Author Archives: dahubbz
A Trip Down Memory Lane: Manga
Today on A Trip Down Memory Lane, I will be talking about the first manga I ever read and owned. That manga was Naruto Vol 4.
I loved comic books and I loved animes. Where do these two worlds meet? In mangas. Mangas might be my favorite form of entertainment and it all started while I was in middle school.
For those of you who might not know exactly where vol 4 is in the story, it takes place when Naruto and Haku fight. I had seen the anime up to this point so I knew what was going on. Though I haven’t read much of manga since than(Yet!), I am caught up entirely on the anime. I must say, this is one of the most important story lines in the entire series. This volume is a tone setter for sure. There is a chapter entitled “The Tools Called Shinobi”. The few chapters leading up to this painted that very picture. Ninjas were just tools the villages used to carry out missions of all sizes. When a ninja could no longer preform their duties, it was to the gallows for them. If a ninja died on duty, a new ninja would take their place and the world would keep on spinning. The relationship between Zabuza and Haku demonstrated this dynamic. Haku is a weapon of war for Zabuza. When Naruto and Kakashi defeat Haku, Zabuza shows no emotion. Haku even blames himself for not being good enough.
This is also a huge scene in showing how Naruto will impact the world. He shows compassion and mercy for his enemies, which is relatively unheard of. He even gets Zabuza to a shed a tear. This whole act may seem small considering how small of a role Haku and Zabazu play after this, but I think it is huge. It’s foreshadowing that the ninja world is tired of violence and heroes will be stepping up to challenge this mentality of shonobi as tools.
The fight scenes are also great. Naruto gets a small version of the nine tails cloak. His fight with Haku is awesome, as Haku is helpless to stop Naruto. The fight between Kakashi and Zabuza in the mist is also great. Kakashi’s Fanged Vengeance Technique is awesome but the lightening blade jutsu is still one of the sickest jutsu.
This manga opened my eyes to a brand new medium, a powerful medium. Mangas can be silly, humorous, sappy, romantic, but most importantly they can be powerful! Mangas are an adventure and you will have a hard time not bonding with all the characters. The characters, the life lessons, the atmosphere, make the pay-off completely worth it.
All in all, it is a very solid manga. If you’ve never read a manga or a Naruto manga before, of course I recommend starting at the beginning, but if you are just trying to jump into some awesome action scenes with characters expressing a moral lesson bigger than themselves, than this is the perfect manga. This was the first ever manga I owned and now, some odd years later, I am still collecting mangas.
A Trip Down Memory Lane
Today we will be introducing a brand new category!
A trip down memory lane will be a monthly series where I break down my introduction to a form of entertainment. Some examples are: Mangas, Comic Books, Movies, Games.
I will talk about my first experience with them and reflect on my feelings and how they have impacted my life. I am super excited to be doing this. Tomorrow will be the first edition, so make sure to check back tomorrow!
MANGA MONDAY! The Seven Deadly Sins Vol 1
The Seven Deadly Sins is written and drawn by Nakaba Suzuki and runs through Kodansha Comics. It started its journey back in 2012.
Spoilers: Slight. This is just Volume 1 after all.
Plot: In a land named Britannia, a pretty little Kingdom gets flipped on its head when the royal military plans to overthrow its King. Elizabeth, daughter of King, flees in search of finding the legendary Seven Deadly Sins. She stumbles into a bar ran by a young boy named Meliodas and his trusty pig, Hawk. After some panels, she realizes this little boy is apart of The Seven Deadly Sins. He explains to her, they use to be a special task force for king but the Holy Knights frame the Sins for a crime and they are banished. Meliodas does not remember much and somewhere down the line gets turned into a kid. Meliodas, Hawk, and Elizabeth set out to find the remaining six. Vol 1 ends with them running into Diane, the sin of envy.
The World: The first three of the five chapters mainly center around Meliodas’s bar. Later on, they do venture to the village of Vanya where their people are being oppressed by the Holy Knights, and to the woods of the sleeping sin infested with prankster goblins. The world has not really been all explored yet but the hunt has just started as well.
