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REVIEW: Twin Star Exorcists GN 1


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Forrest-kun



Joined: 09 Mar 2015
Posts: 34
PostPosted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 10:21 am Reply with quote
Just read this yesterday and I thoroughly enjoyed it.....it's got some serious D Gray-Man vibes going on...which I just happened to read yesterday also Anime hyper. Looking forward to the next volume!
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John Thacker



Joined: 28 Oct 2013
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 10:41 am Reply with quote
Quote:
the emphasis on the fact that they can't have a kid without getting married feels rather dated, but this is middle grade literature


Not dated, rather reflective of Japanese society, and Asia in general. In fact, research shows that having a child out of wedlock is what would be "dated" in Japan. Illegitimacy was much more common in Japan at the turn of the 20th century, and fell steadily until 1964, where it has remained stable for the last 50 years. (The overall birth rate has declined as marriages get later; the overwhelming practice in Japan is either to postpone sex or to have an abortion if birth control methods fail.)

Perhaps you should question your cultural assumptions rather than look at things from such a Eurocentric view.
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zztop



Joined: 28 Aug 2014
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 11:24 am Reply with quote
Speaking of Good Luck Girl, the Japanese never ordered a Season 2 of Binbougami ga!, did they?

What was the reason? I know the manga story's already over, so I'm guessing it was poor Bluray and manga sales?
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myskaros



Joined: 13 Jun 2011
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 11:44 am Reply with quote
zztop wrote:
Speaking of Good Luck Girl, the Japanese never ordered a Season 2 of Binbougami ga!, did they?

What was the reason? I know the manga story's already over, so I'm guessing it was poor Bluray and manga sales?

This is pure conjecture, and I have no idea of the sales, but I do know that Sunrise did the anime, and I believe they have stated in the past that they have not done a second season of Accel World, another popular series, because they've been focused on Gundam and original works. This could be part of the reason Binbougami ga! has also not been continued. Not sure.
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TarsTarkas



Joined: 20 Dec 2007
Posts: 5821
Location: Virginia, United States
PostPosted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 12:18 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
the emphasis on the fact that they can't have a kid without getting married feels rather dated, but this is middle grade literature

John Thacker nailed this one to the earth.
While in the west, I’d say it is not dated either. Sure we have tons of kids being born out of wedlock, but most of those are unplanned. But if you are planning on having a baby, usually you love each other and are already planning a life together.
In the west arranged marriages are probably dated, or rather ancient.
myskaros wrote:

This is pure conjecture, and I have no idea of the sales, but I do know that Sunrise did the anime, and I believe they have stated in the past that they have not done a second season of Accel World, another popular series, because they've been focused on Gundam and original works. This could be part of the reason Binbougami ga! has also not been continued. Not sure.


Hopefully so, because then there would still be a small hope for sequels.
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vashfanatic



Joined: 16 Jun 2005
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 12:24 pm Reply with quote
John Thacker wrote:
Quote:
the emphasis on the fact that they can't have a kid without getting married feels rather dated, but this is middle grade literature


Not dated, rather reflective of Japanese society, and Asia in general. In fact, research shows that having a child out of wedlock is what would be "dated" in Japan. Illegitimacy was much more common in Japan at the turn of the 20th century, and fell steadily until 1964, where it has remained stable for the last 50 years. (The overall birth rate has declined as marriages get later; the overwhelming practice in Japan is either to postpone sex or to have an abortion if birth control methods fail.)

Perhaps you should question your cultural assumptions rather than look at things from such a Eurocentric view.

Don't have the numbers on rates, but illegitimacy has always been much more common in European and European-derived cultures than we think of now. Western literature is chock full of characters born out of wedlock, and while there is a shame attached to it, it reflects that it happened, often. What's changed in Western culture is that the social and legal stigma of having children while unmarried has gradually been eroded, accompanied by increased hostility towards abortion since the late 1970s. [Edit: I see TarsTarkas beat me to some of this]

That said, she may not be wrong that this being a shounen work, likely read by middle- and upper elementary-school students may play a role in insisting they be married. Don't want to send children the "wrong" message, right?
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Merxamers



Joined: 09 Dec 2013
Posts: 720
PostPosted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 3:00 pm Reply with quote
zztop wrote:
Speaking of Good Luck Girl, the Japanese never ordered a Season 2 of Binbougami ga!, did they?

What was the reason? I know the manga story's already over, so I'm guessing it was poor Bluray and manga sales?


That would be my guess. That's too bad- i loved the Good Luck Girl! anime, and the funimation box set for it was phenomenal.

I was so ecstatic when i heard this was getting licensed and published here; after Claymore, Binbougami Gah! (aka. Good Luck Girl!) is my favorite manga of all time, and so far i'm enjoying Twin Star Exorcists just as much. The author really cares about his characters, and i love his art style. I can't wait to give him more money for more volumes of this series (since the odds of Binbougami Gah! getting licensed here is next to none Razz)
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Princess_Irene
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 3:36 pm Reply with quote
vashfanatic wrote:

That said, she may not be wrong that this being a shounen work, likely read by middle- and upper elementary-school students may play a role in insisting they be married. Don't want to send children the "wrong" message, right?


