Light Novel: Leviathan of the Covenant

Title: Meiyaku No Leviathan (Leviathan of the covenant)

Author: Takedzuki Joe

Illustrator: Nimura Yuuji

Genre: Harem, Magic, Ecchi, Closet Pervert MC

World of Dragons and Serpents

I shall confer to you the power of dragonbane—the conqueror's runes that dragonkind unquestionably reveres and seeks out. The special privilege of the dragonslayer shall be bestowed upon you. 

It is a power that can exterminate even that dragon with ease. Hence, you shall now submit that stone and give up on dying respectably. 

Abandon living and dying as a mortal. Instead— 

You shall become a war god... Or perhaps the devil who will destroy the world. But should you lack the corresponding capacity, then you shall simply die pitifully. 

Form a covenant with me, brat. You shall become king—the one to rule over all 'serpents' in this world and bear the brunt of dragonkind's fear and hatred.

-Excerpt from Volume 1 chapter 3-

Hello, it has been such a long time I haven't post anything. This time I'm writing about a light novel that I've been hooked onto for quite some time. It is among a group of light novels that I called, Solomon Novel simply because King Solomon is mentioned in the novel.

From left, Hinokagutsuchi, Juujouji Orihime, Anastasya Rubashvili and Haruga Haruomi

A ruined world

This light novel is set in a world where human civilization has been destroyed by dragons and humanity rises again to rebuild their civilization over the ruins of the past. There are some parts of the world that has fallen to the dragon kings such as America that is occupied by Red Hannibal but some are just left alone with occasional raptor and elite dragon attacks. The dragons did not establish their own ruling in the area, they also did not take humans as slaves, they just go on rampage destroying human civilization for the fun of it. The dragon race are described as being hot blooded and loves fighting. They are also the embodiment of the shounen battle manga protagonists in term of hot bloodedness.

From left Red Hannibal (Dragon King of Rune of Spear), Yukikaze (Dragon King of Rune of Arrow) and Pavel Galad (Tyrannos of Rune of Sword)

The dragons or specifically elite dragons; dragons with limbs and wings, capable of speech and possesses high intellect are able to wield magic called the runes of Ruruk Soun. The strongest of this magic is the dragon-slaying magic capable of killing dragons with ease. These runes are classed according to the weapon their symbol take after. Those who possess the dragon-slaying magic are called Tyrannos (false king) and are destined to walk upon the path of kingship and those that managed to reach to master the power is known as dragon kings.

Orihime and her leviathan, Akuro Ou; Asya and her leviathan, Rusyalka

Luna and her leviathan, Glinda; Hazumi and her leviathan, Minadzuki

Humans, on the other hand developed magic and and dragon imitations, Leviathans in order to fight the dragons. The ones controlling the leviathans are young maidens called Witches. These witches work under an organization that deals with dragon related incident called SAURU.

From left, Luna Francois Gregory, Shirasaka Hazumi and Juujouji Orihime

Protagonist, a (false) dragon king?

The story follows the adventure or rather the turn of event that unfortunately befall our protagonist, Haruga Haruomi and the witches around him, Anastasya Rubashvili (Asya), Juujouji Orihime, Shirasaka Hazumi and Luna Francois Gregory. The story follows their journey after Haruga Haruomi (Hal) obtained a dragon-slaying rune, Rune of Bow from a deceased dragon king, the Crimson Queen now known as the ghost Hinokagutsuchi that accompany Hal's journey.

Rune of Bow

The story follows Hal and his friends as they fend off dragons' attack, facing against other tyrannos and Hal's journey in his path of kingship. As the story advances, Hal will gain more power as tyrannos and face the risk that comes with the power.

The risk of losing his humanity and turning into the very dragon that they fight against.

It is a good true harem story if you ask me. Because although it is normal for the girls to being possessive of him, there is reason that compel them to compromise with one another. And also, the personality of the MC is good, being closet pervert and all. He did admit it. Besides that, the way the inferior human (Hal) struggles against all of the troubles that come to him from the elite dragon Soth, Tyrannos Pavel Galad, Red Dragon King Hannibal, White Dragon King Yukikaze and Solomon-senpai (King Solomon) is worth the read.

I recommend it to be added into your reading list and that's all for this time. See you in the next post and happy new year.

*all of the picture in this post belong to its original creator.

Stella no Mahou review

There is bound to be that one feels good slice of life show every season to help you relax after watching a bunch of action filled or depressing, serious anime. Its main purpose is to help cleanse your souls and gives a relaxing, happy feeling to the mind. Stella no Mahou is the exact anime that fits the description. It is an anime that doesn't take itself seriously, have a simple, enjoyable story coupled with cute characters doing cute things. It is one of the underrated anime this season, mainly because it is not one of the main dishes, but rather serving as a dessert. But a rather sweet one at that.