Characters: Maybe I just have Dragon Ball on the brain because I have been reading so much of it, but Meliodas and Elizabeth are striking modern day versions of Kid Goku and Bulma. Meliodas is a tad bit more self-aware than Goku was at the time of Dragon ball, but they are both happy-go-lucky, super overpowered kids. They also both protect the female lead. Elizabeth is a slightly more classy version of Bulma. Both start out on a quest to find the legendary seven, enter something cool here, and end up making friends with really strong young boys. Hawk is a slightly funnier Oolong. Hawk’s timing and interactions with Meliodas seem funnier to me than Oolong did with Goku. With all that being said, the three of them do stand out in their own way and are absolutely great. Ill get into the other sins like Diane and the higher up Holy Knights like Kyle when more becomes known about them.
Recap: The plot is very action adventure like and it might not be breaking any boundaries, but it is enough to kick start this awesome journey.
Action– Has not been as much as you’d expect, but it is very solid when there is action
Romance– Very little. Diane is obsessed with Meliodas. If they play out like Kid Goku and Bulma than clearly nothing will happen( I have not read ahead so I do not know what will become of them) but Meliodas and Elizabeth have a better chance of falling in love than Goku and Bulma ever did.
Plot: As mentioned, it is solid enough to get the adventure going.
Characters: So far are wonderful. Hawk is Hilarious
The World: Has been pretty cool so far, has room to fully grow
Humor: The best part without a doubt.. The Seven Deadly Sins is very, very funny.
Verdict: The first Manga I bought that I had no idea about. My girlfriend just picked it up at random, I believe, and I read the back and just went with it. And I do not regret it for a second. It reminds me of modern day DBZ, with less martial arts and more mid-evil fantasy aspects. I basically read it in one sitting.
Score: 9.05 out of 10! Fantastic. At least read Vol 1. I think Barnes and Nobles or Books-a-Million carry it. If you can not find it there, Crunchyroll has the whole series so far I believe.
Get your copy now. Seven Deadly Sins Vol 1!
Life Update Plus More
So online classes are finally OVER! Yay for free time again. I am going to start trying to blog regularly again. I am working out a schedule that looks like this:
Next Week:
Manga Monday 8/10/2015
Top Five Friday @ Five 8/14/2015
Anime Review 8/15/2015
Week After That:
Comic Book Review 8/19/2015
Top Five Friday @ Five 8/21/2015
Anime Review 8/22/2015
Basically Top fives and anime reviews would be weekly and mangas and comic books would rotate weekly.
Sometime in August I am going to start a Once-A-Month topic that I am pretty excited for. I just have to work out how I want to do it.
I also have a twitter. @dahubbz. I plan to use it for mini updates and reviews as well as chatting with any followers and just expressing ideas. Check it out. I want to try some games and discussions whenever I get enough followers.
Lastly, I recently started playing, collecting, and watching Magic The Gathering. I build cheap decks with good synergy and I am uploading them on tappedout.net to get feedback. Would you guys be interested in me sharing deck ideas and starting discussions on here? I might end up doing it, I might not. I just wanted to see if there would be any feed back on here.
Anyway, do not be shy to start a conversation and give input and feedback. Have a Great Weekend!
Life Update
I was originally planning to do a manga Monday. This week is my last week of classes so that means two finals and a test. I am going to just focus in on my finals and finish strong. If I get to do a top five than that is awesome, if I do not, I wont be shocked. Anyway, after this I will have about a three week break before classes begin in the fall and I will try my hardest to get caught up and back into the swing of thing.
Monster Musume Recap
Monster Musume is an anime based off the manga of the same name. The manga is written by Okayado. The anime is directed by Tatsuysa Yohsihira through Lerche Studio.
Spoilers: Very minor. Monster Musume was nowhere near my anticipation list, but I had some free time and decided to watch it. We have a lot to discuss with this one.
