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[medea10]

My Review of Yuri is My Job!

Random pick. That’s all!

Hime Shiraki seems to be the fan-favorite at school. Her cute looks and good grades are a target for the males at her school. Hime doesn’t want to waste her time with those scrubs. Actually, her goal in life is to be some millionaire’s trophy wife. No lie, she’s a gold digger. Things take a sharp-left turn into WTF territory when she ends up in a bit of an accident with another young girl (named Mai Koshiba) and winds up working at a café because this girl broke her arm due to this accident.

Well, that escalated quickly.

This place is known as Café Liebe and it has an all-girl school theme to it. By that I mean the girls who work there lay it on thick with the acting. Watching these girls felt like I was watching an over-the-top lesbian sim trying to be like Ouran High School Host Club. No lie! The girl Hime accidently hurt in the trip and fall is the manager for the café. So, I guess Hime is obligated to take over some duties here. Thankfully, the staff accepted the addition of a new member. Except for one girl (Mitsuki Yano). Apparently in their first act, Hime called Mitsuki “Onee-sama”. It did not go over well. Never call Mitsuki “Onee-sama”.

Mitsuki is quite the actress as she puts on a sweet persona for the customers, but is very strict and to the point when it comes to Hime. Go back several years ago and you’ll find that these two were quite different. Yeah, these two share a colorful past. Back in elementary school, they wound up best friends. While Mitsuki was timid, she was able to hang out with someone as popular and outgoing as Hime. Unfortunately, a misunderstanding and a few too many little white lies ended this friendship. This ends with Hime being shunned by all of her classmates and Mitsuki transferring to a different school.

Neither girl forgot this moment in time. Now that several years have passed, are these two girls going to get along like they used to?

BETWEEN THE SUB: This of course is streaming only on Crunchyroll. It has nearly been a year since this first came out and there’s still no sign of an English dub. I swear, I find it funny when there are those seiyuus you can spot exactly who they are within a few seconds. Yukari Tamura is one of those people. Either that or after 15 years of watching Higurashi, her cutesy voice is permanently drilled into my brain. Speaking of Higurashi, do those café uniforms remind you of Satoko Hojo’s dress a little bit? Whatever! Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

*Hime is played by Yui Ogura (known for Marnie on Pokemon Journeys, Vanica on Black Clover, Futaba on Magia Record, Sumika on Yuri Kuma Arashi, and Rinne on Vivid Strike)

*Mitsuki is played by Sumire Uesaka (known for Nagatoro on Miss Nagatoro, Shalltear on Overlord, Dekomori on Chunibyo, Angela on Carole & Tuesday, Chloe on Miss Kobayashi, and Aya on Tonikawa)

*Kanoko is played by Minami Tanaka (Lily on Zombieland Saga, Mary on Kakegurui, Nako on Hitoribocchi, and Hinata on Assassination Classroom)

*Sumika is played by Makoto Koicihi (known for Elza on Interspecies Reviewers and Young Jun on Tomo-chan is a Girl)

SHIPPING: Hmm…oh, this definitely is a Yuri anime. It’s in the fucking title! But I can’t snuff out anything canon-y. Hime and Mitsuki are frenemies borderlining on reconciled friends. Yes, I realize I gave this particular ship a nod in my 2023 superlative list. If there’s more to go on like with more content, maybe I can get behind this. And no, the show they put on at the café is not a selling point just yet. It’s like watching all the flirting in Ouran, you just take the cheesy bait, sisterhood charms and all. For the time being, I’m just happy that these two are slowly on the mend after the fallout that happened years prior. But if I can’t go on about Hime and Mitsuki, what can I…?!

Wait a minute! Hime’s friend, Kanoko. She always seems to be latched onto Hime. OH! She has a rolodex of pictures on her phone. I think we have a winner. I’m quite frightened by Kanoko as the series goes on. She’s giving off these crazy yandere eyes when she’s being asked about Hime. She wants Hime all to herself. She wants to be her one-and-only best friend and for Hime not to be involved in a love interest. And yet, she doesn’t want to step forward and go further by starting one with Hime.

And that’s when Sumika gets involved. So, here I am wondering if Sumika is going to get romantically involved in this. She’s already had her heart broken prior to these juniors joining the café. But then I see Sumika with Kanoko a lot nearing the end of the series and wondering if she’s into her. Or if it’s just this kin-ship because both girls like someone who is definitely not into them.

ENDING: The café is now doing this weird election called the blume. Or something like that! Customers and the staff vote for who they want as Blume-sama. As per usual, Mitsuki seems to be the popular one to win. During this time, we start to see the anger arise from the soft-spoken Kanoko. It is quite clear she loves Hime as more than just a friend. Hime has helped Kanoko so much after meeting in middle school. Kanoko refuses to lose Hime to anyone, especially the one who hurt Hime all those years ago.

This is when we see Sumika get involved with Kanoko. Usually, we don’t see Sumika get involved in anything. But due to these yandere-in-the-making circumstances, Sumika is ready to shed some light on her on past at the café. Sumika and this other girl named Nene at the café were “sisters” much like Hime and Mitsuki are currently. But then, Nene winds up being taken away by another employee in a romantic way and their sisterhood ended. If Sumika winds up Blume-sama, she’s going to make sure that everyone’s sisterhood will stick and not break off like what happened to her. And just as I thought, Sumika wound up the Blume-sama and it seemed like she issued what she wants to see at the café for the next year. Everyone seems satisfied with the results and Kanoko is finally calm and not teetering over the edge of no return. Sumika then has Kanoko become her sister at the café.

The final episode we take a break from the drama of the Blume election and lesbian drama to notice that Mitsuki got a big rack. Yeah, that’s the dilemma of the last episode! First of all, how did nobody know that she’s got a big rack? I noticed it from minute-one! The summer uniform kinda drew attention to it that it was noticeable to the rest of the coworkers. This whole thing was settled by the halfway point and then we refocus on Hime’s ignorance at work. She’s not well familiar with everything on the menu yet and it still frustrates Mitsuki. So, Hime is still pretty bad at her job 12 episodes later.

By the end of the final episode, is there finally some Yuri development between Hime and Mitsuki? I still don’t see it when it comes to Hime. Mitsuki on the other hand, we started to see some blushing. But by then, there was only two minutes left in the season finale and it’s like, what’s the point! I’m going to give this anime some credit here. At least the story didn’t drag on and on with this Hime vs. Mitsuki stuff and we got their backstory early on in the season.

Other than that, I feel like this series was a bit of a miss than a hit. I wasn’t expecting a full-on lesbian romance like Sakura Kiss and the concept of this café has its good moments. It’s just the whole Blume-sama situation fell flat for me and I’m just blah to everything. And I feel like many others are a little underwhelmed with this series as well. Saying that leaves me a little pessimistic about there being a continuation despite the manga still in publication and a lot of open opportunities for characters.

