10 Webtoons that need an Anime or Live Action Adaptation

There is no more denying Webtoons are here to stay. The majority of Webtoons are Webcomics. Manwha (South Korean comics) and are South Korea’s equivalent to Japan’s Light Novels adapted to Manga and Anime. Some Webtoons actually have gotten an Anime or live Action adaptation. Noblesse, Tower of God (Webtoon still ongoing) and God of High School are three of the most known to get Anime Adaptations while the still ongoing True Beauty and So I Married the Anti-Fan are two MEGA popular Webtoons–both Webtoons still ongoing–that recently got a Live-Action Adaptation. The three Anime adaptations I mentioned are all on Crunchyroll while the two Live Action Adaptations I mentioned are both on Viki. You’re welcome.

 

I’m now going to present two groups of 10 Webtoons I’ve been following that I think should get an Anime or Live Action Adaptation. To be fair, I won’t put a Webtoon on both lists. I say that given some listed could easily be adapted for both.

 

Ok, first here is my list of 10 Webtoons that I’d like to see get an Anime Adaptation:

 

1. Hardcore Leveling Warrior: The series finale was a few months back and man oh man was it EPIC. I won’t get into plot spoilers but the Webtoon’s pacing lends itself quite well to about 8 to 10 story arcs. If they want to split it that way, this could be 5 or 6 seasons.
2. I’m The Grim Reaper: Personally, the storytelling would be better adapted to a Live Action but this would need an Anime Adaptation because it would be much more cost-effective. It’s a supernatural horror and has a way of pulling you into the deep end out the gate.
3. Gul: One of the most HILARIOUS Webcomics ever made. There’s a lot of crass humor so this would get the Mature rating.
4. The Advanced Player of the Tutorial Tower: This is a Webtoon that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Guy gets trapped in a Tutorial for 12 years. Guy finally gets out. Guy is MASSIVELY OP. Hilarity ensues. The video game mechanics employed require this getting an Anime adaptation.
5. 66,666 Years: Advent of the Dark Mage: This Fantasy Drama is quite interesting and doesn’t take itself too seriously. The MC is OP for the era he reincarnates into but he’s quickly learned to fear the only beings who are a match for him: His parents. Especially his boarderline psychotic Lord and Swordmaster of a father.
6. Weak Hero: Another Webtoon whose storytelling would be better suited for Live Action but I feel like it would be safer to make it an Anime. A Live Action adaptation would require a LOT of creative changes to make it fit. More so given how graphic some of the fight scenes get.
7. God, Please Make Me a Demon!: Demon gets reincarnated as a human girl. Demon Girl’s powers gradually return whenever she does good deeds for others. Hilarity ensues. It doesn’t get any better than that.
8. Villain to Kill: A Hero is betrayed, killed and reincarnated as a VIllain. It’s quite the juxtoposition to say the least. Now secretly living as a member of the other side of the divide, the MC discovers Villans might be much more complex than he had been led to believe as a Hero.
9. The Gamer: A video game addict wishes life was like a video game. Wish granted. I don’t want to say any more than that without spoiling anything but this would be so easy and fun to adapt as an Anime.
10. I Get Stronger The More I Eat: Last on the list but the only Isekai! A guy with a OP eating-related skill is transported to a Fantasy world. As the title implies, he gains the abilities of whatever he eats. Did I forget to mention he never gets indigestion?

 

This is quite a nice mix. All but the first are ongoing Webtoons by the way. Do yourself a favor and go get caught up. Tower of God, The God of High Schol and Noblesse all got Anime adaptatins. You can find them all on Crunchyroll.

 

Ok so now here’s 10 Webtoons I’d like to see get a Live Action Adaptation:

 

