GuardianSoulBlade

Anime Movie Review: 'The Garden of Sinners: Overlooking View: Thanatos'

2026-06-22T11:03:31.328-06:00

Quick Info

Director: Ei Aoki

Distributor: AniplexUSA

Released: February 8th, 2011

Runtime: 49 minutes

Availability: Streaming on Crunchyroll; buy the Blu-ray on Crunchyroll

Story Summary

Shiki Ryiougi is sent by Touko Aozaki to investigate a strange string of suicides when people throw themselves off the roof of the abandoned Fujō building.

The Story Is Slow but Worth It

The story’s pacing is very slow. It is a slow-burn mystery that won’t be resolved until the end of the movie. It is not an action-heavy story; it mainly focuses on the mystery of the case and the supernatural aspects of the world, and it focuses heavily on the world-building.

The pacing of the story gives you time to introduce the characters and the world-building to get you invested in the plot; that’s something I enjoy about the story in this film.

The Animation Is Beautiful!

The animation for this movie is absolutely stunning. I love the artistic look of the backgrounds. The characters have nice designs, and the choreography for the fight scene is amazing. This movie is not an action-heavy story, since it’s the first film; it’s establishing the main characters and the story's plot.

The art looks very nice, and Ufotable did an amazing job adapting the atmosphere of the story. The eerie setting of the story shows that the existence of supernatural entities isn’t necessarily a good thing.

I enjoy the artwork of this film, and it’s a great film when it comes to the visuals. Some of the CGI looks dated, but everything else looks absolutely stunning.

The Voice Acting Is Great!

The voice cast for this anime is fantastic. They picked a great voice cast for the characters.

Maaya Sakamoto sounds great as Shiki Ryougi. She has to be serious with just a hint of emotion. I like her performance, and she did a great job making Shiki a memorable character.

Kenichi Suzumura is interesting as Mikiya Kokutō. He has to play the most ordinary protagonist in a Type-Moon property, and that’s saying something. He brings good energy to the role; his acting is exactly how I think an ordinary person would speak, reacting to the extraordinary events taking place in the story. He doesn’t get to speak too much due to the plot, but he gives a great performance in all the scenes he’s in.

Takako Honda is fantastic as Touko Aozaki. She does tend to be the source of the info dumping in this movie, but the Nasuverse loves info dumps, so she’s a great way to do this because her character isn’t an ordinary person. Since she knows things that the others don’t, she’s used as a way to convey information to the readers, and she gives a great performance doing that.

Overall, the Japanese cast is great, and since there is no English dub, this is the only dub the USA blu-rays have.

The Soundtrack Is Great!

Yuki Kajura is an amazing composer, and her soundtrack for this film is phenomenal. She makes the story so much better with her music. She gives the story an eerie and otherworldly atmosphere during the entire film, and the music is great.

Unlike most anime, there aren’t opening songs like a television anime. There is an end-credit song.

I loved the music in this movie; it’s just amazing and fits the background so well. It’s a great soundtrack that’s memorable and just a great addition to the film.

The Slow Pacing Isn’t for Everyone

The Garden of Sinners films aren’t for everyone. This doesn’t have the wide appeal of Shonen, and this is a seinen title, so it is geared towards an adult male audience and will have adult content in it, especially in the sequel movies.

The slow pacing gives the movie time to develop the characters, but to some people that might seem too slow because they want a big action set piece. This film doesn’t do that, but if you’re willing to put up with the slow pacing, you’ll be rewarded with a fantastic movie that is worth taking slowly and enjoying its atmospheric setting.

The film series is told in a nonlinear format, so if you’re not used to nonlinear storytelling, this will throw you off. Even though the films are linear individually, the time they take place in is different years.

It is also a slow-burn film that will explain things and show things over time, and since the pacing isn’t particularly fast, this won’t appeal to everyone. If you don’t like slow pacing, you probably won’t enjoy this movie.

The Film Has Adult Content

When I say this film has adult content, it’s not “Teehee, there’s fanservice!” content; it’s “Wow, this is meant for an adult audience” adult content. This film deals with the heavy subject of suicide, and it’s not a light or happy film either. This film starts a series of films that cover very heavy subjects and isn’t for the faint of heart, or stomach in later films.

I think it handles the subject of suicide very well. I think there are good ways to handle the subject and bad ways to handle it, but this film handles it in ways that are not cliched, and I think it deserves to be commended for handling this subject in a realistic way.

A lot of people still have the idea that all anime is just Shonen anime because that’s what US licensors tend to publish. There are plenty of Seinen anime and movies, but they don’t always handle adult content very well, which means they don’t always address heavy subjects, and it’s mainly shocking violence, gore, or sexual content, with strong profanity to boot.

This anime movie series does have some of that, but it mainly handles adult subject matter, and that’s what makes it a mature anime movie series.

