Category Archives: anime

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights July 2024

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New chapter of Spotted Flower came out at the end of last month, which is now followed by a new volume of Spotted Flower too!

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1807270496565641715

New chapter of Spotted Flower!

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1809110684917248425

Kio’s tortoise will just walk around his room and randomly poop and pee, so Kio got it a diaper made for cats.

Kio retweeted a t-shirt of the Fantasista mascot Sistan, which has art by Koume Keito (who worked on the Kujibiki Unbalance manga. Sistan thanks Kio, who responds that this makes him happy.

Kio attended an event of “like-minded people,” and went to the afterparty despite initially being hesitant. Turns out he enjoyed it.

The tortoise keeps waking up one hour earlier, messing up Kio’s sleep. He can hear it walking around and breathing.

Kio wishes manga artist Kusada a happy birthday.

The electricity and water were out in Kio’s apartment, so he went to a super sentou (large bathhouse) and had a good time. Kusada and him talk about how losing power and plumbing should be a bad thing, but the bathhouse makes for a great way to relax.

Kio contributed art to a special Rakuen: Le Paradis 15th anniversary exhibition (and you can buy a replica if you’re in Japan!). He also realizes that he’s been a manga artist for 30 years, and half of that was with Rakuen doing Spotted Flower.

30 pages inked (out of 134) for the sequel to Kio’s 18+ doujinshi.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1812328649066266919

Kio rewatched the live-action version of his doujinshi, appreciating how the second half is original material that deviates from his version.

Spotted Flower Volume 7 on sale 7/31 (That’s today!). Kio recommends reading it together with Volume 6.

Kio agonized a lot over what to do for the jacket and the underjacket cover of his artbook. 

After retweeting the announcement of the upcoming Ranma ½ remake, Kio thinks the series might be a major influence on why he’s into trans characters.

Kio concurs with Kusada about how great it is to draw the part of the pelvis that sticks out.

Kio thought he managed to get a manuscript done, but it was only one page’s worth of progress.

Kio is reviewing the interview included in his artbook.

Kio is saddened at the death of Ohara Noriko, the original voice of Nobita in Doraemon and Conan in Future Boy Conan.

Kio mentions something vague about remembering something huge and is worried about making it in time, but manages to do so.

The layout and comments, plus the interview page, are all set for the artbook.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1817037873582952810

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1818478710523338920

Spotted Flower v7 comes out 7/31 (that’s today!). Note that there are a number of Japanese stores with exclusive bonuses.

Kio managed to get past a part in (I assume) Elden Ring that didn’t have anything to do with gestures or outfits or story stuff.

A Locomotive of Motives: Train to the End of the World

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I don’t know if Train to the End of the World is a true turning point in anime, but it feels like an important intersection of a lot of trends and forces that have been at play over the past ten, maybe even twenty years. 

In the world of the near future, an attempt to launch a 7G network actually twists Japan into a nigh-unrecognizable land of bizarre mysteries and fundamental changes to everything people know. In the city of Agano, adults have turned into sentient animals, wireless communications are dead, and information is hard to come by. Chikura Shizuru is a student living in Agano, going through their daily lives in the fallout of the 7G Incident, but when she learns that her missing friend Yoka might be in Ikebukuro, she and her friends commandeer an out-of-commission train in the hopes of reaching Yoka.

This anime touches on a lot of popular tropes, but in a way that plays with expectations. The series is indeed about Cute Girls Doing a Thing—in this case riding a train through Japan—but it can hardly be called “slice of life” because there is a lot of narrative momentum. It follows in the trend of post-apocalypse and travelog series like Girls’ Last Tour and Kino’s Journey, but it’s less about the ennui of the environment and more about exploring a strange new world. The fact that it’s done via commuter rail and with girls whose relationships carry different degrees of baggage pushes the story away from the quiet gravitas such works often exude and into something more personal. Plenty of titles (especially from the studio P.A. Works) highlight less famous parts of Japan, but they don’t typically present them as Escher-like warpings of reality. I think the closest series might be Rolling Girls, but even that series’s brand of fantastical is very different.

