Animanga

Top 10 Anime/Manga Main Characters

7/30/2019

Mostly did this list for the stream I'm doing tonight. I saw Dustan was going to do this stream but he didn't end up doing it but Satsuki the Savage did and I thought it'd be cool if we did one as well. So these are my personal favorite main characters from various anime and manga, with one honorable mention. Enjoy.

HM. Deunan Knute - Appleseed

10. Oga Tatsumi - Beelzebub

9. Torene (Nami) - Beageruta (Die Wergelder)

8. Ranma Saotome - Ranma 1/2

7. Eijun Sawamura - Daiya no Ace

6. Misaka Mikoto - A Certain Scientific Railgun

5. Kujo Jolyne - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean

4. Emanon - Wandering Emanon

3. Priscilla Asagiri - Bubblegum Crisis/Crash

2. Kei - Dirty Pair

1. Bouya Harumichi - Crows

And that's my list! Feel free to share your list with me, who are your favorite ten main characters from anime and manga? Let me know in the comment section below.

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Nya's Top 30 Anime & Manga (2019)

7/17/2019

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Let's not even WASTE any time. You know me and Alan do this list every single year. So let's start with the anime and manga that barely didn't make the top 30 and after that...the list!

Shall we begin? Start:

Honorable Mention:
Manga: Lychee Light Club
Anime: Welcome to the N.H.K.

30.
Manga: The Memorandum of Kyoko Okitegami
Anime: Zaregoto

29.
Manga: Kokou no Hito
Anime: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

28.
Manga: Blade Of The Immortal
Anime: Nana

27.
Manga: Beelzebub
Anime: Shinsekai Yori

26.
Manga: Black Lagoon
Anime: Eve no Jikan

25.
Manga: Teppu
Anime: The Tatami Galaxy

24.
Manga: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles
Anime: Iria the Animation

23.
Manga: Prince of Tennis
Anime: Gunbuster

22.
Manga: Onani Master Kurosawa
Anime: Gatchaman Crowds

21.
Manga: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Anime: Arpeggio of Blue Steel

20.
Manga: Tasogare Otome x Amnesia
Anime: Beck

19.
Manga: Ranma 1/2
Anime: Ergo Proxy

18.
Manga: Oretama
Anime: Silver Spoon

17.
Manga: Ibitsu
Anime: Project A-Ko

16.
Manga: Chikan Otoko
Anime: Nagi no Asukara

15.
Manga: Golden Kamuy
Anime: Golden Time

14.
Manga: Nana To Kaoru
Anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion

13.
Manga: Daiya no Ace
Anime: Ghost In The Shell: The Stand Alone Complex

12.
Manga: Umibe no Onnanoko
Anime: Puella Magica Madoka

11.
Manga: Good Ending
Anime: Katanagatari

10.
Manga: Hetakoi
Anime: A Certain Scientific Railgun

9.
Manga: Nozoki Ana
Anime: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

8.
Manga: Beageruta (Die Wergelder)
Anime: Psycho-Pass

7.
Manga: Crows
Anime: Oshiete! Galko-chan

6.
Manga: Aku no Hana
Anime: Wakakozake

5.
Manga: Sundome
Anime: D-Frag

4.
Manga: Gintama
Anime: Bubblegum Crisis

3.
Manga: Medaka Box
Anime: Dirty Pair

2.
Manga: Wandering Emanon
Anime: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

1.
Manga: One Piece
Anime: Monogatari

Feel free to make your own list and or tell me how bad my taste is!! Thanks for tuning it y'all. Yerrr.

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Strongest 30 One Piece Characters

12/23/2018

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I was in Brago D. Ace's stream not too long ago and we had a 5 hour talk about the strength of the characters in One Piece. After the stream I decided to go through my own list on my own to explain my thought process and reasoning for the rankings. My way of powerscaling is a little old school so I tried to accommodate some new factors into calculating overall combat capabilities of the top tiers and this is what I came up with. These are my opinions, I know I'm wrong and you don't have to agree. I don't even care about this meathead shit in all honesty, so I don't actually care how you feel about my list so save your breath. So with out further ado, let us begin:

Honorable mentions: Rob Lucci and Weevil.

30. Urouge - He took out Snack, a Sweet Commander in Big Mom's crew and got away from another one in Cracker. Very impressive stuff, though we haven't actually seen the circumstances of his victory and escape. That all being said, we're putting respect on the Mad Monk.

29. Charlotte Cracker - I have some newfound respect for Cracker even though I think his overall vitality for a character of his status and caliber is low. His ability is a lot better than I initially gave it credit for and if it weren't for a few factors and a bad judgement call, he could've taken Luffy.

28. Jack the Dragdown - It's not a secret that I have zero love for this man. Because of the way the story has decided to utilize him, he's been underwhelming to me despite me knowing that this man is a monster. Within each defeat or draw he took, there was some sort of impressive feat of overall durability. But until I see that showcase, he's not going any higher.

27. Asura Doji - I'm impressed. This man must have left an impression on Kaido because he remembered him from years ago while drunk, he wounded and clashed with Jack then Inuarashi (I know he had one leg but he is powerful). The samurai of Wano aren't a joke and having this man on your side would be formidable.

26. Boa Hancock - I feel like I'm low balling her. My head tells me that in addition to her having been complete dominate in every situation we've seen her in (minus Luffy related ones), I have this strong belief that her Haki is amazing. Because of what the Kuja Pirates displayed pre-timeskip and she is their queen. If I give her a Shin Sekai jerk, she stands as an impressive combatant. Strongest woman in the world after Big Mom (yeah I said it, fuck Smoothie).

