Author: Lenlo

Twelve Kingdoms – 40/41/42 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Throwback Thursday, Twelve Kingdoms

Welcome all to the penultimate week of Twelve Kingdoms! It feels weird to be here, especially after how final that last arc was. But we have 3 more episodes to get through this week, this time featuring Shoryu and Enki! So without further ado, lets dive in.

My initial impressions of this arc are… ones of familiarity. Coming off of the previous arc, it feels like we have seen this all before. A troubled Kingdom, a rebellion, a disrespected Ruler. There are some changed details that make me curious of course. Such as Shoryu’s character, or how the rebellion is against the Ruler this time. But overall it largely feels like a retreading of the prior arc, at least on first impression. I would wager that Twelve Kingdoms is going to use this as a sort of commentary on the previous arc. To show us how such a thing could be resolved from the Rulers position, rather than participating in it. Unlike the last arc though, this one only has 6 episodes to gets message across and I cant help but fear it will feel… rushed. That concern aside though, there is a lot still to discuss!

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Jujutsu Kaisen – 13 [Tomorrow]

by Lenlo, posted in Jujutsu Kaisen

Merry Christmas everyone and welcome to the last post of Jujutsu Kaisen for the year! What a bloody episode to end on eh? We had action, we had murder and we even had a bit of self-reflection, and I loved it. So without further ado lets dive right in!

Starting off, god damn that action looked good. I continue to love how malleable/expressive Mahito’s body is and Hironori Tanaka did a fantastic job working with it. It helps that the man was also the episode director as I understand it, but still. The fluid movement, the sharp lines and heavy blacks. The man made even still shots look dynamic and captivating. And none of this is even mentioning the more surrealist bits that Jujutsu Kaisen continues to incorporate. All in all, this episode looked fantastic and made for an incredible finale. About the only thing I can really nitpick here is that the CGI used was very noticeable. There was a bit about halfway through where the blood/Mahito’s body was done in CGI and it sticks out like a sore thumb. Still, 20 seconds amongst this beautiful production isn’t enough to bring it down.

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Twelve Kingdoms – 37/38/39 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Throwback Thursday, Twelve Kingdoms

Alright, I don’t know where to begin this week, so let me just say: Holy shit Twelve Kingdoms. That was fantastic. What a way to end a 15 episode long arc. To save people from spoilers, I am going to start with the production. But if you want to get into the meat just skip this and head on down, I’ll see you there.

So, the production, it was weird. Twelve Kingdoms continues to be wildly inconsistent in its animation/art style. Some scenes everyone will be perfectly on model and it will look great. Meanwhile others a character will have a wildly disproportionate sided hand or their artstyle will change completely. Almost as if it was outsourced or something, I don’t know. But then we get something like the 2nd half of episode 38, or all of episode 39, that look great. I’m going to have to look into who directed which episode before the final review for this, because that really seems to be the determining factor. Because when the shot composition is just right, the sequence of them, Twelve Kingdoms comes out looking grand. Enough about production though, let’s talk narrative, cause god damn shit went down.

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I watched Black Clover so you don’t have to: The 151 Episode Shonen Check In

by Lenlo, posted in Black Clover, Currently Watching:, Finished Series: Action, Reviews by Lenlo, Special Articles

Bleach. Naruto. One Piece. The Big Three, a legendary trio of Shonen anime/manga that dominated the community for over a decade. Properties so successful that they continue to inspire creators to this day. However all things must one day end and only One Piece remains in its original form. The mangaka Eiichirou Oda is still chugging along to this day. As Bleach ran its course, My Hero Academia rose to fill its shoes. And as Naruto: Shippuden wrapped up in 2017, the manga ending 3 years prior, the question became: What would take its place? Running for over 150 episodes straight, there is one series that has clearly made a play for that position. But does it succeed? This is the story of Black Clover, its first 151 episodes and the troubled production found within. Is it worth it? Should you give it a shot? Let’s find out together.

Welcome to the first, and possibly only, edition of Shonen Check-In. How’s that for a pretentious start eh? Had to get people hooked in early. Don’t worry, this isn’t that kind of post. The long and short of it is that, for various reasons, I decided to catch up on the first 151 episodes of Black Clover. Like many I dropped it early back in 2017, in the first cour in fact, maybe even the first episode. Between Asta’s screaming, the questionable production and the almost… blatantly generic plot, I had 0 interest in another new Shonen. But over these last 3 years Black Clover has somehow survived and the fan base has only grown. They sing its praises, they keep saying “It gets good, it gets good!” Well I am here to check that assertion. I watched Black Clover so you don’t have to. But maybe… maybe you should.

(Disclaimer: This is not a review, there is no number score, I just wanted to talk about Black Clover damnit.)

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Jujutsu Kaisen – 12 [To You, Someday]

by Lenlo, posted in Jujutsu Kaisen

Welcome all to another week of Jujutsu Kaisen! Apologies for the slight delay, I was a tad busy yesterday and wasn’t able to get around to the episode. But oh boy what an episode it was. We had murder, anger, conflict and maybe even a few emotional moments. All that and more in this weeks episode, so lets dive in!

