Reading Some Great, Strange, & Terrible Manga...
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- Опубліковано 10 чер 2024
- NIKKE Goddess of Victory download link: bit.ly/nikke_AhLecks
The artist for the Sakuragi art in the thumbnail: / ffff37l
Patreon: / ahlecks
Twitter: / ah_lecks
2nd Channel: / @ahlex2866
Here's a list of some of the amazing and awful manga that I've been reading this last year.
Some might call it a manga recommendation video...
Some might say it's an manga un-recommendation video.
And you wanna know what I think? I think it's really all just an excuse for me to talk about random famous historical figures.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:17 Nikke: Goddess of Victory
2:31 Blue Giant
4:40 Uzumaki
9:15 Blue Period
13:23 An Extremely Accurate Historical Overview of Pablo Picasso + Leonardo Da Vinci
15:34 Origin
20:49 Catching Up on Dandadan
23:22 Juujika No Rokunin
25:37 Chainsaw Man Anime/ Part 2
27:55 Solanin
30:25 Slam Dunk
Song List: • Best & Worst Manga Songs - Фільми й анімація
Couple things:
1)There was supposed to be a segment on Vagabond but midway through recording it I ended up getting sick and also breaking my hand lmfao. So during the second half of it, my voice basically just sounded like a dying sheep and I had to scrap it all together.
2) This was definitely one of the most taxing videos to make in terms of just how absurd the labor was to edit. I know I always promise to upload more often but I think I just gotta stop lying to myself and accept the fact that I really enjoy doing the big and weird projects. So I can't promise how soon the next one will be out by, but hopefully we're at least a point where ya'll can trust me that I'll be working extremely hard on it! I usually like to alternate between vids that are super editing-focused and writing-focused. And as you guys could probably tell, this one was one of the editing ones. So it's most likely that the next one will be a much more fleshed out and in-depth one where I can focus on the narration.
3) If anyone here happens to know the name of the original artist for the Sakuragi artwork that's in my thumbnail, please let me know or shoot me a DM. I've tried searching everywhere and I haven't been able to find the creator for me to credit them in the description.
4)I wanted to a hangout stream the day after this came out, but now there's no chance since I lost my voice lol. So maybe I'll do it next week.
-Love ya'll
totally worth the wait man, it was a great video
W sponsor hehe
Luv u man
Very fun video
always worth the wait, your an inspiration too all of us
This man just had a full breakdown in real time, and I’ve never been more convinced that someone deserves their success than this very moment
Guaranteed to happen at least twice per vid🥲
@@Ah_Lecks man you know what, your editing is really good and your content is also really. I have barely read any good mangas until now but you have me a chance to explore the world of top class mangas by recommending these mangas...
I'm gonna read vagabond first and then slam dunk and experience what you have by reading those...
Your a really great content creator and you deserve the subscribers you have gotten until now...
Sorry for the bad English I'm just a 15 year old expressing his thoughts about this... I hope you continue to make great content
@@Ah_Lecks Ayo so like how long do you sleep bro...like this is real shit....;O and do you go to university or you dropped out ?
He really spirled into anger
Watch soupastas video on into the future battle cats
I think Uzumaki's horror element is that, so many fucked up things are happening, but no one acknowledges it. And maybe I'm reading too much in to it, but I think it's supposed to be about how people rather lie down and roll over to the problem than actually overcoming it. How it's actually easier to deny the existence of something that's affecting someone, until it's too late.
To me it feels like every character (maybe except the boyfriend) is stuck in dream logic and aren't aware of it, which makes the manga all the more scary from the boyfriend's point of view when everyone acts like mindless NPCs and just fold into spirals.
I always thought the idea was that it the horror of everyday life the spirals are the swirling of natural logic being sucked in by the entity of creating this nightmare world. Destroying the boarders of life and existence making 1 thing of chaos. I kinda was watch evangelion around that time. So I think I was connecting dots that maybe weren't there.
Regardless of how it can be interpreted, I think it’s up for discussion. The whole horror element lies behind the mystery. It’s the fear of the unknown. Most of junji ito’s books don’t explain why these certain phenomena happen
It's Kishotenketsu.
Junji Ito has talked about how his works are about making the mundane, everyday objects and phenomenon into our biggest nightmare. There are no grand lessons in his works or commentary on social issues, it's about nothing but the process of cognition itself (also known as Sunyatta/Eemptiness/Enzoo).
The closest thing to a theme beyond that would probably be obsession, the desire to know or the inability to go against one's self behavior. Obsession is a general theme among Ito's work, you can see it in The Enigma of Amigara Fault especially. In more easily understandable words, his works explore emotions not ideas.
This is known as Kishotenketsu, which one of the most common forms of plot structure in eastern media and especially Japan. Unlike western counterparts, kishotenketsu doesn't have conflict in it or lessons to be taken from it. It's simply descriptive of a situation and asks you to experience the experience, it does so by Introduction (起), Development(承), Twist(転), and Conclusion(結): 承転結 (Ki-sho-ten-ketsu).
Honestly, it's much more important than just plot structure because poetry and even arguments outside the realm of narratives are arranged in it. It's one of the most important elements emblematic of japanese/asian culture.
