Look Back is a one-shot manga by Fujimoto Tatsuki, author of Chainsaw Man. It’s an excellent work about a young girl driven by a love of drawing and petty jealousy, and it was recently adapted into a beautiful film that does the source material justice. I’d rather not spoil Look Back, so I highly recommend anyone go check it out, but I also think it’s a very accessible work that can help those who are skeptical towards or hesitant to look at Chainsaw Man in understanding Fujimoto as a creator.
I find Chainsaw Man to be one of the best things to come out of manga in the past five or so years, but I understand well that its reputation and image can be off-putting. Between the less-than-noble hero, the gore, and the amount of fans who want to call Makima “Mommy,” Chainsaw Man can appear on the surface to be rather paper-thin and rely too much on gratuitous violence and sex appeal.
But Look Back is about as far removed from that kind of content as you can get, and consequently makes it crystal clear that Fujimoto is a very capable and compelling storyteller. While Chainsaw Man is indeed generally grotesque in a variety of ways, it doesn’t use those things to cover up other deficiencies. What both works have in common is interesting characters with a lot of actual mottled grayness and depth to the their shallowness (and vice versa), as well as the continuous upheaval of expectations. It’s just that Look Back is something of a cleaner package that feels more down-to-Earth.
So if you’re someone who’s felt like Chainsaw Man isn’t for you, you might very well be right. But even if you are, I think Look Back can help to clear up some of the misconceptions about Fujimoto’s work in general, and can provide a path to appreciating the author’s violent mega-hit as well.
When I visited Japan’s Railway Museum last year, I wasn’t able to eat at the museum itself. However, I did stop by the gift shop, where they were selling two different kinds of instant curry! I brought them home with me, and now I’m here to give my report.
The first item is the Shinkansen Nostalgic Beef Curry, meant to replicate the actual curry served on the Shinkansen for decades before the dish was retired in the 2000s. It’s also something you can order at the aforementioned museum restaurant.
I was pleased with the flavor—while it’s not the best curry I’ve ever had, it definitely ranks very high among microwaveable versions. The curry didn’t taste artificial at all, and it even had a surprising kick, especially given that Japanese food tends to shy away from spiciness.
The second item is the Beef Tongue Tasty Curry, which advertises itself as using 30 different spices.
This one was noticeably less spicy than the Shinkansen Curry, though the key ingredient, the tongue, gave it an interesting depth of flavor. While the package didn’t have a ton of meat in it, the amount was still pretty substantial, and it had visible slices of beef tongue. Once again, I came away satisfied.
(Broccoli not included).
Overall, I think they were fine purchases. I just hope I can go back to the museum and try the real deal someday.
Last year, I started reading Hunter x Hunter by Togashi Yoshihiro. Its reputation was known to me: I had often seen people online (and even sometimes offline) mention it as their favorite series and an example of what shounen battle manga could be. My early impression was mixed because it felt like a Test into another Test into Training into a Tournament into More Training, and it made me feel like what lied ahead was an endless string of tournament arcs. The fact that Togashi’s other famous manga (YuYu Hakusho) was home to some of the most well-known tournament arcs added to this hunch.
Turns out that I was off the mark. Hunter x Hunter is indeed a shounen battle manga with world building and a convoluted power system (“nen”) that seems especially vulnerable to ass-pulls, but what I eventually came to realize is that it’s all about setting up a world where Togashi can do whatever he wants.
Creating and identifying forgeries at an underground auction. A card game inside a game world. An all-out battle against mutant insects. The job of “hunter” and the role of nen are intentionally open-ended, and can be bent to fit any scenario or situation. Hunter x Hunter can basically change subgenres on a regular basis, and it all counts as part of the greater work. However, it takes a seriously good manga artist and storyteller with a specific kind of versatile imagination to pull this off well. While there are many great manga creators, it’s hard to think of another who could do what Togashi does.
One of the drawbacks as a result is that the wildly different story arcs usually start off with a ridiculous amount of exposition—the kind that made me always think, “What the hell are you trying this time?” But the reason this happens is because Togashi is basically pulling out a new instruction manual for a new board game every time, and it’s one of those modern games that you can’t fully appreciate until you know the ins and outs. He’s essentially meticulously setting up the pieces, and once you see how the entire board moves, it becomes a riveting experience. Nevertheless, it still requires you to go through it with some patience.
I ended up finishing the Chimera Ant arc, which I kept seeing people praise most often, with some even calling it the greatest arc in a shounen series (and possibly any series) ever. I don’t know if I agree, but I think there’s a solid argument for it, especially in the way it manages to embrace the orthodoxy of standard battle manga but also defy expectations. The arc is the most reminiscent of Dragon Ball of anything in Hunter x Hunter, even having a villain cut from the same aesthetic cloth as Freeza and Cell, but the entire saga taken as a whole makes for some powerful and poignant human drama.
Because I read Hunter x Hunter over the course of a single year, I did not have to experience the delays that occurred while it was being serialized due to Togashi’s poor health that leaves him at times completely debilitated. This inevitably changes my impression of the series compared to someone who read the series in real time. Despite that, I can easily see why Togashi has his loyal following that sticks with him through all the challenges he faces.
