oprainfall Week in Anime & Manga: Sep 3 – 9

We here at oprainfall don’t just love video games: we’re big fans of anime, manga, and light novels, too. So in celebration of the medium, we’re here to give you our thoughts on what we’ve been watching and reading each week as we enjoy them. Old, new – anything goes.

Currently Airing:

Dark Gathering

A bad situation ends up getting worse when Keitaro spots a spirit in Ai’s apartment. While he tries to play it off, the spirit — like most — is interested in him. The spirit this time around to was more off putting with both its appearance and methods compared to some of the others. The way Yayoi defeats the spirit was pretty straightforward compared to some of the previous encounters. One other thing that stood out was how she didn’t harvest it. Even though she has captured other nasty entities, she instead chose a different course of action. It was harsh but fitting. Things however do not get much better when they go back to Yayoi and Eiko’s house. The next challenge is on another level compared to what we’ve seen so far, and I really want to see how they take it on. – Walter

— You can watch Dark Gathering on HiDive.

Manga and LNs:

Seirei Gensouki – Spirit Chronicles

This week I had the chance to read through volume 3 of Seirei Gensouki – Spirit Chronicles with the intentions of figuring out whether I would be continuing this series. For those unfamiliar, this is a light novel series in which we see Haruto Amakawa, a Japanese college student, isekai’d to a medieval fantasy world and has his soul merged with the soul of an orphan named Rio. At this point in the series, Rio’s current goal is to learn more about his parents, and so he travels to their home country where he learns of his parents’ backgrounds, how they met, and their circumstances for leaving their home. Volume 3 introduces new characters, new, yet minor conflicts, and mostly an opportunity for Rio to grow mentally and emotionally, as well as see the two personalities meld into a more defined, unique individual.

As for my personal opinions, well, volume 3 certainly reads like a LN, in that much of the content is a bit heavy on exposition and background. Though necessary for scene and world building, the dependence on simply telling, rather than using dialogue or showing in a more active way, slowed the read for me. I will say when there’s action or conflict, it’s written impressively well. These moments grabbed my full attention and the emotions they try to invoke did so exceedingly well. Also, surprisingly, I find myself drawn to the scenes of pure leisure. A simple lunch or afternoon tea, scenes depicting downtime, are pleasantly relaxing without overdoing it. These short breaks that usually include a bit of humor and jovial dialogue, I find, are charming, amiable touches to the writing.

And so, I find myself leaning towards giving volume 4 a read, as all of the moments of action, tension, stress, joy, or playfulness carry the LNs well enough for me to want to continue, for now. – Drew D.

Hitomi-chan Is Shy with Strangers

I’m also slowly working my way through my re-read of Hitomi-chan Is Shy with Strangers. Last week, I talked about how impressed I am regarding Hitomi’s character growth, as she gains confidence and more often steps out of her comfort zone herself, rather than being dragged out of it by others as seen in earlier chapters. Although there is yet more room for her to grow, I’m finding myself looking forward to the story and style of the manga potentially moving in a new direction.

At first, it was the awkwardness, and the humor that resulted, of new interactions, new experiences, and misunderstandings that made me love this manga. The styles of how earlier mix ups were resolved, too, are a strength that I appreciated. However, I also appreciate when a manga evolves with its characters, rather than doing the same bit over and over. As Hitomi sheds her awkwardness and shyness, I can’t help but think that the stories and styles must change too, which is something I’d like to see, as I have full confidence in author Cyorisuke Natsumi pulling it off.

Having said that, I have zero doubts there will be plenty of shy and awkward in the future, as Hitomi’s and Yuu’s new relationship will be a plentiful source of shy, awkward goodness. – Drew D.

The official English publication of Hitomi-chan is Shy with Strangers licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment. Fan-translation can be found on Mangadex.
The official English publication of Spirit Chronicles licensed by J-Novel Club.

What anime are you watching? What manga are you reading? Let us know in the comments!

You can read previous Week in Anime entries here!