Well said
Blue period is also one of the most nuanced stories about art in general. Truly a love letter to art and artists. Not to mention that it has some of the best character relations and dramas in the medium.
You should watch sunday in the park with george!
should i watch it? idk what it's about
@@ummtulip no, definitely read the manga though
the problem is the author is a pedophile and supports incest. i agree with separating art from the artist but ewww.
@@ummtulip one of the worst animes I've watched.
the way you talk about slam dunk was so beautiful, it's truly insane that the manga does a 180 on itself and became one of the most influential manga of all time
Funny thing about that segment is that the exact same song played in my head when i was reading through shohoku vs ryonan
And the author himself proved that he is not inadaptable by adapting his own manga
At what ch does it rlly pick up?
Now that I've read it, it just picks up when the team is finally formed and we get into the matches
So about Uzumaki, what I see in it (and why I personally love the Manga) is that it is an Horror about Obsession and the isolation that comes from living in a small community
there is a lot of weird stuff that is seemingly just there to be weird (like the snails), but the idea of obsession and it (literally) spiraling out of control and consuming this small town, an obsession that, as the ending shows, has always been directly under the Town itself, is very captivating, it is the kind of mystery that consumes the characters of the story, it is an almost cosmic horror that destroys the ones trying to understand it and it ravages through this community
I also very much like that kind of horror, that is less direct and more showing humans suffer because of their nature, in that case their curiosity, so I am very much forgiving other aspects of the work since the basic horror and premise is enough for me
You made a big mistake in your analysis of the characters. The mystery has never consumed them, the main characters just live within this environment. They aren't curious, just experiencing their surroundings. I'd mentioned this in another comment here as well, you should look into 承転結 (Kishotenketsu) to better understand works produced in Japan. Essentially the main character exist solely to exist as a vessel for the reader, they don't grow and rarely initiate anything, they just are doing there thing in a world that changes around them.
The way blue period conveys the artist experience is ridiculously accurate for anyone whos ever tried anything creative. Hits like a bag of bricks. Cool vid once again gang
Since you have likes I’m going to use your comment to tell everyone some thing, thank you.
IF YOU DONT WANT TO WATCH OR READ BLUE PERIOD I DO NOT CARE. BUT WHAT YOU MUST DO… is listen to the theme song. It is mostly in Japanese but it is JAZZ and it hits WAY TO HARD. I enjoy it to much to not share this information, thank you for reading this.
@@randomplaylistshere6616 everblue fucking slaps
@@skrish3976 for real
Still pissed that he called the Mona Lisa the worst painting
@omori2646 he's not saying that the Mona Lisa is bad, he's saying that it's the least best out of all of Leonardo da Vinci's works
Junji Ito used spirals for Uzumaki because its a shapes that draws the eye into itself. It fits the theme perfectly because its a hypnotic shape, its meant to draw you in and not let you out, spiraling downwards forever, hence why everyone sees what's going on, but can't seem to stop going deeper. Junji Ito's eldritch horror is never explained completely, he tells us only what we need to know. So to us, the story is about a town literally being haunted by a 'shape', but the reasons why Junji Ito chose said shape is purely because of the subconscious/subliminal effect it has on the reader.
Often times to me his works also tell an allegorical story about the horrors of mental illness and what it means to truly break from reality or to experience paranoia that you are the only one who *hasn't* broken with reality. The fact that all the other characters seem to be indifferent about the horrors around them until theyre subjected to them leads the reader to feel that either A) the protag is gaslit into normalizing something traumatizing or B) the protag is the only one noticing everything because he himself is experiencing the compulsions of the spiral.
And that the spiral is an extremely common mathematical pattern in nature. Junji Ito loves taking a normal concept and looking at it backwards. With that, the natural now becomes the unnatural. A very Lovecraftian view on every day thing.
And that itself fits cosmic horror perfectly well.
The idea isn't that it is unnatural. It's something so frighteningly natural and we are simply too stupid and small to understand that level of nature.
What about the snail sex ?
@@GokuInfintysaiyan Yeah most who get hyped up and hate this series I notice tend to just not get this type of horror. I've seen this reaction from book worms too. They just haven't dived into this stuff. The type of people who say ugh that movie was stupid after watching some beloved horror movie that doesn't explain everything at the end like scooby doo. People who answer with this response are usually met back with ugh you fans are unable to see the flaws in your story it has no meaning and is stupid...but its a feature not a flaw. Making the story the way that would please them would make it dry and tasteless and like a lot of stories in the states that explain everything and has a clear structure that's predictable and safe. Fans of manga come to it after experiencing other medium and want that different writing structure. Its how you hear how much people who hate anime and manga say ugh the story telling is bad for me...they usually also somehow tell me they don't like like 80% of the stuff they watch cause they predict it all (same people) tend to try something foreign like a Bollywood movie or something and cant tell what will happen next anymore for example and either rage quit or fall in love. Always nice to try something out of your wheel house but its risky...you may not "get it" many foreigners to the states try state stuff and love it as the unortadox story telling their used to is boring to them and so on. All about being open to new ideas, not always that the series is bad.
