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Showing posts from April, 2023

The Demon Slayer Upper Moon One's Face is Finally Revealed

 Demon Slayer has captivated audiences with its stunning visuals, gripping storytelling, and unforgettable characters. In the world of Demon Slayer, the titular group has been fighting a high-stakes battle for centuries. Their nemeses, the demons, are leagues above them almost in every way, most especially battle prowess. Other than the main antagonist of the franchise, the most fearsome and formidable among the demons are called the Upper Moons. Despite fighting Muzan Kibutsuji for centuries, only recently have the Demon Slayers managed to take down an Upper Moon -- and only the weakest one at that. Since every demon is a spawn of Muzan, most of them are his underlings. His strongest warriors are the Twelve Demon Moons, which are further subdivided into two. The Upper Moons are the demons ranked from 1 to 6, while the Lower Moons are those ranked from 7 to 12. To become an Upper Moon, a demon must undergo a rigorous selection process and prove their worth to Muzan. This usually in...

Best Tsundere Romances Character Types in Anime

Tsundere character types in anime are usual girl characters, but their male counterparts, like Inuyasha, are nearly always beloved fan favorites. The hallmarks of a tsundere are a cold surface personality and a sincerity that they hide or only show to certain people. In a romance, tsundere characters tend to grow bashful around the person they are crushing on. Tsundere often hide their bashfulness with snark or even aggression. The moments when they slip and their softer side peeks through tend to cause much fanfare with audiences. The dual aspects of a tsundere's personality can get taxing if the writing isn't strong and their romance arcs are too drawn out, but when balanced perfectly, a tsundere makes a great love interest. Hirotaka (Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku) Hirotaka of Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku has a calm and aloof personality, especially compared to his girlfriend, Narumi, who wears her heart on her sleeve and can be impulsive. Hirotaka is more self-contained...

Naruto Uzumaki was Mostly Alone During his Childhood Years

 Naruto's titular protagonist is among the most popular anime leads of all time. His journey to becoming the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village is a tale of perseverance, dedication and friendship. However, Naruto's past was undoubtedly filled with loneliness and pain. The entire village shunned him because of the Nine-Tailed Fox that was sealed inside him at birth. Amid all the hatred and prejudice, Naruto found friends who would become his loyal companions on his journey. There has been a long-standing debate among the Naruto fandom about who his first friend truly was. Some believe it was the duo of Shikamaru and Choji, who bonded with Naruto during the Chunin Exam and have stayed with him ever since. But while those two are indeed great friends with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the reality is that Naruto's first true friend was none other than Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto's teammate and lifelong rival, Sasuke initially despised the protagonist's guts and vice versa. Still...

Yu Yu Hakush's Three Kings Saga Introduces a Cast of Demons

Yu Yu Hakusho's final part, the "Three Kings" saga, may have lacked the emotional potency and thematic depths of the brilliant "Dark Tournament" and "Chapter Black" sagas, but it did clever work by expanding Togashi's captivating and terrifying world. The greatest weakness of the story arc is the hastened conclusion brought about by Togashi's declining health. However, even with that hastened conclusion, the "Three Kings" saga opened the doors wide for various challenges and terrors. Much like in Togashi's later work, Hunter x Hunter, where he expands and elevates the scale of monsters in the world by introducing the Dark Continent, the Demon World Tournament immensely raises the bar for Yu Yu Hakusho's demons. The rate at which previously presented demons grow and the number of powerful beings that still dwarf them help the Demon World Tournament leave a memorable impression. At the end of the tournament, there is a distinct ...

To Be Hero X has dropped a mesmerizing trailer where Hero X

 The official Japanese Twitter account for To Be Hero X uploaded the short version of the concept trailer on their social media platform. If viewers can't sit down for the long version, which runs for six minutes, they can still get their appetite sated with the short version.  The minute-and-half trailer throws viewers straight into the action, with the black-haired man in a suit instantly transforming into his white-haired alter-ego to fight a villain who can clone himself. The trailer highlights the snazzy and smooth transitions from 2D to 3D animation before announcing an exciting competition. The long version of the trailer includes an extended play of the fight scene and a longer introduction that features the hero known only by a single letter, X, rushing to a meeting before coming to a halt to purchase a drink at a vending machine.  The mix of 2D and 3D animation has greatly intrigued fans, leading many to encourage the production studios to take as much time as t...

Dragon Ball GT wasn't a Great entry in the Venerable Franchise

 The word "reboot" has become ubiquitous across media, and anime is no different. Various franchises from years ago have been remade and changed from their original iterations, with the results being wildly different. This has many times improved on the source material, and such a treatment would be perfect for Dragon Ball GT. A now non-canon sequel to Dragon Ball Z, the anime-only GT was largely disliked upon release. Even though it's now been replaced with the in-continuity Dragon Ball Super, there's still a chance to redeem the original follow-up. Using better animation and improved pacing to fix its narrative failings, a reboot of Dragon Ball GT could be a grand tour indeed. Dragon Ball GT had several faults, especially given its anime pedigree. Some of this can likely be laid at the fact that franchise creator Akira Toriyama wasn't really involved all that much, whereas he wrote the manga for the show's two predecessors. Part of the issue was that the bat...

