Exploring Enchantment and Aftermath: Delving into Fantasy Worlds and Anime Adaptations

Ever wondered how it feels to step into the shoes, or rather, the pointy ears of an ageless elf in a post-adventure fantasy world? Join me as we unpack the enchanting world of "Frieren from Journey's End," where we'll navigate through the lesser-explored aftermath of heroic escapades. We'll also wade into the waters of "Solo Leveling" episode two, diving into the controversial pacing and pondering the impact of manga foreknowledge on the joy of anime adaptations. But that's not all – I've stumbled upon sequels of yesteryears' favorites and an unexpected gem in "Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki," which swaps epic quests for the complexities of real-life social maneuvers.

This episode isn't just a feast for the eyes but also a banquet for the bibliophiles, as we page through the chapters of captivating manga and manhwa. I'll shine a spotlight on "A Sign of Affection" and its nuanced take on romance, and "Dr. Elise, the Royal Lady with the Lamp," where medicine meets historical drama. Prepare for a dose of adorableness with "Hokkaido Gals are Super Adorable" and experience the clever twists of isekai in "Tales of the Wedding Rings." Whether your passion lies in the animated realm or the tactile allure of flipping through pages, this episode is your ticket to exploring these compelling narratives.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hey there and welcome back to rival reviews. Hope you guys had a good week. Sorry that this one's getting out a little late, but you know, life gets in the way sometimes. This week is gonna be kind of interesting. I'm gonna kind of try and see if I can. Maybe you know more. So we're getting to the habit of going through the same kind of stuff, the same kind of format, week by week.

Speaker 1: 0:24

First and foremost, I kind of wanted to just give a weekly wrap up of what I've been doing, at least anime wise, because that's why you're here and that's why you care. First and foremost, my buddy and I actually did together, watched and pretty much almost caught up with free run from journey's end. A little angry at myself that I did not start watching this last season at all, because it's a great story for those who haven't started watching it yet and maybe kind of want to get an idea of what it's all about. What I found kind of interesting about is that it actually takes place. It's a fantasy, a Anime that actually takes place after the hero and the hero's party has defeated the demon king, and what I find interesting about this is that it follows the path of free run who is an elf and, as we all know, in fantasy Worlds and everything else like that, elves can elves tend to live longer than everybody else by you know, thousands and thousands of years. And essentially what this does is that it actually starts in the first episode. The journey ends and the hero from said heroes party actually passes away and Basically what this Anime tends to do is that it's now following that. You know what happens to a journey that we have already seen, the end of which I know kind of sounds weird to put it, but it's interesting in the sense that you know most an amaze or stories that we read and watch and stuff like that have this ending.

Speaker 1: 2:15

You know, the whole point of the story is to watch the adventure of the hero and his and his band of friends and everything else, defeat the forces of evil and that's where the story ends. But this is actually what happens to the members that may, you know, live on longer. So you know, hero being a normal human and everything else like that, passed away at a very old age. And now we're almost kind of seeing the secondary adventure of this elf that was in this party, who was the mage, not even, you know, the main Hero, or the one that everybody talks about, is the hero just part of the hero's party and everything else. And she's now on this other new adventure of basically retracing her steps and going through all of her past memories with and finding some new friends along the way and kind of how her feelings between the new party members and her old party members and it's just it's it's it's refreshing is the best way that I can put it is that it's very different.

Speaker 1: 3:28

Again, I'm assuming probably for a lot of you, this is not new information. If it is, whether you're a sub watch or dub watch or it looks to be a simulcast, I'm obviously watching it in the subbed, but I would honestly especially if you are a fan of fantasy and are Sick of watching maybe the same thing over and over again I Would honestly give it a watch, because this that I think that's what makes this the most interesting is that it, you know it takes all the Norms of a genre that we all know and love and has been basically beaten to death at this point and Actually makes it feel refreshing. So that's why I I very much recommend it and I Would love to hear your thoughts if you have anything else to say that I haven't already said. Kind of going back to that, obviously, the other thing that everybody probably is following who hasn't already is so a leveling episode two that came out this week Again, fantastic, obviously, a scene that we've probably all been waiting for has finally been animated and we got to watch it live and it was awesome and everything else like that.