The Movie Is Great but Not for Everyone

The Garden of Sinners: Overlooking View: Thanatos is a great film that does an amazing job introducing us to the main characters and giving them a mystery to solve. It isn’t ‘fun’ in a delightful romp way; it’s a serious film that covers serious topics and is a great way to get into the urban fantasy genre. Fate/Stay Night is more well-known because of its lighter tone and atmosphere. This is still a great way to get into the Nasuverse if you want to start without worrying about where to start, like the never-ending debate about Fate/Stay Night’s watch order.

This is a great film for adults, and you should treat it like the adult content it is; it’s a mature story for mature people because it handles a lot of adult subject matter.

I enjoy this film a lot, and I recommend watching it at least once.

My Grade: A

I love The Garden of Sinners movies; the first movie, Overlooking View: Thanatos, is an amazing movie. The story, plot, and characters are what got me to watch the films. The premise is interesting and the execution, while not perfect, is still very well done.

The animation is top-notch, and the fight scene is a stellar set piece that is an iconic moment in the film. The story is solid with interesting characters and a good setting for a supernatural mystery.

I do recommend watching the movies on Crunchyroll. The Blu-ray set is very expensive. I have not bought the blu-rays simply because they are way out of my budget for what I want to spend on anime, but the movies are worth watching; I am not paying $249.98 for the Blu-ray set; that is just too much for me to spend on a single collection of movies.

I think the movies are worth your time, but only worth your money if you really love them, and I love them, but not that much.

Why Your Fan Fiction Will Never Be Popular

2026-06-19T16:19:38.760-06:00

Lots of Fanfiction Authors Want to Be Popular

No matter what the fandom, fanfic authors want to be popular. When it comes to being a popular fanfiction author, they want thousands of views, hundreds of comments, and hundreds of Kudos on Archive of Our Own.

The issue is most people will never be popular, and yet most people who write fan fiction want to be popular in the fandom. The issue is that most people, myself included, are not going to be popular, and there are a lot of reasons why. In this article, I’ll cover some of those reasons.

Fan Fiction Authors Write Well, but It’s Not Fun to Read

I know not every fanfic author complains about this, but I’ve seen people complain that they're better writers than the average fanfic author and yet they’re not popular.

When it comes to fan fiction, there is no standard of quality; you can read something a 13-year-old wrote at two in the morning, or you can be reading something by someone in college. Because there isn’t a standard for how good an author is, besides being subjective, you might write better than most people, but readers don’t care.

Just because something is well written doesn’t mean readers will gravitate toward it. Since fan fiction readers usually don’t read fandom blind and are already familiar with the source material, they usually go for plots, characters, and tropes they like, and if a fan fiction has multiple tropes the readers like, they will read that fic over the one that has more polish but fewer tropes they like.

Since all of this is free, people aren’t obligated to buy something, so there is no barrier to entry to get into a story, unlike the source material, which can’t always be acquired for free legally.

When something is free, like fan fiction or a YouTube video, authors and content creators have to fight for readers and viewers. Sometimes, I think authors forget that you’re writing something that’s free to access, so you have to make yourself stand out on any fan fiction site you use, but I’ll reference Archive of Our Own because it’s the most popular website.

Authors Worry Too Much About if Their Story Is Good

Both fiction authors and fanfic authors are always wondering, “Is my story good?” Don’t worry about if your story’s “good”; you should worry about if you can finish it, especially if it’s a long fic.

If you don’t have the confidence to say, “Yes, my story is good”, then it’s probably not that good. There’s a difference between “I write better than every fanfic author, and I deserve more attention and interaction,” and hoping that your story is good.

While you don’t need to boast about your writing skills online, you still need to have confidence in the story you’re creating. If you don’t have the confidence in your ability to plot a story, you can look up videos about plot structure and find one that fits your writing style.

Since this is a hobby and it’s for fun, the story doesn’t have to be amazing or perfect; it just needs to be readable and at least spell-checked.

Authors Are Motivated by Attention-Seeking Rather Than Good Storytelling

Not every fanfic author wants to become “fandom famous,” but a lot of people do. There is a lot of complaining whenever an author uploads a new story or updates an existing one about how they’re not getting comments, kudos, subscriptions, and bookmarks.

I know that everyone likes attention for their fanfic, but let me make this very clear to all the new writers. You are not owed anyone’s kudos, comments, or bookmarks. Fan fiction is free, and because it’s free, you really have to stand out to get the attention of your readers.

These days it’s usually the smutty fanfics that get a lot of attention. People whined and cried about the video “Fanfiction Ruins Everything” by Hillary Layne and I’m not an immature crybaby who screeched about that video. The only thing she got wrong in her video was that she thought Twilight was a Harry Potter fanfic. She is right about how all fanfic writers want is to be completely self-indulgent about everything, but smut seems to be their favorite.