1. Your Throne: This is a psychological thriller and has plenty of good drama. Not even Hollywood could mess this up that’s how well done this story is. The series is currently on hiatus but with the way it’s written, it’s ready to be adapted anytime for either TV or a movie series.
2. Devilish Romance: The plot’s similar to God, Please Make Me a Demon! but it’s a Rom-Com. The Live-Action version would probably lean a bit more in the Drama aspects of it though.
3. Get Schooled!: Arguably one of the most iconic Webtoons EVER. Two ex-soldiers are hired by South Korea’s Department of Education and can legally beat up students. Yes, really. This could easily be adapted and have each case done in any sequence. There’s not pressure to adapt every case from the Webtoon either for that matter.
4. See You In My 19th Life: What would you do if you could remember your past lives? Would anyone from your previous life believe you when you met them again? What if you were killed in your previous life and needed their help in your new one? Those are just some of the plots in this drama and it could probably be a movie series if done right.
5. Mom, I’m Sorry: Arguably one of the most emotionally charged Webtoons EVER. It wrapped up a few months back and it just plays itself out very nicely as a Drama. Even better is the supernatural elements are pretty minimal and it plays itself out for a pretty good live-action drama.
6. Let’s Play: This Romance Drama is just amazingly well-written. It lends itself quite well to either a western or eastern live action adaptation.
7. Back to You: This Slice of Life Romance is quite special to say the least. Unrequited love gets a second chance but things hardly go as expected. The Webtoon recently finished which is always good!
8. Marry Me!: I wanna see this adapted on Viki as a Romance/Slice of Life so bad, it’s not even funny. There’s absolutely no way it can be screwed up either.
9. Good Luck, Hero!: This is what you call a reverse-Isekai. Some characters from a fantasy world die and are reincarnted in modern South Korea. This one has quite an interesting plot to say the least and lends itself quite well to a live-action adaptation.
10. Return of the Mad Demon: The first chapter of this Webtoon is a legit gut-buster despite being an Action/Thriller. That’s because the main character is legit insane. You never know what he’s going to say or do next, that’s what makes the Webtoon such a treat.

 

Like I mentioned earlier, True Beauty and So I Married The Anti-Fan both got Live Action Adaptations. You can catch them on Viki.

 

For context, I only listed Webtoons I read myself that are on the Webtoon app. I have about 100 Webtoons cued but I’ve read about 70 of them from what I can remember. I’ll probably update this post later with some honorable mentions but for now, I want to keep things on these in particular because of their outstanding storytelling.

 

 

 

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I recently started reading and watching “So I Married the Anti-Fan”

 

The lengths they went with the K-Drama to stay true to the source material–the Webcomic, which was adapted from the Light Novel of the same name–is why I have decided to read the Webtoon and watch the K-Drama at the same time. I finished reading Episode 24 of the Webcomic (On Webtoon) and just started Episode 2 of the K-Drama (on Viki).

Without spoiling too much, the pair is about to start filming their reality TV show in the Webtoon while the pair are separately dealing with the immediate aftermath of their imfamous exchange at JJ’s Nightclub in the K-Drama. That’s where I’m at right now with both Mediums. I plan to read the Webtoon version first, then get caught up in the K-Drama version. The Webtoon version was only recently released and was actually released to promote the K-Drama, which is a bit further ahead in the story. As a reminder, both were adapted from the Light Novel of the same name. From what I’ve read, the Light Novel was first released back in 2012 so…yeah.

 

It was easy for me to see why this series was so popular in both mediums: It gives audiences a deep dive into the Idol Culture both South Korea and Japan are known for.

 

That’s a good segway into this video:

 

Here’s the original song it’s based on by Bo Burnham:

 

The dark side of the idol industy in Japan and South Korea has been getting a lot of attention in recent years as more and more former Idols and people from the industry talk about their experiences. Basically, the purpose of your existence is to play a role until it’s no longer profitable. You almost never have time for relationships and often don’t get to see your own family much. When their American and European counterparts start to feel mental health-related burnout, they will just take time off. Not in Japan and South Korea due to cultural differences and expectations. That’s how brutal the Entertainment industry Complex is in Japan and South Korea. Your life is literally no longer your own.

I’ve read stories of Male idols basically having to meet with their girlfriends in secret for their girlfriends’ safety. Why? Because if some of the more crazy fans found out, their girlfriend’s life would probably be in danger. Yes, really. Some people literally worship JPop/KPop Idols to the point they feel their perception must be maintained no matter what. It’s even worse for Female Idols though this is more widely known. More often than not, idols are not allowed to be seen “out of character” while in public if they haven’t completely changed or disguised their appearance.

Both Male and Female Idols who find love after getting into the business is usually kept a closely guarded secret if their love interest is not a public figure or celebrity. If they found love before getting in the business, they have some leeway with both their agency and fans though. If a Female Idol gets pregnant, how the agency handles it depends on if her relationship was publicly known or not. If it was publicly known, they’ll announce it and she’ll have time off until after she gives birth. If the relationship wasn’t publicly known, they will have her take time off and will usually arrange for her to not be publicly seen for at least a year. In more extreme cases, she may even be forced to quietly have an abortion. Why? Because profits over people that’s why.

