Anime & Manga Class Blog

 I have actually never heard of this manga before. I feel like most of the time I'll at least recognize the name but in this case, I didn't. I even tried to ignore the summary of this manga series. In general, I pick a manga that I have either watched the anime of or one that knows the anime isn't good. In this case, it's neither but it did seem like an interesting read. Despite it being the manga to read for this week. I was only able to read a few chapters but so far it seems pretty comedic and random. Simply going off the title I had no guess what this manga could possibly be about. However, once I started actually getting into it, I became absorbed with its humor. In just a few short chapters I have read, the series seems to be a light-hearted comedy that I plan on adding to my 'to-read list".

For this week I read chapter 64 which was the "A Doll's Hellish Burial" short story. To me, Junji's art style is one of the most recognizable styles in the industry. Almost immediately I am able to tell when something is his work or inspired by his work. I picked a random story to read knowing all of Junji Itou's are amazing and don't connect (at least that I'm aware of). This story, in particular, is almost a fear of mine. Not necessarily during into a real doll, but creepy dolls in general or possessed dolls. I think that's something this author captures quite well. The sense of fear not only through storytelling but also the plot of each story. He also seemingly creates fears. For example, some of the stories I've seen, whether it was simple pictures or actually read them, the monsters are terrifying in themselves.

I was only able to read a few chapters of "That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime" but I really enjoyed what I was able to read. I always saw this manga in bookstores like Books-A-Million and Barnes and Noble but always laughed at the title. Recently, I've been seeing a lot of humor based anime/manga, though they aren't necessarily new. Immediately in the first chapter, I already loved the humor in it once the character was reincarnated. I also really like how the author plays around with the use of panels. For example, him depicting an all-black panel with white lineart. I haven't seen many manga artists do something similar to this but it is very interesting. I also loved how even though the character is a literal blob, there is such livelihood to this character. Despite the state, the character is in, you can get an almost full read on them simply based on the simple expressions. I actually have never heard of the term "Isekai" before so it was int

I've always heard great things about both the manga and anime for Ghost in the Shell. I never had the chance to read/ watch it, however, so finally getting the chance to read the manga was perfect. I know very very little about the plot as well, so it was a new experience for me. One thing I noticed right away was the art style. I usually don't lean towards anime/ manga with the early 2000's style. However, with Ghost in the Shell, it's visually very pleasing to look at. One thing I found interesting was how few chapters there were in the manga. I was under the assumption that the series was this giant franchise considering how iconic the name was alone. Another thing I found interesting, was how the artist chose to color only select panels within each chapter. Some chapters would begin the first 2 or 3 pages being completely colored and rendered, only to switch back to traditional black and white. It adds an interesting dynamic to the manga as a whole and makes it uniq

Something that is so charming about this author from a storytelling standpoint, is how real she is. The first page alone (aside from the one paneled first page) she briefly mentions not only a bald spot she was "trying to hide", but also self-inflicted marks. I personally have never read the manga of someone telling real, personal experiences. So reading something like "My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness" was an interesting read. On a more personal level, I feel as though many people can relate to her especially when it comes to trying to make your parents proud. Many kids from teenage years to adulthood, even way beyond that, are always looking for ways to make their parents proud. However sometimes when I'm feeling stuck on what I want to do when I'm older, I don't turn to my parents. Instead, I turn to my online best friends or my boyfriend. Having amazing friends that are around my age and going through similar things I am, is incredibly helpful

          I was always interested in Bakuman, the anime has been on my 'to watch' list for a few years but have yet to watch it. So having the opportunity to read some of the manga was perfect. One thing I loved about the series (hearing about it) was that the references made. For example, in the first volume alone one of the characters references the anime and manga series 'Death Note'. I have seen animes that mention manga or anime in general, but not specific references. The other anime references in the series are what piqued my interest in the first place.          I feel like the series, in general, can give the audience a sense of relatability. I believe every anime/manga fan at some point during their childhood considered becoming a mangaka. Whether it was a serious consideration or simply tried to create their own for a hobby. Whether someone is a writer or an artist if they enjoy anime/manga, they can relate to this series.