It was absolutely embarrassing to see the fanfiction community die on the hill of underage smut, misery porn, non-con smut, and BL. The whole “Not all fanfic is porn” reason worked a decade ago when AO3 didn’t exist, but AO3 is still made up of mostly smut, and before you start crying about numbers, there is technically “more” non-smut than smut, but it’s barely more than half of it is non-smut, depending on the fandom. Fanfiction.net has more non-smut than smut, but MA-rated fanfics are not allowed on the website, so there has to be more non-smut by default.

People write smut on AO3 specifically, mainly because it’s allowed on the website, and yes, you will get more hits for anything above T, especially if there are “spicy” scenes in it. There are very popular T-rated fanfics, but they are usually very trope-specific and have a fandom-specific plot that is very popular.

People say they care about their stories and that they want them to be good, but they get demotivated by the lack of “attention and interaction”. If you really cared about your story, you’d finish it so at least your readers would have a complete story.

I get writer’s block a lot, so it’s not that I don’t care about my story; I just get stuck on what to do next, but lack of comments isn’t why I stop writing a story; I usually hit a brick wall and run out of ideas.

Newer writers need to understand nobody owes you anything- not comments, bookmarks, not Kudos. Nobody is just going to give you a compliment just because you put up a story. Because this is a free platform with no barrier to entry, every single author is fighting for the readers’ attention.

Because you’re fighting for attention from readers, you have to stand out to even get a comment from people. Many people post links in the fanfiction subreddits to draw attention to their stories, but you are not entitled to anyone’s attention or feedback. You can do comment exchanges in subreddits if you are that desperate for feedback.

Fanfiction.net has way more social features than Archive of Our Own, but it’s a mess right now, and people prefer the newer AO3 website over the old fanfiction.net site.

Many authors say they want to make good stories but immediately lose their motivation when they don’t get attention. They might care about their story, but they care about the attention the story brings them more.

I’m not saying that comments and feedback aren’t important, but if you care about that maybe you should focus on finishing a story, even if it’s a one-shot so you can share it to get that feedback and attention; but attention shouldn’t be the only reason you write fanfics. A lot of authors in this hobby don’t want to admit they just want attention for their writing and don’t have any motivation outside of attention.

Fandom Culture Has Changed

A lot of people who write fanfic that are on social media will say, “I write for myself” and then complain that they aren’t getting comments. Fandom isn’t like it was 20+ years ago where I could just post a story to fanfiction.net and it would get a lot of hits and reviews just by being on the site. Now everyone’s fighting for attention on social media and fandom has changed. Fandom is less community-oriented, and now people are reading fanfic like consuming content on streaming services or YouTube.

It doesn’t help when people make threads in the subreddits complaining about comments that are even slightly critical of a work. Commenters live in fear of being the subject of one of these annoyed author Reddit threads. They feel they don’t want to “offend” the author so they have no idea what they want to say, even if it’s positive.

There’s also the feeling that people can’t criticize fanfic because it’s free, and they also fear they can’t do it because of authors getting annoyed and complaining and then deleting the comment. Even when people do criticize fanfic somewhere else like Discord, sometimes the author finds it and complains in the fanfiction subreddit, leading to the feeling that it’s not worth commenting on a fanfic unless you kiss the author’s butt and shower them with only praise.

Authors are also worried about offending people, especially if they’re left-leaning; they’re always worried about upsetting someone, because they’re Woke, they try hard to be “inclusive” and “Diverse” and try not to be offensive, except when it comes to sex; they don’t care if they offend you over sex. Unless you’re an older fan and like all the crazy stuff like Dead Dove, Do Not Eat, and go for gross-out and disturbing content, then you don’t care if you’re upsetting anybody.

Not to mention all the discussions of Pro-Shipping and Antis, when it comes to fandom culture, it’s too exhausting for some people, and they feel it’s not worth it to engage with fanfic outside of reading it.

Sometimes, people don’t feel they need to leave a comment at all; they just don’t care to.

Authors Say They Write for Themselves, but They Don’t

Fanfic authors always say, “I’m writing my fanfic for myself,” and then they stop when they don’t get attention. Professional or aspiring authors are writing their book manuscripts without getting any attention, unless they’re recording their author journey for social media.

If professional writers can write without calling attention to their work, outside of asking for feedback on social media about what people think of an excerpt, then fanfiction authors should be able to write without feeling the need to only write for attention from random people on the internet.

Fanfic writers need to admit they’re not really writing for themselves but for strangers on the internet.

Because fan fiction is released in segments of chapters rather than the whole thing at once, people get used to the idea of getting feedback. Sometimes authors do this with their original fiction on their website, but fanfiction authors say they thrive on the feedback they receive from people. But fanfiction authors who are only motivated by feedback have no idea how to motivate themselves when they don’t receive any.

