Kyuuketsuki Sugu Shinu

One of the most famous manga from Shounen Champion finally receives the anime adaptation. KyuuShinu is an absurd comedy about a vampire hunter and a vampire that always dies. Their dynamics works well even when they are so different from each other, but they share the stupidity (one brain cell) As the plot follows Ronald and their huntings with Draluc and John (the vampire's armadillo) is a kind of slice of life, but extremely weird. The comedy in this series isn't for everyone and it has some cliches, but I find it funny enough. The art style is amazing, more polish than the manga, the brightcolours, the aesthetics (see episode 10) and with that I can tell you how beautiful is the opening. Everything is so vivid and funny, I love the fact that Draluc is the one singing the song (Jun Fukuyuma) is the essence of the story. The anime have nice effects in the sound and makes the experience more funny. The ending is cute. John's backstory singing by other two seiyuus who are also characters from the show. The characters are unique on their own: not just their design, but their behaviors, traumas, and goals. Humans and vampires are so diverse and equals at the same time. There are cliches, but what manga/anime doesn't have them? Even the characters themselves know! As I wrote before, comedy is not suitable for everyone for many reasons, but if you can get through the second episode, you are sure enjoy it. The only "but" I have other than the "sexual" jokes or "sexual" content that "it might have" (because it's in a funny way) as a manga reader, is that they changed the order of chapters from the manga. There are so many good ones, but I totally understand why. Go and watch Kyuuketsuki Sugu Shinu!!!

The John Show with Other Characters. The second of the only two excellent vampire shows this fall season is The Vampire Dies in No Time. An absurdist comedy sitcom about a social media conscious, fame hungry Vampire Hunter called Ronald and his shut in, dweeb, Vampire roommate Draluc who turns into sand in almost any stressful situation or to physical violence… or the sun… or garlic, he dies a lot you see. Depending on your tastes your experience may differ, but I laughed a lot watching this show. It’s jokes are well written with sharp humour, the animation is smooth and excellently done being a Madhouseproduction and the characters are all really funny. Vampires are seen more as oversized pests rather than terrifying creatures of the night and the show has a lot of fun making all the vampires and their powers as stupid as humanly possible. Like, you have one vampire who's power is to make people say lewd things and then he runs away, another forces people to wear micro-bikini’s, it’s very varied. The vampires all come in different shapes and sizes from your normal humanoid with pointed hair and teeth to fish to vegetables to a weird, pervert creature which looks to be a cross between an elephant and a worm. Ronald and the group of guild of vampire hunters are also a range between weird, fetish cosplay perverts to chunibyo costumed edge-lords and they’re as funny as they are freaks. The anti-vampire unit’s Hinaichi, straight-laced and serious as she is is just as hilariously moronic as the rest of the cast and Tou the dhampir just really hates the fact that his mom is in love with Ronald. Then there is John. The best character in anything ever. A statement that is literally, factually correct as well as in the realm of the show as the entire city is willing to shut down everything and come together and find him if he gets lost or gets kidnapped or is just a bit upset. There’s not a lot I can say to sell you on watching The Vampire Dies in No Time than just watch it if you like comedies. It’s really funny and it's clear that everyone who was involved in the making of this show from the animators to the voice actors had a blast so you'll have one too. 8/10 Great.

