Pedro Marra

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IOWA CITY WEST HIGH SCHOOL

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VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1

MAY 25, 2017

The Most Nostalgic Anime p.5

BY PEDRO MARRA

TABLE OF CONTENTS ENTERTAINMENT: 1. Mob Psycho 100 vs One-Punch Man...........01 2. Into the World of Psycho Pass............02 REVIEW: 3.The Most Nostalgic Anime............03-05 4.Hakyu!!: Review............06-07 BACK PAGE: 5. Anime Quiz..........08

Entertainment

ONE-PUNCH MAN AND MOB PSYCHO 100 ONE PUNCH MAN Main character’s full name: Saitama Written by: One Number of episodes: 12 Season 2 release date: sometime in 2017

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MOB PSYCHO 100

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Main character’s full name: Shigeo Kageyama Written by: One Number of Episodes: 12 Season 2 release date: sometime in 2017

ith the same facial expressions and extraordinary superpowers, it is hard not to see the similarities between Saitama, from One-Punch man, and Mob (nickname), from Mob Psycho 100.

One (pseudonym), the creator of both anime, has clearly added the traits of both main characters to look like each other. Their rounded eyes, single line mouths, and question mark shaped noses are identical. Their hair and clothes, however, show how they are different people. At the beginning of the anime, Saitama had dark straight hair, but with his intensive training to become a superhero he became bald. He usually wears his superhero outfit: a white cape, yellow long sleeves shirt and pants, and red gloves and boots. On the other hand, Mob has dark bow-shaped hair and wears a black school uniform. Moreover, Saitama’s outfit is much flashier than Mob’s ordinary uniform but since he is a superhero it is understandable.

In addition to physical looks, their superpowers are also similar when compared to how strong they are. Saitama has a supernatural force and can defeat anyone with a single punch--this is the reason for the anime’s name, One-Punch Man. Even though viewers know what will eventually happen after he gives his punch, the anime makes the fights exciting and can have the viewers looking forward for the time he saves the world. Besides, it is clear how strong Saitama is by comparing him with the strongest superheroes from the Hero Association, which he becomes part of at the beginning of the anime.

As for Mob, he has psychic powers which enable him to move things with his mind without touching them (telekinesis), and he can send spirits that have unfinished business to figure out before they can go to heaven. During the middle of the anime, Mob has to fight against an entire organization with the same psychic powers as he has. The members of this association are the strongest villains in the anime and they have the goal of conquering the entire world. However, compared to Mob they are weak.

Another similarity that both main characters have is how they act socially. Mob is incapable of reading people’s expressions and how they are feeling, which has lead to him having a lack of friends. Nonetheless, he has two friends: a spirit (who is only his friend in order to possess him) and his boss (who is only his friend so he can use Mob’s psychic powers for his own use). Ritsu, his brother from the other side, is the most popular person at school. At the beginning of the anime, Mob has a really low self-esteem but as he meets new people, defeats new characters and strengthens previous relationships he becomes more confident of himself.

On the other side, Saitama is also a person that does not have many friends. Nonetheless, during the first episodes he meets Geros, a cyborg who he accepts as a student and befriends with. Most of the time, Saitama is watching television, looking for a supermarket’s discount or combating crimes as a hobbie. Therefore, the viewers hardly see him with anyone other than Geros, but, Saitama feels indifferent and the only thing that troubles him is finding someone who cannot be defeated by him with only one punch.

Saitama is a funny character because of how he reacts to certain situations. When he finds a supermarket coupon he becomes really excited, however, when the world is on the verge of being destroyed he stays calm and does not care much of what might happen as if he knew that with only a punch everything will be solved- which is as close to the truth as it could be.

Nevertheless, Mob is the character that I find most interesting because of how the readers can accompany his personality’ growth. From the beginning to the end of the anime, he meets and befriends with many people and gain more confidence by strengthening his relationship with his brother and even by improving his self-esteem.

In general, these two main characters are much alike, but their anime have many differences, thus I would recommend both of them to anyone that enjoys fantasy and action fights.

INTO THE WORLD OF PSYCHO PASS Sibyl System

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sycho Pass is featured in a 22nd Century Tokyo, hence many futuristic gadgets are shown to the viewers with hopes of someday being available for society’s use. Here are some of the things shown in the anime that might leave you looking forward to the future or worried about it:

People who live in Tokyo are ruled by the Sibyl System, a law enforcement enterprise run in cooperation with the government (which is a nicer way of saying that the Sybil System is the law). This system’s primary function is to detect the inhabitant’s levels of stress, which according to it, is a way of identifying people who might have the intention of harming others before this person can actually do any harm. Nonetheless, the main issue that the protagonist, Akane, and the other inspectors face, is that there are people who can cheat the system, since they have an astounding low stress number, even after killing someone else. Besides, this operator creates an exam which everyone that has graduated from school has to take to decide which jobs best fits them (in other words it tells you what you can or can’t be in life).

