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My First Blog Post

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more.Hello everyone I am Harshit Sagar a teen with a passion for writing since this is why first post I would like to talk about what inspired me to start this blog. I really loved the content put out by the Entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk and dreamed of starting something of my own like him since the first day I followed his content but didn’t do anything about it and one day on one of his interviews he said and I quote “Ideas are shit execution is the game” and that hit me and since then I began an Instagram page to post quotes I would write but I always wanted to write in long form and so I had been developing this site and now finally it is launched and I’m grateful for each and everyone of you who took time out of their day to read my blog that’s it for now but stay tuned for more and contact me if you have any questions or want to connect with me .Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

Fate Coin – Money doesn’t remove misery

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. Hope you all are safe and healthy. This is a bit of a different comics from PTJ company and while I don’t think that its their best work, I also believe that it needs time to grow so regardless, a review is in order. MILD SPOILERS AHEAD.

The story shows MC Euijin and his friend Junhyeong living a night of luxury by spending money at an expensive hotel only they aren’t rich, the money that they are using is borrowed and they plan to commit suicide together. However before saying, Euijin asks Junhyeong to put the remainder of their money in a new cryptocurrency called “Fate Coin” which was basically a joke. However minutes before they die, the value of the coins shoot up like crazy and this begins a tale of deception and greed that will expose to us true human nature.

I feel like even after 1 story arc being completed, there haven’t been any major developments in the characters just yet but then again its way too early to judge if there are developments or not. Our MC, Euijin has a very sad backstory which shows that he is pathetic and deserves some happiness but in the end we see that he too is not immune to human greed. His friend Junhyeong who is shown to be petty and greedy despite being MC’s friend for a long time. We have Lim Ahyun, MC’s girlfriend and a character that teaches him that people can lie to you. Finally, there’s Choi Kangmok a realist in the story. He’s the mature mentor type of figure to Euijin who also has real struggles of his own to deal with.

The manhwa can be considered a story about how a real person would act if they got all this money. The manhwa talks about how human greed changes people even the ones closest to you. It shows that even with money you can be unhappy and yet also talks about how money is needed in life. The manhwa can be considered more like a social commentary with a story but it also has some funny moments while also talking about the brutal realities of the world. While there seems to be no direction that the story is going in, the manhwa still is interesting enough to make you want to read more.

Greed changes people. That is the core of this manhwa. We see many different examples of how greed changes people, people who once thought you to be a nuisance suddenly get close to you in hopes of getting some money out of you. That said, greed also changes a person, we see that MC is greedy not only for money but also wants a better life, he wants it but can’t figure out why he doesn’t have a better life even with money.

The manhwa is completed at 40 chapters and there were a lot of places to take this story to but as for now that ending is satisfactory at best. If you want a little bit of social commentary mixed in with comedy and an interesting plot that might teach you a couple of things about the dangers of crypto, this is a manhwa you should try checking out. It’s one of those things that may hit or miss.

So that is it for this post guys hope you got some value from this. Thank you guys for reading to the end hit me up on Instagram and Twitter with your thoughts and if you have any ideas on what I should write about. Stay safe from the COVID-19. Thank you again and I’ll see you all next week.

Questism – Solo Levelling in high school

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. Hope you all are safe and healthy. PTJ company doesn’t miss when they draw manhwa seriously. Mild SPOILERS ahead like usual.

The story starts off with loser Kim Su Hyun being bullied by his classmate, Choi Changdon. In his desperation and desire for revenge and a better life he screams out for a quest window to appear infront of him and it does. Learning that he can complete certain quests given to him now to grt stronger and get revenge on his bullies as well as live a normal life, Kim decides to do the quests which will start him off on a journey that not only lets him conquer his high school but also the entirety of Gangbuk. This is the story about Kim’s journey to the top and what the truth about the system that appeared infront of him actually is.

I really liked the underdog, zero to hero storyline that this manhwa does with the MC because seeing Kim Su Hyun go from being a bullied loser who is pathetic and fed up of life, all the way to, beating his bully, Choi Changdon and even further is really nice. The MC has a good sibling dynamic with his sister Kim Daeyun and I liked that because that humanizes an MC for us to relate to. There’s the bully girl Baek Chaerin who the author is playing a “will they won’t they” game with because I suspect she is an LI but at the same time she’s not contributed significantly to the story yet. There’s other characters like Yang Soha, Ko Hajun and leaders of other schools all of whom are interesting characters and yet this early in the manhwa are still a mystery.

The manhwa looks like a classic straight from the start with the MC being a loser and the using the system to get stronger. In that respect its like Solo Levelling but the way the system is so well developed and used in a high school fight setting will really impress you as well as make you wonder what could happen when these enemies are beaten. There are really cool and badass fights which is to be expected and Johan from Lookism is mentioned so maybe he’ll make an appearance. The manhwa also is really comedic with some really good art. The only flaw is that its confusing with its uncreative high school names which makes me mix up the characters at times.

Things won’t always go your way in life. That’s what this manhwa shows really well in my opinion. While its used more as comic relief we can see that the MC doesn’t actually want to fight more than he has to but the situation demands that he fight and he does that so even after getting the system its not like his life has gotten better rather the problems that he was facing have just changed.

The manhwa is ongoing at only 26 chapters released till now and the story has a lot of places to go from herr which really makes me curious about just how far they’ll take this manhwa but I know that PTJ company won’t disappoint so there’s no need to worry. If you want a classic underdog to hero story, more of a system, game styled manhwa like Solo Levelling or are just a fan of PTJ,

Tales of Greed – Moral stories that are worth a read

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. Hope you all are safe and healthy. Another one from the PTJ universe only this one is a little different so the review will be more like the one I did with Api Bungaku. Anyway there’s only a small description of events ahead so don’t worry, only a little bit of SPOILERS.

This Webtoon is very different in the fact that it’s episodic meaning that one arc contains a few characters and things they do and the next arc completely shifts to a different setting with no relevance to the first one. You could think of it like a collection of short stories which actually would be the best way to describe it. These stories are aptly titled, “Tales of Greed” because the stories are all stories of people having supernatural occurances happen around them and trying to exploit them and their greed teaches them a good lesson. While some of these are wholesome as a way of pacing the stories, most are dark and disturbing.

Since the Webtoon moves to different characters so often we don’t get to see every character in great depth but what we do see actually tells us a lot about the characters, some are simple people who want more and more from the world, the others are people tired of the world and want revenge on it. Either way we get to see their morals and values fairly quickly because of the situations that they are put in.

The Webtoon gets you sets you sucked in right from the start with it’s intense stories. The fact that it doesn’t shy away from anything makes it very good because we get to see some of the worst things that people do and them getting karma for it while also seeing some fairly disturbing things that I don’t think I should write over here. The Webtoon can be funny at times and as I said also wholesome but some of them gets scary psychological, things that if you think about, will really scare you.