What’s more, Train to the End of the World takes all these somewhat contradictory directions and ties them all together in a satisfying manner. This kind of creativity is actually something I was hopeful about when I first heard about the series, particularly because Mizushima Tsutomu was at the helm. As the director of both SHIROBAKO and Girls und Panzer, he’s proven ability to tell remarkably involved stories that marry a lot of disparate energies together. While Train to the End of the World isn’t my favorite of the three, I feel like it might be the most impressive of them from a storytelling perspective. 

I encourage the skeptical to give it a chance.

Miki Kinemi and the Electrifying Characters of Blue Period

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I’ve been catching up on the English releases of the Blue Period manga, and I’ve come to a few realizations.

I Really Like Miki Kinemi

Miki first appears while Yatora is taking the Tokyo University of the Arts entrance exam, and her design stood out to me. Her stocky frame and soft features left a lasting impression on me, and I hoped she would become a recurring character. I’m glad my wish turned out to be true.

Miki’s positive personality and enthusiasm for painting, the way she wears her heart on her sleeve, and the way she tries to take on others’ burdens (sometimes to her own detriment) make for an endearing character. Her body type is also a rarity in manga, and I’m very impressed by the author, Yamaguchi Tsubasa, and her ability to draw Miki so well. I’m a real fan—of both Yamaguchi and Miki.

Actually, They’re All Really Attractive 

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that pretty much all the characters in Blue Period are charming in their own way. Girls, guys, gender nonconforming, they all exhibit a real spark of life that is facilitated by their respective visual designs but also goes beyond their appearance. They’re not attractive simply because they have XYZ physical and personality features but because they feel very human—beautiful and ugly and trying to navigate the world with the tools they have. Some of those tools are the result of their own work, but some have been forced upon them.

When I see a character show up again, I can get a tingle in my spine.

When you get them to bounce off one another, it’s like magic. Or art. One of my favorite things in manga is seeing really deep and dynamic character interaction, and Blue Period has this in spades. The subject matter probably helps, as these artists (from veterans to beginners) are look within while also peering into the souls of others for the sake of their work, or they try to run away and inadvertently do so anyway.

Is Blue Period Now One of My Favorite Manga?

I’ve thought highly of it for a long time, but now I like it even more. So yes, probably.

Bringing the Band Back Together: Sound! Euphonium 3

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Sound! Euphonium 3 concludes a nine-year journey that follows the students of the Kitauji High School Music Club through the drama of high school and band competition. Taken in isolation, this season feels like the end of an era. Factoring in the tragedies that the studio Kyoto Animation has gone through, it’s one of the greatest victories ever.

Euphonium player Oumae Kumiko and her friends are now the seniors, and have thus gone from newbies to leaders. For Kumiko, that’s more than literal; she’s now the president. They’ve seen the club go from recreational to competitive, and they have one more chance to earn what has eluded them the past two years: gold at nationals. But a few challenges lie ahead, like trying to guide the club as its veterans, and figuring out what their respective futures in music (if any) looks like. Kumiko also meets a transfer student named Mayu who’s a euphonium player herself, and she has to think about the degree to which this final year is meant to be her own time in the spotlight or Kitauiji’s. 

Can the club hold together and win nationals, or will it fall apart before even making it back?

In preparation for this review, I read through my old posts about Sound! Euphonium. Seeing where Season 3 begins in comparison really highlights the fact that these characters have each gone on their own journeys while part of a greater overall adventure. Kumiko now sees herself as a euphonium player through and through, and her previous ambivalence about music has made way for a different type of ambivalence focused more on what comes next. Trumpeter Kousaka Reina has gone from upstart prodigy to the central pillar of the club, where her unmatched skill, no-nonsense attitude, and unwavering dedication to music positions her as an intimidating yet inspiring upperclassman. Kawashima “Midori” Sapphire has become the gentle but firm mentor to a fellow contrabass player. And Katou Hazuki, who had joined the club on a lark and with no musical experience, can now play the tuba with consistent confidence. They can all display genuine skill with their instruments now, despite how differently they began.

