Manyuu Hikenchou
So, back around 2012, this anime called Manyuu Hikenchou came out. This show was about a Feudal Japan-esque setting with the twist that the size of a woman’s breast quite literally determined her lot in life. Prestige, political power, etc etc was all dependent on the size of her Bazongas. You got tig ole bitties? You living the high life. You’re flat as washing board? They treat you how most White Americans want to treat Black people. So, young samurai girl hailing from the family that helps keep the status qu of all this decides that it’s time to make a change and runs off with the Krabby Patty Secret formula so she can enact said change. She ends up with the ability to absorb breast sizes.
Yes, this show was real. It was even a manga beforehand. It’s very ridiculous and very fun. Obviously, the fan service got my foot in the door. Y’all know me; I am no stranger to ecchi anime/manga; some of them I even hold dear to my heart like Freezing and Wanna Be The Strongest in the World.
Manyuu is just a good time if you’re down with the premise. The same way a lot of the fun of a series like Food Wars or Keijo, which is more apt comparison I guess since it’s also a fan service series, is watching normal battle shonen type stuff play out but with that setting’s respective flavor. Like, Shokugeki no Soma was largely a by-the-books battle shonen, but we stuck with it(until it became garbage) because it executed well and it was executing it within the context of food competitions. You got to see niggas turn super saiyan over making curry and shit. It was very novel is what I’m getting at. Manyuu is like that. It’s very basic, but the twist of breast-related techniques, all the breast gags, and, of course, the fan service make it a nice 12-episode package that I’m glad I finally watched. I’ve known about this series for years, but the closest I’ve come to watching it was peeping a few of the short OVAs over the years. Just like the other ecchi anime I’ve watched, I wasn’t necessarily blown away, but it did give me lovable characters and a really good time. It gets the stamp of approval.
Type Redline
Fate Type Redline is an adaption of Koha-Ace, which is basically a gag series where a bunch of type-moon characters hold a grail war with a bunch of primarily Japanese servants, the breakout characters being Oda Nobunaga and Okita Souji. Redline replaces the type-moon characters with original characters for the story and removes a lot of the comedy so it can tell a serious grail war story.
The protagonist is nothing special. He’s an everyman with understandable reactions from going from going to school and shit to watching a superpowered human cut down people like butter and tell him he’s gonna be involved in more of that.
The real standouts are the servants, who are all free from their usual comedic roles in FGO’s GudaGuda events. Characters like Nobu, Okita, and Izou get to be the savage badasses they are and I am all for it, man. Standout is Mori Nagayoshi, who spends his introduction mowing down soldier after soldier with his master in tow after cutting off said master’s hand until Li Shuwen ad his master show up.
Strange/Fake
Strange/Fake is pretty hype. It’s about a “fake” grail war set in America, with powerhouses like Enkidu and Gilgamesh present. While Type Redline has alright masters and godlike servants, Strange/Fake is a bit more balanced. The servant lineup on the whole isn’t as cool as the Redline lineup, but the masters are far more interesting. It’s more balanced, which is ironic because it is by far the crazier war. A bastardized version of the Fuyuki grail war, but with powerhouses like Gilgamash and Enkidu involved from the start. I haven’t gotten far, but I know it gets even crazier.
Gridman Universe
I finally watched Gridman Universe. I am a huge fan of the Gridman franchise. I was one of those kids who loved Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad. From SSSS Gridman to SSSS Dynazenon to this, the ride has been wonderful.
We spend the movie with Yuta, actual Yuta, which is the crux of the plot. The Yuta we followed around for all of SSSS Gridman was Gridman unknowlingly inhabiting his body; this Yuta is trying to find the courage to capitalize off the goodwill Gridman built for him with Rikka to finally ask her out, but Kaijus return to the world, bringing our friends from Dynazenon with them. Our boy Gauma is part of the Neon Genesis Junior High Students now, and they work with Gridman to fight off the Kaiju.
This movie is so good. If you’re like me and love Gridman, you’ll love it. We have all the character moments like in the shows, but with even better battles. They didn’t skimp on this movie, man. It looks good, sounds good, all that.
My only nitpick is that they made my boy Koyomi jobless again even though he had a job at the end of Dynazenon. It could’ve been worse; trust me, having watched Donbrothers vs Zenkaiger, i’ve seen toku stuff backtrack on a character’s progress far worse, but it still sucks.
Still love it to death. 10/10.
Ultraman Decker
Finally spun back and finished Ultraman Decker. Ultimately, it’s a solid entry. Kanata was a great protagonist and his friends were good supporting mates. Now, coming off the back of Trigger, this show looks godlike. Like, this show is a good 7/10, but if I watched it live after the shitshow that was Trigger, I’d be calling it a 10/10 because they avoided all the shit I hated with Trigger. They bounced back very quickly and gave a quality show I can recommend. Good shit.
555: Paradise Regained
Kamen Rider 555 was a trashy soap opera that had a Kamen Rider in it.
Kamen Rider 555: Paradise Regained is a trashy soap opera that has a Kamen Rider in it.
Unapologetic slop, but I say it with love. If you fuck with 555, you’ll fuck with this is my read. There’s some dumb shit and forced drama, but 555 had that in spades. Nothing new here. Sit back and watch em wreak havoc on your screen one more again.