A few months ago, in the wake of Toriyama Akira’s passing, I saw some comments on social media asking why Togashi can’t get others to take over Hunter x Hunter for him. The fan response was largely an adamant refusal—no matter how rare the chapters have become, it just wouldn’t be the same without him at the helm. I can appreciate this sentiment because we’ve seen plenty of cases of creative works falling apart in the wrong hands, even if those hands are well-intentioned. Togashi’s sheer versatility while still adhering to the spirit of shounen feels nigh-impossible to replicate, and it makes Hunter x Hunter a work unlike any other.
Last year, I got the chance to interview Tanaka Rie, the voice of Lacus Clyne in Gundam SEED. She mentioned to me that there were certain answers I could not record, and I wondered why. Not long after, the Gundam SEED Freedom movie was announced, and I realized that it was the reason why Tanaka couldn’t say as much as she might have wanted to.
Receiving the news about the film, I felt rather ambivalent. That’s because my feelings towards the SEED franchise are rather mixed. I adored the original Gundam SEED. Not long after, I was actually living in Japan while Gundam SEED Destiny was on TV. I was such a fan of the first seriesthat when SEED Destiny was airing, I would make sure to be in front of the TV every Sunday evening so I could catch it. I remember once leaving a group of friends to not miss an episode, and one other time frantically biking to get back home. And in those early days, I really felt the show was exceeding my expectations, as I wondered where all its hints and plot threads would lead.
Then came one disappointment after the next, and my opinion of it soured accordingly. Worst of all was the way SEED Destiny treated my favorite character, fiery tomboy Cagalli Yula Athha, into a constant whimpering mess. Her relationship drama with her partner, Athrun Zala, felt contrived and an insult to what they had built up in SEED. The ending was a mess that felt rushed and made all the characters look terrible—even the franchise protagonist Kiara Yamato and his romantic interest Lacus Clyne, who came across as too perfect. There were some supplementary endings to make up for the rushed finale, but it was too little, too late.
To this day, I will say I’m a fan of just SEED (and the manga Gundam SEED Astray, but let’s leave that aside). So with Gundam SEED Freedom, I couldn’t help but feel apprehensive: How much would it be SEED and how much would it be Destiny?
To my relief, it turns out to be a solid movie that repairs some of the damage caused by its predecessor, and reminds me enough of what made SEED good while also avoiding being a complete nostalgia grab.
Plot
Gundam SEED Freedom takes place not long after the end of SEED Destiny. After having stopped the machinations of political leader Gilbert Dullindal, which involved basically eugenics and a giant space laser (of course), Kira and Lacus have formed an independent peacekeeping force called COMPASS. Among their ranks are even SEED Destiny characters (and former foes) Shinn Asuka and Lunamaria Hawke. Despite winning a crucial (and lethal) victory against Dullindal, humanity is not at peace, and the tensions between Naturals and genetically engineered Coordinators continues to be inflamed by extremist groups. Amid this ongoing turmoil, a small nation called Foundation emerges as a potential ally of COMPASS. When Lacus meets with its leaders, she feels an unusual and entrancing connection to Orphee Lam Tao, one of the country’s elite Black Knights, all of whom are a new type of human called Accords, with abilities surpassing even Coordinators. Machinations behind the scenes put COMPASS in danger, with Kira ending up a scapegoat amid battle.
Playing to SEED’s Strengths
SEED Freedom is primarily centered around Kira and Lacus, and this is not a bad thing. Especially in Destiny, this main couple of the franchise could feel weirdly distant and robotic. But here, the pressure each faces in their respective roles as fighter and politician are shown to create tension and even a few insecurities. This doesn’t mean that SEED Freedom is contrived in its melodrama, but rather that the two are shown to have moments of real weakness that make them feel human on a level that even the original person SEED doesn’t always reach. It’s a good supporting foundation for the film as a whole.
Character Designs
I want to address one concern I had about the film: the character designs. In the promotional material. A lot of the new characters seem to have mildly bizarre strange proportions, like their heads are a tad too big or their legs a little too short. All the girls for some reason now have extra pouty lips, even then they weren’t like that originally. I wondered if these changes would be distracting, but either they’re not as bad as I thought, or the other elements of the movie distracted me enough to not notice it as much.
SPOILER SECTION
A lot of the more interesting parts occur in the second half of the movie. So from here, it’s going to be spoilers. Be warned!
The VIllains Are Walking Right-Wing Memes
The Accords are (unsurprisingly) the main antagonistic force of SEED Freedom, and I find their role in the story fairly intriguing. They are the main proponents of restoring the Destiny Plan (i.e. space eugenics), and their reasoning and justifications end up feeling (perhaps unintentionally) like talking points from right-wing manosphere-esque communities. While created to be superior in every way, they can’t wrap their heads around the fact that being designed for specific roles in life doesn’t automatically mean that others have to play along. Orphee in particular was meant from birth to be Lacus’s ideal partner, and the fact that she rejects him for someone “inferior” in Kira bedevils him to the point of obsession.