Speaker 1: 4:42

But I Be seeing a lot of talk online and I'm going to say that I'm going to Actually have to agree with a lot of the people's issues with it is that it seems more and more from these first two episodes that pacing is going to be very odd. It's looking like it's, it's it's taking and, again, this could just be for the fact that we are at the very beginning of the series and everything else like that. So they're trying to make sure that we have a very good foundation Before we get truly into the story. That could very well be the case. I do, like I said, I think a lot of people just because so many people were Looking forward to and and waiting for this to finally get animated that you know, maybe it's just us being impatient and Maybe we just need to hit the brakes a little bit because you know, just because we read it Super fast as me, is gonna be animated just as fast. Look at one piece, for example. Only imagine the people that had to suffer through weekly a Whole kick island and Everything else. Like that I can, I can only imagine. Thankfully, it was all done and ready for me when I, when I finally got to that point but yeah, I Would say that that's a lot of stuff that I'm that I've read is that a lot of people are having issues with the pacing. Maybe we just have to be patient, um you Kind of.

Speaker 1: 6:13

What I wanted to touch on more so was not really anything Else. That I talked about last week was kind of the stuff that I actually ended up Missing talking about because I wasn't actually fully aware of all the things that were actually getting released this season. What I found interesting about this is Two things is that I noticed that there were a lot of ones, that there were a lot of sequels of ones that I had already Watched, that I was not aware that was getting a sequel, as well as ones that I've actually read To completion or I'm pretty much caught up on and and very much ahead to what the first season is going to be covering, so I probably will not be watching it. First I want to give the shout outs to the, the sequels that I missed last week. So a Siku Michi, a moonlit fantasy.

Speaker 1: 7:06

For those who don't know what this one is, essentially kind of off the vibe of person gets isekai, and if I find that this one very much leans in towards the comedic aspect of the isekai genre, so if you are a fan of, you know such ones like black company or maybe even like kind of the silliness of so I'm a spider, so what Then maybe these might be for you. But essentially, just to give you a nice introduction, in the first season, basically the, the main hero, suku Michi, get summoned. Apparently the goddess seems that he's not the traditional, popular, handsome looking Isekai hero. So she essentially sends him off to the deep demon forest basically to just get straight up murdered and he ends up actually being able to converse with two of like the strongest, I guess, guardians of said forest and then he starts a harem with them and Pretty much I I'm assuming you guys can fill in the blanks from there.

Speaker 1: 8:22

Fun watch, you know, especially if you have watched the first season. If you haven't watched the first season, maybe give the first season A watch before you add this to your watch list. Personally, for me didn't really do it for me in the first season and plus I feel as if I already have a pre Healthy amount to watch already this season, so I'm probably not gonna add it, but it is a very good story. So At least in my opinion, it's one of those isekai's. If you like the comedy aspect of it, it will definitely fit that bill for you.

Speaker 1: 8:53

Second one which was, I found kind of interesting because we talked about the, the, the resistant shield Hero kicked out of the party. One from last week. We actually are getting a season two this season of I decide to live a quiet life in the countryside. Oh sorry, banished from heroes party, I decide to live a quiet life in the countryside. And again, this one, like I said, very One of those titles that you know doesn't leave it being very mysterious in the way. In a way, you know exactly what you're getting when you read the title. So no mysteries here. Um you Again this one. I Think the first season was okay. I like the idea of, like you know Bansher, the party party realizes, oh, maybe they need him.

Speaker 1: 9:46

This one takes a different turn in a sense that the hero, that the hero's party that he was banished from, he wasn't banished by the hero, he was banished by a different member. I don't want to spoil too much, but this does take a weird turn in the sense that the, the hero, though they are involved, they're not really actually involved in a negative way which I find in this kind of topsy-turvy. Strong member gets banished from heroes party archetype. Usually the hero ends up being kind of the bad guy in a sense. We're in this one, that's not the case. So that is definitely one interesting thing you can take from this one. So if you were looking forward to the sequel, or if you haven't watched the first season, like I say about all sequels that come out, if you haven't watched the first season, give it a try and if it fits the bill for you, then you can go ahead and add this sequel that you might not have known was coming out.