As far as most Idol Agencies are concerned, the Idol is a product of their making and they can do whatever they want with you as long as you’re profitable. When you’re no longer profitable, they show you the door without compensation. You are not even entitled to royalties. The Agencies ensure that. Some former Idols actually do find Indie success but without the backing of their former agencies, most are forced to find some other kind of work. More so if they left their former agency on bad terms. You’re nothing more than a cog in the machine. That is the Idol Industrial Complex in South Korea and Japan. It used to be like that in the U.S. too but not as much these days.

…What does all of this have to do with Anti-Fan you may wonder? Read and/or Watch and see for yourself =)

 

 

 

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Rakuten Viki and Crunchyroll Renewed for another year; Reviews for Recently Completed Anime

 

Despite the Pandemic turning most of the world into shut-ins, I haven’t been able to spend most of this year consistently binging Asian Dramas on Viki. Such is my life sadly. Even so, I did manage to watch almost 30 shows in their entirety over the last year. With a lot of the stuff I have cued and am watching now, it makes the most sense for me to renew my Viki subscription for another year. With the things I am working on in life right now, I know I will be able to make the time for Viki in the coming year. Same with Crunchyroll, which I also plan to renew in a few months.

The majority of Viki’s offerings are from China and South Korea. There is a modest selection from Japan and Taiwan however. Like other streaming services, a lot of it has to do with licensing. If you get either of the premium subscriptions, you get immediate access to shows still airing. The more expensive subscription (Premium+) gives you access to everything the platform has to offer barring regional restrictions. When I start working, I will upgrade to Premium+ for both Viki and Crunchyroll.

Nearly a year after Funimation abruptly ended their partnership with Crunchyroll, Sony (which owns Funimation) has announced they have bought Crunchyroll (owned by WarnerMedia) for almost $2 Billion. The sale has to clear some regulatory hurtles which is expected to so the purchase is effectively a done deal.

The reactions from fans and users of Crunchyroll online has been overwhelmingly negative since the news broke on December 9. As of this writing, Crunchyroll has announced the buyout/merger on their website but no further information is available. Most likely, they don’t know themselves yet. We don’t know if Crunchyroll and Funimation’s streaming services will continue to operate separately or will be merged. We might not know until maybe next month most likely.

The funny thing is the same day as this announcement, I renewed my Crunchyroll Premium for another year. I don’t think those who are currently subscribed will be impacted without at least be offered compensation personally. I remember when Neon Alley being folded into Hulu was first announced, they offered a full or partial refund to premium subscribers if they didn’t want to switch over. I expect something like that to be offered if Crunchyroll is folded into Funimation. Of course, it’s certainly possible they will be allowed to perate separately but all we can really do is wait and see.

 

I would be remiss if I didn’t take a minute to comment on the political controversy surrounding the Live Action Mulan movie. Originally planned for a March theatrical release, the movie was released in July on Disney+ due to the ongoing Pandemic in progress. The movie has become a lightning rod of criticism because Disney thanked government officials in Xinjiang Province where the movie was filmed in the movie’s credits.

Why is that a problem?

It turns out a detention center imfamous for being used to house Muslims for “Re-Education” is located not far from where most of the movie was filmed. Disney explained they chose that region for the movie “after consulting scholars and historians”. The movie used an all-Chinese cast and crew. This can easily be handwaved away as just appeasing the Chinese government and public but some now believe the filming location being so close to the Detention Center may have been why they wanted to keep a lot of details under wraps even from Disney.

It’s not hard to believe Chinese government officials worked with the film crew to help keep Disney from knowing about the Detention Center during filming. I get Disney’s hands were tied mostly due to soured relations between the U.S. and China in recent years but that’s still no excuse. They should’ve realized something was up when they were basically told certain areas were off-limits.

Disney dropped the ball big time and not just over this. Liu Yufei, who plays Mulan in the movie expressed her support for Hong Kong Police last year. Anyone following the news involving China and Hong Kong in recent years knows how volatile things are now. Yufei, who is a Chinese-born American made the remarks on her Weibo Account (Weibo is China’s version of Twitter for those who don’t know). Many perceived her support of the authorities in Hong Kong as support of the sometimes violent crackdowns in Hong Kong by the Chinese government.

