I would be lying if I said I wasn’t sobbing emotionally by the end of this finale. When I started Draw This, Then Die!, I knew it was going to tug at my heartstrings given that its premise was all about creative people discovering and rediscovering their passions. As somebody who keeps throwing themselves into creative fields, I think art like this is so important because it serves as a reminder of why I pursue things in the first place while also being realistic about the ups and downs that come with being an artist. I didn’t expect to relate so heavily to characters like Teshima, who suffered a psychotic break. But much like her, this show as a whole fills me with light to keep trying.

This episode makes it clear that the reason why Teshima quit being a manga creator was that she just couldn’t take it anymore. She did have a passion for creating manga, but that passion got buried under overwhelming negative emotions like jealousy, insecurity, and exhaustion. She was already easily influenced by those emotions. Add physical burnout, and she never had a chance. She basically lost sight of why she wanted to be a manga creator in the first place. For the entire show, Teshima had been telling Yasumi that she should only be a manga creator as a hobby, and while Teshima is definitely jaded about the manga industry, it’s clear that this was to protect them both. She didn’t want Yasumi’s smile to be destroyed, but she also didn’t think she could handle seeing Yasumi as a reminder of what she went through. The irony is that Yasumi’s response served as a reminder of the difference between the two.

It doesn’t matter if you do something professionally or as a hobby; as long as you’re making something you’re happy with and that other people can find interesting, that burnout should never destroy you. Teshima probably never even considered that her manga could reach somebody because she got so overwhelmed in the throes of just meeting those deadlines and making something popular. The irony is that Teshima’s life came full circle in finding one of her most devout fans, and it’s in meeting Yasumi that she might be willing to pick up a pen again in the future. The show is a little ambiguous about what Teshima will do next, and with the recent announcement of a second season, that could be the next major arc of the show. Even without that announcement, this is how this season needed to end.

This finale even retroactively absolves one complaint I had last week regarding Pokota. I thought the show was being inconsistent or poorly writing Pokota’s potential exit from the show, but it turns out that the show was just trolling me because he’s not going anywhere. If anything, he has a bunch of imaginary friends to chill out with because every new creation of Yasumi is just another element of her world that he gets to interact with. That’s really cute because I interpret that as Pokota literally being the representation of Yasumi’s creativity. Him exiting the show might actually be more of a negative sign than a positive one because Yasumi should never lose that creative spark, and I would really like to see how far that spark of hers can go in any more physically demanding field.

That’s what the first half of this episode was: shadowing with the editor. Fujimori and Yasumi didn’t just immediately buckle under the pressure of their manga getting a lukewarm reaction. Instead, they took the criticism and applied it to their story without compromising the ideas that they came up with. They listened, reacted, and adapted. They literally did what Teshima could not based on all of her flashbacks. I know that Yasumi isn’t fully sure about being a professional, but she might have a better chance of making it in the creative world than Teshima because she was always willing to put that passion first. Plus, having a great support group like the other characters further solidifies that she could go far compared to Teshima, who seemed to be much more of a loner until the late stages of her career. This is the finale that wraps up the main arc and perfectly embodies the main message of the show, but there are so many little things that can still be built upon in a second season. I feel very satisfied with my time here. I laughed, I cried, and I felt very emotionally overwhelmed, even as I write this final review. I’m looking forward to seeing what other endeavors this cast will have and what other ways it’ll gut punch me in the future.

Rating:

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Bolts also streams regularly on Twitch as the indie VtuberBolts The Mechanic where they talk about and play retro media!

Draw This, Then Die! is currently streaming on
Crunchyroll.

The official website of the Bleach: Sennen Kessen-hen – Kashin-tan (Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – The Calamity) television anime announced an additional pair of cast on Monday. The anime series premiered on July 25 at 11.00 p.m. on TV Tokyo and its affiliates. The final two episodes of the series will air on October 20 and October 27 at 12:00 a.m. on TV Tokyo Network, respectively.

Voice actresses Azusa Tachibana (Kuroneko to Majo no Kyoushitsu) and Ayaka Ohashi (Jishou Akuyaku Reijou na Konyakusha no Kansatsu Kiroku.) are joining the cast as Kazui Kurosaki and Ichika Abarai, respectively.

Sennen Kessen-hen (Thousand-Year Blood War) adapts the final arc of Tite Kubo‘s Bleach manga, which spans from the 55th to the 74th volume. Prior to the series’ serialization, Kubo published a pilot chapter in December 2000. The action adventure manga debuted in Weekly Shounen Jump in August 2001. After a 15-year serialization, Kubo ended the series in August 2016. Shueisha published the 74th and final volume in November of that year.

Produced by Pierrot, the first part and second part aired in Fall 2022 and Summer 2023, respectively. The third part aired Fall 2024. Hulu simulcast the anime series in the U.S. and subsequently streamed an English dub. Disney+ streamed the anime worldwide.

VIZ Media acquired the series’ master license in March 2006 and serialized the manga in English in its print edition of Shounen Jump magazine between November 2007 and March 2012. The manga concurrently moved to the Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha digital anthology in January 2012. The company published the 74th and final volume in October 2018 and released the 26th home video installment of the anime in September 2015.

The first television anime by Pierrot began airing in Fall 2004 and ended with 366 episodes in Winter 2012, covering the first 54 volumes. The manga also inspired four anime movies in 2006, 2007, 2008, and December 2010.

