Merge pull request #257 from kgpmask/newsletter_march

Newsletter march

src/newsletter_desc.json

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 {
 	"link":"2021-10-2",
 	"title" : "October 2021: Issue II",
-	"desc" : "Unleash your inner sleuth with MASK’s second Issue of the October newsletter and its spine-chilling reviews and mind-bending mystery crosswords."
+	"desc" : "Unleash your inner sleuth with MASK's second Issue of the October newsletter and its spine-chilling reviews and mind-bending mystery crosswords."
 },
 {
 	"link":"2022-12-1",
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
 {
 	"link":"2023-11-1",
 	"title" : "November 2023 Issue",
-	"desc" : "Given a chance to show off their writing skills, our newest batch of freshers have brought you this month's newsletter. From anime-related analysis, to a fun fan-fiction, this newsletter is filled with a variety of articles, just for you to enjoy!"
+	"desc" : "Given a chance to show off their writing skills, our newest batch of freshers have brought you this month's newsletter. From anime-related analysis, to a fun fan-fiction, this newsletter is filled with a variety of articles, just for you to enjoy!"
 },
 {
 	"link":"2023-12-1",
@@ -69,5 +69,10 @@
 	"link":"2024-02-1",
 	"title" : "February 2024 Issue",
 	"desc" : "This month, our newsletter celebrates the heart and soul of anime! Dive deep into the multifaceted theme of love, explore the world of visual novels, and rock out to top anime soundtrack. Stick around till the end, we also have a fun little challenge for you in here."
+},
+{
+	"link":"2024-03-1",
+	"title" : "March 2024 Issue",
+	"desc" : "The March edition of the Newsletter is all about Action anime! Get to know about different kinds of fighting anime, an in-depth analysis of the hit anime, Demon Slayer. A look into a popular new seasonal anime, Ninja Kamui, and finally a thorough character analysis of the main cast of Attack on Titan. Have fun exploring the world of Action anime!"
 }
 ]