(As an aside, I find it funny that this obsession with perfection and intolerance towards any sort of failure is very similar to the Perfect Choujin, the villains of the recent Kinnikuman anime.)
The very idea that someone might have an “unideal” partner, or devote their lives to something they’re not inherently talented at, bothers the Accords. When Orphee exclaims that Lacus is supposed to love him, it’s a sentiment cut from the same cloth as nonsensical beliefs about alpha, beta, and sigma males; angry incel notions of relationships (or lack thereof) as genetic inevitabilities; and other weird nonsense. The movie indirectly hits back at all this, especially in a key line by Lacus: “You don’t love people because you need them, you need people because you love them.”
Character Un-Assassinations
Another welcome part of the film is that a lot of it seems to be devoted to salvaging characters who were made to be rather pathetic in SEED Destiny. This is especially the case for Athrun and Cagalli, who aren’t as prominent in the movie but impact the narrative in their own ways that restore what made them great.
Athrun makes a big splash in his first appearance in a Z’Gok, which is later revealed to have the Infinite Justice Gundam inside, not unlike the Black Sarena from Nadesico: The Prince of Darkness. He’s the only one who can knock some sense into a distraught Kira, emphasizing their enduring friendship. Cagalli is portrayed as a bit overwhelmed by the current situation but still firmly in charge and capable as the young leader of a small nation, far from the crying mess she was in SEED Destiny. Their relationship seems to be one where they’re often not able to be physically together but are connected through their feelings, and that’s more than enough. The movie even literally has a scene where they’re working together long-distance in battle to thwart the mind-reading powers of an opponent by having Cagalli remotely pilot the Infinite Justice. They’re shown to be capable and reliable friends individually, and clearly full of love for each other as a couple.
Even Shinn is shown to have less of a chip on his shoulder, but in a way that still shows him as endearingly hotheaded. When the Accords try to read Shinn’s mind and are greeted with a monstrous(ly protective) ghost of Stellar (Shinn’s starcrossed lover who died in SEED Destiny), they basically recoil over the fact that Shinn’s angsty darkness is too angsty and dark for them to handle. It’s perfect in a way.
Other character appearances in the movie can feel like fanservice in the sense that the work is often saying, “Remember this person? Aren’t they great?” but it’s a form of fanservice I welcome. One of SEED’s strengths is its portrayal of character relationships, and it collectively feels like a return to form for the franchise as a whole.
(There’s also a bit of actual fanservice. In fact, one joke I made about the movie while watching was to exaggeratedly call it “Gundam SEED Freedom: Godannar Season 3” in reference to a particular Lacus scene.)
(I also called it “Oops, All Sciroccos” due to the seductive nature of the Accords.)
Cool Robots Fighting
While this doesn’t play a huge factor in my assessment of the movie, I do want to say that the mobile suit combat in this film is excellent. It’s not just a matter of good animation or crisp action scenes, but rather the fact that SEED Freedom really incorporates the fantastical and technical parts of its mecha lore into satisfying moments. Whether it’s giving everyone even more ridiculous backpacks, the Infinite Justice chopping an enemy in half with its head-mounted beam saber, or Shinn being at full strength in the Destiny Gundam when he can go full “no thoughts, head empty,” a lot of moments just work. And the Mighty Strike Freedom at the climax is the peak of all that excess.
SPOILER SECTION OVER
Final Thoughts
I’m glad Gundam SEED Freedom happened, even if it took forever to get here. And I would gladly allow the franchise to ride off into the sunset, only it turns out that they’re doing two additional epilogues that they’re going to air in theaters.
Ever since the original Mobile Suit Gundam, works in the Gundam franchisehave tended to end in space. Whether it’s a sequel or an alternate universe, they typically leave the confines of Earth for a big battle among the stars. But Gundam: Reconguista in G is different: It starts on Earth, has its characters venture into space, and then returns home for the final battle. This is where we find the characters in the fifth and final movie, Crossing the Line Between Life and Death, and I think the decision to conclude the series there ends up emphasizing all the messages laid through G-Reco from the beginning. Whether those messages are clearly conveyed is another matter.
Bellri Zenam and the rest of the main cast have been to the far-off Venus Globe, the collection of space colonies near Venus. They saw a society far removed from the ravages of Earth, where people are taught that war is barbaric, but who sometimes fail to see the latent barbarism in themselves. Having gone back through Towasanga on the far side of the moon, they now are in Earth’s orbit where, once again, the different terrestrial supernations are all vying for control of resources. At this point, characters and groups have switched sides so many times that it can be difficult to keep track of who’s fighting for what, but that’s less important than the simple reality that factionalism still persists. Bellri, Aida, and the others aim to head their own direction and fight their own way, neither entirely separate nor fully entrenched in any one side.
There’s one scene in particular that I think encapsulates the final film and the series as a whole: As the various forces battle in Earth’s orbit, they’re forced to undergo atmospheric entry. It’s a return to one of the more iconic scenes from the original Gundam, where rival character Char Aznable has to give the unfortunate news to one of his troops that the poor guy and his ill-equipped mecha have gotten too close to the planet and their death is inevitable. We see history repeat itself as various characters have to decide what to prioritize (attempting a safe landing, trying to get an upper hand in battle, retreating, etc.), and it feels like the folly and hope of humanity both never die.
