Saturday, February 9, 2019

January Anime & Manga of the Month 2019 (AMotM) - or more correctly, webtoons month

I am aliveee! Back and kicking with some anime and manga/webtoons for January! I haven't been watching anime for quite a bit so I've been binging a lot this month with some ongoing anime in the season, but we'll see if I like them enough to talk about them lol. Anyway, a lot of webtoons this month, mainly because I went to check out LINE Webtoons and I found many popular ones that I really enjoyed so here they are~ oh and if anyone is curious, I made an anime list, (slowly updating my manga list b/c my main list is on manga updates lol) it's not perfect but it's probably got most of the anime I've watched, and btw my rating system is that 6 is all right but I definitely wouldn't watch it again, 7 is good but I probably wouldn't watch it again, 8 is I quite liked it and would watch again and 9 is I really loved it and have probably watched it a few times already haha.

ANIME

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Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo no Dorei Majutsu (How Not to Summon a Demon Lord)
Genre: Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Magic
Episodes: 12

It might be weird to describe this as wholesome since it's quite ecchi but if you disregard those parts, it is rather wholesome lol. It follows the usual isekai trope with our protagonist (not the dying one :P) being summoned into a fantasy world, which is actually very similar to the game he plays, Cross Reverie. In the game, he was the strongest and was called the Demon Lord for being OP in terms of level and gear. Anyway, he's summoned by two girls called Rem and Shera, the former being petite and flat-chested and the latter being very busty and ditzy, so you know, the typical stereotypes. They attempted to do a ritual to enslave him, but failed and they were enslaved instead. So they kinda go on their merry journey to get rid of these chains whilst bonding with each other. Anyway, the story follows the three of them as Diablo (protagonist) tries to hide that he's incapable of talking to any person because of how much of a shut-in he was, so he does his best impersonation of how he thinks a Demon Lord would act and does that to overcome his social anxiety barriers, which in turn makes it very enjoyable and funny because he acts all haughty when he's really such a softie.

Tbh, when I first started this, I was just curious about how uncensored this anime was LOL, I'll admit that it had its' questionable moments with how far the ecchi went but it was still fine (for me anyway lol). Mainly because I actually really enjoyed the show for what it was. It's no masterpiece or anything but I really think it has a great balance of fighting, emotional moments, ecchi, sweet moments and humour. It was mainly entertaining for Diablo's character and how he deals with various situations, and it doesn't have a concrete plot but despite that, it was a joy to watch as an anime where you can just sit back and chill without thinking too much. You just take in everything as it is. I also liked how even though Diablo is OP, it's not really because he has any super powers or anything, he's just overlevelled compared to the rest of them, and because he has a ring that reflects all magic, so you do see him struggle and think of ways to get out of situations and protect the two girls through his wits, rather than overwhelming power all the time.

I honestly really enjoy Diablo's character because he really knows what to say to the girls! Hahaha, I was really touched throughout the show by the way they connected and how he was always saving them emotionally and physically I guess lol. You can understand why they love him so much! It's also really cute how he does it in his Diablo persona as well, so he practically does it in a tsundere way haha. If you want something laid-back, ecchi but also kinda wholesome and funny with some nice fight scenes then this is a good choice :D


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Goblin Slayer
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Episodes: 12

I heard about Goblin Slayer when the light novel came out but I never really decided to check it out until the first episode became such a controversy because of the *SPOILERS* goblin rape. Tbh, it was unsettling but imo, it doesn't really show anything, imo, I thought how the mage was killed was probably the most traumatising moment for me. Maybe it's because I've seen unexpected goblin rape in other manga before (and I knew about it from all the people talking about it) and I could feel how disgustingly horrifying it was in those manga but not as much here. Nevertheless, it was still a very confronting first episode to say the least, and it really enforces the dark fantasy mood right on. However, just note that it's not as gritty and violent in the rest of the episodes, it basically goes back to being a rather normal fantasy story heavily focused on goblins.

