oprainfall Week in Anime & Manga: Oct 22 - 28

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:

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

In this week’s episode we get to see Frieren, Fern, and Stark all have pretty badass moments. Frieren easily dispatches her would-be demon assassin while Fern and Stark go on a mission to take out the other two demons. In past episodes we saw snippets of how strong Frieren is, and this episode was no exception. She annihilated Draht, it really wasn’t fair at all. You can really see why she was a part of the party that slayed the demon king. Fern and Stark impressed me this episode with their willingness to fight powerful enemies without Frieren, and without Frieren there to back them up. I know Stark was absolutely terrified with the thought of fighting the demons, especially Lugner, but he still went through with it. Just for that, and with how he was able to fight, he deserves a lot of respect. Fern absolutely killed it when it was her time to shine, clearly all the training she had with Frieren paid off. Overall this was another great episode, and I appreciate how this episode, and the previous one, have taken on a more serious tone than some of the past ones. Not that I have a problem with the chill vibe of the other episodes, but I do like it when things get shaken up a bit. I’m really looking forward to the next episode since I think we’ll finally get to see Frieren really let loose in battle against Aura. We’ve small tastes previously, but now we’ll really get the full course of her strength. I also want to see how Fern and Stark do against the demon duo in their next encounter. This anime continues to impress and I next episode can’t come soon enough. – Patrick

Seeing Frieren flex her magic muscles is indeed a nice change of pace, and I agree with Patrick on Fern and Stark’s shining moment taking on Lugner and his associate. I really like how this show lets its characters feel fear and trepidation, because it makes their actions have more weight when they finally step up. Stark being both strong but also struggling with self-doubt in his own abilities goes a long way to why I like him so much. Strong characters who face no real obstacles just aren’t that interesting. On the other hand, Frieren is incredibly strong, but it’s not something she cares about being, either. She’ll use her strength when necessary, but she’s just as likely to try and run away instead, and I find her charming and fascinating for it. Anyone who could be in the party of adventurers who could take down the Demon Lord would need to be strong, but for her that’s not really an important thing to be. Her curiosity about the world and magic itself is just so much more intriguing than getting into fights. That being said, as cool as it is to see Frieren and the others flex their strength, my favorite moments of the show so far are still those quiet moments when she’s faced with the past and considers her lost companions. There’s something so meaningful in her looking at the frozen features of Himmel cast in bronze, because for her he was so animated, but no one else will ever see him that way. The way this show focuses on time and memory is really what makes it so memorable to me. – Leah

— You can watch Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End on Crunchyroll.

Dark Gathering

I took a break for a few weeks and caught myself up. I will say that since the introduction of the graduates and the search for the most dangerous spirits things have escalated, I did like that tunnel spirit Eiko ended up having more of a role. She ends up being the target and interacts with spirits instead of Keitaro at the start. The spirit this time was pretty malevolent and was pretty gruesome, especially its methods. The battles with the ghosts previously have been interesting, but the battles have become really something else since the graduates were added to the mix. The concept of the second graduate introduced is interesting and seeing it face off against the evil spirit taking it down was satisfying. I like that Eiko seems to be getting more time in with the spirits, and I’m glad they haven’t forgotten to add in the moments where she is also unsettling. I hope to see more of her dynamic with Yayoi and am interested to see how they’re next encounter with spirits will go. – Walter

— You can watch Dark Gathering on HIDIVE.

The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess

I decided to give this show a chance since I haven’t heard too much about it. It follows Komari, the titular shut-in vampire who’s from a noble family who has not left home in about three years. Her life is turned upside down when she suddenly gets a maid named Villhaze and is put into a position of power. It’s a comedy, and to be honest I wouldn’t say it’s anything too out of what you would expect, but it does throw in some interesting stuff. It’s set in a world where wars have become almost a type of entertainment as magic can heal almost any wound and revive the dead. Komari doesn’t like blood and is pretty weak, which in vampire society is pretty bad since they value strength. From here Komari has to feign strength in front of her troops with the help of Vill, who is extremely loyal to her, though at the start Komari doesn’t understand why.

While the interactions between the two and the troops under Komari’s control are more on the humorous side, they also add in more of a serious element. This comes in the form of a terrorist group along with a member who has it out for Komari. While it does kind of hit the beats of things I’ve seen before, it does add in points of interests. The battle in the most recent episode was good and shows Komari can act on her own, not to mention reveals some secrets. I do like Komari and Vill and the setting interests me so I think I’ll keep up with it. – Walter