Speaking of death, there is no shortage of lives lost. Some are more fascinating to me, like a certain character who might have actually been a Newtype. The important thing is that this person is also a dumbass, as if to say that we shouldn’t worship Newtypes or anyone who’s supposedly the next evolution of humanity and its savior. The biggest death is also so unceremonious and kind of random that it feels very fitting—a warmonger hoisted by his own petard.
One major change from the TV series is the actual epilogue, which has been expanded greatly. The new scenes emphasize the fact that changes come only in bits and pieces. Human beings, whether born on Earth or in space, seem to adapt to their circumstances, and beliefs don’t just change overnight. On top of that, many of the characters are young, so while they may have fought in many life-or-death battles, that doesn’t have to fully define who they are or will be. The ultimate message might be that people, but especially those still possessing youth, can break through all the entrenched barriers that previous generations have erected.
In looking at the Gundam: Reconguista in G movies in total, it’s safe to say that they should be the definitive way to experience the series. It clarifies and expands on the TV anime, is better paced, and just conveys more of the world and its complexities. G-Reco is able to show itself in the best light, and for those who dismissed it the first time, I think this is a great opportunity to experience one of the most unique entries in Gundam.
Creating a story with a good antihero lead can be a challenge. It’s all too easy to end up with a character who’s more of a shallow reactionary and whose only redeeming value is that they do bad stuff to worse people. Other times, they come across as a simple conduit for revenge fantasies against grievances. But Go! Go! Loser Ranger succeeds by establishing its antihero firmly and then having him discover a personal sense of conviction that even he isn’t fully aware of.
The backstory of Go! Go! Loser Ranger starts off like a typical sentai series: Years ago, a group of heroes called the Dragon Keepers defeated an evil organization that tried to conquer the surface world. The only remnants were the basic goons that typically attack the heroes in large numbers and get their asses handed to them before the real villains show up. Now, they’re forced into a pro wrestling–esque kayfabe where they pretend to fight every week in front of a stadium audience, not unlike the shows that take place on mall rooftops in Japan. But one mook, Fighter D, refuses to let his monster pride fade away. Despite the odds, he wants to fight back for real against the Dragon Keepers, and maybe even get revenge for all the humiliation they’ve inflicted.
In Power Rangers terms, this is basically “What if a Putty was the protagonist? And it ends up working really well, not only because it’s an interesting premise but because it’s not content to just flip the roles and leave it at “bad is good and good is bad.” Sure, the Dragon Keepers feel like they’d fit in with the highly dubious capes of Alan Moore’s Watchmen, and the generic Fighters are portrayed with lots of personality. There are a lot of gray characters in this series, and not in a boring or predictable way.
What I think holds it all together is that Fighter D is a perpetual underdog whose only skills are that he’s hard to kill and he can engage in a degree of subterfuge by changing shape. He’s not the ultra-powerful badass but someone who has to win through wits and creativity. He has to use his head, and this thoughtfulness (albeit colored by the huge chip on his shoulder) is one of the key factors for what makes Fighter D a compelling protagonist.
One key aspect of Fighter D is that his core beliefs aren’t quite what he thinks they are. He assumes that his sense of worth comes from being a loyal foot soldier who carries on the legacy of his evil masters. But as the events of the series unfold, it becomes clear that what drives Fighter D is a desire for him and his fellow goons to be treated with respect and value. He simply conflated one with the other, and this confusion leads to some great developments.
Go! Go! Loser Ranger ends up being a series that defies expectations, and it all centers around a weakling challenging the strong, albeit for less than noble causes. But while Fighter D is not a paragon of virtue, he is at least a sentient being looking to carve his place in the world. I’m curious to see what heights (and depths) he reaches next.
Anime NYC 2024 was a focal point for many areas of Japanese pop culture, but the one that caught my attention the most was the massive presence of hololive, the world’s biggest VTuber agency. Because I wanted to miss out on as little of it as possible, I prioritized it above all else, and this con report reflects that fact.
A New Date
2024 saw the first summer Anime NYC, as it moved from the weekend before Thanksgiving to the tail end of August—a controversial move because it brought potential advantages and disadvantages. Being at the tail end of the summer con season could also carry some of the momentum of other events, and according to the showrunners, LeftField Media, was that they would now be able to utilize more of the Jacob Javits Center. However, this drastic change could disrupt people’s planning for cons. Also, summer in New York City can be very hot and humid—even dangerously so if attendees have to wait outside.
Luckily for Anime NYC, weather was on their side. The weekend was probably the most pleasant the city had been all summer. The good fortune didn’t stop there either: It also narrowly avoided the curse of the missing 7 train.
Averting Train Trouble
For many years preceding Anime NYC, the closest subway to the Javits still necessitated a 15–25 minute walk (depending on how quick you were). The 34th St. Hudson Yards station on the 7 Line was specifically built to get people closer to the Javits area, making it ideal for conventions. However, every Anime NYC up through 2023 occurred on weekends where the 7 was shut down for construction, making the stop pointless. With the move to the summer, it seemed as if Anime NYC was finally going to avoid this fate—only for construction on the 7 to be announced.
