shale's recent activity

  1. [Finale] Mashle chapter 162 / series discussion

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    Warning: this post may contain spoilers

    That's all folks!

    Today marks the release of the final chapter of Mashle: Magic and Muscles by Hajime Komoto. After three years, 162 chapters, and an official anime release, it's finally time to say farewell to our muscular, magicless, creampuff loving bowl cut.

    Many of us have grown used to weekly updates on the world that seems like a farcical mix of One Punch Man / Harry Potter and will definitely feel its absence on Sundays.

    I wanted to create this thread due to the popularity of the series (more than 5 million units in circulation!) and to spark more manga discussion in the community overall. This is the largest series to end in a long while, so it deserves a bit of a sendoff.

    Topics/discussion points (feel free to address all or none):
    • What did you think of the final chapter/arc?
    • How do you feel about the series as a whole now that it has ended?
    • Was Mashle successful in its storytelling goals?
    • What are the strongest/weakest parts of the story and work as a whole in your opinion?
    6 votes

  2. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this month? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

    shale
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    The worst part about Yowamushi Pedal is the smaller western fanbase, leading to less frequent English fan translations of the manga (which is 700+ chapters in; there's a lot of content to enjoy!)....

    The worst part about Yowamushi Pedal is the smaller western fanbase, leading to less frequent English fan translations of the manga (which is 700+ chapters in; there's a lot of content to enjoy!). It's sad considering it's one of the longest running sports series around.

    It's a fun shonen sports series with a lot of charm and epic races, and it's a lot more popular in Japan. Last I went in 2018, an anime season was releasing, so there were multiple themed displays and even restaurants serving little themed treats with Onoda & pals on them all over Tokyo. I saw as much YowaPeda as I did Haikyuu and My Hero Academia.

    The most recent anime season was adapted very well, which gives me hope for future seasons. The plot stays fresh after Onoda's second interhigh, so I definitely recommend reading beyond that if you're interested!

    1 vote

  3. Comment on HunterXHunter: Shonen Jump announces a special, digital-only release of "Kurapika's Memory" on July 4th—a two part oneshot initially published in 2013 in ~anime

    shale
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    There has not been an announcement about an official English translation quite yet, but it is not a far leap to assume there will be quality fan translations.

    There has not been an announcement about an official English translation quite yet, but it is not a far leap to assume there will be quality fan translations.

    4 votes

  5. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this month? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

    shale
    Link Parent
    Thank you for sharing! I just read the first chapter and was intrigued by the concept and art style. As someone who doesn't read much manhwa, it was very pleasant to scroll vertically and have the...

    Thank you for sharing! I just read the first chapter and was intrigued by the concept and art style. As someone who doesn't read much manhwa, it was very pleasant to scroll vertically and have the art medium account for that with the page transitions.

    I'm interested to see what the main antagonizing force ends up being, and how the MC finds his way in the world after essentially going through the same thing as Aang in Avatar: The Last Airbender. He's thrust into the same setting 100 years in the future as (a reincarnation of) what we can assume to be the most powerful fighter in the world.

    1 vote

  6. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this month? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

    shale
    (edited )
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    To pick just one, I've been greatly enjoying Cipher Academy. We're slowly uncovering the real meat of the story about 30 chapters in, and it's hard to tell where we may end up. The manga follows...

    To pick just one, I've been greatly enjoying Cipher Academy. We're slowly uncovering the real meat of the story about 30 chapters in, and it's hard to tell where we may end up.

    The manga follows the usual competitive school trope where characters compete to be the top of the class. The combat of sorts is done through "code battles"; these battles can range from seemingly simple pen and paper message decoding, to poker, to complex murder mystery scenarios.

    The codes are clever and all technically solvable, though they're also heavily entrenched in Japanese culture and language, which make certain connections difficult for a native English speaker like myself. Some of the stuff is also just out there in a fun way that goes against expectations.

    The art is very clean and eye-catching, and the character design is on the level of longer running shonen manga—multiple characters intrigue you without having said a word.

    My favorite part of all, however, are the author notes. Along with the characters' narrative explanations of code solutions, Nisio Isin gives us additional notes that can give you that lightbulb moment if you missed something, which you will, but only because they are for the most part intelligently designed codes with a lot of creativity. If you aren't a fan of exposition, this one may not be for you, but it has a lot to offer for people who enjoy puzzles and lighthearted drama.

    2 votes

  7. Comment on AI camera inspired by star-nosed mole snaps "photos" without taking photos in ~tech

    shale
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    Thank you for the additional info; knowing that it even auto-generates the prompt based on location data is almost as interesting as the camera itself for me. I would love a more detailed look...

    Thank you for the additional info; knowing that it even auto-generates the prompt based on location data is almost as interesting as the camera itself for me. I would love a more detailed look into how this thing was made because it really is a neat little gadget.

    Edit: Here is a link to the creator's website for anyone else interested. It has some more specific information than this article.

    3 votes

  8. Comment on AI camera inspired by star-nosed mole snaps "photos" without taking photos in ~tech

    shale
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    I noticed that the "camera" in the article video had a very detailed text prompt seemingly already loaded into the device before the "photo" was taken. It really doesn't seem like a camera at all,...

    I noticed that the "camera" in the article video had a very detailed text prompt seemingly already loaded into the device before the "photo" was taken. It really doesn't seem like a camera at all, rather a mixture of echolocation, to find out the general positioning of the photo subject, and an AI that uses the anchor points captured by the camera to form a totally generated image.

    That being said, I can see this having amazing implications for the film and video editing industry if the quality of the images and the capability of the AI are refined.

    2 votes

  9. Comment on Cooklang - Recipe markup language in ~tech

    shale
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    This is a really cool DSL! I'm not sure this is something I would use regularly, but I am fascinated by this and love the concept as a casual cooking enthusiast.

    This is a really cool DSL! I'm not sure this is something I would use regularly, but I am fascinated by this and love the concept as a casual cooking enthusiast.

  10. Comment on The Password Game in ~tech

    shale
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    I overfed Paul while looking for the video and was so sad. I played on mobile, as well, but couldn't get the video URL in a feasible amount of time. That rule specifically would be a lot simpler...

    I overfed Paul while looking for the video and was so sad. I played on mobile, as well, but couldn't get the video URL in a feasible amount of time. That rule specifically would be a lot simpler when using a PC browser.

    2 votes

  11. Comment on The Password Game in ~tech

    shale
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    I thought I was so clever, but Paul was too powerful for me while playing on mobile. I made it to either rule 23 or 24 and (Spoiler) overfed him with caterpillar emojis while looking for an URL of...

    I thought I was so clever, but Paul was too powerful for me while playing on mobile. I made it to either rule 23 or 24 and (Spoiler)

    overfed him with caterpillar emojis while looking for an URL of a 17 minute 23 second YouTube video.

    1 vote