A fanfic author will be in a much better place when they decide to write their story, regardless of receiving comments or not, because they have a story they want to tell. If you are only motivated by getting attention, you should probably start a YouTube channel; it’s easier to get attention that way than writing for a bunch of people you don’t know, hoping you’ll get attention that way.

It’s one thing to say, “I’m writing this story because I want to write this fanfic,” but would you do it if you got no comments or even a single Kudo? Most people in the fan fiction space would probably say, “No,” because they like getting attention.

I get it; writing when you don’t get comments is hard, but it means that people haven’t found your work yet. Especially if you’re a new writer in a new fandom, people have to find you before you can even think about becoming popular.

Comparison Is the Thief of Joy

Comparison is the thief of joy. Fan fiction authors feel they aren’t popular because they’re not getting as much feedback and attention as an established fan fiction author with readers that are regularly commenting on their work.

You’re not going to become “popular” overnight. You’re going to have to earn your popularity. You earn popularity by writing great stories, whether you’re writing short one-shots or longfics.

Writing just so you can become popular in fandom spaces is a bad motivation for writing. You need motivation outside of popularity and feedback to keep your story going. If all you want is feedback, then you need to actually finish your story first before posting so your readers will feel happy to read your fanfic.

Popularity Should Not Be Your Only Motivator for Writing Fan Fiction

Popularity shouldn’t be the only reason you write fan fiction. If you’re only trying to get popular, then you will lose your motivation. Also, remember that just because something is popular doesn’t mean it’s high-quality entertainment.

Many fan fiction stories that are very popular have average writing or spelling mistakes. They might have imperfect interpretations of the characters. Characters might be out of character in the story, but readers don’t care because they find the story is entertaining.

There’s also the fact that popular stories have big spikes in popularity; they might have a big burst at the beginning, or they become popular over time.

Chasing popularity in a hobby is just going to lead to stress and being unhappy, and the misconception that you are a “bad” author because people aren’t leaving you comments gushing over your work.

You need to get over being popular on AO3, because you aren’t special and nobody cares that you wrote a fanfic. People need to get over your ego and just enjoy writing a story because it’s fun, not because you’re writing to get popular in a fandom that always shifts; people come and go. Focus on writing great stories, not on trying to impress a bunch of strangers that only want you to make them content.

In conclusion, don’t lose sight of writing for fun and don’t chase being popular; it will only ruin something that’s supposed to be a fun hobby.

Anime Review: 'Fate/Strange Fake' (2026)

2026-05-27T16:55:08.123-06:00

Quick Info

Director: Shun Enokido and Takahito Sakazume
Distributor: Crunchyroll
Episode Count: 13
Runtime: 325 minutes
Availability: Streaming on Crunchyroll

Story Summary

In the city of Snowfield in the United States, a Holy Grail War has begun. The Masters have gathered, and the Servants are being summoned, but this Holy Grail War is different; there are more Masters and Servants than there should be. What’s going on, and who will make it out alive?

The Author of “Durarara!!” Is Having So Much Fun!

Ryōgo Narita, the author of Durarara!! Is the author of Fate/Strange Fake. He had a lot of fun with this plot, and it really shows. He excels at a story with a large cast, and the adaptation shows off a lot of that cast.

The story is a fun, entertaining ride if you’re already a Fate fan. It is not meant for newcomers, but longtime fans of various Type-Moon franchises, and I’ll explain that later in the article.

The Masters, both real and fake, are all interesting people to watch as they begin to fight each other for the Holy Grail.

All the characters are unique; they may not be as fleshed out in the anime because the light novels have a lot of extra details that the anime doesn’t adapt, but it’s still an entertaining anime.

The Animation Is Spectacular!

A-1 Pictures animated Fate/Strange Fake, and the animation looks amazing. It has a unique art style that makes it unique among the various Fate anime adaptations. What the studio excels at is the fight scenes, and boy, are they a lot of fun!

The fights are spectacular, and while I enjoy them a lot, I know that some fans only watch the Fate franchise for the fight scenes. I find that to be a very shallow reason to get into the franchise. People still enjoy the fights, while I enjoy everything about the series, the character interactions, the setting, and the fights.

The fights are well-choreographed, and the animation looks amazing for each fight. The fights are all story-related, and there are plenty of surprises if you’ve watched other Type-Moon media, because all the fights are based on story and character lore since characters are based on historical or mythological figures.

The fights are an adrenaline rush that all fans will enjoy, and they’re a visual spectacle to behold.

Everything in the anime has a great presentation, and if you’re looking for an anime with great visuals, this is definitely a visual treat.

The English Dub Is Great!

The voice acting for the English dub is great. I love the English cast for most Fate entries, and this one is great, bringing back voice actors David Vincent as Gilgamesh and Marin Miller reprises the role of Enkidu.