Thankfully, the MTA at some point changed it so that the 7 Train would run as a shuttle from Time Square to Hudson Yards (a total of two stops). Thus, while the loss of most of the 7 Line was a real inconvenience for those coming from Queens, there as at least this little bit of good news.
This one small change mattered a lot for VTuber fans: That same weekend, hololive’s second ever English concert, Breaking Dimensions, was taking place in Brooklyn. While not terribly inconvenient due to the presence of public transportation, traveling between boroughs could still be a hassle that required some time management and perhaps sacrificing some events to get there on time. Had that shuttle train not been there, it would have been a real struggle.
Phase Connect + Mint Fantome
Before getting into the hololive content, I want to shine the spotlight on another VTuber agency that had a presence at Anime NYC: Phase Connect.
A couple weeks before the start of Anime NYC, the Canada-based organization announced that they would be holding their own 3D concert on Sunday, and that it would feature talents from their first generation, Phase Origins: Tenma Maemi, Pipkin Pippa, Fujikura Uruka, and Lia. They also revealed as a special guest the indie darling Mint Fantome, adding some significant star power.
Aside from Mint, I was only passingly familiar with a couple of them, but it was overall enough to convince me to plunk down some more cash despite expecting a busy weekend. Tickets came in two price tiers, but they did not affect the quality of the seat. Instead, the slightly pricier option meant an attendee could get a special gift, which turned out to be a random polaroid-style image (of Uruka) and a random keychain (of Maemi).
(I also bought a Dizzy Dokuro keychain on Saturday at the Phase Connect Booth.)
Though not completely sold out, there was still a sizable live audience. All the Phase girls had 3d models that matched their default appearances, while Mint (who I believe doesn’t have an official standard 3D design) went with a chibi look. The acoustics weren’t great (that’s the Javits for you), but between Uruka’s rich singing, Maemi’s versatility, Pippa’s energy, Lia’s confident dancing, and Mint’s idol spirit, all of them brought something memorable. I also got a real sense that Phase Origins set the tone for the rest of Phase Connect’s talents and their generally unhinged presentation.
The event felt less polished than hololive’s concerts, but I knew that would probably be the case going in. The moments that stood out to me the most were Uruka’s darkly comedic Self-Introduction song (about having to go against her family to pursue music), and a huge chunk of the live crowd getting up and forming a circular dance line as Mint sang the Hamtaro opening. Apparently a lot of the crowd was familiar with wotagei culture. (Security was also clearly visibly confused by what was going on.)
There’s one last thing I want to mention about Phase Connect. One unique aspect of the company is that they sell VTuber-themed coffee beans. Though I didn’t plan on getting any, I was curious about it. When I asked, though, it turned out that they had completely sold out by Saturday.
The hololive Meet Booth
The most visible hololive presence of the Exhibit Hall booth. Like last year, it featured exclusive talent streams for con attendees. Participants included members of every branch (including Holostars JP and EN), and ran the gamut of topics. Kureiji Ollie taught the crowd fan chants for popular hololive songs, Haachama and Roboco tried to make edible insect gelatins from insect powder, and various karaoke sessions had the crowd singing along throughout. The least popular times were during showcases of Holoearth—not surprising, given how those were the least interactive, and that the game still has no clear direction.
One very conspicuous thing about the booth was the large crowd that would form in front of it (which sometimes included myself). It was located near the front of the Exhibit Hall, and it would actually sometimes bleed out past the entrance. This could cause traffic flow issues, and while I don’t blame the attendees for wanting to see their favorites in this unorthodox environment, I do have to wonder if there’s a better option.
Other hololive events, like the panels and the in-person concerts, have IRL audiences, but these Meet booth showcases are like an interesting halfway point between those and the standard online streams. The physical presence of the crowd combined with the less structured and more informal setup of the broadcasts themselves made for an entertaining and comfortable interactivity that both the VTuber and the people watching could feed off of.
I find that there are certain talents who thrive in this environment. Ollie’s unmistakable enthusiasm for all things hololive was infectious. Momosuzu Nene had to overcome the language barrier, but she also showed her best side through her karaoke.
As big a fan of Haachama as I am, I ended up leaving hers early in order to catch the train to the Breaking Dimensions concert. Given that the latter started an hour late, I could have made it in hindsight, but I didn’t want to risk the possibility, the NYC subway being infamously inconsistent.
hololive STAGE World Tour ’24 Soar
Photography was not allowed at the concert, so look at these standees instead.
Ever since hololive announced that their 2024 world tour would be kicking off at Anime NYC, I’d been anticipating it. Not only was it a rare opportunity to see something that wouldn’t be streamed, but the lineup was stacked: Baelz Hakos, Moona Hoshinova, Takanashi Kiara, AZKi, Nimomae Ina’nis, Kobo Kanaeru, and Tsunomaki Watame.
