Japan – Anime

This has got to stop. Fukuchi is the worst in so many senses that it’s becoming overwhelming – he’s got what amounts to an unbeatable ability, he’s got a vampire under his control, and he’s been planning his global takeover for so long that the pieces were all in place long before anyone realized what was going on. It’s frustrating and infuriating, and now he’s about to get his grubby mitts on yet another unstoppable weapon, One Order, courtesy of The Order of the Clock Tower, Britain’s Gifted organization. It’s enough to make you sick. (Or maybe that’s the inexplicable peanut butter mochi I ate.) We’ve gone from Boswellian to plain old Orwellian in very little time.

What’s most interesting about this arc so far is the outsized role that ordinary people play. Yes, Fukuchi is a vicious bastard, and most of the fighting has been done by people with supernatural abilities. But Ranpo, if you recall, isn’t actually Gifted; he’s just very, very smart, and he’s the one running the show over at the resistance. But more immediately, Jouno has recruited a perfectly normal girl to the cause – Aya, the girl saved by Kunikida in a past storyline. Aya happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but Jouno is determined to make it the right one on both counts, and that can only work because Aya is both a child and a regular person. She also firmly believes that any agency associated with Kunikida can’t be bad, and when Jouno uses that belief (which may help protect her from The Page) to ensure that his confrontation with Fukuchi, he’s taking a risk. He’s banking on both her innocence as a child and her lack of Skill to insulate her, and when you combine those with the archetype of the wise innocent, you have the perfect person to slip through the cracks.

It’s not necessarily a good look for Jouno, who is putting a pre-teen in danger, but it’s also a gamble that should pay off. It also demonstrates how Jouno has and hasn’t changed. Fukuchi remarks that he enlisted the younger man from a criminal organization to convert him from Hunting Dog to Decay of Angels based on his…enjoyment…of pain and murder. He assumes that Jouno is so far corrupted that there’s no coming back, which is his mistake. Jouno has discovered the joys of being loved and thanked instead of being reviled, and that’s a high he can’t stop chasing – and one Fukuchi may not understand. For Fukuchi, everything is about power, and his Ability means that he never needs to worry about failure because he’s got unlimited replays. Fukuchi, in essence, doesn’t have to learn; his whole life is a lather, rinse, repeat with slightly different wash times. That may be a bigger weakness than he’s considered, much more so than his good-guy act.

We’re almost certainly in for more darkness before it finally starts to get light. Even though Fukuzawa and Ranpo are on the case and guiding the others, the Mafia is no longer a viable ally, and we don’t know what’s going on with Ango and his team. The Sky Casino might be quite literally above the corruption, which could be what the title of this and the next episode hint at, but getting there may not be easy. Right now, we have to hope that Aya is hiding somewhere safe, and the safest place may, in fact, be in the coffin with Bram. He can’t exactly lean down and bite her, after all, and it’s a surefire way to get to wherever Fukuchi is heading. And if children’s literature and fairy tales have taught me anything, it’s this: never underestimate the power of a little girl when the chips are down.

Rating:

Bungo Stray Dogs is currently streaming on
Crunchyroll.

Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.

“Kyoto × youth × tattoo battle action” manga launched in July 2022

The September issue of Kodansha‘s Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine revealed on Wednesday that manga creator duo Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou‘s Retropolis Scratch manga will end in its next chapter in the magazine’s next issue on September 8.

The duo launched the manga in Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in July 2022. Kodansha published the manga’s first compiled book volume in December 2022, and the second volume on May 9.

The “Kyoto × youth × tattoo battle action” manga centers on Tsukimichi Dōri, whose speciality is “running away.” Instead of entering high school, he runs away to Kyoto, but what awaits him is a great mystery, a mirror world where right and left are flipped. In this world, tattoo artists take place in a battle called “Bokusenkon.” Tsukimichi must now make use of his escape skills as his “best and worst” youth is about to begin.

The duo launched the “steampunk action” manga Smokin’ Parade in Kadokawa‘s Monthly Shōnen Ace magazine in August 2015, and ended the series in April 2021. Kadokawa published the 10th and final volume in July 2021. Yen Press released the manga in English.

Kataoka and Kondou launched their 13-volume Deadman Wonderland manga in Monthly Shōnen Ace in 2006, and ended the series in July 2013. Tokyopop published the first five volumes of the manga before the company shut down its North American publishing division in 2011. Viz Media later released the series in English in North America. The manga received a 12-episode television anime adaptation in 2011, and Funimation released the series in North America on DVD in 2012, and in a Blu-ray/DVD combo package in July 2014.

The duo have also worked on the Eureka Seven manga together.