The lesson is too simple, greed will lead to your downfall. In all the stories, the people who use the powers that they have been granted for hurting others or taking what isn’t theirs, lose out and have to face their karma.

The Webtoon can be considered complete at 39 chapters though the author has said that there will he more stories in the future. I have loved this short Webtoon that I binged and while it is

Manager Kim – An amazing father with an amazing story

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. Hope you all are safe and healthy. I’m jumping into the PTJ verse comics now and I’m going in with high expectations, this first one, Manager Kim did not disappoint at all. SPOILERS AHEAD.

The story shows us Senior Manager Kim, a hardworking man and a loving father. He has a young daughter named Minji in high school but he’s also an ex spy, ex special forces and a guy who has 2 units dedicated to him. He quit his job in the special forces to live together with his daughter but what happens when that daughter is taken away from him ? She’s missing and seemingly dead. Manager Kim will stop at nothing to get her back. It doesn’t matter if they’re street thugs or the Korean military themselves, what matters to Manager Kim is his daughter. This is the tale of him getting his daughter back.

I loved that this manhwa had characters that connected it to the other PTH universe comics. Of course there’s Manager Kim who has made an appearance in Lookism as well, he’s a man who is usually avoiding trouble and trying to live a simple life but when things come to his daughter, a switch is flipped and he won’t stop at anything for his daughter. His daughter Minji acts like a typical teen. She doesn’t know her father’s skill and is a brat overall. Then we have Song Hansoo, Father of Taehoon from Viral Hit (always suspected there was something about him). Also Park Jincheol, Dabin’s dad from My Life as a Loser. There are many good characters but since the story is still in only its beginning phases and its more of a thriller than a personal journey, I believe there isn’t much character development which isn’t needed.

The manhwa has an incredible story start and it manages to keep that feeling throughout the read. There’s extremely brutal fights which you would come to expect from a manhwa that is connected to Lookism. There’s also really cool spy stuff that makes you feel like a fascinated child again. I have already stated the amazing characters that are present in the manhwa. The thing that makes it so good is the gradually rising stakes as we progress through the story going from gangsters to professionals.

The manhwa gave me a simple lesson. If you have something precious then don’t stop at anything to protect it. It’s as simple as that, as much as you can, struggle to protect what’s precious to you because simply giving in is not the way but what Manager Kim also does is not pick useless fights just because he’s strong. He wants to live quietly but when there is a serious threat he doesn’t back down teaching us that its not about being tough when things are good it’s about being tough when its needed.

The manhwa is currently ongoing at 26 chapters and while I do feel that there are numerous places for the story to go from here I think that waiting and watching is the best thing to do because another PTJ universe manhwa also ended at around 40 chapters. But if you liked Mamager Kim from his appearance in Lookism or if you simply want more of the action that the PTJ universe comics present or you just want a good thrilling story, this is the manhwa for you.

My Bad Boyfriend – From romance to a thriller

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. Hope you all are safe and healthy. Another story of the Blue String universe, no connections made yet but I want to say that this story’s tag was a bit misleading, you’ll see soon enough. MILD SPOILERS AHEAD.

The story begins with school delinquent Junhyuk confessing to Yujeong Cha and asking her to date him. In the moment, being timid, Yujeong agrees to date Junhyuk. After spending time with him she realises that he is not as bad of a person as shr thought him to be but Junhyuk has secrets of his own. He’s got enemies of his own and he has a reason to date Yujeong Cha. Their past connects them both and what begins as a seemingly innocent romance between a timid girl and a well being rough guy, turns into a thriller with revelations, violence and murder coming into play. Just what are the secrets that Junhyuk holds except from being a misunderstood bad boy ? How will these secrets affect Yujeong ? That is what you’ll have to read to find out.

The characters in this manhwa at first seem to be like common characters of what you’d expect from a manhwa like this, there’s the innocent girl Yujeong who is confused by the sudden romance in her life and is trying to find out the truth behind the rumours about the bad boy Junhyuk who is a mystery of his own. There’s, Juhee Seo the best friend of Yujeong. Mieru who is Junhyuk’s friend. Seonho, Junhyuk’s other friend and interested in Juhee. While at first I thought I knew these characters, the plot developed in a way which made me feel that I didn’t know anything about these characters.

The manhwa is really funny at the start when it’s all slice of life and the art is pretty good too but the manhwa has quite a few flaws that you wouldn’t expect from a Blue String universe manhwa. The first is that the fighting in this manhwa is not like the others so consider it more dramatic than action packed. There’s quite a few slice of life and romantic moments earlier on in the series but as the series progresses we move more towards the thriller part and the romance is nearly forgotten except for serving as a plot point. While the story that develops later on is very thrilling and exciting, the first few chapters are something that you need to bear but atleast we get cute Yujeong for it.

The manhwa really just goes with the classic, don’t judge people from what they are on the outside and it’s very true and it’s not because Junhyuk is someone who’s just very kind hearted and is misunderstood as a delinquent, we truly never know about his true character until after a bit further into the plot so you should give props to this manhwa for fooling you, if you do get fooled that is.

The manhwa is currently ongoing at 46 chapters and the the translations are slow but the story seems to have reached it’s climax but I’m not sure about that. This isn’t the type of manhwa that I’d reccomend straight away like all the other Blue String universe ones, you have to be someone who likes dramatic sequences in order to like this manhwa because the action is not very good but the drama and thriller parts are absolutely amazing and can keep your attention.

Hanlim Gym – Fighting, crime and development

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. Hope you all are safe and healthy. Ever read Study Group ? If you haven’t then do make sure that you read it, it’s amazing. But if you have then you all remember Gamin’s uncle, well this is the story of that badass in high school and how he rose to be the person we saw in Study Group. As usual, mild SPOILERS ahead.

The story shows us Yeongha Jeon, the leader of his high school who was formerly bullied but once he started punching bag he realized that he was the strongest. Now at the top of the food chain, savoring his new title as the toughest guy at school, he meets his match when Suho Kang, the Champion of the PVP games, single-handedly takes down him and his crew. To earn back his honor, Yeongha decides to join the PVP games where there are no rules, only pure violence. Throughout the way he tussles with people much stronger than him and with the help of the Hanlim Gym he becomes stronger but also a better person. Will Yeongha be able to take down Suho ? This is his journey.

The characters of this manhwa are many due to the unique system of the PVP games and while that alone lets us meet lots of new characters, there are others introduced as well and Hanlim Gym does well in making us understand the characters and make them feel more human rather than one dimensional even without giving them a backstory and thise that get their own backstories, those characters are a delight of their own. We have Youngha Jeon, the MC who wants to take down his rival, Suho Kang, the champion of the PVP games. While Suho is kept as more mysterious we get to dee Youngha in much detail. There’s also Hanlim Lim, the girl on who’s name the gym is named and a really good fighter. There are other characters as well but as you know by now, I don’t like spoiling things.

