Shaman King

After a surviving a massive dip in ratings and even a cancellation, Shaman King has finally ended at 300 chapters. It was a long ride, but now that it's finally over, we can take a look at the series as a whole.

If you aren't familiar with the story, here's a synopsis from Anime News Network:

"Asakura Yoh is a shaman, a person who communicates with ghosts. He enters the Shaman Fight, for whoever wins the tournament gets to commune with the Great Spirit, God . . . that and his fiance Anna wants to be the wife of the Shaman King. Helping him are his friends Manta, Horo Horo, Ryu, and his samurai ghost partner, Amidamaru."

For those of you that wish to get into Shaman King that haven't already, you should know what you're getting into. Shaman King is a prime example of a fun little shonen series that becomes way too convoluted for it's own good. What starts out as a nice story of a lazy boy and a middle schooler complete with goofy interactions and cool fights quickly descends into the depths of dark drama and philosophical nonsense.

In the beginning, there are many awesome battles that utilize the shamans' unique way of fighting. Everyone is having fun as many enemies become friends and genuinely hilarious scenes take place. Things take a turn for the worse when the shaman tournament begins and several new and existing plot points are shoddily integrated into the story amongst all the fighting. This leads to a total negligence of the tournament while the same damn villains appear numerous times to put a stop to the protagonists' progress or outright try to kill them. Why they couldn't wait for their match in the tournament is beyond me. The whole structure of the manga pretty much collapses while stuff no one cares about ends up taking precedence over what should've been a truly badass tournament. With many fights lasting less than a chapter and a few genuinely interesting teams dropping out of the tournament, Takei has succesfully blue balled the reader out of what might've been the most interesting tournaments in Shonen.

The post-tournament is even more of a mess than the tournament itself. After the two main teams drop out, Hao's team wins the tournament, making him the next shaman king. Of course this was seemingly a well thought plan made by the protagonists so they could stop Hao while he's asleep before he becomes part of the Great Spirit. This leads to the introductions of the plants, which is a cool concept but is horribly executed. As the series got cancelled right around that part, Takei had to rush through the plant battles, limiting all of them to about a chapter. The creative battles that the series once boasted were no more as each fight was simply the characters uing their powers without any twists or unexpected techniques at all.

Ironically, I really enjoyed the final battle with Hao. It was actually extremely epic and desrving of a shonen series finale. Earth vs. the universe is an awesome idea even if it just was a metaphor. Unfortunately, the "power of love" winning the battle completely killed the mood, though it was nice to see every single character that appeared in the story make a return, even the dead ones.

So would I reccomend Shaman King? If Takei didn't wrap things up recently, I would say no, but it definitely deserves a read now that it's ended. It may not be on par with many popluar Shonen Jump series and it is an example of lost potential, but there are definitely good parts and a nice week read if you have the time.

Afro Samruai: Ressurection Gets an Emmy!

To be more precise, the art director got an Emmy. Still, this is a great achievement for the western world's opinion of the medium. Yes, it may be a project funded by American's with big Hollywood names attached, but that doesn't change the fact that it's the first Japanese animation even to receive an Emmy. While it definitely isn't as big a win as Spirited Away receiving an Oscar, it definitely shows that anime is a growing part of our culture even if it's origin is on the other side of the world.

Hero of the Week: Keiichi Maebara

This week's hero is the charismatic teenager from Hinamizawa. I could only be talking about the baseball bat wielding "magician of words", Keiichi Maebara.





















Keiichi is different from all those other heroes. Despite being the protagonist of a series plagued with supernatural occurences, the young Maebara is nothing more than a normal teenager that cherishes his friends. While his descent into madness during the question arcs is apparent, his belief in his friendship and desire to prevent more deaths leads him to actually seeing the mistakes he made in a previous universe.

Keiichi's sheer power of will lead to a surprisingly badass battle on top of the school between him and Rena. Check it out (sorry, only found the dub).



While the focus shifts off of Keiichi during the last few answer arcs, his importance is still made apparent numerous times. Without Keiichi, Rika most likely would have never found the courage to actually fight against her fate and the endless rewinds. Even if there was a lot of trial and error, Keiichi helped bring the "cursed" Hinamizawa out of the supposed eternity of 1983. He truly is a hero, albeit an unconventional one.