For example, there’s still a chance we could see more from Sumika and Nene. Nene still works there, but she’s in the kitchen. Nene isn’t with that other girl anymore. Could there possibly be something more between her and Sumika? I know we had that exchange between the two near the end of the series, but still… Aside from that, Mitsuki opening up more about how she feels involving Hime could be something to come in the future. But that’s if we get a future to this. Eh, make up your own mind about this one. If you’re looking for a good Yuri to watch, Bloom Into You and Aoi Hana are still my go-tos.

Crunchyroll has the whole series available for streaming.

[medea10]

My Review of The Rising of the Shield Hero: 3rd Season

Seriously, I forgot this was coming back for the fall season. But there was no way I was going to forget that season three was coming. Crunchyroll jumped several guns to not only announce a second season to The Rising of the Shield Hero, but announce a third season in the same breath. This was in 2019. Do you know how long ago 2019 was? What could have caused my blah attitude and pessimism to come up here? Season two happened.

Oh, but Medea, Myne wasn’t involved in season two. How could it be that bad?

Okay, Myne had her bitchy hands all over season one and I loved that season. Season two was rushed to a point where I need ten volumes of the light novel to get the jist of what the fuck just happened. Me not seeing Myne was a treat and if she was involved in season two, my opinion would still stand.

HISTORY: Isekai. Shield. Outcast. Blah, blah, blah! Here’s season one and season two.

SEASON THREE: Shit, the bitch is in the OP theme. I’m going to lose my shizzle on this review, aren’t I?

In the aftermath of the tortoise arc, there’s a glitch that seems to be affecting how Naofumi sees stats and part of his shield. Then, we’ve got the queen relying on Naofumi once more as it seems that the other three heroes are missing in action. Bitch is too. Normally, I would say good riddance on everybody disappearing, I hope they get eaten by a giant chicken. But that’s just my anger popping up again. I have leftover resentment from season one where I just want retribution for Naofumi. I know they’re technically heroes, but they’re shit-heroes. And as for bitch, I hope that she’s not only eaten by a giant chicken and shit out off of a cliff. She must be up to no good knowing her. And then there’s a little something that really grinded Naofumi and Raphtalia’s gears. Demi-humans and slavery!

Yeah, it’s not a modern Isekai without slave-trades.

Naofumi and his team wind up competing in an underground fight club. Save some twin tiger demi-humans. Don’t get too excited, this tournament arc was only the span of 1 or 2 episodes. They do go back to the underground fight club near the end of the season, but it’s not worth mentioning. Naofumi is staying true to saving previously enslaved demi-humans. Meanwhile, we’ve got a phoenix-sized wave about to occur in a couple of months and no one knows where the other heroes are. This season, we get to know more about the other three heroes; Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki. Not only what happened to them during the tortoise arc, but before they were sent to this world.

Motoyasu was ditched by his entire team when he couldn’t even make a dent in the tortoise from last season. Itsuki went full-on Judge Claude Frollo. And Ren’s entire team was slaughtered. But a certain someone came in and toyed with each and every one of these boys.

…

AND NOW, MEDEA IS ABOUT TO MAKE NO SENSE: I truly apologize for the raving I am about to unleash.

AAAAAHHHHH! OOGA BOOGA! OOGA BOOGA! ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAWWWWR! KILL THE BITCH! KILL THE BITCH! REN, YOU FUCKING IDIOT! YOU SAW THE TRIAL! YOU WERE THERE! YOU SAW HER FIGHT AGAINST THE SLAVE CREST! ITSUKI TOO! WHERE IS THE CREST ON THE BITCH’S CHEST?! WHAT WITCH-FUCKARY SAUCE IS THIS?! SOMEBODY! MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!

My anger is warranted. In the span of a single episode, Myne claimed infamous status in the anime community as the worst thing since Shou Tucker. Let’s not go too ahead of ourselves. I’d say she’s just between Griffith and Shinji Matou. I’m just glad Motoyasu saw Myne’s true colors (AGAIN) as she lied AGAIN about him raping her. Lying about being raped seems to be her ace in the hole time and again. This woman is worse than tumors on your uterus.

Not even Filo doing an idol performance in the same episode could calm me down. Nice try, anime!

NEW CHARACTERS: Quite a bit more girls added to the roster. We got the drunk orca, the glitch in human form, and the tiger twins. They are all orphaned demi-humans. Give Naofumi some credit as we finally got one male teammate.

Sadina is a human and orca, I guess. She has a lot of history with Raphtalia and that’s the end of that tale. Spoilers.

Then, there’ S’yne. She’s the girl who sounds glitchy every time she speaks. S’yne is at first not trusted by Naofumi due to an earlier reputation. But she sticks around.

And then there’s the tiger twins, Fohl and Atla. Naofumi saved them from that underground fight club. Before, Fohl was barely scraping by and earning whatever he could to help his ailing sister. Now, the twins are thriving (despite Atla being blind and sometimes has trouble walking). Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Sadina is played by Ami Koshimizu (known for Makoto/Jupiter on Sailor Moon Crystal, Kallen on Code Geass, Ryuuko on Kill la Kill, Holo on Spice & Wolf, Rosa on Umineko, and Anemone on Eureka Seven)

*S’yne is played by Maria Naganawa (known for Kanna on Miss Kobayashi, Platelets on Cells at Work, and Komekko on Konosuba)

*Fohl is played by Kouhei Amasaki (known for Otto on Re:Zero, Kousuke on Tomo-chan is a Girl, and Monoma on My Hero Academia)

*Atla is played by Konomi Kohara (known for Chika on Kaguya-sama, Roxy on Mushoku Tensei, Miu on Domestic Girlfriend, Chitose on Tonikawa, and Kai on Hitoribocchi)

ENGLISH CAST: *Sadina is played by Alice Himora

*S’yne is played by Lisa Reimold

*Fohl is played by Kieran Regan

*Atla’s voice actress is unknown at this date and time

SHIPPING: Rishia really, for real, truly needs to give up on Itsuki. And if the slap in the face he gave her wasn’t enough of a big indicator…no, it truly needs to be one. I’m glad she stepped up to try and reason with him. But…eh, I got nothing else for this. I’m just annoyed by Itsuki dropping Rishia for being weak and Rishia still devoted to him.

And Raphtalia still loves Naofumi. It’s still unrequited. And she will still get jealous of anyone hugging, rubbing on, or sleeping with Naofumi.

