Okay, this one I feel is kind of self-explanatoryā¦but Iāll just comment on it anyways.
Ema and Chika have always had an interesting relationship, but if youāve seen the episode or read the chapter where Kageura exposes that Ema has a crush on Chika, then you definitely know what Iām talking about. Their relationship is so cute and interesting in so many ways. One way is the fact that Ema was the one that showed Chika an alternate way to snipe so that she could still help her team. Another is the fact that now Ema wants to go on the Away Mission just to be with Chika because he now knows sheās going whether or not her other squad mates make the mission team.
And now, if you havenāt read the manga and donāt plan on reading it, then Iāll put what I have to say under the line so I donāt spoil anything for those of you who donāt read the mangaā¦but if you decide to read it anyway, then read it at your own risk.
I just want to say, the fact Ema was like staring down Ninomiya in order to join his Exam Squad, just to be with Chikaā¦man, Ashihara portrays their friendship and that little something more so well. And Ninomiya the wingman, lying through his teeth about why he chose three snipers for his squadā¦just because Ema doesnāt want him to expose him to Chika.
Also, Iām glad itās not at the forefront of the series, but itās still big enough to at least be obvious that somethings going on between them.
Hello and welcome to my blog! I needed a place to fan girl over my anime and share my thoughts. So here I am! Today Iāll be starting with a review of world trigger!
A gate suddenly appears over Mikado city. Other worldly beings, know as neighbors, begin to invade. Impervious to modern weaponry, a new organization is formed to combat the invaders. Know as Board, agents specialize in neighbor technology known as triggers.
Osamu Mikumo is a C rank agent and one day a gate opens right over his school. Despite not being aloud to use a trigger outside the headquarters, Osamu take it upon himself to protect his classmates. A transfer student by the name of Yuma Kuga takes down a neighbor, reveling that he himself is a humanoid neighbor.
So I ended up binging this whole series this year. I had started it back in 2014 but never kept with it for some reason and just now came back. This anime is a masterpiece! There are some cons that I will just get out of the way so that I can end this blog on a positive!
First, during the entirety of the first season (which is 73 episodes) they had this god awful long recap of pretty much all episodes before the one you watch. It was nice for the first couple episodes, but then it just got redundant and it spawned for a good chunk of the episode. That time could have been used for better things like the story. Not to mention that they would try to fit the intro in anywhere they could find. Didnāt matter if you were 15 minuets in, it would be there.
Second, the animations can be a bit awkward at times. Most of that was fixed starting with season two. But in the first season, just be warned that the animation isnāt as good as some others. Donāt let that steer you away though.
Third, there are some instances where the comedy or drama within the show seem out of place or awkward. Itās not the biggest issue on the world. But itās something I did notice.
Lastly, the Xeno arc could have been left out. I didnāt think it was all that bad. But I think it was unnecessary and easily skippable as you gain nothing from watching it and it doesnāt hinder the story if missed.
Now into the Pros!
The story is unique and I love the world that is built. The triggers and their variety are well done. There is a political unrest in here as well. Boarder seems to be split in half with people who detest neighbors and what to annihilate them and the other half want to be more diplomatic. Work with the neighbors instead of fight. Not only do you have a kimono tray lenses to look through, but also a political one.
I love all the characters as well. They all have their unique backstories and reasons for being at boarder. They each have their own strength and place. We have a variety of cool, funky, serious and laid-back personalities to deal with that bring out the best of this anime. There is very little animosity between characters even during tank wars. Rivalries are friendly. And thatās kind of refreshing. There is no truly every character. The enemies have their justifications for invasion. Those who hate neighbors even have their reasons for being hostile towards them. The characters are being judged as people for their thoughts and actions, not just by a tv trope.
Speaking of charters our main squeeze, Mikumo, has become a favorite of mine. Mikumo isnāt your already badass guy or the charger that all of sudden becomes fantastic. Heās just your average guy looking to do some good in the world. We are in season three and he is still struggling with finding his place among the fighters. Heās still learning. And thatās something I can get behind. He really shows that anyone can do anything if they just put their mind to it.
There are plenty of other characters who are better than Mikumo and it constantly shows. During the battles everyone else is getting points where as Mikumo doesnāt. Which in turn makes him self conscious. It doesnāt help that most everyone else knocks him for not getting points (except for his teammates of corse). The one thing that he can do well is strategize, which I think will only get better with the addition of Hyuse to the team. It seems as though that gets glossed over by many people. Not everything should be about getting points or the hit. Strategists are an essential part of any team. In a way, he may have been better suited for an operator, but a great strategist excels better on the battlefield.
