Hunter x Hunter is a popular shounen manga written by Yoshihiro Togashi in Weekly shounen Jump.
It has quickly became a popular series with 2 anime adaptations and 2 movies
Fearsome Monsters...
Exotic Creatures...
Vast Riches...
Hidden Treasures...
Evil Enclaves...
Unexplored Lands...
The word Unknown holds magic, and some incredible people are drawn to that magic...
They are known...
As Hunters!"
The story literally starts like this,the protagonist Gon didn't understand why his father Ging left him to become a Hunter.So Gon decides to become a Hunter himself to understand his Father.
On his journey he meets and befriends 3 people Assassin Killua,A sole survivor of the Kurta Clan Kurapika and an aspiring Doctor Leorio.
On the surface it may appear a very simple.lighthearted story but i assure it is not so.It is a multilayered,pretty complex story that leaves you spellbound.And did i say lighthearted
It is a quite dark shounen,and it's dark themes have been compared to Attack On Titan.No doubt most people consider these two series to be one of the best shounens currently.It's two arcs Yorknew City Arc and Chimera Ant Arc is very seinen like and is considered one of the best arcs in manga history.
World building
It has one of the most fascinating,well built and wonderful world building in Manga history,it is so well crafted you ae left wondering what mystery is beyond the boundary of what we can see,
I quote from Wiki
"The fictional World of Hunter × Hunter is composed of the ocean and the 6 continents which look similar to those of the real world, but have different locations. There are 250 countries in the world. Only two continents are known by name so far: Yorbian and Azian continents. In reality the "ocean" where these continents are is a great lake in the Dark Continent called Lake Mobius. "
The most mysterious area is definitely the Dark continent.Not much is known but the Chimera Ants originated from there,
here's a link in case the embedded video doesnt work
Code:
https://streamable.com/v3bw3
Muic track credits : Siùil A Rùn by Celtic woman
Totsukuni no shojo
Siùl A Rùn
Siùil a Rùn, in the title is the name of an old irish ballad, it has several variations and meanings but the main subject is a love story of 2 people who have been separated during a war (cant tell if its by death, banishment or whatever. I still fail to see the link with this story could be related to a background story or something upcoming. But i think its linked with the song teacher heard at this moment :
Listen to this version, please so beautiful (Siùil A Rùn, by Clannad) *clickable pic *
Please onegai give a try to this litlle cte gem and support it
The story of Fairy Tail is a magical one. A story who one of the biggest and greatest writers of his time graced us with.
A story which made us laugh, cry and horny.
To celebrate the magical journey which is Fairy Tail, take a look at what made Fairy Tail so special:
Berserk is ranked as the #1 greatest manga on MAL. Regardless of the quality of our arguments, that fact remains true. Many consider Berserk to be not only the best manga, but one of the greatest literary works period. So yeah, gonna leave it at that.
It's all started when a high school girl studied Buddhism in school, while studying she thought to herself
"Why are the gems not allowed to ascend in Buddhism and their only purpose is to be decoration for the pleasure of everything else ? Why is paradise made out of gems but they not allowed to have salvation like each and other things ?"
And that's how houseki no kuni was born by ichikawa haruko with it being her first long running serie.
Houseki nokuni
when even the cover is made to look like gems
It's a story about gems each assigned a role to help or fighting off these space people called lunarians, that want to abduct them and destory them to use them as decorative or so that's what it appear like in the beginning but there more to this mystery and the motivation of each species.
Our protagonist Phosphophyllite or simply phos, is the youngest gem in the 28 gems active, his journey all started when we wanted to simply help his fellow gems as he the only one without any job aka purpose, this is a story about finding your own purpose in life and changing in hope it will be for the best of all and for the better of your people. It's funny that a story about rocks is about change, and yet it works really well because of it, this story couldn't be the same if the characters were fully human.
Please watch this, it's also the only spoiler free fan animation I found
More to come later, especially about that gorgeous art.
Black Clover is a Manga drawn and written by Yuki Tabata,a fairly new and unknown mangaka who had gained attention in the past for a few one-shots like Grave Keeper,Blue Steady or Garance. It's his first long running and most popular work to date,with a little over200 Chapters and a currently running Anime Adaption of close to a 100 episodes Black Clover is enjoying steady and growing popularity. When i nominated it for this Event my intention was to bring the Manga into the spotlight because to me it is one of the best currently running,i myself started reading it when it was around 60 Chapters (I think?) when it was still uncertain of wether or not Black Clover would become a Long Running work or close off at a 100 Chapters. I've seen the Story develop,the Art improve and the Characters grow and mature in the World given to them by Tabata-Sensei. Hopefully i'll be able to convey that properly with my posts, but if not i still wish you all a lot of fun with this event!