Plot: The plot is actually cool. A huge new law was passed. The law allowed mystical species to come live with the humans. There are some conditions however. They range from very common sense ones like no human shall hurt a mystical species and vise versa. To very political ones like you shall not make love with the mystical species. Than there is the sub plot. The ever strange and dangerous love story of Kimihito Kirusu and Miia, a half human and half snake creature. Miia loves Kimihito and wants him to be her first love. However, Ms. Smith, the one who looks after Miia, stands in the way. She constantly reminds Kimihito that loving her would be the same as hurting her, which is against the law.
The Opening: This opening scene might have been the best of any summer anime. This is because it did what an opening scene is suppose to do. It establishes our characters and their motives. Kimihito understands loving Miia back would be against the laws. Miia doesn’t understand the severity of mixing species. We also see that Miia is madly in love with Kimihito. The scene also sets up the tone well. It is very much going to be about their relationship and the show is not going to shy away from sexuality, in fact, its going to embrace it. For these reasons, you know what you are going to get before the theme song even starts.
Characters: For a show about a larnia(Half snake half human) girl trying to get her host family to fall in love with her, the characters are surprising great. I actually really like both Miia and Kimihito a lot. You can totally feel for Miia. Shes in a strange new land and just wants to be loved and liked but the man she wants to love her, cant. Kimihito, even though he wasn’t suppose to be her host family, he still manned up and took her in. Plus, it would be easy for them to try to carry out an affair in privacy, the fact he doesn’t shows he does care about her. On top of that, some layers are added to them when Miia learns that humans don’t like her, but Kimihito stands up for her. My only reserve right now is that I know other girls get added later, so i am worried their relationship will not mean much later on(I have not read the manga so I have no idea how future relationships are going to work out).
The world: The world is actually surprising close to ours. Even though mythological creatures do not exist in our world, both worlds share a huge common characteristic, the fear of people who are different. Here in America, weve been struggling with equality and acceptances of others for hundreds of years, longer than that for the rest of the world. I think thats where this show shines. The humans are straight up nasty to the other species, Miia in this instance. Miia has done nothing wrong and is not a bad creature, the humans are just wicked in the way they treat her. With more creatures getting involved later, I am interested to see the world adapt to these creatures like our world has adapted to concepts we are not comfortable with.
Recap: Went in thinking this would just be a show of fanservice and cheesy romance, and it definitely has both. However, the worldly and political view of this show makes me feel like I am watching something deeper and that Kimihito and Miia will be part of a movement. The show surprising has a lot of heart and soul to it and it makes me interested in what will become of Miia and Kimihito. Lets break it down some more:
Action: Action is here surprisingly. In a world where humans and creatures do not get along, fights will ensue it seems. Romance: Clearly the bread and butter of this show. The first arc, at least, seems it will be about their relationship Plot: The plot and subplot are good. It sets up the romance and why it will be difficult to achieve.
Characters: The characters are very solid.
The World: Very cool world, cant wait to see it expand.
Humor: A surprisingly very funny show.
The Ending: The ending was nothing special but it didn’t lower my interest in seeing later episodes either.
Verdict: You got to go in with an open mind. It really isn’t just about the fanservice. They explore the world and characters quite nicely for a first episode. I was very impressed with this show, however, I see potential parts that could make or break it. If it stops exploring the world and just focuses solely on the sexual content, it could get old fast. If it explores the realm of equality and what true love is, I think it could be a great show. Only time will tell what direction it takes.
Gate Recap
Gate is an anime based off the light novel of the same name written by Takumi Yanai and Illustrated by Daisuke Izuka
Kurojishi. The anime is directed Takahiko Kyogoku and ran through A-1 Pictures
Gate received an honorable mention on my most anticipated list. I think this might be a hidden gem.
Spoilers: Only minor spoilers dealing
with episode one.
Plot: A gate opens in Ginza, Japan. Monsters and soldiers come rushing out and attacking the citizens. The JSDF have way more advanced weaponry and fight back. Itami is an adult male who is on his way to a convention to buy items to fuel his fantasy addiction. That faithful day, the city is attacked and Itami helps save hundreds of lives. He is later promoted to second Lieutenant and is upon the soldiers that get sent into the gate to investigate the new world.
