Sounds like Chapter 50 of Spotted Flower will have a hell of a finale. It’s not clear whether this means the end of the series, or it’s just the final scene of the chapter that’s a big deal.
Different stores in Japan have different purchase bonuses for Volume 8 of Spotted Flower! Almost all of them are basically different girls in skimpy swimsuits.
It also seems like Kio will be including something like a doujinshi with Volume 8.
There will be a live action adaptation of Kio’s erotic doujinshi sequel, It’s All Your Fault, Sensei.2. Here’s an NSFW tweet with a barely censored picture of the actors.
While visiting Obata Castle in Ibaraki Prefecture, Kio heard a loud roar coming from the south. Then he remembered that the JSDF’s Hyakuri Base is there.
It is a hell of a move to conclude Demon Slayer, one of the biggest anime and manga of the past 10 years, with a trilogy of movies. I have to assume that putting it in theaters is a way to both create hype and make lots of money in the process, and dang it, it’s working. Not only is Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba –Infinity Castle- Part 1 an overall compelling watch, but it’s apparently the biggest box office weekend in the US for an anime film since Pokémon: The First Movie.
Despite being the finale, the premise of the Infinity Castle movies is a simple one: After a costly confrontation against Kibutsuji Muzan, protagonist Kamada Tanjiro and the rest of the Demon Slayer Corps seemingly have the villain cornered. However, the heroes suddenly find themselves teleported into the heart of enemy territory. Here in the infinitely expanding castle that Muzan calls his home base, they must face his strongest lieutenants while dealing with a space that defies logic and reason. If they don’t take out the demons here, all will be lost.
The setting is pretty much perfect for a shounen battle anime: an array of elaborate and intense fight scenes that also tell interesting stories about the characters involved. Some clashes are culminations of previous storylines, others reveal previously unknown sides of characters, and everything remains pleasantly hard to predict. It’s a little bit Ninja Scroll and a little bit Girls und Panzerfilms in terms of never letting up on the tension, with the occasional requisite backstory flashback being the main way to calm things down.
But while Infinity Castle Part 1 is pretty much all “fight, fight, fight,” I think it still portrays compelling and often tragic dramas involving both the beauty and ugliness of humanity in a satisfying manner. Through it all, the film emphasizes ideas that have been core to Demon Slayer: Mutual cooperation can overcome obstacles, compassion is a strength, and humanity is built on helping the weak and paying it forward to the next generation.
One issue with this movie is that while it has not yet been adapted for TV episodes, it still feels like a series of episodes or chapters stitched together. There was little attempt to structure it as a feature-length film, especially when it comes to the positioning of flashbacks (of which there are many). Moreover, Part 1 is over two and a half hours long, and while I enjoyed every minute, it did feel a little bloated and awkwardly paced at times.
Every battle in the movie are amazing, but I do want to give particular attention to the main fight of this first movie, so there will be SPOILERS AHEAD.
As Tanjiro and the others try to make their way through, he and Giyu the Water Hashira are attacked by Akaza, Muzan’s third strongest minion, and the one with whom Tanjiro has the most history. It was Akaza who killed a valiant Rengoku Kyojuro during the Mugen Train arc, and when they last met, Tanjiro was far outclassed by the demon and his hand-to-hand fighting skills. However, Tanjiro also left a searing impression in Akaza’s mind, calling him a coward for fleeing at dawn when Demon Slayers have to fight demons in the dark of night all the time.
In this violent reunion, Tanjiro manages to accomplish what he couldn’t before when he slices through Akaza’s body. While this is only a temporary setback for the demon, it’s the first sign that Tanjiro has grown as a warrior. Unfortunately, Akaza quickly adapts to both Tanjiro and Giyu, and it isn’t until Tanjiro manages to piece together various thoughts and memories related to Akaza, the nature of battle and conflict, and his own childhood with his father that he manages to tap into a higher plane of martial expression (the “transparent world,” where killing intent is absent and only movement remains) that he deals a catastrophic blow to his opponent.
While Akaza somehow survives and even starts to regenerate from the brink of demise, the fact that Tanjiro surpassed him in battle, if only for an instant, helps jog Akaza’s faded memories. Remembering his turbulent past life as a child thief trying to get medicine for his gravely ill father, and the second chance he received from a martial artist and daughter before Akaza’s happiness was ripped from him by a petty local clan, Akaza realizes that Tanjiro is exactly the kind of person he wanted to be. The bloody pursuit of strength that has defined him as a demon is revealed to be a corruption of his own desire to live honorably and protect his loved ones. Akaza willingly defeats himself (literally), and visions of his departed fiancee, adoptive father, and birth father help him to shake off Muzan’s control and pass on for good.