Source: Official site

Manga UP! Global added the following manga in English over the past two weeks:

Title: 25 Years in a Dungeon: A Suspicious Man Returns as a Dungeon Streamer! (Dungeon ni Tojikamerarete 25-Nen. Kyūshutsu Sareta Toki ni wa Rippana Fushinsha ni Natteita)
Creator: Nameko Hoshitake (author), Shiba (character designer), Taiyou Mitarai (manga artist)
Release date: September 19
Summary: The year is 2025—dungeons suddenly started popping up all over the world. A young man, Hiroshi Nagano, ventures into one of them, but ends up trapped in the dungeon’s uncharted depths…for 25 years! By devouring ferocious monsters, he not only survives, but builds a legendary physique. When he finally makes it back to the surface, he’s greeted to a Japan of the future, where streaming your dungeon exploration is mandatory. His overwhelming power is broadcast to the nation, propelling him straight into the ranks of top dungeon explorers! Using a quarter-century of brutal survival instincts, a shady-looking veteran is about to dominate the algorithm in this thrilling, over-the-top heroic dungeon tale!

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Title: A Defeated Saint’s Gonna Topple a Kingdom! (Haiboku Seijo wa, Hitamuki ni Kuni o Horoboshimasu!)
Creator: Toriko Ono
Release date: September 21
Summary: Reincarnated as the Saint in an otome game, Akari Kizaki completely ignores romance in favor of her true passion: potion making! However, her neglect comes at a steep price when her intended target, the First Prince, teams up with the villainess to frame her for a crime, leaving Akari stripped of her title and banished. Undeterred, Akari gets right back to brewing potions in her new location. That’s when she’s approached by the Second Prince, Roy—a man feared as the “Atrocious Prince.” He makes her a direct proposition: “Let’s rule this country together.” And just like that, Akari becomes an accomplice in the nation’s downfall! The curtain rises on a story of rebellion and overturning fate, starring a defeated Saint and a ruthless prince!

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Title: Bloody Cross
Creator: Shiwo Komeyama
Release date: September 23
Summary: Half angel, half demon, Tsukimiya must drink pure demon blood to stave off the curse that will eventually claim her life. When she meets an angel named Hinata, he’s eager to team up with the half-blood to take down a vampire that has been attacking humans. Tsukimiya is surprised to find that Hinata is a capable partner, but when the vampire is slain, it is Hinata who claims its demon blood, leaving Tsukimiya to be taken by the curse. In a last-ditch effort to save herself, Tsukimiya tries to drink Hinata’s blood, now mixed with the vampire’s pure demon blood. But in taking the blood that will save her, Tsukimiya has also transmitted the curse that will kill her. Hinata and Tsukimiya now share the curse…and they’re running out of time.

Yen Press published the manga in English in 2013-2016.

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Title: The After-School Bullying Trial is Now in Session! (Kaeri no Kai o Hajimemasu. Ijime Saiban Kaitei)
Creator: Chikara Kimizuka (author), Yen Hioka (manga artist)
Release date: September 24
Summary: All class president Shinya Kitami wanted was to help transfer student Himari Tojo fit in. Instead, his efforts turns the whole class against them both. Now, two outcast students face a gauntlet of relentless bullying every single day. From the author of “Is It My Fault That I Got Bullied?“, another hellish after-school “class debrief” is now in session!

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Title: Wolf Boy’s Secret (Ōkami-kun no Kakushigoto)
Creator: Natsuta Futatsuno
Release date: September 25
Summary: In a world where humans have evolved to be born with animal-like abilities known as “traits,” a new high school year begins. Kuro, a popular boy with the wolf trait, meets the traitless Misako. These two opposites couldn’t be further apart, yet they grow closer by the day. But what happens when Kuro’s behavior takes a sudden turn? A clumsy yet sincere wolf-boy coming-of-age story!

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Title: The World is Full of Monsters, but With My Fluffy Feline Companion, I’ll Be Okay (Monster ga Afureru Sekai ni Nattakedo, Tayoreru Neko ga Irukara Daijōbu Desu)
Creator: yosshaa! (author), Chiho Shinishi (character designer), Enya Uraki (manga artist)
Release date: September 26
Summary: The hit series “The World is Full of Monsters, So I Want to Live as I Wish” is back with an official spin-off! This time, the hero is the strongest cat around! Running parallel to the main story, the action moves to Kyushu with all-new boss monsters, skills, and mysteries waiting to be uncovered. If you love fantasy and post-apocalyptic survival, prepare for a purr-fectly wild new reverse-isekai adventure!

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Title: There’s a Wall of Extroverts Around Me! (Sekigae Shitara Yōkya ni Kakomareta Hanashi.)
Creator: Misaoji
Release date: September 27
Summary: It’s the final seating chart swap of her second year of high school, and self-proclaimed introvert Hinako Kagei finds herself completely surrounded by extroverts! Behind her is a gyaru, diagonally is a goof, and right beside her is the school’s top delinquent, Hino. When totally opposite cliques clash, can Hinako make it out in one piece?

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Title: Blood Addict (Bladict)
Creator: Umiharu
Release date: September 29
Summary: After being ravaged by war, Tougoku is now consumed by the endemic threat of UDL, a powerful and heavily addicting drug. Ibuki, a survivor living in the dregs of Tougoku’s society, sells UDL in order to fund the search for his lost mother. But then, he meets a mysterious girl named Milfie, who soon turns his search efforts upside down.

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Source: Email correspondence