1. What's this Manga even about,Seraph?!
Well,Our Story kicks off with a Flashback to 500 years ago. Clover Kingdom is under attack of an evil and ferocious Demon, destroying everything in his path and murdering countless human beings along with it. As everyone is about to lose hope and make peace with their deaths Prince Lemiel Silvamillion Clover comes to their rescue, a magic knight blessed with Mana and Magical capabilities on par with the Monster's. The Prince engages the Demon in Battle,and after a hard fought, grueling Battle the Prince managed to defeat the Demon. After the battle our brave prince would become known as the First Magic Emperor of Clover Kingdom. A Legend that would be passed down for many generations,with many aspiring to be just like the Prince,the title of Magic Emperor would only be given to the Magic Knight whose strength has been acknowledged and gained the necessary results to lead the Magic Knights and protect the Kingdom from Evil and Danger as long as he/she breathes. 500 years later,one of those aiming to become Magic Emperor would be Asta. Our Main Character,who sadly hasn't been blessed with many talents nor capabilities that would suffice for him to enter the Magic Knights much less become the Magic Emperor some day. He doesn't have a single drop of Mana flowing through his body,which is why he has no affinity nor possibility to ever use Magic unlike his Rival Yuno who is talented in all necessary fields and who is very likely to join the Magic Knights after he has received his Grimoire(Something like a Spellbook). Both of them are Orphans and were dropped at the door of the local church in Hage Village when they were still infants,making them connected to another since they were little. Both about 15 or 16 years of age,dream to become Magic Emperor,a title that doesn't aquire for you to be a Noble or blessed by Mana and Talents but that aquires you to work hard and show what you can do. Meaning even Asta,who has no Mana or likelihood to achieve a Grimoire has a chance to become Magic Emperor...naturally our Hero would achieve a grimoire himself as well after he shows willpower and determination to achieve his dream when his back was against the Wall. He suddenly awakens a sacred Five Leaf Clover Grimoire harborbing a Devil capable of using Anti Magic inside of it,said Anti Magic can counter and dispel any Magic thrown at it no matter how powerful and Asta is using this Ability in the form of a Sword. While his body wasn't blessed with Mana it was blessed with great stamina and strength so this Ability and usage is made for him. With a Grimoire of his own,a chance at grasping his Dream Asta competes with his Rival Yuno about who can climb the ranks quicker and become Magic Emperor...
2. Hmm,alright. So what can else can you tell us about Black Clover,Seraph?
One of Black Clover's strong points,although still a lot remaining to be seen,is it's World Building aspect. The Manga establishes fairly early that there are 4 other Kingdoms other than Clover Kingdom to which they are either friendly,neutral or hostile towards. Those Kingdoms are: Spade Kingdom,the biggest Kingdom with an incredible Military Power which is neutral towards Clover Kingdom. Heart Kingdom: A nation known for it's beauty and peaceful relationship with all the other Kingdoms,it is naturally friendly towards Clover Kingdom as well. Diamond Kingdom: A nation known for it's mines and barren wastelands. It is hostile towards Clover Kingdom at first but over the course of the Story thus far,after a certain Event the Kingdom changes it's view of Clover and becomes neutral towards it. With the Magic Emperor steadily trying to improve relations with the Kingdom through cooperation in Missions and Battles. Last but not least Clover Kingdom: The Kingdom with the most stability,in military power,euconomy and politics. Protected by the Magic Emperor and the Magic Knights of the Kingdom. The Manga explores many areas on the border between the Kingdoms,shows an attack from Diamond on Clover as well as many neutral parties like the Witches that live on the Border in their own Forest/s as well as the Sea Folk. Humans that live underwater at the bottom of the Sea protecting the Seabed Temple. All this happens rather early on in the story as well,so Black Clover wastes no Time there. It's still ongoing but i have faith the Manga explores more of its World and shows relations between the other Kingdoms as well,since it has already shown that it can do just that.