Mikumo isnāt naive or arrogant. Heās very self aware and has great self reflection to be honest with himself. The clarity he has gives him the tools to maximize his teams abilities to the fullest. His unwavering beliefs and goals keep him going. And thatās what I love. A relatable character who perseveres even in the most difficult situations. He progresses in a different way than most charters in other series.
Im very intrigued by the chairman of boarder. He doesnāt seem to hate neighborās, but doesnāt outwardly accept them. He makes decisions based on whoās around and the situation at hand. He seems to play both sides of the card. Even after three seasons, heās still just a mystery. Which I can appreciate.
One thing that I liked that seems to be a hit or miss with most people is the ātalking episodes.ā These are the episodes that have minimal to no fighting. During these episodes we find out backstories and goals of the characters. We also follow the struggles of Mikumo finding his way in the world. During these times we also see a lot of talk about tactics and explanations of how things work. This is something I appreciate a lot. While the action is fun to watch, Iām extremity intrigued about how everything works and how the minds of the boarder agents work. It helps me understand the world better and I appreciate that. It also helps me get into the fights more during the rank battles.
The pacing of the show, while it may seem slow at first, is done well. We get fed all the info needed about to world of the anime before anything happens. This lets the anime become more complex without you noticing or questioning anything. You already know and understand the basics so itās easy to follow along. We arenāt waiting for an explanation after the fact. We already know.
I honestly think this is a severely underrated anime. And it pains me to know that. I highly recommend this series to anyone. My overall rating is a 9.5/10.
"shohei, over here," you called from your seat next to your best friend and classmate, inukai sumiharu, in the lunchroom.
glancing over to you from his conversation with a few classmates, kodera met your eye and gave you a quizzical look, though he approached you nonetheless.
"what's up, y/n-nee?" kodera questioned upon arriving at your table, causing people to stop and stare at the interaction happening between the most popular girl in school and a fairly new first year.
"mom told me to give this to you whenever i saw you," you replied, handing kodera a paper bag, something which had kodera scratching his head in confusion upon taking the bag. what would their mother want to give him a paper bag of?
"oh, she also mentioned sharing whatever was inside with friends? i didn't exactly want to ask what she meant, but i delivered the package to you like i promised," you shrugged, taking up your chopsticks again and continuing to eat your lunch.
"wha-" kodera questioned, confusedly moving away to rejoin his friends at the table they'd picked out while he was busy talking to his sister.
inukai eyed you curiously, a bemused look on his face which caught your eye and made you elbow him in the side. "stop looking at me like that, idiot," you muttered, a light blush dusting your cheeks and causing many guys around you to start swooning at your momentary drop of facade.
"sorry, sorry," inukai snickered, hands up in mock surrender. "you just seem...i can't tell if it's annoyed or jealous. or maybe... nah, i can't figure it out."
"figure what out?" you mumbled, eyeing inukai distrustfully.
suddenly, another tray was set down rather roughly in the spot across from you with two others following the first persons example.
"arafune, tsuji, and narasaka, what a surprise. what are you three doing together?" inukai spoke as arafune, the only other border agent in your year at school, took his usual seat across from you, with tsuji sitting next to him and narasaka taking up the seat at the end of the table right next to you.
"please tell these two sniper brains to stop arguing about which rifle is the best," tsuji spoke, sending a desperately pleading look to inukai who simply raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"y/n, you're an engineer and ex-sniper, tell narasaka the best sniper rifle is the egret," arafune spoke, giving you an almost convincing look.
"i'm not an ex-sniper, i'm just taking a break, but why are you arguing about this? each rifle has their own use," you spoke slowly, eyeing the teen next to you carefully as he seemed to be playing with his food in annoyance.
"you're still not a sniper at the moment," arafune sniffed.
"don't be so petty," inukai snickered. "just because y/n will join ninomiya squad after her break doesn't mean you can be rude to our sniper."
"she would've been better if she stayed with us," arafune muttered, crossing his arms and looking away in mock pettiness.
"i don't think rin-san would agree," you replied with a light laugh. "not to say i'm just doing this for her. but after mirai was...expelled from border, i just felt like i couldn't be an agent without her. but now... well, ninomiya offered me a spot on his squad and i accepted after a lot of consideration. this one's continuous pestering didnt help me come to a decision any quicker, though." you added, jabbing a finger in inukai's direction, causing the gunner to sweat drop at the look arafune shot him.
narasaka, who was quiet the entire exchange, finally glanced at you in surprise. "you're finally returning as an agent?" the senior sniper for miwa squad questioned.
