[June 2016] A Little Bit of Each

It's been hard trying to find something to recommend. For a change, I'll be giving you guys this month a little bit of each. Some music. Some manga. Some stuff I recently discovered.

ANIMA - sukekiyo

In the music category, I have ANIMA. While I haven't heard Dir en grey's Utafumi yet, ANIMA is providing me a new addition to my playlist. I have to say, the songs on this single are so easy to listen to. This is not to say that it's a simple song. Take "anima" for instance. The way sukekiyo combined piano and experimental rock was just beautiful. It reminded a bit of "zephyr" for a bit. "12-Ji 20-Bu Konrinzai" is a very unique track. It's also very fluid like "anima", but has more distortion and we hear Kyo use a wide range of vocals going into falsetto area.

One Outs

While I am not a fan of baseball, I am a fan of gambling. Gambling themed stories that is. If you are a fan of Akagi and Kaiji, One Outs is another series to check out. The Lycaons are in search of a good pitcher and by chance they happen to encounter Tokuchi Toua. Perhaps it was no surprise that they found the voice actor of Akagi to voice Tokuchi as well because both characters are incredibly similar. Level headed, psychologically manipulative, and love the thrill of gambling at high stakes.

Hydra

I still keep up on my previous manga series like Super Doctor K, Case Files of Professor Munakata, Shokugeki no Souma, and Usogui. I've recently discovered another gem. Hydra by none other than Hara Tetsuo. Other than Fist of the North Star and Fist of the Blue Sky, I enjoyed his Nakabo Rintaro series. It was a bit short, but good. Hydra's first chapter pulled me in. It wasn't the violence that was shocking. Something about underworld revenge tales always grabs my interests.

Onmyouji

I'll throw in another manga title! Onmyouji by Yumemakura Baku and illustrated by Okano Reiko. It's such a shame that it has never been translated into English. I only chanced upon the raws. Using my limited knowledge of Japanese, I try to make sense of the dialogue. There were so many great works that were written during the Onmyouji Boom in pop culture. Today, not so much. It's less spiritual and more about the action.

Zootopia

One of the most talked movies of the year so far. I actually watched it a month and a half ago. To be honest, I wouldn't mind watching it a second time to catch the little details. The story follows, Judy Hopps, a rabbit from Bunnyburrow who makes it into Zootopia as a cop. Zootopia is the supposed haven for all animals alike where predator and prey can mingle together. What made the movie so memorable was the amount of different themes it touched upon. All the events that occurred in the film were analogies for today's social issues. In a while, Zootopia becomes appropriate for both kids and adults to watch. Let's not forgot all the pop culture references thrown in there too. The humor is witty and there's loads of adventure throughout the story.