3.Tell us a little about the Anime please:
Alright sure,why not? The Anime is done by Studio Pierrot and started airing in October 2017,it currently has about 90 episodes and is rather faithful to the Manga. So in case anyone is planning to catch up to the Manga and doesn't want to read through 200+ Chaps to do so,can take the Anime Route as well and then catch up where it leaves off currently. The Animation isn't too bad,the soundtrack is nice and fits the atmosphere of the Manga. The VA's fit their characters as well both English and Japanese ones. It's well received from what i know,though it does have a drop in quality every now and then but overall it has good quality for me.
4. Alright,while that's all nice and well. What can you tell us about the Art?
I personally hold Black Clovers Art and it's style in high regard for a weekly shonen Manga,the artstyle of Tabata has been improving since the start of the Series and it still is improving. That is noticeable week for week,each new Chapter for me. He does well with conveying and displaying the characters emotions and struggles in certain situations,the art goes well with the dynamic action sequences during fights and he's created very incredible displays of Magic/s or the raw power of certain Characters when a situation called for it. The Author has a love for drawing Yuno,Asta's rival,as each appearance he makes you can notice certain changes in his characters appearance. Not talking looks,hair style but more like detail in clothing,hair strands,Magic,Skills. But pretty much every Character,side or maincast,has undergone certain changes in style and even appearance over the story,and that's very noticeable.
5. What's next,Seraph?
In my next post/s i will try and focus onto the Character cast of Black Clover,the storytelling as well as some more pieces of it's art. So i can still go strong guys,look forward to it. There's more to come. I love Black Clover! Make sure to include it in your Top 10!
Imagine you are a spoiled princess with 2 childhood friends, living a peaceful life. In your 16th birthday you see your childhood friend (and crush) killing your father. He tries to kill you as well but you manage to escape, after being saved by your other childhood friend, Hak (that secretly loves you).
After that, you are on the run and your peaceful life is over. You now have nothing and slowly you start to realize that your kingdoom wasn't as happy as you thought, something you could never have guessed in your sheltered princess life.
To save your kingdoom you need to find the 4 dragons, legendary humans with very strong powers.
Why Akatsuki no Yona:
Akatsuki no Yona is a very shonen like kind of shojo. There are awesome battles, history and a brave heroine that after being raised as a princess, learns to defend herself and fights for her people. And of course, there is also romance, but unlike other mangas of the same genre, there barely is any drama related to the romance parts, it's all very natural.
Topics you will find in this manga:
Besides love and friendship there are many interesting topics in this manga, such as:
-Politics
-Drugs
-Human trafficking
But let's not forget the most fluffy and great comedy bits as well:
Yato, a god of calamity and depression that nobody remembers, wishes to change his status to a God of Fortune that people happily worship, but he’s stuck doing Odd-jobs for 5 yen!!!!!!!
It doesn’t matter what job it is!!
From saving ransomed kids to cleaning toilets to massacring villages!!! Always 5 yen!!
Plus as a god, he has a responsibility to keep the evil spirit population down!! But nobody appreciates him. So why should he?!
Then his regalia Tomone (a pure spirit that he found and bonded to) leaves him! So he’s stuck a god that nobody wants until he meets Hiyori and Yukine.
With an angry Goddess of War hunting him for him killing her family centuries ago.
To his father, using him in his war against heaven.
Plus his nightmare over the memories of what he did to Sakura...
And his mysterious sister who tries to corrupt him....
How will he ever become a god that people respect?
The story follows Yato, Hiyori, and Yukine as they meet and interact with other gods while a keeping the other gods from learning what Yato really is. Meanwhile forces are being manipulated to creat a civil war in heaven. The assortment of characters, the art, and the character development are some of my favorite things from the manga. The storyline also takes an unexpected, dark turn while balancing a goofy, dramatic storyline. The romance is also nicely done for the genre. It doesn’t shy from developing the main couple as an actual pair. It is heavily based on the religious aspects and old fashion Japanese customs. If Noragami goes through then next time around will tell you about how the story explores other characters and some of the topics brought up along the way.
Vote Noragami!!
It would be an honor to make anyone’s list so thank you for reading this.
Oz Vessalius, one of the Heirs of the Four Dukedoms, has just turned fifteen. His life is rich and carefree, darkened only by the constant absence of his father. At his coming-of-age ceremony, however, everything changes. For no reason that he can discern, he is cast into the prison known as the "Abyss," only to be saved by a "chain" known as Alice, the Bloodstained Black Rabbit or B-Rabbit for short. The mystery begins there as Oz unravels the mystery behind Alice, the Abyss and the strange organization known as Pandora. The series features heavy references to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and can be considered both fantasy and mystery.