"yeah, i feel like i've had a long enough break," you respond slowly with a nod, glancing sideways at the usually silent teen sitting next to you. "i've still been part of border ever since mirai was expelled, so it's obvious that i can still be there without having a panic attack every time i hold a rifle. besides, after ninomiya-san offered me a place on his squad to replace my friend, i've felt compelled to return to duty."
"still can't believe you're ditching us," arafune mumbled disapprovingly at your decision to leave his squad and join ninomiya's.
"relax, arafune-kun, you have hanzaki-kun now," you replied, waving a hand over your face. "he's a better shot than i am. besides, rin-san would've been extremely overwhelmed working with four snipers. four people in general is a lot to work with."
"wouldn't all four members having the same positions be easier to work with though?" tsuji spoke up quietly.
"probably, but when your squad never moves to regroup, you have to keep an eye out on all four areas within your group members ranges. rin-san is amazing at what she does, but i don't want to put any undue stress on her than needed," you explained to the younger agent. "and besides, this one here wouldn't stop pestering me into saying yes to ninomiya-san." you added, jabbing your thumb in the direction of the gunner of ninomiya squad, inukai sumiharu.
"not pestering, just questioning," inukai responded, hands in the air in surrender.
"if questioning includes poking me in the side and telling me to say yes to ninomiya-san twenty times a day, then yes, just questioning," you responded with a good natured eye roll.
"what can i say? we're looking for a leg up in the next rank war," inukai shrugged good naturedly, only causing the other snipers at the table to groan in annoyance.
"as if ninomiya squad needs to be anymore overpowered," arafune muttered.
"as if arafune squad has ever made into the top tier in the rank wars," inukai shot back with a smirk, causing arafune to glare at the gunner while both second years watched with bated breathe to see what would happen next and you letting out a groan because this was just another normal day for you with those two.
"ignore these two idiots, they don't know how to be civil," you spoke up, interrupting their glaring contest by throwing a napkin at arafune and punching inukai in the arm.
"that's rude, y/n! i do too know how to be civil," inukai muttered, crossing his arms and pouting at the words you spoke of him.
"anyways, i have to go bug shohei now before class starts again, i'll talk to you guys later," you spoke, standing up from your table with the trash from your lunch in hand. "i'll see you in class, sumi-kun."
"see ya," arafune spoke as he sent you a wave.
"see you later, arafune, narasaka-kun, tsuji-kun," you added over your shoulder before making a bee-line for your younger brother.
"how is she a sniper?" narasaka muttered as he glanced over his shoulder at you. "she never seems to sit still."
"believe me, her patience is beyond anyone's i've ever worked with," arafune replied. "when hokari and i were busy trying to get points, y/n would lay in wait for someone to mess up so she could take them out."
"that's why ninomiya-san recruited her after mirai's expulsion," inukai nodded.
"really? she doesn't seem very much like the patient type," narasaka hummed thoughtfully before shrugging and going back to his lunch. arafune and inukai shared a glance when the miwa squad sniper wasn't looking that seemed to say 'we should keep an eye on him.'
a/n: currently stressing rn over whether or not people will actually read thisā¦ anxiety? through the roof. ANYWAYS, i hope you enjoyed this little- idk, is it considered a scenario?? anyways, i hope you enjoyed my writing of narasaka tÅru. i plan on writing for others, as well as continuing the story for this mushroom haired, beautiful sniper. anyways, thatās it from me. iāll see you all in the next writing i decide to post! ALSO- shhhh, ik i kind of barely showed interactions between narasaka and y/n in this, but before this, theyād barely even said one word to each other SO- this is kind of like their meeting. itās progress for them.
So, it was honestly a bit difficult to choose my favorite friendship throughout the entire series, but since Iām trying to only mention characters once (with some exceptions) Iāve decided to go with Arashiyama and Jinās friendship. Like, they trust each other so much. Jin trusts Arashiyama and his squad to take on Miwa, Yoneya, Izumi, and Toma white Arashiyama believes Jin will defeat the brunt of the Kido faction that were sent to take Yumaās black trigger. And because they both believed the other could handle it, they sent most, if not all, members back to headquarters!! If thatās not an amazing friendship, then I donāt know what is.
