Jiraiyan

Anime adaptations of manga have been a staple of the industry for decades, offering fans a chance to see their favorite characters and stories come to life in motion. This is specifically true for the Shonen genre. This topic delves into the intricate process of adapting Shonen manga into anime, the challenges involved, and the reception of these adaptations by audiences. Write what kind of manga series tend to be adapted and what are the typical reasons for that selection. Discuss whether faithfulness to the manga is always necessary and what the risks are in deviating from the source material. Other possible issues to focus on the effect of animation on the source material, filler content, voice acting, etc . . .

My Hero Academia is one of the most popular anime and manga series today. While the primary characters are heroes, many important characters are villains. The series creator, Kohei Horikoshi is known to subvert common troupes in the shonen genre. However, it's how he treats his villains that is most interesting. It has been noted that characters like Bakugo and Endeavor aren't quite as heroic as expect. They can be considered to be anti-heroes. The true villains of the series have been given arcs of their own.

Currently, the Meta Liberation Army arc is focusing on the development of the League of Villains as they come into conflict with the Liberation Army. The main antagonist, Tomura Shigaraki is given a backstory, as he and his comrades train to become stronger. Why does Horikoshi focus on villains at all? Shigaraki story mirrors Midoriya's, how's that different from typical shonen series? Will focusing on villains in this manner result in readers caring about them more?

Manhwa is a Korean term for comics, generally considered to be of lower quality than a manga, manhwa is starting to gain in popularity. Recently manhwa has become a source for adaption, with Tower of God being released and the God of High School coming up July (Both by Crunchyroll/MAPPA). Research and analyze the rise of manhwa as a source for anime adaptation. Can manhwa compete with manga? Is manhwa going to become a source primarily for American companies like Crunchyroll? Does the general quality of manhwa compare to manga matter?

Mob Psycho 100 is a series from the creators of One Punch Man. Focusing on the title character of Shigeo "Mob" Kageyama. Mob is a esper, he learns as a child that his powers are link to his emotional state. As a result he is emotionally muted and appears with a blank expression. He has no friends (in the beginning) and is social awkward. In contrast, the character of Reigen is the opposite of Mob.

Reigen is the boss and master of Mob. He is a con man, whom, uses the power of his words to manipulate his clients into believing he is helping them with their problems. A common theme that is brought up in the series is the idea that Mob's psychic powers are one aspect of him and he is no better than other's. Reigen believes that his powers are really no different from someone who can sing, dance or play a sport. Basically, everyone has something special about them.

Explore the theme from the series, that we all are special in different ways. Question what the difference between being ordinary and extraordinary is. Explore how the various characters, specifically, Mob and Reigen display the theme.

Vinland Saga began it's first animated season this summer. The series focuses on Thorfinn Thorsson, as he embarks on a quest of revenge. His father, Thors is killed by Askeladd. Thorfinn joins Askeladd's band of Vikings, waiting for the day that he's strong enough to kill Askeladd in a duel. Revenge is a common theme in anime. Analyse how revenge is depicted, what are the effects on the main character and secondary ones.

Consider comparing and contrasting how the theme is presented in anime. You could focus on popular series like Vinland Saga, Attack on Titan, Kill La Kill, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Goblin Slayer. Some of these series are more violent than others. How does this effect the depiction of revenge? What happened that warrants revenge? Are the characters justified? Do they attempt revenge in different ways? Do they succeed? Are they all sympathetic figures? Finally, how does the pursuit of vengeance change them.

Made in Abyss is a new anime series, adapted from the manga of the same name. The series focuses on an orphan girl named Riko. Her goal is to explore the massive hole in the earth called the Abyss, like her mother did. The Abyss have a plethora of artifacts and remnants. To pursue these treasures hunters must brave terrible conditions and brutal nature. One aspect of the series that is the most jarring is the stark contrast between the art style and it's story.

Made in Abyss features beautiful animation, with bright colors and lush environments. The main characters are small, cute, children, however, they face the horrors presented by Abyss. Particularly, the damage that happens to the human body, losing control over body fluids, hemorrhaging, broken limbs, amputation, etc . . . As each layer is reached the effects get worst. Explore how the anime's style contrasts with it's content and how that might effect the story and viewers.

The Mass Effect series was first released in 2007. The first two games in the series received critical acclaim and were considered to be a new standard for video-game story telling. While the third game in the series was mostly well-received, its ending was not. Many fans felt deceived by an ending that felt inconsequential. It left many fans so upset that they complained to the FTC, and formed an internet campaign called "Retake Mass Effect" that generated $80,000 in a couple weeks. Bioware also released a new ending that expanded the epilogue.