"Soul Eater" is a shonen of dark fantasy.
Settled in a world called the Death City, where witches, demons and sorcerers exist, and all other types of dark/horror creatures, the series centers in the concept of the existence of "demon weapons", where some people are born with the capacity of becoming themselves weapons.
Thanks to this, there existes the Death Weapon Academy, founded by Shinigami (the personaification of Death iteself) where both "demon weapons" and "meisters" (warriors who fight and have the capacity of using the weapons) try to collect 99 human souls and one of a witch; this is the way so the student that is a human weapon becomes the weapon of the Shinigami; the one who becomes of his use is the the one who becomes the strongest.
The story centers on three specific students who are the main characters:
Based on this, inside the world of Soul Eater there's a constant war, mainly against the Witches who have the objetive of making lost human souls become demons/evil gods.
Soul Eater is also a shonen with bittersweet and slighty more dark ideals.
The characters and the events talk about the need of fear, the internal madness that lives in everyone and also the question on what is "right" and "wrong".
Despite the dark concepts and events, the series also explores the important bonds between the characters and the indiviual development of each of them. Between the danger of losing oneself in the madness and getting corrupted by it, the friendships and other bonds become a complex ones and are an important side of the characters at some point.
The art is also one of the best aspects of the series.
It's something that developes the most through the chapters, and the representation of scenes in horror/dark vibes and the characters designs are vaste and great as well.
Soul Eater has vaste dark elements, characters that cross between "good" and "evil", wars and corruptions and a constant concept of a "pure and stable soul".
I'm not going to spare any introduction for the Major herself, you already know her from my campaign.
But before Tanya became "The Devil on the Rhine", she was a strict, cunning, handsome male HR Manager living in Tokyo, Japan.
As a rational thinking ADULT, she aimed to climb the ladder of society until she reached the executive position, while still following the law. Unfortunately, her callous nature and rigorous professional nature cost her life when the man she fired that day pushed her onto the traintracks.
Then...she met a being that claimed to be God.
Normally, the expected reaction of a dead man meeting a deity is to acknowledge it as such. Instead, he spits in the celestial's face and decides to refer him as Being X.
Being X is not amused.
And to further to dig his own grave, she (as the HR manager) decides to go on a philosophical debate why she doesn't believe Being X to be God.
An utter lack of faith as a result.
In response, Being X decides to force the HR manager to a reversed life, one that should spur faith in the unbelieving salaryman.
Thus gave birth to Tanya Degurechaff, an orphan (and bastard child) born in an alternate WW1 era Germany.
With the odds against her with the exception of her inherit magical powers, she decides to enlist in meritocratic Imperial Army in a means to climb the ranks and earn an easy rear post.
Of course, since her ordeal was started by her rebellion against Being X, things will not got according to plan as she fights through the Great War. Both serious and comical misunderstandings are abound.
With the introduction done, I will later go more into detail why I love this series.
Included:
* References to actual historical events
* Understanding of period weapons
* The countless misunderstandings
* Politics/Economics
* War Strategies
* Tanya's private war with Being X
* Tanya's contrast between her mental state and how everyone sees her
* Storytelling
Centuries ago, mankind was slaughtered to near extinction by monstrous humanoid creatures called titans, forcing humans to hide in fear behind enormous concentric walls. What makes these giants truly terrifying is that their taste for human flesh is not born out of hunger but what appears to be out of pleasure. To ensure their survival, the remnants of humanity began living within defensive barriers, resulting in one hundred years without a single titan encounter. However, that fragile calm is soon shattered when a colossal titan manages to breach the supposedly impregnable outer wall, reigniting the fight for survival against the man-eating abominations.
After witnessing a horrific personal loss at the hands of the invading creatures, Eren Yeager dedicates his life to their eradication by enlisting into the Survey Corps, an elite military unit that combats the merciless humanoids outside the protection of the walls. Based on Hajime Isayama's award-winning manga, Shingeki no Kyojin follows Eren, along with his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman and his childhood friend Armin Arlert, as they join the brutal war against the titans and race to discover a way of defeating them before the last walls are breached.