Source: Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine September issue

Miyatsuki writes story, Satō draws Bokura no Natsu ga Saketeiku manga

This year’s 16th issue of Hakusensha‘s Young Animal magazine revealed on Thursday that Arata Miyatsuki (Impossibility Defense) and Kentarō Satō (Magical Girl Site) will launch a new horror suspense manga titled Bokura no Natsu ga Saketeiku (Our Summer was Torn Apart), in the magazine’s next issue on August 25. Miyatsuki is writing the story, and Satō is drawing the manga.

Satō (Magical Girl Apocalypse) launched the Magical Girl Site horror manga (image right) on the Champion Tap! manga website in July 2013, before moving it to Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine in September 2017. The manga ended in 2019 with 16 volumes. Seven Seas Entertainment released the manga in English. The manga inspired a television anime that premiered in April 2018 and ended in June 2018. The anime streamed on Amazon Prime Video outside of Japan.

Satō recently launched the Fushi to Batsu (Immortality and Punishment) manga in Akita Shoten‘s Bessatsu Shōnen Champion magazine in November 2021. Akita Shoten published the manga’s fourth compiled book volume on July 6.

Miyatsuki and Ochau recently ended their Castration: Rebirth (Kyosei Tensei) manga on January 27. Miyatsuki and Ochau launched the manga with the inaugural issue of Hakusensha‘s Young Animal Zero magazine in September 2019. The manga then moved to Young Animal in February 2020. Hakusensha published the manga’s third compiled book volume physically in June 2021. The company published the manga’s fourth and fifth volumes digitally in February 2022, October 2022, respectively. The manga’s sixth and final volume launched digitally on April 28.

Miyatsuki and Yūya Kanzaki launched their Funōhan (Impossibility Defense) manga in Shueisha‘s Grand Jump magazine in 2013. The series ended in November 2020.

The manga inspired a live-action film adaptation in February 2018, as well as a four-episode mini-series adaptation that premiered on dTV in December 2017.

Source: Young Animal issue 16

If you don’t entirely remember the months-ago release of the first half of The Seven Deadly Sins: Grudge of Edinburgh, you may want a refresher before you start watching part two. This is a single film broken into two equal (length) pieces, and there’s no mucking about when jumping into the action. It is relatively easy to piece things together, such as Tristan’s angst and Elizabeth’s curse, but for full impact, it does help to have the first film fresh in your mind.
With that said, the major reveal of the first half – that Tristan’s fairy companion is Lancelot in his fairy form (and taking after his uncle King) – is still the most significant piece of the story. Tristan’s fight against Lancelot when they were younger is at the root of his fear of his powers, and Lancelot also seems to be carrying some baggage related to the incident. Those familiar with the tropes of shōnen action series will be unsurprised by why Lancelot bears his grudge. Still, Tristan isn’t so savvy and coming to understand why Lancelot’s feelings were hurt far more than his forehead is something that he has to grow into. It’s a bit of character work that genuinely highlights the difference between the two boys: Tristan is ultimately a kind person who cares deeply about those around him. At the same time, Lancelot is more stoic, a warrior through and through, even at his young age.
While this does play into who their parents are – and it’s interesting to note that Tristan takes after his mom while Lancelot resembles his dad – it also ties into the underpinnings of Arthurian legend that The Seven Deadly Sins franchise is built on. In the tales, Tristan is a romantic hero (Tristan and Isolde), while Lancelot’s story has much more variation, painting him as romantic, chivalric, and tormented by turns. (Or, in the case of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s The Lady of Shalot, as an ass.) Tristan’s throughline here is about self-confidence and understanding his nature and that of his family, and when his parents show up to make sure that he’s okay, he’s relieved to see them, and not just because the entire journey started because of his mother’s curse. On the other hand, Lancelot is much more like a post-Grail legend version of the character, holding himself aloof and adhering to his code but ultimately withdrawing from others for his own reasons. Interestingly, the film hints at a conflict with King Arthur, taking from the Lancelot legend’s more romantic (or “romantic”) plotlines. Still, ultimately, he comes across as a driven, bitter character.
This works well for the way that the fighting plays out. Tristan is all emotions and needs Lancelot’s tactical guidance, while Lancelot needs Tristan’s openness to confront some of what he’s carrying inside. Although the fights aren’t spectacular, they are interesting, and some more marginally upsetting character designs help this; Deathpierce’s final chimeric transformation is like the world’s creepiest emojis all smushed together. Both boys have room to shine, but the focus is primarily on Tristan, with Lancelot’s support. As we watch them work together, there is a sense that Lancelot is trying very hard to hold on to his bitterness, and this carries through to the end when he makes a very different choice than Tristan upon the Sins’ arrival. All of this contributes to the idea that these films are setting up the next generation of protagonists, and it does work in that sense.
Once again, the film is animated in 3D, and although it’s far from the worst out there, it still has issues, particularly with hair, cloth, and head movements; when your theatrical presentation doesn’t compare favorably to a Nintendo Switch game, you may have a problem. It’s still better than the sound effects, which sound ripped from a fighting game. The music is fine but largely unremarkable, neither enhancing nor detracting from the story. And that story is the most substantial part of the film; even though it was split across two films (needlessly, perhaps), it does tell a good tale about what it would be like to be the child of not just a king and queen, but a king and queen who are also legendary heroes. Tristan’s fears aren’t just about his power but also about living up to his parents’ reputations. Taking on Deathpierce to save his mother is a two-fold mission: he desperately wants to save Elizabeth, but he also wants to prove that he, Tristan, is enough. While that isn’t fully resolved (which it shouldn’t be since he’s a young teen with space to grow), it is moved in a very positive direction.
There are plenty of hints at a more extraordinary story unfolding around this film. Lancelot’s apparently on a mission, goodness knows what Arthur’s up to (it doesn’t look good), and Tristan has only taken the first steps of his journey. But the story feels conclusive enough, and this is a good follow-up to the first film, with, as always, nice Arthurian bonuses for good measure.

