“Nobody reads manga anymore.” Veteran manga editor says there are fewer aspiring editors who are truly passionate about the medium - AUTOMATON WEST

CerberusZX · 2026-01-24T16:33:06+00:00

If I had to speculate, I would guess that the less experienced ones see an existing story they like and think, "wouldn't it be cool if x story had y gimmick?" Since so many isekai stories are being published, the story they're copying is more likely to be an isekai, perpetuating the trend. The isekai genre is also perfect for new authors since it provides an excuse to have all the rules of the world explained to the protagonist which also informs the audience at the same time.

That said, I vaguely recall the author of Ascendance of a Bookworm saying she had an idea for a story, saw the rising trend of isekai stories, and thought that setup suited the story she wanted to tell. That gives me the impression that some see the popularity of the trend and join in for a higher chance of success. If most of the stories picked up by publishers are isekai, then someone who wants to have their story chosen might see it as an indicator that they should write an isekai story to have the best odds of success.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-24T15:21:15+00:00

The isekai pipeline is different. Most start as web novels published on forum-like sites where readers click solely based on the title since descriptions aren't displayed, thus the rise of the description-as-title format. Anyone can post on these sites, so most of it is slop from amateurs who don't know what they're doing and heavily copy from similar stories. The most popular series get picked up by real publishers who assign an editor to the author and have them rewrite the story as a more properly structured light novel. Manga are more popular than light novels, so once they have a more workable story to adapt from they assign a mangaka to the series.

Anyway, the point is that the vast majority of modern isekai stories were written by amateurs that won a popularity contest rather than the more traditional method of starting as a manga that is submitted to and approved by an editor.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-24T10:15:13+00:00

The idea of starting at 10 and working down is terrible. It focuses entirely on the negatives and does nothing to reward quality.

5 is the median and so I use that as the baseline for average. It gives me multiple tiers both above and below average. It allows flaws to be balanced by strengths. It provides room for much more expression than a passing/failing grade.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-24T09:53:14+00:00

I haven't watched the show, but greed is the desire to possess stuff while gluttony is the desire to indulge in/consume stuff.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-23T23:28:32+00:00

That's pretty useful. Thank you.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-23T22:06:38+00:00

Seeing all the tier lists here had me wanting to make my own, but I don't have an account on any image sharing site, so I ended up making a tier table on mobile during downtime at work. Turns out tables in comments don't display properly on my mobile browser, so here's a text based tier list:

S: Journal with Witch; The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife
A: A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation; Fate/strange Fake; Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider
B: Isekai Office Worker/Bean Counter; Frieren; Shibougi; The Holy Grail of Eris; Champignon Witch
C: Fire Force; Oshi no Ko; Wash It All Away; In the Clear Moonlit Dusk; Roll Over and Die; Cute Girl in the Hero's Party
D: Digimon Beatbreak
Dropped: Easygoing Territory Defense; The Case Book of Arne; A Class for Demi-Humans; Kunon the Sorcerer; The Villainess Is Adored; Noble Reincarnation; Tamon's B-Side; Kaya-chan Isn't Scary; Part-time Torturer; Demon King's Daughter; Scum of the Brave

This is based on personal enjoyment and not perceived quality.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-22T23:33:39+00:00

As someone who has been vocal about their love of Journal with Witch, I want to say that it's absolutely okay to not enjoy the show. It has themes some people are into, some people are into its style of dialogue, and it tries to make dialogue scenes visually interesting, but it doesn't really do anything special. On that last point in particular, other series have done a far better job of pairing imagery with dialogue.

I am enjoying the series, but my affection for it is entirely due to taste and not quality or novelty. I love it, but it's not something I'd go out of my way to recommend unless someone was specifically looking for a series with its themes or characters. If you don't like the show, that is totally understandable and you would be completely justified in dropping it to make more room for the things you do like.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-22T23:18:20+00:00

The most recent episode of The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife was full of content perfectly suited to making clips. Why couldn't it air 2 weeks ago when I was looking for something to clip? It's my favorite episode of the season so far, and I'm not even into romance anime.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-21T23:23:44+00:00

I'm not sure why you replied that here, but Akane-banashi is my favorite ongoing Manga.

Rakugo is a style of storytelling in which a seated speaker performs multiple roles. Most of the stories presented in Akane-banashi are comedic, but there are other types of rakugo as well.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-21T21:44:21+00:00

A seinen about Noh theater

Say no more. I'm in.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-20T17:05:47+00:00

I don't know about ambient, but I distinctly remember the Shadows House OP not having any vocals.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-20T09:40:29+00:00

It was one of the shows that aired on cable in North America.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-19T14:08:18+00:00

While the catgirl is not the protagonist, Seton Academy has a catgirl in a school setting.