Being the veterans also means new obstacles. One is the fact that the first-years did not go through the fires of change with their teacher, Taki-sensei, and don’t understand why the older members revere him. Another is that Kumiko and the others have managed to rehabilitate the school’s reputation to the point that some students enroll specifically to join the music club, and so many already have entrenched ideas of what to expect. With the main cast as the seniors, they’re now in a place where they are the most mature people in the room. 

At the same time, the third year of high school in Japan also traditionally marks the end of immaturity. Kumiko struggles with envisioning her future, which is made all the more difficult by the fact that Reina is ready to dedicate the rest of her life to reaching greater heights in music. The previous club leaders can seem like giants who had it all figured out, so why does it seem so different now? The transition from childhood to adulthood underlies this final season. It feels genuine, and I find myself reminiscing a bit about what it was like.

Five years have passed since I last watched any Sound! Euphonium, so it’s hard for me to directly compare this concluding season with the previous entries. Even so, I think it holds up to my memories of the anime and as a work unto itself. But when you’re aware of the catastrophes that Kyoto Animation faced—namely an arson attack that claimed the lives of over 30 people and injured dozens of others as well, and then COVID-19—Sound! Euphonium 3 is a true triumph for everyone involved. The fact that they had such devastating setbacks and managed to pull off a final season that looks and feels so satisfying really speaks to how great KyoAni is at spreading institutional knowledge and making sure it’s not just the veterans who hoard all the glory. When it comes to both the Kitauji High School Music Club and Kyoto Animation, understanding the importance of passing the torch is paramount.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Kibutsuji Muzan’s Great Flaw

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Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba’s Hashira Training Arc has just finished, acting as the prelude to the end. There’s a controversy over its pacing (namely that it streeetches out what is a brief section of the manga despite relatively little source material), but I’d like to put that aside to talk about what I think is the most important moment from the season—one that highlights a core aspect of the main antagonist, Kibutsuji Muzan.

In the final episode of the Hashira Training Arc, Muzan confronts the head of the Demon Slayer Corps, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, who is bedridden and not long for the world. The eternally youthful Muzan mocks Ubuyashiki for his physical deterioration, only for Ubuyashiki to speak about Muzan’s obsession with his own immortality. The demon slayer leader juxtaposes this obsession with the driving animus of the Demon Slayer Corps: though it may consist of mortals, their collective will to defeat the demons lives on. In contrast, the demons rely entirely on Muzan for their continued existence. If he perishes, so too will they.

There lies the inherent opposition between the group structure of demon slayers vs. demons. Muzan has created a system where he alone holds all the cards, going beyond even the most tyrannical despot. And not only does he view his minions as property, he is unwilling to cede any degree of power to them if it is not under his full control. Whereas Ubuyashiki’s followers come to respect him for his compassion and determination, the demons cower in abject fear of Muzan because they are nothing without him. The Demon Slayer Corps legacy carries on, and not simply through childbirth. Instead, it is accomplished primarily through teaching and raising the next generation to be better.

The difference between Ubuyashiki and Muzan comes down to selfishness. It’s the boss who expects everyone to be at their beck and call, the narcissistic parental figure who demands their children listen to them just because, the political leader who passes laws to benefit themselves rather than their citizens. It didn’t have to be the case that toppling Muzan ends the demons, but the man set it up that way, mistakenly believing his weakness to be strength. As we now await the final movie trilogy to conclude Demon Slayer, I’m interested in seeing how this all plays out.

Muscling Through: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for July 2024

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Things are looking dire in the United States because of the recent Supreme Court decision that grants presidents broad powers with few if any checks. I will admit that I’m very concerned about this, but all I will say is that those who think they’ll be safe from abuse of power are fooling themselves. Independence and freedom don’t just mean “I can do whatever the hell I want, even if others suffer for it.”

I hope that talking about anime will provide some comfort as I think about what to do next.

The summer anime season is officially upon us, and there’s lots of anime being remade and revived right now. The one I’m looking forward to most is Kinnikuman: Perfect Origin Arc, which is based on the 2011 continuation of the original Kinnikuman manga. Based on the promotional materials, I feel like it actually has a chance of getting some real traction with a modern audience. Might Kinnikuman be the next JoJo in the English-speaking market?

I hope so.