The fighting is so very good, it’s on the level of Study Group with each fight being intense while also showing us what the fighter is thinking, what their strategies are and what growth they are experiencing through the fights. The action sequences are intense and well thought out because they feel like a movie if you’re imaginative enough. There’s also the fact that the system that the PVP fighting tournament implements is system and easy to understand which lets us enjoy the action. Another good thing about the manhwa is the development of Youngha from a street thug to a martial artist which includes not only an increase in strength but his mindset in which he gives up all the useless pleasures and trains only himself. The pacing can fall short at times with some fights feeling a bit too long.

The manhwa really shows us through the MC, the difference between a martial artist and a street thug. Like I said before, Yeongha not only gets stronger but also changes his mindset. He gives up the useless pursuit of alcohol and other pleasures because he wants to get stronger and that is something that we should all learn from. In order to be better we need to give up on the useless pleasures of the world and focus on our own selves.

The manhwa is currently ongoing at 113 chapters, and I’m sure we’ll be getting more and more of this story because things are getting interesting. There’s the fact that Yeongha needs to climb to reach Suho, a delinquent alliance is also moving behind the scenes and Yeongha still has to master Jeet Kun Do. Regardless if you like martial arts and some good fighting then you should check this manhwa out because with its simple plot and yet deep world, it’s an interesting manhwa.

To not die – When the victim pushes back

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. Hope you all are safe and healthy. Here’s another one from the Blue String universe. I think I’ll just read them all at this point because they’re amazing. As usual, mild SPOILERS ahead.

The story follows Im Dajun a high school student who gets bullied at school every day. On the day he decides to commit suicide, he comes across an interview on TV about a student who had murdered his classmates that bullied him. Dajun becomes inspired by what he saw and decides to take revenge as well. However, his life steered into an undesired direction. Im Dajun ends up leaving the school and after meeting a strange but strong guy on the streets he joins a Runaway Fam. Now Dajun is free from his school bullies but life on the streets is not as easy as it seems to be at first. Learning how to fight from his runaway fam with the desire to take revenge, Dajun finds out that there are much more violent people in the world than just school bullies, and his strength, will be useful in dealing with them to stay with his new family.

The characters in this manhwa are not really developed all that much after the MC. Dajun is a person who is seeking strength in order to get his revenge on an unfair world only to be met with the more brutal realities of the world. There’s the strange man he meets on the streets, Cho Hangil who takes Dajun in and teaches him how to fight because he saw potential in him. Carefree and yet cunning, he’s the leader of the runaway fam. There’s Cha Daeyeob the red-haired runaway with a specialty in Judo. There’s Kim Taek a long blue-haired runaway who knows kickboxing. Ha Sungbin, the dark blue-haired who’s a great boxer. And lastly Hong Gayong, the girl who knows wrestling. All these characters are the main cast so to speak but only Daejun gets development while the rest of the characters are just there. They are interesting and fun to watch but you cannot really connect with them.

The manhwa has really good intense and brutal fighting. That’s where it truly shines, in the fights that Daejun fights, his using street tricks and other methods to beat opponents stronger than him gives the entire manhwa a very Holyland-like vibe. The mental growth of Daejun is also shown very well as he grows from being a bullied kid with low self-esteem to someone who has confidence and doesn’t stand down in the face of wrong. The good fighting and strategies combined with the zero-to-hero storyline with the MC make for a good read however I would love to see more character development for the others in the runaway fam as well because that is where this manhwa lacks.

The manhwa shows how a bullied kid who was pushed too far by his tormentors starts down a path that is very difficult. Daejun is pushed over the limit and only then does he get brutal and fights like a madman to survive. I feel like it shows that not everyone who is living on the streets wanted to live that life but in their desperation, they committed acts from which there was no going back leaving them to find some sense of happiness in their street life as some like Daejun plan revenge due to their bitterness that they just can’t let go. I think it’s up to a person’s personal opinion to think that what Daejun did is right or wrong but what we have to remember is that this story isn’t trying to glorify the things it shows rather it shows the reality of that which we know little of while providing us some entertainment.

The manhwa is completed the first season at 66 chapters and I’m desperately waiting for the second season. While not as good as it, if you liked Holyland and want a story that is similar to that then you definitely need to read To Not Die, the story of a boy pushed too far who just wants to survive with some great action and fighting.

The world is money and power- Gambling, scheming and revenge

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. Hope you all are safe and healthy. So in case you guys didn’t know, Study Group and True Education are a part of the Blue String universe and I have managed to find out the rest of the comics in that universe and read them. This is one of them. As usual, mild SPOILERS ahead.

The story follows Gunwoo Dahn, son of a politician who has gotten invovled in a scandal, forcing Gunwoo to transfer schools but the school Gunwoo has picked is special in its own way. Mireu High used to be a school for delinquents and troublemakers but all that changed when Taekyeong heir of the Songmyung group transferred to the schools and offered the principal a deal, introducing gambling to the students to contain the violence and the system worked out with Taekyeong and his 7 friends being the top people at the school but Gunwoo is here to shake up the system. With a secret motive for wanting to take down Taekyeong, Gunwoo will do everything in his power to upturn the system, using violence where his wit and smarts fall short, we will follow Gunwoo as he takes down the corruption in Mireu High.

The characters in the manhwa are interesting. We get to see our badass MC Gunwoo who has the charm and wits to gamble in the school and take it over. He makes fasy friends with studious and serious student Hyeonmin who is also unhappy with the school system. We also get to see Gunwoo’s old friend Buddha as both of them share a unique friendship. There are other characters that are introduced and while not all of them are given very detailed backstories we know just enough to know their motivations and what kind of people they are. An example would be our MC, he’s fighting for his own justice but he doesn’t care about the others he destroys in the process. His morals are in a grey area where he’s working for what he considers good but the tactics he employs aren’t the most virtuous. The other characters are unique and have their own reasons for gambling, personal or petty.

The mind games of this manhwa are the real peaks, the gambling games are nicely set and while there are some games that are easily recognisable, some of them are new and all of them are interesting to see. The psychological aspect of the games are where the manhwa actually truly shines. The art of the manhwa is amazing as well. The manhwa adds to the realism of the whole “gambling controls everything” by showing us how the school runs on gambling with various aspects such as exams and even the snack store. There are various cool moments in the manhwa but not the kind of amazing fights you come to expect from Study Group. The manhwa might seem predictable at first but the plot twists keep the story fresh and always keeps you guessing. The manhwa is still young so I feel that it will be able to overcome its lack of backstory very soon.