There are plenty of newcomers for new characters, and I like them a lot. The voice cast choices are excellent. Some that stood out to me are Khoi Dao as Flatt Escardos, and Anjali Kunapaneni as Ayaka Sajyou.

The Japanese dub is also great with an amazing cast, so no matter what language track you pick, you’ll enjoy the voice acting performances. It’s a great English dub and Japanese dub overall, so you should watch the anime twice so you can hear both voice tracks.

The Soundtrack Is Great!

The soundtrack for Fate/Strange Fake is excellent. Hiroyuki Sawano worked on the soundtrack for the anime, and it’s very nice. The soundtrack is very well done and sounds grand and epic when it needs to, and is good background music.

The opening for the anime is "Provant" by SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:Jean-Ken Johnny & TAKUMA, and the ending is "Senzaiteki na Ai" (Potential Love) by 13.3g. The music is great, and I enjoyed the opening and ending a lot.

Overall, the music is fantastic. It fits the anime very well. The soundtrack is great and fun to listen to, but not my favorite.

The Pacing Is Very Fast!

The pacing for Fate/Strange Fake is very fast. It speeds through events, and what I’ve heard from light novel readers is that the anime skipped several scenes from the light novel and removed them from the adaptation.

During the later episodes, a lot of content is cut from the anime because they were rushing to adapt some of the later volumes. While anime fans won’t notice, light novel readers noticed and didn’t like the anime as much as people who haven’t read the source material.

The fast pacing, because of the cut content, makes it a very weird adaptation. It also makes the story feel uneven because of all the cut content.

This is Not Meant to be Your First Entry

Contrary to what YouTuber Gigguk says, Fate/Strange Fake is NOT a great place to start your Type-Moon journey because it’s a giant love letter to Type-Moon in general, not just Fate. Sure, you can start with it, but you won’t understand what’s going on because there’s an unspoken rule breaking going on that only fans of the franchise, but Fate/Stay Night and Tsukihime will know, but a newcomer wouldn’t. They also throw in a lot of references that will fly over your head if you have no previous experience with the franchise, and it’s meant for established fans to enjoy, not newcomers to the franchise.

This is the worst place for a newcomer to start because this is written by fans, for fans, like the Fate/Grand Order anime adaptations; those are meant for people who played the gacha game and want to see the “cool scenes” animated.

This entire series is fanservice for longtime fans, and while newcomers can watch it you won’t enjoy it half as much if you’re new because all the fun references will just fly over your head. It’s not like the anime is going anywhere, so you should read Fate/Stay Night, Tsukihime, and watch Fate/Apocrypha and El-Melloi II’s Case Files to get full enjoyment out of Fate/Strange Fake.

It's Not Perfect, But It's Fun

Fate/Strange Fake is a fun entry to the Fate franchise; it’s not quite the turn-your-brain-off “popcorn” Fate entry like Fate/Apocrypha, but it is a fun and entertaining anime to watch. It’s absolutely fitting for an American Holy Grail War to be off-the-rails and crazy, and Fate/Strange Fake delivers that.

It’s got stunning animations, a great story, and characters that are memorable, incorporating aspects from both the Fate franchise and Tsukihime. It isn’t going anywhere, so you have time to get invested in the Fate franchise in order to fully enjoy Fate/Strange Fake.

This anime isn’t a perfect adaptation of the light novels, but it’s still a lot of fun.

My Grade: A

Fate/Strange Fake might not have the best anime adaptation, but it’s a lot of fun. I love the story, the plot, the characters, and the animation. It has excellent production value, and it’s very entertaining.

The story is fun, and I enjoy the twists the story has in it that turn all the Holy Grail War rules on their head. It’s a lot of fun because I enjoy Ryōgo Narita’s Durarara!! The writing is good, but the cut content makes the pacing feel weird.

I highly recommend Fate Strange Fake for any fan of the Fate franchise, but it is worth being into the Nasuverse before watching Fate/Strange Fake. You’ll get more out of the references if you are into the Nasuverse and recognize characters and lore from other works compared to if this is your first entry in the Fate franchise.

I enjoy the anime a lot, and I’m looking forward to watching season 2 when it comes out. I enjoyed everything about this anime. It’s very pricey if you want to own it, but if you want to watch the anime on Crunchyroll, you should.

Manga Review: 'Case Closed' Vol. 1

2025-12-09T17:48:00.004-06:00

Quick Info

Author: Gosho Aoyama

Published: September 7, 2004

Page count: 192

Availability: Buy on Amazon, Crunchyroll, buy digital online, read on Viz Manga app

Story Summary

Jimmy Kudo (Shinichi Kudo) goes to the Tropical Land amusement park with his childhood friend Rachel More (Ran Mori), and as a high school detective, he encounters a murder case. Later, he sees a mysterious man and follows him, leading to unexpected danger and consequences.

