Top Anime Moments We Can Relate To Part 2 – Our Second Choice~

Greetings, this is Chungky, and welcome to part 2 of our Top 3 Anime Moments – presenting our second  choices. Our first foray was unexpected entitled “Nah’ mean Nah’ mean” by arawr if y’all haven’t noticed. Check that out, it had our 3rd choices in it.

Please find my 2nd choice below:

Tonari no Kaibutsukun – Episode 2 | When Shizuku questions Asako’s life on the internet.

Okay, this is a bit of a personal kind of a relation but I think many people have kind-of experienced this sometime in their lives, especially when we’re all caught up with the internet. Of all the characters in Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, I associate myself with Natsume Asako the most, mainly because of the fact that she loves her internet life just as much as I love mine. It’s really like those times where I’m like, really, really enjoying myself online and like, someone just doesn’t get it.

One-Shot for the Weekend – Mario (マリオ)

Mario (マリオ)

Manga-ka: Kishimoto Masashi

Genre: Action, Drama, Shounen, Romance

Mario is a half-Japanese, half Italian mercenary  who prioritizes money above everything else. He gets assigned to work together with Saori, another hitman who hates men and refuses to talk to them.

Published as a one-shot in 2013 with Jump SQ .

———

It’s pretty much the end of the weekend so it’s coming pretty late, but here’s our recommended one-shot! I’m currently undergoing a Naruto manga marathon, so I decided to choose one of Kishimoto Masashi’s one-shots – Mario. He’s mentioned it before in one of those author rants’ pages in Naruto, where he expressed that Mario was probably one of the best stories that he’d ever come up with. So with no further ado, I jumped into it the moment I saw the one-shot.

I didn’t know what to expect from it at all before reading Mario – didn’t read the summary or anything. If I unattached it from its Jump SQ label and the fact that the manga-ka is one of the most successful shounen manga-ka to date, I would honestly think it’s a seinen one-shot. There’s a more subdued feel to it compared to the usual in-yo-face shounen action.

Mario gives off a very jazzy feel throughout the whole one-shot. From the yakuza/mafia setting, the black suits and black dresses, the character interactions and just everything overall, there is this general feeling of coolness. The kind of story that depicts a romanticized version of the mafia. This whole ‘jazzy’ feel is really what gives of the seinen feel, and in fact is a bit of a weakness for those who are more used to the ba da bing ba da BOOM aspect of shounen manga. There’s no sudden crescendo of action or ground breaking-ly embarrassing romantic confessions – everything seems pretty subdued with a mature over tone.

In other words, it can seem a bit dull.

Not saying that it’s bad or anything, but Mario really seems more like a story that can’t develop in a one-shot since it’s the type that would usually build up on the relationships between the characters; and these relationships can’t be addressed and comprehended in a one-shot. Still, quite an okay read for a jazzy weekend.

Rating: 3.4/5.0

Summer Anime 2013 – Summaries, PVs, Links and Rants

So it’s not quite the end of the Spring Anime yet, but it’s getting quite close.Out of curiosity, I went off to see what’s on for this Summer, and thought I’d share it here on Manga Weekend (It’s been a long, long while since I’ve done on of these posts!) I’ve pretty much got all the summaries from MyAnimeList, and as usual I’ve got the anime listing from The Fansub Wiki. Both really good websites, so o check them out! =D

I’ll just be splitting it up into anime I’ll definitely be following, anime I might be following, and anime that I’ve already ditched before even giving it a chance (Honestly I think that I’ve put wayyy too much into the first category). If you think that there’s any in the last category that shouldn’t be there, convince me in the comments below!

^_^ ANIME: I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO! ^_^

Gin no Saji: Silver Spoon by A-1 Pictures

Yugo Hachiken dreams of life separated from his family, so he takes the initiative by enrolling in an agriculture school. He thinks, with his talent in studying, no problems will arise no matter what kind of school he attends. He is proven wrong very quickly. Raised as a city boy, he is forced to uncover the inconvenient truth about agricultural life. Enjoy the story of Hachiken, as he tries to keep up with his new friends, farmers’ heirs, who are already accustomed to the harsh world of farming. With no clear goals or understanding of farming life, how will Hachiken survive this new, cruel reality? The story of a sweat, tear, and mud-stained youth begins!

Website

Gin no Saji is an original work by Arakawa Hiromu, the manga-ka for Full Metal Alchemist. From the summary, you’d probably notice that it’s got nothing to do with alchemy or philosopher stones – in fact, it’s got to do with pretty much a high school farm. On top of it being very far from the usual high-school life setting, it’s gives this very warm slice-of-life feeling, but at the same time retaining the fun from a shounen/comedy genre. Definite recommendation!

RDG: Red Data Girl – All the WTHs from Episode 8

So one of the anime that I’ve been following this spring (Spring. Haha. What a joke) is Red Data Girl (RDG). It was one of the earliest to come out, and I’ve been underwhelmed by it from the very beginning. For some reason however, I just stuck to watching it anyway. It’s quite mean, but it’s the sort of anime I watch just to hate on. I mean it’s just so – well – tweeny.