ENDING: It’s obvious that Bitch has been poisoning the minds of every, single one of the four heroes. While Naofumi’s interaction at the beginning of the series was bad enough, Bitch took advantage of the other three during really rough moments of their journey. And all I can say is, Naofumi was wrong to keep her alive for this long. He should have just allowed the queen to have her daughter’s head chopped off. Motoyasu was dropped once it was shown that he could not make a dent in the tortoise from last season. In Bitch fashion, she claimed Motoyasu raped her making him out to be the town Harvey Weinstein. With Ren, Bitch manipulated him after losing his teammates in a gruesome way. But she ditched him soon after Naofumi got involved and helped him out. Finally, there’s Itsuki.

Itsuki wound up with a cursed item given to him by Bitch. These cursed items have not done anyone any good during this season and caused a lot of damage for the heroes who had them and Naofumi having to clean up the mess afterwards. When Ren was possessed, it caused a lot of trouble for innocent bystanders. Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyasu are all terrible and made terrible messes throughout the majority of this series. They should be licking Naofumi’s boot every morning when they wake up. Sorry, leftover hatred again. However, Itsuki’s sense of justice pissed me off further down the series. Itsuki pulls off his stupid justice kick by attacking Naofumi’s crew and innocent bystanders with his bow and arrows. Hell, he was going to kill Rishia because she didn’t believe in his “justice”. Thankfully, she and Naofumi were able to end Itsuki’s cursed justice. Itsuki is just mentally broken, but is cared for by Rishia.

Hmph. He should have just been left to rot in a wheelchair like Kirito in SAO. Not even sorry for that!

Okay, we’re at the final episode. Not sure when we’re going to see this wave attack with a giant phoenix. In two months is what Naofumi says but who the hell knows! And Bitch is still on the loose. She did drop Itsuki pretty fast, leaving him broke and broken. I know everyone wants Naofumi and the other three heroes together. I’ve been against that from the beginning. Sorry, last time! As of this moment, Itsuki and Ren are with Naofumi and his crew. Motoyasu…everyone still seems to avoid him like the plague. Yeah, he’s annoying. But mostly it’s because he wants to lewd Filo and now calls Naofumi, “Father” because, yeah, he technically did hatch Filo. Who wants to tell Motoyasu that Filo is technically a couple of months old? Okay, final episode. What’s in store?

Raphtalia is royalty!

Do what now?

Naofumi gave Raphtalia some priestess garb. Sadina got scared and warned her to remove the clothes immediately. Just then, Naofumi’s area is attacked (AGAIN). Usually, it’s slave poachers or someone under Bitch’s control. These new guys are different entirely. This time they want to kill Raphtalia. Why? Because she’s really the heir of this place called Q’ten Lo. Raphtalia’s father was the original ruler but abdicated and started a family. Sadina has been watching this family from the very beginning. So, there’s much more to Raphtalia’s family than just what we learned in season one. Naofumi is understandably pissed that these spies from Q’ten Lo are after Raphtalia and have been watching her pretty much her entire life. So, I guess we’re going to Q’ten Lo now.

Okay anime, that’s fine. But a few things. Phoenix wave is going to hit in less than two months. Filo still needs to up her stats after the whole dragon incident. Bitch is still on the loose. Itsuki is on par with a roasted parsnip. We don’t know where Motoyasu is nor do we care. Still in the dark about the tiger twins and that guy at the palace who hates Naofumi. Naofumi is about to drop everything to prepare for the biggest wave to date to go to this place we only learned about five seconds ago. And most importantly, THE ANIME IS OVER!

Yes, this does set us up for a possible fourth season or movie. As of now, we have a fourth season in the works. But I just have to ask myself this. Do I even want it? Okay, stupid question. I do want to see it for what happens. It’s just that I’m kinda in a slump when it comes to this anime. Most of that blame does stem from the previous season. This season wasn’t as bad, but it’s a far cry from where things were in the first season. I’ll give the anime this, it spiked my blood pressure on my day off from work. That’s not a good thing!

So, I guess we’re going to this Q’ten Lo place, meet new characters, and take a total detour from where this story was going with fighting the waves. Then again, this season had absolutely no wave-fighting. And I’m sure we’re not going to get much clarity of any other character that gets introduced and is a “insert-something-here” hero. I’ll give season four a fighting chance if someone throws a Molotov cocktail at Bitch’s face. For those looking for an improvement to season two’s disappointments…I can’t lie. You would probably only like half of the series. Anything involving Wyndia, dragons, and the whole lot of demi-humans might lose your interest.

For now, every season of Rising of the Shield Hero is on Crunchyroll.

[medea10]

My Review of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

Ooh yeah, I’ve heard about this one. Prior to the announcement of this anime, I heard Gigguk (from Youtube) mention this manga. And here’s me thinking, this is the same guy that praised Oshi no Ko and Frieren before they got anime adaptations. As for when this got the anime adaptation, Viz Media was excited to release this one that there was even an exclusive screening at Anime Expo.

Akira Tendou was a bright-eyed optimist going into his new job fresh out of college. Everyone seemed nice. He had great benefits. There was a chance at meeting famous people in this line of work. And there might have been an opening with a love interest at the office. This enjoyment lasted…8 hours, give or take?!

In reality, this job was hell. Sometimes, you can’t go home for days and work at your desk. The benefits you get…you probably will never use them. The only people you’re in contact with are screaming bosses. And as for that love interest, she’s having an affair with the boss…right in his office. Akira Tendou is so numb to everything now. It’s been three years of this endless hell. Then suddenly…and I do mean really suddenly…

A zombie apocalypse!

Yep, we’re officially in Highschool of the Dead territory. Only difference is that this is with adults, the blood is replaced with vibrant colors, no Matrix boobies, and the author to Zom 100 is still alive here.

Too soon, Medea.

Tendou watched a zombie movie literally the night before this all happened and thought that if he was living through a zombie apocalypse, he wouldn’t have to go to work anymore. And that’s his first thought here. No more work! He gets a day off! First thing he does, he goes to his crush’s home to reveal that he loves her. There, he sees his boss (now zombie-fied). Tendou gives his resignation followed by shoving him out the window. Then he sees his crush (also zombie-fied) and tells her that he loves her. Then bolts the fuck out of there! Now that Tendou is living in a zombie apocalypse, he’s wondering what he should do with his free time. That’s when he goes to a corner store and gets a notebook to make a bucket list. 100 things to do before becoming a zombie. Hence the title of this anime!

Tendou is not alone in this. Along the way, he meets up with his old college friend (Ryuuzaki) who is also trying to live his life for the best during the zombie apocalypse. He meets a girl named Mikazuki who has a bucket list of her own. Only hers is the best way to survive. And near episode 8, we are introduced to Beatrix. She’s a German who has had a fascination with Japanese culture. She’s also the token big-breasted girl that slices up the zombies with a blade. It’s an anime involving zombies, OF COURSE THIS GIRL IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE THAT!