Slam Dunk came at a point in my life when basketball was a very important part of my life. I hurt myself and couldn’t contribute to my team, and when I read the Mitsui section, it made me a better person. I’m dead serious, it changed my life.
Bro really tried to understand cosmic horrors beyond our comprehension while reading Uzumaki
He lost all credibility after that segment.
@@sagadabeanshe fr did. that actually pissed me off. he even said “why don’t they just leave” because THEY LITERALLY CANT it brings them back everytime they leave. the spiral it’s self is obviously a god like elderich horror and spirals is it’s thing.
@@sagadabeans It’s in my top 5 worst manga easilyyyy
@@noahcreel8717 ur being sarcastic right? either that or you have basic taste
@@MetanoiaMystery Nah I mean my 3 friends ik who read it didn’t like it either and you just watched a video on him not liking it? It’s not that crazy cmon🤣🤣
Dude the ending segment got me so hyped your passion's absolutely contagious man
bro got me to start Slam Dunk and i fucking finished it in 2 days literally the greatest sports manga ever
@@tanushworm that we can agree on but i wish they continued it to the finals and maybe years later on
@@tanushworm damnn 2 days
@@tanushworm Its weird how people go into universally acclaimed work and go umh I read like the intro and it isn't blowing my mind so its mid and likely overrated and generic and etc...like build up boss do you read it...most stuff starts off slow its the ones where you get it all in the first chapter you gotta worry about. also I thought he didn't like cosmic horror for not explaining the mystery but then he jumped on the more crazy silly stuff and liked it in other work. Maybe he was just not in the mindset for uzamaki at the time.
@@tanushwormThe literal exact same thing happened to me this week LOL it was incredible
Just want to say that I've probably watched this video like 4 or 5 times now, and I still get goosebumps from the segment about Slam Dunk. This is art
Dude same, i keep coming back to this video every now and then. It's too good
Yeah, that shit is BEAUTIFULL
This really is true art. I wish I could even have half of his creativity
I love blue period so much, I'm so happy to see people talk about it. As an artist some of these characters are so relatable and it's all done so well. The passion conveyed is so powerful and I feel like I could talk about it forever
A lot of Junji Ito's stories center around the horror of obsession (that's what the spirals mean) and compulsion (think Amigara Fault.) The spiral shape itself is a bit arbitrary, but something I think Ito himself maybe took some kind of interest in, and eventually something that keeps them all trapped in the town when they do eventually try to leave. Part of the horror is trying to see it from the main guy's perspective, that he sees all of this for what it is, and when he tries to tell the only person he has left (the main character we follow, his girlfriend) she doesn't believe him and he ends up saving her every time *because* she's all he has left. The different "spiral of the week" stories in the early half of the book sort of set up these themes of obsession and compulsion which lead into the latter half where more themes come forward about human behavior during apocalyptic times (like in Hellstar Remina) and even historical/ancestral trauma. In terms of the ending, my take is that it was the best possible outcome for the characters from a reader's perspective (I would have hated some kind of chosen one/supernatural deus ex machina resistance to the spiral) and it smooths out the answer to why this is happening to the town in the first place.
That was a lot, my bad.
TL;DR the themes are there and super relevant throughout many of Junji Ito's works, and the end is the most logical end for a horror story like Uzumaki imo.
Wonderful synopsis! you are so well informed on this topic
Wow you’re smart! I’m a dum dum so I just kind of enjoyed the weirdness of the story. The art actually made me ick which was pretty cool.
@@TheCarocornExists thank you! I really love the story and have spent a lot of time thinking about it lol
@@Deputyeli thank you :)
Fuck yeah thank you, the channel took this story in such a literal way, I appreciate Ito's ambiguity and weirdnesses.
Love the part where you talk about the tragic story of Picasso’s Blue Period and was like “anyways”.
That pure, heavy, unadulterated passion is what I live for. I don't care how scripted that final, little rant to youtube was, thank you so much. The level of raw expression of emotion made me feel so connected, I just couldn't click off the video until the last second had ticked by. This video in itself is incredible, but that last section of Slam Dunk until the end was pure art. Once again, Thank you!
Can we get a full, not necessarily long video of Alex just talking about random things he found in his research, because it was so funny how we went from talking about Blue Period to talking about how much of a genius Da Vinci was. And I also forgot I was watching a manga video😂😂
The point of Uzumaki and really most of Ito's work is of sheer Lovecraftian horror that one day the universe can just turn upside-down and some vast terrible force beyond any human understanding can pervert everything around you into a nightmare
Also just coming up with ideas for crazy shit and drawing them in intense detail
Exactly this! I don't get how he didn't understand that
And I remember a video discussing how spirals can have multiple interpretations thus having different effects on each character, some spiralling down/into depression and cynicism or spiralling up to hope and others who believe it doesn’t go either way, it just starts at the centre dot and ends at that dot being neither cynical or hopeful but realistic.