Each number got the audience pumped and eager for more, and there were plenty of personal highlights. I was pleased to see Bae bring out an exciting new choreography for her song “RxRxR”; when she debuted the song for her birthday concert earlier this year, Bae simply freestyled it. Getting to hear AZKi’s singing was a real treat—she never sounds anything less than amazing. I cheered when Kobo came out for her original song (and one of my favorites in hololive) “HELP!!” And when Bae, Kiara, Moona, and Kobo performed Kiara’s “DO U” together, it made me wish that everyone else could someday, somehow get the chance to see it and be amazed.
The official call-and-response chant was: “The world is the stage!” “Soar, soar, soar!”
My only complaint about the concert was the space itself: As with the Phase Connect event, the Main Events Hall for Anime NYC is simply not great for seeing music acts. Not only are the acoustics lacking, but the seating isn’t elevated, so if the people in front stand, it forces everyone else to do so as well if they actually want to see what’s going on. Combine that with the harsh concrete floor of the Javits, and your feet may not forgive you. I actually purchased a new pair of sneakers this year to help deal with situations like this (the New Balance Fresh Foam More, if you’re curious), but I still think that’s a lot to ask of people.
holoEN Justice
It’s become tradition for the newest generation of hololive EN to make their US convention debuts at Anime NYC. Elizabeth Rose Bloodflame, Cecilia Immergreen, Gigi Murin, and Raora Panthera—collectively known as Justice—joined the event remotely, talking to the MC and answering trivia questions about New York City. It was in many ways similar to Advent’s panel from last year, except rather than doing audience polling, they would ask a few attendees up. Later, it became questions about themselves that the audience had to answer, where a correct answer would make one of the talents do a random embarrassing voice line, and a wrong one would mean the audience had to do one instead.
A couple moments that really stood out to me both involved Gigi, the self-proclaimed “Fister” of Justice. First, when in the second part with attendees answering, Gigi quickly suggested a rule amendment to avoid cheating. I think it gave an interesting glimpse into her thought process. Second, at one point Gigi had to do a tsundere roleplay, and it turned into an improv skit where she tried to pass off a cake she baked for Ceci as one she picked up off the floor after a rat had already been on it. Ceci then hit a reversal by saying she’d only eat a nibble if Gigi ate the rest of it.
I think it ran a bit more smoothly compared to 2023, and I wonder what might happen if there isn’t a new generation to showcase next year.
Shirakami Fubuki and Ookami Mio
The pair from hololive Gamers also had a Main Events panel, and it followed a similar format to Justice’s, with the added element of an interpreter for these Japanese VTubers. Fubuki and Mio asked members of the audience trivia about hololive Gamers, including the order of all four members’ birthdays. They also invited people for an English language challenge that they themselves had to answer. Every so often, Fubuki would bring out a mask of Yagoo (the hololive CEO) to get a laugh out of the audience.
The two also had a nice treat for the audience at the end, with a mini karaoke session featuring their signature songs. It made the hour feel more special.
Final Thoughts
It’s interesting to see hololive gradually turn into a bigger part of Anime NYC, and to treat it as a major event. To have both a concert at the con and a separate one in the same city on the same weekend made it feel like things are only getting more intense. The downside I see is that I actually did want to check out other aspects of the con (like the appearance of three members of the group Liella! from Love Live! Superstar!! and manga scholar Frederick Schodt), but I had to pick and choose. I don’t regret my decision, but I do wish there was more than one of me sometimes. I’m also kind of giving up on the idea of Anime NYC ever having regular hololive meet ’n’ greets.
One very important takeaway I had from Anime NYC (and Breaking Dimensions) was that it’s beautiful to see people gathered who want to bask in what they enjoy. It might sound a bit generic, but when you look at online spaces and social media, there can sometimes be an atmosphere of negativity surrounding both the VTubers and their fans. But being there live and seeing people just having good times—it feels like that is the actual core of the fandom. That doesn’t mean you’re only a true fan if you attend in person, but that this loving energy and positive enthusiasm should ideally be the driving force of VTubing.
My Hero Academia by Horikoshi Kohei is a manga that has stood out thanks to its gorgeous art, variety of memorable characters, and exploration on what it means to “do good” and “be a hero.” It ties together the popular genre of the shounen battle manga with the classic American trope of the superhero, and provides a simple but profound setup that evokes the best of both. Now, after 10 years, the series has concluded, and the reception to its ending seems to be rather mixed. While that is likely a case of “the loudest voices” in online discussion, it’s also a reflection of how MHA has long attracted a variety of readers with values that conflict a great deal.
Warning: Spoilers for the entirety of My Hero Academia
Plot and Circumstances
My Hero Academia is the story of a boy named Midoriya Izuku, also known as Deku. In a world where superhuman powers referred to “quirks” are commonplace, Deku dreams of becoming like his idol, the #1 hero All Might. Unfortunately, he discovered at a young age that he is entirely quirkless, all but dashing his hopes. But a chance encounter with All Might leads to the living legend transferring his power to Deku, making the boy the latest in a long line of individuals to carry a mysterious power called “One for All.” This sets Deku on a path towards entering UA Academy, Japan’s most prestigious school for aspiring heroes. Over the course of the series, Deku and his friends learn the ins and outs of being a hero, but also the fact that there are profound disagreements as to what that entails.The emergence of villains, including ones with ties all the way back to All Might’s prime years, adds a thread of history that connects past to present.