Upon enrolling in high school, Tamaki Honda joins a club for making doujin games known as the SNS Club. Joined by programmer Shiina, writer Ayame, and composer Kayo, Tamaki begins working as an illustrator for the club's next game.(Source: Wikipedia)

WHAT IS THIS CUTE CREATURE?

Stella no Mahou have a very simple and straightforward plot. A bunch of cute high school girls making video games together with slice of life theme fitted in between. For starters, there were a lot of anime with its main story having the characters making video games as its core story, and this is no exception. In any case, it does feels like New Game but less technical with the video game making part, and more of the characters itself. The story is nothing special and mostly predictable, but fun to watch nevertheless. It doesn't take itself to seriously, moving at its own slow pace, and keep the interaction between each characters interesting with a some comedy here and there. It is nothing extraordinary through and through. But just like what I've said before, that is fine for a slice of life anime. There are some progressions in a sense that the group managed to accomplish their goals later on, just to make each chapter to be coherent with each other. All in all, while the story is nothing great, it manages to do its job perfectly well.

The main character in the anime is Honda Tamaki, probably the cutest character we had this season. Her design and personalities screams "moe" and "I want to protect this girl". She had a soft voice, a very cute expression, with messy hair and oversized uniform; it's a definition of cuteness. One of her most memorable characteristic is her passion for old men. In fact, the reason why she loves to draw them in the first place is because the pure, unadulterated love for her father. It is a refreshing and cute traits. Other noteworthy characters in the anime include her fujoshi friend Fuda Yumine, who acts as an emotional support, and 3 others seniors in her game making club. Murakami Shiina is the president of the club, where she is soft-spoken and can be rather pessimistic at time. Seki Ayame is a more outgoing club member, but can be reliable when it counts. Her embarrassment towards her 'dark history' is a running gag of the show itself. And finally we have Fujikawa Kayo, who is the laid back, cool type of member who I wish were given more development. There were also some other characters that join in once in a while, but doesn't have that much screen time to be that significant. All the character are mostly rather generic in design, which is a slight problem in itself considering that where slice of life lacks in story is its strong characters lineup. But it has a passing score, to say the least.

She is the perfect daughteru.

The art and animation done in Stella no Mahou is done spectacularly. Again, this is such an important aspect for this kind of genre. It had a very beautiful and vivid colour palette, mostly soft and pleasant to the eye. The characters are very cute, and special effects like sparkling or flowery background amplify the factors even more. It even feels like a scene out of a painting at some point, which is saying something. The animation is decent with little quality issue. It doesn't have a 'sakuga' level animation but good enough for an anime of its genre considering its slow, relaxing pace. The OP song is very cheerful and catchy which suited the anime, while the ED is a little bit off, with its electronic trance music (no idea why they have to go with it but whatever?). The ost used are fine and fits with the overall mood. All in all, the quality is decent enough.

Stella no Mahou is a relaxing anime that soothe your heart with its easygoing story and moe characters. It is nothing stellar; just an average "cute girls doing cute things" anime, and you won't really missed much from not watching it. Yet, this anime is one would call a light upon some of the other depressing anime this season had. Fan of slice of life would probably love it, while a more serious anime fans would probably ignore it. But alas for me, it is a decent and enjoyable moeblob anime that I had watched this time.

Keijo!!!!!!!! review

First thing first. You might question why this series had so many exclamation marks on its title. I have no idea. Second, I watched the whole anime while turning my brain off for maximum enjoyment, so my viewpoint is basically from a brain-dead guy who watches this anime for shit and giggles (or more accurately, for boobs and butts). Thirdly, this anime is not for everyone, so some might find it to be jarring. Forth, I might use a lot of words like boobs, breast, butts and asses, so bear with me. Now that we get that clear, let us have a review on Keijo, a national treasure of anime.

( ͡͡ ° ͜ ʖ ͡ °) ( ͡͡ ° ͜ ʖ ͡ °) ( ͡͡ ° ͜ ʖ ͡ °) ( ͡͡ ° ͜ ʖ ͡ °) ( ͡͡ ° ͜ ʖ ͡ °) ( ͡͡ ° ͜ ʖ ͡ °) ( ͡͡ ° ͜ ʖ ͡ °) ( ͡͡ ° ͜ ʖ ͡ °) ( ͡͡ ° ͜ ʖ ͡ °)

Boob battle

... and ass clashes.

Kaminashi Nozomi is an exceptional gymnast. So much so that colleges with some of the best gymnastic programs are trying to recruit her. Unfortunately for them, she has other plans. Due to her family being extremely poor, money is everything to her. That's why she wants to step into the world of "Keijo." "Keijo" is a type of gambling sport where girls stand on a small floating platform and compete against one another. The aim is to push the other contestant off of the platform into the water, but they are only allowed to use their butt or breasts to push the others off. Will Nozomi be able to compete in the intense world of "Keijo" and bring wealth and fortune for her family? (Source: MangaHelpers)

Gate of Bootylon!