For those who haven't watched or read Shingeki no Kyojin but saw the synopsis, you might ask yourself, wow... nice, 100+ chapters wasted on people killing titans... wrong. The manga itself is way more than that! Right off the bat, they show us the last hope of mankind, confined within walls and serving as cattle, if they happen to confront one another, for gigantic monsters whose origins are unknown. Only by reading the synopsis, we can start asking ourselves several questions such as; how did humanity end up confined in walls, where do titans originate from, why did a colossal titan suddenly appeared to destroy the walls after 100 years of peace, is there anything beyond those walls that keeps us safe from the titans... those are all questions that started the manga and for each question answered, ten more appear! The manga also exploits live within the walls, the society hierarchy, corruption, royalty, friendships and bonds, reality... so it doesn't only focus on titans and the outside!
1st Charm
The first thing that comes to my mind whenever I question myself about what made Attack on Titan so great in my eyes is definitely the storyline. I first started watching Attack on Titan and then decided to read the rest of it but in both case, if there's something that gives the series it's charm, it's undoubtedly its unpredictable revelations and events that keeps accumulating since the first chapter. No kidding, there were moments when I was literally left speechless such as, for those that watched the anime but not the manga,
Reiner and Berthold's revelation or Eren carrying the boulder to seal wall Rose
or for our manga friends,
Eren and Reiner's reunion in Marley, Eren's decapitation in the latest chapter, Potato Girl's death
. The author definitely knows how to handle the story and he always plays with us by building up tension in order to make something big happen and leave us completely shocked. What's also interesting is that as the story progresses, it takes a whole new meaning and most of the characters develop in their own ways which enrich the manga. For example, the most common model would be our main protagonist, Eren Yeager, whose only goal, at the beginning, was to avenge his mother who died at the hand of the titans by wanting to kill every last one of them and be freed from their influence in order to gain liberty. But as we advance in time, his mindset changes drastically as we discover a whole new person. Here for example,
Chapter 2
Chapter 90
And that was only one example of character development that occurs in the story and a lot of characters will change as they grow with the chapters, both physically and mentally and that's one of the biggest strengths of the manga, the character developments. People are so into the characters that a lot of them have classified one of them as the most hated character in manga history cough Gabi cough . To conclude this part, Shingeki no Kyojin is a story where different characters have different ideologies, goals, reason to go forward, and as they grow with time, they change and adapt with the events that take place in the story.
2nd Charm
Now for the drawings, some might say that it's so horrible that they can't even read the manga but I truly believe that those are the same people that hate everything that becomes popular. I personally feel like the art style fits the story and that the characters' expressions and titans are very captivating. Keep in mind that this is Isayama's first series. Plus, as the chapters pass, the art gets a lot better than what it was in chapter 1. Here are some panels from the manga (may contain spoilers, not putting art from chapter 91+ yet).
3rd Charm
Keep in mind that most of the things you see in the manga will have a meaning or will come back later one! This is a subject that I will address another time but most of the little details or/and events will either have an impact somewhere or give us a subtle revelation! From names, to titans to objects... almost everything has a meaning. And for those that have seen the anime or read the manga, just go back from chapter 1/ episode 1 to see the amount of foreshadowing that Isayama has planned from the beginning. It's absolutely crazy how well planned his story is and that's one of the reasons why Shingeki no Kyojin is so good.
To conclude, I wrote this post, assuming that most of you have already watched (till chapter 90) or read Shingeki no Kyojin but I also tried to try to guide those who haven't so that's why it might seem too general and lack some information. I'll definitely write another post someday though.
Do you see what is happening here? At first glance it looks like Gintoki, the main character of Gintama, swallowing Tae's head. Now, you might not understand why, but that is not really important. What is important to understand is that symbolism is a great component of any form of literature, and Gintoki swallowing Tae's head is symbolism at its finest. Our beloved Gorilla mangaka used his MC to display what readers experience when they get into Gintama. They get swallowed in. A clever usage of literary techniques and in no way is this a cheap excuse to hide the fact that Gintoki got a little carried away, and ended up on a date with multiple women at the same time in the same place and is using puppets in order not to blow his cover. No way, no how. This is a protagonist from Shonen Jump after all, sure he doesn't scream , sure he's not a teenage kid, sure he's not on some training journey to become the strongest being in the universe, but he can't be that bad, now can he? Right? I mean kids buy these magazines every Monday, no Jump editor would allow such indecency.
Then again...
Gorilla's have different standards for MC's.
Oh, you didn't know? Gintama is written by a gorilla.