Thank you to the following Patreon supporters for the month:

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog highlights from May

The Psychological Price of Distance—Gundam Reconguista in G Part IV: The Love That Cries Out in Battle

My review of the 4th G-Reco movie.

Revisiting “The Transformers: The Movie”

This is a movie from my childhood, but it had been a long time since I watched it in full.

La+ Darknesss Is Now a Shoujo Manga Author

This hololive VTuber has now been published in Hana to Yume magazine!

Kio Shimoku

He has an artbook coming out soon! He talks about this and more in his tweets.

Closing

A lot of hololive birthdays and concerts happened in June, but I think the ones I want to point out most are the Japanese 1st Generation’s 6th anniversary concert (featuring Haachama) and the Gawr Gura 2024 city-pop-themed birthday concert. Not only did La+ show up as a guest, but Gura actually threw in a reference to Legend of the Galactic Heroes!

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights June 2024

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The big thing this month is the announcement of the Kio Shimoku artbook! Also, a drawing of Darkness from KonoSuba!

Kio is going to have an artbook! (I wonder if this is why he’s been posting high-quality images of his old art over the past year or so.) More details here.

He wondered when would be the right time to release the book, and reflects on the fact that it’s been 30 years since he started his manga career.

The pre-order art is actually high-quality reproductions of the original, so you can see all the little guide lines and other marks in the images.

The artbook will also include an interview with him.

Kio has a color illustration job deadline coming up, so he’s been plugging away at it little by little. He thinks he can finish in time. That said, he has a lot of other work due the week after. It also means he can’t work on his ero manga. 

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1798241185150255131

Kio’s tortoise has been a hyper little hellion (as far as tortoises go).

Terry and Mai from Fatal Fury will be in Street Fighter 6. Kio is surprised at the news. One commenter says they’re looking forward to seeing Sue in SF in 15 years, to which Kio says maybe in 30.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1792587350675009766

It turns out this drawing from last month is for the cover to the artbook! It’s one of his characters from an older work (I think the Yonensei/Gonensei series?).

Kio went and saw the Bocchi the Rock! movie. He really liked the music and performance scenes.

Excited for the announcement of Delicious in Dungeon anime season 2.

Kio bought all of the original Oblivion Battery manga out, only to find out that it doesn’t progress as quickly as the anime. Now, he wishes he stuck with just the anime.

There’s a Yasuhiko Yoshikazu and Koizumi Yuu exhibit titled “Modern Japan and Russia/Soviet.” Kio couldn’t go the previous day but has decided to check it out.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/1802703437983105069

A drawing of Darkness from KonoSuba!

Kio is shocked that the anime is only up to Volume 7 of the light novels, which currently have 17 volumes out.

While waiting for a Pre-DLC Elden Ring update to download, Kio works on his ero manga and gets a page done. He’s also wondering how the hell he’s listening to an audio book of Buddha’s Teachings while working on said 18+ comic,

Working on the ero manga and also walking his tortoise. The reptile is unusually fast.

Knocking down his deadlines one by one.

Elden Ring download done.

Otomo Katushiro is releasing an album called Akira Remix. The Otomo recent cel exhibition was playing music from it, and Kio remembers going to the exhibition and hearing the music the whole time.

Kio Shimoku Is Releasing a 30th Anniversary Artbook!

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Kio Shimoku, author of Genshiken, recently announced that he’s going to be releasing an artbook collecting his work from across his 30-year career! It will also include an interview with him.

The book is titled Kio Shimoku Gashuu: Mata Ashita, Bushitsu de—Kio Shimoku Art Collection: See You Tomorrow in the Clubroom. It’s being released by Fukkan, a Japanese publisher that specializes in niche specialty books and reviving out-of-print titles.

While the book is available for pre-order on other Japanese sites, pre-ordering on Fukkan’s site will get you a set of A4-sized replica illustrations of Kio’s work. And if you do it by July 16 (JST), then you can enter to win an autograph from the man himself!

Unfortunately, Fukkan will only ship domestically, so if you live outside of Japan, you’ll need to use a third party. Just keep in mind that with the pre-order bonus, shipping might be pretty killer!