Still don’t know why there was snail sex tho
@@725ken I think he does. But Uzumaki chose to tell its story through a dense and retarded mc making it so grating at points. There are a lot of valid criticisms for the manga regarding the story and simply saying “art gud” and “premise gud” is weird
@@theyoungfool.1895 the snail sex got me 😭😭😭😭
@@humid3208 Ito really be wilding💀
As someone that loves basketball, the ending of this video was so stupidly good that I literally continued singing the song even when the video ended
Land of the Lustrous, while unfinished, is a must read
its so beautiful in its artwork and the deescent into madness the main character goes through is wild
After a point it felt like the author just throws random bullshit at the reader under the guise of it being some deep thought provoking statment. I've heard drunk homeless people with more profound stories than whatever the hell that shit turned into.
@@leviathan5207 it sounds like you just dont like that shit bro damn, it aint that serious that you had to hate on it that hard lmao
The ending made me tear up a little. Respect to you for letting us feel what you felt instead of taking the "Non-copyright" route 💖💖
Bro your Chainsaw man video got more views than Super Eyepatch wolfs. You are doing awesome.
I like both guys
Who tf is he
@@ariegameplay one of the best anitubers on youtube. And the guy that inspired Ah Lecks.
eye patch wolf is just an echo chamber for mainstream opinions
@@ariegameplay one of the early "talking over cs:surfing" ytbrs who wasn't cancer, at a time when leafyishere was very popular
The last segment of this video is unironically the best of UA-cam 2023 for me so far. I don't know exactly how much money you risked losing but adding that soundtrack really drives home the point you were trying to make. Slamdunk shaped my childhood and I'm so glad that even today, there are people discovering Sakuragi's (and Inoue's) greatness for the very first time.
Inoue was still just starting out at the time, and his last manga was cancelled. So while writing about one of his passions, he also left room to shift to a delinquent battle manga in case the basketball route wasn't popular. As you guess, probably after the Mitsui battle is when he was confident enough to shift completely over to basketball.
In a lot of cultures and beliefs spirals are the axis of evil and no one seems to understand why the theme of “spirals are bad” keeps popping up, This is likely the motivation for Uzumaki I think.
what cultures? where?
Slam Dunk is simply a MASTERPIECE! It is as if you put cinema in a book! The artstyle is amazing and realistic. The jokes no matter how many times you reread them still land and the HYPE!!! The TENSION!!The CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT especially Sakuragi's (who started basketball because he liked a girl but stayed bcuz he genuinely loved basketball) Definitely my favorite manga of all time and I don't even like basketball like you.
TRUE! although the ending was abrupt and bittersweet, I still appreciate and love Slam Dunk for making me cry and smile the whole time reading it. So glad I gave it a go as a person who isn’t even a single bit interested in basketball.
Slam dunk is fine but it suffers from other sports manga coming out later doing the same thing better tbh. It's called the Seinfeld effect I guess ? Where you don't seem as impressive once you inspired many other works. It's like a 7-8/10 but not close to the 10 every one hypes it up to be. Which actually hurts a lot the reading experience because that first quarter of the manga is really hard to go through when you hear masterpiece thrown around that much
@@malekal5315 i actually wrote two paragraphs why Slam Dunk actually does better than the newest sports animes and mangas but I deleted the paragraphs, bcuz I for one don't know what kind of sports anime or shows your are talking about to begin with.. let me just say if your definition of 10 is Haikyuu or blue lock (although I like the shows) then let me say I'm disappointed and my day is ruined, thank you for comment.
but yeah Slam Dunk is like the Matrix at this point, inspired lot of works and maybe those works did it better, but it doesn't mean that the Matrix is suddenly not a Masterpiece or a classic.
@@malekal5315 i actually read Captain Tsubasa, Haikyuu, Blue Lock and some others sports manga, and by far Slam Dunk was my favourite manga all the emotions that it has and that realistic but no so realistic drawing style is just perfect the characters also.
That ending single handily made me like the video, subscribe, wanna read Slam Dunk, and stop my Radiohead binge to listen to Abba 💀
So I'm a bit late to the party but for Uzumaki, I think I read a different fan translation or something lol, so the reason Kirie doesn't leave the town is mostly because she's concerned about her family they refuse to leave or even acknowledge all the shit going on and she doesn't want to abandon them even though its detrimental to her health. It's also semi implied that she's very close to the "center" of the spiral so things will likely keep happening to her regardless of what she tries to do. Her boyfriend only stays because he loves and worries about her. In the end it's also heavily implied that this is a literal spiral cycle that happens to the town every few hundred or so years and that even if you try to leave if you were born there you'll likely end up returning. Since Ito's works usually have to do with things outside of your control and that you can't really change. I bet even if they left the spiral would end up pulling them back in or dragging them back to the town. And even though she knows something is going on she still asks because she's in disbelief that things managed to get this bad or that things went the way they did. The true horror is that even though you know what's going on and know you have to leave you're powerless to do so and even if you do it'll never really leave you alone.
20:35
I know this is a joke, but I would just like to add;
Maybe your script looks a little comical by itself, but it's your presentation that carries you videos; not just in the visuals, but also in your voice. Your delivery combined with your editing, regardless of how weak you think the script is, emphasizes whatever point you were trying to make and makes these videos so entertaining. I was fully prepared for you to take 20 minutes to explain the life story of every renaissance artist ever because of how excited you made me feel about it.
trueeee
The way he yells "what's GOING ON?"