templates/newsletters/2024-03-1/01#action-in-anime.njk

@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+{# Ready for review #}
+<div class="page">
+	<div class="article-full">
+		<h2> Action (in) Anime </h2>
+		<br/>
+		<div class="article-author">By: Markio </div>
+		<br>
+		<div class="article-content">
+
+			<p>Exhibit A: “Y'know, Dragon Ball and One Piece are like the best action anime ever, and there's no other show that comes even close to it. Modern anime just ain't got that…feel, that old anime has. It just isn't as good as the golden age, y'know.”</p>
+
+			<p>Exhibit B: “Yoooooooooo, did u watch the new episode of Demon Slayer. The animation was so good and the motions were so fluid and the fighting was so cool. Man, Ufotable really one-upped themselves this time with the animation. Oh ya, and Jujutsu season 2 is going really hard, the MAPPA slave train sure is making some fire content.”</p>
+
+			<p> Exhibit C: “Action Anime? Why? No, I have never watched an action anime in my life. Such a subpar medium that partakes in brutal displays of violence cannot convey a truly meaningful story. So, why should I waste my time watching such mediocre content? I only ever watch Romcoms and SOL anime. How could you tell?” </p>
+
+			<p>Anime is a vast medium consisting of various, wildly different genres of content. When one consumes content in such a medium, one naturally falls into a certain pattern of thinking, or rather a bias. Many people are biased to Shounen anime, others just put on whatever is popular and don't put too much thought into it, while others consider themselves connoisseurs of the medium and only consume subversive and underground content. One's taste is subject to their own personal experiences and beliefs, so let me explain to you how my taste is objectively the best.</p>
+
+			<p>I have never been a fan of action anime, or rather anime whose main themes were the fights, and all conflicts in the show were reasons to animate more fight scenes. A majority of these shows use their action as a foil to compensate for their subpar plot and bland characters. And even if the fights are fun to watch, it eventually gets boring to watch the loop of conflict, fight, and resolution throughout the show.</p>
+
+			<p>Thorfinn Karlsefni suffered more hardships before he reached adulthood than most of us have experienced throughout our lifetime. Seeing his father killed through hoodwinkery consumed him in an all-encompassing rage that burnt in him throughout his teenage years. Thorfinn killed hundreds of innocent people, all for a chance to avenge his father. Vinland Saga is chock full of killing and violence, being set in war-ridden medieval Europe. The fighting sets a tone which permeates through all aspects of the show. Every character in this show has seen their fair share of war and bloodshed, and 	such a drastic difference in environments with their contemporary audience shines in their personality. Some revel in the chaos and yearn for greatness through war, while others use the war as a means to an end. And just as the violence and carnage reaches its climax, all depictions and murder and death are removed, moving the show into its next phase with a contrasting tone to the first. </p>
+
+			<center><img src="/assets/releases/2024-03-1/2-1.webp" alt="Thorfinn Karlsefni" style="width: calc(min(700px, 60vw));"></center><br>
+
+			<p>Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is the story of a man fighting against the greatest enemy of all, society. Being bottom-of-the-barrel is tough in Night City, and David wants to fly in its skies despite being a filthy commoner. But just as Icarus fell because he got too close to the sun, David too fell into the sea. The fight scenes in Edgerunners are fast-paced and erratic, setting up the wild and uncontrollable nature of Night City. It is a cruel and oppressive place for the weak to be used and thrown by the strong, and however much they rebel, eventually, even the strongest fly will be squashed.</p>
+
+			<center><img src="/assets/releases/2024-03-1/2-2.webp" alt="Cyberpunk Edgerunners" style="width: calc(min(700px, 60vw));"></center><br>
+
+			<p>Kara no Kyoukai is an anime series consisting of seven movies. It is a story about the lives of Ryougi Shiki, a person with the supernatural ability to see the lines of death of living and non-living things, and Kokutou Mikiya. This series covers various times of their lives, but in a majority of these movies, they work for a supernatural firm that occasionally deals with supernatural murder cases. Throughout the movies, we see various aspects of the cases our main characters pick up and how they operate to reach closer to the culprit. In general, most cases Shiki takes an interest in is due to a clash in ideologies with the culprit and so she goes out for them with a personal grudge. This gives us more insight into Shiki, who is an otherwise silent person, as well as the 'hidden behind the curtains' culprit. This generates tension and a strong sense of conflict throughout the film which culminates in an ideological clash right at the end. This style of storytelling gives time to build on the world and characters in a short span of time while conveying its primary theme.</p>
+
+			<center><img src="/assets/releases/2024-03-1/2-3.webp" alt="Kara no Kyoukai" style="width: calc(min(700px, 60vw));"></center><br>
+
+			<p>Mushoku Tensei and Sousou no Frieren are both very prominent anime in the fantasy genre. While Frieren is very, very famous, Mushoku tends to be more… infamous. Nonetheless, they are both some of the best fantasy anime ever made. Frieren and Mushoku Tensei both place great importance on the world in which the characters live. The shows take ample time to develop the world and flesh out various mundane aspects of it to make it more alive. The lead characters in both shows, Frieren and Rudeus, are not ones to seek out fighting and only ever engage in combat when necessary. This nature of developing the characters and keeping fights to the bare minimum gives weight and importance to the few fights that do take place in the series. The fights take place to further the plot and develop the story rather than sow the seeds for more fights in the future.</p>
+
+			<center><img src="/assets/releases/2024-03-1/2-4.webp" alt="Frieren" style="width: calc(min(700px, 60vw));"></center><br>
+
+			<center><img src="/assets/releases/2024-03-1/2-5.webp" alt="Mushoku Tensei" style="width: calc(min(700px, 60vw));"></center><br>
+
+			<p> Hopefully by now, you have realized the common theme that I had been explaining throughout this article. Some of the best action sequences are those which occur due to a natural progression in the plotline of the story, rather than having the story be a setup for infinite fights. There were more shows which I wanted to discuss but decided not to, due to factors. Instead, I will list some of them out here, and you can check them out yourself. Starting with shows that are not so popular, Attack on Titan is the peak of the action-mystery genre. Chainsaw Man (Manga) and Fire Punch (Manga) are unique takes on the action genre, both done by the same author. Mob Psycho 100 is the coming-of-age story of an esper boy, with bucket loads of action sprayed throughout, while remaining true to its core. Eminence is Shadow is a hilarious parody of the genre it is a part of. Neon Genesis Evangelion (despite being a show I disliked) does a breakdown of the human psyche through its fights. That is to explore the human mind during these fights as well as its consequences on the mind after them.</p>
+
+			<p>I think that's quite a lot of shows I have mentioned and it's time for me to wrap it up. TLDR: Shows should have more nuanced plotlines, where the fights are the cherry on top, rather than the main dish.</p>
+
+			<div class="article-end"></div>
+		</div>
+	</div>
+</div>

