While I've Been Away

We have been on hiatus for four months, but the nerd world doesn't stop spinning for anyone. So, what's been going on while I've been away? Let's find out!

Wow, is it good to be back! Not only to be back, but to be back and have so much to talk about! Nerdom, brace yourselves, because we will be going over some snap-shots of big things happening in the nerd world, and what my impressions of them are, so far.

Let's start by finally giving a full congratulations to Tower of God [ToG] and Fruits Baskets [Fruba] for finishing their respective seasons with a bang! The former finished their first season, while the latter just wrapped up season two. Both are doing an incredible job of bringing their comic/manga to life and leaving their audiences starving for more. Crunchyroll did a great job with ToG, especially with it being one of their first Originals to be released. If you have not checked these two out yet, make sure you do! They are definitely worth the watch.

Speaking of Crunchyroll, most of their first string of Originals are now out for you to enjoy. Beyond ToG, I have not been able to check out some of the others, but I was pleasantly surprised to have people messaging me about them, specifically: The God of Highschool and Noblesse. Both were Webtoon to anime adaptations and I am very glad to see they are getting the attention they deserve. I will most definitely be checking these out, as well as the other Originals and highly recommend you do the same!

We can't do a nerd update and not talk about Webtoon, can we? Absolutely not! Shame on you for even considering it! Especially when Webtoon has been up to all sorts of new shenanigans. Shortly before my hiatus Webtoon celebrated their 6th anniversary. With it rolled out not only new comics, but new features and mechanics to enhance your reading experience as well. They put their focus on their coin currency and have been hosting events regularly to get readers coins. I think that was a brilliant tactic to get their creators more revenue, while also creating opportunities for readers to gain coins that they may not have been able to purchase, otherwise. Not only that, but it probably makes some really interesting stats for them as a business, getting to see where the coins get spent and all.

With this currency push they also revised how completed series are viewed. Gotta pay up! This will inspire readers to pick up the pace in their reading, and be more active in the present time. Though some readers might see these new changes as restrictions, they are great news for the artists behind the comics you love. And if you need further explanation for that, Webtoon thought of that, too. With the launch of these new features they also launched multiple "comics" done by the employees to engage with readers and answer questions. It’s like an interactive FAQ! There are a few different ones, each with their own objective. I think overall they have done really well so far. Kudos to them for growing and expanding their business! Also, a huge congratulations to Siren's Lament, which is in its last season! It is so bitter sweet for me to see the episodes tick by when Siren's Lament was the comic that initially brought me to Webtoon in the first place. With that being said, be sure to check them out before you find yourself needing coins to read it!

Ahhh, another one of my favorites has been getting to have a bit of the limelight recently. Mo Dao Zu Shi - a Chinese series that I wrote a review before the hiatus – has had some recent updates! This franchise started as a webnovel series that was later published and then received not one, not two, but THREE adaptations: an anime, a live action tv series and a comic. So, what could they possibly do next? I’ll tell you: It just received its fourth adaptation as a chibi anime series. This adaptation shows a more light-hearted side to these otherwise traumatized characters. I have been watching this one as it comes out and it is quite cute and endearing. Congratulations to the author and the whole team for the creation of Mo Dao Zu Shi Q. Now, if they could just release season three of the original anime, then I could rest in peace! Although… I wouldn't mind a sequel novel series...just sayin'… For those who are interested, you can find this chibi series on YouTube.

And finally, our last big piece of news - which is indeed large - is the creation and quick release of Yashahime: Princess Half Demon! I did not see this one coming AT ALL. I never even heard whispers. One moment it was announced and then a month later it was here! I could not believe it. For those of you who might not know what I'm talking about, let me just preface by saying: this is HUGE! Yashahime is a sequel series to a very popular, and now old, anime called Inuyasha. Inuysha was originally a manga series that ran from 1996-2008, its anime adaptation ran from 2000-2004 and its sequel anime series Inuyasha: The Final Act ran from 2009-2010. Throw in four movies throughout that time period and it was an incredible franchise. It did well for itself and it still stands as an anime classic to this day. And that was it- Until all of a sudden it wasn't!

I was shocked...and then I may have screamed a bit. For them to bring this to us now is something special and I'm pretty happy about it. I have seen A LOT of mixed reviews about how fans received the news. Many felt this was a sell out and were greatly concerned that this would botch an otherwise incredible series. When I first started seeing this backlash, I was offended for the creators, but the more I thought about it, these fans had every right to feel that way. I mean, just look at the mixed reception Boruto, the sequel series to Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden. However, the biggest difference between Boruto and Yashahime is that Boruto came out immediately after its predecessor ended. Yashahime is coming at us 10 years after the last episode of its predecessor. To me, that time is going to make a huge difference in the production and story quality. As you can probably tell by how I am talking about it, I have not watched Yashahime yet. Not due to lack of want though- it's actually killing me! But I am exercising my patience for the chance to experience it as a family. James and Chase had never seen any of Inuyasha, so I am re-watching it alongside them so we can take on Yashahime together. I admit, I have my fears, I'm trying desperately to ignore my Cursed Child vibes, but I do want to go into this new series with an open mind. If you want to check out Yashahime: Princess Half Demon, it is available on Crunchyroll, along with most other anime viewing platforms!

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A lot of fun stuff happening all over the Nerdom! There are lots of new things cropping up everywhere, but these were some of the bigger ones that I felt I would have written about had I not been on hiatus. Though I was sad that I couldn't write about them in the moment, I am so happy to bring them to you now. Thank you so much for joining me this evening, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week! Finish strong and then go watch some anime, read some comics, or whatever nerdom floats your boat! I will be back on Sunday with The Mess so come join me and, in the meantime, stay nerdy and stay messy my friends! Ah, yes, it's good to be back!