Characters: Itami is really the only main character explored, though we are introduced to two other soldiers, one who shares an interest in the fantasy world like Itami. Right now Itami is kind of forgettable as far as main characters go, but I think Ill really like Itami later on for some reason. In later episodes we will be introduced to mythical creatures like elves and such.
The World: Could be my favorite part. So far, episode one took place in Japan. The ending had soldiers going into the gate to see whats on the other side. And its the worst(and maybe the best) thing, it ended with the military just crossing over. so the audience caught just enough of a glimpse of the landscape in the distant and the charging number of forces the opposition had. The world seems like its going to be fleshed out very soon. Which, of course, has me excited.
Recap: Episode one is a set up episode. While there is action and character introduction, and some exposition, don’t expect anything too dramatic from this episode. I think this episode ended greatly and has a bright future. I still haven’t seen gangsta or God Eater, but this show went from an honorable mention of summer anime for me, to possibly my number two pick. Lets give it a closer look:
Action: Plenty. None of it important so far though. I am sure there will be more.
Romance: None that I recall. As we get introduced to later characters, we will see if anything blooms.
Story: Good so far. It sets up a new mystical world.
Characters: Not a strong point so far. I am not crazy about Itami but there is still a lot of time left for him to grow.
The World: The aspect I am most looking forward to. It should be fun to watch it develop.
Humor: Definitely not the funniest to me. But we’re about to be exposed to a world of new characters that could spice up the humor.
The Ending: Great ending! Maybe the best of any summer anime. It had me ready for episode 2 for sure.
Verdict: I have a feeling it is not for everyone. The characters so far aren’t that memorable and its not the funniest show, but the world seems like it has so much potential. Maybe I am over hyping it. I do believe it has to time to develop into a solid summer anime.
July Update
Couple of things to announce:
1- The reason I am doing this update is because I am going on vacation for two weeks. I do not know how things will go over the two weeks. I could have a lot of free time and post often. I could have no free time at all, and post very little. Or of course, I could averagely. I will be balancing school work and hanging out with the friend I am going with, so I have no idea how much time I can put towards the blog.
2- I will try my hardest to upload two more reviews of episodes before Sunday.
3- I got a few more mangas, so manga Monday will be back on once I get back.
4- I came up with a new topic to talk about that I want to start once I get back.
5- This will be replacing the top 5 for this week. I will try hard for one next week, but no promises.
Have a great weekend guys!
Ushio and Tora
Ushio and Tora is an anime based of the manga with the same name written by Kazuhiro Fujita. The anime is directed by Satoshi Nishimura and ran through MAPPA studio.
This series ranked two on my most anticipated anime of the summer. In short, it lived up it.
Spoilers: Minor spoilers just involving the first episode.
Plot: Ushio is a young boy who is left to look after his dad’s temple while he is away. Upon cleaning, he falls into a basement where he meets a demon trapped by the beast spear, the one his dad had been telling him about. Here in the basement with the exchanging of dialogue between the two, I knew I was going to love this anime. An unlikely of bonds is formed when Ushio must unleash the demon to save his friends. The two will now attempt to work as a team to stop the remaining demons Tora’s demonic aura attracts.
Characters:My favorite part of the anime. I will just be talking about the two title characters. Ushio is a lovable main character. He is very funny, loves his friends, and is actually quite fierce. He never truly seems scared of Tora. In fact, he quickly takes control of him. Tora is hilarious for an “evil spirit turned good guy by force” character. I am absolutely amused by their dynamic together and can’t wait to see them grow has demon hunters.
The World: It is pretty standard. The fantasy aspect of it comes from Tora’s aura attracting evil spirits.
Recap: My favorite anime so far, I wish it was already done so I could just watch all the episodes at once. Watch this anime if you’re into action anime with comedy. Lets break it down by category:
Action: There wasn’t action until about 20 minutes into it, but that’s okay. It was awesome and I know future episodes will have great action as well.