I am utterly impressed by the way this fight plays out. It just encapsulates so much of what makes Demon Slayer a great series, especially the way Tanjiro’s heart breaks through even the toughest obstacles, including the very demons he fights. Akaza is shown to be a human who struggled with the unfairness of the world that punishes the poor for merely existing, and that much of the trauma he suffered came from human hands. Yet, he also recalls a lesson from his old life that it’s never too late to start over, and this puts him on the path to relinquishing his demonhood, even at the cost of his life.
END OF SPOILERS
As someone who was there in the theater to watch Mewtwo Strikes Back back in 1999 and remember the buzz surrounding it, this record-breaking achievement says a lot about how far anime has come. This is maybe the biggest sign that anime has truly, truly arrived on American shores, and the long-time fan in me rejoices in this development. And given what a great watch Infinity Castle Part 1 is, I wouldn’t be surprised if fans are going to watch it multiple times.
Anime Central 2025 featured the Global Anime Challenge, what is described on ACen’s official site as “a three-year program funded by the Japanese government’s Agency for Cultural Affairs. Its goal is to nurture the Japanese anime industry’s next generation of creators. The program participants aim to develop brand new and exciting contents for the ever increasing global anime fans.”
While it’s not entirely clear how the GAC plans to accomplish this, their panel at the convention gave some basic ideas. Essentially, the animators do internships abroad with the eventual goal of making pilots or short films to be presented at Annecy and AX. They’re also involved in participating in and even creating events, such as a lecture by animator Inoue Toshiyuki, who worked on Ghost in the Shell and The Eccentric Family, among numerous other works.
The guests at ACen were Sato Keiichiro (director of Frieren), Nakame Takafumi (producer of Frieren), Tanimoto Kaoru (calligrapher and animator whose brush work was used extensively in Sengoku Youko), and Kudo Mana (animator on the Cardfight!! Vanguard franchise). The panel began with introductions from all the guests, where they showed things they’ve worked on, as well as drawings and other items of note from childhood. It was a nice window into how these creators discovered the joy of creating.
Nakame’s early drawing was of him capturing a stray cat as a pet, and his first manga he ever bought: Vols 3 and 10 of KochiKame. He showed the opening to Witch Watch, a show he helped produce.
Saito showed the dream of his five-year-old self, to become a truck driver selling toys. Another drawing was a perspective shot looking down at the school yard from a window in 4th or 5th grade. (It looked extremely good for elementary school.) His hometown is known for getting a lot of snow, but the only reason the drawing had lots of it is because he didn’t want to color it. His featured video was from Bocchi the Rock!
Kudo Mana’s childhood art was of a stuffed pheasant in her grandmother’s house. She then showed some clips from Cardfight!! Vanguardwill+Dress of a character freaking out and hitting her shin on a bench.
Tanimoto’s first drawing was a very crude one of him with his mom and dad. He also made a picture book with his mom. His showcase was of his calligraphy used in attacks, episode titles, and the end-of-series image for Sengoku Youko. In one case, there were numerous talisman papers, and despite it being the same words written over and over, it was not a copy-and-paste job. Instead, Tanimoto actually wrote separate ones for each piece of paper.
After the introductions to each creator, they had a Q&A mixed with a live drawing. Saito drew Kikuri from Bocchi the Rock! Kudo decided on Yuyu from Cardfight!! Vanguard crossdressing. Tanimoto did two girls from Sengoku Youko, and Nakame didn’t draw.
Tanimoto was asked when he was satisfied with the storyboard, and he said he would try to get it good enough initially and then spruce it up during the QC stage.
Nakame wants to learn what people love overseas through the Global Anime Challenge. He works domestically in Japan, but wants to co-produce with great animators abroad.
Saito’s favorite part of Frieren is the introduction and how it feels like both an epilogue and the beginning of a story.
According to Nakame, the challenge of making the Frieren anime is that both the action sequences and the everyday life parts need a lot of work.
They all collaborated on artwork to be used on various merchandise, such as t-shirts and even alcohol. “Chicago” is written on the shirt and poster using the official kanji to spell it: 市俄古.
Summer is winding down, and the first Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle movie will be in theaters soon. I already have my ticket, and I’m eager to see how this series begins to conclude. I feel they made this into a trilogy in order to make more money, but I don’t begrudge them about that. If there’s a reason to make it a big event and draw fans to theaters, so be it.
Later in the month are some big hololive milestones, namely Myth’s 5th anniversary and the first online concert for Holostars EN. I’ve decided I’ll celebrate Myth with some Raising Cane’s, but I haven’t figured out what would be fitting for the EN boys.
I’m also fresh off of Anime NYC and hololive EN’s third concert, All for one. I intend to get my thoughts about both before the end of the month.