The manhwa very much talks about one theme that stands at its centre and that is, “everyone only cares about their own self interest.” This is shown multiple times throughout the entire manhwa and the MC himself stands as an example of this ideology but another thing that the manhwa teaches by showing us these elite students and their gambling is that “no one is untouchable.” No matter how tough, no matter how wealthy, no matter how powerful, in the end everyone can be beaten.

The manhwa is currently ongoing at 50 chapters and is going strong with it’s plot. With its intense mind games and unpredictable plot twists and a very basic story in a completely new setting, The world is money and power is definitely worth checking out if you’re into either any of the other Blue String universe works or if you liked Kakegurui or if you’re just looking for some good story because this one has it.

Alice in Borderland – A deeply psychological death game

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. Hope you all are safe and healthy. I thought about watching the Netflix show for this one but then I just settled for the manga and it is a wild ride. MILD SPOILERS AHEAD.

The story starts off with Arisu, student who is dissatisfied with his life and spends his time with his only two friends, Chouta and Karube. One day the trio suddenly see fireworks in the sky and suddenly wake up in a seemingly post apocalyptic world. The trio explore the world and soon participate in a ‘game’ with a woman they meet which are represented in type and difficulty by playing cards. Understanding they they are in a place known as the Borderlands where they need to participate in the games to survive which if they fail means death, Arisu and his friends clear a game and get what is known as a ‘visa’ which allows them to stay in the Borderlands for a few days. If this visa expires, the player will be shot by a laser beam from the sky. Wondering about the many mysteries of the world of Borderlands and seeking an answer for what happened to them, Arisu decides to survive in this world to uncover the many many mysteries of this world.

The manga has some good character development. We see Arisu who is our main protagonist and constantly changes or evolves his goals throughout the duration of the manga as he experiences new things in the Borderlands. His character as a whole is very interesting to me because of how scared he acts just like a normal person would in that scenario and yet also manages to calm himself down and clear the games. Showing his psychology of him always chasing after a goal and then being shattered when it’s not what he thinks it is is really interesting to me. This constant destruction snd rebuilding is what causes true growth in him. There are other amazing characters as well such as Usagi, a mountain climber who becomes Arisu’s primary love interest. There are more supporting characters too but telling too much is a spoiler and you know I don’t like spoilers.

I like the games that are setup in the manga which are both variations of simple things such as Blackjack and completely new games and concepts which will make you stop and process the rules. The strategic moves and mind games are the best thing about the manga which really makes me think that this story should be seinen rather than shounen but that’s just my personal opinion. The manga manages to draw you in from the very start and keeps that interest throughout the story even when it deviates into side stories which focuses on other characters. The manga doesn’t forget these characters and develops all of them with their oen unique backstory.

The manga goes deeply psychological with one question and that is ‘Why do you live ?’ and without providing an answer for it, the manga teaches a lot of things. The manga shows that everyone has different thigs that they hold dear and different things that makes them want to live and this very theme is central to the last game of the manga and I think is something that people can reflect on and truly try to understand what their purpose is in life. The manga also dives into survivor’s guilt and a good look at that allows people to understand trauma victims just a little bit better.

The manga is finished at 93 chapters if I remember correctly with all the side stories and lots of chapters being divided into 2 parts. There is also a short sequel called Alice in Borderland Retry which is of 13 chapters and can be read if you want to see how Arisu ends up later on in life. With it’s interesting plot, many mysteries, great strategic mind games and even good action combined with it’s psychological themes, Alice in Borderland is one manga that will immediately go into your top 10.

Sakamoto Days: A rising star in the manga world

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. Hope you all are safe and healthy. I got this one from twitter as well though it was a comparison of how a certain character looked like Draken from TR but that doesn’t matter. Mild SPOILERS AHEAD.

The story tells us about the legendary assassin Taro Sakamoto who met a lady and fell in love with her. He decided to retire from the assassin world and live a normal life with his new wife even having a child. 5 years later, Sakamoto is out of shape and enjoying his life, supporting his family by running a store. One day a clairvoyant assassin Shin comes knocking on his door because a hit has been put out on Sakamoto’s head. Even though Sakamoto is out of shape he quickly and non-lethaly defeats Shin showing that the legendary assassin hasn’t gone soft. Learning that there is trouble in the assassin world with the hit on his head, Sakamoto tries to find out the truth about who placed the hit while balancing his family life at the same time.

The manga is only in it’s initial 60 chapters so it’s too early to judge the characters but I can tell you that these characters are a lot of fun. Our very own chubby assassin Taro Sakamoto who is basically a Japanese John Wick, is a fun character who has his light-hearted moments with his deadly ones. Even if it seems like we’ve seen his development that isn’t quite right because even after all these years we see that Sakamoto also has somr things to learn. There’s the clairvoyant assassin Shin who also struggles with his own issues and gets help from Sakamoto in both becoming a better assassin and becoming a better person. We also have Lu, a traid descendant who helps Sakamoto. We have all these and more characters all of whom are exciting to get to know and to see in action.

I liked the great comedy that the manga provides as nearly every chapter makes you laugh out. The characters are easy to understand and the plot though easygoing at first slowly picks up the pace and slips into a comfortable rythm atleast according to me. Though the best thing has to be the completely over the top and John Wick style action with broken buildings and stuff. The action is never boring and will always keep you entertained and wanting to read more as you progress through the story.

Though Sakamoto Days isn’t a serious manga it can teach us still and while the value of life is definitely talked about, there is something less obvious and that is comfortable in being ones self. We see this with Shin and Sakamoto both as they struggle a bit with being themselves and eventually come to terms with it.

The manga is ongoing at 60 chapters and is only in it’s first major story arc I would say. There’s a definite direction that the story is going in and it’s an interesting direction, the entire plot is interesting but I think that the main selling point of the manga has to be it’s action. The art, the story everything else is secondary in my opinion but the action is the best.

OUT – An incredible delinquent story

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. Hope you all are safe and healthy. I got this reccomendation from reddit and I was very skeptical because I thought this would just be a repeat delinquent manga but boy was I wrong. As you know by now, mild SPOILERS ahead.

The story shows is 17 year old Iguchi Tatsuya who has just been released from juvie on probation. The conditions of his probation state that he must move away from his hometown and the bad influence of his friends. He moves to West Chiba with his aunt and uncle to work in their restaurant and complete his 1 year probation. Tatusya is determined to not go back to juvie but on his first day when he goes to buy a pack of cigarettes he butts heads with a man outside the convience store and out of old habit gets into a fight. This man is Abe Kaname a 17 year old who is the Vice Head of the Kilihito gang in West Chiba. Becoming friends with Kaname, Tatsuya begins his new life as he understands how the gangs of West Chiba work and the secrets and dark past of their old generation of their gangs.