Rivalry at Its Finest—Haikyu!!: The Dumpster Battle

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In a sports anime where relationships on the court are centrally important, the defining team rivalry of Haikyu! is undoubtedly Karasuno vs. Nekoma. In Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, it all comes to a head as the two face off in the big inter-high tournament.

While the high-flying Hinata Shoyo is generally the star of the series, this movie feels like one where his friend and longest rival, Nekoma’s setter Kozume Kenma, is the actual main character. A significant amount of time is spent exploring his history and inner world, elaborating on how he started playing volleyball, and what has kept him in the sport despite his dislike of physical exertion. It’s because the film is basically an adaptation of a small chunk of the manga, but I appreciate that its story can be told in a way that really shines the spotlight on Kenma and adds a new perspective on his relationship with Hinata, as well as with Kenma’s own teammates.

The two schools are set up as equal but opposite forces. The Karasuno duo are the high-flying spiker Hinata and the technical setter Kageyama, while Nekoma’s main pair consists of the quietly analytical setter Kenma and the psychology-oriented Kuroo. Whereas Karasuno focuses on heavy aerial offense meant to overwhelm, Nekoma stays primarily grounded and defensive, strategically picking apart opponents. It’s a little on-the-nose, with the whole “ravens vs. cats” imagery, but there’s nothing wrong with that if it’s executed well.

What I especially like about this film is the fact that it’s all about a single match, and the majority of it is spent in competition. It reminds me of the Girls und Panzer films, which also take the time to depict long, drawn-out battles where two sides try to outwit and trap each other. Production I.G. goes out of its way to make the volleyball look amazing, even sometimes making it feel like you’re right there on the court.

Despite obviously being meant for people who have been watching Haikyu!! from the start, I actually think a non-fan could come into this pretty easily. They might assume that Kenma is the protagonist, and might not get all the running gags, but The Dumpster Battle is just a fine piece of sports fiction that just also happens to include lots of handsome dudes.

The Dragons of My Childhood: In Remembrance of Ruth Stiles Gannett

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Ruth Stiles Gannett, author of the My Father’s Dragon trilogy, passed away on June 11 at the age of 100. I can’t overstate how important she was to my early childhood. 

My elementary school was part of a program to encourage reading, and we could choose one book to take home. I was in first grade, and I decided on The Dragons of Blueland (the third in the trilogy after Elmer and the Dragon) despite the fact that it was meant for sixth graders—I think I wanted to show that I was smart enough to tackle a tougher book. It ended up being the very first novel I ever finished, as well as the first book I could truly call my own.

I probably would not have written about Gannett’s death for this blog, but I’ve come to learn that Gannett is actually quite beloved in Japan—possibly even more than in the United States, where she was born.

I actually first learned about Gannett’s passing because I was browsing Twitter and saw Gaogaigar director Yonetani Yoshitomo post an image of a large statue depicting the titular dragon, Boris. It was quoting another tweet mentioning the news. When I tried to look for a source, the only ones showing up were Japanese sites.

It turns out that My Father’s Dragon was published in Japan in 1963 as Elmer no Bouken (“Elmer’s Adventure”), 15 years after it was originally released in English. In 1966, it was adapted into a puppet play for the NHK show Ningyougeki (“Puppet Theater”), and then into an anime film in 1997. Yonetani’s photo above came from a My Father’s Dragon exhibit that’s been touring Japan. And just looking through Youtube, someone created and uploaded their own puppet show version in 2010, which has a lot of views for a very small channel.

As an aside, there’s also a 2022 Netflix film from the makers of The Secret of Kells. I haven’t see it, though.

When I was in first grade, I hadn’t yet developed a keen interest in Japanese culture. Looking back, I do find it funny that this author who made such a huge impact on my life would be so celebrated in a country whose media has literally changed my life. I haven’t gone back to The Dragons of Blueland or the other books in a very long time, but I might just take some time to revisit my childhood.

Thank you, Ruth. You were a big part of why I loved reading as a kid, and Dragons of Blueland introduced me to so many wonderful things (not least of which was Fig Newtons). I hope your books continue to inspire imagination in people young and old.