Yufei’s comments on Weibo and the Xinjiang Detention Center controversy has led to many wordwide to call for Mulan to be boycotted. Thailand and Taiwan have both banned the movie. Many in China criticized the original 1998 animated version, feeling it was too Westernized and seemed to mock Chinese history in some regards. A lot of the criticsm from within China towards the live version has to do with hand signals and gestures used during the movie’s action scenes lookng too “Ninja-like”. I would point the blame toward whoever from the Chinese government was supposed to oversee the Chinese version of the movie.

For those who don’t know, two versions of the movie were made: The International version and a second version just for Chinese-speaking audiences. Every scene was shot twice, once in English and once in Chinese. This is why the entire cast is Chinese. I do think Disney will be forced to reshoot the International version a third time because of the controversy with the lead role recast. Disney should have redid the whole movie after Yufei’s comments went public last year but I won’t digress further.

I am on the fence about watching the movie myself but I’m leaning toward not seeing it. Mostly because of how poorly recieved it’s been in China more than anything else. I just hope Disney learned from all this or they will be in trouble down the road.

Both versions of the movie is based on a Chinese folk tale called Hua Mulan, which tells the story of a young heroine who disguises herself as a man to take the place of her ailing father to fight in the Imperial Army. The first movie renewed debate in China as to weather or not this really happened. At first it was dismissed as fiction but historical records from the period the folk tale was believed to have come from seems to indicate it’s likely true.

At the time drafts only applied to sons, not daughters as the army was all Male. If the family had no sons, the father or grandfather would be drafted. The consript was given to the family which required one Male from the family to serve in the military. Anyone who tried to defy the draft risked their entire family being punished or killed. Only families that had no Males capable of fighting were excused from the draft. In the case of Mulan’s family, her father was a decorated soldier in his younger days. It’s not clear weather he was in poor health or had an injury but regardles, he accepted the conscript on behalf of the family. Mulan took matters into her own hands when she took off with the conscript and her father’s armor.

While women disguising themselves as men to get military training or fight in the miliary was not uncommon, most who were found out were sent home, executed or raped. Some like Mulan who proved themselves capable and earned the respect of her fellow soldiers were allowed to return home after serving in the military.

 

 

The last two episodes were clearly rushed but the ending was still very satisfying. It ended the same way it began prettymuch: Yukihira trying to get Erina to be honest about her feelings to him. There was so much going on in the last two episodes, they should have been split into 2 or 3 episodes each. You have Yukihira beating Saiba to go on and face Erina. We all knew that was the showdown being built towards.

Joichiro being revealed to have mentored Saiba when he was a kid explains a lot of his personal animosity towards Yukihira. Joichiro telling Saiba after the match “I will always be your father as a chef.” was pretty boss. Finding out during the credits Saiba and Erina were actually half-siblings though…that makes certain thoughts go through your head until you realize neither of them knew they were blood related until after the fact and almost off-screen. Their dad basically says “Oh by the way Erina you know that guy who wanted to marry you if he won? He’s actually your older half-brother.” That right there is a whole episode. So was Yukihira traveling abroad for 6 months after losing to Nakiri in the final match. Instead that was skipped entirely to his return for the final moments of the series.

Make no mistake Food Wars was an amazing anime from start to finish. Delays between seasons 4/5, 4/3 and 3/2 did slow momentum but not to the extent the months-long delay two episodes into the final season due to COVID-19 caused. It didn’t take away from the rest of the season though. My only real complaint is how rushed the last two episodes were. They tried to do too much in them and it came out looking sloppy to me.

 

 

 

This Anime’s lead character is a legit Mary Sue yet somehow this Anime makes it work by not making him the focus from start to finish. Instead, the focus is put world building. Somehow, it just works. The ending kinda leaves the door open for a second season but I felt like this was it.

 

 

 

Ahiru no Sora was quite the amazing coming of age anime with a bit of everything. Sure, the ending is unresolved but I think it was the safe way to close things out.

If they decide to make a Season 2, there’s plenty of material to work with now.

 

Fire Force Season 2 just wrapped up and now the wait is on for Season 3.

 

Most of Season 2 focused on character development as well as world building. The Season ended with the news all eight Special Fire Force companies as well as the Hajima Company and the Military will coming together to take on a common enemy in the mysterious White Clad and their benefactor, the malevolent Evangelist. Season 3 will presumably delve into their backstory as the stage is set for war between them and the Fire Force.