templates/newsletters/2024-03-1/02#action-in-ds.njk

@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+{# Ready for review #}
+<div class="page">
+	<div class="article-full">
+		<h2> Amazing Action Aspect of Kimetsu No Yaiba </h2>
+		<br/>
+		<div class="article-author">By: InkClaw </div>
+		<br>
+		<div class="article-content">
+
+			<h3> Introduction </h3>
+
+			<p>We all have heard of Kimetsu No Yaiba. Does the name not ring a bell? Well, you must have heard of its alternate name, Demon Slayer, then. Yes, the oh-so-popular anime, famous among the new generation of viewers and long-time fans of anime for its animation, animated by Ufotable so well that the entire anime is known for its animation. Given its excellent animation and, oh, let's not forget, its memorable BGM, it's bound to have some incredible action.</p>
+
+			<p>Action in KNY is widely and justifiably attributed to its brilliant animation. The studio of Ufotable gained a huge name among KNY fans due to its animation and screenplay. That's not the only thing that makes the action in KNY special, though; the BGM used in KNY is especially heart-touching at times. It can be completely in rhythm with the situation in the picture, bringing a much better elevation to the depiction. However, Ufotable is balanced in the sense that it has kept its focus on only one anime, unlike a certain other black company. With that, let's explore some fan-favourite fights from KNY, let's gooo.</p>
+
+			<h3> Rengoku vs Akaza </h3>
+
+			<p>This fight is regarded as the key contributor to the film's success as a box office record. The portion of the film that comes before said fight firmly establishes the nature of Rengoku as a kind and strong person. Establishing Pathos within the audience, the fight had most of the audience strapped to their chairs. Then, there's Akaza; his sudden, unexpected appearance, followed by his position, portrayed how tough an opponent he was even before the fight started. Akaza's theme was really great. The fight proceeded with the exchange of blows between Rengoku and Akaza, during which Akaza applauded Rengoku on his skills, asking him to be a demon so that he could be Akaza's sparring partner. Of course, Rengoku denied him every time, making the populace like him more every time. But as the respect for Rengoku increased, so did his wounds. <s>In his final moments, he uttered, "With this treasure, I summon," and became a doughnut to defeat Akaza</s>. In Rengoku's final attack, Rengoku (meaning "purgatory" or “hellfire”), the stunning animation, music, and emotional buildup culminated in a visually and emotionally impactful finale.</p>
+
+			<p>Small trivia:
+				<ul>
+					<li> • This fight started around the last 30 min when the movie is 2 hours in duration.</li>
+					<li> • In this fight, Rengoku performs the first five forms of flame breathing in succession and then the ninth form, Rengoku.</li>
+				</ul>
+			</p>
+
+			<h3> Tengen Uzui vs Gyutaro </h3>
+
+			<p>This fight takes place in the 10th episode of “Entertainment District Arc”, Season 2 of KNY. Particularly referring to the part where Tengen and Tanjiro fight Gyutaro for the last time, this fight has been hailed as a fan-favourite by many, and rightfully so.</p>
+
+			<p>The author of KNY uses mundane biological feats to hype his characters. This is well observed in season 1 of KNY, where Tanjiro undergoes elevated inhuman training, and in the Mugen Train movie, where Rengoku asks Tanjiro to use breathing techniques to stop bleeding and Rengoku, in his final moments tightens his gut to lock Akaza in place.</p>
+
+			<p>In this fight, Tengen exchanges blows with the likes of Gyutaro, even with one of his hands cut. Until then, the fight was almost one-sided, with Gyutaro winning, but this fight was different. Tengen analyzed Gyutaro throughout the fight and used his Musical Score technique to fight toe-to-toe, creating one of the best fights in the entire series. In many of my friends' opinions, this was their favourite fight. And I agree, this fight was a masterpiece, given how much action was in it. The musical score technique was only used in this fight over the entire series, which is a shame, considering how well the concept was executed. The fight with the animation, BGM and visuals was just <i><b>chef's kiss</b></i>.
+
+			<p> The final blow from Tanjiro's side, in sync with the blow from Inosuke and Zenitsu on Daki, ended the fight, giving the first victory to the demon slayer corps over an upper rank after more than 100 years.</p>
+
+			<h3> Conclusion </h3>
+
+			<p>In summary, Kimetsu No Yaiba's action sequences, with amazing battles like "Rengoku versus Akaza" and "Tengen Uzui versus Gyutaro", provide fans with plenty of eye candy. Animation, storytelling, emotions, and soundtrack all come together bringing life to battles, which leave fans with memories of thrill and excitement etched in their minds. Action in KNY might not be the best, but it's plenty good for a ride.</p>
+
+			<center>
+				<i>
+					<p style="font-size: 120%; color: var(--teal)">
+						“I can do it. I know I can do it. I'm the guy who gets it done, broken bones or not. No matter what, I can do it! I can fight!”
+						- Tanjiro Kamado.
+					</p><br>
+				</i>
+			</center>
+			<div class="article-end"></div>
+		</div>
+	</div>
+</div>

