New to Anime? Check out these shows.
Anime has many different styles within its genre. Each of them is categorized by a specific demographic. In this article I will talk about the shows I enjoyed as a newbie and what manga they are associated with.
The first show that got me into Anime was BNA on Netflix believe it or not. “Brand New Animal” is about a teenager named Michiru who faces adversity for being different. She has the ability to turn into a humanoid animal and is cast out. It’s her story of trying to find a safe haven and accepting who she is as a Beastman. I thoroughly enjoyed the story telling of the show and it’s characters. The art style really reminded me of a lot of cartoons I grew up watching. It’s a show I am excited to re-watch and always recommend to my friends.
This specific Anime is a Seinen manga. Seinen are marketed to young adults. It also falls under a few other genres like Action, Fantasy and Science Fiction. With only twelve episodes I really can’t wait for the next season which unfortunate hasn’t been announced yet. With this series being so new I was so surprised how good it was and the fact that it’s a Netflix Original is just really cool. I would love to see more anime originals on their platform.
My husband I had a blast trying to figure out what type of Beastman each character was before it was revealed. Some are pretty obvious and others keep you guessing. A huge part of why I love this show is the story telling. The way that each episode ends keeps you at the edge of your seat. You think you know as much as you possible can figure out on your own but then there is something more to it. I thoroughly enjoyed it beginning to end.
This next Anime was remade in 2019 and released on HULU in collaboration with CrunchyRoll. Fruits Basket is an Anime about A girl named Tohru Honda, a high school student that finds out that the Soma Family are hiding something from everyone. In actuality there are possessed by the animals of the Chinese Zodiac and involuntary change into said animal when hugged by the opposite sex.
The characters are charming and their stories will give you all the feels. This show is very emotional so if you can’t handle some drama and heartache this one probably isn’t for you. I find that anime is like that though to draw you into the characters lives. Things can’t get lighter if there isn’t a little darkness.
The main characters really grow on you and their personalities truly shine. Tohru reminded me of myself a lot and I think that’s why I really enjoyed the show so much. When a character is relatable it makes the show that more enjoyable. I found the art style very cute and the back story of each member of the Soma family very intriguing. Similarly to BNA I had so much fun trying to guess what animal from the Zodiac calendar was who. Fruits Basket is a Shōjo manga meaning that this show was aimed at young women as their demographic. It also falls under the genre of ” Romantic Comedy” and Supernatural.
Similarily to Fruits Basket is HoriMiya focuses on highschool students Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura. A couple that are complete opposites to one another. It’s a simple story of them opening up to each other and life with their friends in school.
The back stories aren’t the most in-depth or severely depressing like most shows which is refreshing to say the least. I liked this anime for the simplicity and cutesy romance between characters. There wasn’t much to the whole show but when you need a distraction I’d say this one could be your ticket into watching Anime series.
I got butterflies watching the romance bloom in their hearts and in their eyes. The demographic of this particular manga is Shōnen. Shōnen are usually targeted towards a young male audience. (I would have to argue that it is more of a Shojo type show being that its a romantic type of show but I digress.)
On to the action, My husband and I binge watched this one. BoFuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense. You can probably tell by the title but this one is about a Virtual Reality role playing game world.
Maple starts playing this game with her friend after little deliberation and maxes out her defense in hopes to be able to stay alive in the game. In doing this she continues to put all her strength into defense as a tactic to be different from the rest. Usually in role playing games you want a balance of defense, attack and speed but she lacks everything except her shielding . You’d think she wasn’t doing as much as she could to compete but she proves everyone wrong.
This show is very creative in its approach. I really loved how cheesy everything was and how in depth the narrative went to show exactly what skills were reached and what her achievements were. It was like I was really watching someone play an RPG. If you aren’t into video games or any of that sort of stuff this Anime isn’t going to work for you. But my husband and I are huge nerds and loved it so much.
The characters were very cute and the animation was very unique. As a Seinen I would have to agree that young adults are the best demographic for this manga but I can see it being very appealing to adults as well. I am 29 and I absolutely would watch it again. I can’t wait for the next season to come out. 2022 here we go! This show was very easy to watch for me and didn’t have a ton of emotional content in it. Would highly recommend to anyone that loves adventure and video games.
And here comes the Anime that brings tears to your eyes. People tell me all the time that I only love sad sappy anime. That’s definitely not true. I love all different types of shows. It’s not my fault that a lot of the characters have sad lives and wear their hearts on their sleeves. I fall so hard for the lonely and depressed. I surely don’t seek out shows that make me cry. ” The Day I became a God” started out so bright and happy. It was so light-hearted and cute until it got down to the end. I won’t ruin it for you but please be warned. I definitely loved it but it was so short. In only twelve episodes you really fall in love with the protagonist.
The Anime is about a girl that goes by Hina Sato that claims that she’s a God named Odin. In claiming shes supernatural she expresses that the world is going to end in 30 days after running into the other main character Yōta Narukami. I won’t say much more about it but it was definitely a good one. Highly recommend if you can handle it. The demographic for this manga is seinen as well. This anime is fairly new to the scene and was released in 2020. Not sure if their will be a sequel or not.