I'll Mention the Japanese Names, but I Will Use the Localized Names

Because this manga came out when translators would localize names, change the Japanese names to American names in order for American readers to pick up the manga, I will use the localized names, but I will put the Japanese names in parentheses.

I will make sure to use the English localized names for the manga review because I want the reviews to be consistent. However, when I review the movies and anime, I will be using the original Japanese names.

The Story is Off to a Great Start

Case Closed, or Detective Conan, is off to a solid start. Mysteries aren’t something I read a lot of, but I have listened to a few Sherlock Holmes stories, and I enjoyed them. I became intrigued by this franchise after watching Case Closed: The Fist of Blue Sapphire. I enjoyed the movie a lot, and so the story piqued my interest. However, it was the character of Ai Haibara that got me to watch the anime after I had watched the episodes on Netflix. Since I’m watching the anime, I thought I should review the manga as well.

The initial cases might not be mind-blowing, but they’re a solid setup for the manga’s story and establishing how smart Jimmy is, and while he’s a great detective, his personality isn’t that of the perfect male lead; he’s got flaws, and his flaws are what got him into his current situation.

I enjoyed the plot, and while it isn’t as amazing right off the bat, the mysteries and main plot become much more interesting and entertaining as the story goes on. But for these first cases, they get the job done of establishing the main character and the supporting cast around him.

I like how observant Jimmy is and that he thinks outside the box; he leaves his mind open for all sorts of reasons and possibilities for why the victim was murdered. He’s also very observant, and you can see that in how he notices things that adults overlook or miss.

Overall, while it isn’t the best start to a manga, it’s still solid enough to be intriguing, and you’ll want to read what happens next, which is what a first volume of a manga needs to do.

The Art is Fantastic!

Case Closed has beautiful artwork. It’s very detailed and bloody because people keep getting murdered. I like the character designs, and the artwork looks great, even though it’s almost 30 years old. The character designs and the backgrounds are nice to look at.

The crimes are very memorable because of the unorthodox ways people are murdered in this manga. While not every case is a murder, there are certainly a lot of them. Since this is Japan, there won’t be a lot of gun-related crimes, but they will show up throughout the manga. There are still crazy ways for a victim to be murdered.

Other than the murders, I do love the character designs. Every character is unique in how they look, and they don’t have a generic manga design and I can remember most of the large cast, except for other police departments, which won’t come into play in the manga for several volumes anyway.

The art is solid, and it only gets better as I continue to read this manga series.

The Main Plot is Slow

Gosho Aoyama’s pacing is very slow. Since this is a crime manga, like all detective and mystery fiction, it runs on a victim-of-the-week format. When it comes to the main plot of Conan Edogawa/Jimmy Kudo (Shinichi Kudo) taking on the Black Organization, you won’t be seeing them too much, and they don’t show up for a very long time in the manga.

If you want a story that isn’t episodic, then this manga isn’t for you, but there’s always character development happening in every chapter, and it takes a long time to see the big parts of the main plot happen in the story.

This Isn't for Everyone, but I Can See Why It's So Popular

Case Closed isn’t for everyone, but I can see why it’s very popular all over the world. It has an interesting protagonist in a unique situation and a premise that has never been replicated with the setting the story uses.

The characters are likable, flawed, and the story is intriguing. The main characters are well-written and fun. They’re all interesting, and I want to see what’s going to happen to them next. While this isn’t the “best” introduction for a series, it’s still a solid and memorable start if you’re looking for a manga series to get into. I can see why readers love the story, characters, and setting.

My Rating: A-

Case Closed is a fun manga; it’s a great way for readers to get into the mystery genre. While I initially came to the franchise by watching one of the movies, I had already started liking the mystery genre by listening to Sherlock Holmes stories on YouTube. Mysteries aren’t even my favorite genre, but I love this manga series.

While the first volume lacks the bombastic, action-packed elements of the typical Shonen manga, it’s still a solid Shonen title that anyone can pick up and read.

The story is interesting, while not the most exciting story I’ve read in a first volume, it’s still a solid start that keeps me invested in reading more, especially since I have watched the anime and now the story improves as time goes on, but if you have never watched the anime, it’s still a great way to get into the Detective Conan series, you’ll just have to deal wit the ‘Americanized’ names, if you switch to the subtitled version of the anime you will hear their Japanese names, and not the ones used in the localization.

I highly recommend Case Closed Volume 1 to anyone looking for a solid mystery series. While it does have some blood in it, it’s still considered a family-friendly series in Japan, and while it has some fanservice moments later, they are still very rare and the series is heavily focused on the cases and not necessarily showing fanservice in the manga.