Holograms

Dominator is the firearm used against latent criminals that have a high stress value. It continuously sends psychological data (Psycho Pass) to the Sibyl System, which identifies the stress number and puts it into a category. This might be: Non-lethal Paralyzer (simply paralyze the target), Lethal Eliminator (used to kill the target), Destroy Decomposer (can kill people but its main function is against armored targets, like drones) and Explosive Destroyer Decomposer (works the same as the Destroy Decomposer but can fire a projectile in longer distances).

Nonetheless, as efficient as this gun might seem, because of people that can cheat the system by having a low stress value, it becomes as futile as any other ordinary object.

Dominator Holograms is the feature most seen in the anime, and takes part in the character’s daily life.

Everyone in the 22nd Century Tokyo has their houses with basic structures (such as nowadays) which are then covered with holograms (virtual structures), giving the places a more luxurious or comfortable environment depending on the resident’s preference. Besides, there are holograms called “holo servants” which can work as maids or butlers for the person living in the house. For instance, Akane, the protagonist, has a holo servant called Candy. Holograms are also spread out throughout the city and can be useful with the police. Inspectors and Enforcers can “wear” holograms to hide themselves when trying to chase someone and also change their car’s appearance to look like police vehicles. However, ordinary people can also use this tool by switching their clothing.

THE MOST NOSTALGIC ANIME

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n spite of being old, and with a total amount of more than 500 episodes, Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood have certainly crossed your path, anime fan. These anime have aired on TV for many years and have a legion of fans who still accompany each one of them nowadays (except for Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood). Therefore, read the reviews of the most nostalgic anime below, and if you haven’t watched them yet, you are losing a chance of experiencing hours on your cell phone as your mind whirls through the worlds of martial fighters, pirates, ninjas and alchemists.

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST

After losing their mother, the Elric brothers try resurrecting her, however, by doing that they broke the most important law in alchemy, which is the violation of the Law of Equivalent Exchange. Due to their act, Edward Elric lost his right arm and left leg, and his brother Alphonse Elric lost his body, having his soul attached to an armor.

Trying to find a way of getting their bodies back, the two young brothers discover how hard life is and how their ingenuine knowledge of alchemy could bring disgrace towards many people. FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood rovers around the thought that children are as capable as adults to do responsible tasks and are not inferior as they might seem. Edward Elric was the youngest person to become a state alchemist (making him serve for the military), and he and his brother were the most active people when unveiling the corruption involved in the military government. The brothers are many times underestimated because of their age and treated inferiorly, which is another obstacle that the two of them have to face to overcome their goal of getting their bodies back.

Similar to other anime listed below, the characters’ background stories are thoroughly developed and detailed, and their action fights are also extremely exciting with many diverse movements.

FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood is an anime that hardly has any flaw, but the only thing that could be asked by the fans would be to have more episodes, since the anime has only 64 (a low number compared to other well-known anime).

That being said, I would recommend FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood because in each of the 64 episodes, something unexpected happens and makes you more addicted and looking forward to the next episode.

NARUTO With his spiky blond hair and a extrovert personality, Naruto has the dream of becoming Hokage (Hidden Leaf Village’s leader). However, the young ninja has to face many obstacles to grow stronger and try his best to protect his friends against powerful enemies.

Naruto is the anime that most teaches to the viewers the significance of having friends since the protagonist himself had little friends during his childhood. Besides, the will of not giving up when all of the odds were against him is also a respectable life example.

Even with its many qualities, Naruto part 2 (Shippuuden) has 216 fillers (episodes that don’t follow the original timeline of the story) out of 500 produced, which certainly angers the viewers eager to watch the following episodes.

Any anime fan has to watch at least a few episodes from Naruto because with its touchy episodes and with its amazing fights it is unfathomable to like anime without enjoying Naruto. Naruto is also my favorite anime and I have rewatched many episodes since there are many breathtaking stories intertwined within this world of ninjas.

Released in: 2005 Episodes: 64 Released in: 2001 Episodes: 508

DRAGON BALL Dragon Ball follows the journey of Son Goku and his friends to locate the seven dragon balls (mystic spheres which evoke a giant dragon who concedes any wish) and defeat all the enemies with a goal of destroying the Earth.

The main theme the anime presents to the viewers is to always keep trying to improve yourself and become stronger, even though there is a larger obstacle which is beyond your grasp. Son Goku and his friends that also practice martial are, for instance, always developing new techniques that the anime rovers around. In addition, Dragon Ball makes the fights more exciting since they create an expectancy of what will happen to Goku when he tests his technique against the most powerful people in the universe. Besides, these same fights have astounding graphics and characters’ movements compared to the time period that Dragon Ball was produced.

With as many fans as the anime has, it is unfortunate that because of its repetitive plot and meek character background stories, the anime becomes boring. There is no doubt that Dragon Ball’s fights are marvelous, but they are not sufficient to sustain an anime with hundreds of episodes. Other than finding the seven dragon balls, becoming stronger and protecting the Earth, there is few character development with no detail of their pasts, which would otherwise make the viewers closer to the characters.

Nonetheless, even with its many faults, I would recommend Dragon Ball for anyone who likes to watch epic fights and is willing to accompany Goku’s growth from his childhood through his adulthood.