The characters in the manga seem pretty one note at first. Tatsuya is a violent man by nature who simply has fear of going back to juvie and tries to stay out of trouble. Kaname is a delinquent but he tries to be good. Atsushi the leader of Kilihito is a man who cares for his friends. But as we go deeper into the story we get to see that these characters all have their own complex and very detialed backstories. The complex backstory of the characters is perhaps the best thing about the plot, each and every character of the vast cast is fleshed out and explored as we get to see what made them who they currently are and while these backstories sometimes take us too much away from the main plot like Lookism, it’s all worth it.

The absolutely brutal fights in this manga are a delight to watch. Sometimes they get way too unrealistic but that doesn’t break the immersion that the story has you in. There is also lots of gore as we go deeper into the story as we see that more than boozoku these guys are proper gangs by bringing in weapons like knives and getting serious with stabbings and kidnappings. This isn’t a story about the honor of delinquents or anything like that, it’s more about how brutal the delinquent world is and how people survive in it. We also get to see how Yakuza pick out new recruits from anong the delinquents and how they fall deeper down the hole of being criminals. I think that the best thing about The manga is the unpredictable twists that we are often met with. There’s always a deeper plot going on, many characters doing things for their own sake and backstabbing each other. These twists make the story of OUT really complex and good to enjoy. While the story does move away from Tatsuya and moves towards Kilihito as it goes on, it still is enjoyable.

You can’t change your nature. This is directly addressed in the manga through various characters, Tatsuya himself isn’t able to change his delinquents nature and gets into trouble. Characters like Keigo also show this very well, the violent nature of his isn’t fixed and instead he falls deeper into it one can say. That is true in real life as well because changing a person’s nature is nearly impossible.

The manga is translated to chapter 197 till now and the story is nowhere near it’s end yet so I’ll be looking forward to the slow but eventual releases because I want to know more about this story. With it’s brutal combat, deep story and detailed characters, OUT is a delinquent manga of a different kind and while it’s deviation from the inital atmosphere might be a turn off to some, for those who are willing to bear it, OUT is a good manga.

Lookism anime: Stellar animation and a good adaptation.

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. You guys already know that I really like Lookism. I already posted a review and often talk about it on my Twitter so the anime obviously had me hyped and it delivered, I had my expectations low but it delivered to a hundred. LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD.

The original story is really complex and long but the anime only adapts a short part. Daniel Park is a fat, short and ugly guy who is constantly bullied by his classmate Logan Lee, desperate to get away from his life of constant bullying, Daniel asks his mom to change schools. Daniel shifts away and starts living alone in Seoul and dreads going to school fearing that he’ll be bullied again. He sleeps that night only to wake up in a much more handsome and fit body. He finds that he can switch his consciousness between two bodies. Daniel decides to go to school in his new body and with that begins his adventure at J-High. Daniel realizes how much his new body can change things for him because he’s much more handsome and robust now which leads to friendships and the realization of the discrimination in the world.

The characters aren’t very fleshed out in the anime because there are only 8 episodes and the story focuses on Daniel and his own story and journey and literally everyone else is a supporting side character that gets very little depth. There’s boxer Zack Lee (yes I will use the English localized names) a classic bully who changes by Daniel’s influence, and my favorite character Vasco, the leader of the crew Burn Knuckles he’s an airhead and wants to punish the bag guys. There’s Mira who is Zack’s love interest, Zoe who gets an instant crush on Daniel, and the quiet blonde boy Jay who is the most mysterious in the show excluding the characters in the ending. I genuinely think that Jay will bring a lot of confusion to first-time viewers but he’s not just a convenient nice guy believe me. There’s also the main highlight of this arc which is Duke, a rapper who is often put down because of his looks.

The animation is absolutely amazing even with a few CGI scenes which don’t look half bad at all. There’s mostly nostalgia that will draw in the manhwa readers which I assume will be most of the viewers of the show. For newcomers however Lookism still targets a very narrow range of people, it’s slow-paced, slice of life, and a commentary on society and how the bias against people’s looks is so deeply ingrained that people will behave differently with the absolute same person all the time. Lookism has action and it looks good, there’s more to come as well however all those who come to Lookism for solely action will be severely disappointed, there’s a really deep plot going on in the background and will be amazing however for the time being we will have happy times and that’s not something for everyone. I didn’t quite like a lot of the character designs

The lesson you can learn from this anime is definitely don’t judge people based on looks, Daniel is treated very differently in both of his bodies and that just goes to show how much people discriminate on the basis of looks, so much so that they won’t even recognize if the same person came in front of them in a different body. This body is just a covering for our soul and so judging based on that is simply not right, the same goes for animal cruelty, animals just have a different body than us but they are souls on the inside too.

The anime is 8 episodes long and it’s a decent watch you can watch it in one day and finish it. The fights are short but enjoyable, the animation is stellar and the story is pretty decent in that it fits into 8 episodes. Don’t come in expecting something amazing because of the hype of the manhwa because this is just a short part of a very short part of the entire story, there’s more to come (I personally hope that S2 drops soon). The story at the start is really slow and more of a social commentary than action and detailed story. With all that said, Lookism is an absolutely amazing entry point into a great story. I personally will rate the anime a 7/10 mostly because of the nostalgia and animation because as a stand alone it isn’t all that much.

Shinobi no Ittoki: A bad start with a great finish.

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. You guys already know that I really like Lookism. Who doesn’t love ninjas so when I saw a show about ninjas in modern day I was excited and the first few episodes left me disappointed to say the least but the story picked up so good I was amazed. LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD.

Sakuraba Ittoki is a common boy in high school who has an over protective uncle Tokisada and childhood friend Kousetsu. Having never understood why others around him were so protective of him he lives his life with his widow mother Yumika. A proposal and a date lead to an attempt on Ittoki’s life and only then does he understand that he comes from the Iga clan of ninjas and that his mother is the head of the clan. A whirlwind of events lead to Ittoki adjusting in his new life as a shinobi and to find out that his father’s death was no accident and that the politics of the Shinobi world specifically the agression by the Koga clan are all happening because of forces conspiring to claim something the Iga protects. On a journey that develops him from a young carefree boy to a true shinobi, Ittoki will take actions that will affect the entire ninja world.