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: Viz Media wasted no time assembling together an English dub for this. And several streaming sites got dibs on playing it on a weekly basis including Crunchyroll, Hulu, and even Netflix. And if there weren’t so many damn hiatuses, this anime would have had a spot on Toonami. It will eventually. March 2024 is still better than nothing. I will discuss the several hiatuses that persisted throughout this anime’s run down this review. I’m enjoying hearing both of Tendou’s voice actors getting more roles in the last couple of years. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Tendou is played by Shuuichirou Umeda (known for Izumi on Shikimori Isn’t Just a Cutie)

*Mikazuki is played by Tomori Kusunoki (known for Makima on Chainsaw Man, Neiru on Wonder Egg Priority, LLENN on SAO: GGO, Setsuna on Love Live Nijigasaki, and Misha on Misfit of Demon Academy)

*Ryuuzaki is played by Makoto Furukawa (known for Saitama on One Punch Man, Haru on Fruits Basket 2019, Miyuki on Kaguya-sama, Shorter on Banana Fish, and Shourei on 86)

*Bea is played by Minami Takahashi (known for Lucoa on Miss Kobayashi, Megumi on Food Wars, Grey on Black Clover, and Yamada on Eromanga Sensei)

ENGLISH CAST: *Tendou is played by Zeno Robinson (known for Goh on Pokemon Journeys, Hawks on My Hero Academia, Genya on Demon Slayer, Shuuji on Tokyo Revengers, Tooru on Horimiya, and Garfiel on Re:Zero)

*Mikazuki is played by Abby Trott (known for Nezuko on Demon Slayer, Machi on Hunter x Hunter, and Eleanor on Misfit of Demon Academy)

*Ryuuzaki is played by Xander Mobus (known for Motoyasu on Shield Hero, Ren on Persona 5, Juuzou on Blue Exorcist, Benno on Ascendance of a Bookworm, and Momoshiki on Boruto)

*Bea is played by Laura Post (known for Ragyo on Kill la Kill, Nozomi on Love Live, Isabella on The Promised Neverland, Akari on March Comes in…, Diana on Little Witch Academia, and Macrophage on Cells at Work)

SHIPPING: Am I sensing something between Tendou and Mikazuki?

No. Focus on surviving the zombie apocalypse first. Once the zombies are eradicated, then I’ll let my mind swirl around in the shipping category.

DELAY, DELAY, DELAY: Is this the new normal? I’m not going to sit here and pretend I know a thing about getting an anime to air because we all know I don’t. But I still raise my eyebrow when currently airing animes take several weeks off at a time. Normally, when an anime is postponed, it is usually because of a sporting event, a giant news story hits, and the subject matter might be difficult if something tragic just occurred. That was something we went along with and accepted. After the Fukushima disaster in 2011, many animes were postponed. Madoka Magica’s final episodes were supposed to air around that time. But due to the sensitive subject matter, it was postponed for three months. Meanwhile, Pokemon was scheduled to air a two-parter, Team Rocket/Team Plasma special around that time as well. It was postponed. And we never heard from it again. Once again, there were special circumstances.

Moving forward to the 2020’s, Covid affected many animes and their airdates. All through the year 2020, nearly every anime was delayed by one week, several weeks, or would just stop airing for the entire season and start over the following anime season. A Certain Scientific Railgun T had to take several weeks off every now and then during the run. Black Clover and Pokemon took a several-week hiatus. And the fifth season of Food Wars aired a couple of episodes, stopped, and aired again three months later. AGAIN, there were special circumstances.

What the hell happened with Zom 100? I don’t see Covid as a reason and nothing upsetting the Japanese audience. Is this a case where they didn’t finish production on time and the staff was overworked to the point of breaking? Because that’s what it looks to me. I’m not complaining at all. I’m concerned that this is a new normal for staff members for anime. And it’s a shame that this had to happen to the studio and the good people behind it. This is a fairly new studio where this is the only anime to their credit. And suddenly I’m hit with a giant sense of irony with this situation and the first episode.

ANIME CAMEO: Did you catch the voice actors from Zombieland Saga in episode 6? It wasn’t the characters. It was just their voice actors grunting as zombies. Well, it happened. Rewind and listen closely.

ENDING: Just like the end of Highschool of the Dead, this crew goes to familiar territory by stopping in on Tendou’s family. My guess is that there’s going to be a big zombie showdown featuring Tendou, his friends and family, and the townspeople versus the zombies. Will that be the end of the season? Moving right along, they make it to Tendou’s home village. The good news is that his parents are safe as well as some of the villagers. There are even some city folks that escaped the hell going on in bigger cities. The bad news is there are some disgustos in that city folk crowd that have their own ideas for surviving the zombie apocalypse. If Tendou’s list was full of childish dreams and Mikazuki’s list is full of realistic goals, these guys…um…well, there are dark forces that work inside them.

And while the zombies are trapped inside a tunnel away from the surviving humans, one person here doesn’t have that much time left. That person is Tendou’s father. Tendou and his father have never seen eye-to-eye. Will they be able to say their peace before the worst happens? Let’s wait another couple of weeks and months to find out this answer.

CHRISTMAS DAY 2023: Okay, I watched my annual anime movie this year. This year it was Suzume. Ate cookies. Opened presents. Jammed out to some tunes. And crashed. Am I missing anything? Oh wow, Zom 100 came back for a three-episode finale!

Tendou and the gang were getting along with many in the village. Tendou got to know some of the city girls who traveled to the village for safety. Mikazuki got along with the elders of the village as she helped them with some of their ailments. Bea learned a lot about the area. And Ryuuzaki got a little girl traumatized by the recent pandemic to smile for the first time in a while. I’ll be honest, when I saw this little girl with her dog I kept thinking if she was going to go with Tendou and the rest and be that gang’s Alice and Zeke like in Highschool of the Dead. Again, I will keep mentioning that. All of this peace is about to be shattered by those disgustos I mentioned prior to the three-month hiatus. There are four of them; one divorcee, one anal-retentive chick, one forever fat bastard virgin, and the obviously voiced by Nobuhiko Okamoto psychopath. The final guy I mentioned (named Higurashi) actually knew Tendou and Ryuuzaki as they all went to the same college.

Higurashi and the others have their chaos book. They removed the barriers blocking the zombies from entering the village and set everything around it on fire. The four main characters were dealing with each of the chaos agents on their own. Ryuuzaki, Bea, and Mikazuki were able to get past the chaos people. Unfortunately, two of those people wound up dying. One by the zombies and the other got electrocuted. The forever fat bastard virgin was still around by episode 12’s end. As for Higurashi, he brought the zombies to Tendou and told him he yearns to watch him become a zombie. This guy was so amped on wanting to fuck things up that he threatened to have Tendou’s ailing father eaten by the zombies.