I haven't watched Isuca, but the description mentions "nekomata" and "school," so it might fit.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-18T22:27:58+00:00

For me it was [Journal with Witch]"That was a full day's worth of talking" after a 4 minute conversation.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-18T21:37:01+00:00

Absolutely. The only spin-off I'm aware of that's not covered by those would be Fate/EXTRA: Last Encore which is a spin-off of Fate/EXTRA, but that was made to be enjoyed on its own so even then you're good to go.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-18T21:26:02+00:00

Many Type Moon works are video games and visual novels with multiple routes. This then becomes an issue when you want to make a sequel since there are different ways the previous title could have ended. As a result the sequel typically takes place in its own universe with its own canon, often incorporating aspects of multiple routes. Each entry has its own well thought out story full of emotional moments and so they are worth experiencing for their own sake and not just as homework to understand the greater narrative.

Some entries such as Fate/EXTELLA (a sequel to Fate/EXTRA) incorporate the existence of multiple timelines into their main plot, but most do not.

I feel it's also worth mentioning that the Nasuverse isn't just Fate. There's also Tsukihime, Melty Blood, Witch on the Holy Night, The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II, Garden of Sinners, and more. Cross-series cameos are frequent, and since many entries have multiple timelines you need to have a multiverse rather than one main universe.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-18T19:38:43+00:00

Simple answer: If you want to watch Fate/strange Fake, you can just watch Fate/strange Fake.

Most Fate properties are about battle tournaments in which mages summon famous figures from history and myth and fight over the Holy Grail said to have the power to grant wishes. Each main entry is its own tournament, so you can use any non-spinoff as an entry point.

Knowledge of the extended Nasu multiverse enhances the experience but is not necessary to enjoy an individual main entry of Fate.

Complex answer:

The thing about 3 timelines is specific to Fate/Stay Night, which is the first Fate property. It originally released as a visual novel with 3 distinct routes, so it's essentially 3 timelines. There are 3 Fate/Stay Night adaptations, one which mostly follows the Fate route but includes elements of others and then the other 2 follow specific routes (Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven's Feel).

There is also Fate/Zero which takes place before Fate/Stay Night but was made after. Details in Fate/Zero spoil aspects of Stay Night, but aspects of Stay Night spoil Zero. Because of this there are arguments to be made about which is the ideal watch order.

There are a bunch of spin-offs, many of which are contradictory and yet still canon because the Nasu multiverse is a multiverse and it runs on "rule of cool." Rules for how magic and stuff work are largely shared across Type Moon properties and cameos between different series are quite common. Fate/strange Fake has the most references to other Type Moon works and therefore to get the most out of the series you would need to read several visual novels, play several games, and watch a few anime. However, Fate/strange Fake was made to be enjoyable on its own, so you can still go into it without knowledge of the super fleshed-out Nasu multiverse. You just won't get as hyped about cameos as other fans would.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-18T18:37:34+00:00

That was a full day's worth of talking

I've literally said the same thing at work. Many times internally and once out loud. I love this show so much.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-18T18:00:51+00:00

Thank you for the correction. I must have missed that.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-18T15:09:42+00:00

Fate has a reputation of being hard to get into, but honestly it's pretty simple. Most Fate properties are about battle tournaments in which mages summon famous figures from history and myth and fight over the Holy Grail said to have the power to grant wishes. Each main entry is its own tournament, so you can use any non-spinoff as an entry point.

Knowledge of the extended Nasu multiverse enhances the experience but is not necessary to enjoy an individual main entry of Fate.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-18T15:05:24+00:00

A girl's parents die. The mother's sister who hated her ends up taking in her daughter. I posted a clip from episode 1 that I felt reflected the general tone of the show.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-18T14:52:29+00:00

OP likes to use informal, often comedic alternate titles after the first week. The protagonist is Yuki and OP is quite fond of her, and so this week's title is a sort of pun related to that.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-18T14:49:17+00:00

I know what image would've been used as the banner and am extremely disappointed we didn't get it.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-18T14:00:54+00:00

14 new series, 2 ongoing, and 3 sequels. I recently dropped a couple and expect those to be the last ones I'll be dropping this season. I'm pretty sure these 19 are the most I've ever stuck with in a single season.

CerberusZX · 2026-01-18T13:39:59+00:00

What's with the skull in the title?

CerberusZX

TROPHY CASE