Sakuraba Ittoki is a shinobi from Iga, he’s the type of main character that many people hate because he’s compassionate, his motivation is to save others and all he’s trying to do is to understand what being a ninja is. His ideology is one that will get him hate however for me I personally think that it was just incomplete. Yumika is the Iga head and Ittoki’s mother and my 2nd favourite in the series, that’s all I can say without spoiling too much. Kousetsu is a childhood friend and another Iga ninja that has secrets so deep their unmasking will leave you amazed. Tokisada Kaga, my favourite in the series, nicknamed, Tokisada of the Carnage and Tokisada the Demi god, he’s a loyal and smart shinobi who absolutely deserves his very own spinoff. There’s tons of more characters like the acting chied of Koga, Kido. Ban Suzaku, another amazing character from the Koga clan, Kirei, Ryoko and many more. The series has strong characters but they are few and I feel that the haphazardous beginning to the story could have been greatly used for character development.

The series has some pretty good animation and it only improves till the last episode, the animation also serves to make the action better and the high tech ninja stuff is impressive but also adds to the combat greatly and it truly makes the series feel like a ninja story set in modern day. Another great strength of the story was the clan politics of the series that again reinforced that the story is set in modern day. The series starts out weak and takes a very different direction from what one might expect, it manages to set the world well in those 4 bad episodes enough that everything after episode 5 is good however sitting through those 4 episodes that make the plot feel very random might not be possible for some people. The series also missed out on the heavy potential of world building that again could have been used in the first few episodes.

Someone will always have a different ideology from you and accepting that to lead a life of co existence is what the anime showed truly in my opinion because the primary conflict came from a broken ideology of a broken man and even Ittoki who stands agajnst this ideology doesn’t have an ideology that is complete and rather feels very surface level. As people we however need to be better, to understand ourselves better, so that we can see where our values lie.

The anime is 12 episodes long and has a finale that makes the entire first 4 bad episodes totally worth it. The modern day ninja series has amazing animation, cool fights and most of all hype moments even then considering the bad start and the slow pacing that could have 100% been better I’ll give the series a 7/10, it’s something that pays off only if you sit through the bad stuff.

Legend of the Northern Blade – A near flawless manhwa

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. Hope you all are safe and healthy. I got this reccomendation from twitter and I have nothing but thanks for the person who reccomended me this. As usual, mild SPOILERS ahead.

The story begins in a fantasy world where a group known as the Silent Night are causing destruction and devastation in the world. The strongest of the world at that time came together to form The Great Heavenly Alliance and in order to combat the Silent Night a group of warriors known as the Northern Heavenly Sect was formed. For years the Northern Heavenly Sect kept the Silent Night at bay but the 4th Generation sect leader known as the Great Wall of the North, Jin Kwan-Ho was betrayed by his subordinates the Great Four of the Northern Heavens. Jin Kwan-Ho committed suicide right infront of his son Jin Mu-Won while disbanding the Northern Heavenly Sect. The martial arts scrools were all taken by the Great Four of the Nothern Heavens and Jin Mu-Won, who had only been asked to study books by his father and had no martial arts was spared to live alone in the deserted Northern Heavenly Sect. This is the story of the rise of Jin Mu-Won against the conspirators and to find the truth about the world, the story of the 5th generation leader of the Nothern Heavenly Sect, the Northern Blade, Jin Mu-Won.

The characters in the manhwa might seem quite a lot at first so much so that I had to keep their names written in my notes to make sure I remembered them but soon enough we get to see that these vast characters are all developed and are integrated into the story so much that you won’t be forgetting them. The vast cast of characters all have their own little quirks and personalities and it’s fun to watch them interact with each other. The MC Jin Mu-Won is shown to be a calm and rational man but is also shown to be idealistic claiming that he wants to live his life to the fullest and would go up against the heavens for that too. There are numerous supporting cast members of the rich world that the story has and like usual I do not want to spoil too much here.

I personally cannot decide what I consider to be the greatest thing about this manhwa, the fights or the rich lore and world building. The fights are intense and with Jin Mu-Won being an overpowered MC most would think that the fights get boring but instead each fight is very different and amazing and the complimenting art style makes it a delight to look at. The lore and world building of this manhwa is also great since there are many families, fighters, sects and even a whole different measuring system just for the world. The plot itself is gripping and always does unpredictable things that keep the flow of the story moving and fresh. There’s nothing to complain about from this manga since it’s all so amazing but if there is one thing that I would have to complain about it’s how slow the story builds up in the initial 5 chapters but as we go on in the story we see that the slow buildup actually set a good pace and introduced a lot of things that would be hectic to introduce later on in the story.

People in power always want to hold onto it. That is what the manhwa shows best, the story being set in a time where things are changing we see lots of new people making a grab for power while the old ones also try to do their best to retain it. This is true in real life as we see the new powers enter and the old powers being anxious to retain their position but the story also shows how nothing lasts forever and that the old ones need to crumble soon as well.

The manhwa is currently ongoing at 119 chapters and the story has given us some pretty cool moments and developed a lot but this is only scratching the surface as we see how there is much to be known about the world and it’s secrets and how there is much for Jin to do. With its amazing fights, rich world building, vast cast of characters, gripping story and good artwork, the Legend of the Northern Blade is a near flawless manhwa.

Holyland – A fighting manga with a different theme

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. Hope you all are safe and healthy. This has to be one of the most realistic fighting manga that I’ve read. As usual, mild SPOILERS ahead.

The story follows Yuu Kamishiro, a troubled teen who was viciously bullied in school and now roams the streets at night. In these streets a new legend has begun rising, the legend of the Thug Hunter, a fighter who has been going after the thugs in the streets, beating them down. This Thug Hunter is none other than Yuu Kamishiro himself who picked up boxing from a boxing manual and now roams the streets searching for a place to belong. As he gathers attention and new fighters show up to fight Yuu, he also makes friends along the way as he creates and protects the place that he belongs in, his Holyland. A tale about searching for a sense of belonging, a tale of the night streets where violence rules supreme, this is the story of the rise of the Thug Hunter, Kamishiro Yuu.

The characters in this manga go through some extreme character development. There is a vast cast of people whose stories and reasons for being in the streets are intertwined together and explored well. There is our protagonist Yuu Kamishiro, a troubled teen who is searching for a place to belong. He is a gifted fighter who takes down his opponents in one on one matches and rises to insane levels of strength. There’s Izawa Masaki, the Charisma of the streets, a person who Yuu looks up to, both fighters share the style of boxing as their foundations. Seeing these two interact, the newbie and the pro and seeing both of them intice development in each other is really amazing. There’s Shin, who becomes Yuu’s friend, Midorikawa Shougo, a karate specialist, Mai Izawa, sister to Masaki and Yuu’s love interest. There’s even more characters and each of them play a significant role in the plot and go through their own developments.