Anyway usually I’d just go on about how ridiculous it is to chungky, but after episode 8, not even my trusty partner was enough. Apart from all the ongoing teen angst, everything in the episode suddenly seemed abrupt and unnecessary. I don’t know if it’s just this episode in particular, or if I’ve already had enough of the story that I’m paying attention to other things that have been quite random from the beginning. Anyway, here’s my thoughts of this week’s episode, starting with the OP!

‘Nah mean? ‘Nah mean??

Ever felt like there was a certain moment in some anime/manga that you could completely relate to?

There’s a lot in the anime/manga universe that seems completely out of this world – naturally, a part of its appeal. It delivers something separate from reality, bringing you away from your own life for a moment. It is in these moments where we are soaking up all these fictional moments when suddenly

SNAP!

It doesn’t seem so fictional anymore. Maybe it was a character, a scene or even just a line that made you shoot out from your seat and go “I KNOW THAT FEEL BRO!!” There are instances in anime/manga where the audience have felt that they could relate to the fictional characters or scenarios that no longer seem as fictional as before (btw I completely understand what it feels like to be randomly swept to another galaxy with me giant mecha).

Both chungky and I have experienced this – and we’ve decided to share our Top 3 Anime Moments We Can Relate To! =D

So as the one who instigated this post, I’ll go first!

One-Shot for the Weekend – Tsuki to Himawari

月とひまわり | Tsuki to Himawari | Moon & Sunflower

Manga-ka: Tanaka Meca

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School Life, Shoujo, Slice of Life

Asahi-kun is a carefree junior-high student, never attaching to girls even though he enjoys going with them. But when the school’s number 1 honor student Mitsuki “cyborg” Konno asked him to a 1-month date, in exchange for the front row ticket to his favorite singer’s concert, he was forced to accept. He only has to show her what it feels like to date, right? He is ready for that…however, what he’s not prepared for was his heart’s reaction…

Published as a one-shot in Lala magazine in 2007 and later collected in Volume 1 of Faster Than A Kiss. There is some sexual context used in a more humourous manner but I thought I’d highlight this element.

——-

There is something that talent cannot give you and that is experience. It arms you with a good grip of things – how to approach story-telling, art-style, polishing your work and pretty much gives you an identity. In shoujo manga, the usage of cliches are endless, after-all its more or less based around romance and slice of life, and its really up to the manga artists to renew over and over the distinguishable themes that is in shoujo manga. This one-shot illustrates such ability that is uses both skill and experience. Reading the blurb sounds like nothing new is put on the table, but the way it is executed by Tanaka Meca, proves she is an industry veteran who delivers a good story.

This one-shot reminds me very much about Natsu no Kakera by Amano Shinobu because of the cheery theme of sunflowers. This is the type of story you’d expect Haha and Haha til the end but yet it changes its gear in a direction that brought so much greater depth and intention. It is somehow so familiar, that weird initial shoujo manga setup that eventually opens a box of surprises that makes you think – hey, this is why I read shoujo manga. Its not all about frivolous love triangles, the unstoppable occurrence of school life, its often about life(albeit the less than RL circumstances) and very much with the real surprises we often discover when we least expect it.

This one-shot is set in the same universe as Faster than a Kiss. So, if you’re a Faster than a Kiss fan, read this, for this is in fact the story that invented FtaK’s universe for it was the predecessor.

Have a good weekend.

Rating: 4.3/5

One-Shot for the Weekend – Danshi Toilet de Machiawase

Danshi Toilet de Machiawase  (男子トイレで待ち合わせ) / Meeting Up at the Male Toilet

Manga-ka: Mizu Asato

Genre: Comedy, Doujinshi, Romance, School Life

An original doujinshi of a girl, a boy and a male toilet.

———

Well… this is a bit of an odd one-shot on our part. Sometimes I get the feeling that a lot of our one-shots for the weekend revolve around more or less the same sort of theme, so I thought I’d try something different this time round – and I’m not quite sure how to react to it…?

Danshi Toilet de Machiawase is a one-shot about the scenarios between a boy and girl that find refuge in an abandoned boy’s toilet during their lunch break. The initial thought I had was that it was going to be your usual hanky-panky; but when I saw that there weren’t any of the usual genre associated with a doujin x toilet kind of manga, I decided to give it a go.

There’s an odd kind of humour for an odd kind of manga with an odd kind of male lead.  Most of the comedy has to do with the situation the girl finds herself in, and the type of consideration the guy provides in return. Rather than having some sort of chemistry between the two, I’d say it’s more like they’ve reached this (unfathomable) acceptance of one another which is really quite sweet.

Quite different from what we usually recommend, but if you just finished another repetitive week with repetitive school/work, here’s a one-shot to just blow you off course and make you laugh this weekend =)

Rating: 3.7/5.0

One-Shot for Last Weekend – X-Tai Shinsho

X-Tai Shinsho 

Mangaka: Ezawa

Genre: Action, Comedy, Historical, Shounen, Supernatural

Sugita Genpaku made a contract with a demon in exchange for the ability to cure any disease.
But if he doesn’t find someone to treat within the time limit, his soul will be taken!