Speaker 1: 10:40

Last sequel that I kind of wanted to bring up but Again I probably won't be watching is called a bottom tier character, tomazaki. Essentially this is kind of more of a slice of life than a fantasy one and watch the first season. Essentially the main character is Kind of loner guy, number one player in Basically what this world's Smash Brothers is. I can't remember what it's called in the anime, but it's literally, it's what it is. It's, it's, it's Smash Brothers and I guess he's the number one player in Japan. And then he learns that the number two player in Japan is like a really popular girl from his school and then the popular girl basically challenges him to essentially play the game of life and become a top player in real life instead of being a loner and Basically, shenanigans ensue from there. You know, learns to Traditionally how to just be a person Is the best way that I can put it Kind of a weird Like you know, change everything about yourself, but the changes you already had, I Guess, inside yourself all along. Kind of like the whole gimmick of huckerel Wearing glasses, takes off glasses oh my god, she's pretty. It's Very, very reminiscent to that. I think he literally gets a haircut and everybody's like whoa. So yeah, like I said, it wasn't really my cup of tea. Not to not to mess on it, because apparently it is really popular and obviously it was popular enough to get a sequel. So, once again, if you want to watch it before you there's a season one before the season two.

Speaker 1: 12:28

Um, I, the big ones that I was actually kind of interested in more talking about were the ones that I've read and I know will be good. So, like I said in a past episode, I find a lot of Slifesa, life or romance, fluffy pieces, stuff like that. I don't really need them animated because I've read up to the story, either a two completion or way further than the anime is even going to get. There isn't a really need for me to kind of watch what a story that I've already read. I find that Slifesa life and romance and stuff like that that's not really necessary in turn to like a showman, like an action. You want to see those animated fights. You can't wait to see those animated fights where these ones aren't really going to have anything like that.

Speaker 1: 13:18

First one that I definitely want to give it a shout out to is a Sign of Affection, really cool premise. You know, nice little fluffy romance piece of a girl who is deaf and a guy that wants to get to know her as a person. He's kind of more seasoned in the sense of life. He's a big world traveler, he's had relationships before where she hasn't and she, kind of like, opens up her world and it's a. You know, he was kind of bored because he had felt that he had done everything but then learns that there is something, a whole new world that he didn't know anything about. And again, it's in a good way. I know maybe my explanation isn't coming off as a positive thing, but it's very cute and it's very what I find very cool.

Speaker 1: 14:10

It was the first one that I had ever read where, like you know, the two characters weren't just straight up, like you know, just a traditional romance boy meets girl, every girl meets boy, whatever. Like it was, like you know, dealing with the real life. You know hardships that can come with somebody who is deaf and stuff like that, and you know it actually uses real sign language and you know the way that you know they communicate with other people and the relationships that they have and the way that they have to have the relationships and everything else like that. It's the first one that I ever read that it was. It had a very different sense of like things that could go wrong because of something that you know the main character has no control over. So again, I am very much ahead of as of I'm sure how far the enemy is going to get.

Speaker 1: 15:12

But if you aren't a reader and you're more of a watcher, absolutely watch it. It's a phenomenal story and if you're a romance fan, it's one of my favorites personally. Another one I'm really excited for is Dr Elise, the Royal Lady with a lamp. This, actually, if you're a big Redditor or anything else like that, I think this was voted actually Manwa of the Year. It is complete. So if you do want to read, and you want to read from start to finish, or maybe you want to watch it first and then you're like, ooh, I need more, the whole story is out so you can get more.

Speaker 1: 15:49

Essentially, this is an Atomi Isakai of somebody who was like the world's best surgeon. In Japan. Um gets reincarnated as a princess in like more of like a Like you know, way back when 16th century world and everything else like that were like you know, the simple idea of washing your hands can help germs go away and stuff like that. And she has all this knowledge from the Japan world. Um, and she has to face not only the fact of you know how can she take her 21st century knowledge and turn it into something valuable in the 16th century kind of world that she lives in? And not only that. She then has to also deal with the fact that she's part of the royal family. So, you know, she is supposed to, you know, get married off and you know, women weren't supposed to work, blah, blah, blah. It's like kind of like that nonsense that she also has to deal with. So she has to, like prove herself as just as a person, and a person that has these valuable assets.

Speaker 1: 16:57

And, like I said, it's a very good read. But, like I said, if you're not a reader, absolutely watch it. And then, like I said, if you get hooked which I'm sure this anime probably will do for a lot of people the story is complete, so you can read it to completion. And, like I said, it got voted Manwa of the Year on the Manwa Reddit and everything else like that. For a reason it is a very good read.

Speaker 1: 17:24

Um, and then kind of two other ones that I kind of wanted to bring up that are more so just kind of fluff more than anything else, other nice fluffy romances. One is Hokkaido Gals are super adorable. The nice part about that one is that, you know, it's nice in the sense that it's just like I said, it's just a fluffy piece. You know, girl is kind of more outspoken, boy is very shy. They get together Cute, cute, cute, cute, cute.

