Striking art can't make up for a barebones story with little narrative or characterization to chew on.
Dec 17, 2022 • Subscribe
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Afro Samurai: Resurrection Anime Movie Review
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The Elusive Samurai GN 1-2
It's clear that the story is walking a fine line between known history and wished-for adaptation, and the plot is relatively slow-moving despite a lot happening.
Kekkon Afro Tanaka
The latest in the Afro Tanaka comedy series about the life of afro haired Hiroshi Tanaka that focuses on his life as a newly married man who is…
Centaurs GN 1
Dark historical fantasy doesn't get much better than this.
MAO GN 1
Takahashi's latest seems to borrow elements from her previous popular works, but does it add anything new to her tried and true recipe?
Life GN 1
Two decades after its initial release, Life presents a viciously recognizable picture of the social hellscape that middle and high school can be.
Tista GN 1
Before there was SPY x FAMILY there was Tista. Tatsuya Endō's first serialized work shares some themes with his latest – heroine Tista Lone is an orphan who
Helck GN 1
A human makes a play for demon king, stating he hates humankind just as much as a demon should. He just has to convince Red Vamirio, and her…
Tista GN 1
From the creator of SpyxFamily comes a difficult story, replete with themes of what we owe those who "save" us and just how much power any one person…
MonsTABOO GN 1
Take a bit of social commentary on twisted, corrupt adults, add in schoolgirls who use monsters as transformed weapons to fight them, and then throw in a game…
Dandadan GN 1
A lot of manga have bawdy humor and fail, but Dandadan manages to make it work by displaying its heart alongside its horror and humor.
Ayashimon GN 1
This volume is packed with everything from yakuza action to twisted backstories to humans against monsters. Does this manga from the creator of Hell’s Paradise manage to bring…
SINoALICE GN 1
This manga adaptation of the popular mobile game gambles on a risky decision: to deliberately confuse its readers on what's real and what's just a dream.
Higehiro GN 1
Is there actually some insightful character stuff present that looks like it can take full advantage of this arrangement? The answer is surprisingly yes for a good chunk…
Ayashimon GN 1
Most of us have probably tried it at some point. What “it” means varies, but the definition is always “something that works in my favorite story.” Whether
Barbarities GN 1
Barbarities' first volume is an interesting opening to a political BL tale. The politics and the side romance may be a little more intriguing than Joel and Adam…
Semelparous GN 1
It feels more like the book is interested in gratuitous girl-on-girl groping than in exploring or creating a relationship.
Sakamoto Days GN 1
A retired assassin finds domestic bliss and opens a convenience store, but the crime world isn't ready to let Sakamoto go.
Mame Coordinate GN 1
This manga about modeling tries to balance the glam with the less than savory aspect of the job, but is the problem really its protagonist?
Tesla Note GN 1
Because the anime adaptation made some questionable artistic choices, it's worth mentioning that the manga is much more attractive on the art front.
Otherside Picnic GN 1
Otherside Picnic creates a creepy world that gives a sense of vast, unexplored space and dangers lurking just below your line of sight.
Dark Gathering GN 1
I mean it when I say I wasn't expecting to be terrified from reading Dark Gathering. This surprise isn't a downside. That this story was able to genuinely…
Yuri Espoir GN 1
Yuri Espoir is an odd combination of froth and sadness. The way that the world seems hellbent on crushing Kokoro under the burden of false heteronormativity is undeniably…
Captain Corinth GN 1
At this point in genre saturation, a space soldier being dropped into a medieval fantasy planet feels positively revelatory.
Great Pretender GN 1
The story of the Great Pretender is one of a good person trying desperately to be a bad guy in a world where everyone is out for themselves.
Hello, Melancholic! GN 1
This is by and large an extremely familiar story – but that doesn't mean it can't be a good one if told well, and through this first volume,…
Heart Gear GN 1
Sci-fi fans will find a lot to love in this Isaac Asimov-inspired story about an artificial lifeform becoming human through its interactions with a human child
Sakura's Dedication GN 1
Despite it's title, this manga is less an aggressive pursuit and more about a guy who is very concerned about making his new girlfriend comfortable around him.