Regardless, these events affected the series negatively.The next game in the series, Mass Effect Andromeda, will exist in the same universe as the previous games, but will not reference them. The game will be open world, already has gorgeous graphics, and will continue to use dialogue trees, choices, and romantic relationships. What does the series' next chapter need to do to repair the negativity created by the ending? Will being "open world" massively improve the series? What should be added to the series? From what has been revealed so far, do you think that Mass Effect Andromeda will be better than its predecessors? Why?

At this years, E3 Capcom reveal a trailer for the upcoming Resident Evil 7. They also released a demo for the game. The Resident Evil series has been criticized for seemingly abandoning it's horror aspect. Resident Evil 4 was hailed as a masterpiece for changing the third-person shooter genre. The change is centered on the introduction of "offset camera angles that fail to obscure the action."

However, by adding these aspects to the game, Capcom appeared to ruin the "survivor horror" series. One reason for this seems to be the abandonment of zombies all together. Replacing them with a cult called "Los Illuminados." The cult members were infected with a parasite, and so were "mindless." They cool use tools unlike zombies, like guns, axes and/or vehicles.

To counter this the series shifted to become more action oriented. The horror element gave way to the action. This continued for Resident Evil 5 and 6, although there were other complaints. Resident Evil 7 promises to return to what made the series a great survivor horror series. Capcom's reveal of Resident Evil 7 demo was meet with mix reviews. The demo doesn't play like the last 3 games or the original games. It played more like the Silent Hill series. It was first person and featured less action.

The demo however will not be part of the "main series," according to director Koushi Nakanishi. He stated that it was more of a "tonal preview." He stated that the demo was designed to show the "fear/horror," elements and the "exploration of an environment." Some of the gameplay elements were left out of the demo. Koushi clarified that "puzzle solving, resource management, and combat," will return to the series as well.

Overall, the demo has sent the message that the series horror aspects are returning. Can this entry revive the series? Can Capcom find a balance between action and horror, while satisfying new and old fans? What do you think made Resident Evil 4 – 6 "abandoned" the horror. What would you like to see in the series of the future?

The successor to the Naruto series, Boruto will focus on the children of the genin's from Naruto. The children were introduced in the final chapters of Naruto. In the Boruto movie we learn more about their abilities, personalities and relationships. This new generation appears to have inherited their parents personalities, but they have surpassed their parents abilities.

The first chapter of the series retells much of what happened in the movie. Boruto dislikes his father (Naruto) due to the responsibilities bestowed upon the Hokage. He resents him and has developed some anger issues as a result. Boruto quickly comes across as a more complex character than his father was. However, unlike his father Boruto has both his parents and a sibling.

It is made clear in a flash-forward that Naruto dies at some point in this series and I wonder what effect this had on Boruto. The other genin introduced are interesting. Sarada, the daughter of Sasuke and Sakura. She possess the Sharingan and her mother strength. Interestingly, she seems to have developed a desire to become Hokage. Boruto on the other hand seems to despise the position. However, he seems to have taken a liking to Sasuke.

I personally love Chocho, the daughter of Choji. She has a fun personality and is hilarious. She may end up being a secondary character, but I hope they show more of her. The art of this series will require some getting use to. I haven't decided whether I like it or not. Views on art can vary, but personally I find it very important. However, the art should improve, which tends to happen with manga artist.

Rating: 4/5

→ Full review (on Otaku Orbit)

Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade is the much-anticipated sequel from Studio Trigger's, previous movie Little Witch Academia. Both entries in the series have been highly regarded as being standards for enjoyable stories and an undeniable visual style associated with Trigger. The story focuses on an all girls magic academy as the students study and explores the world that surrounds them.

Akko and her friends Lotte and Sucy continue their bickering and trouble making in this movie. Their punishment is to organize this year, "Witch Parade". The negative aspects of Akko personality present, as she becomes dismissive of he friends ideas. She manages to come up with poorly thought out plans and is surprised when they fail. With her friends awol, she and her new cohorts are tasked with pulling off the parade of without them.

Akko's more pleasant personality traits are shown at this point. Her determination helps her form a plan that actually works until she is rudely sabotaged by the boys of the town. This leads to an even greater conflict between the young witches and a giant. The town's people remain ignorant of the danger they are thank's to some quick thinking from Akko's teacher Ursula. Akko's friends return just in time to aid her.

Little Witch Academia excels in many aspects, but it fails for an original story. Magic schools are a common idea, and the creators failed to set their school apart from other series. They neglected to expand even further into the magical world at large. It would have been helpful to know who the witch was that sealed the giant in the first place. The characters are for the most part tradition anime troupes. Akko is the argumentative, aspirational main character, Lotte is the brainy nerd with Sucy being the somber, emo type. Despite its failings, LWA remains an enjoyable series, which should explain how outstanding it is.

Rating: 4.9/5

→ Full review (on Otaku Orbit)