Tendou does another impulsive thing. You’ve seen him do crazy shit the last 11 episodes, why stop now?! Tendou turned into a zombie courtesy of one of the hideaways who was a make-up stylist and tricked Higurashi. Unfortunately, things do not end well for Higurashi as he is bitten. Before time was up, Tendou was able to get through to him when learning what he really wanted to do. To be fair, any one of us could have wound up like this guy. Introverts have such the hardest times adapting to “normal” society. And I guess Higurashi envied Tendou and Ryuuzaki during college because they had friends and he was alone. Surprisingly, back then Tendou did make an effort to reach out to Higurashi, but dude ran away from them. Tendou and Higurashi do have this sweet moment before he’s turned into a zombie. Higurashi though ends up drowning in the river as he was turning into a zombie.

Tendou, his friends, and the survivors of the village survived just barely. They went to a suspension bridge that was unfortunately missing. But then, this old guy the group met prior to making it to the village made a collapsible bridge for everyone to get across and prevent the zombies from trailing them. In the aftermath, everyone was able to rebuild the village after that night from hell. Now as for Tendou’s father. I thought for months that this guy got bitten by a zombie. And as I’m watching the final 3 episodes I’m thinking, if he got bitten, it’s taking him a long time to turn into a zombie. But then it sounded like he might have a terminal illness.

Turns out dude has hemorrhoids.

Look, I know hemorrhoids are painful but…yeah, I have nothing to follow up on that. But if it gets so bad that it could be life-threatening, it might be difficult for a doctor to do anything when you’re in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. But, it did spark some ideas for what else to write in Tendou’s bucket list. Next stop for the crew…I guess northern Japan or Hokkaido.

Oh shit, I forgot to mention the shit. Ryuuzaki jumped in the cesspool of shit. He was covered in shit for an entire episode.

Despite the long waits in between episodes, this was a very good story. I’m just really concerned if a season two comes will the audience be subjected to long waits and will the crew be subjected to horrible working conditions? Again, seeing the irony! I think it was that first episode that seemed to strike a chord with a lot of viewers. I think at one point or another, we all find ourselves in a situation much like Tendou. I know it doesn’t have to be a job, but let’s face it, we’ve all had those jobs that tried to break us to the point of no return and you really do wish that some sort of apocalypse hits so you don’t have to go into work the next day. I really hope the anime studios kinda take a hint from this. Looking at you OLM, MAPPA, and BUG FILMS!

While I’m still on the topic of the first episode, I’m not going to lie, I honestly thought the whole zombie apocalypse was going to be a dream of Tendou’s. I can’t be the only person who thought this. He falls asleep watching a zombie movie, wakes up in total chaos, we’re treated to a splish-splash of every color on the spectrum, and Tendou is doing stunts like knock his boss out a several-story window and climbing drain-pipes. I will get a lot of push-back from manga readers for my out-loud comments here, but that’s what I originally thought. With that said, I really hope that this isn’t the intended ending for this story.

Now then, would I happily welcome a second season? Yes. Believe it or not, the several-month hiatus didn’t impact how I felt about this anime. Sometimes it does, but not here. When it returned on Christmas, it almost felt like not much time has passed since the last installment. And just because of this sloppy roll out, it doesn’t necessarily mean that any future seasons will be affected the same way the first season did. It will if the studio doesn’t take a freakin’ lesson from the anime they just put out. It seems like a couple of new characters are introduced after where this season leaves off. So, I’m looking forward to a second season. Thankfully, the manga is still in publication and the creator is alive and well. Sorry, after what happened to the creator of Highschool of the Dead, I am not taking any chances.

Enough from me! Zombie-show fans, you know who you are and we know your fandom isn’t dying off any time soon. Probably check this one out. It’s on Netflix, Hulu, and Crunchyroll, so you have your pick of sites to watch it on. Starting March 30th, 2024, the show will also air on Toonami. And if live-action is more of your thing, Netflix has got that adaptation too.

[medea10]

My Review of Rurouni Kenshin (2023)

If you grew up in the 1990s and early 2000s, chances are you’ve come across this title.

Rurouni Kenshin’s original anime aired in Japan from 1996-1998. It managed to make it out west with being licensed by Media Blasters and aired on Cartoon Network’s Toonami block in the early 2000s. With 95 episodes to its name, Rurouni Kenshin was pretty popular everywhere. In later years, a couple of OVA’s were released. One of them was a prequel that was never seen outside of the manga. The second one was a sequel to the main series that goes in a different route from the manga. And the third was a retelling of one of the series best moments.

And just laying it out there, yes, this series is sadly also known as “Samurai X”. I say “sadly” due to what was done to the series with that name. What with the bastardization of people’s names and what have you! The name of the series is Rurouni Kenshin. If you see that other name, turn around and don’t look back.

Now, does this series live up to the hype? Yes and no. While this was one of Japan’s most rewatched animes of all time, the series could have been better. Pretty much everything after what is known as the Kyoto Arc is seen as garbage to many. In some cases, they’re not wrong. It’s just a sea of fillers until the series ended in 1998. I guess some of the blame could be that they changed studio hands during the run of the original anime. Studio Deen has such a lousy reputation for messing with a good thing.

Case and point, Rozen Maiden 2013!

It’s just that when Kenshin gets into the swing of things, it’s a thrill to watch. So, having a retelling of the story and have it be faithful to the manga is welcoming for long-time fans and curious newbies.

Just. One. Thing. Though.

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: Nobuhiro Watsuki is the creator of Rurouni Kenshin. Back in late 2017 while he was releasing more Rurouni Kenshin in manga form, it was discovered that he was in possession of child pornography. This news alone is an immediate red flag, drop everything, cancel this bro right stat now kind of thing. What happened was he was arrested, paid a fine, and went back to releasing his manga after a several-month hiatus.

Obviously, everything about the story is disgusting. I’m not sure how much child porn was removed from this man’s place but I feel like it was somewhere between what Jared Fogle had and a fuck-ton. And now every fan is having this moral dilemma of watching this anime if it’s supporting this man. When it comes to me, fuck yeah, I’m still watching it. Do you have any idea how many things I still watch where the original creator is a fuck-bucket? And don’t lie, you probably do the same. Ren and Stimpy, The Loud House, Rick & Morty, Earthworm Jim, all of these and more are the product of some sick ass-banana. Just keep that in mind before tossing stones. You all know who you are and you all aren’t squeaky clean in what you watch. None of us are.

In the end, it’s your call to make on watching this or reading anything else that comes from Watsuki. Certain companies have made their call already when it comes to Rurouni Kenshin. Weekly Shounen Jump still prints whatever Watsuki puts out. Viz Media however has put an end to the latest Rurouni Kenshin manga that’s been put out in the last few years, but has kept the original manga up.

