Anime (and Manga) Appreciation!

[Totenkindly]

i thought it verry realistic and reminded me of a John Constantine quote: "There are no good guys there are no bad guys. There's only us. People. Doing their best to get by..."

I was trying to come up with a list of animation/anime villains over the weekend (although there's still a lot of shows I hadn't seen) and I honestly had trouble thinking of anyone from AoT who I would consider an out and out "villain" aside from maybe King Fritz and Sergeant Major Gross, and potentially Floch (who is just a rabid "destroy the enemy" guy and murdering people in cold blood, and I still blame him for what happened to Hange). Most of the cast is just caught up in decades/centuries long web of reciprocal violence aimed at the designated "enemy". Which seems weird because there's definitely a lot of bad stuff that goes down in AoT, but so many of them just end up being fallible people in a no-win scenario.

 

[Totenkindly]

So I have two lists of anime/animated villains -- one is of villains I think are just really entertaining to watch, and the other list is of villains who are so freaking despicable and inspire such loathing that I call it my "Just Die Already!" list.


Here is my current "Just Die Already!" list:

I expect Johan Liebert (from Monster) to end up on this list too.

I'll see what others I can think of.

 

[Totenkindly]

10 Modern Anime That Truly Earn the “Perfect 10/10” Label

Storytelling masterpieces often feel like needles in haystacks. However, modern anime has proven to have collected more than a few needles.

screenrant.com

Yeah I have good taste. A few I haven't seen are on my Watchlist already.

 

[Totenkindly]

Got my Made in Abyss 1-7 manga today, they are in great condition.

Looking through it, I'm not sure why Vol #6 is so difficult to find -- I guess it is the first appearance of Faputa but otherwise it doesn't seem like a significantly special arc in the story. Vol #7 ends with Faputa giving Reg what he has asked for, in return for helping her get inside the city. So it looks like the current show extends through either Vol #8 or Vol #9. I am looking forward to reading through this, though -- due to what might be more text/explanations of what is happening, that didn't get into the anime. And there's some cool art in there.

It looks like Vol #14 (the latest manga issue) comes on March 31, so that gives an idea of what's left to adapt from the book manga at least -- 5-6 volumes.

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I think I am about ready (after finishing a few things) to tackle a bigger anime show. Probably will start watching JJK and see how that goes. Chainsaw Man is the other I might watch.

 

[Totenkindly]

 

[Totenkindly]

Just finished Season 1 of "The Promised Neverland" -- and that's probably a good place to stop, at least for right now, considering how S2 apparently veers off the manga and is considered divisive. I'll put a Reddit comment I found that doesn't give plot spoilers but explains in detail, and it looks like others contributed similar comments right after the finale to S2 aired...

"It skipped literally the best arc. And this show/manga is about tension and drama outsmarting demons who outnumber you and have a major advantage on you. The arc the skip is the center point of that story. I started as anime only but after episode 1 of season 2 I was like fuckit I’m reading it and my GOD am I happy I did that. It’s so fucking good I was up till 6 am every night reading because I just HAD to know what was gonna happen next chapter. It’s that gripping and amazing. ESPECIALLY the arc the skip. That arc is where we meet the best villain of the whole show/manga and now he’s not in it?!??? Also skipping what they skip creates major holes. All those names you see on the wall? You’ll never truly understand that story involved in that detail. This studio can say all they want that they wanted to do something original but fuck that it’s just laziness. Or not understanding the source material. The arc they skip is like skipping the sasuke/itachi/madara arc in naruto. Like it’s just confusing. And remember how many obstacles the children ran into in season 1? How hard it was to escape?? Now they are out there being hunted and everything is being handed to them. That is NOT how the fucking manga goes and I truly don’t know how anyone can enjoy this season and not see the vast difference from season 1. Literally ruined it for me"

https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/liog9u/eli5_why_is_promised_neverland_season_2_so_bad/

Meanwhile, Season 1 has just been one long game of cat and mouse, with plans and counterplans and counter-counterplans, which made it all rather exciting. I deeply appreciated the character moments that were unexpected during this battle of wits, they often popped up unexpected, which made them all the more moving. There were moments that made me burst out laughing when someone got one-upped strategically, others where I wanted to throw my shoe at someone out of anger at cheap moves. But the final few episodes were worthy of the long game being played. My thoughts:

I feel like Norman is still alive, because we don't know what he saw in the side room at the gate, and we know he was especially chosen for "The One" to receive. But the whole lead up is heartbreaking. Norman, I identify with -- really smart, strategic thinker, and compassionate in the sense his logic tries to help as many people as possible. I really love the moment the show lets him break down at the sink while alone, and then he puts on the happy face to go back and comfort/encourage his friends. He is logical to a fault and won't let his own desire to live to be a hindrance to his friends surviving. But it means the world to him when his friends come up with a potential plan for him to survive -- all he wanted to know is that he was loved. But he still refused to let them risk it all for him. I so much get him.

When the convo between Emma and Ray started in the cafeteria on how to distract Isabella, I immediately was like, "Set the house on fire." Because I'm a gamer and we always do crazy shit like that. I laughed a minute later when Ray gets out the carton of lighter fluid -- holy fuck! But then a nice character driven moment when Ray says he's been planning for years to immolate himself as a final "fuck you" to the demons who wanted to eat his brain. This is so like Ray, as horrific as it is.

I am so impressed with Emma. She learned from both Ray and Norman and managed to hide her feelings to mislead Isabella and help organize the actual escape plan. And she and Ray cutting off their ears to ditch the trackers -- again, holy fuck! You go girl! This is war!

I love the big minutes given to Isabella near the end, when we realize her own life arc... and I realized (knowing that Ray had in utero memories) that he was her kid before they showed him under the tree, when we could hear him the song whistle. Now THAT was a missing piece of the first season -- why Ray had a deal with Mother to start with. It greatly colors their dynamics. All those scenes with them, we now understand better -- and Ray was giving Isabella a REALLY PERSONAL fuck you by trying to do that.

It really fucking sucks that people become pawns of the enemy to survive and "just get the best they can" for themselves and others in a system they feel they can never escape -- and after trying so hard to stymie their escape, we see them actually wishing the kids good fortune. I thought Isabella might just off herself with one of those ropes at the end, but I guess her identity as Mother is just too strong. It's a complex feeling to have. I wonder if she feels shame that she never really was willing to go to the wall and risk everything to escape, even though she also had climbed the wall -- but now her kids, rebelling against her, had the gumption she did not have. Does she also feel pride for them? That in defeating her, it means she had contributed to making them kids able to overcome the impossible obstacles and perhaps taste the freedom she never did?

It was a pretty satisfying season, all in all.

 

[Totenkindly]

Finished To Be Hero X (24 episodes). The season finale, animation-wise, was on par with the plethora of animation styles of Spider-Verse -- it was pretty impressive. While many of the episodes had their own animation style, e24 whips through various styles back and forth due to the reality-changing powers of its protagonist, including 2D through emulations of 4D.

So after the initial 4-episode arc, the rest of the season chose to introduce each of the dominant/rising heroes in this universe in 2-3 episode arcs. They tried to smooth this choice by introduce the protagonist of the NEXT arc in the current one, essentially creating a "chain" of characters until all were introduced, but sometimes this didn't work out if a particular 2-episode arc wasn't compelling or the character was annoying.

Not all the heroes are "good," or rather they can fall into ill practice as they are twisted by the various hero agencies and the Commission. Some characters you initially empathize with, then grow to dislike; others are awful to start with, then as you see their arcs become more sympathetic. There are some pretty touching moments, other frustrating moments, and many of the characters' arcs intersect eventually. Also, the arcs themselves are not necessarily chronological (although the episodes within the arc are) -- which means you are sometimes finding out backstory that puts a new spin on something you saw prior.

The last six episodes or so finally escape the curse of "introducing" characters, as they have some great action sequences involving multiple characters at once and the season rockets to a big close. It was also pretty great to hear Chris Sabat voicing a dog (basically a D&D "awakened animal") who gains powers.

I can't say they stuck the landing on everything, and there was so much "introduction" style stuff in this season, I was kind of waiting for "critical mass" with the plotting to start bringing everyone together; but it was still pretty decent, and the art took risks and was often inventive.