There is plenty of manga in other demographics, primarily josei, though Megumi Mizusawa, who wrote Hime-chan no Ribon, also wrote one, where children are had out of wedlock and sex does not need to be sanctified by marriage. Therefore I was basing my statement on the fact this this is shounen and for a middle grade demographic. For the record, in Western middle grade literature, I would expect to find the same message.

I used the term "outdated" because in the English-speaking world, manga is rarely read by its target demographic, age-wise.
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Ali07



Joined: 01 Jun 2014
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Location: Victoria, Australia
PostPosted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 8:58 pm Reply with quote
I really enjoyed this first volume.

Thought that there were typical elements - unwilling hero, pair forced together that don't get along well, traumatic event in the past, etc. But, I felt that it was all executed well.

Also, I enjoyed some of the humor in this volume. Never felt out of place, so they hit the mark with me.

There is one thing that I'm looking forward to find out, and that is the story behind spoiler[Rokuro's arm. I feel like saying, "How could it not be linked with the deaths at the orphanage",] and I'm sure some would see that as a bad thing. But, it has to be...right? Potentially, may even be his fault?

(Don't know if that'd really be a spolier...?)

That would be another typical story element, and I'm unsure if I would really want to see it pan out that way.
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nargun



Joined: 29 Mar 2006
Posts: 924
PostPosted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 11:39 pm Reply with quote
Princess_Irene wrote:
For the record, in Western middle grade literature, I would expect to find the same message.


Enh. In australia average-maternal-age-at-first-child is over thirty and more than a third unmarried. "Western", even "english-speaking", isn't one culture.
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Hiroki not Takuya



Joined: 17 Apr 2012
Posts: 2501
PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 1:03 am Reply with quote
Vashtastic wrote Don't have the numbers on rates, but illegitimacy has always been much more common in European and European-derived cultures than we think of now. Western literature is chock full of characters born out of wedlock, and while there is a shame attached to it, it reflects that it happened, often.

I wouldn't use literature as a barometer of legitimacy rates over time since the "scandal" of illegitimate children and affairs is an easy plot device to use to propel a story or give an otherwise bland story "spice". I would argue that it's usefulness in that capacity actually indicates the inverse of what you assume, who would be interested in a book's story about affairs and illegitimate children if it were very commonplace? Anyway, there are good studies that show children fare much better emotionally and scholastically in families where a couple are married and stay that way, so I would think such an arrangement would be good to put forward as normative in a story likely to be of interest to young adults. That said, I think arranged marriage is itself an interesting subject to explore in a drama as it brings up questions about the place of duty relative to individual freedom of choice and one's personal feelings, etc.
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Princess_Irene
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Joined: 16 Dec 2008
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 5:59 am Reply with quote
nargun wrote:

Enh. In australia average-maternal-age-at-first-child is over thirty and more than a third unmarried. "Western", even "english-speaking", isn't one culture.


Question I didn't say it was. Heck, in the US each state has a different culture. I was discussing a demographic in international publishing, which tends to reflect the same age group regardless of country or language.
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4070
PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 10:06 am Reply with quote
Going by the name of the series, the concepts behind magically empowering bloodlines and those character designs, there isn't an incest plot point in sight anywhere is there? I mean, that cover, just... what's really different, the color of their eyes?

"No, no, we're giving their separate family states and conditions in loving, exact detail... in the first volume."

Oh, wow; I've seen enough shows to know that's a big old flag right there. So I looked up some "fan info" regarding the series and did a little thinking.

spoiler[Benio had a twin brother who died during Rokuro's big event two years ago. Goody, a confirmed past connection and a known twin. Good thing there's no such thing as triplets or swapping a twin at birth. Right? That's the sort of thing that happens in stories.]

Oh brother...
I mean bother.

No, I'm sure it's perfectly on the up and up and the plot aspect of focusing on marriage rather than just conceiving is purely cultural...

Hey, I really can't see the flag post with all those flags on it.
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FilthyCasual



Joined: 01 Jun 2015
Posts: 2165
PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 10:11 am Reply with quote
Animegomaniac wrote:
Going by the name of the series, the concepts behind magically empowering bloodlines and those character designs, there isn't an incest plot point in sight anywhere is there? I mean, that cover, just... what's really different, the color of their eyes?

"No, no, we're giving their separate family states and conditions in loving, exact detail... in the first volume."

Oh, wow; I've seen enough shows to know that's a big old flag right there. So I looked up some "fan info" regarding the series and did a little thinking.

spoiler[Benio had a twin brother who died during Rokuro's big event two years ago. Goody, a confirmed past connection and a known twin. Good thing there's no such thing as triplets or swapping a twin at birth. Right? That's the sort of thing that happens in stories.]

Oh brother...
I mean bother.

No, I'm sure it's perfectly on the up and up and the plot aspect of focusing on marriage rather than just conceiving is purely cultural...

Hey, I really can't see the flag post with all those flags on it.

Your incest radar is broken.

A large spoiler here: spoiler[Benio's brother is A) alive and B) not Rokuro.]
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Ali07



Joined: 01 Jun 2014
Posts: 3333
Location: Victoria, Australia
PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 7:57 pm Reply with quote
Yes, that possibility crossed my mind also. And, from what I read, FilthyCasual is right. I wouldn't have bought the first volume, if it had been otherwise.

But, who knows, their histories are still shrouded in mystery. If it does end up going that way, though I don't think it will, I can always just sell the volumes I buy. Laughing
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