Author: Jessi Silver

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Reviews

What I’m Watching – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Episodes 2-5

Read my first impressions Here!

Note: This post contains spoilers through episode 5 of the series.

Demon Slayer was an anime I was anxious to get back to primarily for reasons of its particular aesthetics. I’m more than willing to discuss plot lines and symbolism all day long, but I’m certainly not above enjoying an anime for its awesome animation and exciting fight scenes. So far, the series is definitely delivering on that front. What surprised me, though, is that its emotional intelligence has also managed to strike a chord with me.

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Personal

Fan Art Fun – June 9th, 2019

While I’ve long since given up on making a career of it, I sometimes enjoy creating art. I especially like to make fan art of anime series and video games that I enjoy. I recently invested money in some Copic markers; for those who aren’t familiar, they’re alcohol-based markers that are considered to be very high-quality. A lot of Japanese artists use them. I’ve wanted a set for years and they were recently on sale for Memorial Day, so I grabbed a set.

Sometimes I have trouble coming up with things to draw, though. Inspiration comes in fits and starts with me, and it’s difficult to predict when it will strike next. Because I wanted to get some use out of my new art tools, I sought my inspiration from friends on Twitter. Below are the requests and my responses, as well as a “bonus item” that I came up with on my own. All the drawings are created using Copic markers, Copic multi-liner pens (in several different colors), and Sakura Pigma Micron pens (black), along with the occasional highlight using a Sakura Gelly Roll white pen, on Bienfang Bristol drawing paper. I messed around with some of the levels in a photo editing program to attempt to best capture how the colors appear in real life. The first four drawings are about the size of an index card, while the final one is on a full 9″ x 12″ (23 x 30.5cm) sheet.

Note: The final image may be NSFW, because it contains very mild non-detailed nudity.

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Book Club Special Features

Summer Reading – Legend of the Galactic Heroes

As anime fans, I’m sure each of us has some series that we’ve been curious about, but just never made the time to watch. As each anime season goes by, I find that I only have enough time to finish some of the series on my long list of “maybe’s.” As the months pass and new anime seasons take the place of older ones, the likelihood of getting to any of the stragglers becomes smaller and smaller. But there are still those that hang around in my mental headspace, demanding to be seen. I like to try to clear out my calendar for those every once-in-a-while.

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Reviews

What I’m Watching – Attack on Titan Episodes 50-55

Note: This post contains spoilers through episode 55 of the anime series.

Where could the owners of these cups be hiding? Screencap from Crunchyroll.

I seem to have a knack for rejoining anime series right before some kind of big-time achievement or revelation. Granted, the current season of Attack on Titan (and I’m including the “first half” of season 3 from late last year in this description) has been chock full of big answers and plot developments, so complaining about having to wait for another one probably sounds silly. That said, the title of episode 56 is “The Basement,” and any fan of the series who’s stuck around this long ought to understand the significance of that.

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Anime Reviews Reviews

Anime Review – Run With the Wind

Haiji Kiyose is an enthusiastic fourth year student at Kansei University who has been stealthily gathering men for the track and field team of the campus. As Kakeru Kurahara, a snappish first year student, becomes the promising tenth member; Kiyose dreams of participating at the Hakone Ekiden, a famous relay university marathon race. – ANN

Streaming: Crunchyroll and Hidive

Episodes: 23

Source: Novel

This post was originally written for the April 2019 issue of Mangaverse, the anime, manga, and comics ‘zine published by the National Fantasy Fan Federation (N3F) which I am currently in charge of editing. If you are interested in contributing to Mangaverse, please contact me at jessi@s1e1.com. I am always on the lookout for writers and artists!

This post may have been minimally-edited from its original form to correct minor errors and/or include hyperlinks.

Review: This review contains minor spoilers for the series.

Exercise has never been one of my strengths. In elementary school, we were tested every year on how quickly we could run a mile (4 laps around the outdoor gravel-coated track). My best time was somewhere in the 12-minute range, and that was when I was in 1st grade. I think, deep inside, I never saw the point of running when walking was a perfectly serviceable mode of personal transportation. That, or I have always been chronically out-of-shape and unwilling to admit it.

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First Impressions Reviews

Spring 2019 First Impressions – Shorts

We’re finally rounding the corner to home plate for the Spring 2019 anime season here at S1E1. Aside from some sequels to series I’m not far enough into to post an educated reaction (sorry, fans of Ace of Diamond, Bakumatsu Crisis, Strike Witches, and Isekai Quartet) and some Netflix-only series (I’m weeping for my lack of Carole and Tuesday right now), these are all we have. Normally with such short episodes I’ll watch at least a couple of episodes to get an impression of the series, rather than just one. Be aware that there may be more spoiler potential in these examples.

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First Impressions Reviews

Spring 2019 First Impressions – The Wise Man’s Grandchild

A powerful wizard and sage comes upon a baby whom he adopts and names Shin. The baby is actually a man from our world reincarnated into the sage’s world. The sage raises Shin, separated from the rest of society, and teaches him in the ways of magic. It is only when Shin turns 15 years old and sets out on his own journey that the sage remembers that he forgot to teach Shin the common sense and ways of this particular world. And so, Shin goes the capital of the Alsheid Kingdom to enroll in the capital’s magic academy. – ANN

Streaming: Crunchyroll and Funimation

Episodes: 12

Source: Light Novel

Episode Summary: One day, an elderly wizard named Merlin finds a baby in the wreckage from a demon attack. That baby, who he takes in and names Shin, becomes a boy with a special aptitude for magic. Merlin teaches Shin everything he knows, bringing in acquaintances to teach him the ways of the sword and magical garb. Soon Shin becomes a young man with a hold over magic that’s terrifying in its scope.