There's a White Wolf superhero game called Aberrant, and it was ironic because a character I had made up a few years ago was "Stabby Stabby Unicorn Girl" (which I posted about here) who would have been a social media star and had her own film crew to promote herself and build prestige -- and this is rather what TBHX is about, in that notoriety builds Trust and Trust empowers the heroes and pushes them up in the rankings. Most press is good, although bad press can reduce your effectiveness or drop you from the rankings. Public persona is everything... which is both a form of power but also of bondage.

 

[Totenkindly]

Netflix and Mappa's new partnership worries anime fans

Anime industry's increasing western focus may erode its original spirit

www.polygon.com

Anime is conquering the world, but this might be a problem

Anime is bigger than ever, but it begs the question if pleasing overseas audience should be creators' goal.

www.polygon.com

 

[Totenkindly]

Sooo.... despite the silly sounding premise and name, Chainsaw Man ended up being actually a lot deeper than expected at least from characterization POV.

I'll probably watch the Reze film later today, but currently have finished the first season (12 episodes). Denji himself (the "main" character) is interesting in that he's the least-interesting and most straight-forward character in the whole show. The first episode establishes his origin and why he becomes a human-devil hybrid, so he's a central figure through the main plot -- but he and Power (a fiend -- corpse now inhabited by a devil -- who gets assigned as his partner) are both pretty simple-minded but end up often being hilarious when you're not rolling your eyes at their antics, and meanwhile the entire supporting cast is actually pretty complex and important.

MAPPA kinda shows why they're considered a giant again, taking this premise and often saying a lot about a character without using words -- the people feel real in how they move and act, and the pauses in their words sometimes say more than any dialogue could.

So if you can imagine how silly these two rookies -- Denji, who just is happy to finally have food, shelter, and the potential to kiss a girl or get to second base, and Power, who is a loud-mouth fearless devil out for blood even in the simplest of social situations -- play off each other when together, you might be shocked at some real moments of poignancy and depth, especially when shit gets real later in the season. No one really seems to have much plot armor, and it's unclear who will live and die -- or might need to pay a terrible cost to maintain their contract with devils. Even the shallow characters start to deepen -- e.g., Power, who first scans as a "manic devil girl" trope, self-indulgent and destructive, realizes she's starting to care about creatures outside herself.

The overall plot is a little X-File-ish, a little police state... with the Public Safety Division not just having to protect the public against an influx of devils that murder civilians and can cause a lot of property damage but also needing to keep the Yakuza and other gangs in check -- and often demanding that agents make "contracts" with captured devils that allows them to accomplish heroic acts but often coming at terrible cost because, well, you've made a deal with a devil (!).

There's also the matter of one of the primary team heads in PSD, Makima, who is a LOT more than she appears to be. We still don't know the depth of who she is or what she wants, but she's fucking terrifying as the season progresses. Ironically, she's also English-dubbed by the same actress who English-dubbed Vladilena Mileze, aka Handler One from "86." IOW, she voices a handler in each series, but whereas Lena was a rather naive, pure-hearted, unsubtle "lawful good" character

Makima's motivations and alignment are far more murky and manipulative. We don't know what she wants, and she might be willing to do anything in order to get it. She's brutal and relentless.

 

[The Cat]

Sooo.... despite the silly sounding premise and name, Chainsaw Man ended up being actually a lot deeper than expected at least from characterization POV.

View attachment 33881

I'll probably watch the Reze film later today, but currently have finished the first season (12 episodes). Denji himself (the "main" character) is interesting in that he's the least-interesting and most straight-forward character in the whole show. The first episode establishes his origin and why he becomes a human-devil hybrid, so he's a central figure through the main plot -- but he and Power (a fiend -- corpse now inhabited by a devil -- who gets assigned as his partner) are both pretty simple-minded but end up often being hilarious when you're not rolling your eyes at their antics, and meanwhile the entire supporting cast is actually pretty complex and important.

MAPPA kinda shows why they're considered a giant again, taking this premise and often saying a lot about a character without using words -- the people feel ready in how they move and act, and the pauses in their words sometimes say more than any dialogue could.