The manga does a good job of showing realistic fights since the author clearly shows that he has experience in fights and has researched martial arts deeply. While usually in delinquent manga we see very unrealistic fights which mainly happens because these stories are fiction but Holyland discusses each martial arts deeply, every punch, every move is discussed and explained so much so that I believe that this can be used as a fighting manual but the author discourages that. Though this discussion might be boring for some, for me it was entertaining. The manga also shows the reality of stuff that happens between teens, pride and ego, bullying and seeking a place to belong, even drugs. The characterization is pretty deep and the manga even goes psychological by showing us Yuu’s as well as others’ thoughts, emotions and his own inner conflicts.

The theme of seeking a place to belong is the main theme of this manga and the author manages to bring it out beautifully in his story. As we see Yuu struggling to find an answer to why he has to fight and turn to violence we see that it is what he has to do to protect his Holyland. This manga can be really relatable to teens even those who haven’t taken a single punch in their lives, like me, because that age group is generally lost and feels like Yuu does. This manga deals with going through these feelings and emotions and discusses what Holyland, the place where Yuu belongs actually is.

The manga is finished at 182 chapters. The finale is amazing and the entire final arc is so real in dealing with the relationship between characters and concluding everyone’s character arcs. We see how much Yuu, Masaki and everyone else grew as people over the course of the story and how they found what they were looking for on the streets. With it’s intense and realistic fights, deep story and hard hitting themes, Holyland is one manga that you should definetly read.

Oshi no Ko – A gripping tale that draws you in

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. Hope you all are safe and healthy. I got reccomended this on reddit more specifically on the COTE subreddit where someone posted a panel which resembled a scene from COTE. In a moment of honesty here, I will tell you all that never have I ever made such extensive notes for a review but more than half of it won’t be making it into this review because I don’t want to spoil you guys. That aside, mild SPOILERS ahead.

The story starts with a gynecologist named Goro watching his favourite idol, Ai Hoshino on the TV. To his surprise he finds that Ai has come to his hospital to get a checkup. He confirms that she is pregnant woth twins and helps Ai through the last remaining months of her pregnancy. However on nearing the delivery date Goro is attacked and killed but when he awakens he sees himself face to face with Ai and realises that he is reborn as Ai’s child while keeping all the memories about his past intact. Renamed to Aquamarine Hoshino, he enjoys a life with Ai and his new sister, Ruby Hoshino who is also a reincarnation with past memories. Things happen which lead to Aquamarine nicknamed Aqua to start on a quest that will take him through the dirty realities of the entertainment world for him to reach his end goal.

The characters are so detailed in the manga and I absolutely love it. Our main character Aquamarine Hoshino, I’ll just call him Aqua from here on out, is an interesting character to watch on his quest. His complexity comes with him suffering from guilt while also having a driving passion for things causing him great internal conflict on how he should feel about things. While there are other characters like child prodigy actress Kana Arima, Aqua’s own sister Ruby and Akane Kurokawa who basically make up the main cast of the manga who all go through heavy character development, I do not want to talk about them for fear of giving out spoilers. I will just have you know that the manga goes slow by giving us lots of things to get attached to the characters, know what they are feeling and understand their motivations from their past while also keeping the story interesting.

The manga does a good job of showing the many dirty realities of the entertainment world while also providing a compelling story to draw the audience in and understand the characters in depth. The author doesn’t hold back when talking about the entertainment world and goes into some real stuff that certainly impressed me because while showing us that, the author also managed to develop characters, show their relationships and also keep Aqua’s main goal relevant to the plot. The switch is also so smooth and amazing that there is never a dull moment throughout the manga. The manga is also deeply psychological by dealing with the story by showing us what the characters think and feel while also showing us a game of wits to progress the plot.

Appearances are deceptive. The entertainment world is a lie that is told to us to satisfy us, the idol world, the entertainment world, the reality show world and the manga world, it’s all not as good as it seems from the outside that is what the manga tells us and it tells it in such a beautiful way that you will be left thinking about it for quiet a while.

The manga is currently ongoing at chapter 70. The plot is going well and I am hopeful for how the story will progress. With it’s engaging plot, well written characters beautifully interwoven with commentary on the realities of the entertainment world, I hoghly recommend Oshi no Ko to fans of psychological manga.

Akame Ga Kill manga – The superior version of the story

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. Hope you all are safe and healthy. I sure did take my time getting to this manga and completing it but it’s all worth it. Mild SPOILERS AHEAD.

The story remains mostly the same throughout the manga as it was in the anime or you could say that the basics of the story were the same with some major details being changed in the later parts. It’s still about Tatsumi who has come into the capital to search for a position in the army and earn money to send back to his starving village. Quickly however, he realizes just how corrupt the empire really is and how much change is needed. He joins Night Raid, a group of assassins working to take down targets to one day leave the empire vulnerable enough for an all out rebellion. One of the reasons you should definetly check out the manga is to see how the story was originally written by the author. The anime also skipped out on an entire arc and that is one arc that is worth reading.

The manga also offers an in-depth view of our characters. We get to see some new backstory, motivations and get an in general idea of what the values and feelings of these characters are and that is something that will let you get attached deeper to the characters whom you must already love from the manga.

The art is also very well done, yes the anime was very nice with the characters but some things just hit different in the manga, especially the killing blows. I would’ve liked to put some examples out but I don’t want to spoil anything.

The manga also dives more into the lore of the series and explains Teigu better. The final battle is also much different and hits much harder, the scale is enormous and the scenes are emotionally hard hitting and in general handled much better. The title drop in the story is also very well handled and something that should be experienced by everyone.

The manga only has 78 chapters with a much more hopeful ending that makes you feel like the actions of the characters actually made sense and bore fruit. For these reasons I believe that the Akame ga Kill manga should be given a chance and there’s also a sequel ongoing currently called Hinowa ga Crush which I will be diving into soon.

Windbreaker – A delinquent manga with a new spin

The story begins with Sakura coming to a new town to join Fuurin High, a school known to have the strongest fighters. Another fact about Fuurin High is that its students are the protectors of the town, having put up a sign at the town’s entrance and gaining the name of Boufuurin. Sakura immediately begins a quest to get to the top of the school by fighting a random person on the street to help a woman. Coming to know that he can’t win alone in this town and being helped by Fuurin High students, Sakura is determined to do one thing, aim for the top of this amazing school while also protecting the town that accepts these delinquents as people. This is the story of how Sakura rises to become a hero.

The characters are the most attractive thing of this manga. Having read only the available 22 chapters, I can say that I’m going to have with this cast on their journey. We have the MC Sakura who is determined to reach the top of the school with his sheer strength. Having been bullied before for his different hair and eye colour, he considers that everyone will treat him as weird but we see that to be untrue when the town thanks him for helping in the fight, this makes Sakura realize that he needs to change his ways to reach the top showing some bery early character development. There are loads of other interesting characters as well, such as Nirei who is a pro at gathering information and gets every bit of information about people he admires. There’s the man at the top, Umemiya Hajme, a charismatic leader with unbeatable strength. There’s Sugishita, a man who is a fanatic follower of Umemiya and many many more people.

