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dlamp-dictator · 5 years

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Allen’s Rambling: A Combat School Anime About Combat (Absolute Duo)

Every year I go out of my way to rewatch three anime.

The first is Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple, a martial arts comedy anime that I’ve always found enjoyment out of since I first watched it quite a few years ago back in the early 2010s. I never watch this to completion anymore given it’s over 40 episodes, but watching about 5 or 8 episodes helps me remember what I love about this genre. The wacky fights, the likable characters, the plot progression, all good stuff that I can recommend to anyone.

The second is Master of Martial Hearts, another martial arts anime that is so legendarily bad that it’s almost a required viewing for any anime fan. I watch this as a sort of palette cleanser to just remind myself of what a truly bad anime is like when I feel like raving and complaining about how uncreative the Isekai genre is. All I have to look back at this anime and then ask myself: “Is there an anime as bad as Master of Martial Hearts in the year 2019?” If the answer is no (when the answer is no), I know that we still live in a world where anime is pretty okay.

And the last thing I watch every year is Absolute Duo, an anime that is honestly pretty average in the grand scheme of things, but is such a fun and comfortable watch that I can’t help but enjoy it every year. I decided to watch my yearly three shows a little out of order this time and... well, I just want to talk a little about this show for a bit.

And let’s start this as I usually do, with the premise.

Absolute Duo focuses on a Tor Kokonoe, a young man who becomes a student at Kouryou Academy, a military school that trains students called Exceeds who wield spiritual/soul weapons known as Blazes. Tor is an Irregular, a title given to him due to his Blaze manifesting as a shield instead of a melee weapon like everyone else. With his Duo partner Julie Sigtuna they train and fight off several threats to reach Absolue Duo, the final frontier of an Exceed’s power.

That’s the basic premise, pretty standard for a Combat School anime. However, I like how serious the show takes that premise. Or at least how much the show recognizes that this is, in fact, a military school. It’s not so much that I like the show, but that I like all the little bits of world-building that go into it. Classes focus on tactics and combat, a character’s strength and ability are the main way to keep their grade. Students that don’t get stronger are expelled after their first year, and so on. It’s simple stuff, but with how little teeth most anime of this archetype show, this was a breath of fresh air.

The first episode is what honestly hooked me. Tor meets up with a girl named Imari, they hit things off pretty well, there’s even a hint of romance. As the scene goes on and the two reach the entrance ceremony you’d think she’d be the main lead and that they’d be paired up for the rest of the series.

But then in the entrance ceremony turns out to be a duel to the finish, with the two new friends having to fight it out in order to remain at school.

This... caught me off guard. Heck, this caught everyone in the cast off guard. People were confused at first, but the headmaster made it clear that getting into the school was the easy part, earning the right to remain was the next step. When Tor questioned the headmaster about this strange rite of passage she simply responses by saying they’ll have to fight both in class and after graduation, that they were given powers to use and so they need to prove why they want to keep them. In short, to repeat what I had said a few years ago:

It was... a surprise when I first watched this, it’s still a surprise to this day so many years later. The stakes were set in such a surprisingly cold way that it kept me interesting. It was then I knew I was watching something just a little different.

And the show picks up from there. New challenges are met, new allies and enemies are made, and so on. If that first episode got you interested then it was likely you’d stick around for at least another two or three.

I already give a spiel about this anime two years ago and while I don’t like that post as much any more my thoughts remain the same for the most part. And I don’t feel like giving a play-by-play of all the bits I personally enjoyed, but I’ll at least go over all the little world-building parts and overall moments that impressed me:

The fact that Blazes are created via nanomachines and injectionss was surprisingly dark for such an overall lighthearted show. It really give it a bit more edge than I expected.

Seeing Imari come back in the second half of the show was a huge surprise, and a pleasant on at that since she left a really good impression on me. Something else I like was that although she did have romantic feelings for Tor she knew their chance meeting was just chance that she needed to step down and let someone with a better shot at him take it. It really spoke to her maturity and got me even more invested in her character... even if at that point she was just a side character.

The fact that there was (technically) one romantic interest that had a shot at Tor and that she confessed to him was not only a surprise, but welcomed. However, due to shenanigans that happened after the confession I’ll just say that it lost it’s impact pretty quickly.

The overall narrative theme of figuring out what lengths one will go to obtain power was compelling. I just wish they went a little deeper with it, especially for Tor and Julie who had more selfish reasons for wanting to become Blazes. Like I said, you get these powers via injections, so it could had gone to some interesting places if they focused on it more.