Last but not least Sword Art Online another tear-jerker. I have yet to finish this Anime because my husband couldn’t take the sadness but I promise I’ll complete it before the year is up. What I can say about the show is it took some getting used to at first. I started watching it after Bo-furi and found it pretty similar in theme. It’s about a virtual reality role playing world but with a twist.
This game doesn’t allow for you to leave the game unless you die or complete the final boss. When you die in game you die in real life. Bo-furi was not dark like that at all or really emotional in anyway. It started out very slow but gained momentum as it progressed. If you are not emotionally stable I wouldn’t give this one a watch. It’s pretty dark and can really make your heart hurt for a while. Not saying that as a bad thing necessarily but it really isn’t for everyone. This show seems like it’s for mature audiences. (contains nudity and violence as well as some language.)
The demographic for this Anime is shonen that being a male audience. I would definitely agree with that. The show is pretty straight forward as far as everything goes. Being that I haven’t finished the show yet I will say that it might not be as good all the way through. I have only made it to season two about half way but up until then I have enjoyed it. Kirito is a well rounded character and many of the characters you meet through out the series are great too.
Bravest Warriors Encounters By Pendleton Ward (creator Of Adventure Time)
Bravest warriors a fun new card game based by the characters created by Pendleton Ward.
This holiday season we discovered a new game called Bravest Warriors : Encounters. I was looking for an easy travel-friendly game to put in my husband’s stocking last year and this game popped up when I was browsing. It ended up being a hit with not only my husband but my parents too. Being a nerd of the show makes the game even better. Knowing the characters I find the game relatable.
Encounters come in two different decks. The red one and the blue one. Not a huge difference between the game play of each deck just depends on your hero card preference and the characters you like. Both packs of cards come with four different character cards, 7 dice, and 55 cards divided by items and encounters. Both decks can be combined to accommodate more players.
Each encounter card has a value you must reach before moving on to the next and so forth. It’s basically a press your luck dice game with a fun twist. If you end up not rolling the right value you forfeit your point value for that turn. If you end up rolling every value shown and use all your dice the next set of encounters double in points.
There are pretty great advantages in this game too. Each hero comes with its own perk so you can really use strategy to win your roll and you can use your points to purchase items that can give you an extra edge to victory. Game play can be modified depending on the duration you choose. The instructions suggest 30 points is the marker, and 20 for shorter games. But honestly it’s completely up to you. When my parents and I play we usually go for 15. But, obviously with more players that will vary.
Fun twist and game-play advantages
In addition to this game play you can play with the encounter symbols featured on certain cards; these icons represent roadblocks to make the game a little more interesting. No item symbols don’t allow for any additional help, assists are not permitted, extra points and cards that add additional die value to existing rolls.
Honestly this game’s just as fun without all the extra bells and whistles and if you’ve never played it I think you’d find it pretty enjoyable. At around $12 dollars a deck I’d say it would be worth giving it a go. The only other thing I feel like I should mention is that show and some of the cards might be inappropriate to younger children despite the 8+ rating provided. The show is a bit mature for certain age groups.
If you are looking for a more family-friendly game my husband wrote an article of one of our other favorite games. Click here for his thoughts on it.
Pokémon Unite. I choose you this time.
First Glance
This new game from the popular ®Nintendo universe of Pokémon, creates a unique marriage between the familiar universe with an unexpected game type.
At the time of writing this, the game has been available and free to play on Nintendo switch for a just over 2 weeks. Releasing soon for mobile devices and hopefully allowing for cross platform play. As soon as you start the game up you’ll see some familiar faces. This is true regardless of which generation of Pokémon you can relate to. At this time there are 21 different Pokémon that you can choose to play as, each with different move sets. Matches take place in 1 of 4 different maps and range from 3v3 to 5v5. A great thing about this game is the “quick battles” are only 5 minutes long. This makes it very easy to pop into a game for a few minutes of fun!
What is Pokémon Unite?
This is a pretty straightforward multiplayer online battle arena, or “MOBA” type game. Originally I remember this game type gaining traction with games like “League Of Legends” and “DOTA”. The game type did eventually make it’s way into other genre’s like first person shooters with the huge success of “Overwatch”. Although the connection between these different games aren’t exact, there are very strong aspects that lend themselves to all of them. I really enjoy the lighthearted feeling that Pokémon Unite has captured though. The focus is basically to gather energy by capturing wild monsters or defeating other player controlled Pokémon. You then have to make your way down a lane and into enemy territory to slam dunk a ball of energy into one of your opponents goals. You gain experience from capturing monsters, defeating other players and by scoring goals.