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Let’s have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season,
based on the polls you can find in our Daily Streaming Reviews
and on the Your Score page with the latest simulcasts.

Keep in mind that these rankings are based on how people rated individual episodes of the current season, not on the overall quality or popularity of the series.
Only the titles legally streaming in North America and popular enough are being ranked, so the bottom of the list might represent ‘watchable’ rather than ‘bad’.
See the notes for further details.

Don’t forget to head over to Your Score to rate the episodes you’ve watched this week

Episode Rankings for the week of July 29-August 4

Along the actual ranking for this week’s episodes, this graph chronicles the change in position from week to week.
While some series are stable, others swing wildly in the rankings depending on the strength of each episode.
When a series has no episode for a given week, the previous week’s episode is used instead as a placeholder.
The first episode of each series is considered as part of the first week, even if it really streamed during the second week.
Click on the numbers to highlight a particular series.

Series Cumulative Ranking as of August 4

Each week’s ranking takes into account the scores given to previous weeks’ episodes.
As we reach closer to the end of the season, each series’ rank will start to solidify and we’ll get a look at the real winners and losers.
Click on the numbers to highlight a particular series.

Notes

Disclaimer: the rankings are just an average of opinions, published for entertainment and information purposes.
ANN makes no claims regarding statistical significance or invulnerability to spam.

The rankings are computed using the Schulze method,
with the variation that unrated titles are considered as abstentions instead of lower than the rated titles.
This roughly means that if, out of all people who rated both A and B, 60% preferred A, it will be ranked higher than B.

The rankings indicate relative quality (A is preferred to B), not absolute quality (B is good/bad).
While the titles are ranked from ‘best’ to ‘worst’, sometimes the difference between #1 and #10 can be very thin.
So if your favorite is near the bottom of the list, don’t take it personally.
It doesn’t mean it’s a bad show, it just means that ANN readers, on average, have preferred the ones above.

If a series has no episode for a given week, we use the rating data for the previous week’s episode in order to compute the weekly ranking.
This is not officially counted as a position in the ranking (it has no impact on the cumulative ranking), but it makes it easier to compare weeks if they each have the same number of series ranked.

It should be noted that long-running series (and sequels) have an advantage in the sense that only people who like the series are still watching it, and they are likely to give each episode a high rating.
But if such a series is going through a low-quality filler arc, the season will get low rankings that are not indicative of the true overall quality of the series.
Conversely, there are fewer people rating the show so it’s less likely to have enough votes to qualify for the ranking.

Duo appear in anime’s upcoming 19th, 20th episodes

The staff for MIX Season 2 (Mix: Meisei Story -Nidome no Natsu, Sora no Mukou e-), the Mix: Meisei Story anime’s second season, revealed on Wednesday that the anime has cast Hiroyuki Takagishi and Yūta Maeda of comedian duo Timon D as themselves in the anime. The duo will appear in the anime’s 19th and 20th episodes on August 12 and 19, respectively.

The second season premiered on April 1, with the story taking place after the summer of the first year of high school.

The anime’s returning cast members include:

Aside from Tomohiro Kamitani (episode director for A Certain Scientific Railgun, Chaos;Child) as the new director, returning staff members include:

Toshinori Watanabe directed the show’s first season.

The anime’s first season premiered in Japan in 2019, and it ran for 24 episodes. Funimation and Crunchyroll both streamed the anime as it aired with subtitles. Funimation also streamed the series with an English dub.

Crunchyroll describes the story:

A new generation steps up to the plate in a moving sequel to the 1985 baseball manga, Touch. Stepbrothers Touma and Suichirou are ace players on Meisei High School’s baseball team, and thanks to them, the team may finally have a chance at returning to nationals. But little by little, a tragic legacy unfolds as the stepbrothers follow in their fathers’ footsteps.

Mitsuru Adachi launched the manga series in Shogakukan‘s Monthly Shonen Sunday magazine in 2012.

Source: Comic Natalie