I lived the NEET life for a few months this year and watched/read so many things. This post will contain everything I’ve started/finished this year.
Note; this post is very long.
Anime
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures 3 & 4
JoJo gets more and more unique as it goes on, and I’m liking it a lot. What I really like about JoJo is how good it utilizes suspense, so that you just can’t stop watching. It’s also got a lot of battles of wits.
Ghost in the Shell – Stand Alone Complex
GITS is an excellent series, and no surprise that SAC is very good. It presents many interesting perspectives on what the future might look like. My favorite scene in the entire series is the scene where Tachikoma discussed God and individuality. Amazing stuff.
takt op. Destiny
I’ll come back and update this when I actually watch more of this anime. It has so, so much potential and I think I’ll like it a lot.
Touka Gettan
The anime that aired in reverse, so you see the ending first then work your way back to the beginning of the story. I only watched two episodes before I got bored. Might watch more, idk. It’s actually one of those rare visual novel adaptations where I actually like the MC’s design.
Taisho Otome Otogibanashi
Cute anime about this girl who’s going to marry a depressing guy. Despite the message being controversial, the anime itself focuses on the relationship between the characters and their growth.
Air
Adapted from a visual novel of the same name. Air follows the story of Kunisaki Yukito as he tries to find the girl in the sky. He ended up in a small seaside town, where he encounters the girls that will change his journey.
The story was really rushed but Air has beautiful animation and music, and I think it’s worth the time.
Bloodivores
Part of my Worst Anime list. Adapted from something called Space-Time Prisoners. Amazing OP by Mili but the anime itself is… not so good, to say the least.
Deca-Dence
An original anime by Studio NUT (who made Youjo Senki), but everything about the anime screams TRIGGER. Natsume wants to go out and fight to defend her moving home against the Gadoll, weird monster looking thingies with a lot of body fluids. However, that’s just the surface of a much more sinister secret.
What I like about Deca-Dence is that I’ve seen a lot of anime that’s similar to it, yet this one manages to make itself feel unique. The story isn’t too complex and doesn’t delve too much into philosophy, but it’s really enjoyable. (But I think there’s a lot of messages and deep meanings to digest, which I don’t feel like doing.) I feel that it’s just the right amount of drama, action, and the power of friendship.
Generation of Chaos
Part of my Worst Anime list. An OVA that would be forgotten if it didn’t land itself as one of the worst anime. It’s not that bad, but there’s really no reason why you would want to spend your precious time watching it.
Josee to Tora to Sakana-tachi
Feel good movie with stunning animation and excellent everything else. The release date got moved back so many times due to the pandemic and I’m glad I got to watch it. I wrote everything I felt about it in my full review, so yeah. Great anime.
Mobile Suit Gundam
I’m referring to the three movies here. The animation did not age well, but they were fun to watch. I could see why these are classics and how later mecha anime drew inspirations from them. Especially the random ‘this is war’ and ‘war is bad’ dialogue.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack
I like Char’s Counterattack because it shows just how every side is bad. Yeah. It was pretty fun.
Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway’s Flash
Hathaway Noa got himself tangled with a weird woman and then stuff happened. I don’t have much to say since this is just the first movie of a trilogy, but the animation quality is top-notch.
Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas -Meiou Shinwa- SS2
I consider Lost Canvas the “Saint Seiya plot and characters at its very best”. Although Lost Canvas is completely different from the usual vibes Saint Seiya gives, this is an excellent anime with multi-dimensional characters and very few plot holes, plus animation is really beautiful. And lots of badass moments.
The reason it took me so long to finish this series is that 1. it stopped airing on my subscription TV and 2. it was too depressing. I started this when I was young and I hated seeing characters die off one after the other, so I put this series on hold for the longest time. I’m glad I watched the remaining season. It was sad but beautiful and strangely inspirational.
A Place Further than the Universe
A feel-good anime that actually made me feel good. Four highschool girls journey to Antarctica because they want to do something special while they’re still young, and of course they encounter a lot of obstacles and made wonderful memories along the way. Gosh, I love this anime despite its humor getting annoying sometimes. Perfect anime for a lazy afternoon.