Kageki Shoujo!! GN 1
Like its heroine, Kageki Shojo!! is just getting started but shows enormous promise.
Lovely Muco! GN 1
There's a satisfying simplicity in following the life of Muco and her owner.
Kemono Jihen GN 1
Kimono Jihen is a combination of folklore, fantasy, and horror. It's got a beating heart underneath the grimness and this volume is a solid start to the series.
Seaside Stranger GN 1
It's just as much about how Shun comes to understand that he deserves to be happy and that Mio truly does love him for (rather than in spite…
Choujin X GN 1
From the same creative mind that brought us the hit manga series Tokyo Ghoul comes another rather dark outing from creator Sui Ishida. If you were a fan...
Tephlon Funk GN 1
Inspired by Cowboy Bebop and Spike Lee films, Tephlon Funk is a lot, but I think that ultimately that's a good thing.
Usotoki Rhetoric GN 1
Set in 1926, this rural detective tale follows a teen sleuth who can tell when people are lying.
Nana & Kaoru GN 1
BDSM-curious should check out Nana & Kaoru, a manga that respects the realities of its subject matter (and is pretty hot).
Rainbow Days GN 1
If the anime failed to hold your attention, you'll want to check out the source material for a much more entertaining read.
Dai Dark GN 1
From the creator of Dorohedoro comes a new series about a man, his supposedly magic bones, and the out-of-this-world characters who try to obtain them.
Shadows House GN 1
Anime viewers may get a lot more out of this introductory volume of the manga that inspired it, because if you're armed with a bit more knowledge, the…
Megaton Musashi #07 — Afro Rap
Suddenly, out of nowhere, hip hop. I'm not totally sure the deal with Lupin at the moment, though I'm on the fence about continuing anyway. It looks…
Weekly Round-Up, 23-29 March 2022: Afro Samurai Anniversary, Wage Gap Statistics, and Shoujo Recs
AniFem Round-Up If the Belt Fits: The battle for trans characters in fighting games In honor of Guilty Gear‘s Testament coming out as agender, we’re rerunning C.S. Nangland’s…
Afro Samurai, The Rising of the Shield Hero, The Twelve Kingdoms
The Elusive Samurai – Episode 1
If I were to recommend a summer premiere based on visuals alone, I'd pick this one in a heartbeat.
Samurai 8: Chapter 1 Review
Overall Rating: 8.75/10 Plot/Story: 8.5/10 Art/Design: 9/10 Characters: 8.5/10 Action/Fights: 9/10 Synopsis Hachimaru (a terminally ill, homebound child on life-support) is granted an o…
The Gymnastics Samurai – Episode 1
The Gymnastics Samurai is not quite the Dad Sports Anime it appears to be, and I don't yet know if that's a good thing or not.
Hella Chill Monsters GN 1
You'd be hard-pressed to find a book more dedicated to embodying its title than Hella Chill Monsters.
Villainess Level 99 GN 1
Reborn in another world, the joy of this story isn't in the well-worn ground it treads but rather in the villainess (or heroine?) Eumiella herself.
Show-ha Shoten! GN 1
Stephan Paul's translation largely carried what ended up being a surprisingly involved and unique underdog story involving two aspiring comedians.
Crueler Than Dead GN 1
It's hard not to wince at Crueler Than Dead's plot of a virus spreading out unchecked across the globe, forcing people to shelter away from the outside world,…
Kiruru Kill Me GN 1
it was only a matter of time before some enterprising storyteller took the phrase "God, I want her to kill me" to its ultimately literal conclusion.
Insomniacs After School GN 1
With an anime coming in April, Rebecca Silverman describes Insomniacs After School as a story less about its teen protagonists getting rest and more about how they are…