25. Trafalgar Water D. Law - I struggled placing Law. I feel like he's part of what I'd like to call to Big 3 of the Supernova (with Luffy and Kid). But I can't put him any higher because since Dressrosa I haven't seen anything that tells me he's grown since losing to Doflamingo. But he's intelligent, calculated, has solid basic training and an ability that he can utilize to its utmost potential due to being a great doctor.

24. Donquixotie Doflamingo - You want to talk about a man who has it all? This is who you bring up. Doflamingo was and is no joke in any way shape or form and I see him as one of the most balanced, well rounded characters in the series. From birthright, experience to his emotional fortitude, mental fortitude and overall physical capabilities. He in my mind essentially lost to the combined effort of two powerful rookies and the island of Dressrosa. Respect him.

23. Magellan - He's too low, I hate it but I suppose it is what it is. This is the man that was in charge of retaining all of the world's most notorious, despicable and dangerous criminals. Some so vile they've been erased from the record books, and this was the man who had them shaking in their boots. Including the Head Jailer who feared him. He's got a very dangerous and versatile ability that becomes extra formidable in enclosed spaces.

22. Shiliew of the Rain – The former Head Jailer of Impel Down. It was said that him and Magellan were equal but Shiliew's did FEAR Magellan (Vivre Card). Master of stealth, excellent swordsman with a calm demeanor. The second ship/fleet. Now that he has a new DF as well, he's sure to continue to hone it and become even more powerful. But because Teach's crew are still the new comers, I don't feel like overhyping this man just yet.

21. Eustass Kidd - From his introduction, he had always been portrayed to be the Supernova that was gonna be Luffy's equal. Higher bounty upon introduction, has another person in his crew as a SN (Killer), wants to be Pirate King. Kid has Haoshoku Haki and has been fighting his ass off in the New World gaining power. Luffy and Kid lost to Kaido and now they are competing on even terms. I won't wank him to be literally Luffy's equal or stronger until proven though.

20. Marco the Phoenix - Let me explain why he's so low. I don't think he's any better or worse than the other high ranking members of other Yonko crews but he seems more preoccupied with protecting Whitebeard's home than actually being out on the seas. I think to some degree after losing to Teach in the Payback War, he's kind of at the moment, lost his spark. That being said, he has one of the 5 (according to Pell) abilities that allow true flight and infinite regen. Marco is that nigga.

19. Charlotte Katakuri - Katakuri is one of the most impressive characters I have seen in One Piece thus far and it is a damn shame that he was used as a stepping stone. I think aside from some mental toughness and overall vitality (due to always winning) Katakuri's only real weakness was that he isn't super durable as well as being a little mentally fragile. He's got Future Sight, extremely good Armament Haki and even Conquerors. Despite him losing to Luffy, that doesn't downplay what he can do overall in the world of One Piece. Also Awakening.

18. Monkey D. Luffy - He's leveled up quite a bit since last year. After being triumphant over Katakuri, Luffy has elevated himself to the next level and I believe he is capable of taking down the right hand of any Yonko. It's just a matter over overcoming their specialty and/or ability like for Kat is was future sight and for Marco it could be his regeneration. He's looking more buff, he now has the early working of future sight as well as more experience. His next goal it to defeat a Yonko despite losing to one it one hit. He always bounces back like rubber, is driven in his goal, has boasted the greatest overall vitality in the series and never gives up. My king.

17. Sabo - He now has Ace's role as the big brother to Luffy and Luffy has never beaten any of his brothers. That's the main reason I have him above Luffy but I do think based on what we've seen, Luffy could take him. He's had more time to get used to the Mera Mera no Mi and the weaknesses that come with being a DF user. Washed Burgess, endured versus an admiral and is clashing with two on Mariejoies. He is out here fighting the good fight and getting more powerful as the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army. Second to DRAGON. Goat.

16. King the Wildfire - Just respect for his title on Kaido's crew. I think he looks menacing as fuck, dude looks scary but that being said, I don't think he's any better or worse than the previous 4 entries.

15. Benn Beckman - I think Shanks' crew is a crew that values quality over quantity. That's how it looks to me, so everyone that sailes with him is incredibly competent. With that, I've see his crew as the most impressive and is the first mate of Shanks. The smartest man from East Blue and intelligence is something I value a lot. Made Kizaru freeze for a bit and to me, he's probably the second in command of the Red Hair Pirates after the captain himself.

14. Sengoku the Buddha – I think Sengoku is a top tier Marine. I think he’s weaker than Garp but just as powerful, they have a great working relationship and teamed up to take down Shiki. He was the Fleet Admiral and known as a tactician. He looked liked he aged a shit ton in these two years though. He and Garp are still legendary Marines and Sengoku was the Fleet Admiral for a reason. Age may have stunted him some but he is clearly still in the upper echelon.

13. Silvers Rayleigh - Rayleigh is out of his prime, sure. He’s also retired from piracy. So he’s kind of just taking it easy. That being said, he’s fucking powerful. Conqueror’s Haki, stopped Kizaru, taught Luffy Haki (which saved his life versus Katakuri) and Rayleigh SWAM through the CALM BELT to get to Amazon Lily. That’s ridiculous. This was Gold Roger’s right hand man, you know he’s that dude. He's old now but I refuse to underestimate the previous generation.

12. Monkey D. Garp – The Hero of the Marines. The only Marine to ever corner the Pirate King Gold D Roger. Father of the Revolutionary Dragon and grandfather of Luffy. Only reason I don't have him over the current Admirals and Kuzan is age. Obliterated 8 mountains as training to catch Don Chinjao who's head was said to be able to split a continent. Moreover, the more we learn about Rox, the more legendary Garp seems. There really isn't any character I believe Garp can't beat. Sue me.

11. Dracule Mihawk - I do think he can take any admiral in a fair fight but I still see them as more impressive overall. The Vivre Card has made Mihawk seem even more powerful and he has the title of World's Greatest Swordsman. Used to duel with the Yonko Shanks, trained Zoro, sails these dangerous seas alone in a dinky little boat. Yeah, I'm 100% this man is a monster.