The anime had a relatively simple, plain plot. It's boobs and butts the sport, with characters fighting with each others to be the best throughout the whole story. As such, one does not have to use much brain cell that is left to understand the story because it is pretty much direct and self-explanatory. Most of the time it is predictable, but that does not hinder it from being entertaining. It is just absurdly fun because it's just plain ridiculous. Who would have thought that a sport using just butt and boobs will be so intense? The name and the way the tecniques were executed are just out of this world. Meteor Hip, Vacuum But canon, Gate of Bootylon? You name it. Also, in case you noticed, there are a lot of references from popular anime where they changed it to suite the Keijo theme, which is always a plus. The more the anime progress, the more ridiculous it become, to the point that it's just plain stupid. Yet since by the time you progress that far, you might not care anymore since the brain is already in an inactive state. In the end, the story itself become rather negligible, and all the anime is worth is its fancy action and creative way of executing it. Also, I haven't read any of the manga, but I've been told that a lot of parts had been cut off just because the number of volumes the manga had. As such, I can't really make any comparison or elaborate much on that.

I swear I got a lot more screencap of the techniques executions. It's pretty much a treasure trove.

As for the characters, Keijo features a huge array of cast with voluptuous, fit body shape of all kind. The main character, Kaminashi Nozomi is your generic "I will become the best and very rich" type who speak with a dialect, which is a nice touch. There aren't really other noteworthy traits from her but at the same time she is not bad character wise. Her other friend, Miyata Sayaka is more level-headed character with a bust complex. She is given enough development and decent enough to watch. There is also Aoba Kazane who is a more timid, smart girl and your usual klutz Toyoguchi Non with soft, squishy part, where all of them share the same room altogether. All the other characters are there just to support the main casts, and aren't given enough development which is understandable given how many the characters were in the anime and having to put all of them in a single cour.

Keijo!!!!!!!! have a rather decent animation and art, which makes up for the poor storyline. The usage of sharp, flat colours with defined outline makes it pleasant to watch. All the action scene are very fluid and fun to watch as a whole.The damage inflicted each time the hit connects feels painful, and the way the body move is smooth and flow wonderfully. The usage of cinematic camera, as well as well placed camera is praiseworthy. The studio knows its priority, and that's always a good thing. The music is average to say the most. Most of the ost used fits well with the scene, while the OP and ED is fun to watch and listen to.

Overall, Keijo!!!!!!!! is a really fun and enjoyable anime to watch, given that you denies all the logic and reason when watching it. It is a perfect anime for boobs and asses connoisseur who want to see what such magnificent body parts could achieve more. It is not an anime for everyone tho, people who despise fanservice might hate it to the core, dissing it for its ridiculous, poor story and absurd theme. But in the end of the day, it is a fanservice anime, and I can say it does its job well done.

Reminder!

Shuumatsu no Izetta review

World War 2 themed anime is always entertaining to watch. Shuumatsu no Izetta however brings some unique addition to the whole historical war theme; by adding elements of magic. It is actually rather cool to see a witch riding a huge tank-busting rifle instead of your typical broom into battle. This anime deliver good, enjoyable story till the end, but there are so many wasted potential that prevented it from being a true masterpiece.

Riding a gun this time, because why not.

"If I am promised to the princess, then I will fight for her sake." In 1939 C.E., the imperialist nation of Germania invaded a neighboring country. All at once, that war spread throughout Europe, and the era was dragged into a spiral of a great war. Then, in 1940, Germania's attack turned towards the Principality of Elystadt, a small Alpine country abundant with beautiful water and greenery. (Source: Official Website)

Advantage of gun over a broom: Can shoot stuff. 

The plot of Shuumatsu no Izetta is a linear one. A princess befriended a powerful witch that could help defend her home country in the midst of war. Imagine the German invading Austria during world war 2, but with a twist. Everything seems to be fine, till right in the middle where there are some obstacles and conflicts that makes it much more interesting. Death and sacrifice is a concurrent theme, and the anime doesn't shy itself for letting several key characters dies. The anime ended in a rather strong and satisfying end, albeit rushed. My biggest complain about the anime is how its should split into 2 cours instead. Character development focused heavily on the two main characters and seems to ignore the other. This is a huge flaw since some of the side characters had a some important roles yet the viewers understanding of their past and motivation is almost null. It had so much potential but alas, everything had to be crammed inside a single cour.

The yuri is strong in this anime.

The two main characters that mostly took the spotlight are Princess Fine and Izetta. Princess Fine is your ideal image of a ruler, loved by the people and have a strong sense of responsibility to rule and defend the country well. Izetta meanwhile is a rather powerful witch that complement with Fine in a sense that she also want to make sure Fine become a great ruler, giving her unyielding trust and power. There are no obvious romance that could be elaborated, but the friendship between those two is definitely stepping the boundary of Yuri; not that it is a bad thing. Most of the other characters like had been said before, is less noteworthy; either because their backstory is not elaborated as much or mostly just used as a plot device to move the story itself.

