What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga)

Okay, some titles which I liked based on their first episodes from new [winter] season for now.

• Yūsha-kei ni Shosu

  Dark fantasy (and probably adventure), where hero is also forced work as punishment (thus partly reminds 86). Very good animation and style, it reminds me the first season [I didnʼt watch newer] of Mushoku Tensē, but with darker gamma; just in case, there're different studios.

  I also like how [most] monsters are created here: they're just really mutated real animals (how about a mutated snail?). There were trolls too, but I guess/hope, they're mutated monkeys or humans.

• Shibou Yuugi de Meshi o Kuu

  Very aesthetic anime, maybe the most in this season. From the same director and studio as from Gimai Seikatsu (a different source author tho). Basically CGDCT a death/high stakes game as American movie series Saw (literally, there were a room with saws), Korean serial Squid Game, anime Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor and so on.

• Arne no Jikenbo

  Maybe I won't like this in future, because of storytelling: episodical + supernatural + detective. Sometimes I like it, for an example Undead Farce Murder, but it has not only episodical theme, and there were very good chemistry between characters, which isn't case here (at least for now). But for sure, it has a very good the first episode.

• Ikoku Nikki

  Good animation and direction (maybe it was in original source, but I usually don't read any). For an example I liked turning lines from a note to desert. Also I usually like slice-of-life [in this case, itʼs with depression or sad direction], so I pick it anyway, and can recommend [for now] it to other too.

• Darwin Jihen

  By many aspects it reminds Banana Fish: animation / style (a director / a studio aren't the same tho), locations (the US), some components (brutality, criminal and so on) etc; for sure, not for BL. By topics it closer to Tarzan, but instead a person which was rosen between monkey, we have a monkey-human from a monkey; and less non-comedy. To additional we have PETA, but as a terrorist organization. The first episode was not bad.

To be fair, there're more titles I liked, but they still need additional checks, and for now those are for sure the best, and mostly would be watched by me in the future. From the previous season I still watch Gnosia, Tōjima Tanzaburou wa Kamen Rider ni Naritai — those I also can recommend, espesially the former; and Monster Strike Deadverse Reloaded — cann't recommend, but I watch just for no reason.

Among old animes, I watched HenSemi (BD version, so less censorship): about pervents and pervented topic under psychology topics, an episode is half-shorted — ~10 min, thus it was easily to watch at once. I liked it in general, but, obviously, itʼs not for anyone.

Ghost Hunt

Adaptation of the Akuryou series of novels by Ono Fuyumi, who also wrote the excellent Jyuuni Kokuki. Unfortunately, this isn't nearly as good.

Although it's technically a horror show, the premise is more that the protagonists show up with a bunch of equipment and try to work out what the problem is (just like in The Conjuring movies), and then if it turns out to be a ghost, they work out how to deal with it. However, given the protagonists are constantly hanging out with a gang of exorcists of various denominations, it's not particularly horrifying even when it does turn out to be a ghost.

The story is very slowly paced, with each arc taking about 3 episodes to resolve regardless of how complex the underlying issue actually is. Apparently the TV series made some major changes to the source material, so I'm not sure whether to blame this on the novels or the show, but either way, it feels like it would have worked better if it was edited down to 13 episodes rather than 25.

Hibi wa Sugiredo, Meshi Umashi

I dropped this after the first episode in the season it aired (which was stacked with a bunch of other good shows), but picked it up again after being struck with a sudden craving for some easy viewing slice of life (possibly related to having to return to work this week).

The animation is pretty janky by PA Works standards, and the writing / direction never hits the highs of Non Non Biyori, but it does pick up after episode 1 (which kind of does the show a disservice in that it doesn't represent its core premise) and fits the bill if you're just looking to zone out for a while and come away feeling positive about life.

Started Mob Psycho 100 manga, since I've enjoyed one punch man. The humor is very similar so far, and even trades in some similar themes (including a kinda nonchalant overpowered MC), and I'm enjoying it very much so far (partway through Vol 3). The art, being by One himself rather than Murata, is still good and serviceable, and I tend to be art/graphics blind to a large extent anyway.

I picked up all the available volumes as Kobo was having a sale for whatever reason, and I look forward to finishing them. Slightly annoying there's only one more english-translated volume left to come out in May, as it'll be weird to leave it nearly but not quite done, but alas

Couple of days ago, I felt like reading a manga about robots that I hadn't read before (this is surprisingly common for me), and as I went looking for one, I ended up on Qualia the Purple, a yuri light novel adaptation described as being about a girl who sees all humans as robots. The premise had me confused and curious, so I gave it a try.

The first thing I realized was that this is not a manga about robots at all. The second thing I realized is that it's not about that girl either, and it's about a whole load of stuff I could never possibly have expected.

It's an extremely unique work that involves a good amount of interesting quantum theory and philosophy, with a plot line that, for lack of better words, goes from 1 to 100 really quickly and then keeps going up by orders of magnitude. It intrigues you by introducing you to fascinating sci-fi concepts that had me thinking a ton on my own about the implications, then in the second half... I can't say much without spoiling it, but it goes in a wild direction. I think a comparison could be made to Land of the Lustrous in terms of the emotion evoked by the end (even if LotL is longer, newer and more fantasy).

If there's qualms to be had, there's a few plot points that made me uncomfortable :

It's not out of place with where the story goes (not shoehorned in to fulfil the author's fetish or whatever) and it doesn't take up a lot of the runtime, but it does make you see the character in a different light. Aside from that, it also gets hard to follow the extremely esoteric plot points at times, and I'm convinced the logic of them does not always check out. But the complete package remains an interesting, surreal story (and a short read). Recommend.

I coincidentally started a somewhat similar manga after finishing Qualia the Purple, that being Otherside Picnic. I'm a few arcs in and it's pretty good ; I like the different monsters and how their effects on people are depicted.

Binged Apothecary Diaries over my winter staycation.

I kept seeing it suggested on CR, but the description had me intrigued. It may have been on reddit, but somewhere described it as a mystery of the week kind of show.

I was watching the first episode and was immediately in. It gave me the same kind of vibes as the cable TV mystery of the week shows I really loved (Monk, Psych, House). Obviously this is anime and has some overarching plot. But I forgot how much I like this format.

The protagonist is really interesting. More logical as you'd expect, but caring and not cold hearted. Still a teenager, so there's growth be had.

The setting in historical China is a really good choice too. I can't speak to authenticity at all, but it feels real. It allows for some Dr. Stone-esque type of moments too.

Now I can't wait for the next season