So much of MHA reflects the period and circumstances in which it ran. In 2014, titans of Shounen Jump like Naruto and Bleach were in their sunset years, and these series had helped popularize massive casts of uniquely powered characters through which readers can find their own favorites. MHA is cut from this cloth, with all of Deku’s friends and teachers providing a veritable smorgasbord of possibilities. Then there’s Deku himself, with his pure heart and humble desire to help others, who was one of the vanguards of a generation of “good boy” leads. And back when the series began, the Marvel superhero movies were truly a global phenomenon; I suspect that their cultural penetration in Japan is part of why readers gave MHA a chance.
But a lot changes over the course of a decade. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has dragged on and suffered from all the problems that plagued the overly convoluted comics. Antiheroes never fell entirely out of fashion, and there has always been a contingent of readers who see Deku as boringly naive and someone who needs to learn how dark and difficult the world actually is. His rival Bakugo, a former friend turned bully, is hotheaded and violent, and one of those characters whom certain fans saw as the real star.
A big question surrounding Bakugo’s popularity was the degree to which fans liked him because they saw him as someone who could change (particularly in regards to personal redemption for his terrible behavior towards Deku), and to what extent people liked him precisely because he’s an asshole. When the series then brings a more extreme version of this dynamic, the question of whether someone deserves forgiveness or a second chance becomes a lot more fraught: The hero Endeavor has a history as an abusive father, for instance, and the villain Shigaraki (responsible for many evils) is himself a product of generational trauma and manipulation. MHA seems to touch directly and indirectly on many cultural flashpoints of the past decade by virtue of being a series that 1) wants to portray a bunch of powerful and attractive guys and girls, 2) is very much centered around different ideas of hard work, camaraderie, and justice, and 3) is a long-running shounen series with lots of plot threads, which means pacing becomes an issue at some points.
The Ending
So when the final chapter came out, it was perhaps inevitable that the reaction would be mixed. There are too many different people with their own perspectives reading this series in their own ways. Even so, it still surprised me how much disappointment seemed to resonate through the fandom. Some interpreted his new life as a quirkless UA Academy teacher to be a bittersweet outcome. They saw it as unfair that a guy who saves the world gets little fanfare and legacy, especially because he loses his powers leading the charge to defeat the ultimate villain of the series, All-for-One. Even All-for-One apparently falls short as a major villain. Other criticismsI’ve seen include the lack of resolution for romantic shops, that outside of a brief period as a vigilantes, Deku never develops a “dark side,” and that having his old classmates develop a Batman/Iron Man–esque super suit for him is a cop-out ending.
Yet the ending is so appropriately Deku. It’s fitting that he would accomplish arguably the greatest feat his world has ever seen and then recede from the spotlight, only to be pulled back into it by the people whose lives he changed. Deku goes through a great many ordeals throughout the entire story, and while he learns that the world presents some complex moral quandaries, those tribulations also reinforce Deku’s inherently kind nature. He sacrifices All Might’s gift to him, One-for-All, to get through to his primary nemesis and rival, Shigaraki. He ultimately reconciles with a changed Bakugo, but not without taking many lumps in the process. In the aftermath of the final battle, he even encourages a villain to write a book about his perspective on why Shigaraki was the greatest, because Deku wants to hear the story he has to tell. And while Deku isn’t holding hands with Ochako (the #1 romantic prospect in the series) by the end, he does call her “his hero.” Even if they’re not officially together in the final chapter, they’re still only in their early 20s, with plenty of life ahead of them.
It reminds me of the backlash against the ending of Gurren-Lagann, which was also a series where fans loved seeing the hero reach ever greater heights that all seemed to lead to a perfect happy ending, only for a slight twist at the end to break the tidal wave of endorphins the series had been generating at the end. I saw fans at the time its last episode aired express such anger and frustration at its ending, while missing the fact that the hero’s actions signify that the errors of past generations won’t be made by him.
Other Thoughts
I know that some of the problems were caused by questionable fan translations that made Deku seem a lot sadder than he actually was. But even taking all that into consideration, it’s strange to me that “teacher at UA Academy” is joked about as being some kind of perverse punishment. It allows Deku to apply one of his greatest strengths—his love of studying and analyzing quirks—in a way that connects to his inherent desire to help others. Deku’s humble nature is central to his being, and while I don’t wish to analyze the readers themselves, I can’t help but wonder how many people dream of being showered with praise for doing something great, and feel at odds with Deku’s values. If Deku has any great flaw, it’s his willingness to sacrifice himself at any moment, and even that is turned on its head by the fact that his friends found a way to make him a superhero again.
It also juxtaposes him against All-for-One, who is ultimately shown to be a lifelong sociopath and the embodiment of selfishness. Speaking of whom, I can understand why readers might be disappointed that All-for-One turns out to have pretty uncomplicated motivations instead of those of a true mastermind, but I also think that contrast makes for an important point. For all his power and influence, he was ultimately no better than an emotionally stunted individual whose infamy and accomplishments masked an otherwise naked avarice. “Wasn’t he just a big baby in the end?” Yes, both figuratively and literally, and I can think of a couple real world examples who are exactly this way. The idea that great evil doesn’t need great motivation is deceptively simple.
