2016 Favourite Manga/Anime

So, I'll limit myself and choose my favourite manga and anime this year. This is different from a manga/anime of the month because I didn't necessarily read/watch the whole thing in one month but it's definitely something I'd say that I enjoyed the most in the year of 2016. It's hard to find translated manga that came out in 2016 besides the really popular ones, so I'll just pick whatever I loved the most this year. Still okay though, since Kingdom is ongoing so, it counts hahaha.

As for anime, I'll choose one that came out this year :D


Kingdom by Hara Yasuhisa
Genre: Action, Adventure, Historical, Martial Arts, Seinen, Fantasy, Tragedy, Comedy, Drama
Status: Ongoing, 499 chapters scanlated

Wow! Kingdom nearly has 500 chapters! So excited! I have to say, Kingdom by far had the most interesting development this year. The great big war is breaking out and we have so many great generals in the lead that I'm just soo hyped with what's about to happen! Oh, and Shin holding Ouki's glaive makes me so happy and proud at the same time, he's grown so much throughout these chapters, it's amazing. With the addition of members into Shin's army and the reaffirming of Sei's resolve as a king to unite the whole land, the journey for Shin in becoming a great general is one that can only continue to be even better. I love seeing Shin mature along with his comrades but retaining his own principles in a world wrought with war and chaos, he can get a bit OTT sometimes but I love how Sei and his relationship make them try their best to improve themselves so that they can all achieve a unified China.

The story follows our protagonist Shin who is aiming to become a great general in Qin. It is a story revolving around the events in history with Qin Shi Huang unifying China. Naturally, it is a fictional historical manga and thus there will be things here and there that are exaggerated or made up to make it entertaining and interesting and I love it. I also love how the manga puts its own interpretations of historical events but retains the general timeline of events and important happenings of historical figures etc. Shin apparently is a historical figure with a lack of info on and thus allowing the mangaka to expand his own freedom on what type of person he is and that's good! The interpretation of Sei (future Qin Shi Huang) is also very enamouring and interesting considering his predominately 'good' nature.

All in all, besides the lovely grand swings that can fall tens of enemies in one fell swoop, there are also very interesting war tactics, interesting generals on our protagonist's side and the enemies' sides that make this a very compelling story that depicts a time of bloodshed and turmoil as they all fight for a better future that each individual believes in. It isn't only a great battle manga! There is some nudity and blood though so heads up on that!

I would recommend the anime as well, but I really hate the 3D animation that makes it pretty bad lol. Gonna say this again and again lol, the manga is so much better!

Yuri!! on Ice

Genre: Comedy, Sports

Episodes: 12

When I first saw Yuri!! On Ice in the season chart, I was so excited because I have always loved watching figure skating ever since I watched Ginban Kaleidoscope. The best thing about this one though is that it's very much focused on figure skating with proper soundtracks, costumes and skating programs for the individual skaters. The animation is top notch most of the time and the selection of music and costumes are so beautiful, I loved the whole anime from beginning to end. The opening and ending theme songs are so great and captivating as well omgg. The soundtrack Yuri on Ice that our protagonist Katsuki Yuri dances to is so dazzling and enchanting that I just can't help but love listening to it every time it plays! 

The story revolves around Yuri who suffers a crushing defeat in the Grand Prix Final and returns to his hometown wondering whether he should continue skating or not. After a series of events, the figure skating champion Victor comes along and says that he'll be Yuri's coach and that begins their gruelling training and lovely journey growing as skaters and individuals. What I love about this anime is that not only are the skating programs wonderful to the eyes, the characters are also very dynamic and constantly growing. Victor and Yuri (and the other Yuri too, which is his rival) all have their flaws but they learn from each other and inspire each other to reach new heights and break through their respective barriers that limit their growth. It was because of this experience as coach and student that they were both able to teach each other things they would not have picked up alone and I loved that.

Note though that Victor and Yuri do essentially become a couple so that might not be to your tastes but I think their relationship is so much more than a mere romantic relationship. They love each other as individuals and merely cherish each other as the one they would like to stay together with, although I guess there is some fanservice here and there hahaha. But overall, the anime focuses on individual challenges and growth in characters rather than romance. It was wonderfully played out as an anime and I would encourage anyone to watch this! Our Yuri may be a bit meek but very relatable and he gets stronger emotionally through the episodes and I really liked that!

His rival Yuri (same name) is a bit arrogant and prideful but most definitely an exceptional guy. I loved his skating programs, they were so enjoyable! Especially his costume, omggg, it was so cool! He's a bit cute when he's not that angry hahaha. Phichit the Thai skater is my favourite though, he's so sweet and cute, I love him! Definitely a short but enjoyable anime.

P.S Hope everyone has a merry Christmas and a happy new year! <3 See you all in January! :)

December Manga of the Month (MOTM)

Only one this month! Since Christmas is coming soon and my sister is coming back from Japan for a bit so gonna be busyy~ Oh and I'm gonna do a 2016 Favourites kinda thing so yeah~~ But I guess if there was a theme for this month, it would be to learn to love yourself because our heroine in this manga is a great example of that.

Pochamani by Hirama Kaname

Genre: Comedy, Romance, School Life, Shoujo

Status: Ongoing, 21 chapters scanlated

I probably say this all the time but I was thinking this was going to be another typical shoujo and it's not incorrect to think of it as quite a typical shoujo except with a chubby girl. However, what makes this one good has to be the heroine. The guy is okay. What I like about our heroine is how mature she is when she handles her problems and how she handles herself. Alike many other people, she has insecurities since she is chubby and others are skinny but what I like about her is that she accepts herself for who she is and has learned to love herself without needing someone else to love her. When she said "I'm glad that I'm fat. I like my fat self." because if she wasn't chubby, she wouldn't have met the main male character and she wouldn't have found her good friends. I really respect her outlook towards her life and her surroundings and I think she is a great heroine to look up to compared to a lot of other questionable ones, to say the least.

My negative impression for this is probably because of how the synopsis describes this manga; romantic comedy with a chubby high school student and her handsome boyfriend who is a chubby maniac LOL. Great, absolutely great. It's not wrong but it's definitely much more than that, especially seeing the progress between the two's relationship is really nice. They both have flaws but they both do their best to work it out in their own way and bring each other up. I think this is a really nice relationship. They both have their problems but deal with it maturely and try their best to work out the best outcome themselves and with their friends etc.

I also like that they clarify with the main male that although he is a chubby maniac, the reason she is special and not the other chubby girls is because of the way our heroine carries herself as a person. Albeit a bit insecure when she compares herself with others considering how handsome her boyfriend is, she nevertheless understands that she should at least love herself even if other people won't because she is chubby. She cherishes herself for who she is and I like her and that's why the guy likes her too hahaha. I guess I just really like the positive message that it sends out; that we should learn to love ourselves.