10. Greenbull - A newer admiral from the military draft. We haven't really gotten a proper introduction to him so I will keep him at the bottom of the admirals for the time being. I don't have much to go on except the fact he hasn't eaten in years.

9. Issho - He summoned meteors from out of orbit. Do I really need to say more? Fujitora wants to abolish the Ouka Shichibukai system, can see with Observation Haki and was one of the new admirals picked from the draft. Gravity is and always will be an amazing ability.

8. Kuzan – Aokiji is impressive but I had to lower him a bit because of the injuries he sustained from his battle with Sakazuki. This dude was so unafraid of falling into the sea that he rode a bike across the ocean. Dude went to work at Marineford, had Doffy shook and he was a Marine Admiral. He permanently changed the climate of half an island. What's his affiliation with the Blackbeard pirates? Who knows but this nigga cold af, literally.

7. Borsalino - I think because of his demeanor and lackadaisical attitude, he gets a bad rap. I admit it though, Kizaru is my favorite admiral and he had a big impact on me when introduced. I think light, photons, is the best Logia element in the series and he's always ready to set out and apprehend pirates. Even Akainu had to stop him from going to Wano. He went to deal with the situation on Sabaody and moving at the speed of light (not always, and only in a straight line) is not an ability to be underestimated. I guarantee when you get a proper showcase about his real abilities, a lot of you will see what I see.

6. Monkey D. Dragon - If Sabo is his number two, I can at least assume the most wanted criminal in the world is stronger. He is of the Monkey bloodline, he's a D, the son of the Hero of the Marines and father of Luffy. That all being said I haven't seen him in action at all, so I don't feel comfortable as of right now, putting him any higher. But I absolutely think he's super strong and can tango with anyone in One Piece. Anyone.

5. Marshall D. Teach - MY YONKO. Blackbeard is one of the greatest characters in One Piece in every asset. He had Shanks worried for Ace's life, Whitebeard even didn't want Ace to chase him for killing Thatch. Blackbeard beat Ace, concocted a scheme to become a Shichibukai just to get into Impel Down and free the most degenerate invalids of the One Piece world. He has two DFs and when he gets the Zoan he needs, then I will put him above the other Yonko. As the newcomer to the Yonko, I'm comfortable having him under them for the time being.

4. Charlotte Linlin - Washing giants at 5, becoming a formidable wanted pirate at a young age and her showcase in WCI while annoying was impressive. Her ability is also very useful. She is absolutely a monster. I don't like her though.

3. Sakazuki - Sengoku gave Kuzan the recommendation for Fleet Admiral and this man TOOK it. Akainu defeated Aokiji after a long ten day battle on Punk Hazard and permanently changed half the island into a hellscape. He is the most dangerous Marine, who put up a decent fight with an enraged Whitebeard, took hella damage and still relentlessly chased after Luffy. Blackbeard didn't want smoke despite having two Devil Fruits and the Vivre Card gave the Magu Magu no Mi a handjob unlike anything I've ever seen. He can take a Yonko.

2. Red Hair Shanks – One arm and no Devil Fruit. HAKI GAWD. This man used to be on Gold Rogers crew, entrusted with Rogers Strawhat and used to spar with Mihawk. His clash with Whitebeard split the heavens…those with weak willpower will faint around him. I also think his calm, laid back kind of nature gives him a much more level head than the other Yonko.

1. Hundred Beasts Kaido - The strongest CREATURE on land, air or sea. After Luffy spent basically half an entire day in the fight of his life with Big Mom's strongest child, the second in command (Kat), Kaido one shotted Luffy. He matched 11hrs worth of attacks with one hit. He made a statement with that swing. He is a dragon that can fly, affect the climate to some degree and breath fire. The narrator said that if its a one on one fight, you should bet on Kaido and fuck it. I believe the disembodied voice. He is seemingly unkilllable.

And that's the list people, I would like to see your personal top 30 lists or just tell me how stupid I am. I will be going into great depth about my list and thought process when making it in a video. So stay tuned for that.

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My Favorite Anime/Manga To Date (2018)

6/2/2018

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I do this ever single year, don't act brand new. But in case you are new and the title was not clear I will be listing my favorite anime & manga as of right now. I do it every year to see what withstands the test of time and how my tastes evolved over time. So let us being!!

Honorable Mention:
Manga: Kamisama no Iutoori
Anime: Noucome

30.
Anime: Mawaru Penguindrum
Manga: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles

29.
Anime: Eve no Jikan
Manga: Lychee Light Club

28.
Anime: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Manga: Kokou no Hito

27.
Anime: Gunbuster
Manga: Fire Force

26.
Anime: Gatchman Crowds
Manga: Teppu

25.
Anime: Beck
Manga: Prince of Tennis

24.
Anime: Iria the Animation
Manga: Nana to Kaoru

23.
Anime: Arpeggio of Blue Steel
Manga: Holyland

22.
Anime: Project A-ko
Manga: Ibitsu

21.
Anime: Silver Spoon
Manga: Ranma 1/2

20.
Anime: Tatami Galaxy
Manga: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

19.
Anime: Shinsekai Yori
Manga: Blade of the Immortal

18.
Anime: Ergo Proxy
Manga: Tasogare Otome x Amnesia

17.
Anime: Nana
Manga: Onanie Master Kurosawa

16.
Anime: Nagi no Asakara
Manga: Oretama

15.
Anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Manga: Chikan Otoko

14.
Anime: Puella Magica Madoka
Manga: Daiya no Ace

13.
Anime: Ghost in the Shell: The Stand Alone Complex
Manga: Nanatsu no Taizai

12.
Anime: Golden Time
Manga: Umibe no Onnanoko

11.
Anime: Katanagatari
Manga: Good Ending

10.
Anime: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Manga: Hetakoi

9.
Anime: Oshiete! Galko-chan
Manga: Nozoki Ana

8.
Anime: Wakakozake
Manga: Crows x Worst

7.
Anime: A Certain Scientific Railgun
Manga: Beageruta (Die Wergelder)

6.
Anime: Bubblegum Crisis
Manga: Aku no Hana

5.
Anime: D-Frag
Manga: Sundome

4.
Anime: Psycho-Pass
Manga: Gintama

3.
Anime: Dirty Pair
Manga: Medaka Box

2.
Anime: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
Manga: Wandering Emanon

1.
Anime: Monogatari
Manga: One Piece

THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!

