Hello!
Welcome to The Anime & Manga Review!
It has been my dream to create a world on TheO where users can go for anime and manga reviews and finally here it is! I plan to make this world an active, exciting and helpful place for learning about and finding entertaining manga and anime to read/watch.
For information on how to search for genre and such things please see my info post!
Its the first post of this world and will help you find your way!
~Tsubasachro
(aka Tsu)
Since today… Or tomorrow, not sure when this review will get posted as of right now, is father's Day where I live I thought it'd be fun to share some great father/child love manga! (not that kind of love pervs…)
Anyways I time to count down the best manga father's I know!
(Also after this point take spoiler text seriously. I do not use it lightly in reviews.)
Goggle
Author: Toyoda Tetsuya
The only reason this one is not higher on the list is because the man in manga taking care of the young deserted child is not actually his father, or even his adoptive parent, but merely a temporary baby sitter. At any rate a friend of our main character drops off the daughter of a friend who refuses to speak or to remove her goggles. The man steadily continues to try to get her out of her shell as he learns more about the silent kid.
He's a great father figure if not a father and I like this one shot, is sweet, heartfelt and all in all a good read.
Nicoichi
Author: Kindaichi Renjuurou
The story of a dad that pretends to be a mom. Why you ask? That's a loooong story but basically the dad's a good guy that got into a pattern to take care of his kid. Ok fiiine I'll go into a little more detail. When Suda's (the dads) son was a baby his mother died and he was living with just his father and wouldn't stop crying, Suda desperate to help his kid started cross dressing… and now his son thinks he's his mom… and Suda now leads a double life as mom and as a salaryman
This is a great series! A funny manga with heart the story of a single father and his son. The reason this isn't higher is because of a lot of the plot revolves around Suda's troubled dating life… but still a fun read with an enjoyable twist!
Luck Stealer
Author: Kazu Hajime
Nothing is better than a good supernatural assassin manga right? Well This dad does whatever it takes to keep he daughter alive. This series has been a favorite of mine now for several years as I've waited for fan translations. (I do know enough Japanese I could translate it for myself but I can't find it anywhere… >o> whyyyyy?!) Anyways the story mostly follows Kurusu who is an assassin that can steal a persons luck with merely a touch (thus the title of the series) and when you run out of luck you die. Why does he do this? His daughter was born without any luck and as such is constantly close to death. He can steal luck and also pass it to his daughter so she can live.
Luck stealer is great! Poor Kurusu's only this far down the list cause he murders people and doesn't actually live with his daughter. But a seriously good manga with a seriously dedicated dad is a must read!
Forever Honey
Author: Kanno Aya
Why does every manga I read ever try to make me cry?! Anyways a little one shot about a doting father who still uses baby talk with his daughter and his annoyed preteen who just wants her father to grow up. As pre usual in a manga about fatherhood he's a single dad, and his daughter thinks making him "cool" and getting him a girl friend will set him on the right path.
Seriously read this… it's a bitter sweet beauty of a one shot, I highly recommend it.
~Tsu
PS I was thinking about switching to doing some video reviews mixed in. Is there anyone who would prefer that or would actually watch them if I did that?
Fermer Mardi
Artist: Kirino Hajime
I adore this dark twisted little short! Well not that twisted but it really is very enjoyable.
The story begins with a very young girl watching something being killed.
We soon learn that the thing killed was a corpse eating monster called Estoma and that he has been killed by the undertaker who's job it is to keep Estoma from leaving the grave yard. The girl then proceeds to explain (rather angrily) that she had wanted to kill Estoma to revenge. The undertaker assures her that this time the monster won't come back to life…
Of course it does come back to life the next week…
At any rate it is a worth while one shot and at only 100 pages its a fast read that will keep you entertained! Every time I read this one I always wish it was a series… I think it would have been interesting to see how the author would have developed it longer.
I recommend it to those who enjoy one shots, fantasy stories, monsters, and people who need something to read and only have a little time.
Anyways sorry this ones a short review!
I've been planning of putting together a 'great fathers in manga' review for father's day and it has been taking my manga reading time… (I am such a geek I have manga reading time… >.> whats become of meeeeee~?)
~Tsu
Angel"s Egg
Also know as Tenshi no Tamago
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Ok I promised you an anime next, and boy I found one of the most unusual and artistic anime I could!
First off this is an artistic movie. For those of you who have never seen an art movie they tend to be more experimental and very atmospheric, there is less care about clarity of plot and more focus on making something that has meaning and often beauty. And Angel's Egg is no exception. Yoskitaka Amano, character designer of several Final Fantasy games, Vampire Hunter D, illustrated a Sandman comic, and much more, had a hand in creating the story as well as the art style of this movie. (Here take a minute and just look at his absolutely gorgeous work:http://www.elevenland.com/amano/amano.php3.) If you know his art or style then you pretty much know what you're in for for Angel's Egg and whether you're going to like it.