Heading to the Poconos, be Back Wednesday

I'm going to a condo tomorrow in the Poconos with the family, so I might not be able to make an actual post until Wednesday. Apparently there's internet there, but I might not get a chance to update anyway. If I don't, you can expect a Hero of the Week post when I get back.

Hero of the Week: Kazuma Yagami

In honor of Yamato's passing, I'd like to dedicate this Hero of the Week segment to him by using the badass wind mage from his series. I could only be talking about the protagonsit of Kaze no Stigma, Kazuma Yagami.




















As a man that cast aside his family for power, Kazuma may seem like a bad guy at first. Oh, there's no denying the moral ambiguity of his actions, but that just makes him all the more interesting. Besides, the results are definitely enjoyable. In reality, Kazuma is a classic example of the "loser" archetype gaining immense power. After entering a contract with the wind spirit lord, you could imagine what the reaction was of those that called him weak.

One unique aspect to Kazuma is his complete immunity to the "Love Hina Conundrum". I'll have a full post about this pesky stereotype, but for now I'll just summarize it in six words: Accidental perversion leads to violent girls. Whenever Kazuma finds himself in an awkward or perverted position with the female lead, Ayano, he will not submit to the stereotype and let the bitch hurt him. Oh no, he'll dodge the shit out of those fireballs and other flame related projectiles. He doesn't fuck around when it comes to violence and he won't let some bitch that isn't even 1/10th as skilled as he is get a hit in.

A "takes no shit" attitude is good and all, but what Kazuma's fights? I won't mince words here; they're friggin awesome! With his total control of wind, he rarely finds himself on the losing side. Right at the beginning of the series, the man is mostly unrivaled and still hasn't really shown the full extent of his power.

It's unfortunate that the story will never get an ending and we won't see Kazuma's full potential, but it nice to think there is a shonen (seinen?) hero that consistently outclasses his enemies. Once again, R.I.P. Takahiro Yamato.

Takahiro Yamato Passes Away Leaving Kaze no Stigma Unfinished

Kaze no Stima might not be a household name in the states (or even in Japan), but the light novel series does have a bit of a following. After all, it was popular enough to get a manga and anime adaptation. Unfortunately, the man responsible for the super powered action series has passed away. It seems Kaze no Stigma will not get the ending it deserves. My condolences go out to the friends and family.

D.Gray Man Returns...aaaaaaannnd it's on Hiatus Again

For those that don't know, Hoshino recently put out a new chapter of D.Gray Man in Akamaru Jump. You can check it out here. Of course this was essentially just a preview of the series real return in November when it moves to Jump Square. While I do feel like turning D.Gray-Man into a monthly series will only mess up the pacing even more, I am glad that it's finally returning in some form. Hopefully Hoshino will actually stay consistent with her schedule this time.

Astro Boy Trailer: Americanization or Badass Adaptation?

Up until now, all we've seen from the CG Astro Boy adaptation was a simple teaser. Well, now we have a trailer that should actually give us a pretty good idea of what to expect. Check it out.



As you can see, there is some level of Americanization. The childish puns and visual gags often seen in Pixar movies are present, which may anger some long time fans. What the fans probably don't want to admit is that Astro Boy was a kid show to begin with that's with a comedy style reliant on the same gags used in the trailer. As an adaptation, it still looks amazing and very true to the original despite a few minor nuances. I am still looking forward to the movie very much and expect it to be classic. Yes, there will be whiners, but I'm predicting fan acceptance even from some of the purists. You can catch the movie in theaters this October.

Hero of the Week: Ryunosuke Umemiya

This week brings us the 20 year old pompadour sporting shaman that hits on 15 year olds. I could probably think of a better introduction than that, but I'd say it works. I could only be talking about one character (I think); Ryunosuke Umemiya, AKA Wooden Sword Ryu.


















Originally seen as a villain delinquent, Ryu quickly becomes one of the more likable characters in Shaman King. With his optimistic attitude and desire to find his "best place", Ryu becomes a strong factor in affecting the overall morale of the group.

In addition to his great personality, Ryu is one of the more important figthers in the series. Despite not being one of the chosen 5, very few characters outclass him in strength and shaman powers. With his spirit Tokagero, he can recreate the mythcial beast, Yamato no Orochi, an 8-headed snake. Along with his sword that shoots insects, Ryu can make interesting combo attacks that make him incredibly deadly. He is an asset to Yoh's team as displayed numerous times during the shaman tournament.

