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cats with kenzou
I took a deep breath and exhaled. It was an awful sight. It was a battlefield. The worst thing I’d ever seen. My senses are all full of broken voices begging for one more second, an horizon stained with blood, the intense and metallic smell and eyes reflecting conviction. No hesitance, no commiseration. I was paralyzed. I was scared. Everyone would die… all the people I cared about. And I had no strength to save them from that destiny. So I prayed to the Devil to become powerful enough, even if I had to turn into a monster. Even if I died, it would be okay. I had so many reasons to die. . . . [I’m so scared. I’m so frightened. I’m gonna die] [“Survive”] [“I don’t want you to disappear again”] . . . I’m scared. But if I die, I won’t be able to save them. I have so many reasons to die, but now I have a reason to live. Another cup of coffee. The feeling of being at home. I have so many reasons to kill. Image from https://jacky5493.deviantart.com/art/Tokyo-Ghoul-Ken-Kaneki-483676984
Adversity and despair make you change.
14.05.24
#Mira-Marathon | Dungeon Meshi
Manga Name: Dungeon Meshi [Delicious in Dungeon] (2014); Total chapters: 122 chapters; Author: Ryoko Kui; Artist: Ryoko Kui; Publisher: Yen Press, Enterbrain; Genre/Tags: Drama, Comedy, Adventure, Supernatural, Seinen, Fantasy, Demons, Cooking, Beast People, Magic, Monsters, Elves, Brother and Sister, Magical Creatures, Dragons, Dungeons, Melee Weapons, Wizards/Mages;
"Dungeon Meshi" is a unique manga about the adventures of a group of adventurers in dungeons, combining fantasy, comedy and cooking. It attracts with its world, humor, depth of characters and interesting stories. I recommend it for fans of these genres.
My rating: 10/10
Top 10 Seinen Anime: INPO
10. Black Lagoon
9. Ai Yori Aoshi
8. Maison Ikkoku
7. Berserk
6. Hellsing Ultimate
5. Tokyo Ghoul
4. Rozen Maiden
3. Oh! My Goddess
2. Elfen Lied
1. Gankutsuou
Blue Period episode release notices from Yamaguchi Tsubasa’s Twitter
Bonus:
Jojolands Chapter 1 Review- The Mechanism
If someone had told me a few months ago that part 9 would be GTA with stands, I'm not sure if I would laugh or just dance with joy. Probably both. Jojolands is already off to a strong start with probably the best first chapter out of any part. Readers quickly get introduced to Jodio and their sibling Dragona getting accosted by police that then delves into sexual assault. Jodio doesn't tolerate this at all and he breaks out his stand to wreck some havoc. November Rain is the name of the stand and it appears that he can manipulate water to create crushing raindrops. That's a cool ability but seems way too cut and dry for a protagonist stand. It's probably just an application of its true ability.
Jodio is without a doubt the most amoral Joestar thus far. He has no issue with severely beating cops(potentially killing them), stealing cars, and selling drugs to teens. All of this establishes him as a weird alternate universe counterpart to Giorno. Jodio's ruthlessness will take some getting used to so I'm hoping he eventually gets character development that makes him more noble. He's a cool guy but very punchable at the same time. Kinda like how Johnny was at the beginning of part 7. He also seems to be very hedonistic since he wants to get rich simply for the sake of it. He's a true gangster at heart. I also want to talk about Dragona who's easily the biggest highlight of the chapter. Despite their feminine appearance, Jodio calls them his brother. Jodio monologues how Dragona has always been into women's fashion and even got injections to expand their breaststroke. This implies Dragona could possibly be trans or nonbinary. The original Japanese version doesn't even use gendered pronouns to address them but all three translations( you know a manga is hyper when three different people translate it) uses male pronouns. I feel that using gender neutral pronouns for now is the wisest decision. I'm curious to see where Dragona's gender identity will lead but then again, Araki is infamous for never elaborating on important plot points. Here's to hoping he doesn't screw them over.
Near the middle to end of the chapter we are introduced to the primary objective: stealing a 24 carat blue diamond from a Japanese tourist. To assist in this mission they are joined by Paco, a kleptomaniac with some seriously sticky fingers and an unnamed character in a wetsuit who buys drugs from Jodio. Yeah, this part has a lot going on for it. It fills me with excitement just imagining how this heist will play out. The narration implies things will go horribly wrong and piques my interest even more. It's important to not that all the stands seen thus far are non-humanoid and only Jodio was one suited for combat. This makes me believe there'll be an even lesser focus on battles than in Jojolion and will focus more on tactical espionage. It's a fun change of pace but I'm seriously missing the powerhouse stand battles we used to get. Overall, Jojolands is destined to be a captivating new installment of JoJo.
Jojolands Chapter 2 Review- The Japanese Man on Hawaii Island
This chapter has a slower pace than the previous one but still brings up some interesting tidbits that will surely be developed on. Chapter two begins with Jodio conducting a drug trade with a college girl, but he's suspicious about her true nature. Those suspicions turn out to be true when she reveals herself as an undercover cop. Jodio and Paco are busted and even more surprising is the return of two cops from the first chapter. I'm surprised Jodio didn't kill them despite how bloodlusted he was. A small piece of dialogue even implies he intentionally didn't kill them. I also find it weird they made a complete recovery in seemingly only a few days after they got brutalized so badly.
It's like everyone in Jojo has weird regeneration superpowers that never get commented on. The mustached cop is back to being the creepy bastard he is by telling Jodio how much he's looking forward to molesting him. Araki must be extra wild in this part cause this is two consecutive chapters of sexual assault right off the bat. Jodip doesn't let the cops phase him and he simply uses November Rain to wash away the drugs on hand.