The plot revolves around our protagonist Goblin Slayer (everyone is referred to/called by title in this world) who saves the girl Priestess when she went on her first adventure with a novice party to destroy some goblins in a cave, however, her whole party was decimated and she learnt first hand the true terror these "lowliest" creatures in this world were capable of. She was saved by Goblin Slayer and she continues her journey (despite her frightening experience) following him and learning adventurer skills (or goblin tactics XD) as she strives to become stronger and make herself useful in this world that has a neverending amount of goblins. They gather some companions along the way as they slowly show and spread how terrifying these goblins actually are.

I quite enjoyed this show, however I do have to say it's not because of the characters, because aside from Goblin Slayer, the rest are not very memorable, and I think Priestess is depicted more annoying here than she should be. I feel like I can tell that the author intended her to be someone who brings Goblin Slayer out of his one track mind of just slaying goblins and that's all, and makes her kinda be that light that shows him there are other things he should consider, other things he can do, other people he can bond with whilst still being focused on killing goblins, I feel like she is supposed to be there to stop him from limiting himself, and he is there to help her learn, so they kinda grow together by improving their weaknesses. But yeah, she's not that likeable in the anime lol. BUT, despite that, I do enjoy how detailed and inventive the story can be when it's mainly focused on goblins. I really enjoyed how Goblin Slayer is a man that is strong through accumulated experience and strategies and tactics, he never rushes head on into anything thinking he's the strongest person in the world, instead he utilises anything he can and has on hand and around him to fight these goblins. He never underestimates them and recognises their strength (even though the rest of the world thinks they're weak and that he's silly for only killing goblins) in adapting to their environment, and I guess their survival capabilities. I think what the story does well is how nicely it portrays the need to survive and how many people's lives are still being affected by goblins and yet are neglected. Goblin Slayer's back story also makes it very clear and understandable why he only focuses on killing goblins, so it makes for a nice solemn, bloody but also interesting story.

WEBTOONS

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Something About Us (Our relationship is...) by Lee Yunji
Genre: Comedy, Josei, Romance, School Life, Slice of Life
Status: Completed, 98 chapters scanlated

This was a webtoon I read quite a while ago and then forgot about until recently, but I think it goes to show how much I liked it when I basically remembered the gist of everything even though I hadn't read it in so long XD I really liked the realistic depiction of the two main characters and their relationship. They started off as the best of friends where their connection was one of honesty, bluntness and a strong understanding of each other, to the point that the people around them would always think that they're more than friends. The story basically follows the two of them as they balance between friends and being more than friends due to the perceptions of others and their own feelings, especially when the girl slowly discovers through her jealousy that she really does like him more than a friend...

I really enjoyed the romance in this story. I liked how nicely paced it was and how they were both friends that wanted to protect their relationship and so they never really wanted to ever like each other romantically, until rivals appeared and one of them discovered that they wanted more than this. However, nothing is a fairy tale and even if one likes the other, those feelings may not necessarily be reciprocated, I think the girl's (sorry I forgot their names) feelings were depicted really well through her jealousy and her turmoil of liking him but not being able to be with him. In the end, they go through periods of awkwardness, sadness and sweet moments just like normal friends and couples and I think that's what I loved the most about it all; how natural everything was and how even though there were things they couldn't say and feelings they didn't know how to express, they eventually were able to do this, and really that makes their relationship all the more touching to see after it all. It's a story where you knew they'd definitely get together later on, but actually seeing them go through all these troubles and everything to get there was really realistic, interesting and engaging, I easily binged it all hahaha, definitely recommend this one!~

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My Secret Brother (Unstoppable Siblings) by Willow
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Romance, School Life, Shoujo, Slice of Life
Status: Ongoing, 163 chapters scanlated

Hanmi is a great main character, she's a bit rash but she's extremely straightforward, protective, strong and a girl that does not take crap from others. But she's got a weakness for the guy she likes, so on the first day of her transfer, without thinking too much about the consequences, she lied that she was dating Junhyuk (her brother but in terms of blood, is actually her cousin) to get Gun's (her crush) attention. Since no one knows that they're actually siblings, everyone thinks that they're the perfect couple and thus starts her dilemma of wanting Gun to come to like her even though she's in a relationship with Junhyuk lol. And it just goes crazy from there with them pretending to be a couple at school, yet she tries her best to continue to get Gun's attention (he's so adorable), but under all this innocent romance, there's a LOT of drama going on with why Hanmi changed schools, why Junhyuk distances himself from Hanmi, why Gun's brother treats him so badly and just everything intertwining together to interfere with their lives, but even then, Hanmi perseveres as strong as she is and with her personality that is ready to take on everything. She has her weak moments like any other person, but she is strong because even if she may feel down about some things, in the end, she always picks herself up to continue forward to fight for what she wants and I think I really like that about her as the heroine.