OKAY, NOW LET’S ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT THE ANIME: I know it’s a lot to go over, I just felt it necessary to do the frank discussion before I talk about the anime. This anime is a full reboot. That means, it’ll be a different studio animating it, it will supposedly take after the manga instead of diverting into a different path like the original series, and yes, the cast will be different. Which cast? All of them!

Rurouni Kenshin goes like this. It has been well over a decade since the end of a brutal war. With the entering of the Meiji era, peace was assumed as weapons like swords are banned. Of course, that won’t stop people from killing. And the never-ending fight with the government can cause this peaceful time…it was never really peaceful. Kenshin Himura is a wandering rurouni. He carries with him a double-edged sword despite the sword ban law put in place. Prior to this moment, Kenshin was known as “Hitokiri Battosai”, a ruthless killer. But after certain events, Kenshin swears to never kill again.

One day, he meets a young girl named Kaoru Kamiya. She’s the owner of a dojo that specializes in a certain style. At first, she confronts Kenshin thinking he is the dreaded Hitokiri Battosai. Most of it was a misunderstanding because yes, Kenshin is that, but he’s not the one using the name in vain and using Kaoru’s fighting style. After several incidents between the characters, Kenshin decided to set up shop and stay with Kaoru at her dojo. Eventually, two other characters join along. Yahiko, an orphaned boy who is training to be a great swordsman one day. And Sano, who once served during the brutal war is now a bit of a drifter. But he’ll have Kenshin’s back when they’re in a battle.

BETWEEN THE NEW SUB AND THE NEW DUB…AND EVERYTHING ELSE: I’ve gone on in length about the dubs to Rurouni Kenshin in the past. Prior to the 2023 remake, there were a total of three English dubs. The first one was for the original television run featuring Richard Cansino, Dorothy Elias-Fahn, and Wendee Lee. This was dubbed by Media Blasters. The second one consisted of the OVA’s featuring folks like Shannon Weaver, Gray Haddock, and Katherine Catmull. These were dubbed by ADV films and later Sentai Filmworks. And as for the third dub, that would be Sony’s sad attempt at redubbing Rurouni Kenshin filled with bastard names, a bastard name title, and new voices.

In the beginning, I was hoping for the absolute best-case scenario when it came to an English dub for this retelling. When it comes to me, I will always pick the first dub and that is for one big freakin’ thing. Steven Blum voicing Makoto Shishio. That and I always thought Richard Cansino was the best Kenshin. I’ve already been disappointed when Sentai didn’t reunite the original cast when retelling the Kyoto Arc several years ago and that’s why my skepticism is in play here. Plus, I’m pretty sure some of the original dub cast has already retired from voice acting. Sadly, the original voice for Misao (Philece Sampler) passed away in 2021. Much to my dismay, there was a new cast alright. Who they are was the bigger question.

Crunchyroll dropped the episodes without warning three months after the premier and without stating who would be in the cast. That’s certainly out of character for them. They get chatty when showering the masses who is going to be in an English dub cast everywhere they can including all social media platforms. I would have chalked it up to the SAG-AFTRA strike. But then I remembered, Crunchyroll has a conniption when it comes to that certain union. Plus, it never stopped them before as they’ve been whoring other English lists that same week this dropped. So, the obvious reason has got to be fear of having the audience badger the cast for being in Rurouni Kenshin after what the creator did. Only Kenshin’s voice actor came forward a week after the actor’s strike. The rest, most of us had to guess. Except for Yahiko, he just sounded like an angrier Gon. So, it’s Erica Mendez.

Just so you know, Aniplex had a live festival with seiyuus promoting the shows they’re on back in September of 2023. And what do you know, Souma Saitou and Rie Takahashi were on stage promoting Rurouni Kenshin. Out and about, no one getting doxxed, threatened, hate-mailed, or anything of the sort. I have a few scattered thoughts here. First of all, if there’s any bad-mouthing of Rie Takahashi of any kind, you and I are going to have a problem. Second of all, American fan-bases are fucking toxic and would harass the voice actors relentlessly to the point of no return. And third, why couldn’t they just come up with some fake-ass alias names for the English cast? On the other hand, I’ve seen how people on social media has harassed voice actors over trivial bullshit and it’s only getting worse. So, I kinda understand why this happened.

As for the sub, yes, the voices here have changed. So, when I originally watched Rurouni Kenshin, I watched nearly everything dubbed. It wasn’t until much later when I stumbled upon the sub, I discovered that Kenshin was voiced by a woman. Now, I’m getting another case of whiplash as I’m getting used to hearing Kenshin having more of a manlier voice. With all of that said, here’s the cast of Rurouni Kenshin 2023!

JAPANESE CAST: *Kenshin is now played by Souma Saitou (known for Diavolo on Jojo’s Pt. 5, Yamaguchi on Haikyuu, Kain on Rinne, and Miyano on Sasaki to Miyano)

*Kaoru is now played by Rie Takahashi (known for Ai on Oshi no Ko, Megumin on Konosuba, Emilia on Re:Zero, Sumi on Rent-A-Girlfriend, Ena on Laid-Back Camp, Mash on Fate/Grand Order, and Tomo on Tomo-chan is a Girl)

*Yahiko is now played by Makoto Koichi (known for Elza on Interspecies Reviewers, Young Jun on Tomo-chan is a Girl, Sumika on Yuri is my Job, and Sakura on Lycoris Recoil)

*Sanosuke is now played by Taku Yashiro (known for Friede on Pokemon Horizons, Natsuo on Domestic Girlfriend, Kouichi on Horimiya, Vulcan on Fire Force, and Arai on Chainsaw Man)

ENGLISH CAST: *Kenshin is now played by Howard Wang (known for Piers on Pokemon Journeys, Anastasia on Jojo’s Pt. 6, Kokonoi on Tokyo Revengers, Atsushi on Lovely Complex, Goshiki on Haikyuu, and Chuusaku on Komi-san)

*Kaoru is now played by Risa Mei (known for Futaba on My Senpai is Annoying)

*Yahiko is now played by Erica Mendez (known for Gon on Hunter x Hunter, Haruka/Uranus on Sailor Moon [redub], Ryuko on Kill la Kill, Raphtalia on Shield Hero, Retsuko on Aggretsuko, and Megumin on Konosuba)

*Sanosuke is now played by Darius Johnson

SHIPPING: Can I delve into this topic without going off the deep end and bringing up spoilers?

No, not really. These spoilers are over 30 years old. Deal with it.

Kenshin x Kaoru is a ship that has set sailed into the sea. No matter how much sex appeal Megumi can throw at it! Trust me on the matter, it’s a signed deal. I know that it almost seems one-sided in these 24 episodes, but that’s how it is.

