Reaper Forums Anime/Manga Discussion Thread

[CaptainPete]

So. I read all seven volumes of A Silent Voice before bed yesterday. Really played with my head but it was a good read. Deals with some very hard stuff, especially for nerds like us. I would recommend it.

[PaganMegan]

On 11/14/2021 at 1:45 AM, WhiteWulfe said:

Dare I ask what this is on, and how long it is? 

Free on VRV.

 

I think Crunchyroll has it as well, but I don't know of that's free.

 

Maybe fifteen episodes?

[Auberon]

It's been awhile, but I've started reading a few more web comics. 

 

Latna Saga: Survival of a Sword King

 

Ryu was a normal guy who had just completed his two years of mandatory military service when he was suddenly kidnapped by an otherworldly being and trapped in a hellish world.  He can leave when he reaches level 5, but the Guideline that is supposed to help him is broken.  Every time he is about to reach level 5 he returns to level 1.  Will he ever make it out, and if he does what kind of world awaits him?

 

This series just started its third season.

 

Season 1: Contains a good bit of action as well as a bit of humor.  IMO it's the reason to read the series.

Season 2: Takes a turn for the serious.  There are still bits of humor, but the main problem is that without the humor there really isn't anything to differentiate the series from any other overpowered MC story out there. That doesn't make it bad, just nothing special.

Season 3: Looks to be more of season 2.  If you make it this far you're likely in for the duration.

[Auberon]

Rise From The Rubble

 

I started reading this one a few months ago, so the opening has gotten a little fuzzy.  As I recall there was a catastrophe referred to as the starfall when monsters appeared and disrupted our current society.  However some people also obtained super powers and became known as starfall warriors.  Zuo Fan's father was one of these warriors and a national hero.  10 years ago the city they lived in was attacked by monsters, but his father was MIA during the fight and the city was destroyed.  Zuo Fan was labeled the son of a traitor, had trouble finding work, wasn't very strong, etc.  He goes on a mission with a group of people, but it is actually just a cover for the an assassination of one of the members, the daughter of a powerful family.  While trying to survive he activates the warlord system (warlord being the top class of starfall warriors) and starts to level up. 

 

And therein lies the "cheat" for this series.  So far the system hasn't done anything that would be considered impossible, it has just accelerated his growth rate to an impossible level.  Since he was a slow starter he first caught up to his early rivals, and is now years ahead of where he should be. On the balance of fighting vs. solving the mystery of why his father became a traitor, the story has so far been heavy on the fighting/leveling with little bits of plot advancement in between.  IMO this series is solidly genre appeal - if you like this type of story it will get the job done, but if you don't there is nothing to pull a reader in. 

[Auberon]

Solo Max-Level Newbie

 

Jinhyuk is one of the last players of the game Tower of Trials.  On the day he finally beats the game he decides that it is time to retire from gaming and move on.  The world has other plans, as it turns out that someone beating the game is the trigger for it to manifest in reality!  Wait, what?  *Looks over at pile of unfinished games*  So I'm saving the world from disaster by not finishing them...

 

Premise aside, my main problem with this manhwa is that I simply don't like the main character.  Humanity is given a time limit to clear each floor of the tower, and if they fail it is the end of the world.  Jinhyuk decides knowledge is power and decided to use what he knows about the game to get himself all of the best stuff. Maybe it works for readers who would do the same thing if given the chance. IMO he comes across as a selfish jerk.  Since it is the end of the world if the players fail, it would seem prudent to at least do something to improve the overall chance of survival.  He doesn't really seem concerned about anyone else though.

[CaptainPete]

Is anyone else current on the official releases of Komi Can't Communicate? Because I have feelings and thoughts.

[CaptainPete]

Rise! I command you, RISE!

So... I've picked up a few manga series since the last time I posted. Kaiju Girl Caramelise is the shojo series I never knew I needed in my life. I'm The Evil Lord Of A Intergalactic Empire now has a manga and it's fun so far. I finished Magical Girl Spec-Ops: Asuka and I think my soul is still healing... I'm debating about watching the anime but that story is so hard to experience.

Yeah. Anyone else read these?

[Zink]

Late to the discussion here but decided to post about a few decent manwha I've read lately. 

 

Rise and Shine Hero - goofy story with nudity about a young hero who needs to go on a quest to rescue a princess. In preparation he goes to get a blessing from a priestess but the only one she had left was for his umm... special equipment. Amusing story of how he uses his blessing to defeat evil and save the princess while avoiding getting married.

 

Leviathan - Waterworld style scenario where there's only a tiny bit of land left on the planet due to an alien comet impact. The comet released various leviathan creatures into the seas. Humans survive by scrounging scraps from the sea floor and fighting lots of monsters. Main character is a young boy living with his exiled widower father and little sister. When the father dies in battle the kids are rescued by a young woman harpoonist (elite monster killer) and taken to the city ship their parents were exiled from. The story continues with them tangled up in the internal politics of the ship and trying to discover more about what the leviathans are.

 

The Beginning After the End - A king from an earth similar to ours is reborn in an unfamiliar world but has all of his original memories. As he grows up he uses his knowledge to become a child prodigy (who'dve guessed?). Contains some common tropes such as dungeon clearing and levelling up but more subtle than many stories. The boy's only wish is to be able to defend his family and friends but they get dragged into a war between 2 clans of godlike creatures based on basilisks and dragons. The manwha is far from finished and the novel it's based on is still ongoing. It's been my favourite thing I've read in a long time. Hits me in all the right spots.