If there's ONLY ONE way that I can recommend this show to all of you, please watch it just for John, the adorable South American pet armadillo that's instantaneously loved by all. It should get its own spin-off story, for real. Comedy series can be hit or miss. Those that really dig you hard to the point of LMAOing, like Grand Blue or Asobi Asobase, or the latter that tries too hard to appeal to everyone, like this season's Shinka no Mi a.k.a The Fruit of Evolution. Where mangaka Itaru Bonnoki's work on Kyuuketsuki Sugu Shinu a.k.a The Vampire Dies in No Time lies at, IMOit is neither here nor there, as much as we're all happy to have an esteemed studio like Madhouse be back in the seasonal run. Such a mixed bag. Humans and vampires don't really exactly have a good reputation between each other, one that's even more so when the human is a vampire hunter and the vampire is your typical Dracula-style being. But that is exactly the case between Ronaldo and Draluc, whom the former has received a hunter job that's supposed to save a kid whom has wandered into the latter's castle, only to realize that he isn't so high and mighty like the stereotypical vampire that he is. And just with something trivial as a clapping of hands, Draluc very easily turns into ash while Ronaldo gets hung up around this kid who's smarter than the both of them to infiltrate his castle just to have fun. The ramifications of all these unhinged actions, is that Draluc's home gets destroyed in the process, and has to co-live with Ronaldo in his vampire hunter office because he has nowhere else to go. The incentive that result from all these events, is the introduction of Draluc's pet armadillo named John, and that the trio makes up one hell of an unusual team as they are forced to work together to fend off the "evildoers" ranging from Ronaldo's fellow vampire hunters (that could smell out Draluc) to even his condescending editor responsible for his valiant stories of heroic deeds against lesser vampires in the city of Shin-Yokohama. Right off the bat, you know that this show is a comedy first and foremost, and doesn't try to sugarcoat its wacky premise in basis of the time and progression. That in and of itself should give you the idea that in the world that the detective Ronaldo, vampire Draluc and armadillo John lives in, there's a wack ton of things happening concurrently, but the job is there to maintain stride and "glory" that Ronaldo is banking on: his War Chronicle series that his editor Fukuma is always trying to scourge out of the vampire hunter, because that's also both his and Ronaldo's interpersonal business relationship as well. Oh, and Ronaldo is part of the Hunters' Guild, where other vampire hunters of all forms exude their weirdness, so take that as you will. As for Draluc, he is nothing but trouble to the vampire hunter, much more to the police division where there's a specialized team of policemen under the Vampire Control division that handles both vampire hunters and the cases of lesser vampires running amok within the city, no matter their heinous and nefarious plans to oblivion. This is led mostly by Hinaichi (most people call her Hina) who seems overwhelmed with trying to spot what is Draluc's role in Ronaldo's life, only for her (like Ronaldo) to see that he's no threat at all, just yet another lesser vampire that turns into ash from the touch. The cast of characters, when you get to know them the very first time, they're kinda of the near perfect symbol of brain-dead people, doing things that either pleasure or displeasure others to the point of them being a laughing stock. And that is certainly felt from the start. It's only the journey thereafter that really tests your funny bones to depict what's hot and what's not. However, you can't deny that the salvation of this series is always fixated on Draluc's pet armadillo John. In contrast to the entire cast, John is the most cutest and adorable mammal that's just simply likeable, amazing and always mesmerizing to watch. I always look forward to scenes of situations that showcase John being empathic and playing along with the gags of everyone, he's the best laughingstock character out of them all that makes the cut for comedy always and without fail. All hail the next anime deity that is John the Armadillo, and praise be to John and the cult of Nu. It's great seeing Madhouse be finally back doing seasonal shows after some time off and coming back with last season's Sonny Boy. The truth of the fact is that we've just missed Madhouse too much that from the passing year that's just filled with the extent and rampage of the pandemic, and now the studio is back with this show and the MAPPA collab with Takt Op. Destiny. Concerning this show though, Madhouse did a pretty decent job all things considered, and the studio's signature flamboyancy mark is once again prevalent as well, most particularly with the OP visuals which is a throwback to one of the studio's most popular and the highly-praised best original series of all time: Death Parade. It's just simply a joy to see Madhouse's name as their comeback of a Renaissance period, although both shows aren't the best examples with Sonny Boy already making waves even from back then. Just like with Death Parade, Jun Fukuyama's OP "DIES IN NO TIME" is insanely good. It is such a bop-to-the-lit classic segue of a title song with both MCs Ronaldo and Draluc fleeting and dancing around what looks like an enlarged roulette wheel, which for hardcore fans of Madhouse, you'll instanteously know the reference to Death Parade at least for the visuals. Sadly though, the duet of Daisuke Ono and Takayuki Kondou as TRD performing the ED "Strangers" just doesn't really follow up well, and comes off as just kinda mediocre to listen to. The only thing that I want to listen to more of is Mutsumi Tamura's incredible VA performance as John with all the "Nu"s in variable tones, considering that she has just started her role as Hermes Costello in JoJo Part 6: Stone Ocean. Nu nu nuuuuu!!! Like I've said in the beginning: comedy is hit or miss. Depending on your depth of what's considered to tickle your funny bones, this show can either do that or just desperately try its best to keep you invested, knowing that the same gag, trope or joke is repeated over and over again. I know I did at the beginning, because I didn't know what to expect and got a good laugh out of it, only to feel tired of the fact that the growing repetition of jokes didn't really click with me. Maybe yours will still do, but this show really tests your patience if you really want to just turn off your brain and truly enjoy for what it is. This show exists in two camps: either you love it or hate it, that's all. But still, watch this ONLY for the wholesomeness of John, and in our Lord and saviour, the cryptid god character may the anime community receive thoust salvation. All of this in John the Armadillo's name we pray, say it with me: Nunen.

The adventures of John the Armando... and two idiots! This is a parody gag show in it's purest form. Every second of screen time has that in mind be it through the animation, the script or the voice acting. It's 12 episodes of none stop gags. Even the characters themselves are parodies. Our two mains are a Helsing & Dracula parodies, John himself is a parody of the now iconic mascot "cute" child character. So much so he ends up with his own cult! The show is light, fast paced and very energetic. The artwork is clean and the animation smooth, the OP theme really standsout in this one. The characters are fun and nobody is to be taken seriously. Because of that however the show fails in one aspect, it doesn't leave a mark. You watch it, you laugh, you move on. Due to the lack of any serious moments you form no attachment to any of the characters. For me the humor was more hit but there were a few times where things got... uncomfortable. They don't take it too far but I wish they didn't go there. I do question some of the references as they seem pretty dated. One example is when a "tribal?" woman is chasing after a guy, marriage certificate forum in hand, her words to him are "Me Bella, you Edward!". Seriously? A twilight reference in 2022? There are other references to a not that well known anime from the 60s regarding Draluc's hair. They are however one-off gags and don't mean much if you miss them.

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