How Yuki Hayashi Captured The Soul Of Shaman King

How Yuki Hayashi Captured the Soul of Shaman King

It's no secret that Shaman King takes inspiration from a conglomerate of different cultures. You have the Ainu warrior Horohoro, the Itako Ana, the Taoist Ren, and many other characters of various heritage. With all these influences, how does one properly compose a soundtrack to compliment the themes of the manga?

Simple: Include everything.

Yuki Hayashi brings the cultural aspect of the series to the forefront with his experimental soundtrack.

Let us start with the main theme titled [SHAMAN KING]. The song begins with religious chanting only to be followed by traditional Japanese sounds and Yuki's signature triumphant orchestral score. This immediately establishes the vibe for the entire show; a story entrenched in the past and one based around spirituality.

[ Vorpal Dance] is the perfect complement to the angry Chinese brat that is Tao Ren. It's an aggressive rock tune accompanied by a Chinese flute tune that signifies Ren's brashness and his nobility. Despite the aggressive sound of the track, it still has a heroic feel to it which references Ren's softer side he usually keeps locked away.

Taking a break from tbe cultural aspects for a moment, we have [ Avalanche] which is unofficially Ryu's theme. It's a braggadocious( that's a word you don't see every day) rap-rock song that screams confidence and bravado. Its early 2000's feel holds a special place in my heart.

There's also [ Yoh Yoh!!], a laid-back hip-hop beat that somehow manages to organically add samisen guitar strings. It's the perfect compliment to Yoh Asakura's tranquil aura.

There are a lot more songs to be discussed but I'm not familiar enough with breaking down music to do it justice. Yuki Hayashi did a phenomenal job incorporating the thematic energy of shaman king into his music. Each song feels like it's telling a story rather than being background noise. The soundtrack shows why it's important for a composer to understand the project they're working on so that the music can work in tandem with the narrative.

Modern Colonization

You turn our castles into Capitalistic towers

You turn our language into cheap imitations

You turn our communities into forgotten laments

You turn our future into phantasmal dreams

This is the game you have played for generations upon generations

Destroying lands and desecrating cultures all in the name of your conquest of vanity

You oppressor; you colonizer

How long will you stand in envy

Of our heritage

Of our legacy

Of our culture

Of our skin color

Of our existence?

Never in your anger and your spite shall you ever obtain even a fraction of the beauty Mother Nature has gifted upon us

Though you may burn at your self-appointed stake, you shall never possess the eyes of a victim

We are the future you fear

We are th rebels you fail to silence

We are the Capital you shall never obtain.

Did Urbance Fail to Deliver on its promises?

What is one to do in a world where sex is outlawed and the genders are separated from each other? That is the driving question of Urbance, a Kickstarter animated pilot that unfortunately never took off.

There's a fatal STD called E1 that originally only transferred through hetero sex before it mutated to also affect homo sex. Don't look at me sideways if that description sounds a little silly. That's literally how the narration puts it.

A premise like this leads to tons of questions. Does E1 only activate when ejaculation happens or is it the act of sex itself? What's stopping the characters from wearing condoms? Its also not explained why the division between sexes still exists when E1 takes effect in both hetero and homo sex.

The characters rebel against this ban by going to secret nightclubs where their state-mandated trackers are disabled and take a drug known as Ndorphin which can artificially simulate sex. Some people still hunger for real sex even at the cost of their lives. It doesn't take long for the Mediators to crackdown on the party and then all hell breaks loose.

Urbance's greatest feature is its visuals. The scenery is absolutely stunning with its vivid neon details and graffiti aesthetics that harken back to Jet Set Radio and Motorcity. In fact, Hideki Naganuma is a fan of the Urbance Facebook page. The pilot also does a good job of making its hip-hop influences readily known. Steambot, the animation producer of Urbance, even got anime studio Yapiko to help its production. The cast is dominated by black people; most of whom are wearing hip-hop-styled clothing. It's an interesting example of black people being center stage in scifi animation when they hardly get represented in that genre at all. The only downside is that all of the voice actors were white even though casting POC actors should be the absolute bare minimum for diverse media.