WHAT TO COVER: In a reboot, you’ve gotta see what this version kept and what they didn’t and if it’s all in the right part of the story. Of course, we get the stories everyone is used to with this series like Kaoru being duped by that old creep and the debuts of Sano and Yahiko. Near the halfway mark, we’re already introduced to Aoshi and watched Kenshin and Sano take on the drug lords that were using Megumi. There have been a couple of episodes dedicated to some familiar storylines like Sano’s old comrade and the young lad Yutarou who wound up on the wrong side of the blade. Meanwhile, I’m squirming around in my seat waiting to hear something from a certain awesome villain. I have made no secret to loving the Kyoto arc and its main villain, Makoto Shishio.

Come episode 19, I heard his name uttered and know that it’s coming up.

Wait a sec! There are only 5 episodes left in the season. If this studio dares to even cram the whole Kyoto arc in that short amount of time, I’m throwing this entire media out the window. There’s gotta be a second season. Even if it’s only like 12 episodes that covers the span of the Kyoto arc, it’s better than the worst-case scenario. Thankfully, they did not cram the entire Kyoto arc into an episode. No mad man would ever do…Studio Deen would do that.

Case and point, Rozen Maiden 2013!

I am now being informed that I have already insulted Studio Deen’s attempt with Rozen Maiden twice now in this review. Let me get back to what I was saying. Thank the great good lord those guys are not in charge of Rurouni Kenshin again.

Actually, two of these episodes were a flashback episode that was originally an extra chapter to the manga. And if you’re wondering if this flashback episode contains Kenshin back when he was the legendary manslayer, it does not. It’s a story of Kenshin a couple of months prior to meeting Kaoru and the rest. For Kenshin’s past…just watch the OVA’s from 30 years ago.

The final episodes of the season set the stage up for the Kyoto arc with the introduction to Hajime Saito. Ten years prior, he was a bit of a rival to Kenshin back when he was the noted manslayer. Now, Hajime is part of the Shinsengumi. Kenshin and Hajime end up facing off like back in the day and he wound up reverting back to his manslayer mode.

Apparently, Kenshin can turn off that mode with a punch in the face.

As one does! The last time Kenshin was in that mode was when Kaoru was kidnapped earlier in the series. This time, Kaoru’s voice had no effect. This moment leads to Kenshin’s crucial decision at the end of the season. After the spar, he is confronted by Okubo Toshimichi, the man who has been trying to make the Meiji era a more peaceful time. He asks Kenshin for help of taking out a certain someone. Yes, it’s Makoto Shishio. Also known as, the man who just won’t die. Case and point, he’s been stabbed, knocked unconscious, and even set on fire. He’s still standing! Hell, he’s even known as the new Hitokiri Battosai manslayer. Kenshin gave this a lot of thought as he wants to remain peaceful and never kill again. Unfortunately, he’s given no choice when Okubo…well, he…

He fucked around and found out!

One of Shishio’s commrades (Soujiro Seta) murdered Okubo and sent a stark warning to Kenshin about going forward with anything brash. Kenshin truly wants for a peaceful nation and doesn’t want to kill again. In the final moments, we see him have a few precious moments with Kaoru before proceeding to leave her.

DON’T CRY, FANS! HE AIN’T GONE FOREVER! But a season two must, must, must, must, MUST COME!

Thankfully, two days after the finale we get the announcement that Rurouni Kenshin is indeed getting a sequel in 2024. Unknown to when in 2024, if the same studio will be doing it, how many episodes it’s going to be, or if Steven Blum is going to return as the voice of Shishio. Seeing as NO ONE from the original English cast has returned to do this project, I’ll shut up about it...

For now.

Was this a great reboot? That’s your call to make. For me, it’s too early to tell as there’s only been 24 episodes and none of them are the classic Kyoto arc. It’s too preliminary to call it a masterpiece or trash. Manga readers are somewhat split as they will always find fault with everything. Not every anime adaptation is going to do everything by the book and that’s their conniption. I read the manga too and I wasn’t picky about the adaptation. It’s not like they skipped 50 chapters and went right into unknown territory.

And before you say, “Oh, there goes Medea again bashing Rozen Maiden 2013”. NO! I was actually poking at The Promised Neverland this time.

Thankfully, Rurouni Kenshin was done well. The art was beautiful. LIDENFILMS did a spectacular job. If you’re not familiar with the studio, they have recently done Call of the Night and Tokyo Revengers. The music was great. Every opening and ending were bangers. Reol was the real stand-out star in that department. They kept the language Kenshin uses when he speaks, that they did. I’m satisfied. I know more fans would want to see some more footage of Kenshin back when he was the notorious Battosai. I’m just going to say to be patient. You’ll see some stuff soon enough. And if you’re an impatient fuck, the OVA’s are around. Trust & Betrayal will give you what you want.

Can I recommend this? Not without having a giant elephant sitting on my shoulders.

For now, Crunchyroll has Rurouni Kenshin 2023 available for streaming.

Now then, for those who are looking for the original series, OVA, and even the live-action movies, here’s where to find them.

The original 96-episode series is currently on Hulu. The recent live-action movies are currently available on Netflix. All of the OVA’s (Trust & Betrayal, Reflections, and Kyoto-arc retelling), I can’t seem to find them streaming wise. Also, unsure if the hard copies are out of print or not.

[medea10]

My Review of The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You

Well, I got a couple of open slots for the Fall 2023 anime season. I’ll choose this random series without looking into what it is and why it is. How bad could it possibly be?

#FamousLastWords

Between the time he was eight months old and the time he graduated from middle school, Rentaro Aijou has been turned down by “girls he likes” a grand total of 100 times. The night following his middle school graduation, Rentaro went to a shrine and prayed that when he enters high school, he will get a girlfriend. That’s when he meets God himself.

As one does in this occasion.

God tells Rentaro that he will not only get a girlfriend that is destined to be his true soulmate, he will have 100 girlfriends destined to be his true soulmate. Unless you are Genghis Khan or a main character on Tenchi Muyo, I call bullshit. God explains that the day Rentaro was born, he kinda dropped the ball while filling out paperwork. He accidentally wrote 100 soulmates instead of 1. To make things worse, if he turns down any of these soulmates, they’ll die suddenly. So, this is a matter of life and death for 100 girls.

On the very first day of high school, Rentaro bumps into two of these soulmates, Hakari Hanazono and Karane Inda. A pink-haired girl with big tits and a blonde tsundere. Of course, they are! All three are struck by cupid’s drunken, polygamist arrow. Them being a couple is kinda like with Girlfriend Girlfriend with the exception of them all not living together. Heads up, this is under the comedy genre. So, expect a lot of clumsy slapstick here! Well, Rentaro has met 2 of his soulmates. Throughout the series, he meets three other soulmates. A girl named Shizuka who communicates through lines from her favorite novel. Then there’s Kusuri who is a bit of an absent-minded scientist who occasionally transforms from curvy beauty to a Lolita. And then there’s Nano Eiai (pronounced A.I.) who is as monotone as it gets. If you name your kid that, what the hell do you expect?