For those of you who are less familiar here's a quick plot synopsis: The story follows a young girl as she cares for an egg she takes with her everywhere. One day a man shows up and begins to follow her as she goes about her everyday life in a strange abandoned world.
Ok I am not going to pretend I understand what this movie is about. It is beautiful and atmospheric and I can't think of much else to say about it. The movie is very slowly paced which is great in that it really let's you absorb the scenery and not so great in that it's, well, slow. That does not make this a bad movie, it just makes it one that requires attention and care when viewing.
So here are some quick tips on whether Angel's Egg is the one you watch today!
--> If you don't like art movies I'd say skip this one. If you're looking for a movie with a strong plot or action, again, this one probably isn't for you.
--> On the other hand if you've been looking to try something different I'd say go for it!
Also, if you, like me, are a big fan of Yoshitaka's work then this is an absolute must watch! His work is stunning and this movie is a great showcase of that!
Assassination Classroom
Ansatsu Kyoushitsu
Author: Matsui Yuusei
Ok normally I like to wait for a series to be completed before singing it praises, I've had too many series ruined by rushed sloppy endings, but I really adore this series despite it just getting off the ground. (as in its over the 40 chapter will it make it hump)
First off this isn't my usual cup of tea, I am not a huge fan of school comedies but I love this one! The reason I gave this series a chance in the first place is that I am a big fan of another series by the same author, Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro. (a fantastic mystery supernatural series) So I read the fist chapter and soon enough I was hooked on Ansatsu!
The plot is about a trouble class at an elite school that has been selected to assassinate their teacher, who is an alien (Kinda? He looks kind of like an octopus)(Although rescent chapters suggest that may not be the case) who has announced he will destroy the world within a year and as proof he can do it he puts a big hole in the moon. As part of a deal with the Japanese government he will be the teacher of a high school class but the students are the ones who have to kill him.
Sound silly? Who cares! It's a hilarious series with a healthy balance between silly gags and heart felt moments. It has everything you want and expect from a school place comedy with wonderful new takes on the genre with the addition of assassination and science fiction. The series deals with the schools unusual politics evolving the E class that holds the students with low grades, the scifi elements with the teacher, relationships between the students to the teacher and assassination. That may sound like a lot , but for a long running series it will be perfect. Being somewhat familiar with the author I can say this series is probably in for an interesting ride and I look forward to it.
Having read another series by the same author I have faith in Matsui Yuusei to develop a great story!
~Tsu
Ps. Sorry I've been slow updating lately. I think people read these as my views have been steadily going up and I would like to thank everybody who is and has been patient with me.
Also sorry its been awhile since I've done an anime, watching anime takes longer than reading a manga for me and my times been scarce .I plan to do an anime next, and as always am open to comments and requests or just chatting in general.
KISEIJUU
Other names: Parasite, Parasyte
Author/Artist: Iwaaki Hitoshi
Sometimes you just need a good old school scifi fighting manga! That’s where the fun and enjoyablity of Parasyte comes in.
A manga from the 90s this series has actually been published twice. There’s a “flipped” version (Where they took all the pages and flipped them so the book would read left to right so us English readers would buy them) and then again by DelRey in the now normal and original format. Come on people liked it enough it got published twice!
At any rate the story begins with some unknown race of parasites taking over people brains by eating them. The main character Shunji was a victim of one such creature but the parasite failed to eat his brain and has instead taken over Shunji’s right arm.
Normal parasites eat human flesh but Shunji’s arm can’t do that and feeds on Shunji’s blood. The story progresses to follow Shunji trying to come to terms with his new life while avoiding the other parasites that may try to kill him due to his parasite’s failure.
This series is definitely worth a read! I found it an extremely enjoyable mix of scifi and action. It also has great drama and a strong plot. (Something action series don’t always have) Anyways this series is just great! Also all the parasites are quite cool looking, the character designs for them are really quite impressive! I loved it the first time I read it and I found myself reading it again while prepping for the review and am now addicted again! ^-^;;
If you love old school manga its a must, if you like action scifi, again a must. I think even if those aren’t necessarily your thing this series is still worth while for it’s writing and strong bold lined art style. A very fun and intense read!
Have you read it? Comment!
Read after reading this? Share your thoughts!
Want me to review a series? Let me know!
As always good and bad opinions are welcomed just keep it classy! lol
~Tsu
