MEDIA_INTAKE
work in progress.
Houseki no Kuni
[ OPEN ]
. ..... . . .
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REVIEW_TEXT
//Intro
Oh Houseki, my problematic GOAT. A story about a rock girl (they say they're non gender, but let's be real these rocks are crazy gendered). A manga with heavy Buddhist themes and the general concept of overcoming human nature to become something better (the capital B Buddha). The writer Haruko Ichikawa is also my incredibly problematic GOAT, for no other reason besides me having followed the manga for a very long time. She's made some terrible past content that included pedophilia, so if you're not one for plunging into straight madness I'd stay away from this manga all together.
//Buddhist Themes
Let's start probably the most overarching aspect of the story, and probably the whole point of it aside from Haruka Ichikawas love for blowing up women. That overarching aspect is the Buddhist escaping human wants in order to become something beyond and better.
Basically Prayer Bot Adamant and all of the Moon folk need a real don't give a fuck wizard to prey them all into obliteration. The Prayer Bot Adamant was designed for that purpose, and the moon people constantly kill his beloved crystal daughters to convince him to stop giving a fuck and pray everybody away, but he not only cares about the crystals, he is still full of sadness for losing his creator who was also some small human woman. The moon people don't know that he can't become Buddha and kill a lot of crystal babys.
Anyway, they all decide Phos is gonna be the Prayer Bot. I think it's because she's curious about what's wrong, and isn't strangely cursed like the rest of the crystal peope to be incredibly selfish (side note, I like that because the crystal folk are the "Bone" of humans, they are unable to change and static, and that's why they're all selfish). I think there is also the genuine aspect that nobody ever cared for Phos, so she was a good one to beat up for the sake of prayer. Anyway suffering is a critical part of becoming a Buddha, so they put her alone on earth while everyone parties it up on the moon to suffer alone, and boy does she!
This manga gets a general reputation for being suffering porn. I think it definitely is at least partly, just because Haruko Ichikawa loves breaking down little women. I do believe though that she herself enjoys Buddhism and the meaning it brings, and I believe this story tries to make you see that. I mean that it wants the reader to try and cope with a very strange situation, one that isn't particularly human even if it looks like it.
//Plot
The plot is kinda odd. I feel like it gives an impression of being more than it is. In someway it feels it's trying to fool you that there is some special purpose to any of this, like something that isn't just Phos suffering and being in misery and everyone hating her. Would you believe it, it's that all the way through.
I do really wonder how intentional any of this story is.
I would say it all builds up to Phos finding freedom in non-existence after nurturing a pure-totally-lacking-in-human-features rock baby species and then dying and barely living on as a small chunk of rock like the rest? I think that part of the dies too.
//Artstyle
Oh yeah baby here's the good stuff! Oh yeah that art! Anatomically it's really not anything special, and it's not immensely skilled in its detail, but it's smooth and striking and fine, making it often have a sort of pottery vibe? Ichikawa uses a lot of stark black and white. The character designs are interesting even if they are truly just Ichikawa thinking "wow I like this". The anime is also beautiful in it's own right and is very enjoyable, and personally made me fall in love with 3d models.
//Conclusion
Overall I was really invested in this story for many years, and I believe the way many people enjoyed it was just a sort of sunk cost fallacy where they wanted to see what was going to finally happen, and we even got to simulate our 10,000 years of suffering with a hiatus! It was a wild and deranged ride, and I am unsure how the manga would feel if one were to immediately consume the whole manga in one sitting, I believe it would feel quite different.
If you were able to read it knowing nothing about the Creator and the story, I think it's enjoyable from the wild ride it is, the interesting world building, initially vague Buddhist themes, and the ART LETS GO THE ART BABY!
Dungeon Meshi
[ OPEN ]
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REVIEW_TEXT
Dungeon Meshi my UNPROBLEMATIC GOAT. Uh anyway I will write this later, just know I bought a figurine of Falin and have only purchased like 3 figurines in my whole life.