Amid the erosion of human rights and the destruction of the United States’ scientific expertise, the weird obsession with tariffs feels like kicking someone while they’re down. I desperately hope, for the sake of everyone regardless of political beliefs, that things are made right. We should not be beholden to the most ass-backwards ghouls who seem to want to burn the world down so they can grift just a little more.
Kio caught COVID at the beginning of the month. He went to the hospital (which is a very normal thing in Japan), got some medicine, and his fever broke around the 5th. He also thanks all the fans who wished him well.
I occasionally enjoy watching martial arts Youtubers. They run the gamut from professional fighters to dedicated practitioners to, well, scam artists, so they can easily devolve into a whole lot of nonsense. I’m the furthest thing from a competent fighter, though, and my interest goes more towards those who exhibit a desire to actually spread knowledge and understanding while avoiding macho posturing.
One person I watch is Adam Chan, and while I don’t agree with some of his beliefs about how the world works, he comes across as someone who tries to check his ego at the door. He tries to communicate that a martial art is not “a way of fighting” in itself but rather a recipe or set of tools that should be adjusted for the situation or goal you desire. Self-defense is not sport fighting, and neither are combatives: The first is about escaping harm, the second is about a mutually agreed contest, and the last is about prioritizing maximum force and even concealing your weapons (both metaphorically and literally).
The categories can be easily conflated, and they commonly are. In the past, I wrote about out how the series Mashlehighlights these distinctions. However, there’s actually another example that demonstrates these differences even better, and it can be found in the anime The Daily Lives of High School Boys, of all things.
The Daily Lives of High School Boys is a comedy about dumb teenagers, and it occasionally has a spinoff at the end of episodes called High School Girls Are Funky. These shorts feature a trio of girls: two loud and mean-spirited girls named Yanagin and Ikushima along with Habara, the meeker one. But it’s revealed that Habara used to be an absolute terror who had to be subdued by an alliance of the strongest kids in school. In one short, Yanagin and Ikushima decide to see who’s stronger in a fight. Habara tries to get them to stop, only to have her plea ignored.
However, when they try to establish the parameters for their bout, the “normal” Habara earnestly asks them why they would need rules in the first place for a fight. In this moment, the two realize what a mistake they’ve made: While they’re trying to compare skill in a fair contest, Habara doesn’t comprehend the very notion of limiting one’s violence. The other girls back down, anxiously claim it was all a joke, and avoid disaster in the end. Right as the third girl breathes a sigh of relief, though, the other two notice her tossing aside a large rock.
In this scene, you have the two girls approaching the situation with a sporting mindset, trying to agree upon the rules of engagement. You have the third girl thinking purely in terms of combatives and looking for ways to inflict maximum violence without compromise, including hiding a crude but effective weapon. And when the two de-escalate the situation, you have self-defense of a less flashy kind.
Even the best martial arts anime and manga tend to assume that all fighting and conflict is essentially the same, so it’s funny to see a gag series represent such subtle yet profound distinctions.
Another famous Japanese singer from anime and tokusatsu passed away recently: Yamada Nobuo, aka NoB, aka lead singer of the band MAKE-UP. He was 61, and had recently been dealing with kidney cancer.
I don’t have quite the childhood connection to NoB that so many others do, but I still wanted to say a few words because I do feel that his music touched my life at different points.
I didn’t grow up with the anime or anything, and I only read the manga a few years ago. However, I was very familiar with most famous song: “Pegasus Fantasy,” the first Saint Seiya anime theme. That opening has long been one of my go-to examples of a near-perfect intro thanks to the energizing and soulful music combined with the action-packed animation. Sometimes, I will just randomly type it into YouTube to watch again. Years later, I would also enjoy his return to the franchise with Saint Seiya Omega, where MAKE-UP sang “Pegasus Fantasy” alongside Shokotan.
Because I didn’t follow his career closely, I also didn’t realize that he was also involved with another show for which I have fond memories. When I was living in Japan in 2005, I enjoyed just being able to catch what was airing on TV, and that included the Super Sentai show Mahou Sentai Magiranger. Watching it became a weekend tradition, though I hadn’t realized that he was responsible for the theme of the character Dark Magic Knight Wolzard.
This has been a sad loss for NoB’s fans, and my condolences go out to them. For me personally, it’s a reminder of the passage of time. But music is immortal in unique ways, and I don’t think I’ll stop playing his songs, whether over my headphones or just in my head.
Gundam GQuuuuuuX is a work that has a lot to potentially talk about, especially because it both utilizes and deviates from a lot of established Gundam lore. This is a followup to my overall review of the series, where I now want to take the time to put forth what I consider my biggest GQuuuuuuX theory as a result of the show’s final episode: The Gundam QuuuuuuX mobile suit is possessed by the spirit of the original Amuro Ray. And by original, I mean original.