Starting off, lets talk production! There were a lot of fun shots this week, both in terms of animation and stills. Animation wise, Mahito continues to be a treat. His malleable body and fighting style lend itself to some really creative sequences. Whether it be his arms flailing about or the ripples in his body from Itadori’s punches. Add on his exaggerated manic expressions and you have some fun stuff! Meanwhile with stills Jujutsu Kaisen once again went the heavily stylized route, to great success. Although it has minimal movement, Sukuna and Mahito’s mocking laughter and the display of their faces above Itadori was incredibly striking. I love hos Jujutsu Kaisen continues to prominently display the characters teeth for scenes like this. It almost works like a caricature, bringing out important facial features to more clearly communicate things to the viewer. So yeah, all around, this episode looked pretty good!

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Twelve Kingdoms – 34/35/36 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Throwback Thursday, Twelve Kingdoms

This is the home stretch for Twelve Kingdoms people! The final 12 episodes, the final cour, and we begin with open rebellion. All of our leads have found each other, swords have been drawn and bullets fired. So without further ado, lets dive into this weeks three episodes!

So starting off… whew that shit got dark. I knew it could, we saw in the first cour where Twelve Kingdom’s was willing to go. But it’s been awhile since then, things have been… not necessarily positive, but not dark. It wasn’t until Shoukou’s introduction a few episodes back that this started to change. But now? Armed revolution, children (more children) murdered in the street, shot? I’m not complaining of course, Twelve Kingdom’s has ramped this up very naturally, narratively and visually. Early on, most of our scenes took place in the day. But as the story has progressed, as we have gone to war and people have died? They took place further and further in the day. Shifting the whole color palette of the show to lead into this. I hadn’t even thought about how dark it was getting right up until the gunshot, that’s how well it worked.

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Jujutsu Kaisen – 11 [Narrow-minded]

by Lenlo, posted in Jujutsu Kaisen

Y’all know the drill by now, it’s time for another week of Jujutsu Kaisen! This week see’s the conclusion of Mahito’s fight, Yoshino making a new friend and Itadori getting caught up in it all. So without further ado, lets dive in!

Production wise, I think this week looked good. Park’s camera angles were still there in the Mahito fight but they were more contained this week. Easier to follow, if that makes sense. Last week he kept switching sides or doing 360 degree spins around characters/scenes. It made the space and the characters positions within said space difficult and annoying to follow. This week though he manages to rein it in a bit, not breaking the 180 degree rule, etc. All the while keeping the wilder and expressive character animation. All in all, I think this episode was a success production wise and I’m looking forward to seeing more from Park in the future! Obligatory production talk out of the way, lets get into what y’all really care about, narrative!

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Twelve Kingdoms – 31/32/33 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Throwback Thursday, Twelve Kingdoms

I must admit, I was almost late getting this Twelve Kingdom’s post out. Something about this new game, I’m sure you’ve never heard of it, Cyberpunk was just robbing my time. That aside, this is once again a big week for Twelve Kingdoms. From rampant corruption to public executions, things are getting bad. So without further ado lets jump right into it!

Starting off, this is a complex week and I am unsure of where to start. As I said above, things are getting bad though in Kingdom of Kei, so lets being there. This was the first week were we really got to see Kei’s political situation, on a local level. Sure we learned from Enho about land distribution, and we have seen the palace court. But those aren’t the officials who handle the day to day. They aren’t the boots on the ground, so to speak. And what Twelve Kingdom’s showed us wasn’t pretty. It’s here that the previous displays of what Hou was like before it fell come back to haunt us. Rampant corruption, murder in the streets, public executions. Things we, the viewer, thought were a thing of the past. Yet now we see them in Nakajima’s own back yard. And it’s all thanks to Shoukei.

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Jujutsu Kaisen – 10 [Idle Transfiguration]

by Lenlo, posted in Jujutsu Kaisen

It was inevitable folks. Jujutsu Kaisen has been consistently pretty good up until now, so it was bound to misstep eventually. And while its not terrible, there was still some good here, this episode was that episode. Curious? Well lets jump right into it then.

Starting off, the camera work in Kento and Mahito’s fight was… it was something. It seems as if director Seong-Hu Park is finally making himself known just like he did with last seasons God of High School. The camera has gained a mind of its own and begun to float and fly around the scene in ways that are… not necessarily the best. Don’t get me wrong, the animation in these scenes were fine to good. I’m not criticizing the animators work. More that the camera undercut a lot of it and made it either difficult or undesirable to follow. The constant heavy movement made it so much of the fight didn’t really stick, or lost weight in the movements. This wasn’t every shot of course, and Mahito still came out better for it and I will talk about him later. But overall it felt like to much.

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Twelve Kingdoms – 28/29/30 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Throwback Thursday, Twelve Kingdoms

Whoooo 30 episodes of Twelve Kingdoms! I have to say, when I first started this series I was expecting it to be a bit of a slog. 45 episodes is a respectable length after all. However to my pleasant surprise, it’s been a pretty engaging time. This week is no different there, as we Suzu and Shoukei continue their travels and Nakajima unravels a conspiracy in her kingdom. So without further ado, lets dive in!

Starting off, so much shit happened this week, it’s insane. I am continually impressed with just how much content, how much progression, Twelve Kingdoms manages to fit into its episodes. I finished 29 and was surprised to learn there was still another to go, it covered so much ground. So because of that, lets start with the easy to follow tale of Suzu, Asano and the young Seishuu. I wasn’t expecting a third member to get added to this trip, but by the end of his stay he had added a lot. Suddenly what was one person’s journey of self-discovery became some kind of parable. The three reminding me of the three monkeys with one deaf, one blind and one mute. Suzu refuses to hear any criticism, Asano is unable to speak the language and Seishuu is legitimately blind. It’s small, but made me really happy to notice.

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