Skelter Heaven
Another one on the Worst Anime list. This one is actually really bad. Like, really bad.
EX-ARM
Good anime to torture yourself with. 10/10
Twinkle Nora Rock Me!
Nora! Nora! Galaxy!
Part of my Worst Anime post. Nora is very forgettable if not for its horribly comical animation. Okay, you know what? That’s enough from the Worst Anime post. I’m not including anything else from that post in this one.
Violet Evergarden + Movie
I finished everything from Violet Evergarden this year. I cannot shower enough praises on how good the anime is. I love Violet Evergarden so very much, everything from the characters, the voice acting, the plot, the music, the themes, and the beautiful KyoAni animation.
Pacific Rim: The Black
Not an anime but I wanna include this here. I like The Black; this is the stuff Pacific Rim franchise needs, not Uprising. The plot is pretty generic and there are elements in the story that is so ‘anime’ (*cough* that boy), but The Black was an enjoyable ride BECAUSE IT WAS FOCUSED ON THE STORY NOT TRYING TO SELL ME PACIFIC RIM MERCH. Can’t wait for season 2.
Manga
Arachnid
Arachnid was written by the same author as Killing Bites. This one is about an assassin battle royale, where all the assassins based their skills on an insect. The main girl, Fujii Alice, had her family massacred. Having nowhere else to go, she was taken in and mentored by the legendary assassin ‘Spider’, and afterwards was plunged into a world of killing. However, the reason Spider murdered her family and adopted her as his daughter is part of a huge scheme.
Arachnid is really sexual and has a lot of over the top action (which gets more ridiculous considering these people are still normal humans, not genetically modified brutes like in Killing Bites). It’s not a must read, but it’s an okay manga to kill time. I understand why the publisher in Thailand had to try so hard to sell it lol, it’s not the kind of manga people wanna spend a lot of money on.
Spoilers: And the author chopped the story because Alice became too OP, why, author? That’s no fair.
I have a lot of stuff to say about Dinoponera because I actually know people who used to live in the area she was from. Heck, she might be annoying be she didn’t deserve that kind of horrible end. I’m tempted to say F you author but that’d be disrespectful.
Ayu Mayu
This manga was so stupid that it’s funny in the face-palm kind of way. I put it on hold since 2012 and for some reason I just finished the thing this year. It’s just about this pervy MC trying to find his real sister who got separated when they were really young. Mostly it’s just him living the life among a bunch of cute girls who are his potential sisters.
(I found this visual novel called Ayu Mayu Alternative which parodies Muv Luv, turns out this manga and the game are unrelated lol)
Gunslinger Girl
GSG is about a bunch of cyborg girls doing the government’s dirty work. Pretty good manga, I must say. There’s something satisfying about watching these girls kick asses. One sad thing is that the manga had been out of the market in my country for so long I’m having no luck finding volume 10-15.
Reviews coming soon.
Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne
One day, this lonely girl met a fairy and transformed into a phantom thief! Pretty fun manga that I didn’t like too much so I donated it to a school library.
Mousou Shoujo
Comedy manga about a girl who, despite having no sexual experiences, goes on this lucid dream episode of sexual encounters every time something even remotely suggestive happens in daily life. She has a crush on this cute guy and everyone’s just waiting for them to bang.
Although this is an adult manga, it was so funny I didn’t find it erotic lololol
Aldnoah.Zero
Mecha manga adapted from the anime. This Martian princess survived an assassination attempt and joined forces with high school students to survive an invasion from Mars. Or something like that. Anyway, it was quality manga.
Ubel Blatt
Fairy boy goes on a revenge spree but then kind of regrets it.
So I finally brought myself to read the ending of the action-drama packed manga ‘that time I got reincarnated as a fairy with a big ding dong’… wait, no, that’s not right. Let me try again. So I finally brought myself to read the ending of the dark fantasy manga Ubel Blatt. This manga was like the tiger drawing meme where the beginning was really well drawn but the end was a doodle. Ubel Blatt started out amazing, but then something happened and it wasn’t so fun anymore.