Romance: You get the sense of love triangle between Ushio, Nakamaru, and Inoue. I haven’t read the manga so I don’t know what develops but my money is on Ushio and Nakamaru.
Story: The story may not be groundbreaking but I’m definitely into it and sets up for an awesome story.
Characters: Ushio and Tora alone are awesome. I hope Nakamaru and Inoue play larger parts in later episodes.
The World: As mentioned, the world doesn’t seem any different from your average anime other the fact there are demons on the loose.
Humor: Hilarious anime. It doesn’t just rely on them two bouncing off each other. Ushio is pretty funny by himself and when he is around Nakamaru they’re funny as well. Definitely a strong point.
The Ending: Maybe the best ending I’ve seen from the summer animes. It ends on a high note and has me so beyond pumped for episode two.
Verdict: Anybody who loves a great action show with funny characters to go with it needs to watch this. It has been my favorite summer anime. Go watch it.
Charlotte Recap
Charlotte is a new summer anime written by Jun Maeda and directed by Yoshiyuki Asai and runs through P.A. Works Studio.
I gave Charlotte an honorable mention on my anticipation list of summer animes. I decided to give it a watch.
Spoilers: Much like Rokka, and probably most of these episode one reviews, there will not be any major spoilers involving the series but of course we will be recapping the events.
Plot: A boy named Yu Otosaka has a weird power, he can use Ino’s mind transfer jutsu for five seconds to take control of someone. What he does with this power vary, if its a girl, he will “check” them out, if its a guy, he will inflict pain on wrong doers, but the biggest emphasis they make is him using his powers to cheat on tests. Two agents of a very special school are sent to catch Yu in the act. They recruit him to join the school to help bust people who abuse their powers.
Setting: The setting is Hoshinoumi Academy, Xavier’s school for the gifted(Just kidding but same premise). We haven’t even seen the school, I assume we will see it by episode two. So far, the setting has been Yu’s school and Yu’s house. I can’t comment on the setting but I do want to see what this school has waiting.
Characters: While I think Yu’s sister will play a role in future episodes, I will just be looking at the three characters with super powers. First, Yu. Yu, as I mentioned, can take control of peoples mind for five seconds. There are two major catches to this power. For starters, he has to be able to see them. This limits who he can control. Secondly, he also inflicts damage to himself from hitting his head on varies objects. I do not feel strongly towards Yu. He is a liar and a cheat and designed to be that way. The ending did put him in a position to be more likable moving forward, but so far, I am not a fan. Next, Takajo. I liked Takajo. I feel he could fall into the role of comedic relief, but I think he will be a fun character. He moves super fast giving him the power to seemingly teleport but he cant control where he stops so he runs into a lot of things causing him to be hospitalized countless times. Lastly, Tomori. She has the power to hide herself from a single persons visual recognition. She was recording Yu and is the one to bust him as well. I like her personality. I think the three of them will blend into a real fun group down the road.
Recap: Awesome anime. Definitely worth the first viewing. The first half was great, adventure packed, and hilarious. It kind of slows down after the first half. It ties up some loose ends such as Yu and his love interest and Yu and his sister moving. Lets break it down by categories:
Action: Did not rely on action to carry it. The most action is Yu getting beat up by Tomori.
Romance: I was actual interested in Yu and Yumi. Unfortunately, they killed it off so we will see if Tomori and Yu become something.
Story: I’ve already made the joke that this is X men with less powerful mutants, but that is what it seems to be. I’m into it nonetheless though.
Characters: A fun bunch so far and will only add more characters once we get to the school.
The world: Cannot comment on the world too much. I like the ideas of kids with super power but the world leaves a lot to figure out later.
Humor: The strongest point of this anime is the humor. Its not as funny as Amagi Brilliant Park, but it definitely will have you laughing.
The ending: Sadly, the ending was just a clean-up session. The meat of the show is in the middle. But the beginning was good enough to leave me still hyped for episode two
Verdict: A definite watch if you’re into a comedy about kids with super powers.
Da_Hubbz 