templates/newsletters/2024-03-1/03#ninja-kamui.njk

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+{# Ready for review #}
+<div class="page">
+	<div class="article-full">
+		<h2> NINJA KAMUAI: The Art Behind Perfect Ninja Anime </h2>
+		<br/>
+		<div class="article-author">By: Rohan </div>
+		<br>
+		<div class="article-content">
+
+			<center><img src="/assets/releases/2024-03-1/3-1.webp" alt="Ninja Kamui" style="width: calc(min(700px, 40vw));"></center><br>
+
+			<p>We call love ninja, whether it is in anime or real life; we also have a lot of ninja stories. In this anime, our protagonist is an exiled ninja who fights epic battles, and stories are narrated around our main protagonist, the ninja character, and his revenge.</p>
+
+			<p>"Ninja Kamuai" invites its audience into a world full of ninjas and the arts of living around the edge of every corner of the world and where revenge has its own meaning. As we dive into an unconventional, truly epic narrative, be warned--spoilers may be ahead but fear not, it will just give you a glimpse of this anime, keeping you on the edge of revelation.</p>
+
+			<center><img src="/assets/releases/2024-03-1/3-2.webp" alt="Ninja Kamui" style="width: calc(min(700px, 60vw));"></center><br>
+
+			<p> Ninja anime has carved out a unique entertainment, captivating audiences with its blend of stealth, martial arts prowess, and historical mystique. Among the myriad of ninja-centric series, one title stands out for its meticulous attention to detail, captivating storytelling, and the artistry woven into every frame: Ninja Kamuai. Let's delve into the intricate tapestry of this remarkable anime and explore the artistry behind its perfection. </p>
+
+			<h3> Unraveling the Story </h3>
+
+			<p>A gripping narrative is at the heart of any epic anime, and Ninja Kamuai delivers with finesse. Set in feudal Japan, the series follows the journey of a young ninja prodigy, Ryuji, who seeks to master the art of stealth and combat to avenge his clan's downfall. However, unlike conventional revenge tales, Ninja Kamuai delves deep into themes of honor, sacrifice, and the moral complexities of Ryuji's art.</p>
+
+			<h3> Authenticity </h3>
+
+			<p>What sets Ninja Kamuai apart is its unwavering commitment to authenticity. From precisely researched historical settings to accurate displays of ninja techniques, every aspect of the anime is covered in realism. The creators leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the audience is immersed in classic Japan, from the architecture of ancient castles to the complexity of traditional weaponry,</p>
+
+			<center><img src="/assets/releases/2024-03-1/3-3.webp" alt="Ninja Kamui" style="width: calc(min(700px, 60vw));"></center><br>
+
+			<h3>Character Developement</h3>
+
+			<p>Ryuji's(protagonist) evolution from a vengeful youth to a seasoned ninja master is a testament to the series' distinct approach to character development. Each character, from allies to adversaries, is infused with depth and complexity, driving the narrative forward with their struggles and aspirations. </p>
+
+			<h3> Action Sequences </h3>
+
+			<p>Action is at the core of ninja anime, and Ninja Kamuai elevates it to an art form. Expertly choreographed fight sequences blend fluid animation with strategic excellence, showcasing the agility and precision of ninja combat. Every movement is ideally crafted to convey a sense of authenticity and intensity, drawing viewers into the heart of the action.</p>
+
+			<center><img src="/assets/releases/2024-03-1/3-4.webp" alt="Ninja Kamui" style="width: calc(min(700px, 60vw));"></center><br>
+
+			<h3> Themes of Honor and Redemption </h3>
+
+			<p>Beyond its exhilarating action and stunning visuals, "Ninja Kamuai" explores deeper themes of honor, redemption, and the human spirit. As Ryuji deals with the weight of his past and the choices that define his future, he must confront his inner demons and discover the true meaning of justice. Through moments of triumph and tragedy, "Ninja Kamuai" offers a profound meditation on the nature of heroism and the power of flexibility in the face of misfortune.</p>
+
+			<center><img src="/assets/releases/2024-03-1/3-5.webp" alt="Ninja Kamui" style="width: calc(min(700px, 60vw));"></center><br>
+
+			<p>In conclusion, Ninja Kamuai is a shining example of the artistry behind perfect ninja anime. Through its compelling storytelling, authentic portrayal of feudal Japan, dynamic characters, breathtaking action sequences, visual aesthetics, and musical mastery, it has carved out a place of honor in the annals of anime history. As fans eagerly await the next chapter in Ryuji's journey, one thing is sure: the art of Ninja Kamuai will continue to inspire and fascinate for generations to come.</p>
+
+			<div class="article-end"></div>
+		</div>
+	</div>
+</div>