Speaker 1: 17:57

Tales of the Wedding Rings is the final one that I kind of want to talk about. This one is going to be cool in the idea that it is kind of like I guess it starts as a reverse isekai and then an isekai and then goes back to being a reverse isekai. Like I said, it kind of jumps back and forth between like basically the main character meets the main female lead when she comes to the real world from this fantasy world, but then she has to go back to this fantasy world and he follows her and then that's where the bulk of the story happens. So that's kind of cool in that sense. And, like I said, it's not like crazy. It's not probably not going to be crazy popular and it's not going to be like a crazy. Like it's not as strong as the other ones that I've brought it up. But again, if you're looking to fill your list and you have time, I read it. It's a good read. But I would definitely put the other ones above, reading this one first. That's essentially all that I've found.

Speaker 1: 19:04

I think this is probably going to be the final one that, at least in terms of anything that comes out this season Like, obviously I'll if anything crazy happens in episodes to come, I'll obviously talk about that. But I think I've made sure to look through all of the stuff that is supposed to come out this winter season and I think I've now finally caught up to my thoughts on all of that. What I kind of wanted to bring up, obviously, like I do every time, is what I'm currently reading. The reason I want to make a big deal out of it this year, this time, is I'm really enjoying what I'm reading right now. I am almost done and again, the next part about it is that this one is also complete.

Speaker 1: 19:45

So if you do want to take the time to read this one and you're into Atomi Isakai or actually I guess this one is an Atomi Isakai because it all takes place this is more of a regression story, I guess, more than anything. And again, the thing that makes it really cool is, you know, there's kind of, basically, when they say villainous, they truly mean that she is a villainous which I found really strong with this one and again, if you want like a really good, like petty, but also really, really good revenge story, instead of like just being straight up murdery, she has to be like kind of calculative and she has to be smart and everything else like that, and she also gets to, like you know, use the knowledge that she got from before she regressed and everything else like that, and it kind of ties it all well together into this. Really, really, I found really well done revenge story. So if you kind of like you know, if you're sick of your kind of fluffy stuff or anything else like that, I would give it a shot. So the sorry I was pulling up. So the question that I got I only got one question, but I will say that it was a really cool question, so thank you for whoever sent it.

Speaker 1: 21:13

In what anime are you waiting? Are you still waiting on a sequel? For I think this one probably is on a lot of people's lists, so I'm just going to say it right now no game, no life. You know, they teased us with this really cool world and really cool concept and then never came back. That should be one that I actually maybe hunt down to see if I can read, because, like, it's really good and I would really like to know more about it. But the one that I kind of wanted to bring up that I think a lot of people maybe wouldn't either agree with or maybe, you know, it's probably a lot less important on people's lists than no game, no life.

Speaker 1: 21:56

But I really enjoyed Deadman Wonderland. You know, it came out with a fire opening theme and then also I thought, had really cool fights and a really cool idea and everything else like that, and then it kind of just disappeared off the face of the earth and was never spoken about again. I do think that it would be really cool, like I said, especially where it left off. It was a very cliffhanger ending and then it like literally never came back. So I think that would be a really cool one for it to come back. Yeah, so I think that would be my answer question. So, like, first, obviously, no game, no life. I feel like that really deserves it, and then Deadman Wonderland would also be cool. So that's all I had for this week.

Speaker 1: 22:43

Next week I think it'll be kind of interesting. Basically, I'm not sure, obviously, if you're really big in anime and stuff like that, you'll notice that the Crunchyroll anime awards the nominees are getting released later this week actually. So by next week's podcast it'll be out and I'll be able to give my opinions on that, and I thought it'd be really cool to either give my say on all the categories and I think what I'd like to do is just talk with the nominees and if I agree or disagree in who I think deserves the award out of the nominees. So, like I said, that's pretty much all I have for this week. Again, let me hear from you guys. That's my favorite part about doing all this.

Speaker 1: 23:26

Honestly, my favorite part of any episode, further from giving my opinion, is being able to answer any of your questions or comments. I love it, I love reading it, and so keep them coming. So, twitter, instagram, facebook, rivalxreviews, gmail, rivalxreviews at Gmailcom. And, yeah, and I'm honestly open to answering anything on this topic or even past topics that I've brought up or, you know, are you guys excited for the country roll awards? Do you guys watch it every year? Who do you think are the strong contenders for this year? Let me know. So, yeah, I'll see you guys next week. Bye-bye.