It definitely starts off more comedy-like and it still has a lot of humour in it, but the story definitely does get a lot more serious as it goes on, especially with their pasts unravelling, but one thing is always consistent and that is Hanmi's cute puppy love towards Gun and I found that really cute. Hanmi, Junhyuk and Gun are nicely fleshed out characters (Junhyuk takes a while to get proper screen time imo) with many different reasons and pasts for being who they are right now, but everyone is just trying their best to be happy and the people around them happy and it's just so sweet and yet difficult. Our heroine definitely doesn't have a good past, but she has changed and doesn't let it get to her as she tries to live the life she properly wants now, and I think the story shows stuff like that well, since both Hanmi and Gun think that their pasts would make the other dislike them, but Hanmi blows through it all to make it that the present them is what is the most important. If you like some drama, some nice romance and complicated relationships, then you'll probably enjoy this :D

NOTE: You can read the following webtoons on the LINE Webtoon site/app for free! Remember to give a heart if you liked the episode to support the author :D I don't get any benefits for this but I thought it would be a nice heads up for people if you end up trying these webtoons and liking them :)

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I Love Yoo by Quimchee
Genre: Romance, Slice of Life, Comedy, Drama
Status: Ongoing, 89 chapters scanlated

Shin-Ae is a girl that's experienced a lot of crap and that makes her a character that has become rather recluse, she only associates with her best friend (which is overseas) and her best friend's sister and friend (which are now kinda her friends and yet kinda not b/c of their situation). Although she associates with them, she still prefers to be alone most of the time, but then one day, she is confessed to by a guy who she ends up bluntly rejecting. She then hears a guy whose friends with the rejected guy badmouth her for doing that, and badmouth her friends for associating with her, so she throws a drink at the guy but gets it on a guy named Yeong-Gi as well. Ever since then, they meet coincidentally in other situations making them can't help but become acquainted with each other and eventually become friends that support each other in need. She also meets Yeong-Gi's older brother  Kousuke and becomes acquainted with him too, even though she tries her best to distance herself from both brothers, but nope, not happening lol. The two brothers have very different personalities, with Yeong-Gi being the easygoing, nice, wanting to be friends with everybody, but seems to hide a tough upbringing with the stress from his family (especially the parents) and how he continues to disappoint them and yet be unable to get away from them, on the other hand, Kousuke is the perfect son for the family as he handles his job at the company well, is stern, relentless, confident and strives to always meet his parents' expectations. Yet somehow, even though they're both so different, they both become rather estranged with Shin-Ae, always wanting to protect her and help her in their own ways.

Romance and drama is definitely strong in this one, maybe more drama and self-growth though since Shin-Ae continues to have misfortune after misfortune thrown at her, and even though she gets to the point of breaking so many times, she ends up being emotionally supported by the people she has come to know and that helps her get through a lot of the troubles she has to deal with. Just seeing her difficulties due to being poor makes it so hard, so difficult that you forget about the romance lol. In terms of the inferred love triangle with the brothers, I can't help but think Yeong-Gi is the one that will be for her, just because he supports her in the way she needs, he always cheers her up, and yet she also cheers him up. Kousuke is cute too and I really like him, but I think it'll be difficult for them to get together because of his attitude and strictness that kinda drives her away? Like many of the other heroines mentioned, Shin-Ae is also another strong one that's unafraid to voice her discontentment if she has any. There are also many funny moments accompanied with the serious story that makes it very enjoyable too. I think the story portrayed really well the tribulations she suffers from being poor and from being a person that finds it difficult to communicate heart to heart with anyone, but she knows her flaws and has started to try to change that aspect of her recently, and I really like seeing her grow as a person more than the romance tbh haha.

