hey everyone, it's lego jujutsu kaisen. i'm on time this month with the review. i don't really have a lot of foreword this time. june was by far my best month for manga that i've had this year; i don't think i've ever read more in my life. let's get this started
anime of the month
i didn't watch a whole lot in june due to my aforementioned manga binge, but i did watch some good stuff. i started watching Futari wa Precure, which is just the beginning of a journey i'll likely be undertaking for the next few years. i'm watching it with no subtitles for immersion, and it's pretty easy since it's a kids show. i also watched some good OVAs. everything else was fairly unremarkable, or somewhat infuriating in the case of Urusei Yatsura (2022), a pathetic imitation of the original 1981 tv anime. so without further ado, let's get into the anime of the month.
the honor this month belongs to the wonderful Princess Tutu. i've heard people describe it as the Madoka Magica of its time; though that is high praise, it's also an incredibly fucking stupid sentiment, as the two really don't have that much in common. there's no deconstruction of the mahou shoujo genre with this one, and it's really not as dark as Madoka, though it perhaps shares some of its themes of identity.
Princess Tutu is an inherently meta work which comments on the kinds of stories it adapts (namely, various works of ballet and fairy tales). through thrusting an unsuspecting little duck into the role of a human girl doomed to tragedy, it succeeds in deconstructing archetypal roles and giving humanity to what should be larger-than-life characters. this work does not aim to criticize the works it pulls from; it simply adds layers of realism to its characters.
it is important to mention that this is far from a perfect work. it's fairly lacking in the visual department, having a somewhat washed-out palette and a flat look typical of earlier works in the digital paint medium. additionally, likely as a result of budget constraints, the animation is fairly reserved, only really doing anything impressive in its dance scenes, which are portrayed accurately and carefully. it's still a great watch, but it unfortunately personally serves as a reminder of my disdain for animation in the digital era. there were works in this transitional period that look great and even utilize the limitations, such as TEXHNOLYZE, but this is not one of them. seeing as the focus in this anime is on the characters and the expression of their emotions and development through dance, these technical limitations rarely actively hurt the experience, but they certainly are something i noticed frequently.
manga of the month
i've had to think for a while about what i wanted to highlight here. it was a very close race, so i am going to take some time here to briefly acknowledge some awesome stuff i read that did not win.
SOIL is a great work of horror that only gets weirder and more uncomfortable as it goes on. i do think it is at its strongest in the first phase before it starts to go off the rails. it's obvious that the direction it went was planned from the beginning, but i think it got too overt by the end for my tastes. it still got a very high rating at a 7.5/10.
something else i read was my first villainess manhwa, Solitary Lady. i am no stranger to works in the villainess subgenre, and this one is of the less common type in anime, where rather than the villainess being someone who reincarnated into the role, they are a character originally from the fantasy world where they time loop upon their death. it's my understanding that in manhwa, this type is a bit more common. this work was, at its core, a revenge fantasy above all else, which is unique among the villainess stories i've seen. its overt comeuppance against the major male characters is important in a landscape that is ultimately very patriarchal (though i am not very familiar with the political climate in korea, i know it is very, very bad for women).
finally, before we get into the manga of the month, i'd like to bring attention to a little-known compilation of works, Haikyo Shoujo. each one shot is beautifully drawn with unique paneling, and the subject matter is disturbing in a perfect way. it's very esoteric, but surprised me with its depth in so few pages. i highly recommend it; it's very short and worth the read. now, let's talk about what takes the number one spot.
River's Edge is extremely well-executed. though the subject matter is routinely difficult to stomach, it's presented with a strange detachment typical of the suffering adolescent mind. though this is explicilty stated in the manga's description (which i did not read because i was recommended this by a friend), the way everything slowly builds to the "one disastrous night" is quite compelling.
the main theme at play here is one of learned helplessness. despite every character's awareness of their circumstances and their suffering, in a beautifully painful display, none of them do anything to change their lives for the better. the complacency present at all moments is exactly what leads to the disaster; if even one character tried to do something about it, everyone would have been better for it.
this manga also has a very interesting discussion of sexuality within its larger themes. it's ultimately not at the forefront of what's being explored, but it still plays very nicely into the theme of learned helplessness. it's fascinating how subtly the mangaka is able to explain the origins of each character's suffering as it relates to sex despite basically avoiding open discussion of sexual abuse entirely. basically, this manga is an exercise in subtlety and tragedy, and has left a lasting impact on me with only 14 short chapters.
River's Edge exemplifies what i have come to love about shorter works, both in manga and anime. with so little time, it can do so much without overstaying its welcome.
video game of the month
remember one month ago when i said i would be giving a raving positive review of DELTARUNE in next month's review? well this is where i do that. and without spoilers because my one (1) reader hasn't played it yet!
it's great. like 9/10 great. maybe even higher. the new chapters are more than i ever hoped for. the gameplay remains innovative, the characters remain compelling, and the art actually improved, especially in chapter 4, which is by far the best chapter that has released so far. with over half of this game released and chapter 5 on the horizon in 2026, it's clear that this game is going to be an important part of my life for a long time to come. i've been with it since day one on october 31, 2018, and i'm gonna stay with it until it's done. i believe wholeheartedly that the final product is going to be immensely satisfying. i may even, at that time, play through it from chapter 1-7 as god intended, and as my one reader intends to do.
stay strong, soldiers, and do not get spoiled!
final thoughts
it was a long and very busy june for me. i'm honestly proud of myself for reading and watching as much as i did despite that. i'm currently watching Kenpuu Denki Berserk, which definitely has the potential to make it on next month's anime of the month spot if i don't watch something even better. i still have a tiny bit of deltarune i have to play (on my second save file), but i'll be done with that in like one more sitting.
alright i'm gonna go eat some fuckin chick-fil-a -lego jujutsu kaisen