I now have a full time job plus a long commute, which means… more time for reading manga while half-asleep? Huh?

Anyway the last thread of this kind was in July, and since then an anime season has finished, so might as well do it again.

For me:

Manga:

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (2005): Parallel to watching the excellent adaptation, I have picked up the manga and, much like Kaiji, finished it in a concerningly short time. Koji Kumeta has a bone to pick with the world… with everything in the world. What arises is a very entertaining ruthless critique. I’m fairly sure he’s either still a leftist, or used to be one and got disappointed. However, he is also nationalistic. A political mess, mostly agreeable, sometimes dropping horrible takes - but a fantastic manga which never loses its bite no matter how many chapters you are into it. It’s also less horny than the Shaft adaptation. A+

√Paradise (1991): Being curious about Kumeta’s early work, I read this short manga of his, which is basically the Yakuza games’ cabaret club side-plot in manga form. Not too interesting, but a decent enough read. B-

Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san (2017): Nagatoro is a decent romance manga with a pretty bad beginning. It ended a few months ago, but I have caught up only recently. Not much else to say, really. B

Shiroyama to Mita-san (2021): Nice comedic romance/slice of life manga about two (mostly) uncool people. Fun, but have not finished it yet. B+

Anime:

Aa-Megami Sama (2005): I had read a large chunk of the manga before, and it’s just as fun as I remembered it being. The romance stuff isn’t too strong, but the hijinks are fun. The source material being from the 80s means that many of the usual tropes didn’t exist yet… or were being invented. A-

Fullmetal Alchemist (2003): Almost done with this show, it’s been really good overall. Strong characters and storytelling, and the anime original plot… I can clearly see why it’s controversial, but I like it. Good show. A

Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! (2024): The only seasonal I didn’t drop. Story-wise very conventional, but the character writing was good. Anna Yanami in particular, being one of the strongest female leads in recent anime history. It had a few tone-unfitting scenes that felt tacked on for the horny audience, but overall decent show. B

Western Animation

The Owl House (2020): Very fun show, with some blatant inspiration from many recognizable source materials, western and Japanese. King is a king. A

  • JoeByeThen [he/him, they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
    4·
    1 month ago

    Manga

    Giant Killing - Great soccer manga, sporadic release.

    Hajime no Ippo - Classic Boxing Manga, just had its 35 year Anniversary.

    Chainsaw Man - Keeping it real

    One Punch Man - Probably could have ended it a while ago, but I’ll keep reading.

    Oshi no Ko - Started to lose me with the Brother Sister stuff, but has picked back up

    Frieren - there was a big delay and it’s started back up and I can’t remember quite what’s going on. Gotta reread the last ten chapters or so. But I was enjoying it.

    Vinland Saga - Shit getting real also feels kinda sporadic lately.

    She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat - patiently waiting for another volume.

    I need to pick up Dungeon Meshi one of these days.

    Anime

    Dead Dead Demon DEDEDEDE Destruction - completed amazing stuff, definitely recommend 9/10

    Dan da Dan - 6 episodes were leaked, AMAZING. lil ecchi in the beginning but great stuff. Reminded me of FLCL. Looking forward to the rest of the season.

    Edit: CW: general pervy-ness, SA, jokes about genitals are major plot points.

    Shikanoko - I watch an ep every once in a while. Silly, but needs to be in small doses.

    I Parry Everything - completed. funny shit! I bet I would have loved it high. It’s just predictable enough that you’re looking for the joke and it’s so satisfying when it hits.

    Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon - Completed. Someone mentioned this a while ago so I thought I would check out thinking it was gonna e a gag anime. But they play it serious for most part… amusing, but I don’t think I’d bother if there was ever a second season of it.

    Madougushi Dahliya wa Utsumukanai - completed. iseka about a girl that dies of overwork and is reborn to become an artificer. Cute, but nothing to write home about. I’m also probably not the target audience, being a middle aged dude.

    Oshi no Ko season 2 - Decent enough. Adapting the manga well. Has its moments, but…

    Ramen Akaneko - About a girl that’s the only human working at a Cat owned ramen shop. Cute. Not much else to say.

    Currently rewatching season 4 of Lower Decks. May pick up one of the shows mentioned here tonight afterwards if I’m not sleepy.