With a successful Kickstarter and a highly acclaimed pilot, Urbance seemed destined for greatness. So what happened? Nothing. That's what happened. The creators let this IP remain dormant despite the promise of not only a full episode but also a complete series to go along with it. The only official products to be produced were an artbook that went out of print years ago and a mediocre card game on steam that plays like an old Newgrounds web browser. Who even asked for a card game? The gameplay seen in the official footage was uninspired and doesn't seem to continue the conflict in the pilot.

This problem is unfortunately common with Kickstarter campaigns. Kickstarter doesn't enforce its content creators to make good on their promises so nothing is stopping these people from running off with donations. It is honestly scrummy that creators would just build up people's hype for Urbance and refuse to deliver on it. Not helping matters is how the official steambot and urbance website got shut down with no explanation. This kind of behavior is so unprofessional and should not be tolerated.

Before we end off, let's address the criticism this show, I mean, pilot faced and the current status of Urbance. A small but vocal minority of people have alleged that Urbance is racist and LGBT phobic with very little evidence to back up their claims. I see no way how on earth this show could be perceived as racist unless you think urban street life is "problematic", which in itself is a racist mentality to have. The LGBT phobic claim arose from how the premise completely ignores how gay individuals and nonbinary people are affected by the gender divide. While it is true that this is a narrative that SHOULD discuss how LGBT members are harmed by the sex ban, it's kinda hard to address those themes with a seven-minute pilot. People acted as if it was a finished product.

Another misconception is that Urbance is an example of a persecution flip where straight people are the oppressed ones and homosexuality is the norm. Some have also called the story an allegory to the HIV/aids panic which spread mass fear concerning gay people. I think people are looking at things the wrong way and trying to make it seem like straight people are co-opting the struggles LGBT members face and making it about them. Heterosexuality isn't taboo in urbance nor do straight people face any discrimination. Sex itself is what's banned and this ban also applies to gay people. I also don't know where this being gay is the norm claim came from because separating the sexes wouldn't just magically turn people gay. Did people even watch the first minute of the pilot?

With all that said, Urbance is a story that would benefit greatly from exploring LGBT themes. What was the attitude concerning gay people before/directly after E1 mutated and how do people who don't fall into the gender binary cope with the ban? I'm especially interested in how intersex people are treated in the Urbance world. It's interesting to note that Kenz refers to himself as an ace, a slang term for asexuals. I'm not sure if the producers were aware of this because Kenz quickly shows attraction to a girl in the club.

As of January 2022, Urbance shows all signs of being a canceled project. The years of radio silence are a grim reminder of the fate of far too many crowdfunded projects. Whatever sliver of hope Urbance has comes from one of its creators, Joel Dos Reis Viegas. His most recent Instagram posts depict comic-style images of urbance. When asked by a fan about the status of the show, he replied that there were legal issues and a comic will be made to start things fresh.

Two takeaways from this: The producers should've discussed the legal issues YEARS ago instead of giving fans false hope. We have to deal with radio silence for years on end but apparently, the legal issues didn't stop them from making a thrashy card game. Second of all, I can't stay hopeful that Urbance can revive as a comic at this point. It's clear that the production team isn't good at commitment and following through with promises. The comic is still clearly in the planning stages, making the future of Urbance as for away as it ever was.

Sayonara Shinjuku

The girl stood on the edge of the skyscraper. Her heart was etched in darkness like the night sky above. She looked down upon the apathetic citizens of Shinjuku as they went about their boring lives.

Salarymen rushing to catch the last train.

Drunken vagrants hassling for change.

Nightwalkers bringing their clients into love hotels.

" What a drag." She muttered.

Up until a week ago, her life was normal.

Up until a week ago, she had no reason to die.

But now?

Her feet were almost off the edge.

Her body balance was supported only by her heels.

" Goodbye Shinjuku. I don't need you anymore and I'm sure you feel the same way about me. Oh. I'm sure you won't be missed either." The girl said while staring at her stomach.

The father discarded them with a callousness she thought impossible. He had fed her so many expert lies about love and commitment. She dutifully kept their relationship secret from students and faculty just like he insisted. "They're jealous of our love. They'll try to tear us apart," he told her.