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Anime & Manga Content On My Channel

6/2/2018

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So, I have definitely been kind of neglecting to update this blog. I know and I apologize I will try to do better. But part of that is due to me starting a YouTube channel in January. It is very time consuming and basically I want to make sure both the channel and blog are growing. So if you didnt know I had a channel, you do now go check it out!! And here is what you can expect from the channel as a manga and or anime fan.

Every week, assuming the chapters come out I cover One Piece, Noblesse, Tower of God and Nanatsu no Taizai. I review the Monogatari manga when it comes out, I am not sure how often it is released, but expect a review on the chapters. I am willing to cover two more manga but it cannot be a weekly series or if it is I gotta cover it like every 3 weeks. I was thinking of maybe Fire Force or Daiya no Ace.

Now I do recommendations for anime and manga, we have a podcast centered around Japanese media called MangaHEADZ. My main intent is to make critically think about various, characters, scenes, shows, the industry etc more so than to review stuff. I have videos talking about the things that make a great fight scene, the badass trope, some lists and great discussions. I have tons of cool ideas, series and stuff related to anime and manga so stay tuned. THE BLOG WILL NOT DIE I SWEAR.

I have a lot of knowledge to share so subscribe:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfQZ5h4Lwg7OHoEIpb_vA_A

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Favorite Monogatari Arcs

1/10/2018

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Since I just finished talking about the favorites arcs in my all-time favorite manga, it’s only appropriate I follow up with my favorite arcs (called episodes) from my favorite anime: Monogatari. The Monogatari series has tons of arcs, the light novels and anime are both still ongoing with no end in sight. The various anime and books are in a sense the larger sagas consisting of the episodes by which I mean this: Nisemonogatari, (essentially meaning Fake or False Story) contains the episodes Karen Bee and Tsukihi Phoenix. Bakemonogatari (Monster Tale/Story) contains Hitagi Crab, Mayoi Snail, Sugura Monkey, Nadeko Snake and Tsubasa Cat. You get the idea; I’m not talking about the overarching anime seasons or light novel volumes but the specific episodes within them. The arcs. So let’s start.

*******************************SPOILERS*********************************

Yotsugi Doll - Part of Tsukimonogatari of the overall series. I thought the anime just made these four episodes just really really run. From the snowball fight with Shinobu and Yotsugi in the background. I like seeing Kagenui, she's really cool and I actually really like how this arc ties into Mayoi Hell later on with Tadatsuru Teori. He was honestly not too interesting here but he comes full circle later so I respect the foundation that they built for him here. Yotsugi is a very interesting character in her own right being who and what she is. This part simply put for me was very run.

Koyomi Vamp – Aside from the events surrounding Princess Rola and the long road of Kissshot’s adventures as a vampire, this is where it all begins. The event that changes the course of Koyomi’s life forever. The spring break where he runs into a beautiful vampire and becomes one. He chooses to give up his life and live to save this transcendent, dying, out of this world gorgeous vampire. But instead she doesn’t kill him but as a result he also becomes a vampire. He must retrieve various parts of her being from three powerful vampire hunters in order to “turn him back to a human” and make her whole. This is where we meet Hanekawa Tsubasa in what I believe to be her best showing because aside from her role in Kizumonogatari, she’s not the least bit interesting to me. Oshino Meme makes his entrance here too and I am personally a huge fan of his limited appearances throughout the series. The various fights were dope, especially in the movies, and the final showdown between Kissshot and Koyomi is honesty mind-blowingly crazy. This part as a whole has the best action portions of the entire series. Kissshot is my favorite character and seeing her as the iron-blooded, hot-blooded, cold-blooded vampire and not just Shinobu Oshino is a treat. Her vulnerabilities of being who she is and ultimately the clash in ideals with Koyomi that leads to a beautiful relationship but not before he creates a situation where no one wins.

Shinobu Time – This is the part of the series that made me legit cry when I first watched it. This whole episode is special for a few reasons, Shinobu’s tale of her journey (the more information I get about her the better) and the ending of the arc. A mysterious darkness starts chasing Mayoi and Koyomi around; this entity freaks them out to their very being. It is not an oddity or apparition. It’s a phenomenon. One that Shinobu ran into where she was the King of Apparitions. There was a sequence of coincidences that led a village to worshiping her as a goddess. She became a god but she’s not one, she’s a vampire. In this town she also meets and creates one of the two minions she ever made because he died when the darkness came for her. So long story short, Mayoi is the lost snail and a ghost that was supposed to move on. Her very purpose as an oddity is not being fulfilled and the darkness simple “deletes” oddities that don’t do what they are supposed to do. Meaning Mayoi must move on to the afterlife or just stop existing. She decides to move on and as she fading away, Koyomi and Mayoi do their little shtick one last time which she doesn’t complete. She instead kisses him and passes away. The tears just wouldn’t stop, I was super sad but it was all so moving.