Before I elaborate, I want to make two notes. First, there will be MASSIVE SPOILERS.
Second, I’ll be discussing the actor Furuya Toru, the original voice of Gundam protagonist Amuro Ray, someone who’s become persona non grata due to revelations of adultery and domestic abuse. While I myself have soured on him because of this and am deeply disappointed by his actions, he still played a role in the finale that I think is meant to have greater implications than just being a fun callback. Thus, the analysis below takes into account what I believe is the effect of his inclusion.
With that, let’s begin.
In the final episode, as Machu in the GQuuuuuuX is fighting Shuji in the original-design RX-78-2 Gundam, the GQuuuuuX unlocks the true form of its Omega Psycommu. Within the rush of the kaleidoscopic “kira kira” Newtype space, the voice of Furuya Toru speaks to Machu and Shuji and says, “I can’t bear to see the Gundam taking Lalah’s life again.”
One would assume that this is the Amuro from “Rose of Sharon” Lalah’s universe, but here’s the catch: Lalah never died there. While extremely similar, the Lalah we see in the Elmeth is established to be different from the Lalah in the original 1979 anime and the film trilogy. In her world, Char dies instead of her, and the shock causes her to slip into alternate timelines where he survives. In fact, according to Shuji, more often than not it’s Char who dies instead.
This is why I believe that this is “our” Amuro Ray, the one we saw go through Mobile Suit Gundam and on. And on top of that, I think this was his fate after the end of Char’s Counterattack.
Additionally, while not a direct reinforcement of the above point, I want to point out the significance of the true name of the Omega Psycommu that’s inside the GQuuuuuuX. Challia Bull reveals that it’s actually called the Endymion Unit, and those familiar with Furuya’s voice roles might find that it sounds familiar. This is because Prince Endymion is the original name of Tuxedo Mask in Sailor Moon before he reincarnated as Chiba Mamoru, and Furuya plays this character in the 1990s anime. In other words, the Endymion Unit is a reference to a character played by Amuro Ray’s actor—one who failed to save his lover and was reborn into a watchful protector who helps guide Sailor Moon. Even if only meant to be a fun reference, the thematic parallels are hard to ignore.
Also, the way the GQuuuuuX looks when the Endymion Unit is unleashed is very reminiscent of Neon Genesis Evangelion, where the EVAs themselves contain the souls of other characters who (for the most part) watch over their pilots.
One thing that GQuuuuuX also does is imply that the vaunted esper-like abilities of Newtypes are quantum in nature, in that they can see multiple possibilities and choose the right one, somewhat like the Doctor in Doctor Who. Perhaps Char’s Counterattack Amuro ascended to a higher level of this, and in spirit form traversed alternate universes to find the Rose of Sharon.
If all this were to be true, that leaves me to wonder about something else: If the GQuuuuuuX houses the spirit of the original Amuro Ray, where is the original Char Aznable? Could it be that the Red Gundam, i.e. the RX-78-2 of the GQuuuuuuX world, is actually possessed by Char? When the GQuuuuuuX Char pilots it, does that mean we’re getting Double Char? Were that to be the case, this would mean Amuro and Char have decided to work together to save this Lalah from living through endless tragedy.
Anime NYC is this month! Takahashi Youko of “Cruel Angel’s Thesis” fame will be holding a concert there, and this year’s hololive World Tour will feature IRyS, among others. And both concerts are on the same day! Talk about timing. It’s also funny that Elizabeth Rose Bloodflame sang the ending theme from Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt for her 3D debut. Just angels and devils all over the place.
This past month has been a bit of a whirlwind, as I’ve been doing more traveling and general going out than normal. I have a bunch of things I want to write and report on, and I hope I can do so in a timely fashion.
I often feel that I have both too many blog posts and not enough ready. I’m trying to strike the right balance between being informative and expressing my thoughts.
A relatively light month. Kio saw the Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle movie!
Closing
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been considering dropping down to about one post per week, maybe two if things are good and I have more time. I do feel like I might be losing something if I make my posting that sparse, though, as I don’t know if it would necessarily make for better writing in general. Hopefully, I can find a good answer.
I also just read the latest Spotted Flower and wow. I’m just trying to figure out if I should write about it ASAP or wait for the next chapter in three months.
When he saw the movie Kokuhou, Kio managed to eat ramen and not have to pee for the entirety of the 175-minute movie, so he decided he’ll do the same for the Demon Slayer movie, which is 155 minutes long.
Kio thought a picture of two tortoise toys from the Ichiban Kuji line looked shockingly realistic, only to realize one of them was an actual tortoise. It reminds him a lot of his own pet.
OGIUE MANIAX 