 

Zero Game - People who are at their breaking point in life are offered a chance to join a game. The winner will be able to change their life into anything they want. Every character has their own tragic story and they have to learn to work together to complete missions while at the same time wanting to be the overall winner. The main story revolves around a young woman and twin brothers who's shared history is what led them to the game. Story is still ongoing.

 

The Monster Duchess and Contract Princess (The Monstrous Duke's Adopted Daughter) - A young girl was raised to be a sacrifice to boost the power of her older sister. When her parents attempt to sacrifice her she is saved by her own powers which are connected to the spirits of all the other earlier sacrifices. Knowing that her parents want to attempt the sacrifice again at the next proper time she makes contact with one of the most powerful people in the empire a Duchess with a reputation of being a monster. She offers to become the the duchess' daughter exchanging her powers for her life. As the girl grows up she is involved in conflicts involving her birth family and others wanting to take control of the empire.

 

Just started reading Solo Levelling and have made a list of some others people here mentioned to look into in the future. 

[CaptainPete]

23 hours ago, Zink said:

Leviathan - Waterworld style scenario where there's only a tiny bit of land left on the planet due to an alien comet impact. The comet released various leviathan creatures into the seas. Humans survive by scrounging scraps from the sea floor and fighting lots of monsters. Main character is a young boy living with his exiled widower father and little sister. When the father dies in battle the kids are rescued by a young woman harpoonist (elite monster killer) and taken to the city ship their parents were exiled from. The story continues with them tangled up in the internal politics of the ship and trying to discover more about what the leviathans are.

I actually started reading that one. I thought the idea was interesting, but I was already reading some other dark stuff and I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep going with it. How far along are you in it?

For the Manwha I've been reading, I've been keeping up with The Baby Princess Can See Status Windows because it's cute, fun, and mostly light. It's interesting to see how the main character (who's gotten a "replay" of their life with this ability) uses their knowledge of what happened the first time around and what she learns from the "status windows" to guide situations to turn out better, usually for everyone. There's also My Daughter Is The Final Boss, which is another "replay" one, where the main character gets the chance to go back after his death and is trying to prevent his daughter from becoming an evil mage. The daughter is super cute, of course, but there's a fair amount of action, as the world has been invaded by this video game type stuff with monsters and powers and the like. The one Isekai one I like is very clearly a Shojo type story called Handmade, about an older Korean grandma who ends up as a maid before discovering she's a Creation Mage. The thing that's interesting with this one is that she's illiterate in Korean (but is able to read the world's language) and there's a book written in Korean by another Creation mage from decades or maybe centuries ago.

 

For manga, I've got the latest official translation of Komi Can't Communicate showing up today. I'm also trying to get a co-worker to watch A Silent Voice and now I kind of want to re-watch the movie or re-read the manga...

[Zink]

I finished all of the ones I mentioned. Leviathan was fairly dark but not totally depressing. The good guys make out ok. I try to alternate between things that look dark and more light hearted stuff but it's sometimes had to judge ahead of time. A couple of goofy pornwha I read took surprising turns that got me in the feelings. The bleakest thing I read was a zombie comic (not really a fan of the whole zombie apocalypse theme) that I can't remember the name of right now. It was several short stories showing how scummy people can be with a longer story about a cult involving rape, torture and murder. It actually really made me angry which doesn't happen often. The ending was more upbeat showing how 2 of the people that were hurt the most lead to possibly saving everyone. But that was a hard read and it's not on my recommended list.

 

How does the Komi Can't Communicate anime compare to the manga? I found it on netflix and stuck it on my watch list. I've mostly been reading the last few months but have been watching Farscape and Inuyasha and want to continue with Is it Ok to Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon. Need to finish watching some things.

[CaptainPete]

I haven't watched the anime, so I couldn't tell you. 😅

But, I assume that it's like most adaptations, and it doesn't get a chance to get into as much detail with the characters and plots as the mange. Keep in mind that the manga is on chapter 400+ so there's a lot more of it.

Honestly, I want it to wrap up soon and maybe do a spin off or two (Nakanaka solo series please?).

 

In other news, I'm started reading Her Majesty's Swarm manga, as I did start reading the light novels but just kind of stopped. I don't know why but maybe I'll find the manga more engaging.

[ejala]

Finished the manga adaptation of Penguindrum. Odd and somewhat confusing. I wonder if it makes more sense as an anime.

Just ordered volume 3 of the Yashahime manga from the library.  From what I've gathered by reading summaries and spoilers, it looks to  make more sense than the anime.  Definitely has differences, like not hiding who the mother is. Inuyasha may have been my gateway drug anime, but the nostalgia isn't so strong I want to watch another 50 episodes.  Time is short and I read faster than I watch.   Reading in summer also counts for bookworm.  Grand prize drawing for the adult program this year is an air fryer, which I don't really want, but the packet of coupons for finishing the challenges usually has a bogo offer for the Ren Faire. 

[aku-chan]

17 hours ago, ejala said:

Finished the manga adaptation of Penguindrum. Odd and somewhat confusing. I wonder if it makes more sense as an anime.

 

Haven't read the manga but the anime version is also pretty dang odd and confusing. Once they revealed 

Spoiler

The factory that turns lost children into shards of glass is a real place and not a metaphor,

I kinda gave up trying to figure out what the heck it was all about!

[CaptainPete]

Has anyone else stumbled across the "quiet apocalypse" genre of manga and anime? Stuff like Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou?

[aku-chan]

18 hours ago, CaptainPete said:

Has anyone else stumbled across the "quiet apocalypse" genre of manga and anime? Stuff like Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou?

 

Maybe.

I've watched Girls Last Tour, the whole thing is a pair of girls pootling about an endless, mostly empty, city on their half-track motorbike trying to survive.

It was pretty good if rather depressing.