My Taste is Better Than Yours

This is the second part of our conversation on the Succession Contest arc, this time discussing everything to do with Kurapika, the Kakin Empire’s political machinations, and the mafia family conflicts. And after covering the entire series we rank all the arcs in the series by our preference as well as giving our final scores for Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter x Hunter. Timestamps 0:00 Introduction - part II of the discussion 0:51 The ever-ambitious rules and layers of the Succession Contest 6:14 Standout characters from the Kakin Empire - and which prince do we think will win? 14:06 Kurapika vs Tserriednich - is Kurapika going to die in this arc? 15:44 The various other storylines ongoing right now 18:04 Which of the princes is Beyond Netero’s child? 21:36 Melody being set up to have a pivotal part in the succession contest 25:01 The mafia families - Heil-ly, Char, Xi Yu - and Morena as a standout 29:03 Prediction of an anime adaptation and the length of the Succession Contest arc 32:49 Samu’s Recommendation: Ooku: The Inner Chambers by Fumi Yoshinaga  34:19 Enzo’s Recommendation: Hyouge Mono by Yamada Yoshihiro  38:21 Overview and scores for the arc 43:15 Our ranking of all Hunter x Hunter arcs 46:36 Final scores for Hunter x Hunter

We’re catching up with Hunter x Hunter’s current arc, and despite it being unfinished there’s a plethora of storylines and characters involved that we’re splitting this discussion into the two parts it needs, like we did with Chimera Ant. This episode we talk about the Dark Continent Expedition, Hisoka vs Chrollo, and our feelings of the Phantom Troupe’s role in the current arc. Check it out and stay tuned for the rest of the discussion next week! Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction - catching up to the series with the Succession Contest arc 4:20 Does the Succession Contest arc feel like a Hunter x Hunter spin-off? 14:29 A unique story arc with its sheer amount of every-expanding storylines 18:11 The Zodiacs and the expedition, Ging and Pariston rivalry early in the arc 22:48 Gon Freecss’s absence, will we cut back to him anytime soon? 25:54 Hisoka vs Chrollo at Heaven’s Arena - the fanservable fight of the series 31:52 Hisoka vs the Phantom Troupe on the boat - who is going to win? 35:46 Fake!Hisoka theory coming to fruition 37:46 Phantom Troupe backstory and parallel between Chrollo and Kurapika 46:26 Tune in for Part II of the discussion!

We continue our Bleach/Rurouni Kenshin read-throughs with the famed Kyoto arc, one of Enzo’s all-time favourite of the medium which he has plenty to gush over. But will Samu feel the same way? Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction - the companion piece to the Soul Society episode 5:04 Spoiler discussion warning 5:22 Himura Kenshin as a main character, comparisons to Ichigo Kurosaki? 9:48 Why is Kyoto arc considered one of the best of the series and battle shonen? 14:54 Juppongatana - standouts and our favourites 20:18 Honjo Kamatari depiction of the time, respectful or exploitative? 22:57 Samu’s many problems with Cho “The Sword Hunter” 26:22 Seijuro Hiko, Kenshin’s past, and their training 36:02 Shishio success as a villain and the influence on Horikoshi’s Stain 44:58 Our favourite fights 52:51 Kenshin vs Shishio and the implications afterlife, and the epilogue 58:51 Samu’s Recommendation: Gintama by Hideaki Sorachi 1:02:28 Enzo’s Recommendation: Dororo by Osamu Tezuka 1:06:09 Overview and final scores

Enzo continues his exploration into the Big 3, this time Bleach’s Soul Society arc, largely considered as one of the best of the series, and one of Samu’s defining experience as an animanga fan. We further discuss Kubo’s style as a writer, his influences, and the standout characters from the arc that properly put Bleach on the map. Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction - continuing our Bleach/Rurouni Kenshin read-throughs 1:50 Spoiler discussion warning 2:39 Soul Society arc as one of battle shonen’s best? 4:04 Samu’s personal experience and fondness with the Soul Society arc 5:18 The lack of backgrounds and concise writing style - is Kubo an architect or a gardener? 12:50 Ichigo’s role in the Soul Society arc 14:52 The interconnected thread between all the characters in Soul Society 20:50 Renj’s character arc in Soul Society, guilt about Rukia and vendetta against Byakuya 23:17 Byakuya’s focus and character shift near the end - setting up for the future 26:15 Enzo’s standouts: Shunsui, Hanataro and Ganju 31:40 Samu’s favourite character in anime and manga 35:22 Rukia and the ‘damsel in distress’ trope, how it’s handled here 39:19 Zanpakuto as a power system - a visual representation of character development 43:24 Was Kubo influenced by Watsuki and the Kyoto arc? 51:27 Villain reveal: Aizen, Gin, and Tosen’s betrayal 58:05 Enzo’s Recommendation: One Punch Man by ONE and Yusuke Murata 1:02:28 Samu’s Recommendation: Kekkaishi by Yellow Tanabe 1:03:44 Overview and final scores

This time around we finally tackle the age old fandom question: is the anime or the manga better? This episode we go through series where we prefer the source material as well as the adaptation, including some controversial hot takes you’re not likely to hear anywhere else. As is often the case, not all of them do we agree on. Timecodes: 0:00 Introduction - setting the scene with our experience and views on anime vs manga 2:36 Manga > Anime - we preferred the source material 3:07 Recent WSJ adaptations: Sakamoto Days and Chainsaw Man, The Promised Neverland 7:36 Erased, Ooku: the Inner Chambers, Wandering Son 14:52 Anime > Manga - the adaptation exceeding the source material 15:12 WITCH WATCH, Dandadan, Heavenly Delusion, Chihayafuru, Mob Psycho 100, Blood Blockade Battlefront, Teasing Master Takagi-san 19:44 The Elusive Samurai, Nichijou: My Ordinary Life, Attack on Titan 24:48 A Silent Voice - our biggest disagreement 32:14 Bleach - does Samu prefer the anime or manga? 33:31 Our controversial takes 33:50 Samu: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, The Flowers of Evil 40:09 Enzo: Fruits Basket, Usagi Drop 46:52 Conclusion - hot takes are the interesting ones!