Final Thoughts
With a series like My Hero Academia, it’s impossible to satisfy everyone who read it, especially because so many disparate groups came to this series. For some, it was a breath of fresh air in manga and comics. For others, it was their introduction to anime and manga. It was a mix of two of the world’s biggest genres with a few others thrown into the pot, and it went on for 10 years. Did it drag at times and leave some plot threads untied? For sure—that was almost inevitable. Yet I do feel that My Hero Academia successfully kept its core intact. There is growth, but growth doesn’t have to mean tossing away everything that made you who you are. For all the ups and downs, I think Horikoshi stuck the landing by remaining true to the hero he created.
It’s been almost two months since hololive debuted its 4th English generation, Justice. Now that I’ve gotten to watch them for a bit, I wanted to give some general impressions and other thoughts.
Justice consists of the warrior singer Elizabeth Rose Bloodflame, the violin-playing automaton Cecilia Immergreen, the gamer gremlin Gigi Murin, and the artist panther Raora Panthera. Their backstory involves a mission to pursue the fugitives of the 3rd generation (Advent), but all of them are just using that as a pretense to get closer to their “targets” and become actual friends. It’s a fun way to add some flavor that makes it easy to both incorporate and ignore their own lore.
One of the biggest changes with the 4th generation is that most of them are European-coded, and they’re generally present during Europe-friendly hours. Elizabeth comes from Great Exardia and has a very British accent. Cecilia is from Immerheim and is natively fluent in German. Raora hails from the Romance Empire, where the local tongue is Italian. The only exception is Gigi from Freesia (which is so full of Freedom), but she streams at the same general time as the others.
There’s long been a lull in the day because hololive focuses on North American and Asian viewers in terms of timing, with only Takanashi Kiara and Kaela Kovalskia around during prime CET hours. Having new girls help fill that void creates opportunities to gain and keep new fans. Also it lets more people feel both the joys of being near the same time zone as your favorite and the agony of that not being the case.
Something I find notable about Justice is that they’re the first English generation where none of them possess strong Japanese skills. Myth has Kiara and to a lesser extent Calli, Promise has IRyS and Bae (with Kronii putting in work), and Advent has the twins FuwaMoco. This is not a knock on any of the 4th Gen girls or any other hololive member. Rather, I think the fact that Cover Corp didn’t feel the need to include at least one person fluent in Japanese is a sign of how much more global hololive has become. Might we reach a point where we have hololive talent who knows neither English nor Japanese?
Currently, I think I like Raora best. Her food tangents are very enjoyable, her voice is very soothing, and the fact that she so readily draws fanart of herself means that she and her fans can appreciate her design together. The other three have their merits too. Elizabeth has an uncanny talent for voice impersonation that she uses in delightfully devious ways. Cecilia has a dry and absurd sense of humor that sneaks up on you. Gigi’s wit and ability to banter are both top tier, and I learn a lot every time I watch her.
I’m curious to see how they’ll be a year later, or whenever they receive their 3D models.
(Actually, I just want to see Raora’s hand talking in all its glory.)
A Sign of Affection is a shoujo anime thatmakes a powerful impression. Based on the manga by Morishita Suu, it features a hearing-impaired protagonist in her first romance, and the uplifting nature of its story centers around how she navigates life without positioning her as a tragic figure or an example of “overcoming the odds.”
Itose Yuki is a new university student who’s deaf. Not long after she starts school, Yuki meets Nagi Itsuomi, an older student who loves traveling and studying languages. She’s drawn to Itsuomi’s kindness and forwardness, but also his constant desire to broaden his horizons. Itsuomi begins learning sign language, sparking a connection that both of them want to foster. There’s drama, romantic rivals, hopes, and all the things that make for a good love story—but in a way that feels much more realistic.
Historically, characters in fiction with disabilities are utilized as pitiable or admirable “freaks” differentiated from the fully abled. Depicting disability in fiction in a sensitive manner means acknowledging the unique challenges created by a disability without exoticizing it. But there is no universal approach to achieving this, and it is itself a subject of debate. I am not deaf, and so I’m speaking as an outsider, but I think A Sign of Affection manages to be a work that is conscientious of its circumstances without being condescending. Yuki’s situation factors into the complexities of love, but aren’t the sole driving factor.
One of the unique aspects of the A Sign of Affection animeis its emphasis on lips. Anime is typically known for using generic mouth flaps to animate speech as a cost-saving measure. But when the show is about a girl who has to read lips to communicate with most people, this won’t fly. While A Sign of Affection doesn’t do it for every scene, there are a lot of moments where it animates mouth movements in very fine detail to emphasize how Yuki approaches her interactions.
It’s worth noting that this work is still made mainly for those who can hear. We don’t seem to be at the point where an anime is specifically made with hearing disabilities in mind, but maybe it’ll happen someday.
OGIUE MANIAX 