I literally like uzumaki so much that I have a half sleeve of it lol. But different tastes I guess. Please do more videos love your content. I’m pretty sure the patterns mean Destiny or fate. Like an unstable force that when you try to understand it. That it’s already too late you will be trapped in your worse nightmare from it.
Bro who tf said you're annoying or that your editing is bad, this is the type of content I *want* to see when seeing manga/anime reviews or analysis or recommendations. People with personalities, bubbly/exuberant amounts of energy. Keep being the way you are right now, you made my fucking slow as hell day so much damn better with being that energetic lmao keep that going. Also thanks for the recommendations, I'll give that Slam Dunk one a try.
The ending was amazing. It made me shed tears on how passionately you talked about Slam Dunk and the Abba song adding to that. Totally going to read it now even if I previously thought it would be just another overhyped sports manga. Adding Blue Giant and Solanin to my reading list as well. Loved this video overall, subscribed
I would like to thank you sincerely for suggesting "Solanin" to me, I've bottled up trauma, shame and tears for so many years but after reading that damn manga, I literally sat in my room crying for almost an hour straight.
i feel as if it helped me understand that a lot of what makes us human isn't striving to even be perfect but just trying not to fuck up and look stupid or make others feel bad for us, trying to just fit into the slots that life provided for us.
It helped me think a lot of things over and understand myself a lot more.
Thank you Ah_Lecks❤
Aw thanks dude I'm honestly so glad to hear that. I was really hesitant about even leaving that segment in but I figured there hopefully was gonna be at least one person that would consider checking it out. I'm glad I can now feel like that was a good decision :)
What an amazing comment @cumlordbro
@@Ah_Lecks the fact that this super heartfelt comment comes from a guy called Cum Lord Bro is the magic of social media.
I would suggest to you : read Zarathoustra by Nietzsche.
@Ah_Lecks just a Manga recommendation, try to read Takopi's Original Sin, great Manga.
Might make you cry like it made me cry.
I literally got goosebumps by the end of your video!I I enjoyed so much and I appreciate that you take your time to make these manga reviews and oh boy I have watched a lot of channels like yours but only you can captivate me like this. They way you edit and pour your feelings out is incredible.
And yes I know for you its hard to capture what you felt in proper words but sometimes it doesn't need any specific words. The way you edit your videos dhows how much you care. You use different background music and animations that reflect your emotional turmoil that you have gone through.
And no, your voice is not annoying. Please don't think that because some people say that on the Internet.
Anyways I am gonna stay tuned for your next videos! It's actually so crazy that I have found you in the early rises of your youtube career.
Ah and because of you i have started reading DANDADAN ! You're getting closer to the 100% :D
wow. just wow. your videos are just absolute masterpieces. i feel like you are cutting yourself way too short. i love hearing you talking about these things, just the sheer passion and energy your voice carries is fucking astounding! im actually holding myself back from watching your stuff so i dont finish it too early and get the most out of them. is that weird lmao? idk you're just amazing..
You have incredible comedic timing. I've literally returned to your Uzumaki, Blue Period, and Origin reviews multiple times because of how hilarious it was.
Really glad to have found your channel and I am definitely going to check out Blue Period and Dandandan (as per your previous vid on it).
Your editing and passion is honestly so endearing to watch. You have things to say, and you have a way of saying and presenting it that captivates the audience. Even when you were bashing a manga I find worth in (Uzumaki) it was still fun! And didn't feel too mean spirited. I love your energy and the tangents are random but welcome because it feels human.
You had something to say, so you said it. And it was worth it. It feels like when youre on a car journey and another person just starts talking about something thats been building up the past couple days and they just NEEDED to say it and now's their chance, so you listen and you enjoy it. Great work man
You are easily on your way to becoming one of the greats in the anime/manga community. Each and every one of your videos is filled with not only a lot of effort, but the passion is obvious and you don't try to hide it at all. Keep it up man I am really looking forward to more
Just finished slam dunk, came back to this video because I had thought it was a bit of a dramatic ending, it wasn't. I now understand. I feel the same
The Slam Dunk movie that has been released recently is really good too and I think condense really well what Slam Dunk is. It makes you laugh and cry, keeps you on your toes. And even though you know exactly how it will end, you still get excited and feel like you were part of an adventure.
I came to see it with low expectations when I heard they used CGI but I went out of the theater exhausted and happy like if I were on the court.
Or it might be just me regretting not playing basketball seriously... but I loved it and I hope some people enjoyed it as much as I and the other people in the theater did (they were so hyped and we laughed and cried together haha)
I saw the movie without knowing anything about the manga. I didn't even know it was so famous, I somehow completely missed all mentions of this story anywhere on the internet. But watching the movie made me completely obsessed. I'm seeing it a fourth time next week. I'm halfway through the manga. I'm so glad we got it in european cinemas, I don't know who I'd be if I had never seen it.
Going backward from essentially the finale of the manga to reading the rest of it was such an interesting experience too. I knew they would make it to championships in the end bc of the movie, but god, it was so emotionally taxing reading them get to it. When they finally qualified for nationals, I had to put the book down and go to sleep bc I had no energy for anything else. I was fr rooting for them with everything I had and was exhausted after, as if I had been the one on the court. It's incredible how the author can consistently get people to root for characters even when you know the outcome - both as a mangaka and movie director.
