In this column I’ll pretty much just gab about video games, manga, and anime so bear with me here if these topics bore you.

Seraph of the End chapter 99 Review I am completely rattled a recent death in the series canon. They dedicated most of the latest volume of it in Japan to this topic if you have a shonen jump subscription I recommend catching up on the series for the bromance and how it plays out in the narrative.

I Tell C chapter 1 Review I was blown away by how thrilling this first chapter is. The series goes in some dark directions for a Weekly Shonen Jump property. Akira Amano has a similar topic for her mystery series on Manga Plus. Unfortunately I’m too far behind on that one to speak to the latest discourse on it.

Hard Boiled Cop and Dolphin chapter 29 Review this buddy cop comedy has been a fun romp so far it’s been improving in recent chapters.

Sakamoto Days chapter 10 Review while reading this chapter I was thinking about whether it qualifies as a spy comedy or not are assassins spies? No idea but it makes for good thought food.

The Elusive Samurai chapter 3 Review- as far as high stakes historical thrillers go this was weaker than the first 2 chapters. I have no idea what Yusei Matsui is doing with this one it seems to be losing narrative momentum already.

Phantom Seer chapter 22 Review I still can’t believe this one is still running it’s even more forgettable than their previous work as far as supernatural thrillers go this newcomer hasn’t been nearly as captivating as early Jujutsu Kaisen was.

Mission Yozakura Family chapter 68 Review I can see this one being adapted into an anime at some point at this point even a one cour show would probably be able to reel in viewers nostalgic for Reborn.

Healin Good Pretty Cure Episode 43- I still have no idea whether it was the right decision even the other heroines seemed taken aback by the late arrival character’s decision this season near the season climax. No idea how this one will play out with only a few episodes left.

Harvest Moon- finally got my PSP with a physical copy of Harvest Moon Back to Nature for Girl I’ve been wanting to own this game for years now. I appreciate the neat design of UMD discs.

Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 136- I was taken aback by the twists and turns this chapter. I can’t wait to see how this xianxia supertural thriller continues.

Hakusensha launched the debut issue of their Shonen Hana to Yume digital manga magazine. The special edition Hana to Yume anthology focuses on shonen manga for girls. The issue had stylish thick black artwork and concentrated on a broad array of story ideas from comedy to fantasy. Let’s get excited for this brand new manga magazine!

By Geordi Demorest

Jujutsu Kaisen follows a pair of teenagers as they go on their journey exorcising demons. The central narrative follows the one boy who impulsively consumes a demon finger for reasons which I am not entirely clear on. The boy is then told he must become an exorcist and embark on a journey to destroy all the demon parts of the most powerful demon which will ultimately lead to his own demise. 

The beginning chapters follow his enrollment at the jujutsu sorcerer academy as he goes on a journey of acceptance by his peers. I enjoyed the opening chapters as they explored some fascinating psychological themes and created some interesting drama. The plot although silly at times in its Tite Kubo narrative and visual nature still manages to create some intense even gripping scenes and drama that hold your attention. It will be exciting to see how this narrative progresses.

The premiere episode of Sailor Moon begins with Usagi’s sympathetic routes as she is beginning her journey. The enemy for the episode replaces Naru’s mother at the jewelry shop. It’s up to Sailor Moon to defeat the villain. The theme of the first episode is Jewelry and admitting to your own failures. The other episode plot is about Usagi failing her test. The premiere does a fantastic job of establishing the cast. The episode also introduces a few occasionally recurring characters.

The first chapter of The Shop Cats of Tokyo: A Manga From Cat Avenue depicts a cat businessman’s delightful everyday life as a restaurant he frequents closes down. I liked the focus on the surrealist mundane of anthropomorphized cats going about everyday human lives. It was nice to see a narrative focus not focused on romance or adventure but on the everyday in an unusual setting. It was a heartwarming vignette that reinvigorated my spirits. Cat manga is all about a celebration of the mundane and everyday creatures who inhabits the space around us and The Shop Cats of Tokyo: A Manga From Cat Avenue lives up to the pedigree of the genre.

Kaori Yuki’s The Cain Saga follows a poison collecting earl who solves mysteries. The five volume prequel to Godchild, also by Kaori Yuki, tells a confusing mess of a plot line that is so hard to follow I am still not entirely clear on how the final book itself played out despite having read the series twice. The writing is needlessly dark even by gothic fiction standards. Unlike some of Kaori Yuki’s works which followed afterwards in her lengthy comic career which I still hold fond memories of years later, The Cain Saga is one of her earliest ongoing series so it’s a mess to put it lightly. 

The story follows Earl Hargreaves as he fights an evil organization which is not even introduced until midway into the series and the finale’s attempts to tie the mysteries together further complicates the already needlessly complicated episodic plot lines. While Sailor Moon still holds up during my adulthood, I continue to be baffled by my fascination with this series as a teenager. Although it does make an excellent jumping on point for fans of suspense fiction.

The Cain Saga is only five volumes in length so it is hard to become too frustrated as there were likely cut backs needed to make the dense plot tie together cohesively while still leaving room for a much more memorable sequel. Fairy Cube proves that Kaori Yuki is capable of creating a functioning narrative with an even more limited page and volume count. For younger readers this series is not recommended as it contains disturbing themes and imagery. If you need a fun corny mess to fill a boring afternoon and are an adult I would say The Cain Saga is fun to pass the time. Although if you’re looking for a well tied together finale I suggest checking out the later works by the creator as she is honestly talented.

Over the course of its 200 episode run the 1992 adaptation of Naoko Takeuchi’s went through three different directors all of which went on to have highly influential careers in Japanese animation. The 1992 television series adapts the original Sailor Moon manga which follows crybaby Usagi Tsukino and her adventures as a superhero protecting the public from monsters scheming the downfall of humanity each week.

The series was what brought me into anime fandom from a young age. As I grew up, I forgot about the early childhood influence of the series on me. Yet the messages the highly butchered old dub the series was given would stay with me through to adulthood. Years later, Viz Media would go on to re-license and re-dub the series in English with a much more faithful dub to the original Japanese release.

From toys to video games there is a myriad of merchandise for Sailor Moon and its lasting influence in pop culture is still seen in entertainment today in shows such as Steven Universe. The series would go on to be parodied and subverted in the Japanese animation industry decades later through series such as Cute High School Earth Defense Club Love and Madoka Magica to name a few. 

Sailor Moon is a classic anime masterpiece which deserves all the fame and accolades it has received. I highly recommend checking the series out for fans of magical girl and tokusatsu fans assuming you have not already. The monster of the week formula the series follows is highly addictive and the subversive themes about gender identity and sexuality the anime and manga explores provides for fascinating all ages entertainment. Sailor Moon deserves a place on every anime fans shelves. The animation might not have aged as well as the messages almost 3 decades later but the classic story and memorable characters are sure to win over all audiences.

Discotek announced last night they will be releasing the Rose of Versailles on Blu-ray. The anime adapts Riyoko Ikeda’s Margaret aerialized shojo manga. The period piece takes place in France. In addition, Discotek has announced they had licensed Lupin the Third The Woman Called Fujiko Mine for home video release in addition. It will be exciting to see these releases debut in 2021.

The Sasaki and Miyano manga premier English volume as of September 2020 has a release date of January 19 2021. The original manga follows a boy infatuated with BL manga who meets a senior and love begins to blossom. Syou Harusono launched the original manga on Gene Pixiv in February 2016. The English localization of the ongoing boys’ love manga is sure to excite fans of the genre and provide something to be eager for in these stressful times.