Gintama
At first it may seem like Gintama doesn't have a main storyline. But over the course of the series the main plot of the series is slowly built up, before it all culminates in the end. In the meantime, we are introduced to an abundance of characters, their past, their struggle, their goals. How they live their daily life, its a perfect combination of daily life with plenty of interaction between characters, with a blend of hilarity and sweeping changes in storytelling tone that really hit the reader hard. One moment you can be laughing, the next moment you're hit with a heartbreaking scene or a serious battle.
What is the main storyline then?
Well lets just say it starts with a man finding a young boy surrounded by corpses...
The subsequent formation of a school..
Loss..
War...
Divergence...
And what happens next? Well lets just say we'll get to that at a later time.
In the meantime let us introduce some of the series' more prominent characters!
The Yorozuya
The Shinsengumi
Joui Rebels
Kihetai
That's not all however, Gintama houses a very large cast, and as stated before, each with their own story. They all have their own relevance and aren't really sidelined like what happens to characters in other mangas. The majority of the cast outside of the main characters and main supporting cast do get their due in the series.
In another post I'll touch more upon the setting of the series, the characters and their personalities, and how the series is structured in an episodic manner while simultaneously building towards the main narrative.
Looks like this Gintoki fellow ain't so bad after all.
The cast of HxH is multidimensional,complex and more realistic than we see in normal shounens,they are much more human like and seems more of flesh and blood than characters from pages.If you think about them deeply you will find they are very much like us.
Let us talk about Gon
Gon is a cheerful,active boy while his friend Killua
is from an Assassin family,and there was always the chance of Killua falling to the dark side
But thankfully he resisted it and came to the light side.
On the contrary Gon is the one who had the dark side inside him and showed it during the Chimera Ant Arc
This in perfect contrast to Meruem in this arc who from a beast
turned into a human
all due to this girl Komugi
There many other interesting characters in this series,which i hope to talk in the future if i get the chance.
A trail of blood tells the tale of a teenage boy and his overprotective mother. But what if that protectiveness turns into something much more than that. Something darker, something controlling, manipulative. Perhaps a possible death or two gets involved.
It's a psychological horror story that keeps you on your toes wondering what's going on. It might not give you nightmares, but it will definitely linger in your thoughts. Even if you think you know what's going on with the mother, you probably don't. Not to mention the great art work, that portrays the eerie atmosphere.
We can talk about the twists and turns of this series for days if you give it a chance, it seriously is worth your time.
It even has some romantic elements
For now, I'll leave this short campaign here. Its a series that you simply must read rather than hear me campaign about it. There is only so much I can say about it without spoiling all the juicy, strange happenings! I hope you guys give this series a shot!
The World in Pandora Hearts ist very large and have many differents kingdoms and one organization, which is known as Pandora.
Pandora
Pandora is an organization created by the Four Great Dukedoms (with Jack Vessalius as the main creator) and then expanded to include many more people all across the country. Their goal is to obtain the intention of the abyss, to manage illegal contractors, monitor chain outbreaks, unravel the mysteries surrounding the Abyss and the Intention of the Abyss, and also to stop the Baskervilles from ressurecting Glen Baskerville
Vessalius Dukedom
The Vessalius Dukedom or The Vessalius Family is one of the Four Great Dukedoms currently, having risen in status after Jack Vessalius became known as the hero of the Tragedy of Sablier for facing off against Oswald and the Baskervilles.
Baskerville Clan
The Baskervilles or in the legend also called as "Messenger of the Abyss" were one of the many Dukedoms before the Tragedy of Sablier occured.
The Baskervilles' distinctive characteristic is their bloody red/crimson hoodie cloak (but the colour is more looks like dark red in anime), which the members always wear during their task to drop anyone who threatens the the peace of the Abyss
Nightray Dukedom
The Nightray Dukedom or The Nightray Family is currently one of the Four Great Dukedoms that rule over Pandora's country, trumped in power only by the king. The Nightrays were once close allies with the Baskervilles, Duke Raymond Nightray having been a close and trusted companion of Oswald, the Glen Baskerville of the time. Following the Tragedy of Sablier, Jack Vessalius invited the Nightrays to join the Four Great Dukedoms because he wanted to be able to keep an eye on his enemies
Barma Dukedom
The Barma Dukedom or The Barma Family was one of the Four Great Dukedoms that rose to power following the Tragedy of Sablier. Originating from a foreign country, The Barma Dukedom faced exile following a power struggle in The Barma Homeland.