B.A.D. Beyond Another Darkness
Light novel about a dude pregnant with a demon fetus inside his belly and an umbrella girl who could sew his belly back up whenever said demon fetus tried to break out. It sounds disturbing, I know, but at least it’s nowhere near Prometheus or Aliens level… because that demon fetus is actually a cute loli girl. Yeah. Japan.
That aside, B.A.D. had a lot of good character moments and some really unique psychic powers that I really liked. I started this light novel way back in middle school so I’m a bit sad that I finished the series already. The manga adaptation does not do the novel justice; that’s the other thing I’m sad about.
Reviews coming soon.
Blue Dragon Ral-Grad
I hate pervy MCs, but for some reason I like Ral because the guy is funny and doesn’t touch girls who doesn’t want to be touched. This manga wasn’t particularly memorable but it was fun while it lasted.
Also, the cover arts are really pretty.
Chrono Crusade
I think I don’t need to say much about this one. My heart broke but I love it anyway.
Chrome Breaker
Similar plot to Chrono Crusade but not as heavy. Nagisa Akira is the reincarnation of the Holy Daughter Maria, so she got targeted by a bunch of bad people. But fear not, hot bishy half demon bodyguard Takagi Chrome is there to protect her!
Chrome Breaker was one manga I really liked as a kid and I’m glad I got to finish it.
Darling in the FranXX
You don’t say that Zero Two is your waifu. You say that you are her darling.
There are some aspects of the manga that I liked more than the anime, but there are also some things about the anime that I like more than the manga. Anyway, the manga is good in itself.
Epee Luge
Momoka is the last female dragon. Inside her body is a Dragon’s Gem, an item of immense power sought after by dragon hunters across the multiverse. I don’t have to tell you that this manga is full of rapey dudes and dudettes. Everyone wants to bang Momoka on sight, even her own younger brother. What the actual frick.
I was gonna do a separate post for this one, but on second thoughts, nah. Remember that manga called Pupa? This is similar but worse. Like, there’s this panel where the little brother was like, becoming one with his sister. It’s not the sexual kind of becoming one but the drawing was suggestive as hell.
Oh yeah, trigger warnings for this manga: blood. Lots of blood. Sexual harassment. Incest. The little brother had his sexual awakening while watching his sister suffering from puberty. I’m surprised this thing made it through censorship in Thailand. It’s not hentai but it’s super duper suggestive.
Full Moon wo Sagashite
Manga about a girl with throat cancer who ran away from surgery in order to fulfill her dreams of becoming a singer. It was unexpectedly good considering I have no idea if this was meant for children or not.
Hakoniwa Yuugi
Your classic ‘is it a curse or is it a human culprit’ thing. Just a bunch of bullies getting what they deserve. Or not.
Hana wa Shinitagaru
I forgot about this one shot completely. It was pretty touching and cute, and I think I cried a little.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Matsuribayashi-hen
Because of Higurashi Gou and Sotsu, I decided that I should try to find the last volume of Matsuribayashi that went out of print. I couldn’t so I just read the scans. Forgive me. Anyway, Matsuribayashi was a good manga. It was intense and really well-drawn.
Juuhime Sincerely Night
This was a manga I bought on a whim but ended up liking. Luca Aslacion had to become an executioner so that he doesn’t get killed by the church. He tried to find the Gun Princess, the legendary weapon, in order to break free and change his fate, but things just have to get complicated.
This is a prequel to the light novel which I’m not gonna read. The manga was unexpectedly good but got chopped.
Kamibukuro-kun wa Koishiteru
This is pure wholesomeness right here. Everything about this is just so, so, so, so cute and funny, I had a great time reading.
Kekkai Sensen
The manga I bought and read for the sole reason that I had Sugar Song to Bitter Step stuck in my head for weeks. The manga was episodic and focuses on a different character every volume, but there’s an overarching story about Leo and his sister. By an overarching story, I mean that they mentioned Leo trying to figure out his eye powers in volume 1, then forgetting it for 8 volumes, only to mention it again in the last one. Anyway, it was a good, unpredictable manga full of cool ideas, with a satisfying enough ending.