Flipping tanks... with magics!

The art and animation are decent for the most part. The action scenes were executed really well, with smooth and fluid animation. The portrayal of alternate Europe during the World War 2 era is also very detailed; from uniform, to weapons and vehicles. Tanks, airplanes and ship are modelled using CGI, which is really common nowadays, but you can tell that the animators did their job perfectly considered how accurate most of the details are. There are little animation issues; while not the best this season to offer it is still a job well done from the studio. Sound is also decent enough. The OP gets the viewer pumped up while the ED leaves a melancholic feel as each episode end.

The ending is rather bittersweet so to speak.

Shuumatsu no Izetta is one of my top anime this season; which is saying something since this season overall is rather mediocre. It is good and enjoyable to watch, yet it had so much potential that could be exploited if the anime was mad longer instead. While not perfect, it does it job alright.

Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku review

It is no surprise to see one anime now and then defying the usual tropes. Puella Magi Madoka Magica for example challenged the trope by giving a mahou shoujo anime a darker turn while some other brings a little twist by having the protagonist mahou shoujo as an adult male; mahou shounen. Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku, or Magical Girl Raising Project is leaned towards the former, with its own unique twist.

"Hi, I'm Fav. And I'm totally not a Monokuma or Kyuubey ripoff."

A social game called The Magical Girl Raising Project allows one in tens of thousands of people to be a "magical girl" — possessing extraordinary physical capabilities and looks, as well as special magical powers that set them apart from the rest of the human race. But one day, in a district containing 16 magical girls, the administration announces that it must halve the number of magical girls to solve the problem of magical energy. At first, the 16 magical girls race to collect more "magical candy" than their competitors, but the rules quickly become twisted, and it quickly becomes a murderous battle for survival among them. (Source: ANN)

Death is a norm in this anime.

The anime start off with a rather cheerful and happy tone, typical of  a mahou shoujo anime. Things take a darker turn 2-3 episodes later, as the rule took turn for the worse, in the end become a huge battle royale between the mahou shoujos. Some formed team; to defend themselves or picking on weaker groups. Thing is, more than half of the cast had some screw loose in their head. There are no concrete explanation as in why they have to result to murder, since alternatively they could talk through it. Some do it just for fun, some just following orders while this one girl cold heartedly just kill every other girl, devoid of good enough reasons. While this is all just to push the plot and to make a darker show of mahou shoujo series, it is indeed rather disheartening to see your favourite girls die one by one each episodes. Conversely, this show does breed some of the most hated character this season. Most of the death is foreshadowed in a way that most of them shows a little flashback of the characters backstory before they meet their demise, while some other is rather unexpected in term of how they would die regardless. The story went full on battle royale till the end, with a decent closure. The drama aspect of the anime itself felt really forced, to the point that they dragged on too much. While overall it is actually a prologue to a much longer light novel series, it is mediocre enough to be adapted as one.

IT'S A TRAP!

The main characters in the story is Snow White, an ideal representative of how Magical Girl should be; cheerful, always happy to help other and disliked conflicts. She had a rather useless looking ability (in term of combat at least, well not yet fully developed at this point) in a way she could hear the voice of distress of other people. The only problem with her is that she is mostly useless for most of the story itself. She haven't done much to actually influence all the other magical girl, in which her absence could brings little to no different to the outcome of the story. She is there mostly as a symbol of pure mahou shoujo; the only one existed amidst the conflict brewing. The other main character is Ripple, also have little backstory to show behind her. She is a quiet ninja+mahou shoujo, with her action in the beginning driven only by her mentor, Top Speed. Other characters are not so really worth mentioning, since they are there only to have little backstory to tell before they actually die. And yeah, Swim Swim in particular; my hate for her is more than the force of thousand suns burning.

I f**king hate her.

Animation is good in general. The quality is mostly consistent with little to no animation problem. The shift in art and mood from a bright, cheerful tone to a muck dark, less vibrant colour is a nice touch to emphasize the central theme of the anime itself. The use of special effects along with the determination and fear on most girls’ faces while fighting were well displayed. The sound overall nothing special, mostly mediocre. The OP and ED both had a not so cheerful tune, directly implies to the viewer that this is not your average, happy go lucky mahou shoujou anime.

Punished Ripple, denied by her Top Speed.

Overall, Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku is a rather decent enough anime to watch. It is an anime for those who enjoy a series who deviate from your usual trope, which is apparently rather popular nowadays. If you are a fan of cute girls battling each other only to end up in a gruesome death every single episode, then your are more than welcome to watch this anime.