My god again, this man just does not ever miss when it comes to his edits. Especially with how long this video is, no wonder he uploads once in a Blue Moon.
I think the Uzumaki really resonated with me. I don’t know if you have ever been to or lived in a small town in America/Canada (apologies, I am not sure where you are from), but with my experience of small town the idea of being consumed by a spiral makes a lot of sense. In small towns a lot of people do the same thing and never leave. They just spiral around doing the same thing, refusing to see how the world and country are changing. They never go and see anything new or change. They spiral into a routine and then the towns eventually die. I think the true horror of Uzumaki is best shown when you look at it this way. Also, Ito Junji’s art style really helps to show this idea.
However, your video was great and I respect your opinion! Please keep trying new manga and making videos! They are very good!
Oh man, I can't put into words how much I love seeing your videos. Every time I see a new upload on your channel I have a little burst of excitement. Your videos and the editing that goes into them is absolutely gold. Thank you for all of the videos thus far.
I swear at the end of the video, I threw the phone and took off the headphones, and I literally sat clapping,clap for the end of the video, which deserves the Oscars, and the wonderful song with Art, the best sports manga in life... what a video
Blue period hit home for me because art school made me loose my passion for art ( at least when it comes to drawing or painting I still love crafting)
I wish that could have been my journey and that I would have stuck it out and continued practicing because I would probably have made soo much progress but it didn’t happen that way for me unfortunately
It’s a really accurate representation of what most young artists go through and what art school is really like which can be summed up with the words *existential crisis and frustration* tbh
Are you Austrian?
It's a slow burn. It'll take dedication to understand the whole lore.
It's such a treat to see what you come up with for these videos! Getting to see your passion and dedication come to fruition as well as your evolution as an editor is really inspiring and helps fan the that same flame of passion I have inside of me. Excellent job Alex and can't wait to see what you come up with next!
Much love Holden 🤩
I just finished Slam Dunk and this video was the first thing that crossed my mind, so I came back. The final section resonates SO MUCH WITH ME I CAN'T BELIEVE I ENDEND THIS MANGA 😭😭😭😭
as a HUUUGE ABBA fan, i have to say it gave me goosebumps when you included their song on the video, it was just perfect, especially with the song that you thought of (being their prettiest song, or at least one of them). This is one of the best videos i’ve ever seen on this platform by far, thank you!
Slam dunk is unreasonably good. the amount of feelings i had in that final match of the manga is insane.
I read the final match listening to a nice emotional song and now whenever i hear it i imagine that all over again and begin to cry😭😭😭
Some of the panels from slam dunk are seared into my mind. Its so good.
It's ridiculous how good this video is. All of your effort and work has paid off and I can't wait to see more. You're a huge inspiration and am wishing you the best Ah Lecks!
Everything about this video but especially the Picasso part makes it clear that you're gonna make it far as a youtuber. It was like that realization moment of the jazz musicians Manga.
Great humor, editing, goofiness, enthusiasm. You're great at this keep it up.
The way you make videos is unique and your enthusiasm is contagious! Thank you for the great video.
After watching the Junji Ito Collection anime all those years ago, I came to the (possibly mistaken) conclusion that how his brand of horror works is through the atmosphere built on the page. Which means that a crappy adaptation by people that don't really know what they're doing might completely kill it. But so can a sudden break from suspension of disbelief - one "wait, what?" and the whole house of cards comes crumbling down. Or one invasive thought - good luck reading "The Mystery of Amigara Fault" right after the "It goes in the square hole" vid and taking the story seriously. My guess is thinking about "why spirals though?" might've been the thread that unraveled Uzumaki for you.
I’m genuinely excited whenever you post a new video man, your content is amazing
You are probably my favourite youtuber right now. your editing, writing, vocal expressions, and presentation as a whole is honestly breath taking. it honestly motivates me to improve myself in an attempt to make something nearly as good as you. You are way to underrated for you own good and you deserve anything nice that comes your way :D
Man im so bothered that you dont get enough recognition just the way you talk about the stories with your whole heart. Ppl complain about your dramatic tones and loud speaking but i feel like that really shows how much emotion there is behind your opinions and stories. Keep it up man u just unironically became my favourite ytber to watch. And dont get me started on the skilled asf editing
The warning made me question myself about my taste in manga
Blue Period hits like a brick wall running at the speed of light while in space. The struggle that can't be seen or heard was portrayed really well I had to stop and pick myself up after 3 days to keep reading. Also loves all the side info I didn't know I needed.
Btw amazing editing
The wait has been worth it. Seeing slam dunk in the thumbnail just made me smile. Thank you Ah Lecks
Your editing is amazing, your voice and everything you do is phenomenal. The audio is just so engaging. You won’t see this, I know, but it’s okay. Thank you
I recommend reading Monster by Naoki Urasawa if you had not read it already. It's about a Japanese doctor named Kenzo Tenma, who is living in Düsseldorf, Germany. The great life Kenzo had lived turned upside down after getting involved with a certain patient...
I started it, it’s very interesting.