Season 3 hasn’t been announced yet and likely due to the ongoing Pandemic. All we know is there WILL be one eventually.

 

…Whew.

Folks should expect the next season for most Anime to be delayed due to COVID-19. Attack of Titan and Dr. Stone’s season premeires were originally supposed to be over the summer but they were pushed back due to the ongoing pandemic. The next season for Rising of The Shield Hero was also supposed to be around this time but it’s been pushed to sometime next year for the same reason.

Attack on Titan’s final season just premiered. I’ll do a recap of the story up to now for the benefit of those who may not have been following Attack on Titan’s story since the first season AND haven’t read the Manga. From how the final season opened, we’re going to be getting a lot of backstory that should tie up a lot of loose ends and explain where the Titans came from.

 

 

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Review: Melting Me Softly (Korea, 2019)

 

 

 

Ah, Human Cryogenics.

The summary on Viki felt underwhelming to me at a glance but I decided to give it a try anyway. This show got me hooked within the first 5 minutes of the opening episode to say the least. Ji Chang Wook is Ma Dong Chan, a TV Producer who volunteers to participate in a Frozen Human Experiment for 24 hours. Won Jin Ah is Go Mi Ran, a volunteer who agrees to participate in the same experiment for 24 hours in exchange for monetary compensation. The experiment, which was only meant to last for 24 hours ended up lasting 20 years.

I’m gonna explain an outline of the sequence of events in the next several paragraphs with some plot spoilers so if you haven’t seen it yet or started watching and do not want to be spoiled, skip to the next picture.

The experiment begins in 1999.

Ma Dong Chan (Age 32) approaches the eccentric, mysterious but brilliant Professor Hwang to volunteer to participate in the Frozen Human Project for 24 hours. Go Mi Ran (Age 24), who is jobless and looking for opportunity also volunteers after being offer monetary compensation. 22 hours after Professor Hwang puts Ma Dong Chan and Go Mi Ran in the Refrigeration Capsules, he gets a mysterious phone call and leaves the laboratory. While he’s away, the professor is nearly killed and ends up in a coma. Since he is the only person who can safely revive Ma Dong Chan and Go Mi Ran, the two end up being Cryogenically Frozen for 20 years instead of 24 hours…in 2019.

Aside from history as we know it, much has happened during the 20 years Ma Dong Chan and Go Mi Ran were frozen. Those they knew before they were frozen have aged but they themselves are physically the same as they were 20 years earlier. Ma Dong Chan, who feels personally responsible for Go Mi Ran’s lost years as well as their shared physical state commits himself to investigating what happened in the past. The Broadcast Station where he worked covered up its involvement in the Human Freezing Project after his disappearance and his father died while he was frozen. Go Mi Ran’s family learned about what happened to her from the professor’s assistant only because she requested the money promised to her be given to her family if something happened.

The world is shocked and mesmerized when Ma Dong Chan announces to the world that he is the world’s first frozen human. Go Mi Ran’s status as the other Refrigeration Capsule volunteer is later publicly revealed as well. One of the interesting things in an early episode is a talk show-style debate on which age someone who was cryogenically frozen and then revived years later would go by. Should they go by their legal age or the age they were when they were frozen? Ma Dong went from 32 to 52 while Go Mi Ran went from 24 to 44. Physically and biologically, they were still their former ages but legally and chronologically, they were their latter ages. Fortunately, they didn’t complicate it further by having either of them have kids though the third person did have a son who is now a grown man 21 years later.

Moving on. Professor Hwang suddenly awoke from his coma 20 years after they were frozen long enough to revive them before passing out again. The revival was successful but not without a major side effect the professor was aware of: Ma Dong Chang and Go Mi Ran’s body temperature have to mantain a body temperature of 31.5 Celsius (88.7 Fahrenheit), which is WELL below Hypothermia levels. A normal human body temperature is around 37 Celsus (98.6 Fahrenheit) so…yeah. I’ll get to the medical science aspects in a bit but in short, their heat tolerance is very low to say the least. The only way to have their body temperature restored to normal rests in Professor Hwang, whose past is tied to their current situation.

