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.
Manga and LNs
Papa Told Me
For several years now, I’ve been steadily reading through an older manga called Papa Told Me. Presented like a collection of charming, slow moving slice-of-life episodes, Papa Told Me follows the lives of Chise, an intelligent, curious, yet sometimes rambunctious elementary school student, and her widower, novelist father. Chise possesses a particular way of seeing and interacting with the world, usually approaching each day with maturity and calmness, with good bits of charming childishness too. She is inquisitive and tough, too, as she isn’t afraid to stand up for what she believes.
I like this manga as it does an amazing job of emphasizing the point that chance encounters and meetings can have profound affects. Chise seems able to influence the days, works, or even lives of those she meets throughout. You never know how an interaction will occur or how it will play out, and that element is exceptionally developed here. I also appreciate how much emotion the characters possess and convey, whether they are regulars like Chise’s aunt or her dad’s editor, or one-time characters that have been impacted, directly or in passing, by Chise. This manga is truly heartfelt and I am impressed with how vivid the feelings can be. Every chapter is something new to look forward to.
Unfortunately, I don’t believe Papa Told Me has an official English translation, but the fan-translation available on Mangadex is more than satisfactory. – Drew D
Spirit Chonicles – Vol 4
If you’ve been following my reviews, you’ll know that I’ve been making my way through the LN series Seirei Gensouki – Spirit Chronicles. And after three and a half volumes of reading, I have to say, I question the direction this story is proceeding. The first volume was excellent, with wonderful development of backstory for our hero, Rio, and an immersive introduction to its world and its many facets. Volume 2 went further and offered a fantastic continuation of rich world building, exciting action scenes, physical and mental trials for Rio, and the debut of Latifa, one of the most vivid characters thus far. In two immersive volumes, the story also offered a robust cast of charismatic side-characters, each possessing qualities that I hoped to see enhanced and refined. Volume 3 took quite the detour, however, by having Rio take off and leave everyone and everything else behind. And now, with Volume 4 and Rio’s return from said detour, another major isekai event has been introduced.
With Volume 4’s newest additions to both the overarching story and the cast, unfortunately, there’s not enough novel to include everyone. My biggest grievance is the treatment of Latifa, my favorite character and one who again receives brilliant character development in Vol 2, who has since been relegated to side-character status. We also haven’t seen Cecilia at all since Volume 1. She was a mentor and the only real friend our main character had for five or so years of his life, so you would think there would be something, anything, regarding her. I have heard she, at long last, appears again in Volume 5, so we’ll see.
Needless to say, I simply don’t know where the story will go next, but I do hope the spotlight returns to those who imparted such an impression on me during those first two volumes. – Drew D
What anime are you watching? What manga and light novels are you reading? Let us know in the comments!
You can read previous Week in Anime & Manga entries here!
