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.
10 anime I’ve never seen, but are on a ‘top ten anime you should see before you die’ list, looked good and now I am watching them.
For those curious what they are here's a link to the list I'm using: LINK
Man that’s a long name for my first ever segment on this world! But I do think this is a good place for a review site to start! As I watch these anime I shall be posting who would like it, who wouldn’t, and my opinions on them!
My personal rules for these are 1.) I must finish the anime (every last episode!) before I can post! 2.) I must give no spoilers 3.) I must watch them in a timely manor! No more than 30 days between posts! If I post on the 1st of the month I have to post again by the 30th! 4.) If I break a rule I must make a wallpaper for every person that's commented on any post in this series of posts. (Luckily I’m not expecting many commenters! ^-^)
Wow got a lot more comments on the last one than I thought… So thank you for that!
Ok!
Mononoke
Short backstory! This is not Princess Mononoke this is Mononoke the tv series!
So Mononoke… where to start… If I only had only a handful of words to describe it, I would say that it’s “creepy, colorful and beautiful.” It falls into the genre of horror/supernatural and I would argue also mystery.
And this is heavy stuff guys… Not gonna lie, this series tackles some things, now mind you its still a fun watch, and I really enjoyed it, but there are some moments to it that can get rather dark. (and I may disagree with some of its opinions and found episode 2 hard to watch)
Now that that is out of the way, what is this series about? Well, Mononoke follows a nameless medicine seller (just an ordinary medicine seller) and his adventures fighting Mononoke, which are spirits with “regret,” “form,” and “truth.” The series is 12 episodes long and is very episodic. In other words, the series consists of 4 stories with the only common character being the medicine salesman. I know this sounds a bit odd but trust its really quite good! Each story arch is well formed and just the right amount of freaky and elegance.
I really truly enjoyed it!
The art in this series is very unique and very textured. The bright colors and gritty textures really give the anime a nice feel. And the contrast between dark subject matter and horror to the bright vivid colors is really fun and interesting!
The story is engaging and left me wanting more! My favorite story in the series is probably the one where the medicine man ends up participating in a contest to win the hand of a rich heiress to the art of making perfume. The ark work and use of color is particularly awesome in this story arch and I just looooove the ending!
Ok who would like this?
Any horror fan. You like a good freaky series? Give this a try!
Supernatural genre enthusiasts shouldn’t be left out either! If you’re like me and just can’t resist demon/ghost/mononoke goodness this is absolutely one you must watch!
If you don’t like weird you might skip this one…
Also if a bit of gore bothers you… This series is hardly a Hellsing as far as blood and guts but there are one or two shock images.
Also this is a mature series, not super mature or anything, I would say a hard PG-13, but some of the ideas it speaks about requires a certain understanding. ^-^ Still fun tho!
Ok so today’s trailer is actually a really great fan made trailer by Lothriel on youtube. I feel the need to say that this trailer is great and Lothriel is awesome for posting it!
Thank you for your views and comments!
~Tsu
If this trailer doesn't make you want to watch this I don't know what will! XD
Hello all! I recently finished reading Vampire Knight (probably the most popular shoujo vampire series) and I thought to myself "Golly!" (I spent a while in a place where they say golly) "What are people going to read to get their vampire fix now?!" Then I realized I know tons of vampire series, shorts and one shots, and hey I can totally help out! XD
So long story short, I have searched through my surprisingly long list of vampire manga and have collected what I think are some of the best for every genre, because let's face it, no matter your favorite genre you need more vampires in your life!
(oh and I am not counting Vampire Knight on this list)
(This list is in no particular order)
Vampire Princess Miyu
By: Kakinouchi Narumi
Shoujo
Vampire Princess Miyu is a classic Japanese vampire series, I believe the anime version of it was the first vampire anime, and it does not disappoint!
Following the story of the vampire Miyu and her servent/protector Larva, this manga combines traditional Japanese myths and demons with Western vampire lore. (Fun fact! Japan is one of the few countries that do not have a native vampire lore, the closest thing to it are blood and flesh eating demons that usually did not resemble humans)
Miyu attends high school by day to blend in, and fights demons that are not following the rules by night. Vampire Princess Miyu is a beautiful manga that has a very engaging and unique take on vampires. (The anime is also amazing!)
Hitsuji no Uta
Also known as Lament of the Lamb in English
By: Toume Kei
Sienen/psychological
This series is another one that plays around with the idea of the vampire. In Hitsuji no Uta the vampires are a pair of siblings, and they are far from the idea of a traditional vampire. (Think Dracula for traditional) They are victims of a hereditary genetic disorder that causes pain that can only be abated by drinking human blood. It is so interesting to read this and watch the siblings dissent into darkness (both mental and physical) as the story is about this mental breaking point more than anything else.
Read this to enjoy a great dark, twisted and fresh vampire tale!
Vampir
By: Itsuki Natsumi
Techically seinen but as far as seinen go, it's very light… it's more like a weird cross between a shoujo and a shounen
Vampir is yet another non traditional vampire manga. (Can you tell I like those yet? lol) The story begins when a young guy who almost dies getting hit by a suicide jumper. He then wakes up in the hospital with red eyes and blond hair (he had glowing green eyes and snow white hair! *cough* wrong series…) It turns out he is now a half vampire or vampir. In this universe, vampires are people who have died and then had the soul of one of these powerful vampir spirits combine with their body. Rather than a complete take over, however, it is more like a combining of personalities. Since our main character didn't die all the way however he is neither living nor dead and the spirit is left in a kind of limbo.
This series is a fun read, again, with a fresh take, and I definitely recommend it.
Kurobara no Alice
Also known as Black Rose Alice
By: Mizushiro Setona
Josei (some websites say shoujo but I've read it and its more adult than the average shoujo)
The story begins with Dimitri, a famous opera singer, and his tragic love triangle, where due to his station he will have to watch his love marry his best friend. Not giving spoilers but skipping ahead a bit, he becomes a vampire, which, in this series is a corpse that is filled with bugs the animate the body. I know that sounds really gross but trust me when I say the artwork in this manga is gorgeous and the bugs aren't that bad, and I hate bugs. I would love to give more of a plot synopsis but I really can't without taking away the intensity of the beginning. So read it for a twisted romance with spice and great art!
Crimson Cross
By: Negishi Kyoko
Shoujo (ok some sites say it is shounen ai, but as there's not even anything implied… I am going to say I don't think it counts at all, but you might be able to argue it is)
Traditional vampires done right! These vampires burn in the sun, fear the cross, drink blood, and are basically the opposite of Twilight vampires. The story follows Carl Van Helsing who has been hunting the vampire Elliot. Elliot turned Carl into a vampire as a way to pass the time and loves causing him torment.
Sooooo good! I love it, I think that other vampire fans will love it. Read it for awesome art and an amazing story! Oh and great action scenes and a couple werewolves too.
Hope these help you find a great vampire manga to read this week!
~Tsu
Next week there is a 90% chance the review will be Towan no Quan.