Published online on Gangan Online in 2011 by Square Enix.

—

Okay, I admit, it’s kind of odd that I’m writing a one-shot post for last week considering the coming weekend is just around the corner. But, still, I don’t like leaving an odd bob of a weekend out while we’re active. The one-shot I’m bringing you to attention is X-Tai Shinsho, it’s really similar to another manga series I’ve written about before in a mushroom-manga post called Kaitai Shinsho Zero. It’s whole concept is almost identical in a way, a super-doctor which cures people of extra-ordinary illnesses. I had wanted this one-shot’s story to be more in lined with a Black Jack kind of doctor story. Like a doctor who is curing the weak and sick in a more humane manner than a ball-busting, demon killing-fest like Kaitai Shinsho Zero; but that was not to be, since the protagonist in X-Tai Shinsho also kinda went that route.

The thing that really caught my interest was the fact that the protagonist would die if he doesn’t cure a person with a deadly illness within a time-limit, it was like, wow Shounen manga really hates their protagonists don’t they. I always find that they always have some seriously depressing past but I suppose that’s how you build a extremely epic story? The manga-ka’s drawing style is also extremely pleasing on the eye, really similar to works from Comic Zero-Sum/Avarus/Gene(I’d fit GanGan Online into this group really). The one-shot was written in the way in which most Shounen manga one-shots are written – to allow a continuation to another extremely long serialisation. I don’t think this one-shot was extremely mind-blowing but I still really like the concept and the fact that the manga-ka chose to set it in a historical era; and having a light-hearted/little haughty protagonist is always a plus(keeps things less serious).

Rating: 3/5

“As my love first came to realization, Word had already spread.”

It’s kind of amazing how you look at something differently after watching it the second time. I spent yesterday and a bit of today re-watching the first season of Chihayafuru (and unbeknownst to me so was chungky). For those of you who don’t know it, Chihayafuru is a manga/anime about a bunch of high-school kids playing karuta. Karuta’s basically a game based around the hyakunin isshu, a collection of 100 poems by 100 poets.

Chihayafuru really changed for me when I re-watched it; most probably because my understanding of karuta was a lot better, but now that I knew some things were going to happen, I could pay attention to others instead. For example, there are times in the story where they use the poetry from the hyakunin isshu to illustrate the relationships between the characters; before I thought they were just pretty words that relate really well to the situation. But my second experience with Chihayafuru found the description to be so beautiful, I’ve quoted some of them in this post!

Let’s start!

I read the Chihayafuru manga before the anime came out, and I’ve been captured by it from the very beginning. Maybe it’s my own bias for stories that use the ‘childhood friends’ card; I always feel that the relationship between children are a lot more direct, honest and simple (e.g. not manipulated by hormones yet). So anyway, the three main characters are 1, the heroine (Chihaya), 2, the transfer student who introduces her to karuta (Arata) and 3, the bully/friend (Taichi). I’ll be going off on my own rant about it from here on, so spoilers will follow. But if you’re like chungky who went all “Well, don’t mean to spoil it for you, but looks like the bully’s gonna get her,” when I’d only explained what characters were in the story and nothing about storyline, then we all never had to worry about what ultimately would or would not happen.

BUT THAT’S THE THING!!

Mushroom Manga Talk (?) – Changing the Past in Orange

Orange (Takano Ichigo) /オレンジ (高野苺)

Manga-ka: Takano Ichigo

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Shoujo, Romance, School Life, Slice-of-Life, Supernatural, Tragedy

In the Spring she was 16, Takamiya Naho receives a strange, but detailed letter from herself, ten years in the future. At first she thinks the letter is a prank, but then the things written in the letter actually happen, including the new transfer student that sits next to her in class, Naruse Kakeru. In the letter, her 27-year-old self tells her 16-year-old self that her biggest regret is that Kakeru is no longer with them in the future, and asks her to watch him closely.

———————–

So I don’t usually read – much less write – posts around the shoujo/drama genre, but there was just something about Takano Ichigo’s Orange that compelled me to get typing. The story revolves around a high school girl called Naho, who somehow receives a letter from herself 10 years into the future. The letter basically tells her to re-do the things that her 10-years-later self (let’s call her Naho2) regrets even to her present day, from the little things such as not stepping up as a batter in a class softball tournament, to not being able to save somebody very, very precious to her.

Gosh I feel old but it’s about half a year since I’ve turned 21, and chungky’s also just turned 21 so Happy Birthday dude. Anyway, around the time I turned 21 I started doing everything I always wanted to do, but had been afraid of failing, or having people laugh at me since 1991. There’s always this nagging at the back of my head saying “Well you could’ve done it 10 years ago; you just chickened out,”. I should have been more persistent, I should have been braver, I should have said this, I should have done that. Should, should, should.

But I didn’t.