Fire Force, a Frankenstein’s Monster of a Series

One of the anime that I’m enjoying the most right now is last season’s Fire Force. Fire Force is set in an alternate Japan where the phenomenon of human combustion has become a very real, very serious threat. To combat this, the special fire force, made up of various brave and talented pyrokinetic firefighters, was born. Our hero, Shinra, is one of these firefighters. The show follows Shinra as he sets out to become a hero, unravel the mystery surrounding human combustion, and discover just who’s responsible for his family’s death. 

Fire Force is super fun! It looks stunning and has a varied and entertaining cast of characters. Not to mention that I’ve loved watching the mystery at its core be slowly teased apart. But… the more I watch Fire Force, the more I realise that, for all its strengths, it’s actually pretty unoriginal. It’s like its creator, Ookubo, in a crazy bid to create the ultimate battle shounen, stitched together all of the best parts of all of the best-loved battle shounen in existence, to create this, a Frankenstein’s monster of a series…  

Fruits Basket (2019) Episode 12 – the Boogeyman Appears

I’ve been eagerly awaiting this week’s episode since Fruits Basket (2019) first began! Why? Because during this week’s episode Tohru finally got to meet the head of the Sohma clan (and my absolute favourite Furuba character), Akito. The reason why this is so exciting is because, for all this time, it’s almost as if the show has done everything in its power to hide him from us. Up until now, we’ve only ever caught glimpses of him, with his back to us or half obscured by shadow. Not to mention that everything we know about him is second-hand knowledge passed down to us in the form of horror stories told by other characters. He’s like some urban legend – think the boogeyman or the chupacabra, only much scarier! But now, finally, he reveals himself. Below I go on to dissect this very exciting moment…

Fruits Basket (2019) Episode 10 – a New Villain Emerges…?

This week Kyo gets up on the wrong side of the bed. At Shigure’s suggestion that he take the opportunity to get to know Yuki a bit better on their date (a double date between Kyo and Kagura, Yuki and Tohru, not the two boys! That’d be quite the development, huh?) he completely flips his lid. Tohru must intervene for him to regain his composure. Meanwhile, while the quartet are out and about on their date, Shigure pays the Sohma compound another visit. During a conversation that takes place between him and Hatori, Shigure reflects on a dream that he once had. He says that he doesn’t care who he has to hurt to make this dream a reality. Firstly, why would Kyo get quite so upset at the suggestion that he try to get along with Yuki? And, secondly, what is the exact nature of Shigure’s dream? And what would it mean for the other characters were it to be realised? Since this episode never explicitly answers these questions, now’s as good a time as any to churn out some wacky fan theories!

Fruits Basket (2019) Episode Five – What It Means to Be Family

Fruits Basket is like a hot bowl of soup on a cold winter’s day: uplifting and comforting. That said, some episodes can be painful to watch. Episode five was one such episode. With the renovations almost complete, the time had come for Tohru to move back in with her grandfather, her aunt, and her two cousins. Whilst nobody, Tohru included, is particularly happy about this move, our heroine puts on a brave face. Her stay with the Sohmas was only ever supposed to be temporary, after all, and isn’t it better for her to be with family? I think that we can all agree with this sentiment. But what does it mean to be family? Let’s take a brief look at how Fruits Basket answers this complex question!

Ty Reviews Princess Jellyfish (Manga)

Princess Jellyfish is about a young woman called Tsukimi. Tsukimi, who has been obsessed with jellyfish since her youth, lives a peaceful, man-free existence with a group of similarly strange women, the Amars, until, one night, during a campaign to rescue an endangered jellyfish, she meets Kuranosuke. It isn’t long before Tsukimi discovers, much to her surprise, given his impressive drag act, that Kuranosuke is actually a prince, not a princess! Thus begins an unlikely friendship between the two characters. Over time Kuranosuke helps Tsukimi to grow in confidence, Tsukimi helps Kuranosuke to open up to other people, and the pair combine their love of fashion and of jellyfish to help save the Amars’ home from a group of predatory landsharks. See MAL for more info.