Sugura Devil – In the original series that is the story of Araragi and his trials and tribulations along with his friends and foes, this is chronologically the last episode. This is excluding the Off Season and Monster Season, I know there was a timeskip. This takes place in Hanamonogatari where Sugura Kanbaru is the protagonist and narrator. She’s actually one of the best leads the series has; following the events of this episode from her perspective is a treat and welcome change of pace. Kanbaru is now a senior in high school meaning Hitagi and Koyomi have graduated so she’s already dealing with some loneliness off the bat. She then learns about someone called the “Lord of the Devil” taking requests and after some mild investigation, her Rainy Devil arm is gone. After looking into some more, she runs into her old basketball rival Rouka Numachi who’s collecting the parts of the Rainy Devil. I’m not going to go over all the story beats, I’m not here to recap but I do want to talk about what I enjoyed specifically about this arc aside from Kanbaru being the protagonist. I love the final match she has with Numachi and the resolution. I am a huge fan of her running into Kaiki and Kaiki actually out speeding her, something Kanbaru is famous for. Their conversation at dinner where Kaiki is preaching about eating more meat is just a hilarious scene. I also love how long haired Koyomi is reintroduced and how they interact in his car after he finds her sprawled out of the road. Side note, his hair is finally long enough to cover the vampire bite.

Mayoi Jiangshi – This truly is one of my favorite portions of the series. Shinobu and Koyomi grow so much closer during this segment and you get to see how much Koyomi means to her. Koyomi decides to go back in time and save Mayoi on the day that she dies. But doing so they created a parallel timeline separate from their own world, where Mayoi grows up and the world is destroyed. By who? Shinobu herself. In the events of this timeline, Araragi Koyomi is killed by Black Hanekawa and as a result Kissshot destroys the world. It’s crazy because in the bleak, despair filled hopelessness of this timeline; we actually get to see what Hachikuji Mayoi would look like grown up. It worked, he saved her here, and she is alive. She hands him a letter by Meme Oshino who like a boss, proceeds to just write down exactly what happened and asks them to save the world. They summon the version Kissshot from this world and she sees WHAT the alternate possibility was had Araragi lived. They’d be closer and together…just knowing that is enough to remove her will to kill and let Shinobu take her blood, save the world and take them back to their original timeline. It’s just a beautiful tale all in all and I love it. Takes place in Kabukimonogatari.

Hitagi End – Sengoku Nadeko has become a Snake God and plans on killing her beloved Koyomi-niichan by graduation. He’s tried countless times to save her and stop with Shinobu, but they all fail. Leaving him almost dead every time. Hitagi does the one thing I never thought she’d do but, turns to the very man that was the catalyst for destroying her family: Kaiki Deishuu. And guess what, he’s the narrator! Easily my favorite lead in the whole series because you can’t even always take everything he’s telling us as absolute truth, he’s a liar. But actually seeing the world from his point of view is something I never thought the series would give us. He has an interesting mind. After agreeing to help them out (for Kanbaru’s sake) he goes through one hell of an interesting con plan…the plan? To con a God out of godhood. After a series of complicated and intricate planning and scheming, he ultimately almost fails until he forces her to choose between being a god or her dream: to be a mangaka. And he does the impossible. Araragi shows up and he tells him to leave her alone and then after a conversation with Hitagi, leaves. It ends with him being attacked brutally by some kids he conned earlier in the story and his fate left ambiguous. I think this part of the story holds the most stakes and is the episode with the highest need for success.

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Favorite One Piece Arcs

1/9/2018

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One Piece is currently 890 chapters into its overall story. I thought I’d take a moment to look back and talk about some of my favorite arcs in One Piece (manga only, canon arcs). The narrative can be divided into 9 larger Sagas with smaller arcs that make up a Saga. For example the Alabasta Saga is made up of five arcs in total: Reverse Mountain, Whiskey Peak, Little Garden, Drum Island and eventually the Alabasta arc. All these smaller story parts make up the entire Saga. So, let’s hop right in and talk about my favorite arcs in the series.

Honorable mention to Marineford and Alabasta. The Summit War was absolutely incredible with tons of payoff, I loved it, it’s just not one of my personal favorite arcs though it does have some of my favorite moments. Alabasta I love because I like when each Strawhat gets a fight and this arc properly introduces two of my favorite characters: Crocodile and Nico Robin.

Zou – This arc is only 23 chapters long but I feel like a lot happened. It’s one of my favorite parts of the New World. We are introduced to the Minks, Jack the Drought (first billion berry bounty), we learn more about Rio Poneglyphs and we get visual conformation of Momonosuke’s important. First of all he’s the son of the previous Shogun of Wano and he can also hear the “Voice of All Things”. This allowed him to understand and control Zunisha. We learn that Nekomamushi and Inuarashi along with Kozuki Oden (the late Shogun) sailed with the Pirate King himself. SO much information was dropped on us during these very few chapters. The Minks are extremely loyal and if you know me, loyalty is a trait I very much admire (this is why I love Jinbei) because Jack came, raised hell and tortured the living crap out of the Minks looking or Raizou and they never gave him up. Lastly is Sanji is forced to leave.

Arlong Park – This is a part of the East Blue Saga so this takes place really early, right after Baratie. Here we learn about an entire different species in One Piece, the Fishmen and this arc is inherently very One Piece. A town in danger, sad backstory, nakama that needs help, a seemingly undefeatable foe and a heroic finish. There’s obviously more to a lot of the arcs, but to me this is what One Piece is all about a lot of the times. The flashback about Nami, Nojiko and Belle-Mere is sad as hell. How Arlong completely subjugates Cocoyashi village to do fund his ambitions and kidnap Nami. Forcing Nami to roam the oceans for years trying to raise 100,000,000 Berries in order to free the village. So much crap happened. The moment everything falls apart, after she seemly had betrayed the SHs and starts stabbing and clawing at the Arlong tattoo on her shoulder, Luffy shows up and stops her. And initially she’s angry he’s there, tells him to leave that he doesn’t understand anything and Luffy doesn’t move. She finally breaks down and asks him to please help her and he puts his hat on her head, yells of course he will, walks with the crew to Arlong Park and STEPS ON THAT FISH.