Rainsworth Dukedom
The Rainsworth Family is one of the four families that together formed, The Four Great Dukedoms. Unlike the other three families, the Rainsworths had taken no part in the Tragedy of Sablier, and had only been asked to join the Four Great Dukedoms to suit Jack Vessalius' plans
Also, in this world excisted many monsters with the name chains. Some of these 'Chains' were based off of Alice in Wonderland characters.
Last but not least The Tragedy of Sablier
The Tragedy of Sablier was a catastrophic event that occurred approximately 116 years prior to the present and involved the dropping of the former capital city, Sablier into the Abyss through the severing of the Chains of the World .
Seinen, Slice of Life, Sci-Fi
RAL rating - 5 starts out of 5
You must give it 10 points!
Planetes poses a simple question we all ask ourselves - where do I belong?! Life can take you in many directions, and dreams can propel you on long travels, yet for most of us, connections with people are what ultimately matter most. Space is a source of ambition for our characters, and it also serves to calibrate the aforementioned... as one can be looking at the stars their whole life, but it's when they look at what is around them do they find what they're looking for. That is what Planetes is about. With a bit of space junk.
For a story with such sentiments you need characters that will take you on the journey. And you get them, at least four of them, on board the space debris collection ship known as Toy Box. The first you encounter is Yuri. A tragedy befalls him which gives him a reason to collect trash in space. His story over the first chapter is also a great oneshot (mind you, the method of introducing characters/story with another little story is often effective and enjoyable - and it's at its best in Planetes). Yuri shows us what we know, that when we lose something/someone we inevitably have to move on, and in the process we find other things that matter. Then we find our main protagonist in young Hachimaki, a brash young lad who wants to go, well, somewhere. Rounding out the Toy Box crew are Fee and An (I'll expand on these 3 in a future post).
The petri dish for all of that is obviously space. Its vastness allows for the characters and you (readers) to feel alone and small, get you pondering existence and all that stuff. That serves the themes but another aspect is shown to further analyse it. Space is the frontier beyond earth. Humans surging in their own advancement, have exhausted resources, plundered environs, and cannot sustain their own power needs and look to Jupiter for fusion energy. In effect, our advancement is a result of dreams/ambitions, and choices made irresponsibly in the past have given us a problem now. The same can be said for an individual, who may be reckless in their pursuit or searches in life, can find problems down the track if they're not careful. Well, that's the way I looked at the whole resources issue in the context of Planetes.
The 'scientific accuracy' is not something I can testify for as I lack the capacity to do so. However, the amount of research put into this manga is clearly evident. At the ends of chapters/volumes, there are who pages dedicated to shuttle engineering, geology, astrophysics, history; which make you appreciate the science being brought up in the manga, to give it credibility. It is of course known to us in the 21st century that space debris is an issue orbiting our earth, most of which is anthropocentric. The International Space Station for example has to battle this very problem by using special fabrics for protection, gyroscopes to move around debris; among other things. Planetes feels relevant on many levels.
In conclusion, Planetes is the most complete manga I've come across. Is it perfect? Close to it. This is not the type of manga to lead you on a journey far, far away (...wait it technically does, but it's not fantasy, okay?). There aren't plots that sprawl across volumes, or hype to fuel your week. This manga lets you sit and face it front on, self-reflect, like a good conversation over tea and scones. You can pick this up now, then again in many years down the track. In fact, I might do so right now.
Noragami’s deuteragonist Hiyori is half-Phantom ever since she save Yato from a bus.
Pushing him out of the way, she got hit instead him leading her to now being able to leave her body whenever she wants to.
Her spirit form has a noticeable Phantom Tail that if cut, could result in her death. Horrified by this change, she pays Yato 5 yen to figure out how to fix her. Initially we follow her point of view more than Yato’s. There is also the question of how she was able to see Yato but it seems that she has some measure of natural ESP that comes from maybe her family and might be why she can smell so well in her spirit form.
Hiyori goes out of her way to make sure the main males are taken care of and in a sense is basically Yato’s priestess. Making him a shrine and protecting the two when they are weak.
Hiyori is also characterized by a deep loyalty to those she trusts and a tendency to express her emotions that extends pass her relationship with Yato and Yukine to people like Kazuma and Kofuku. While she initially doesn't like Yato much, considering to be very lazy and selfish due to him constantly putting off her request and blowing money on useless trinkets, she gradually warms up to him after seeing his better qualities, and after Yukine's punishment, the three become very close friends and she treats Yato much nicer. Hiyori is also a very brave person who constantly puts her own safety at risk to help others, especially if it is Yato or Yukine; when Yato's body is blighted, she does not hesitate to carry him on her back despite her knowing that the blight is infection.