The problem is he suffered temporary but severe memory loss due to being in a coma for 20 years. While he was an amnesiac, he got to know Go Mi Ran’s family and bonded with her brother, who has a low IQ. Professor Hwang laments as he begins to understand the psychological and emotional pain of the families of those who are frozen for the first time. When he finally regains his memories, he sets to work developing a thermal formula to restore Ma Dong Chan and Go Mi Ran to normal. Ma Dong Chan volunteers to test the formula first and after 7 days, it is successful (WOOT!). As for Go Mi Ran, tragedy strikes the day before she would begin treatment. She is severely injured but because of her low body temperature, doctors cannot operate on her. A decision needs to be made so Professor Hwang puts her back in a Refrigeration Capsule for 3 years while he makes a new, stronger formula from scratch to thaw her quickly so that the surgery can be done. It’s decided the third person, who was severely injured before being frozen will have their body temperature returned to normal at a later time.

Ma Dong Chan and Go Mi Ran were two of six people we know of who were put in refrigeration capsules by the professor but we find out who a third is since it’s tied to a major plot point. The identities of the other three or why they were frozen is never mentioned at any point. All we’re told is only Professor Hwang knows who they are and their identities are a closely guarded secret. The one whose identity is revealed is a major plot spoiler I won’t divulge here though so go watch to find out. I will say this person who was frozen in 1998 played an indirect role in Ma Dong Chan and Go Mi Ran being frozen for 20 years.

 

 

…Whew. Obviously, I was sucked in by all the science aspects of this series!

I want to get back to the Lower Body Temperature the two leads are afflicted with for most of the series. Clearly they did their homework and what I loved about this is they did not shy away from the science around this. The Thawing Process was not perfected at the time–and as far as we know the two leads plus the identified third person were the first known people to have been revived from the Refrigeration Capsules. I mentioned Professor Hwang had discovered the problem when he did clinical trials on a Dolphin that died. He could not pinpoint the exact cause of death but it became more clear thanks to the two leads. If their body temperature rose above 32.5 C (92 F), they could die.

Since their core body temperature is lower than normal, they have little to no tolerance to heat but an abnormally high tolerence to cold. This is displayed a few times when the two are thrown in the back of a refrigerator truck as well as when they visit a Cold Room (a room with near or at freezing temperatures some spas offer). They also drink ice water a lot to help maintain their lower body temperature. A life-threatening mutation was discovered but fortunately, the professor’s assistant was able to quickly develop an antidote. When the professor finally develops a proper medicine to raise their body temperature to normal,

There is plenty of material for a season two with new characters. One of the opening dialogues for the first episode notes that it’s believed that there are at least 600 people who are in Refrigeration Capsules in Korea, the U.S. and Russia. Sadly, it looks like the show didn’t do very well when it first aired last Fall in Korea. It’s easy to see why despite the Korean celebrity cameos in some episodes. The show clearly tried too hard to be a Rom Com, Mystery and a Sci-Fi Medical Drama all at once when it should have picked one of them and stuck with it.

I must also agree with the overall consensus that although they tried hard, they came up short with the storytelling. The Science aspects wasn’t the problem but rather it was pretty obvious the producers didn’t have a clue about what kind of story they wanted to tell. Most of the supporting cast also got too much development given it was a 16-episode series, which is too much for one that short. It also shows where things are rushed or just not really given ample time to move things along.

A few things that come to mind–and there are some minor spoilers–include:

• Ma Dong Chan’s ex girlfriend and Go Mi Ran’s ex boyfriend don’t really seem to get happy endings or satisfying endings. Both wanted to pick up where they left off despite one having since married. I do think the dissatisfied endings were intended but the problem is they both got so much screentime and development.
• The third person who gets thawed was at the center of most of the story…but he doesn’t get an ending. The last we hear before Go Mi Ran gets hurt is the plan is to raise his body temperature once he’s recovered more. He’s never seen or heard from after that. You’re left to presume he recovers offscreen.
• The man who stabbed Go Mi Ran has absolutely no background story and “The boss wants one of them dead for you to be paid”. This point is highlighted by the fact he’s not seen again after he stabs her but is apparently tracked down offscreen.
• Yes, the same actor who plays Ma Dong Chan’s father in the first episode plays his brother for the rest of the series. That was actually pretty clever and the same was done with one of his colleagues. One actor playing two roles. The 20-year gap makes this discrepency easier to explain but it makes a lot more sense with his brother and father. His father died a few years earlier from a stroke.
• It’s very surprising that there are only two instances in which Go Mi Ran and Ma Dong Chan meet people who are interested in being put in Refrigeration Capsules. This makes even less sense after Professor Hwang perfects the thawing formula for there to not be a lot more folks interested in being frozen.
• Speaking the professor. Until Go Mi Ran got put back in a capsule, he states several times that other than himself, his assistant and participants, no one is allowed to enter his laboratory. This is presumably to keep certain information from being made public or falling into the hands of those who would misuse the tech. After Go Mi Ran is put back in a capsule, it’s explained many of the world’s leading scientists are working with him to develop a new thawing formula for her and his lab is like a beehive. I doubt those other scientists would have been able to help him without knowing the specifics of how the Refrigeration Capsules work as well as about Ma Dong Chan, who is restored. I also doubt they would have agreed to leave what they learned in that lab. What’s to say someone doesn’t take that knowledge with them back to their own country?
• Going with that last point. It’s stated in the first episode that about 600 people are believed to be frozen in the U.S., Russia and Korea. The actor playing Kim Jong Un in one scene remarks had North Korean known about the Refrigeration Capsules, they could have used it to freeze his late father Kim Jong Il. This was a one-off scene but it does raise the question never touched during the course of the series: Do world governments try to develop their own Refrigeration Capsules?