Eureka Seven
Renton is a normal boy dreaming of adventures outside his peaceful town. When a huge mech and its cute non-human pilot crashed into his workshop, he knows that the adventure he asked for came right to him at his doorstep.
If you want Eureka Seven but make it Deadman Wonderland, the manga version is for you. The art is amazing and the story is really grim, but boy, I loved it.
Kurenai Ookami to Ashikase no Hitsuji
A manga that’s like taking a weird acid trip inside your deep psyche—-okay, that’s not accurate. This manga is about two wolf girls killing each other and some other complicated stuff about the dream world affecting the waking world, vice versa… anyway, it’s got nice aesthetics.
I like how this manga has a lot of dualities. One wolf girl is a melee while the other is ranged. The world of reality is opposite from that of the world of dreams. Protagonist grew up in a Buddhist temple while antagonist grew up in a Christian church. Etc.
And spoilers, that twist at the end was unexpected.
Le Chevalier D’Eon
Guy lets his dead sister possess him at night so that she can take revenge on those that killed her. She is the lady of justice, the lady of the night, the lady in blue, she is Lady Sphynx!
Manga with gorgeous art and over the top action. Not a must read but it was pretty fun. I’m still angry they ended it on a sequel bait.
Ludwig Kakumei
Eccentric Prince Ludwig travels across the land finding his ideal bride. However, he has extremely horrible luck when it comes to women, so… a lot of shit happened.
I think this manga was more of an experimental work…? So I didn’t enjoy it too much, but anyway it was okay.
Mijika de Okita Kowai Hanashi
This just feels like another volume of Screaming Lessons. It got some cool stories.
Oboreru Knife
FINALLY I found the last bits of this manga. Oboreru Knife is a mature manga about a child actress who moved to a backwater town, then encounters her little god/boyfriend there, then a lot of stuff happened and things took a turn for the worst.
One thing I like about this manga is that it’s mature and doesn’t romanticize toxic relationships. The male MC got so toxic at one point (but for a good reason) and I’m glad author-sensei decided to make everyone step back a bit. The biggest plus for me is that the art is so, so, very beautiful, George Asakura style. It’s definitely a manga worth reading if you’re into more mature shoujo manga.
Also, yikes, poor Ootomo.
Piece of Cake
Manga about this lady failing in love over and over again. Lots of good metaphors and the art is beautiful (since it’s the same author as Oboreru Knife, it’s to be expected).
Rozen Maiden + Rozen Maiden (2008)
Alternate title: Rozen Maiden: Dolls Battle Royale.
When I was a kid, I absolutely loved the anime. For some reason, I didn’t like the Rozen Maiden manga as much as I thought I would. Yes, it’s fun and well-drawn, and the story has a direction, but I just can’t seem to get into it.
But omg Souseiseki was so cute I’m starting to question my sexuality lol
Saikano
A random girl was modified into the ultimate weapon by the JSDF. Despite the world falling apart due to another world war, she desperately clung on to her last bits of humanity and her relationship with her boyfriend.
I put this off for the longest time because 1. I can’t really handle depressing stuff nowadays and 2. the print version in my country (Thailand) was suspended because of the sex scenes. Saikano wasn’t as depressing as I thought, but it’s still really heavy and sad. At first, I thought it’d be another ‘war is bad’ manga, but Saikano went really deep into the characters, them having different motives and different takes on the situation around them.
I also heard the anime had a different ending. To me, manga ending was beautiful and perfect.
Sarah – The Legend of Mother Sarah
It’s the first time I’ve seen a seinen manga with a protagonist who’s a mother. And she kicks ass. The plot is typical of seinen manga, lots of action and lots of backstabbing. It was a bit disturbing but at least all is well.
Shangri-La
Manga version of the anime/novel of the same name. In order to combat global warming, scientists went a bit crazy on genetic engineering and made plants that eat humans. Rich people moved to a city in the sky, leaving the rest to rot in slums surrounded by the weird plants. Kuniko is the leader of a rebel group hell bent on fighting for a better quality of life for the slum people.
