Now Reading: a (more or less) timely update for once (#19)

As I've mentioned in previous entries, I took the time to read everything I had in my physical manga backlog, as well as continuing other series I keep up with.

Blue Lock by Muneyuki Kaneshiro & Yusuke Nomura (Chapter 299)

The inevitable happened... This was a tough chapter to read, lol. I don't think Ego was completely wrong —Nagi's skills had been lacking since the beginning of the arc, and the Manshine vs BM match had always been a bad omen to me—, but it really is hard to believe Nagi being condemned this much when there's so many characters that surpassed him without doing anything significant. I said the same thing last week, but it's still true... They won't boot him off the manga because Nagi's the favorite character of the author, but I wonder what'll become of him...

Medalist by Tsurumaikada (Chapter 52)

And with that, Hikaru's program is finished! Man, all the programs in this series always leave me at the edge of my seat, but this one was specially shocking. What was equally shocking was Yodaka leaving Hikaru — I think it was bound to happen, eventually, but how will he show in the story, then, if he has no other direct connection to any of the characters?

NANA by Ai Yazawa (Chapters 1-8; Volumes 1-3)

I bought the newest edition of the manga in Spain, which comes in 3-in-1 volumes and is a bit more affordable and buying the individual tankobon. It surprises me how close the anime came to portray the original manga's artstyle, honestly, and I think it made more sense to put their backstories first and foremost instead of how the anime did it, which dragged the beginning of it a little. I think that I'll keep up with this edition.

Replay by Saki Tsukahara (Single volume)

I picked this up at a manga store because I was intrigued by the summary, but I ended up not liking it much. It was just a regular story to me, and nothing particularly stood out, so I'm a little disappointed. Again, nothing much to say....

Revolutionary Girl Utena by Chiho Saito (All manga volumes + movie extras)

I've had the Spanish edition from 2023 of the manga since its release, but I'd never actually read it until now... And it was sure an experience! At it's core, it was the same story with the same characters (well, Nanami and Shiori were missing, which took a lot from some character backstories, mostly Juri's), but there were so many changes it felt like a different story at times. I don't blame the mangaka because I knew why this happened, but it's a little uncanny, lol. But again, that's Utena for you! The art was fantastic, though, and I still enjoyed it.

Yona of the Dawn by Mizuho Kusanagi (Chapters 45-71)

Back with Yona! I haven't read as much as I would have liked to this week, but the plot is progressing nicely. I didn't really care about that one general guy that was obsessed with Yona, but he turned out to be a pretty nice guy, so I've made peace with him. I really like the character development in this series in general, so I wonder why is it that Suwon took the throne... like that...

Now watching: a (more or less) timely update (#17)

I'm going to miss updating on the winter anime...

Free! (Episodes 1-2)

Since I finished Nana (as you may tell from the headings), I finally started the anime I'd say I'd watch after it, which was Free! So far so good; unlike other spokons I've read/watched, this one seems more oriented towards women (joseimuke, like a lot of mobile games) rather than towards boys or men, which was surprisingly. This shows not only in the story so far, but also on the staff: the director is the same as SK8's, and the soundtrack composer has also worked on franchises such as IDOLiSH7, which really gives off a specific vibe. It seems like it's rather long, so I hope I pull through it even if I'm as slow as I was with Nana!

Girls Band Cry (Rewatch of episodes 6-8)

My partner and I finally had some time to catch up with this anime during our Holy Week break, and so we continued! Episode 8 hits just as much as it did the first time with he confession and all, but I really like everything about the series. I had forgotten how good some of the insert songs in the middle of the season were — I prefer the first and last ones.

Maebashi Witches (Episodes 2-3)

As I mentioned last time, I didn't have many hopes with the first episode, but it's getting more interesting as it advances, so that's okay. I do have to mention that the Spanish Crunchyroll subtitles completely fumbled the line in which the woman they help mentions her (romantic) partner — how the hell do you translate koibito as «compañera»? That's a stretch! Anyway, I'm mostly intrigued by the last scene they showed before the credits... it was about time Mai took center stage.

Nana (Episodes 42-47)

I'M FINALLY DONE WITH IT!!! I started this all the way back in August, so it's still difficult for me to believe... Wow... While some parts dragged a bit longer than others, I really enjoyed the series overall. It's sad that it most likely won't be finished, but I think that, in a way (and hopefully without romanticizing it, because I'm aware it was because of the author's health problems and I don't want to talk about it as a good thing), it's kinda fitting for the story to remain unfinished, just as Hachi is still waiting for Nana. The soundtrack is also amazing, both the tracks by the bands and the BGM you hear during the episodes.

Solo Leveling S2 (Episodes 4-13)

I feel like this season was slightly better than the previous one, but I didn't enjoy it, either. I'm happy that Jinwoo was able to cure his mother, though, as that was the reason why he got stronger in the first place. I really hope this doesn't get another season any time soon, because I'm not going to want to watch it...

The Apothecary Diaries S2 (Episode 15)

Well, now we're back in business... I thought the episode was going to be more lighthearted, but I'm happy I was wrong! I'm very curious to see how other characters will react to Luomen coming back into the palace, if they even recognize him, that is. I also really want to know more about that mysterious eunuch, even though I'm pretty sure it's just Suiren in disguise after faking her death.