ZeroZaki's Humanity Test Passes With Flying Colors

ZeroZaki's Humanity test passes with flying colors

One day an average high school student finds out she has latent homicidal tendencies and is adopted into a family of killers by a tall man in white attire and long black hair. Zerozaki’s humanity test is a manga adaptation of a light novel of the same name by prolific author NISIOISIN. I generally have a love-hate relationship with his works for their boring drawn out dialogue and anticlimactic resolutions. This manga however was a short and delightful read from start to finish. It's important to note that this is actually a spinoff from the Zaregoto novel series and as such features a few returning characters.

To elaborate on the plot, the main character Iori gets her life turned upside down after being targeted by an enemy of the zerozaki family. Her friends and family are killed by Soushiki after they were permanently brainwashed by Naguma Sawarabi and only has soushiki zerozaki to turn to. The man in question is in search to find his elusive serial killer brother Hitoshiki Zerozaki. Naguma on the other hand wants revenge for his sister who was killed by Hitoshiki and kidnaps Iori to bait the Zerozaki family.The manga is fairly short and has enough twists and turns to keep readers wanting more. I felt that the manga could've gone into more detail about the killing names( assassin clans) briefly mentioned but then again, I imagine the original novel goes into more detail.

The artwork has a nice crisp and clean feel to it, making the character designs feel full of life.  Fight scenes are well put together and have a smooth flow. Since this is a Seinen manga, it doesn't exactly shy away from showing gore but doesn't embellish in it either.

NISIOISIN’s strongest skill is definitely his characterization and this manga reinforces that. Characters are quirky and are distinct from each other which make for interesting interactions.  Soushiki is technically a villain since he comes from a family of killers and most likely kills innocent people but his suave and charismatic personality makes it so easy to forget that. He's a total gentleman despite being a monster. Iori Zerozaki certainly resonated with me the most since we both go through life without real direction. We run from our problems while hoping to go find a solution. I read this manga during the worst times in my life and seeing myself inside the protagonist was so blissful.  A character I feel that could've used a lot more screen time was Hanamaki Kojika. He was a complex and conflicted character who unfortunately leaves the plot a few chapters after his introduction.

If you're the type of person who enjoys fast-paced thriller action, then Zerozaki's humanity test is the manga for you.

Sayonara Shinjuku

The girl stood on the edge of the skyscraper. Her heart, like the night sky above, was etched in darkness. She looked down upon the apathetic citizens of Shinjuku as they went about their boring lives.

Salarymen rushing to catch the last train.

Drunken vagrants hassling for change.

Nightwalkers bringing their clients into love hotels.

" What a drag." She muttered.

Up until a week ago, her life was normal.

Up until a week ago, she had no reason to die.

But now?

Her feet were almost off the edge.

Her balance was supported only by her heels.

" Goodbye Shinjuku. I don't need you anymore and i'm sure you feel the same way. Oh. Im sure you wont be missed either." The girl said while staring at her stomach.

The father discarded them with a callousness she thought impossible. He had fed her so many expert lies about love and commitment. She adamantly kept their relationship secret from students and faculty. The girl thought she had done right by her lover. He repaid all her efforts with apathetic stares and crumpled dollar bills.

She wondered of she would make it on the news after this. That would make it impossible for her to be ignored. Yes, that would be the best ending.

With one final step, her body plummeted.

The lights and sounds of the city all became a blur.

In a moment, she would become red splatter.

She'd be forgotten by the next morning.

No more regrets.

No more bitter sentiments.

All she had left were the memories of one week prior.

Poem 1- How to be a Woman

Straighten your hair, you look unsightly Lose a few pounds, you might look pretty Lighten your skin tone, so we can't fear you Cover the bruises, You're making a scene Don't wear a skirt, You'll lead him on Don't talk back, it poisons the air Kill it in the womb, bastards are overpopulated Don't say no, you'll be back to step four Cry yourself to sleep, it's your latest routine Don't be a woman, you don't want to be me.

Let's change anime

Can anime series please stop limiting themselves to 12 episodes? That's too short of a time frame to tell much of a story. 24-39 episodes titles should become the standard. Especially if it's an adaption of a video game. Those kind of series deserve extra episodes due to the nature of the medium. A lot of adaptations have failed because they had no where near enough time to tell the story it wanted to. With online streaming services becoming more mainstream, production companies don't have to worry as much about time slots . Please make anime longer.

Ninja Slayer slays my heart with disappointment.

Domo, it is I, pop culture Rhapsody. Watching Ninja Slayer was one of the most bittersweet experiences I've had yet. On one hand, I was totally disappointed in the limited animation that mostly consisted of character cut-outs sliding across the screen. On the other, the story, setting, characters, and music captivated me to the point I had to watch every episode.

The problem with Ninja Slayer is that it wants to have its cake and eat it too. It wants to be a cheesy parody of 90's ninja media that goes for a " so bad it's good" angle and yet, there are several moments of drama and tension that are meant to be taken seriously. The anime never quite gets a proper handle on its tone and shifts back and forth without any style.

The experimental style wouldn't have been so bad had it been an original anime. A lot of people forget that ninja Slayer is based on a series of light novels. This makes Ninja Slayer one of the worst adaptions for its animation alone. I'm sure the staff at studio trigger thought the direction style would mesh well with the cheesy tongue in cheek tone of the novel, but, it sounds more like an excuse to be lazy. People need to realize that so bad it's good only works if it's done unintentionally. When you actually put effort into being so bad it's good, you're just going to be bad and probably end up using " I wasn't trying to be good" as a deflection of criticism.

This show could've of been amazing if it focused more on either being a straight-up comedy or being a serious ninja series with a few jokes sprinkled here and there. I would've preferred the later choice. I found myself enthralled by our hero Fujikido Kenji and his plight to slay all evil ninja. He's the kind of manly badass hero we don't see much of anymore. A rugged warrior who's brutal when he needs to be and isn't overtly edgy with a set of morals he abides by. He's the kind of guy I can root for and wish him a happy ending.

The ninja Slayer mangas are far better than the anime but be warned as they are incomplete. The manga adaption by Yugo Yuki has more or less been dropped by vertical and Tokyo otaku mode gave up on translating the novels years ago. It seems unlikely if ninja Slayer will ever see a definitive conclusion for English speakers. So long, you ninja Slayer.

Haiku# 2- Everyone’s Grude

Color of our skin

It’s the greatest divider

Hatred burns deeply