Skypiea - This arc is amazing to me because of the grandness and scope of this section of the narrative. It greatly expands the lore and universe of OP. The setting is so unique and absolutely breathtaking. It takes place MILES above the ocean, in the clouds, it’s so surreal. The pure adventuring aspect of a whole new world like this just grabs you and makes you want to explore with the crew. The historical importance of this arc that lies in the background (Calagara and Norland), we see Observation Haki for the first time (called Mantra) and this arc hammers home one of the most important aspects of Devil Fruit battles: matchups. Enel, a powerful Logia who ate the Goro Goro no Mi has a god complex with good reason. He’s essentially living lightning and pretty much invincible because he can lay waste to entire ISLANDS with his thunder. Luffy’s rubber body completely negates just about all of that, rendering Enel’s main way of fighting ineffective. Amazing stuff. The various Sky Island items such as the Dials are also really cool and one particular scene that sticks in my mind is Enel restarting his own heart after taking a Reject Dial from Wiper right to the chest. Underrated arc.

Sabaody – Can you believe that the concept of the Worst Generation or the Supernova is something that Oda came up with just one chapter before introducing them? This stuff was crazy, we’re reintroduced to Hachi (in the MAIN story, he had cover page arcs) and we learn about the discrimination of the Fishmen. The Celestial Dragons are introduced here. Luffy has the SECOND highest bounty out of the Supernovas which is insane when you think about Luffy’s accomplishments. Eustass Kidd also has another member of his crew that has a bounty over 100,000,000 Berries like Luffy and Zoro. We’re introduced to another Marine Admiral, the Pastifistas, the PIRATE KING’S RIGHT HAND MAN…are you guys starting to understand? I haven’t even talked about some of the abilities or how Luffy punches the FUCK out of a Celestial Dragon (incredibly satisfying). Of course we can’t talk about this arc without mentioning the fact that Bartholomew Kuma separated the entire crew. This was heartbreaking and if you were reading this around the time it was first published like I did, One Piece went on a two week break after that chapter. I was in real life pain.

Impel Down – This arc is just something else man I love this jail break. Luffy finds out Ace has been defeated and puts getting his crew back together on hold in order to save his brother. Here we are reintroduced to Buggy, Crocodile, Betham, Galdino and even Daz Bones. Here we meet Jinbei, Knight of the Sea and even Ivankov who’s part of the Revolutionary Army (works with Luffy’s dad). The jailbreak team is impressive, I like all the action and Magellan is the MvP of that arc. The entire, the entire jail ran from this man, THAT’S how powerful he was. He basically killed Luffy as a matter of fact, he poisoned him so badly Luffy is currently very resistant to poison. Luffy running into the man, the myth, the legend himself Teach who beat Ace was also a powerful moment. From a chapter to chapter basis, page to page, panel to panel, I just enjoyed this arc very much.

Enies Lobby – Undisputedly my favorite arc of the series, the Water 7 Saga is just absolutely amazing. The World Government has taken Robin to the judiciary island of Enies Lobby. She willing gave herself up because she wanted her friends to live and the SHs learn this and go after her. Knowing they’d have to defeate Cipher Pol Number 9 otherwise known as CP9. The get to the island and Luffy immediately just RUNS through HUNDREDS of Marine fodder looking for Robin. He runs into Blueno, and for the first time he uses Gear Second and demolishes this man. Not even close. It’s such a great moment see Luffy use a power up form. The SHs catch up and epically walk to where Luffy is standing. Around this time get the flashback with Robin and Ohara. How she suffered for 20 years running from the WG, heartbreaking stuff. She doesn’t at all value her life and insists she wants to die. Luffy screams out to Robin “SAY YOU WANNA LIVE”, she remembers the words of Jaguar D. Saul, her friend from the past and finally in that moment, she values her life enough to fight for it. Enough to loudly scream ,“I WANNA LIVE, PLEASE TAKE ME BACK TO THE SEA WITH YOU.” I was in fucking tears.This is easily the most emotional moment in the series to me, this scene is my all-time favorite scene and every time SINGLE TIME I watch it, I get CHILLS. Everyone else gets their respective one on ones (minus Sogeking), show of their power ups and showcase their abilities resulting in some of the best fights in the series. Luffy defeated Rob Lucci, the crew saves Robin; they give Merry a Viking burial and proceed to wrap up the arc. Garp, Coby, Dragon name drop, new bounties for everyone, a new ship and a new member.

What are your favorite One Piece arcs, hit me up on twitter and let me know or tell me in the comments here.

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My Favorite Monogatari Characters

1/8/2018

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Hanekawa isn't on this list. If you like her, you gotta go. Sengoku isn't here either so go on and get.

Kanbaru Sugura – First of all let’s get this out the way…Kanbaru is straight up is crossing and then dunking on any character you like. I really like Kanbaru because she’s one of the most sexually free characters I’ve seen in fiction. She’s completely 100% comfortable with her sexuality and such that it might be off putting to other people but she’s just being her truest self. She’s one of the few people I believe have extremely entertaining back and forths with Koyomi. Their convos are typically really lewd and dirty but I love it. She was an excellent protagonist in the Hanamonogatari portion of the overall series and she’s got that sexy sports body to boot.

Hachikuji Mayoi – My cute little lost snail. I personally believe she’s the character that has the most interesting dialogue with Koyomi. Easily. She leads him into traps, makes fun of him, gives him great advice, they have their awesome quips and they reference tons of anime. I love it, she’s is and isn’t mature for her age which is always funny to me. One of my favorite arcs is Mayoi Jiangshi when we get to see Mayoi in an alternate timeline all grown up. Theoretically, if I had a heart, seeing her grown up would warm my heart. “The courage to ask a girl to see her panties!”