The third main character is Yukine. Despite being a child spirit, he is initially portrayed as being cold and cruel because of his anger at dying. Shinki are wandering pure souls that have not started to demonize into phantoms yet. Before a spirit is taken by a god, the spirit must not be corrupted in any way. A spirit can be corrupted and become unusable when it’s attacked or possessed by phantoms (partially or fully). This is called blighting. By impure, it also refers to a spirit who died due to committing suicide.When a soul commits suicide it chose to die and the evil inside takes over. If a soul is attacked and gets impure - even a little - its item form will become partially or entirely unusable; e.g. dull, torn, broken, erc. A corrupt spirit can also pass on their evilness to their god making them fall ill and begin to turn. This is something that has happened to Bishamon because she saves so many spirits. But also Kofuku who took in a little boy spirit to raise hundreds of years ago.
Children ghosts are hard to control and can easily be blighted or blight their master god. As a result of this and the fact that people cannot see him well, Yukine takes advantage of this and other people, stealing money, clothes, and even betraying Hiyori. Yukine though seems to feel jealous over others who are alive, upset about the fact that he is dead and cannot make friends and learn what other students do. He is also apparently afraid of the dark. Through the series, he has some of the best character development of the mains.
Yukine is Yato’s main regalia. The spirit he bonded to and who transforms into a weapon for him to fight other gods and monsters.
As his relationship with Yato deepens, Yukine also becomes a hafura vessel, otherwise known as a blessed regalia. So far there are only three hafuri in the series - Yukine, Kazuma, and Nana.
Noragami is also recently started back because it was at a hiatus for awhile. I would encourage everyone to read it, especially if you like the anime. The anime barely covers the first chapter and while it does follow the source material decently, it is so much richer in the manga. The anime also stopped before the two best arcs. But since they made that one chapter into an OVA, hopefully it means we will get a season 3 in the future. There is still a lot to talk about so give Noragami a chance!!
What a better way to start the hype with this gem:
I demand that you let this rock in the background while listen to my arguments why this manga/anime is just plain awesome.
But lets start with our protagonist:
Oh wait. Wrong one:
Ippo starts off as bullied kid who cant stand off for himself at all, but as the story progresses... he doesnt change much at all. Sure he keeps getting stronger and gains much more confidence, but the only times he really snaps is for protecting others. And boy. When he snaps... you wont be near him.
As you maybe already realized the maintheme of Hajime no Ippo is the boxing. I never thought it myself but boxing is quite a perfect fit for a manga. You start always with a story/trainingsarc where you get info about the opponents and how the story progresses. So there is always a buildup which ends in a fight to release all open questions and show the results of the training. This is especially good in the beginning of the manga, where ippo learns a new boxingmove before each opponent.
But the most fun i have in this manga is with the supportcharacters:
Name a mangaprotagonist and i will give you the hajime no ippo counterpart, they are all very distinct and have their own fighting style for the most part. Beside Ippos Gympartners Aoki and Kimura, the character who stands most out is Sendo Takeshi... who really deserves a manga for himself. #TeamSendo
Another really strong point is the humor who is always present. To be fair... its mostly mens humor... you know... jokes about ippos big member, the ongoing humilation of Aoki... and puns. Very bad puns.
You will mostly ask yourself... but what about the character i did confuse for the maincharacter? Who is he?
Well Fucka... Takamura is the most special part of this manga in my opinion. Not only is he Ippo big brother figure and reason he started boxing... no he is also the mainsource of entertainment offside of the ring. He is portayed as freakish strong(he punched a friggin bear to K.O. for christ sake) and even most of his fights are just some jokes where he steamrolls his opponent of a weird way because something pissed him off. But when he gets a serious fight, they are the most epic ones. Just watch Takamura vs. Bryan Hawk if you dont believe me. That shit is intense.
So the end my post about this gem, lets give Takamura the last bit:
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*clickable pic *
. To conclude this part, Shingeki no Kyojin is a story where different characters have different ideologies, goals, reason to go forward, and as they grow with time, they change and adapt with the events that take place in the story.
Chi no Wadachi - A Trail of Blood