We get a small scene where Jodio thinks back to the time he took a psychological evaluation at school and was diagnosed as a psychopath. This makes me extra confident he'll end up being a villain near the end of the series. Jodio is the most cold-blooded Joestar and has no remorse for what he does. His actions are even viler from a Japanese perspective which has a huge stigma against drugs. Either Jodio will realize he's a bastard and have a change of heart or go completely off the deep end. I'm excited to see either scenario play out cause it was be disappointing to have him remain the thug that he is.
Remember that crazy hotdog-loving wetsuit-wearing drug addict from before? He has a name and it's Usagi Aloha'oe. Usagi certainly stands out the most from the other characters due to his quirky yet laid-back personality and weird fashion sense( it's Jojo so that's not saying much but still). The gang travels to where the Japanese tourist lives and that's when Usagi pops out his stand: Matte Kudasai. I at first thought this was a rare Japanese song reference but it's actually from King Crimson. A King Crimson reference in an alternate universe version of Golden Wind? I'm calling it now, if Jodio doesn't turn evil then Usagi will turn out to be a traitor. I'm only half serious but it would be interesting for there to be a traitor in part when that was originally supposed to be Fugo's role. Matte Kudasai has the interesting ability of cloning an object if another person wishes for it. I love how everyone has stands perfectly suited to pulling off a heist. Even Jodio's stand can be used to wash away evidence and makes me think he'll serve as a crime scene cleaner.
At the tail end of this chapter comes quite possibly the biggest plot twist introduced in the sbr universe continuity. The Japanese tourist is none other than Rohan Kisbe! I can not exaggerate how unexpected this was. This may be an alternate universe Rohan but he looks exactly like his original universe self; something unprecedented among the other counterparts. This being the original Rohan would be even more insane yet fun. Rohan being in the new universe could explain why newer Thus spoke Rohan chapters are set in modern times despite that conflicting with part 4's setting. If that's the case, this is some Oda-level foreshadowing from Araki. I seriously hope Rohan met up with Josuke and Yasuho during the time skip. This could set them up to be heroic antagonists who face off against Jodio's gang. The drama just keeps getting better.
Jojolands Chapter 3- Search the Mansion for the Diamond!
Sorry for the lack of a review last month. I had a lot going on in my life at the time but on the bright side I get to review this chapter on my birthday! That's an awesome gift to myself.
Our chapter begins with Jodio stealthily sneaking past Rohan while he's swimming and takes a peak and a pink dark boy manuscript laying around; revealing to be quite a fan of Rohan's art. Dragona meanwhile leads the other two members through the entryway as they break in. Though their attempt to find the diamond doesn't yield any immediate results, the gang instead discovers that Rohan has been thoroughly researching volcanoes and has a room full of cooled lava in flasks. It isn't until Rohan enters the mansion that they finally find a safe. Usagi and Paco play lookout while Dragona attempts to crack open the safe with smooth operators. All seems to be going well but something is amiss.
Throughout this chapter, a mysterious stray cat has been walking around the mansion. The gang questions the identity of the cat and even Rohan doesn't know where it came from. Usagi seems to be especially curious about this feline. It was cool seeing Dragona use their expertise to open the safe and discover the diamond. It's interesting to note that a chunk of cooled lava is also there. I wonder if this could somehow be linked to the rock human or if this is a separate story arc.
Everything seems to be in the clear until an odd piece of string wraps around Paco's ankle so tightly that he bleeds before also attacking Dragona too. The two are confused but Usagi seems confident that the cat is a stand user who set up this attack. Usagi is definitely a character that is more than meets the eye. He's the one who educates the gang about the difference between a flask and a beaker and what 'A'a lava is. He isn't just some goofy drug addict. I totally see him being a trickster who fools everyone with surprising moments of intellect.
Overall, this chapter had even less action than the previous one but still raises some interesting questions.
Jojolands Chapter 4 Review- Vs Rohan Kishibe
I wasn't kidding earlier when I said part 9 is poised to be the most risque part yet. We have Jodio on the cover tying up Rohan in bondage; eager to perform any dirty deeds Araki has planned for his alter ego. Quite the zesty way to start off the chapter. All jokes aside, our chapter begins with Jodio warning the gang that Rohan is approaching them while they struggle with the mysterious string. It really must be a stand attack since even a pair of scissors isn't enough to break it. Usagi's attempts at convincing the others that the cat is a stand user falls on deaf ears and Paco brushes it off as nonsense. Paco's gonna look like a real fool if the drug addict turns out to be the smartest one in the group.
There was a funny scene where Dragona insists everyone puts on their masks and Usagi does as told… by putting on transparent fabric over his face. He is definitely shaping up to be one of the most eccentric characters in the entire series already and that's saying A LOT! It's also humourous how the gang decides to weird extremely loud and garish clothes to pull off a heist as if anybody wouldn't be able to recognize them from miles away. Then again, everyone in Jojo dresses like they just came from a Met Gala so maybe it would be a case of finding a needle in a haystack of fashionistas.
With their deft expertise, Paco and Dragona use their abilities to finally remove the words. I have a feeling this is how stand "battles" will play out for part nine. It won't be straight up fighting, but rather, characters escaping from traps and puzzles that stand between their objectives. The gang almost makes it out of the house but Rohan shows up just in time to reclaim his diamond. He incapacitates the squad with his heavens door and learns of their motives. This version of Rohan must have 20/20 vision because he was reading their bodies from a good few feet away. Dragona is the only one left standing and seems prepared to take the diamond, but it mysteriously bounces away from them. It seems like even the diamond itself is of supernatural origin. So excited to see where this leads.