Araragi Koyomi – The character I relate to the most. He’s a lot like me except he’s short, good at math, in love with his sisters and a lolicon. Otherwise we’re actually pretty similar. Most of his friends are women, he’s got a lowkey harem, he’s a big brother and he takes care of his own. I very much enjoy his inner monologues and seeing how he makes little adjustments in his mannerisms depending on the person. His relationship with Hitagi is also very important to me.

Deishuu Kaiki – One of the more unique and interesting beings I’ve seen in fiction. He’s got so many lines that are great quotes. See Kaiki is a ghostbuster of sorts but he’s a fake. He doesn’t even believe in the supernatural, the man is a con artist that does anything for money. In Nisemonogatari, there was a huge build up leading up to the cast confronting Kaiki and its purposely anticlimactic. He just agrees to leave when the time comes. He does so and even has a snark remark about life not always being so dramatic. The fake is of far greater value. In its deliberate attempt to be real, it's more real than the real thing.

Senjougahara Hitagi – Hitagi is a self-aware, crazy tsundere that loves Koyomi. She gives off multiple personality traits at her whim (she does it willingly) and her interactions with Koyomi are top 3. She once referred to him as trash. She’s had a difficult past, she was almost sexually assaulted, her mom made the family bankrupt by joining a cult, she was weightless for a few year but she’s come a long way. You can see her progression at being more understanding and for me it starts with the night out with Koyomi near the planetarium. Comes full circle during Hitagi Rendezvous. So cute and so is she.

Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade – Rola, Acerola, Oshino Shinobu, Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade. She goes by many names. One of my all-time favorite fictional characters. The king of apparitions. She was a cursed princess, then a wondering vagabond turned vampire and she was even a goddess at one point. She’s got a rich and long history during her 598 year life. The way she speaks is elegant, her love for donuts is hilarious, and her relationship with Koyomi is intriguing and she the most stunning character in the series. It’s almost ephemeral. Especially in her full form, her elegant royal beauty mixed with her vampire ferocity makes for one sexy babe. She has a few of my favorite arcs and she’s the most experienced character in the series.

Shout out to Kagenui and Yotsugi, I really like those two as well.

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A Quick Explanation of One Piece

1/5/2018

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One Piece is a manga created by. Eiichiro Oda. It’s about a boy named Monkey D. Luffy, who wants to become something called King of the Pirates which he can achieve by finding the legendary treasure called the One Piece. He was inspired as a child by a man named Shanks who is a renowned pirate. The previous Pirate King was a man named Gold Roger who had attained everything the world had to offer (money, fame and power), and before his death, he said that if they wanted his treasure they could have it if they found it. He smiled in death being proud of whom he was and his words started what is called the Age of the Pirates. Monkey D. Luffy travels the oceans of the world, fighting many enemies along with his crew, in order to achieve all their dreams and find the One Piece.

The Straw Hat crew currently consists of nine pirates as of this moment. Each Straw Hat has a role on the ship and a thematic role. The story still isn’t done, it’s ongoing with a new chapter and episode released each week. It’s a deceptively deep and complex story with lots of sub plots, cool characters, themes and very original settings. One of the most intriguing things about the One Piece universe are these things called Devil Fruits. People who eat Devil Fruits gain supernatural abilities but at the cost of never being able to swim. It’s inherently interesting because most of the story takes place on the ocean and there are so many Devil Fruit users meaning there are tons of marines and pirates at sea that can’t swim.

Some ideologies and themes that are explored in the One Piece manga are treasure, justice, oppression, discrimination, slavery, government corruption, and religion. Treasure to most pirates is simply gold, silver, jewels or flashy expensive objects. But they are characters that suggest that treasure is so much more than just money. It’s really anything you’re not willing to give up without putting up a fight or protecting it to the end for whatever reason. Whether it’s a sentimental reason, a promise or because something or someone just mean a lot to that person. For example Luffy’s strawhat has no monetary value and it’s not very flashy or worth much. But when the man he idolized gave him that hat they made a promise to each other. Meaning Luffy will protect his promise with Shanks and the strawhat because he treasures it. Justice is a term really only used by the marines and like how pirates form their own way of living life (some pirates aren’t evil they just want to be free, while other are evil and blood thirsty) marines develop their own concept of justice. Justice being a much debated philosophical topic.

There are some who indeed deal with pirates and criminals accordingly in One Piece, while sometimes when a dangerous pirate is caught in order to erase the evil from the seas that pirate may get sent straight to jail without a trail. Or simply executed. There are signs or extreme corruption coming from within the marines and World Government meant who are suppose to be the good guys. Noble, honorable justice. Absolute Justice and Dark Justice are the harshest justices in the world of One Piece where in order to save 200 lives they’ll take away 500 and destroy everything in their path. For example if the marines really want a pirate captured and that pirate is in a populated area of innocent civilians, the marine may kill everything in their way in order to get the pirate. It’s known as sacrificing the few to save the many.

One Piece shows the relationship between the crew members very well. Simply by the way they interact with one another, laugh, joke around and trust each other in battle. When they are just on the ship, each person can talk and relate to other members in their own way. Zoro and Sanji have a rivalry with one another, yet respect one another very much. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper being the youngest are seen often playing. There is a part where Nami warns the crew that a storm is coming, and another ship is heading into it. Without Luffy having to say it, Nami already knows that he wants her to warn them about the incoming storm. This shows how much trust that they have amongst each and how they understand one another. They don’t even have to say things out loud sometimes because they have an in sync chemistry that allows them to function as a team without words. I also want to add the reassuring feeling the crew members get when Luffy, Zoro and Sanji are involved in a serious battle.