So if you can imagine how silly these two rookies -- Denji, who just is happy to finally have food, shelter, and the potential to kiss a girl or get to second base, and Power, who is a loud-mouth fearless devil out for blood even in the simplest of social situations -- play off each other when together, you might be shocked at some real moments of poignancy and depth, especially when shit gets real later in the season. No one really seems to have much plot armor, and it's unclear who will live and die -- or might need to pay a terrible cost to maintain their contract with devils. Even the shallow characters start to deepen -- e.g., Power, who first scans as a "manic devil girl" trope, self-indulgent and destructive, realizes she's starting to care about creatures outside herself.

The overall plot is a little X-File-ish, a little police state... with the Public Safety Division not just having to protect the public against an influx of devils that murder civilians and can cause a lot of property damage but also needing to keep the Yakuza and other gangs in check -- and often demanding that agents make "contracts" with captured devils that allows them to accomplish heroic acts but often coming at terrible cost because, well, you've made a deal with a devil (!).

There's also the matter of one of the primary team heads in PSD, Makima, who is a LOT more than she appears to be. We still don't know the depth of who she is or what she wants, but she's fucking terrifying as the season progresses. Ironically, she's also English-dubbed by the same actress who English-dubbed Vladilena Mileze, aka Handler One from "86." IOW, she voices a handler in each series, but whereas Lena was a rather naive, pure-hearted, unsubtle "lawful good" character

Makima's motivations and alignment are far more murky and manipulative. We don't know what she wants, and she might be willing to do anything in order to get it. She's brutal and relentless.

You would really enjoy Witch Hunter Robin I think. Also Big O

 

[The Cat]

And I wouldnt be doing my job if I didnt recommend Paranoia Agent to you.

 

[The Cat]

 

[Totenkindly]

https://ricethresher.org/article/chainsaw-man-reze-arc-is-trauma-bonding-done-right-20251105

^^ spoilers a bit

Did I never post about the Chainsaw Man Reze arc film? It started a bit slow but then became absolutely and unexpectedly lovely. MAPPA shows how it elevates source material (and I found Reddit discussions glowing over how it expanded on the manga moments to really accentuate them). The whole central pool sequence that the review talks about, including the emotive piano background music, really makes all the later violence land even better and harder -- as well as the gut-punch of the film's ending.

I wasn't expecting to like it all as much as I did. But I was thinking about this film took a trope plot sequence and performed a near flawless execution of it in such a way to make it leave you dying on the inside. Just... god... it hurt a lot.

EDIT: Ran across this youtube vid, this guy seems pretty insightful in general and does a nice job in breaking down the film thematically and symbolically. I will likely watch this film again, it's just beautifully put together. I totally agree with him that it's essentially a tragedy where the protagonists still feel like they have agency, which makes it feel hopeful even while realistically also being sad. It's like the game is rigged against them, yet they act in ways to embrace their hope despite the unlikelihood of their pursuits being successful.

 

[Totenkindly]

I realized today the English version of Takopi's Original Sin had dropped on Crunchyroll and ended up watching the whole thing to compare. It's got some well-known names (Marina = Jill Harris, she plays Fern on Frieren, Azuma's mom = Colleen Clinkenbeard, she has a loooong VA career as well as VA direction for series, Marina's mom = Trisha Nishimura, maybe best known as Mikasa on AoT).

My general assessment is that it's a really decent English VA conversion in terms of the acting, with some roles being slightly better (Trisha blows her role out of the water, her portrayal of Marina's mom is devastating emotionally). If the Japanese roles are at 100%, Abigail Blythe as Takopi is like a 99% and Emily Fajardo as Shizuka is like at a 98%. I feel bad even having to say it's slightly under the original anime; if you never see the Japanese version, this will be more than good enough; it's just Reina Ueda's Shizuka is SO pitch-perfect, it's still the definitive version IMO.

Where the English VA clearly steps ahead is in the English script translation, compared to the English subtitle translation in the Japanese version. Since all English speakers have is the subtitles, there are places where the subtitles were inadequate to really put down a clear understanding of what is trying to be conveyed -- but the English voice script really spells it out and puts it in our vernacular in a clear way. I felt like I really grasped plot points and/or what a character particularly wanted at times, in a way I did not get from the English subtitles due to differences between the two translations.