Released in: 1986 Episodes: 598

ONE PIECE After the King of Pirates announced to the world that he has left his treasure (One Piece) in the last island after the Grand Line, a generation of pirates began rowing through the vast seas in search of this legendary treasure and the prestige of becoming the new King of Pirates. Of course, Monkey D. Luffy and his companions wouldn’t be left out to follow this same journey.

Besides of having incredible fights, the anime’s main strength is its characters’ background development. Different from Dragon Ball, One Piece takes advantage in the different personalities that each one of the characters has and creates most of its episodes based around their stories and hardships faced through their lives.

The only negative aspect that One Piece has, is the total amount of minutes that each episodes has. The anime’s introduction takes exactly three minutes and 33 seconds, the last episode’s recapture 97 seconds, and the next episode’s preview 30 seconds, resulting in a waste of about five minutes. Nonetheless, One Piece is an anime that has to keep releasing one episode per week because of its high demand, therefore it is reasonable that some cuts have to be made.

Even though with its 787 episodes, One Piece is still successful and it would be an opportunity thrown away if you have not yet entered into this world of pirates.

Released in:1999 Episodes: 788

:REVIEW 6 million copies sold in Japan

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aikyu!!, one of the best sports anime ever produced with a total amount of more than six million copies (manga) sold in Japan, exceeds for a reason.

The anime begins when Hinata, the protagonist, becomes inspired to play volleyball after watching a short volleyball player in the intercollegiate play on television. Following the same steps as this well-known volleyball player, he goes to the same high school he went, called Karasuno. There, Hinata faces the hardships of being a short player, meets his teammates who he befriends and competes in the regionals to have a chance to go to nationals and play in the intercollegiate.

Hinata is the character I find most interesting because of his enthusiastic personality, and his persistence in always trying to improve his volleyball abilities. In addition, unlike other anime that might put their main characters as the strongest people, Hinata is completely the opposite. He is the personification of someone that simply tries his best, even though he is aware of his many flaws and knows that there are still people who are better than him.

Haikyu!!: By the Numbers

60 episodes.

6 million manga copies sold in Japan.

5thtop selling manga of 2016 The main strength of Haikyu!! is how it describes each of the players’ background stories. Besides extensively going through Hinata’s life, the anime explains that the ace (the person who most often attacks), for instance, has to continue playing volleyball after being blocked throughout an entire game and almost giving up from the sport. This anime’s main attribute of describing the characters’ backgrounds makes the viewers feel closer and able to relate to each one of the players. Another positive aspect is how it also describes the life experienced by other volleyball players from different teams, which makes the viewers unbiased towards Hinata’s competitors after watching his or her story.

The details of the anime is also something that becomes noticeable and enhances each one of the matches that Karasuno goes through. The spin of the ball when a player serves or attacks, the sweat that goes to the air when someone receives the ball, and especially the sound created for each one of the movements that the players make are few of the details included which the producers of Haikyuu!! took into consideration when releasing the episodes.

Even though the matches played by Karasuno are long, they are not tiresome nor boring since something unpredictable happens in each one of them that makes the viewers look forward to what might happen next. Besides, the anime makes the matches exciting by using them to show the personalities and background stories of different players.

I would recommend Haikyu!! for anyone who relishes in watching anime or who might want to start watching anime, but are indecisive about to where to start. This anime has the essence of what a good anime needs: excellent graphics, breath-taking background stories and a main character who becomes friends with everybody, including his enemies.

ANIME QUIZ Answer this anime quiz below to know if you truly are an anime fan. The questions will be over the anime written in the magazine, so if you have not watched one of them yet try guessing the answer and then look at the key (bottom, right hand corner) to discover more about the anime.

1) In Dragon Ball Z, who kills Frieza when he returns to Earth after Goku’s fight? a. Goku. b. Trunks. c. Piccolo.

2) In Naruto Shippuden, who lulls Naruto during the fight against Pain? a. His deceased mother. b. Sasuke c. Hinata.

3) In One Piece, which technique enables Luffy to win against Doflamingo? a. Gear 4. b. Gear 2. c. Gear 5.

4) In FullMetal Alchemist, what was the immortal humans that used the philosopher’s stone called? a. Humanoid. b. Homunculus. c. Hominoid.

5) In Haikyu!!, which team is Karasuno’s rival? a. Shiratorizawa. b. Aoba Johsai.

c. Nekoma.

6) In One-Punch Man, what is Saitama’s main preoccupation during his daily life? a. Finding a supermarket coupon. b. Finding a superhero that can receive his punch without getting killed. c. Finding a job.

7) In Mob Psycho 100, which club does Mob join in? a. Anime Club. b. Chess Club.

c. Body Improvement Club.

8) In Psycho Pass, which of the characters were father and son? a.Tomomi Masaoka (Enforcer) and Shinya Kogami (Enforcer). b. Tomomi Masaoka and Nobuchika Ginoza (Inspector). c. Nobuchika Ginoza and Tomomi Masaoka.

1)b.

2)a.

Anime Quiz Key:

3)a.

4)b.

5)c.

6)a.

7)c.

8)b.