The artstyle of this manga is definetly amazing ans the concept is a new and interesting spin on delinquents since it gets boring at times to see the classic rise to the top story. The best thing for now in the story is the story. While the fights are interesting, I have yet to see a really amazing foght that makes me appreciate the fights more than the story but the story in and of itself is going in a new and very exciting direction. This new take of delinquents being protectors while also being vicious fighters is a good thing that I believe has a lot of potential for emotional moments and amazing fights.

The philosophy of this manga is truly interesting, while Fuurin High is a school full of delinquents, they use their strength to protect, breaking down those who use their strength to bully the weak, these fighters have a good way of using their strength. I think that it’s definitely going to become the main message of the story as it progresses, to not start fights but also to end them whenever possible because they won’t let others get hurt. I think that it’s something everyone should think about, do we want to be the ones who step over other people or do we want fo walk with them, that’s something that’ll leave you contemplative.

The manga is currently ongoing and the translation that I’m reading is at chapter 22. I surely think that this is going to turn out to he an enjoyable delinquent manga so I reccomend it to everyone who read or watched a delinquent series and wants more of that genre but with a special twist.

Perfect Blue – A mind-blowing classic that lives up to its reputation

Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post. Hope you all are safe from the COVID-19 and having a great day. I am blown away by this movie. I thought that people were just nostalgic about when they first experienced the movie and talking it up but man, this one blew all the expectations out of the water. I’ll only give very small details of the plot here so expect only mild SPOILERS.

The story shows us Mima Kirigoe, a successful idol with her band CHAM. She gives a final performance to her audience and tells them of her decision to leave the group to pursue a career in acting. She lands a role in a murder mystery thriller that has her shed her ‘innocent’ persona. Discovering a blog on the internet named Mima’s room, which is supposedly written by Mika herself, she discovers that the entires are scarily accurate even when she hasn’t written them herself. As she is harassed by a stalker and the entries on the blog itself trouble her, she is asked to do a rape scene for the show which is shot in great detail and the lines between illusion and reality blur for her as well as us.

The characters are hard to handle in a movie where you have to make sure that they all do their job for the plot while the audience also gets to understand them. I will not talk about any of the characters here for the sole reason that I risk spoiling the plot for you all and I do not want that. All I’ll say is that Perfect Blue handles it’s characters pretty well with giving us a small insight into their personalities and who they are. While it’s tough to call some of the character’s complex, Perfect Blue isn’t a series that needed unnecessarily complex characters, the parts of them that were shown, were enough for the plot.

The movie really works well in confusing the audience between illusion and reality which I later came to know is a speciality of Satoshi Kon. As the movie progresses, you as the audience will also get entrapped in the thrilling mystery story that has been written. The visuals are very good considering the film is from 1997. I’ve always loved these mystery thriller type stories as evident from my love for The File of Young Kindaichi and this film really really manages to impress me with its mind bending plot and using the perfect visuals and cuts between the scenes and setting the perfect atmosphere.

There are a lot of thing I would like to talk about but most of them will be filled with spoilers so instead I’ll talk about the one thing that doesn’t spoil too much. The struggles of changing careers and regret of change, that is what I believe Perfect Blue shows a lot as Mima herself struggles with the change in careers and the work that she has to do while also showing that change is tough and people often regeet change but sometimes change is necessary to move forward. Sometimes it’s necessary to make leaps and let things be uncertain for a while to make the rest of the path more clear.

The film is filled with twists and the finale itself is one big final twist that lulls you into a sense of security of almost knowing what has happened, until it turns it all over and brings the story to a stunning conclusion. By blurring the lines between illusion and reality, keeping you guessing about what will happen next and having some pretty good music to go with that, Perfect Blue is truly a classic that lives up to the hype and a must watch for all mystery thriller lovers.

Wolf girl and Black Prince – Shallow and Hopelessly bad

The story follows Erika, who has just gotten into high school. In her new class, she attempts to make friends which leads to her boasting of having a boyfriend. Caught up in her lie, Erika wonders what she should do to make her lie more believable. She snaps a photo of a guy walking nearby and claims that he’s her boyfriend. The boy however turns out to be in her school, the prince like Sata Kyoya. Desperate to not let the truth get out she decided to ask Kyoya for his help in maintaining her lie which leads to Kyoya revealing his more sadistic side, offering to be Erika’s pretend boyfriend, and in return, she would be his dog. This deal leads the couple on a journey that eventually evolves into romance.

The main characters in the show are shallow, to say the least. Erika at her core is a girl who lies to gain and maintain social status showing that she cares more about material things than genuine things. Her behavior however can be easily forgiven by chalking it up to the fact that she is a teenage girl in high school and kids at that time tend to care about the wrong things. The male MC, however, Sata Kyoya, is unforgivable, he is a princely boy, elegant and charming with his good looks, on the inside, however, he is a sadist, a man who likes toying with people for his own personal enjoyment. Throughout the show, he’s a constant jerk to Erika and while the author tries to justify it by adding a sad, not so sad backstory, it doesn’t justify any of his actions. The supporting cast is the only decent thing about the show because they are a breath of fresh air from the shallow people that Erika and Kyoya are. The character development is minimal since as the show progresses, Kyoya’s being a jerk is shown as romantic and comedic and Erika doesn’t change much at all.

The anime has decent music, vibrant colors, and art style but nothing can save the disaster of a show that it is. Putting forward all the wrong values for people, the show justifies being a jerk if you’re pretty or have something to hang over the other person’s head as blackmail. The show also tells that no matter how much of a jerk the other person is, you can go back to them if you have hope that a relationship can develop no matter how unhealthy it may be. In my opinion, the relationship between Kyoya and Erika is unhealthy since Kyoya is a jerk anytime he wants and its all good because he apologizes for it. The comedy is the only saving grace of the show which saves you from boredom, since despite trying to go in the right direction later on, the show fails miserably at it and becomes predictable as well as repetitive very soon.

The show despite putting forward all the wrong values, can teach some very big lessons. The first one is that appearances can be deceptive which can be seen very literally with Kyoya, it shows how relationships aren’t meant to be transactional but it sure doesn’t show what a healthy relationship actually is. Erika falling into trouble because of her lies can also teach you how in the end being genuine is all that really matters in life.

The finale is good but doesn’t justify the rest of the series at all. The toxic relationship between Erika and Kyoya which the show attempts to potray as being ‘cute’ is a major turn off for me, and I do not want other people to adapt those values into their lifestyle because that will lead them down the path of ruin. I only write this review to show how bad the anime is, I cannot believe it showed up as a best romance show. I highly recommend that you steer clear of this anime and keep it as far away as possible from you.