Shangri-La is action-packed, and had some really nice character moments. It was a fun read. Not too heavy, not too light.
Vicomte de Valmont -Kiken na Kankei-
A shoujo manga adapted from the novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses. The author did a good job integrating letters and other things into the manga. It was pretty cool. I haven’t read the source material, but this was a good manga.
Tears to Tiara
Adapted from a game with the same name. The Empire threatens to conquer the whole continent, so ex-demon lord Arawn and co are there to stop them!
The manga did a good job adapting the game, trimming the unnecessary bits out and presenting the main plot. I enjoyed it.
Patchwork Girl
It wasn’t bad but I hate this manga. Next,
Virtual Beast
A manga adaptation meant to promote the novel. I have no clue what’s going on in the story. It was okay, not too bad. Definitely donating this because other people deserve to be just as confused as I am lol.
Wombs
Ever seen pregnant women in battle? Well, Wombs is about just that. When the first wave immigrants were being attacked and overpowered by the second wave, they have developed their ultimate weapon: “transfer soldiers” carrying alien fetus in their wombs that are able to use the same teleport points that the aliens can. These ladies were drafted, to top it off.
Wombs is probably the most controversial manga I’ve ever read. (No wonder only 3 volumes were published in my country. I can understand why people find it disturbing. Or… I guess it was suspended because of the government, same as Saikano lol.) It shows how even if women are the ones doing the heavy lifting of the fighting, men still won’t listen to them. It’s not only about men using women, it’s also about women using other women. The story is focused on the ladies’ adjustment and training, as well as their growth during the course of the war. It shows just how desperate people can get during wartime.
Sergeant Aramea is one of the most memorable character from this manga. She is so strong and admirable.
Yuureitou
A NEET almost got himself killed the day he decided to step outside. However, that was just the beginning on a much larger adventure revolving around the ‘ghost tower’, a clock tower where many have lost their lives trying to uncover its secret.
Yuureitou is filled with twists and turns, and it’s got amazing art. Definitely worth reading.
A Cruel God Reigns
This manga destroyed my faith in humanity. The art is very beautiful but the story is just depressing. It’s not even BL, I don’t think there’s even love in this manga, just that the protagonists were banging, was all.
Zekkyou Gakkyuu
Horror shoujo manga that teaches kids to be nicer people. Although it’s meant for kids, it’s… got some really disturbing stories.
Shoujo one-shots
I read many so I just compiled them all in a single post which is here.
Yu-gi-oh 5D’s
Apparently, people are starting to play card games on motorcycles (which is very dangerous, do not attempt at home). But then an ancient god just have to get involved with the duelists and turn everything into a life-or-death battle. Classic Yugioh.
The manga reminded me why I liked Yusei x Aki so much. Manga Yusei felt like a completely different person from anime Yusei though… or is it just that I forgot what anime Yusei was like? Anyway, 5D’s is the third anime in the Yugioh franchise, following the original Yugioh and Yugioh GX.
What I like about this manga is that the battles are so intense. What I don’t like is how absolutely ridiculous some of the strategies were. Just when the person the author does not want to lose (be it MC or enemy) gets cornered with no way of winning, they just have to pull this miracle card combo out of nowhere. This is the case when Aki was fighting that handless combo dude. Who the f is gonna be able to beat that guy if not for Jack’s own miracle combo, anyway? Speaking of Aki, she’s really strong in the manga but for plot reasons, she had to lose so many times in a row. It’s sad. Well, at least she wasn’t just a benchwarmer like the anime Aki.
(Anyway there’s this funny thing about the Thai translation. The original word used to describe Yusei is probably ‘atsui’ which translates to something like ‘passionate’ but the Thai translation uses the word burning hot (เร่าร้อน), which is not wrong. But I friggin hate it (and laughed a lot) when people use that word because it’s mostly used in erotic novels hahahahahahaha. )
Okay, that’s it for 2021. Let’s hope the pandemic ends this year so we can go to anime conventions.
bonutzuu 