Tsukimi was a very interesting villain, a cosplaying teacher with a surprisingly vicious side she only revealed to those that survived her initial snap. She was always fun to watch interact with the cast after she finished her villain segment. A lot of my own characters tend to follow a “cute, but actually evil” character archetype to them, so maybe that’s why I enjoyed her so much.

...

Again, I miss the little line breaks I could do back in the old days of Tumblr.

Regardless, despite my praise I can’t recommend this series. I ordered the full DVD series with episode commentaries from the dub staff, but I don’t think I’ll come back to this anime unless I have a really specific itch for it. Instead, I think I’ll throw out some anime that are a little more worth watching.

Armed Girl’s Machiavellism isn’t a combat school anime per se, but it is an action series that takes place in a school and has combat in it. It’s a pretty fun ride throughout with a surprisingly likable main character. You can catch this on both VRV and Amazon, though I know for a fact the dub is on VRV if you’re into that like I am.

Chivalry of a Failed Knight is a combat school anime that has been seen as probably one of the better, if not best, combat school anime out there. It takes it’s premise seriously, it takes it’s action seriously, and still keeps an overall lighthearted tone. I’d definitely recommend giving this one a shot if you’re interested.

And while a little out of left field, Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is about to replace Absolute Duo on my yearly watchlist since if the Isekai boom isn’t fizzling out anytime soon, I might as well watch a good one to remind myself of how this genre should play out. It’s... an Isekai show that takes it’s premise a little more seriously and deconstructs the general a little bit. I’d say a good comparison would be a much lighter version of Goblin Slayer with some Isekai elements thrown in.

And I believe that’s it. I’ll catch you all later when I do the Weekly Update tomorrow.

#your dictator is speaking #absolute duo

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fanficswapzzz-blog · 5 years

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Absolute Duo doesn’t get enough attention

#Absolute Duo #absolute duo #tooru kokonoe #tooru #tor #tor kokonoe #kokonoe #julie sigtuna #julie #sigtuna #tomoe tachibana #tomoe #tachibana #miyabi #hotaka #miyabi hotaka #lilith bristol

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breakfastatsunset-blog · 7 years

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Absolute Duo 💕 (Julie and Tor)

Complete video: https://youtu.be/kt11VbLIIAM

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killerdeathchaos · 4 years

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Absolute duo. Otoha Kokonoe is Tor’s deceased sister who was killed by Sakaki Narukami.

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alteredphoenix · 4 years

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Some Untitled WoW/Absolute Duo One-Shot Thing (WIP)

A/N: A very rough idea that was immediately conceived halfway through watching the Absolute Duo anime. I...don’t have a very good impression of it (OP and EDs are right bangers, though, ngl), and even more so once I got fed up, did some digging around and found the manga adaptation that fleshes out the cast more than the cardboard cutouts the anime portrays them (and the anime just flies! so fast! WHY??).

But like Trinity Seven with Liese, Absolute Duo gave me Lilith Bristol (Julie’s alright, but she is the complete polar opposite of Lilith), and - me being me - I have a fondness for haughty, give-no-fucks characters. So, right way, I thought, “Hey, what happens if I throw this chick into Azeroth and have her be her usual smartass self with Tyrande and the Army of the Black Moon?”

You get this summary: “Here is the height of arrogance. (Or, Lilith ends up in Azeroth on the way to Koryou Academy, and although the thought of Kokonoe Tor lingers the allure of the hunt is too much to resist. Tyrande has a headache listening to this fool run her mouth off. But the girl’s aim is true and she insists she’s an exception to rules and consequences and all that entails in a world no longer at war. Perhaps she can be of use to her after all.)”

Nothing is written yet, but I’ll probably start devote more time to it outside of a rough draft when I finish the anime and brainstorm scenes that aren’t just Tyrande wanting to Falcon Punch Lilith’s head clean off her shoulders.

#world of warcraft #absolute duo #fanfiction #mywriting

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lobocomicsandtoys · 6 years

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ABSOLUTE DUO VOL 02

To avenge the death of his younger sister, Tor Kokonoe enters the prestigious Koryo Academy, a high school dedicated to training its students to wield Blaze - individualized weapons that are manifestations of one's soul. While the future of a student is often determined by the form their weapon takes, Tor is an Irregular, whose Blaze appears as a shield instead of a melee weapon. How can Tor possibly learn to use his defensive abilities to fight effectively? That's when the Duo system comes in, a program where students are paired up as battle mates, classmates and roommates. Tor's is paired with a silver-haired girl from Scandinavia named Julie Sigtuna, who possesses a power the likes of which has never been seen, and shares his thirst for revenge.