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Age Matters by Enjelicious
Genre: Romance, Slice of Life
Status: Ongoing, 44 chapters scanlated

Nice to have a mature heroine for a change! Rose is 30 years old but has recently been cheated on by her boyfriend with someone she perceives to be younger and prettier than her, and losing her job as well, making her question her capabilities in work as well as her femininity when it comes to romance. With her lost of confidence, she ends up living at her friend's place for a bit, and when this friend goes on holiday and tells her to take over for her for this mysterious job of cooking for the neighbour that the friend has never seen, she eventually accidentally sees his face and they begin to bond together, with her providing him meals and he trying to give her assurance that she's much more capable than she thinks. She doesn't find out until later that he's actually the young reclusive billionaire who became rich after developing an app, and now he's stressed about being able to keep up with the market and the expectations of the public and the people around him.

I really like their relationship. They initially started off as people who probably wouldn't have given each other the time of the day unless they met under the circumstances that they did, but as they talked to each other more and saw more of the other, they started to understand the difficulties that the other is facing and tries their best to help each other. He also ends up hiring her at his company practically as his secretary, and so he helps her reassure herself that she is not a hopeless and redundant person, and she tries to help him bond with his employees more and understand the need to take a break, so they actually match nicely even though she still just thinks of him as a kid haha. It's a nice, cute, everyday kind of work romance with the guy being a bit more on the childish selfish side of things (but still very adorable) and a woman that lacks confidence, yet still very strong and capable in holding her own.
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True Beauty by Yaongyi
Genre: Romance, Slice of Life, School Life, Drama
Status: Ongoing, 27 chapters scanlated

This one kinda reminds me of My ID is Gangnam Beauty, with the heroine being someone that was bullied for being ugly. She ends up consulting an online community on what she should do and she eventually delves into the world of makeup and becomes a whole new person at her new school whilst hiding the fact that she actually is really ugly. She finally gets what she wants - friends and a normal school life, until a guy that she coincidentally met at the convenience store recognises her two different looks, and that's how their friendship begins. There aren't many chapters right now to really show what the webtoon hopes to portray right now, but I do enjoy how strongly the heroine tries her best to keep the normal life she has finally achieved and do her best to protect it as she discovers that maybe she wants to be a makeup artist that can bring this magic and confidence (that she was able to have through makeup) to others. The guy is also pretty nice and genuinely seems innocent and interested in her for their similar interests in horror, and can look past her appearance since he's seen both versions. I think it'll be nice to see her try her best to open up to others and embrace herself for who she is rather than how she looks.

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Let's Play by Mongie
Genre: Romance, Slice of Life, Drama
Status: Ongoing, 64 chapters scanlated

I don't know if I've ever seen a gamer YouTuber in a story before! Anyway, the story follows our heroine Sam who is trying to achieve her dream of creating video games by making an indie game, but then it ends up getting a bad review from the gamer Marshall who doesn't play the game as she intended. This ends up making his fans give bad reviews for her game and making her rating as a developer very low and affecting her ability to make any more new games on that site. As she laments this, Marshall ends up moving into the room next door.

I think the thing I love the most about this webtoon is how well it visually and emotionally shows the insecurities and problems of each of the main characters and side characters. Sam is crippled with social anxiety and can find it difficult to communicate with others, Marshall can get overcome by depression, expectation from his fans, Marshall's girlfriend suffers from the insecurity of their relationship since they have to hide it from their viewers as popular YouTubers and other characters that play games with the heroine etc. They all have their respective problems and baggage weighing them down, and yet they all continue to try and live up to their own expectations and goals in life whilst handling these difficult emotions and problems. I feel like everything is portrayed very realistically and in quite a relatable way with how Sam tried her best to confront Marshall about the game and other things, and other stuff like how Marshall felt so bad that his viewers did such a thing when he found out. I think it's really interesting to see the different struggles in their lives and how they do their best to handle it and yet at times, how these problems can overcome them. This one is probably the webtoon I enjoy the most out of the ones above just because I feel like it's very simple but unique at the same time.

I think it's kinda messy LOL, so next month I'll just go back to separating the anime and manga posts XD

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