While the pacing isn’t my favorite aspect of the manga, the cases are still very interesting to read. I love the series because I haven’t been able to solve the cases myself, so it makes every case an enjoyable read, especially when something about the main plot is revealed during the case.

The first volume is worth buying, whether in digital or print. You will need a whole bookshelf for the series if you’re going to purchase it physically. It’s a very long series that is more popular than One Piece if you’re outside the US.

If you want a solid mystery series with a unique premise and great characters, Case Closed is a manga series that you’ll want to try out. I have a Viz Manga subscription, so I’m reading it without paying too much. You can check if your local library has it, but since it’s an obscure series in the US you’ll want to check your local library. If you are not in the US, you shouldn’t have as much trouble because Case Closed, or Detective Conan, is very popular outside the US, all over the world.

This might not be my favorite manga, but I love the series and the characters. I might end up buying it digitally because I don’t have physical space for it all, but it could fit on my iPad.

My Viz Manga app subscription makes it so I can access the series any time, and I like that. I’m looking forward to reading the next manga volume. I’m still watching the anime, and I’m not caught up yet. But I only thought it was fair that I review the manga since I enjoy the anime so much.

I have purchased two Case Closed anime movies digitally on Amazon, and I recommend buying the manga if you can get it. If you don’t want to buy that much, but you still want to enjoy the series, you can subscribe to the Viz Manga app and read Case Closed. It’s a manga series that is worth your time and money if you’re willing to read it. It may not be the most exciting, action-packed manga you’ll ever read, but it’s a lot of fun, and I enjoy it a lot. I’ll be reviewing the manga and movies as I continue my journey through this amazing, beloved franchise.

Understanding The Lord

2024-09-01T17:52:00.003-06:00

Jeremiah 9:24 NLT

[24] But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!

https://bible.com/bible/116/jer.9.24.NLT

I want to know God and understand Him. I know he demonstrates unfailing love and righteousness. I know he delights in those things. I want to follow him because I love him, I also want to know him better. I've gone to church all my life but my relationship with him isn't the best, and I want to improve my relationship with Him even more as time goes on.

I'm trying my best to keep God at the center of my life, I do get distracted a lot but I have made improvements in my relationship, but it always needs work. I've added Bible reading and prayer as being more important, I need to make more time to pray, but I feel like I run out of things to pray about, I need to add more praise and worship time too.

As an introvert, I don't really go out and do "preaching" stuff, but I'm good at writing and I think I should try to write more encouraging articles to help encourage people in the Lord and hopefully, help other people follow Jesus.

I hope to encourage you on my own spiritual journey to grow in Jesus and grow closer to Jesus by keeping him at the center of my life.

Seek The Lord

2024-08-08T17:59:00.001-06:00

Zephaniah 2:3 NLT

[3] Seek the Lord, all who are humble, and follow his commands. Seek to do what is right and to live humbly. Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you— protect you from his anger on that day of destruction.

https://bible.com/bible/116/zep.2.3.NLT

God gave me this scripture to share with you. He just reminded me to seek him and make him the highest priority in my life. I was doing my daily reading and this scripture stuck out to me.

I want to seek God and follow his commands, he also reminded me to be humble. It doesn’t matter if this gets one view or millions of views, Jesus wanted you to see this post.

I want to do what is right and live humbly. I want the Lord to protect me. But God is not a vending machine, it’s not that, “Oh, I just do this and this and I get protection!” I want to follow him because I love him and I want to serve him.

Atheists say God is just the “flying spaghetti monster” or “sky daddy”, but people forget there are things that make him angry, like sin. People tend to see God as the nice grandpa that just lets everything slide.

But the Bible talks about how He can and will get angry with sin and punish sin. In order to avoid His anger on the day of destruction I need to seek and follow Him.

Living for Jesus is the most important thing I can do. I know I’ve been blessed with a writing gift and that’s why I love writing reviews, I love sharing my opinions. While I’ll never be a famous writer, I want to share Jesus with people in my own way, and I’ve had writer’s block when it comes to w riitng about both spiritual things and my reviews that I enjoy writing.

I just wanted to share this scripture with you because God is reminding me to seek and follow him.

Live To Be Considered Worthy By God

2023-12-23T23:14:00.001-06:00

We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.

1 Thessalonians 2:12 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/1th.2.12.NLT

I must live the way God considers worthy, I must live according to his word and folllow what Jesus said.

Think of Others and Thank God for Them

2023-12-09T21:31:00.003-06:00

As we to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 1:3 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/1th.1.3.NLT

I must have enduring hope that comes from Jesus, I must think of others and think of how they are living for Christ. I must remember the enduring hope that I have because of Jesus.

It's A Joy to Trust the Lord

2023-11-29T15:29:00.002-06:00

4Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,

who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols.

