TEN COUNT | テンカウント [MANGA]
PUBLISHED: 2013-2018
VOLUME 1-3
Rihito Takarai’s popular 6-volume manga Ten Count is soon ascending to the exclusive ranks of Boys’ Love anime adaptations, and no surprise. Licensed in English by SuBLime, the series has garnered quite a reputation for its love story postmarked with mental illness. Ten Count is so mainstream I found my copies on the shelf at my local public library. (Thanks for the yaoi, tax-payers.)
2018 has staggered to a close, and pushed newborn 2019 straight out into the traffic in its rush. We live in a confusing time. Amidst political discord threatening upheaval of democratic values around the globe and impending environmental doom, it’s hard to say what the new year will bring. But remember, there is good in this world, and that good is a thing called yaoi.
Papa Datte, Shitai (パパだって、したい) is our first contender, rolling in for the 2019 winter season and debuting its first episode this week.
Episode 24: The Catcher in the Rye | ライ麦畑でつかまえて [FINALE]
The finale is here, under the banner of J.D. Salinger’s most famous work – and Salinger, of course, is also the author of A Perfect Day for Bananafish, the series’ namesake. The Catcher in the Rye’s famous imagery has already been used for the second ending’s visuals, in which Ash watches over Eiji in a field. This innocuous metaphor turning titular screams an ominous literary device as the curtains part for the final time.
Episode 23: For Whom the Bell Tolls | 誰がために鐘は鳴る
We’ve reached the penultimate episode, which means this is the final chance to watch the unlucky romance of Ash Lynx and Eiji Okumura and assume everything will work out exactly the way you want it to next episode.
Episode 22: As I Lay Dying | 死の床に横たわりて
It’s a mean title for a mean episode.
Episode 21: The Undefeated | 敗れざる者
“Undefeated” is a pretty lofty title when you’re reaching the finale of an action epic. I’m already wincing, but that might just be whiplash from the fact that episode 21 has a fuck ton of ground to cover and only twenty minutes to do it.
Episode 10: Failed Detective, but Pure! | はずれ刑事、純情派!
Wait a second, episode title, who are you calling failed, and who are you calling pure? Oh, I know you’re not throwing shade at my boy Kirill.
Continue reading REVIEW: Double Decker! Doug & Kirill (Episode 10)
Episode 9: Don’t Think, Feel So Good! | ドントスィンクフェールソーグッド！
The protagonist’s awesome Engrish catchphrase gets title cred this episode, which is a nice way to jetpack back into the actual plot of the series after a slogging through slew of character filler.
Continue reading REVIEW: Double Decker! Doug & Kirill (Episode 9)
Episode 20：The Unvanquished | 征服されざる人々
Pictured below: the actual Unvanquished.
Episode 8: Dancing! Academy! Investigation!
In a formulaic continuation of spending entire episodes delving into a specific agent’s irrelevant backstory, Maxine (“Max”), aka “Boxer” is up next, and by extension, her partner Yuri, aka “Robot.” On one hand, a platitude-drenched, cliche-driven slog of a twenty minutes. On the other hand… biker lesbians.
Continue reading REVIEW: Double Decker: Doug & Kirill (Episode 8)
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