One of Merlin’s acquaintances invites Shin to attend a magic school in his country. There he can learn how his skills actually compare to those of his peers, as well as figure out some basic skills like buying food and interacting with other people his age. Shin starts to fill in his social gaps once he arrives; he rescues a couple of girls from a group of thugs, and becomes instantly and hopelessly smitten with one of them.

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First Impressions Reviews

Spring 2019 First Impressions – The Helpful Fox Senko-san

Nakano is an employee of an exploitative “black” company, who meets a divine fox spirit named Senko. While she looks like a young girl, Senko is in fact 800 years old. She offers to spoil Nakano as much as possible, and begins looking after him.  – ANN

Streaming: Crunchyroll and Funimation

Episodes: 12

Source: Manga

Episode Summary: Nakano’s days are filled to the brim with mind-numbing office work. His workdays are so long that they’re literally beginning to suck the life out of him. He listlessly takes the last train home once again, and stumbles into his apartment only to find the door unlocked and the lights on. Inside is a honey-colored fox girl cooking dinner at Nakano’s stove.

The fox goddess on high has taken pity on Nakano’s plight, and sent Senko-san, one of her demigods, to help set things right. Though Nakano is a bit weirded-out by the presence of the youthful fox spirit, it’s hard to argue with a hot meal, a good cup of tea, and a fluffy tail to pet. Senko-san asks for nothing in return, as her care is literally priceless; she chalks this all up to the whim of an 800-year-old demi-god. But Nakano has the strange sense that he’s been in the presence of this particular spiritual being before.

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Manga Reviews Reviews

Manga Review – Spirit Circle

Fuuta Okeya can see ghosts. Besides that—and the bandage he always keeps on his cheek—he’s a perfectly normal 14-year old boy enamoured with the new transfer student. Unfortunately, Kouko Ishigami wants little to do with him. A strange ghost that follows her, however, seems to feel quite differently. But, when Kouko sees the strange birthmark hidden beneath the bandage on Fuuta’s cheek, she has a change of heart…for the worse. Not only does she denounce him as her enemy, but she claims that the birthmark is a curse she engraved upon his face during one of their many past lives. – ANN

Artist/Author: Satoshi Mizukami

Volumes: 6

Published By: Seven Seas and also available digitally via Crunchyroll Manga

This post was originally written for the April 2019 issue of Mangaverse, the anime, manga, and comics ‘zine published by the National Fantasy Fan Federation (N3F) which I am currently in charge of editing. If you are interested in contributing to Mangaverse, please contact me at jessi@s1e1.com. I am always on the lookout for writers and artists!

This post may have been minimally-edited from its original form to correct minor errors and/or include hyperlinks.

Review: This review discusses some plot and thematic spoilers for the manga series.

It’s uncommon, but there are times where I’ll be so emotionally moved after consuming a piece of media that I become immediately obsessed with seeking out other work by the same storyteller. While my tastes in manga and anime are somewhat broad, there are occasionally certain thematic elements in particular stories that cut deeply to the heart of how I approach the world and its many experiences. It’s in those vulnerable, reflective moments that I feel as though I’ve made a personal connection with an author who’s somehow on a similar wavelength to myself.

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First Impressions Reviews

Spring 2019 First Impressions – Sarazanmai

One day, three second-year middle school students — Kazuki Yasaka, Toi Kuji, and Enta Jinai — meet a kappa-like creature named Keppi, who is the self-proclaimed heir to the throne of Kappa Kingdom. Keppi forcibly takes the students’ shirikodama (a mythical organ kappa steal through a person’s anus) and they are transformed into kappa. Keppi informs them, “If you want to return to your former selves, you need to connect in ‘that way’ and you must bring me the shirikodama of zombies.” At the same time, two policemen, Reo Niiboshi and Mabu Akutsu, try to do something at the police box where they are stationed. – ANN

Streaming: Crunchyroll and Funimation

Episodes: 11

Source: Original

Episode Summary: In Asakusa, images of the Kappa yokai abound. But little did Kazuki, Toi, and later Enta suspect that the golden kappa statue within the local shrine housed inside it a real, live kappa. After running into Kazuki again by accident, Toi’s violent defense of his own illegal activities knocks the statue off its base; when they return to the scene of the crime later on, Prince Keppi of the Kappa Kingdom appears before them in a poof of purple smoke. When the boys mistakenly refer to Keppi as a frog, he punishes them by stealing their shirikodama (an organ in the anus housing human desires) and turning them (and later Enta) into kappa.

Their ticket back to humanity relies on their ability to team up and steal the shirikodama of zombies – poor humans consumed by their own artificially-augmented desires. The only catch is that, once doing so, the three boys’ own deep, dark secrets are revealed to one-another. As the trio completes the Sarazanmai, Kazuki’s secret is thrust out into the open. This is embarrassing, but could this be a way for him to seek the connections he desires?

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