Another think that's really good about One Piece are the flashback, backstories and characterization. For example Tony Tony Chopper and Dr. Hiluluk. Chopper is a reindeer that ate a Devil Fruit known as the Human Human Fruit. With the fruit's power, he was able to learn English and even stand on two feet. This caused him to be ostracized by his reindeer pack. Not to mention he had a blue nose. So instead he takes on his humanoid form and goes to live with humans…..but they shoot at him calling him a monster. Neither humans nor reindeers wanted to anything to do with this “beast” and he began to feel alone.

A man who is a quack doctor, who used to be a notorious criminal walks by a wounded Chopper. In defense Chopper attacks the man. The man throws off all his clothes and weapons reassuring the beast that he was a friend and was there to help him. This is how Chopper meets his first friend. This relationship is explored brilliantly throughout the movie. From Chopper being fed for the first time, and the kindness shown to him by the Doctor. They become very good friends, as they do all sorts of stuff together. Unfortunately due to a series of unfortunate events, Dr. Hiluluk loses his life. Chopper holds him in high regards, and has nothing but love and respect for the man. Even after death they have a close bond.

I don't want to go too in depth and spoil everything because I think you should go into this story unaware of what to expect because it's unpredictable and it is long. It's a commitment but it's NOT a race. Don't rush, take your time, enjoy it at your own pace and eventually one day, you will be caught up. There's a reason why this series is so popular and I hope you all enjoy it. Don't be intimidated by it's length. Have fun.

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More Anime Films Worth Watching

1/3/2018

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Since the last time I made one of these lists, I beleive back in 2015, I've seen a ton of anime movies. Some good, some bad but here's a short list of the ones I think are worthwhile for one reason or another.

Kizumonogatari Movies – Koyomi Vamp, chronologically the beginning of the Monogatari series (as it pertains to Araragi). These three movies tell the story of how Araragi Koyomi became the oddity that he is and his run in with the king of apparitions.

Napping Princess – An interesting movie where dreams and the real world gets blurred and mixed up. A regular girl who’s a princess in her dreams tries to save her dad.

Your Name – A Comix Wave Film and Makoto Shinkai movie. Already you should know that visually, it’ll blow most anime out of the water. As for the movie itself, simply put, it’s Freaky Friday, in Japan with two high school teens (a boy and a girl).

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV - This is the prequel to the Final Fantasy XV game. About how Insomnia fell and how the king perished. Animation is fantastic.

A Silent Voice – The main character bullies the new girl who is deaf…as a result she ends up leaving and he becomes the subject of bulling. Timeskip to highschool and he runs into the very girl he used to bully…

Blame – An interesting adaptation of a beloved manga. I don’t think the animation is very great but I think it’s worth a watch.

One Film: Gold – The Strawhats must defeat Gild Tesero and save Zoro, after losing in a huge gambling wage. Will the SHs defeat the Monster of the New World in his own territory?

Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel - Presage Flower - The final route of the Fate/Stay Night narrative. Probably the most intense and darkest path of the three, watch Ufotable beautifully animate a portion of this Holy Grail War.

Anthem of the Heart - Long story short it's about a girl who's words hurt the people around her and thus her ability to talk is sealed away...but not her ability to sing. So it's about her trials an tribulations of essentially being a mute in her school, community and family environments.

Psycho Pass Movie – The final installment of this series (at this point). I shouldn’t really have to explain this, if you watched the anime, watch the movie. If not, start with the anime then watch the movie.

The Case of Hana & Alice - The animation and style is not for everyone but it's good. The story is about a girl who moves into a new school and sits at a desk where a previous student passed away. So they don't immediately treat the new kid nicely so, she decides to solve the mystery of how and why this student dies.

Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress - Fuse are these humanoid beings that can eat orbs from humans. The main character and her brother hunt them. Story of understanding and acceptance.

In This Corner of the World - A historical drama that takes place a decade before and after Japan is hit with an atomic bomb. Follow Suzu, a young girl who loves drawing and see how she deals with living in this time period.

Expelled from Paradise - Most of humanity has chosen to digitize themselves to live in a virtual world because a massive disaster hits earth. This world is hacked so the system sends Angela to earth in a physical body to find the hacker.

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade - Kazuki (suffering from trauma) goes to retrain himself with the Capital Polices Special Unit after he sees a young girl suicide bomb herself. He meets this girl's older sister and gets caught up in a dispute between different police forces.

Colorful (Movie) - "She/He" was kicked out the reincarnation cycle for committing a sin. Given another chance, "she/he forcibly inhabits 14 Makoto who attempted suicide. In this body, "they" must learn what their sin was or risk never existing again.

The Empire of Corpses - In a different version of the 18th century, Victor Frankenstein perfectly reanimated a dead body with a soul but that creation was destroyed. In the 19th century people can reanimate corpse but not with a soul. Did I mention this includes John Watson and Sherlock Holmes?

Harmony - Thanks to medical nanotechnology, the world has achieved Utopia through super medicine. Three girls stand up to this new totalitarian world by attempting suicide via starvation but the main character lives, grows up, joins the WHO and tries to save the world.

Miss Hokusai - Story of a famous artist and his daughter who is more talented than him. Apparently the artist was real and this is somewhat of a historical retelling of the truth behind his masterpieces (it was the daughter).

Kiki's Delivery Service - A Ghibli movie about a Witch's coming of age adventure into the real world to find herself. A personal favorite movie of mine from the studio.

That's all....goodbye!!

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Top 10 Anime/Manga Main Characters

Nya's Top 30 Anime & Manga (2019)

Strongest 30 One Piece Characters

My Favorite Anime/Manga To Date (2018)

Anime & Manga Content On My Channel

Favorite Monogatari Arcs

Favorite One Piece Arcs

My Favorite Monogatari Characters

A Quick Explanation of One Piece

More Anime Films Worth Watching

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