being just as responsible for how her exes turned out as they are. At the same time, seeing her come to terms with her past mistakes as she tries to find Scott shows how she can change herself for the better. Because of her willingness to make amends for past mistakes while still being an all-around fantastic girl, Ramona deserves a place on this list.
Every One of Rentaro’s Girlfriends-The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You
Sorry, but given the premise of this crazy harem anime, it’s impossible to choose one of Rentaro’s growing list of girlfriends as best. So, much like gigachad Rentaro, I’m going with all of them.
Hakari is sweet and openly affectionate. She may have a bit of a perverted side, but she’s very supportive of her fellow harem members and their happiness.
Karane may be a tsundere, but that personality type is popular with many anime fans. She may have trouble expressing her true feelings, but when push comes to shove, her love for her friends and Rentaro knows no bounds.
Shizuka is adorable-looking and very well-read, but at the same time, very shy. Her shyness was only made worse because everyone, including her mother, saw her as a freak for only using books to communicate with others. Underneath her shyness, though, Shizuka has a lot of courage and is willing to do anything to help her newfound family.
Nano is an archetypical kuudere, cold and efficient to the point that she could be called a Vulcan. But once Rentaro gets into her heart, she starts to learn how to embrace her emotions more. Plus, she can dress up to look like an actual Prince Charming. That is a rare talent, indeed!
Kusuri might look like a loli, but that’s due to her genius backfiring on her with a semi-permanent drug, leaving her with the body of a child. When she does return to her actual age, though, she’s like a red-headed version of Bulma from Dragon Ball: brains and beauty combined.
As Hakari’s mom, the introduction to Hahari made her appear cold and controlling of her daughter. In truth, though, that was because Hakari’s father died before she was born, leaving Hahari to raise her by herself at age 13 (she had herself artificially inseminated, all right!) After Rentaro proved how genuine his feelings for Hakari were, though, Hahari didn’t just give them her blessing. She wound up becoming his sixth soulmate, much to everyone’s exasperation.
And this is just the first six. Rentaro is going to have 94 more before the story comes to an end.
This year, One Piece fans got to eat well. Next year, One Piece fans will be eating even better than before.
One Piece is a modern-day epic that few can measure up to. It’s a story about following your dreams and living life to the fullest. And right now, it’s more popular than ever. It’s the latest film earned big money in North America. Luffy got his balloon at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The live-action Netflix series broke the curse of lousy live-action adaptations. And when Crunchyroll posts clips from the anime on YouTube, they trend. Bottom line, One Piece is more popular than ever. And next year, it’s going to get even better.
Early One Piece is getting a Remake
An all-new anime adaptation of the ONE PIECE manga starting from the iconic East Blue saga is coming to Netflix!
Titled THE ONE PIECE, the anime series will be produced by the renowned WIT Studio, recognized for their work on hit anime such as SPY x FAMILY and Attack on Titan. pic.twitter.com/EFMVcKxqj3
Next year marks the 25th birthday of the One Piece anime, and it will be commemorated In a big way. In an announcement on Twitter, Netflix announced that they would be remaking the anime from the start. More importantly, instead of being made by Toei, this remake, named The One Piece, will be produced by Studio Wit. Wit is renowned for creating the first three seasons of Attack on Titan. More recently, it’s also Co-animated another popular Shonen anime, Spy x Family, alongside CloverWorks.
This is big news for One Piece fans. Despite being more popular than ever, One Piece can still intimidate a lot of potential fans from enjoying it. At 1,100+ chapters and 1,078+ episodes long, it takes a lot of dedication for newcomers to work through. Even factoring in the movies that abridge some of the earlier arcs, it will still take a while to get through! An ongoing fan project, One Pace, cuts out much of the filler and padding by Toei, but it’s still long.
This remake offers a chance to retell the earliest days of One Piece better than ever. With updated animation in the vein of Attack on Titan and the ability to not include filler, One Piece can retell its early days and attract even more fans.
In Other One Piece News
MONSTERS: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation by Eiichiro Oda tells the tale of Ryuma, the legendary swordsman that hails from the Land of Wano in One Piece.
In addition to the remake, there are plenty of other things that One Piece fans have to celebrate going into 2024. In January 2024, Netflix will be debuting the ONA Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation. Based on a one-shot One Piece mangaka Eichiro Oda created in 1994, the ONA tells the story of the Samurai Ryuma as he travels his country and fights powerful monsters. It’s also a story that’s been retroactively added to the timeline of One Piece, so this is official lore.
There’s more: The live-action One Piece series is getting a second season. Making huge waves in the summer of 2023, the series broke the trend of bad live-action adaptations of popular anime. It helps that Oda actively guided production, and Netflix listened to him.
Lastly, January 7th will mark the anime’s official start to the Egghead Island Arc. Currently ongoing in the manga, this arc has already seen multiple jaw-dropping moments and reveals that fans are eating up:
The official introduction to the mysterious Dr. Vegapunk.
The backstory of the enigmatic Bartholomew Kuma
The rapidly changing status and allegiance of several named characters.
Confirmation that one of the most hotly anticipated locations in the series is imminent.
The bottom line is that now is a great time to be a One Piece. With the series directly into its final saga, it’s the perfect time for people to participate in this legendary story. One Piece could go down as one of the greatest stories ever told. Stories like it only come once in a generation or even generations.
Chainsaw Man fans are going to eat well soon. They’re getting a movie soon.
Chainsaw Man is one of the hottest Shonen series out right now, and for good reason. Part of a recent wave of dark Shonen manga and anime, Chainsaw Man has taken the world by storm. Set in an alternate 1990s Japan in which Devils are real and the manifestations of mankind’s fears, Chainsaw Man tells the story of Denji. After getting killed by his Yakuza handlers, Denji fuses with his Devil companion, Pochita, to become Chainsaw Man. Now he works as a Devil Hunter for the government hunting down other Devils in exchange for good food, a roof over his head…and the promise of getting laid.
Chainsaw Man isn’t like previous Shonen hits, and it shows. It’s dark, gritty, and filled with so much blood and gore that it would make concerned parents faint from shock. Thus, it’s pretty popular and liked by people in the Shonen demographic and adults who technically outgrew it. The anime was released in Fall 2022, and much like the manga, it was immensely popular. While the reviews for the anime on this blog were critical towards the end, one cannot deny that Chainsaw Man is good. And while there’s no word on when Season Two comes out, the movie will continue the story with the Bomb Girl arc.
In the manga, the Bomb Girl Arc takes place in the wake of the Katana Man Arc. As Denji continues his duties as a Public Safety Devil Hunter, he seemingly meets the girl of his dreams, Reze. However, even those who have watched the anime know that when good things happen to Denji, they tend to get ripped away from him. Hard. And that’s all I’m going to say without spoiling anything.
I don’t know when this will come out of if it will be out in theaters. However, if it’s released in theaters, I’m going to want to see it on the big screen. Regardless of whatever problems I might have had with the anime, I can’t deny how great Chainsaw Man is. It’s going to be fun!
The Ultimate Guide to East Asian Pop Culture. Dive into Anime Episode Reviews, Kdrama Recaps, Manga, Comics, & Graphic Novel Discussions. Discover Japanese Culture, Folklore, Mythology, and Adult Animated Series News.
D&A Anime Blog 