Counselor Viza just seems like the most interesting villain. I donāt know if itās the Black Trigger he holds or maybe itās just the way he talks that makes me think that if we were to get a backstory, his would be so cool to delve into. Something about how he came to be the Organon wielder. How Yuma stacks up to the other people hes battled with the Organon. Things like that that could explain why Viza is the way he is.
I donāt know, heās just a cool villain, yāknow? Mentor to Hyuse, enemy to Yuma, one of the only allies Hyrein seems to care about, the other two being Lamvanein and Mira. Lamvanein is also a cool villain, and heās probably the most tolerable of all of them (at least imo) besides Viza.
Yuma, being one of the four protagonists of the series, is someone we learn all about. Maybe because of this is part of the reason why I like Yuma so much. Heās one of the few characters we get a full story on, especially during his time in the neighborhood. I think I mightāve cried when I read the manga when Yuma explained how he got his black trigger. Not like sobbed, but I do know a few tears escaped my eyesā¦ Also, knowing the reason behind why Yuma came to Earth, because he wanted to see if his dadās friend Soichi Mogami could help him turn his black trigger back into his father so he could ask why he was smiling when he died (cue the tears)ā¦
But also, watching the way Yumaās grown being a member of Tomakoma-2, and his friendships with Chika and Osamu, as well as Hyuse and all the other members of Tomakoma Branch. His rivalry with Midorikawa, Murakami and Kageura, and how we have yet to see a rank battle of Yuma against Yosuke (will we ever get one?). Heās able to make friends in any situation, it seemsā¦ And then thereās the time he defeated Viza, who was so sure heād win. Yumaās able to turn the table in battles that seem almost like heās already lost. And heās so freaking creative, like when he used Scorpion to seal up his wounded side after his fight with Kakizaki. His fights with Obishima, though I wonāt go into detail so as to not spoil it. Also his uses of grasshopper. Yumaās just full of surprises that you normally wouldnāt think to use.
Alektor is so cool, and you canāt tell me it isnāt, despite what it was used for. The animal-like trion bullets that can be used not only as bullets but also as a shield. And even though itās a bit scary thinking about Hyrein turning C-Ranks or other agents into trion cubes and kidnapping said trion cubed-agents for his nationās own use, the function of turning trion into trion cubes and then being able to break it down and recharge your used trion is so cool? Like, how Ashihara thinks of all these cool trigger ideas?? Omg his brain must be so full of such cool trigger ideas.
Okokok, Ikoma squad is just. Ikoma is like the most easygoing captain who probably listens more to what his squad mates have to say pertaining to the battle rather than him giving the orders. And theyāre still in the top five? However they do it, Iām sure Maori questions her sanity. Or Ikoās, for that matter. And in the selection exam, when she compares Ikoma to Osamu after what she heard from Wakamura about Hyuse. āWould my captain do something like that?ā You canāt tell me the whole team dynamic isnāt amazing. š
And then we have Azuma squad, with an amazing captain and sniper, two great attackers that have been likened to a pack of wolves or smth. Like their tactics rely heavily on team play with Azuma cleaning up if need be. I just think itās a really good team dynamic. Okudera and Koarai make such an interesting duo. Like they donāt seem like theyād get along on a normal day, what with their differing personalities, but they actually make their teamwork work and they do get along so well. And omg their school friends, Okudera with Torimaru and Tokieda, and Koarai being friends with Ken and Taichi. I think I cried (good tears) just imagining those friend groups interacting. Like, Imagine if Satori, Taichi, and Koaraiās hyper personalities were actually shown in the manga??? Yes please, Iād live just to see that interaction and then I could die happy. Imagining Okudera, Torimaru, and Tokieda watching that group and being like āI hope we never turn out like that,ā or something along those lines. š Omg, Iāll stop rambling.
Also, the fact this is the third iteration of Azuma squad. That Azuma took them under his wing to mentor them? Just like he did with his other two squads. Itās just yes.
I always love the character development that World Trigger always manages to sneak into its chapters.
Suwa showing off his commanding skills and identifying his squads strengths is really making him one of my favorite characters.
I like that the other characters acknowledged Yuma and Hyuse's problem with reading and understanding Japanese, I had been wondering about how that would play out.
And I'm really excited for all the Ninomiya slander from this:
"DeMoNsTrAtE To mE WhAt YoUr ExPeRiEnCeS HaVe TaUgHt YoU" like bitch Stfu and him hating on Tachikawa just screams jealousy and elitism.
Motherfucker is 20 and acting like the middle schoolers he's talking to.