I'm only part way through the video but to go further into the Uzumaki stuff:
The whole story is lovecraftian. It has a seemingly meaningless symbol take over the town and consume it because that's just how things are. It isn't supposed to make sense why a spiral is making everything so crazy. Its kind of like an elder God. Sure, you can look at one and it while it looks like a blob of stuff, its so far beyond your comprehension that it overloads your brain.
It was also stated on the last page of the manga that this whole spiral fuckery has been happening for ages. It just resets after its done. Another town will be built on top of the old and the cycle will repeat.
The reason why people don't just leave it because the spiral keeps them there. Its been a bit since I've last read it but the bf left but eventually came back because he can't stay away forever. The reason the mc denied everything is because its hard for some people to accept something cosmic and unknowable is happening in the town and you're powerless to stop it.
Sorry for the long comment I just wanted to clear some things up for you. It's one of Ito's most famous stories for a reason.
You're the most creative UA-camr I watch! Every video feels less like a video essay and more like a well-thought-out analysis. Your editing is something I don't see a lot of.
I've never had so much fun watching videos ever since 2016. something about ah lecks' channel is so pure and entertaining that I'd binge-watch every video of his. all I can say is thank you for giving me the joy of watching content on youtube once more. I hope as you grow bigger, your content doesn't change!
i dont watch long videos. i watched this whole thing and enjoyed every second. your editing and the excitement that you put into ur vids is insane
Oh my god, this video is one of the best videos I have seen in months, maybe years. The sheer detail to all the details and transitions are amazing. Bro keep doing this, for the love of god. Cause you got me crying like 3 times in this video alone because of the raw emotions that come through the reviews and holy shit that ending was beautifully crafted
If you loved Blue Giant's Saxophone and Uzumaki's vibe, listen to Colin Stetson play: "Among The Sef (Righteous II)" on his saxaphone. Toonami is making a "faithful" Uzumaki anime adaptation with this song as the main theme!
I don't like commenting on posts but I felt the need to say this,I deadass love this video so much,the editing the commentary, the music in the back LITERALLY EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS VIDEO IS SO AMAZING IM BAWLIN I WISH MORE PEOPLE WOULD SEE THIS MAN😭
I love the effort you put into these videos, it was worth waiting all the months for something like this. I can just feel the passion you have for these long term projects.
Bro, this was a Masterpiece...the pure Emotion the pure Beauty, the Edit. You are Going places bro
Man I started crying at the end, that passion was intense. Love your vids.
Oh my goodness, I know it's silly, but I really appreciate and love the Abba at the end your review of Slam dunk. You stuck with truly expressing yourself, and that is inspiring! Thank you for your sacrifice!
Great video, I recently reread all of Slam Dunk after 6 years and man, since then I have been loving basketball. This manga changes people, a lot. It is joy, effort and life itself. Love it. And I find that Winner takes it all is a great mental OST for it.
the end gave me shivers, you are an amazing youtuber and have such an infectious personality. I wish you the best in life dude!
32:07 on that note "what happens inside the dungeon" had the biggest 180 development ive ever seen. It went from basicly smut to being one of the best fantasy settings I've read
Ah Lecks is such a special UA-camr. One of a kind, one in a million. He will be one of the, if not THE greatest manga UA-cam artists (Yes I said artist because his videos are ART and something I'd love to get close to in terms of creating videos) Honestly every video I've watched of his has influenced, educated and entertained me. I can't wait to get more vids recommended now that I've subscribed
Hey just wanted to say I appreciate all the hard work that you do for your videos. I really enjoy the chaotic calmness of it. Reminds me of Chainsaw Man how wild it can get but later you really remember the quiet moments. It's a nice charm to your videos. I also appreciate how many stories you've introduced to me now. I feel the emotion and hype as you describe these stories. Feels invigorating. As someone who played a lot of music once and likes art I feel like I HAVE to read Blue Giant and Blue Period now.
Never read manga before but I’ve always been a huge anime fan. Because of you I’ll start reading manga as well, and because I know I’ll enjoy it… Thank you, for inspiring me to start an incredible journey.
This video was so well-made I genuinely stood up and began clapping towards the end.
First of all, I love your video! They are amazing every time I watch a new one. Second of all, I am indeed one of those that finished reading Origin and your description was definitely on point same for Dandadan. Thanks you for being who you are!
I cannot tell you how timely this video came out. Today I had a really shitty day and when I came home I saw that your new video dropped. And now I have finished watching it and…
Man I’m the happiest man rn. You’re putting so much effort and feelings in videos. I really hope that your channel will continue to grow and you will find people that will appreciate your hard work. You made my day!!!
I've red somewhere that at the start of slam dunk inoue was pressured to focus more on the comedy because basketball was an unknown sport and it wouldn't be popular. But later inoue decided to focus on his love of the sport as the focus
This was seriously one of the best videos I ever watched on UA-cam , I don’t even comment on videos ever but let me say you have a great talent at pulling the audience in and getting their undivided attention absolutely 10/10 video and review hilarious too 👏🏾👏🏾
Watching your manga content is pure comfort food. My friend and I pass manga recommendations back and forth all the time. And watching this is just like sitting on a discord call with that friend and just spilling your unhinged passion about good/bad manga.