Pokémon and their abilities
Pokémon are categorized into 5 types. Attacker, speedster, all-rounder, defender, and supporter. There is also the differentiation between either melee or ranged type attackers. Each Pokémon has a unique set of abilities which consists of a passive trait, 6 different activated abilities to choose from, and an ultimate. The caveat is that you can only choose 2 of the activated abilities per match. These different abilities come in different forms. A movement type which would deal damage but also move you in a chosen direction. Buffs to increase speed, damage, defense etc. Disables to restrain your opponent. There are several types of moves and the roster of Pokémon continues do grow, but I think you get the idea.
Before and after the match
The central hub where you can customize your avatar, purchase new Pokémon and increase the strength of your items. You can also customize which abilities you use for Pokémon so that it’s automatically chosen in the match. Each Pokémon can hold up to three items which are used to give you an extra advantage during a match. Items give you basic stat increases or passive abilities like automatically healing when outside of battle. As you can imagine these items are essential to your Pokémon’s chances of success and survival!
The issue
Unfortunately this is where the game takes a hit. It is free to play but you can pay for in-game currency. This can be used to purchase and upgrade held items. This gives the game an automatic stamp of “Pay to win”. in my time playing I haven’t felt that it’s unbalanced that often. When you play an online game there’s always a chance you’re going to run into a player that’s significantly better than you. In these case there’s also a chance you’ll run into someone that paid way to much money for a free game just to win.
In conclusion
As I said earlier, one of the coolest things about this game is how short and sweet the matches can be. Even if you have a terrible match where someone “paid to win” The match will only be at the longest 10 minutes. Then you’re off to another match! The other thing that’s great about this game is even though it’s played online there’s no voice chat. This makes it safe for younger audiences and less annoying for everyone that doesn’t care to hear people on the other end complaining about everything. Overall this is a fun and simple game. Easy mechanics make this accesible. It may not hold your attention for months but it is nice to hop into for a quick match!
Upgrade yourself!
Still using a Joy-con for your Switch gaming? Time to level up with one of these awesome Pokémon themed, wireless controllers. Like all things Pokémon? Of course you do! Check out these accessories! I’ll bet you never knew you needed a Pokémon themed terrarium did you?
Magic Bunnies And Sharpshooting Foxes In “Here To Slay”
Here’s another great game from Unstable Games, Here to Slay. Many know them for games such as “Unstable Unicorns” or “Happy Little Dinosaurs.” The first thing that had us checking out this company was the artwork. It has a very lighthearted feeling that is still steeped in fantasy and mythology.
Artwork Is What Brought Me Here
This game, much like the artwork is very approachable and easy to pick up. Opening this box will bring an instant smile to your face. When you see all these critters dressed up as wizards and knights you’re sure to feel just as happy as I did! Presentation means a lot to me as a visual person. So after such a positive introduction, I was excited to jump in and see what the game was like to play.
The Concept Of The Game.
“The first player to slay three monsters or assemble a full party of six different classes, wins the game!”
Each player is allotted 3 “actions” to take on their turn. Actions can be used to draw or play cards, use the ability of a hero in play, attack a monster card or discard your entire hand to draw five new cards. Every turn you can use your actions differently because some things cost more actions like attacking monsters. When you have managed to defeat a monster you gain a new passive ability. Now you’re one step closer to victory! I find it more enjoyable to play using this strategy, which feels a little more aggressive. Collecting class types can also be fun, though it can leave you open to sabotage from other players!
Gameplay of Here to Slay.
I’ll start with set up, everyone is randomly assigned their hero to use for the rest of the game. The first three monsters are revealed and everyone is dealt their opening hands, and then let the slaying begin! Sometimes less is more and that can certainly be said for a game with an easy setup! This game has pretty straightforward mechanics. The layers of strategy are appropriately limited so that it doesn’t feel exactly the same every time that you play. This doesn’t feel like a jumbled mess of 20 to 30 minutes either, with a consistent progression throughout.
What Makes Here To Slay Different?
There’s just the right amount of ability to interrupt other players to make it feel interactive with cards called a “challenge” that allow the challenging player to roll a die against the other player to try and cancel their card. I love the addition of the dice in this game that makes it feel like just a little more than a card game. It plays as a little bit of a fast-paced, short-length, faux RPG. If you’ve ever played games like “munchkin” this might initially feel familiar. With an emphasis on the cuter and more lighthearted side of nerd culture, this game feels like a welcome mat before opening the door into strategy games. Some other great card games with a little more depth to try out would be Dominion or 7 Wonders. We’ve actually written on 7 Wonders and you can read all about it here!
If you are interested in buying this excellent game head over to Amazon here!
Here to Slay – Base Game
Here to Slay – Warrior & Druids
Here to Slay – Base Game & Expansion
In Conclusion
I love to bring this game out when we have guests over that are open to fantasy but aren’t versed in playing board games. This game has some really great humor that is perfectly self-aware. The names of some of these cards alone will have most people laughing. It should also be noted that this can be played with as few as two people. My wife and I enjoy playing this for a quick after-dinner game! I think this was a great purchase because it has a very low price point with a broad-reaching audience! I don’t find myself reaching for this game every single time I want to play a card game. However, it fits really well into a cheery group looking for a fun experience or when you have a few minutes and want to play a silly game with someone!
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