I think from reading some of the manga, too, the anime actually expands on some scenes and/or paces things better in a video format (since it can control scene timing versus a page where you can absorb multiple panels at once) so that they have more emotional impact (as well as the VA'ing, obviously, bringing a lot of residual emotion to what is otherwise words on a page). This is another case where the anime took a great manga with expressive art and "juiced/elevated" it further on the screen.

 

[Totenkindly]

The hand-penciled Frieren s2 closer credits are absolutely beautiful. After all the preponderance of lazy AI out there online, what a wonderful gift and reinforcement of love for craft that has been given to the viewers.

I also have to say, this closer song is totally on brand and captures the actual feeling of watching the series. *slow clap of respect*
--

So I finished Season 1 Frieren yesterday (huge binge) and also watched the Japanese voicing of the two episodes out in Season 2.

It's a pretty satisfying series, with fallible but sincere characters. Frieren as the era-spanning elf who holds the memories of those with much shorter lifespans who have passed on, and now seeks to build off those memories by engaging new companions despite their transience, finding value in that, is calming and fulfilling in its own way. Watching her develop away from her natural aloof nature is one of the slow character building processions, as well as seeing her take a stand on the value of these experiences even when it places her in conflict with the few elves remaining. She is also a very capable mage with sometimes unconventional strengths, who is flawed in some funny ways (she likes her sleep and often sprawls everywhere; her penchant to collect odd but generally useless spells leads her sometimes into habitually falling for mimics as well as undertaking mundane odd jobs, and at times has been completely clueless about how to deal with the emotions of more transient mortals) but also frighteningly powerful despite her being less militant than others in her position.

I think the regular flashbacks to her, Himmel, Heiter, and Eisen heading north 70-80 years ago to defeat the demon lord juxtapose nicely with the present, where now she is in the position of mentor to those with less life experience than her. There's also things that seem more obvious to the audience than perhaps to Frieren, or at least only now dawning on her past the time of doing anything about it.

For example, it seems that Himmel the Hero, the human who specifically sought her out originally to journey with him, was in love with her, but nothing ever happened because of her cluelessness and because he recognized his temporal nature and didn't want to restrain or burden her. The way she remembers him now shows maybe she is realizing that she deeply cared for him as well, although she only cried at his passing when at his gravesite -- wishing she had used their time together better to truly know him. In any case, he is now the guiding memory she holds up in her mind to guide her actions and also help her mentor the young humans under her care.

I think the end of this series is gonna wreck me. The whole aim of this series is Frieren heading back north to Aureole, where souls rest and where Flamme -- Frieren's master -- traveled to talk to her old friends. It's in the same area the demon lord's castle resides, so it's an arduous trip. Frieren wants to go there to talk to Himmel, having regretted so much she did not say to him before he died.

But as noted above, I think she's been increasingly aware that he had loved her and opened the world to her without any demands on his part, and I think she's realizing how much she cared for him in turn despite his temporal nature.

It's such a weird twist on Tolkien -- as if Aragorn and Arwen never got together but loved each other from afar, with Arwen only realizing the extent of it after Aragorn Elessar had passed... Prepare to be broken.

It's just a thoughtful series with an interaction between past, present, and future, and the animation is exquisitely balanced and framed and careful, with a protagonist with a lifespan beyond what any of us can dream, who is still growing and learning to embrace life in its fulness.

EDIT: This is kind of what I was getting at above -- how Frieren is many different things at once, so the show can still surprise you at times. We know her history but only get pieces of it at a time, and it's easy to forget who she is when we see her daily presentation. The fight with the demon Aura is absolutely terrifying and the ending so brutal in its coldness, it's still lingering with me 20 episodes later. They also do this later during the mage exams, where the power of Frieren's doppleganger is so overwhelming that it remind us of Frieren herself -- and we see her again in action during this fight... that despite all her silliness and being a "mage of peace," she can be absolutely devastating and calculating as needed.

 

[Totenkindly]

So anime marches on. Spent last night finishing off Overlord Season 1. I have a soft spot for it despite being annoyed by its tendency to overtalk. They really are also kind of clumsy switching between the lead's inner and outer voices.