Psalm 40:4

It's easy to forget to trust the Lord when everything is going crazy. I must remember to trust him because he is the source of my joy. Today, worshipping idols isn't always worshipping objects, these days it's saying, "This person is my idol". People will let me down, but the Lord never will. He gives me joy and I trust him because I trust him and not people who will let me down.

Live By The Spirit

2023-11-25T13:32:00.002-06:00

8Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.

Galatians 6:8

I must live to please the Spirit and not my sinful nature. It's very hard to do that but I must rely on Jesus to continue to live by the Spirit and not my sinful nature.

God Is My Refuge

2023-11-04T21:38:00.001-06:00

This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.

Psalms 91:2 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.91.2.NLT

I've had to trust God with some medical things that came up that I wasn't expecting, but He blessed me and I'll be able to get it taken care of very soon. I can trust him no matter what happens in my life and I don't have to be afraid because He is my refuge.

Don't Be Afraid or Discouraged

2023-10-28T22:40:00.007-06:00

He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

2 Chronicles 20:15 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/2ch.20.15.NLT

In this world of chaos and confusion and bad things happening all around me, I need to look to God and not be discouraged by everything going on in the world. He will fight my battles.

Live In The Light

2023-10-07T23:10:00.000-06:00

But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:7 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/1jn.1.7.NLT\

I must live in the light and have fellowship with God, If I continue to live in the light, Jesus will clense me from all sin.

Jesus Is Willing To Heal

2023-09-23T23:00:00.003-06:00

Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!”

Mark 1:41 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/mrk.1.41.NLT

I am still praying for healing, I believe in healing from Jesus because I know he is willing to heal me.

Receive What the Spirit Receives From God

2023-09-16T22:45:00.001-06:00

All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’

John 16:15 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.16.15.NLT

I can receive what Jesus and the Holy Spirit receive from God by listening to his word and doing what it says, but I have to listen to what the Bible says, and pay attention.

I Chose You to Come Out of the World

2023-09-09T22:01:00.002-06:00

The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.

John 15:19 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.15.19.NLT

God wants me to not be part of the world and I have to remember that I don't belong to the world so I must live for Jesus and not for the world.

Love Each Other

2023-09-02T22:21:00.005-06:00

This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.

John 15:12 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.15.12.NLT

God wants me to love others as he loves me. It is an important part of Christianity. It is one of the ways I can reach people for Jesus.

Ask in Jesus' Name

2023-08-20T00:16:00.005-06:00

Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!

John 14:14 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.14.14.NLT

I have been asking for healing and I believe I will receive it, whether on Earth or in Heaven. Asking Jesus for what you want is important because having a relationship with him is important, and not just for him to give you physical things, but I must also ask him for spiritual things as well.

Devote Myself To Prayer

2023-08-12T21:53:00.002-06:00

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

Colossians 4:2 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/col.4.2.NLT

I need to devote myself to prayer and be thankful and have an alert mind.

Devote Yourself to Prayer

2023-08-05T20:35:00.000-06:00

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

Colossians 4:2 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/col.4.2.NLT

I must remember to devote myself to prayer and always be thankful for all the blessings God has given me. I must always have an alert mind when I pray.

Put On My New Nature

2023-07-29T23:54:00.001-06:00

Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

Colossians 3:10 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/col.3.10.NLT

I need to put on my new nature and learn to know Jesus so I can be like Him. Learning to be like Him requires me to read the Word of God and do what it says.

Let God Cut Away My Sinful Nature

2023-07-22T23:24:00.001-06:00

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.

Colossians 2:13 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/col.2.13.NLT

I must be made alive in Christ though God. I do that by letting him cut away my sinful nature.

Loving Others and Living As I Should

2023-07-16T10:52:00.002-06:00

I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.

Colossians 2:2‭-‬5 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/col.2.2-5.NLT

I must remember to live as I should, relying on Jesus and his treasures of wisdom and knowledge. It's very easy to be persuaded by well-crafted arguments, but my salvation in Jesus is more important than arguments that sound good.

I must remember to live how Jesus wants me to live and understand the plan of salvation that God sent, that is Jesus.

Believe the Truth and Stand Firm

2023-07-08T21:55:00.005-06:00

But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.

Colossians 1:23 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/col.1.23.NLT

I must not drift away from the truth. It is very easy to get caught up in things that are not Biblically true because they make you feel good. I need to continue to believe the truth and stand on it, even when it's not popular or culturally "correct".

Be Strengthened by God's Glorious Power

2023-07-01T23:22:00.006-06:00

We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,

Colossians 1:11 N
LT

https://bible.com/bible/116/col.1.11.NLT

Having patience and endurance that comes from God will help me endure the things that are inconvenient. I don't live in a country where being a Christian means you go to jail or your family won't have food. I must endure the things that are "easy" by comparison. God will give me patience and endurance to deal with any situation.