She thought she was doing right by her lover. He repaid her affection with bruise marks and crumpled dollar bills. The girl wondered if she would make it on the news after this. That would make it impossible for her to be ignored. An ideal ending.

With one final step, her body plummeted.

The lights and sounds of the city all became a blur.

In a moment, she would become red splatter.

She'd be forgotten by the next morning.

No more regrets.

No more bitter sentiments.

All she had left were the memories of one week prior.

Why Metamorphosis haunts so many readers

Every few years there comes a hentai that breaks the Internet and this manga is no exception. Titles like Bible Black and Euphoria disgusted many with the levels of depravity they indulged in. Metamorphosis is much tamer by comparison but it is still a tale that will leave readers shocked.

Metamorphosis feels like a story that could happen anywhere. Saki Yoshida is an average girl who desperately wants to be loved. Her naive perception of what true love is sends her on a downward spiral of sex, drugs, and abuse. Her boyfriend Hayato only used her for her body and the money she brought in. Her friends slut-shame and ditch her at the drop of a hat. Even her parents end up doing the worst to her. Everyone in Saki's life exists only to drag her deeper into depravity.

ShindoL captured the hearts of readers in a way thag most hentai can't. Many simply accept the problematic misogyny of hentai to be a staple of the genre and don't think twice about it. Metamorphosis is unique in that most readers have expressed sympathy for the trauma Saki suffered and condemned all of her abusers; a far cry from the usual response hentai readers have. Metamorphosis is viewed as more than just porn and is treated with the same level of maturity as any other story.

In essence, Metamorphosis is a grim coming of age story that highlights how drugs and naivety can lead to someone's downfall. The pain Saki endured was so visceral that many argue that the manga is torture porn and it's hard to refute that. If you're in the mood for a manga that takes a bitter look at the darkness of humanity, this is for you.

Shaman King 2021 lets down its fans

The pacing of Shaman king 2021 is quite honestly an extreme detriment to the narrative. The complete edition of the manga boasts a hefty 300 chapters yet the current adaptation is slated for a mere 52 episodes. It's insulting how the producers shot away any hopes of this being a promising adaptation right off the bat.

The early episodes had a nasty habit of adapting far too many chapters in one episode; sometimes even going up to 8 chapters. That's practically an entire volume of content with little in the way for proper character development. Battles are often resolved in the same episode they are introduced while every other battle anime lets episodes end on cliffhangers to increase tension. The later episodes thankfully slow things down a little, but the characters still treat each other with a level of familiarity that would only feel natural to manga readers.

A good example of rushed pacing hindering the narrative is when Lyserg joins the X-Laws. The original manga gave Lyserg time to ruminate about his friendship with Yoh and would it meant turning his back on the others. The 2021 version makes Lyserg seem incredibly shallow for leaving the team the first opportunity he got with barely any emotional tension to be seen.

Osorezan Revoir seems to be the only arc to avert this problem. The anime afforded four episodes to adapt a two-volume arc. This resulted in a beloved story arc having the breathing room to completely tell its tale with full emotional impact. Shaman King at its core is a contemplative series. It is a narrative-driven by clashing ideologies and characters contemplating their place in life. Even the small slice-of-life moments of the manga enhance this theme. Rushing through these events as if it's a marathon is a complete disservice to what Shaman King is about.

Shaman King should have never been restricted to 52 episodes at all. That's nowhere near enough time to properly adapt the full story. The cheap animation isn't helping matters either. It's clear that zero soul(pun intended) was put into adapting iconic scenes; often resorting to still images or using the absolute bare minimum of movement required for any given scene. Shaman king may not be a flashy series like Kimetsu no Yaiba which needs glorious animation to mask its uniform mediocrity, but that still doesn't take away from the fact that battle series need solid animation to have a good impact. The character interactions are already hindered due to the rushed pace; the least we fans deserve is some decent action.

I still enjoy the 2021 anime for what it's worth, but it is painfully apparent that it has failed to bring the manga justice. My only hope is that Shaman King one day receives a console game from a passionate developer like cyberconnect2.