I don't know if it will ever be a tight show, but I think mostly it's often "fun" to watch. All the characters seem ramped up to 11 and enjoy getting into each other's shit. Also, I give it big plus for killing off within a few episodes one of the most annoying "villains" I ever ran across in an anime and killing them in a prolonged traumatic despairing way (for them) that leaves the viewer with a lot of satisfaction.

What I'd wish to see in later seasons is Ainz feeling a lot of homesickness for all of his guild friends, while feeling a growing responsibility for his motley collection of Tower NPCs, and needing to find a reason to live (which sounds odd for an undead lich -- but he has to somehow step up). And not be so damn wordy about it all the time. I do get a kick out of the character collection here, including the gender-reversed elf twins (the boy dresses like a demure girl and the girl dresses like a spunky boy).

I also want to see Albedo kick more ass, versus just fuming/pining away for Ainz. She's his biggest advocate right now but again you can only do so much before it gets old.

I want to see more greys -- "good guys" who have some asshole tendencies but also some nobility, while Ainz doing some dark things despite us knowing he was originally a human player. He does do something so offhand in Season 1 -- murdering a guy and his henchmen just to turn them into undead warriors, lol -- and doesn't think twice about it. Interestingly Solo Leveling also does this (Jin-woo steals a soul just to get a henchman, without concern for the human)... but Ainz gets a pass because he's a lich, while Jin-woo is supposed to be a "nice guy human" but never flinches.

 

[The Cat]

So anime marches on. Spent last night finishing off Overlord Season 1. I have a soft spot for it despite being annoyed by its tendency to overtalk. They really are also kind of clumsy switching between the lead's inner and outer voices.

I don't know if it will ever be a tight show, but I think mostly it's often "fun" to watch. All the characters seem ramped up to 11 and enjoy getting into each other's shit. Also, I give it big plus for killing off within a few episodes one of the most annoying "villains" I ever ran across in an anime and killing them in a prolonged traumatic despairing way (for them) that leaves the viewer with a lot of satisfaction.

What I'd wish to see in later seasons is Ainz feeling a lot of homesickness for all of his guild friends, while feeling a growing responsibility for his motley collection of Tower NPCs, and needing to find a reason to live (which sounds odd for an undead lich -- but he has to somehow step up). And not be so damn wordy about it all the time. I do get a kick out of the character collection here, including the gender-reversed elf twins (the boy dresses like a demure girl and the girl dresses like a spunky boy).

I also want to see Albedo kick more ass, versus just fuming/pining away for Ainz. She's his biggest advocate right now but again you can only do so much before it gets old.

I want to see more greys -- "good guys" who have some asshole tendencies but also some nobility, while Ainz doing some dark things despite us knowing he was originally a human player. He does do something so offhand in Season 1 -- murdering a guy and his henchmen just to turn them into undead warriors, lol -- and doesn't think twice about it. Interestingly Solo Leveling also does this (Jin-woo steals a soul just to get a henchman, without concern for the human)... but Ainz gets a pass because he's a lich, while Jin-woo is supposed to be a "nice guy human" but never flinches.

I read this post in a shonen protagonist voice. Believe it!

 

[Totenkindly]

So the neck is too long for Frieren (her body part lengths are more compact), but where this really excels is in the painting and shadows. Also, the drawings of the hands. (Mustn't be AI, lol!) I mean, look at those hands --that is not a generic shot, it's a pretty daring hand configuration. And then the photorealistic shading on the ear, the hair, and the chest/hands.

No doubt they were keying off a source photo they took to catch it all correctly, but... really nice.

In other news, this meme response by Madhouse was pretty amusing -- this art is actually from the most recent episode (S2E2), I don't remember them sticking a pose quite like this in earlier episodes but there it is. (The amateur artist made a good attempt but didn't rotate the face and ears far enough back based on the chin position. They should have gotten a basketball or something and put a face on it, then rotated it backwards to get a real-life model to assist. It looks like the bad art was posted in Nov 2025, so I'm not really clear if the anime actually had time to respond -- but some of those productions are nuts in their work output -- it's possible they added a few frames into an existing sequence, as I don't think she actually needed to look up at that part of the fight.)

EDIT2: And to play off the play....

 

[Totenkindly]

 

[Totenkindly]

Awwww, Jen Brown is so lovely....!