Couldn't be happier to find this channel last week. Can't wait for more. Great work, my dude.
You are literally one of two people on this platform that I can watch talk about manga, so, yeah, thanks 😊
Now I want a whole video about the things he searched about, just bc of how passionate he sounds and how funny he delivers it😃
I will love this channel forever for the godlike edit knowing the work behind it and shi on a manga then get me so damn invested for the next one
This has been such an amazing video so far, no cap, no joke, no nothing. It's inspirational in some ways and it captures my attention sooo well. And not gonna lie, I kinda am curious to what more you could say about Leonardo da Vinci and all of your extra and deeper research, it was so interesting to hear..
Had to do an extra edit, gotta mention something. Your voice and the way you desccribe the mangas and other stuff that you have read, seen or heard about is amazing and it makes it unique, full of a variety of colors perhaps. I don't even know :DD, it's just such good content, I Love It!
This video is just as beautiful as the manga listed in it. Thank you for another amazing piece of work Ah Lecks.
Uzumaki fan here, after I finished it it left me in a depressive spiral for like 3 days, but even then I have to admit it’s really satisfying to hear someone else say that the time it took for them to think about leaving the town was stupid. Like so stupid just leave the town take your family with you and if they don’t go then let them perish just gtfo why would you stay wh
But regardless, Junji Ito’s stories have always been less about the characters and more about expanding upon the horrors themselves. The spirals were an eldritch horror that brainwashed a town and consumed it, depicted in Ito’s classic horror style. The protagonist’s were just a vessel to explore what it had to offer.
There’s also a popular theory going around that Kirie (the girl) was Shuichi’s (the boyfriends) spiral. The other town members were easy susceptible to the curse and didn’t catch on that something was up because they had lived in the town their entire lives, giving it the opportunity to brainwash them into overlooking its early phases, making it easy to fall for it’s allure. Spirals are commonly associated with hypnosis after all.
This can be seen as Shuichi describes the difference in atmosphere in and outside the town, saying the place has a bad aura, though the towns people don’t sense anything wrong themselves; the spiral built up the town’s ignorance overtime until even the most off putting instances don’t ring as an immediate threat.
Because of Shuichi’s frequent trips outside the town, he’s immune to its usual tactics, unable to be physically mutated by the spiral or blatantly dismissive of its effects. Which is why the spiral instead infects Kirie, leaving her conscious intact but forcing her to stay in the town with any excuse despite what Shuichi pleads, making him stay long enough until it’s too late. This would explain why she appears confused about the entire situation even when the patterns become more and more apparent, her infected mind is unable to see leaving as an option.
This allows Ito to have protagonists still sane and intelligent enough to explore the town’s decent without succumbing so easily, though not smart enough to just leave before the whole thing despairs. The spirals represent an inescapable decent into madness, helpless no matter how in control the protagonists may feel.
Even then, there doesn’t have to be a deep meaning attached to the spirals at all. They’re just a way for Ito to explore human fears and horrors, and what’s scarier than a town-eating pattern beyond human comprehension?
I must say that I still think Shuichi’s dumb as hell for staying just because his girlfriend is, there’s nothing tying him to this town except his highschool crush and yet somehow that’s enough. Personally I like to think that he wasn’t completely immune to the spiral, and Kirie’s refusal was just what tipped the scale in its favour completely.
Anyway that’s enough rambling, there’s a ton of other cool theories and patterns inside Uzumaki beyond its surface level story that really puts it in a new light, but at the end of the day it’s a scary story with scary visuals and an eerie ending that sucks with you, and I think it’s might swell just for what it is.
this made my day, feeling kinda down lately and this video makes me feel better.
thank you
Love your channel. Your voice is not annoying. Keep doing what you are doing!
Your editing and the way you explain how manga makes you feel are absolutely top tier man. If you've got time you should check out Kingdom (My favourite manga) and Kengan Ashura.
The amount of enjoyment I feel from just watching your videos never fails to amaze me, keep up the great work
This video was insanely good, great script, greats jokes and fantastic presentation! My favorite manga of all time happens to be written by takehiko inoue aswell. It’s called real, and it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read. It’s a beautiful coming of age story that has a good amount of basketball in it and while I also never understood why people like basketball as much, this manga made me understand. I can’t wait for the next upload!
Spectacular video. You just keep getting better with each upload.
this was actually a beautiful video i loved the structure and the ending. even tho i had to skip some of it cause now im for sure going to read slam dunk after seeing this video. you are by far my favorite manga youtuber. you kill every video. i will be back to watch this video again and again and again. keep it up, Please.
Man this is no joke, one of the best videos i've seen on this site, why did i feel so emotional at the end, everything just works, thank you for this
My expectations are now through the roof
I love the way you talk bro, it's like a form of story telling. The emphasis really helps convey your message.
Starting and Ending is just UUUFFFFFFF 👾
And Editing is richhh ahhhhhhh 😩😩😩😩
I'm surprised it took me so long to find any videos about blue giant, it was such an amazing read and glad you read it and recommended it here.
Edit: LMAO I also found this series because it had a similar title to blue period