Those are just some things that came to mind for me. By the way there IS cryogenic freezing IRL but as of right now, only those who have already died can be frozen. As far as I know, no one has figured out a way to safely cryogenically freeze a living person. Sure, you can freeze someone in ice but they’ll die. The thing that needs to be figured out is freezing someone without killing them, causing permanent nerve damage or causing permanent tissue and organ damage. Once that can be figure out…well, who knows.

 

Overall, I give Melting Me Softly an 8/10. It’s definitely worth watching at least once. In addition to being on Viki, it was released on Blu Ray internationally (Korean Audio with English subtitles). If there is a Season 2, it would need to fix a lot of the storytelling-related problems from the first season even if it uses an entirely different cast and production team.

 

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Here’s some of the Anime and Live Asian Programming I watched this year

 

…Whew.

Cululatively, I watched more Live Asian Programming than I ever have in my life since I got Viki Premium a few months ago. It’s not hard when most series they carry are 24 to 70 episodes long on average. As of December 9, I have also renewed my Crunchyroll subscription for another year and that means I can continue to watch new anime episodes as they air in Japan.

I don’t want to make this super long so I’ll just make two lists. One for Anime and the other for live Asian Programming. I’ll provide a bit of commentary after each list.

 

First, here’s the list of Anime I watched this year. If it’s Bolded, it’s currently ongoing and likely will be going into 2020. If it’s Italics, I know for sure it will get another season in 2020 or later. Bold Italics is both:

• Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
• Attack on Titan
• Persona 5
• My Hero Academia
• Dr. Stone
• Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma
• The Rising of the Shield Hero
• Goblin Slayer
• Black Clover
• Fire Force
• Sword Art Online
• Fruits Basket
• High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even In Another World
• Didn’t I say to make my abilities average in the next life?!
• We Never Learn: BOKUBEN
• Isekai Cheat Magician
• Do you love your mom and her 2-hit multi-target attacks?
• Wise Man’s Grandchild
• The Quintessential Quintuplets
• Cinderella Nine
• If It’s for my daughter, I’d even defeat a Demon Lord
• Is It Wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon?
• Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
• The Promised Neverland
• The Helpful Fox Senko-san
• Isekai Quartet
• Are You Lost?
• That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime
• The Royal Tutor

…I had to look at my Que to get the finish dates for some of these. Most of these I either watched in their entirety, I started them last year or I started them this year. Next year is sure to be a year of new seasons with the sheer number of anime already greenlit for a new season. So many season premieres I know a lot of folks will be looking forward to. Hopefully they don’t take too much away from new anime that will also premeire next year either. We will find out when the Spring 2020 lineup in announced in a few months!

I mentioned at the top I wouldn’t discuss anything in depth here. That’s because I plan to cover stuff separately in a series of posts, probably early next month. I may cover a few things before the end of the year though, we’ll see. I do have other stuff I plan to comment on in addition to Aninme and Live Asian Programming on a more serious note.

