To descend the Abyss is to abandon all that you know and love. For the sake of satiating one’s desire, they embark on a journey of no return, risking life and death solely for the goal of discovering what lies at the bottom. Just to look into the dark and find a single light, every delver makes the climb into this world that is unbearably cruel, ripping and tearing them apart, threatening their lives, and warping them in both their minds and bodies. Only the greatest and most insane of delvers will attain such heights, or rather depths, to become those known as White Whistles, those who have delved farther than any other and achieved things that no other delver possibly could. The Lord of Annihilation who destroyed any enemy that stood in her way, The Unmovable Sovereign who had unparalleled strength and retrieved a great many artifacts from the Abyss, and possibly most infamous in the story of Made in Abyss and even within the fandom of the series itself is the Lord of Dawn famous for his scientific achievements that have benefited society as a whole yet done so at the expense of all lives he deemed necessary to sacrifice.
For Bondrewd the Novel, all is worth sacrificing for the sake of progress, even that which he loves.
When I first watched Nisekoi, the series that ended up becoming my all-time favorite manga, the first thing I thought was honestly how great all of the girls are. They all were so amazing and enjoyable to watch in their own way, but of all of them, only one struck a chord with me.
Only one was who I considered best girl.
She’s nice, caring, clumsy, modest, and in general just a joy to watch. From the moment she enters the scene and every moment that she’s in, there’s something about her that draws my attention towards her, and it seems it’s not just me. Even in-universe, Onodera is referred to as the goddess of the class, so pure and innocent that everyone who sees her desires her yet also wants to protect her. She’s shy yet willing to do whatever she can to help a friend and tries as hard as she can when put to the test. She’s possibly, and most likely intentionally, presented to us as the perfect waifu…and that’s the problem.
And in Nisekoi, this story of girls fighting to grab the heart of the one they love by challenging that which holds them back, Onodera Kosaki’s story is that of a girl who was given a role to fulfill, a role that she has to learn to break out of.
In celebration of her birthday, today we’re talking about one of the most central characters to the story of Love Live! Sunshine!! as well as the sequel film Over the Rainbow: Ohara Mari! Fans of the series see Mari as that upbeat, meme spouting ball of positivity that everyone seems to love, but what I feel is a bit undersold is just how central to the series, its themes and the development and understanding of its characters she actually is. The frivolity of a school idol, of wasting one’s youth doing nothing but having fun with others that you love that is one of the foundations of Love Live’s story lies at the core of Mari’s struggle, because for her who had so many expectations placed upon her, she found freedom in this world that she was introduced to by her friends. Arguably hers is a story of tragedy and reconnecting that lies beneath that bright surface, and in order to understand anything about Aqours or even Love Live! Sunshine!! itself, I feel it is vital to understand who she is and what her struggle poses to the world of Love Live! So on the birthday of Uranohoshi’s chairwoman and the ninth member of Aqours, let’s celebrate that girl whose life was forever changed by the wings of freedom that are school idols.
This is Ohara Mari, the girl who struggled against all odds to show her shine to the world.
My Hero Academia is a series with a lot of memorable moments, but easily the best moment to come out of the whole series came from Season 4 during the School Festival Arc, because the performance of Hero Too is a moment that gets me emotional every single time. But why is that?
Today I talk about some anime concert scenes that I believe highlight just why these sorts of scenes always end up being some of my favorites: Love Live! School Idol Project and μ’s performance of START;DASH, Your lie in April and Arima Kousei’s performance of Love’s Sorrow in episode 13, and of course, Class 1-A’s performance of Hero Too in episode 23 of Season 4!
Does Uraraka from Boku no Hero Academia do something different from the rest of the Shounen crowd? No, but I might as well tell you why.
Gatekeeping has become prominent in the discussion of fandom and especially the anime community as of late, with many fans arguing over who deserves and who doesn’t deserve to be an anime fan. Is it good? Is it bad? Or is the discussion far more nuanced than just that?
Emotion. Defined as “a conscious mental reaction (such as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body.” That’s what it means as far as pure definition is but as we all know, there’s no such logic that typically…
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The Byakugan is one of the most regarded Dojutsu in the world of Naruto, passed down through the Hyūga clan and the reason why they became as renowned as they are. Its power and regard lies in its ability to see through anything, even down to the invisible chakra paths within every person. It’s in that ability that the Hyūga became so renowned…and through that power that they, ironically, became blind to the power of the individual, defining everyone by the labels of powerful and weak, gifted and worthless, genius and failure…main family and branch.
This is Hinata Hyūga, a girl who proved these labels to be wrong and that she was capable of more than she seemed and someone who is far more important to the story of Naruto than you would think.
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! was one of the most talked about anime of the Winter 2020 anime season, and it’s no wonder why. From its interesting and relatable subject matter, to its stylish opening, the fun and lovable cast and the prestige of Masaaki Yuasa’s name, this show was able to touch the hearts of people everywhere, yet despite all of the discussion and all of the love and inspiration that this show was able to give people, it seems that there is still a part of the discussion that hasn’t been touched. Because, while everybody loves to talk about the subject of passion, no one seems to give attention to the other half of Eizouken’s thematic core, shown within the character of Kanamori.
Eizouken is more than just a story of passion, and its lesson is something all creators need to learn.
For many, Nisekoi is just your average romcom harem series. Some may even argue that it has no worth at all, but what many fail to see is just how much Nisekoi is trying to say.
I think it’s time for me to give justice to my favorite manga of all time, first with a video on how it explores the nature of love.
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