Available at Lobo Comics & Toys this coming Wednesday, 12/20/2017

visit us on facebook, google+, blogspot, our eBay store, and our website

#absolute duo #seven seas entertainment #manga #shinichirou nariie #takumi hiiragiboshi #you asaba #lobo #lobo comics and toys #lobo comics #comics #toys #comic #albuquerque #new mexico #comic shop in new mexico #comic shop in albuquerque #comic store in new mexico #comic store in albuquerque

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recentanimenews · 7 years

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Seven Seas Licenses "Absolute Duo," "Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea" And "Hatsune Miku Presents" Manga

Starting a week of licensing announcements, Seven Seas has announced the Absolute Duo manga. Shin'ichirō Nariie illustrates the 2013 three-volume ongoing adaptation of the light novel series by Takumi Hiiragiboshi and Yū Asaba, which was adapted into a 2015 TV anime.

Along with this is Mogeko's magical all-ages adventure, Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea, based off the game of the same name. Seven Seas Entertainment has been providing the official English translation of the manga since it began digital publication on the Japanese comic site, Pixiv, in Autumn 2015.

And, then there was Ontama’s Hatsune Miku Presents: Hachune Miku’s Everyday Vocaloid Paradise, a full-color comic collection based on the global hit vocaloid franchise.

Seven Seas will present Absolute Duo for the first time in print in North America, with the first volume to be released on August 29, 2017 for $12.99 USA / $14.99 CAN.

They describe the series:

To avenge the death of his younger sister, Tor Kokonoe enters the prestigious Koryo Academy, a high school dedicated to training its students to wield Blaze—individualized weapons that are manifestations of one’s soul. While the future of a student is often determined by the form their weapon takes, Tor is an Irregular, whose Blaze appears as a shield instead of a melee weapon. How can Tor possibly learn to use his defensive abilities to fight effectively? That’s when the Duo system comes in, a program where students are paired up as battle mates, classmates and roommates. Tor’s is paired with a silver-haired girl from Scandinavia named Julie Sigtuna, who possesses a power the likes of which has never been seen, and shares his thirst for revenge.

http://pic.twitter.com/59H37m9CDF

— Seven Seas (@gomanga) January 7, 2017

Seven Seas Gears Up for Battle with ABSOLUTE DUO Mangahttps://t.co/Yxf860R7Py http://pic.twitter.com/ELB6WGySWp

— Seven Seas (@gomanga) January 9, 2017

Seven Seas will present Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea for the first time in print in North America as one complete omnibus edition, along with single edition eBooks made available on a variety of platforms. Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea is scheduled for release on July 4, 2017 for $15.99 USA / $17.99 CAN.

They describe the series

The young witch Wadanohara has just returned from a journey across the oceans, searching for a clue to mysteriously lost memories. But now that she has come home, Wadanohara must begin a new quest to ensure the safety of the ocean kingdom she hails from, along with her familiars Memoca, Dolphi and Fukami. When a mysterious figure from her past appears and demands that she leave her ocean home forever, will it be enough to stop Wadanohara from upholding a family legacy to save her world from an invading force? “When we were approached about this project, we knew we couldn't say no—it's too cute and fun!” said Seven Seas publisher Jason DeAngelis. “We were familiar with Wadanohara and its dedicated fan base, and we love being a part of this tightly-collaborative project with its original creator. The adorable artwork, fun characters, and fantastical plot make it a great read for fans of the game, as well as new readers of all ages.”

Seven Seas Dives Deep with WADANOHARA AND THE GREAT BLUE SEA Manga Serieshttps://t.co/lTEsZ0XtsF http://pic.twitter.com/GGBgpUZ8jy

— Seven Seas (@gomanga) January 9, 2017

Seven Seas will publish the Hatsune Miku Presents: Hachune Miku’s Everyday Vocaloid Paradise manga series for the first time in print in North America as single volume, full-color editions. Volume 1 will be released on October 17, 2017 for $14.99 USA / $16.99 CAN.

They descibe it

The first fan creation to receive official recognition within the Vocaloid world, Hachune Miku is the small and spirited spin-off character of the famous Hatsune Miku. Equally recognizable by her long pigtails and affiliation with leeks, Hachune Miku and her friends go on their own adventures in this full-color collection of comedic shorts.

Seven Seas Raises the Curtain with Hatsune Miku Presents: Hachune Miku’s Everday Vocaloid Paradise Manga Serieshttps://t.co/2P7dHCqN5i http://pic.twitter.com/d973Ld7tBQ

— Seven Seas (@gomanga) January 9, 2017

------ Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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