 

Here are the Live Asian Programming I’ve watched on Viki so far, the country of origin in Parentheses:

 

• Sweet Combat (China)
• Doctor Stranger (Korea)
• I am Reiko Shiratori (Japan)
• Legend of Fuyao (China)
• Frankenstein’s Love (Japan)
• The One That Got Away (Philippines)
• Age Harassment (Japan)
• The Legend of the White Snake (China)
• Adult High School (Japan)
• Legend of Yun Xi (China)
• Sumika Sumire (Japan)
• Legend of the Phoenix (China)
• Romantic Doctor Kim (Korea)

 

Sweet Combat, Romantic Doctor Kim and Frankenstein’s Love are my top three faves. Given the platform encourages binge watching even more than Disney+ or Netflix–yeah, I went THERE–there have been times I wanted to pull all-nighters with what I was watching on Viki. Most episodes are 45 to 60 minutes long so you could literally watch an entire series in 24 straight hours if you really wanted to. Given I expect my living situation to change in 2020, I will feel more comfortable about taking a shot at doing this ^_^

 

One thing I plan to do a bit more is expanding the topics I cover on this blog. I do have the NHK Japan App on my Roku. I covered Emperor Emeritus Akihito’s Abdication earlier this year. I also covered Hikkikomori. Before this month is over, I’m probably gonna crush some dreams since I plan to comment on Japan having the strictest Immigration and Refugee policies in the world. I’ve known about it for some time but a recent story I watched on NHK Japan pushed me to write about it.

 

 

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Crunchyroll announces the annual subscription price will increase

 

…The funny thing is I received the email announcing the price change 15 minutes after I got a Roku Friday morning. As I announced right after I did it, I bought a 12-month subscription in December. Crunchyroll went on to mention in the email those who are current subscription holders will NOT see the price jump until May 2020. What this means for me is when it’s time for me to renew this coming December, I will pay $60 like I did last year. Next year, the price is will be $80.

Note that this is only for the annual Premium Subscription. The Premium+ Subscription as well as recurring monthly subscriptions are not effected by this from what I can find. We can only speculate the possible reasons for the +$20 price increase but I still plan to renew at the new price. For what you get, it’s worth it. More so with the new anime coming next year as well as the anime getting a new season next year.

I mentioned at the top I just got a Roku. I no longer need to use my Playstation 4 to stream Crunchyroll, Viki, Asian Crush and other stuff. Now that I do have a Roku, I can use the Xfinity App to once again watch Adult Swim on TV. I haven’t really watched much in part because my laptop broke but also because I can watch the current lineup on Crunchyroll Subbed anyway. Next month, the Spring Season Premeires for several Anime are supposed to begin. Most notably Attack on Titan’s Season 3 resumes so…yeah. While yeah it will likely be simulcast because of the previous deal between Funimation and Crunchyroll but you can still get the latest episode in advance on Crunchyroll.

 

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Viki and AsianCrush: A Pair of Free Streaming Services for Live Asian Programming

 

I remember the first time I saw a live Asian program. I was 10 years old and it was on Cable TV back in 1994. I remember the period being the same year I had open heart surgery and I was channel surfing cable networks. I found a  kids drama that was set in modern-day China. I watched 4 episodes before I fell asleep. When I think about it, it was my first experience with Subs ever. And I liked it. 24 years later, I can now watch all the Live Action programs I want for free using one of the above streaming services.

Crunchyroll used to carry alot of Live Dramas but in recent years, they no longer carry new live-action programming. Crunchyroll still maintains their existing but small library of live programming and there are some must-watch shows including GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka, Dr. Coto’s Clinic, I’m Mita, Your Housekeeper, No Dropping Out: Dropping in at age 35 and Time Taxi.

…If you want alot more Live Asian programming then you can’t go wrong with these three services. Like Crunchyroll, Free accounts have similar restrictions you’ll need to get a premium subscription to remove:

• Intermittent 60-second ads that can’t be skipped
• No HD Options
• Have to wait longer for new episodes of shows currently in progress
• Some shows region locked
• No Multistreaming (Can’t stream for 2 or more devices at the same time)

I plan to start with series and movies that have already aired all of their episodes personally so that’s a non-issue for me. I have also noticed when you stream AsianCrush from a browser, there are no ads. I have the App for both on my iPad but will stream from a browser on my iPad to bypass the ads until I get a paid subscription. The ads can’t be skipped from the App and when watching a movie they’re pretty disruptive to say the least.

Don’t worry, I do plan to post reviews for Live Asian programming I’m watching too. There is more I’d like to say about the explosion of interest in Anime and Live Asian Programming in North America but I’ll save it for a separate post that will also be posted in my new Politics blog.

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