While he and Faust VIII are far outclassed by the chosen 5, Ryu is not a liability by any means. Even though his role in battle dwindles by the end of the series, he acts as a mode of transportation for the group before they face the dreaded Shaman King, Hao. The group owes him their lives.

My opinion of Shaman King as a whole might be mediocre-average, but if there's one character I'll remember, Ryu will be that character. Let's hope he finds his best place.

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair

If you're a fan of Kill Bill, you probably remember chapter 3 from the first movie, an animated 8 minute sequence detailing O-Ren's past and her rise to glory as an assassin.

Well it turns out Tarantino had more plans for the anime-styled sequence. In an interview about his upcoming film "Inglourious Basterds", he talks about an elaborate followup to the clever antagonist's past, one that would show O-ren going after her father's killer.

There isn't much information as of this writing, but fans of the film series should be excited.

Darker than Black Season 2 Promo

A promo for the upcoming sequel to Darker than Black showed up on the internet recently. Being a 15 second promo, there isn't really much to it, but the animation looks top notch and what little story I've gathered from the video seems interesting. I'll definitely be watching it when October roles around. Check out the promo.

Hero of the Week: Arystar Krory

D.Gray-man may be on hold, but that won't stop us from talking about the series' naive but badass vampire exorcist. I could only be talking about the man with the blood sucking innocence, Arystar Krory.













Believed to be a villain at first, Krory is blamed for the disappearances of several villagers in a little town in Romania. After finding out his lover was the true villain, he becomes an exorcist, aiding Allen and the group on multiple occasions. As he struggles to get used to his new life as an exorcist and without the woman he loved, Eliade, we are treated with some amusing scenes all while learning of the hidden depth of the young vampire.

He also isn't too shabby in a fight. He has a surprisingly versatile fighting style. With his ability to suck the blood of the akuma as well as inject his friends with an antidote to those infected with the akuma virus. Of course this isn't all he can do as seen in his fight against Jasdevi. Take a look.



Did you just see that!? Even after being trapped by an iron maiden, he had his blood leave his body and REFORM AS A BODY OF BLOOD! Not only is that one of the most painful and badass things in the world; it's also one of the most unique powers in the history of shonen.

With D.Gray-man returning soon, I hope to see more of Krory. He may have already had his time in the spot light, but that doesn't mean the spotlight won't come back for him. Let's hope when that happens, his blood form will make another appearance.

Anime of Fall 2009

We may have more than a month left in summer, but that doesn't mean we can't be excited for the fall anime season. As usual, the list is plagued with what will most likely end up as crap, but there are a few highly anticipated titles and some possible hidden gems. Take a look.





















I've already said how excited I am for Fairy Tail finally getting an animated adaptation. The rest of the list doesn't really have anything mind blowing, but there are definitely a few shows I'll check out. Despite my overall dislike of Inuyasha, it was a part of my childhood (AKA teen years) when it appeared on Adult Swim. I'll probably watch it for the completionist in me. I'll also look into the Darker than Black sequel as I enjoyed the first one but I don't expect it to be anything special. Letter Bee and 11eyes might be cool but I'm going in with low expectations.

So yeah, Fairy Tail seems to be the highlight of the season, and personally, that's all I need. I'll have more when the season actually starts.

Beelzebub

Normally I wouldn't read a series this early in it's serialization, but I had an hour to kill so I breezed through the 23 available chapters of this action-comedy.

The premise is mostly original. The main character, Oga, finds the son of the devil king and is forced to take care of the child as a catalyst until he destroys the human race. Considering Oga's constant fighting and less than stellar attitude toward humanity, he is the perfect catalyst and isn't too shabby as a parent. Since he isn't crazy about the idea of taking care of the devil's kid, the only solution is to find someone stronger and more evil than himself. Being from a delinquent school, he has plenty of candidates to choose from, but unfortunately goes through most of them somewhat quickly. With more delinquents after him each day and him taking them down with relative ease, there's no telling if he'll ever get his wish.

Since there have only been 23 chapters, there hasn't been an epic defining arc yet nor has there been a major villain that lasted more than 3 chapters. It seems like things are heating up as a major delinquent capable of taking down hundreds has appeared but the fight hasn't started yet. With Oga gaining demonic power, there's no telling if the series will reach DBZ levels of insanity but it's definitely possible. I'll have more on the series once we get further in.