Solo Leveling has Finally Reached its Climatic Ending

 After three years, Solo Leveling, the webtoon that took the world by storm with its epic action sequences and fantastic artwork, ended with 179 chapters. A story about the journey of a weak Hunter who goes on to become the greatest of his kind in the world, Jinwoo has fought everything imaginable from knights to orcs. In this finale, he faced one of his toughest battles yet. Unwilling to allow more people to die, Jinwoo stood alone, along with his powerful shadow army, against Antares, the Monarch of Destruction. While many found the webtoon's ending to be satisfactory, it has left some fans a little conflicted -- as endings often do. Nonetheless, Solo Leveling has a legion of fans who followed Jinwoo every step of the way. Using Kamish's rune stone, Jinwoo utilized the Dragon's Fearsome Roar to lure Antares to a deserted island in Japan alone, away from everyone else. Monarch versus Monarch; shadow army versus an army of dragons. For a moment, Jinwoo was able to hold his ...

The Bleach Light Novel Reveals the Secret of Shinji's Bankai

 Some powers within the Bleach series are simply just too dangerous, too powerful or too unpredictable to be used in the presence of others. Sosuke Aizen barred Ulquiorra Cifer from releasing his Resurrección, Murciélago, under the ceiling of Los Noches, while Shunsui Kyoraku is discouraged from using his Bankai, Katen Kyokotsu: Karamatsu Shinju, due to the volatile nature of its power. However, the Bankai of Shinji Hirako is banned in the entirety of the Soul Society due to the immense danger it poses to any caught within its indiscriminate sphere. In the Can’t Fear Your Own World light novels, written by Ryogo Narita and co-written by Tite Kubo, a few details that were left unanswered in the Bleach series were explored -- one of these being Shinji’s Bankai. During the Gotei 13’s confrontation with the Tokinada Tsunayashiro, the novel's antagonist, Shinji is given the perfect opportunity to unleash his Bankai. However, due to their location and the situation Shinji finds himself i...

Coinciding With the Release of the Pokémon Horizons Anime

 According to ComicBook.com, Pocket Monster-Liko's Treasure is a tie-in with the upcoming anime series, Pokémon Horizons. Created by Kahori Orito, this manga will explore more of Liko's character as she sets out on her Pokémon journey with her starter, Sprigatito. Liko's Treasure will debut in the next issue of Shogakukan's Ciao Magazine, which comes out on May 2. After 26 years, Ash and Pikachu's story finally came to a close with the airing of "Rainbow and the Pokémon Master," the last episode of the Pokémon anime starring the famous duo. Pokémon Horizons will center on Liko and Roy, two brand-new trainers in the Pokémon universe. Like her iconic predecessor, Liko also hails from the Kanto Region. While attending a boarding school called Sekiei Academy, Liko receives Sprigatito as her starter and sets out on a journey to unravel the mystery behind a strange pendant. Starring alongside Liko is another trainer called Roy, who similarly possesses a unique P...

The Best Slice-Of-Life Anime Ranked in 2023

 There is something incredible about watching small, seemingly mundane moments from everyday life portrayed on the screen. With the recent trend of romanticizing one's life dominating social media discussions, slice-of-life anime's popularity is coming back. The best slice-of-life anime series and movies teach meaningful lessons to the audience. Unlike sci-fi or action series, slice-of-life anime feel much more down-to-earth and relatable since the characters deal with the same things as the audience. Slice-of-life anime invites viewers to live in the present, enjoy simple pleasures, and form meaningful connections with other people. Slice-of-life anime is often blended with comedy, romance, and, occasionally, magic. Updated on April 5th, 2023 by Alexandra Locke: Slice-of-life anime are among some of the most calming and poignant stories. They teach valuable lessons that pertain to real life, even if the show is full of magic. Though they are not flashy, what they lack in actio...

Like Luffy Only the Most pure-hearted One Piece Pirates

 For more than twenty years, One Piece has stood at the top of the shonen anime mountain because the series tells a beautifully detailed and emotional story that centers around Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates. Luffy's dream is to become the new Pirate King, and in order to do that, he needs to reach the island of Laugh Tale and acquire the One Piece treasure. Gol D. Roger is the only person to be universally considered the Pirate King, and he earned the title after reaching Laugh Tale. An entire generation of pirates has gone out to take the title for themselves. There are a few pirates who are worthy of becoming the next Pirate King, like Luffy and Shanks, but there are others who are definitely not worthy. To this day, many fans consider Doflamingo to be the best villain in One Piece, but that does not mean he deserves to be the next Pirate King. He is the captain of the Donquixote Pirates, and prior to becoming a Warlord of the Sea, he had amassed a bounty of 340 milli...