Before I continue, I’m going to take a couple of shots in the dark here. I’m guessing that this series will only be 11-13 episodes long. Rentaro will only meet 5-13 girls in this span. And the chances of a sequel will be 15% chance.

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: No lie, these were the words when it was announced this anime was getting an English dub. “This flaming garbage is getting an English dub?” Hmm, if Brina Palencia is allowed to do Crunchyroll dubs, I say she’s going to play Eiai. Only by the mere fact that she has a reputation for playing monotone girls. But that was something I used to see happen 15 years ago, I doubt it’s still true that Palencia plays nothing but monotone characters anymore. I gotta get with the times as Eiai is played by someone completely different. As for the sub, a mix of newer and well-known seiyuus. This is Wataru Katou’s second main role and seems to be relatively new. I thought he did a really good job as Rentaro. Okay, here’s the cast.

JAPANESE CAST: *Rentaro is played by Wataru Katou

*Hakari is played by Kaede Hondo (known for Iono on Pokemon Horizons, Sakura on Zombieland Saga, and Haruka on Love Live Nijigasaki)

*Karane is played by Miyu Tomita (known for Riko on Made in Abyss, Crim on Interspecies Reviewers, Miko on Kaguya-sama, and Ebisu on Dorohedoro)

*Shizuka is played by Maria Naganawa (known for Kanna on Miss Kobayashi, Plateletts on Cells at Work, and Komekko on Konosuba)

*Eiai is played by Asami Seto (known for Raphtalia on Shield Hero, Mai on Bunny Girl Senpai, CZ on Overlord, Miyoko on Food Wars, and Mado on Tokyo Ghoul)

*Kusuri is played by Ayaka Asai (known for Lisa on Fire Force)

ENGLISH CAST: *Rentaro is played by Travis Mullenix

*Hakari is played by Sarah Wiedenheft (known for Tohru on Miss Kobayashi, Power on Chainsaw Man, Lily on Zombieland Saga, Ruby on Love Live Sunshine, Ariel on Mushoku Tensei II, and Charmy on Black Clover)

*Karane is played by Ariel Graham (known for Tia on Overlord and Leivinia on Index III)

*Shizuka is played by Sara Ragsdale (known for Saikawa on Miss Kobayashi, Young Dabi on My Hero Academia, Saya on Dagashi Kashi)

*Eiai is played by Cassie Ewulu

*Kusuri is played by Lindsay Sheppard (known for Aria on Pokemon XY and Mia on Love Live Nijigasaki)

SHIPPING: After viewing the first episode, I just see Rentaro as one of those harmless anime perverts. He’s like Brock from Pokemon, he’s just going to ask the girl out and anything that happens afterwards, whatever. And for a while throughout the series, I’m inclined to agree with the same sentiment. I don’t recall seeing him get giddy about fondling Hakari’s breasts or anything dirty like that.

In fact, he tries to be chivalrous to the girls. Rentaro loves someone like Karane despite being the textbook definition of a tsundere. Rentaro helped Shizuka out of her shell and then-some. He showed Eiai that there’s more to life than just numbers. And Kusuri is no longer alone now that Rentaro is in her life. Although, things do get a little raunchy and go beyond holding hands. Rentaro doesn’t play favorites like the other modern harems, he loves all of his girlfriends the same and for some reason, the girlfriends just go along with Rentaro adding more girlfriends.

In short, every girl is best girl to him. But we have to admit that Hakari’s family has the upper-hand due to a couple of firsts. Hakari is the first girlfriend and the first to be a “bride”. And then Mama Hahari…um…Yeah, it’s best to assume that Hakari and Hahari got the upper-hand here.

WTF MOMENT: French-kissing Vice Principal.

That’s right. In an anime where Hakari has sick fantasies and we have a girl like Kusuri, who wears diapers and is an 18-year-old in the body of an 8-year-old, the Vice-Principal tainted everything.

That’s it. That’s what made my soul died.

ENDING: In harem animes, there’s bound to be any number of objections from friends and family members. Mostly family! Would your parents agree to you being in a polygamist relationship? Hakari is told by her mother to end it. Under normal circumstances, yes, that would be the case. But in this anime, Hakari would die. But of course, only Rentaro knows that factoid. If Hakari does die due to break-up, at least she went out in style. She was able to compete in a bouquet toss event that resulted in her and Rentaro dressed in wedding gear and having their pictures taken.

Hakari’s mother Hahari shuts her daughter up in her room in supreme lockdown. It’s a big house filled with security personnel, a guard dog, trip-laser security, and a cat. The cat’s there doing what cats do. Rentaro and the other girlfriends break in to try and save Hakari. With the help of everyone, Rentaro was able to make it to Hakari’s room. But all in vain as Hakari’s room was also attached to the security system and Rentaro was caught. We then learn about Hahari and why she’s being overprotective of her daughter. Hahari fell in love with a terminally-sick boy at age 13. Hahari decides to have his baby. She gives birth to Hakari and later the boy dies. Hahari later regrets the decision she made and doesn’t want Hakari to make a big mistake with a boy like she did.

And then Mama Hahari and Rentaro got the spark and AW SHIT, SHE’S ONE OF THE 100 GIRLFRIENDS!

Hahari shook it off and continued to test both Rentaro and Karane on this unordinary relationship with a lie detector. It showed that despite Karane’s severe tsundere attitude, she loves Rentaro. Rentaro is shown to love all of his girlfriends. And that Karane is somewhere in the A-cup range. But the silliness comes to a grinding halt when Hakari is on the ledge of her second-story bedroom window ready to end it all. Rentaro ends up saving her by falling off the ledge with her into the fountain. At least they’re not dead. Hahari gives up her grasp on Hakari and all seems to be forgiven with a hot bath, pajama party, and Rentaro possibly losing his virginity. Oh come on, I doubt that this anime would go so far as to…

OH, HOLY FUCK! THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED! RENTARO FUCKED HIS FIRST GIRLFRIEND’S MOTHER! HE’S A LITERAL MOTHER FUCKER!

And we go along with the final episode as if we did not see him fucking her brains out. The slumber party went along with usual and unusual moments including: playing cards, spying on Rentaro as he bathes, random acts of lesbianism, a spooky ghost in the window, and other silly shenanigans. We get more serious moments when we’ve got Hahari feel guilty as it feels like she’s betraying her first love (Hakari’s dead father). Rentaro being pure of heart accepts all of her baggage and seals it with a kiss. And then the ghost of Hahari’s first love (Hakari’s dead father) appears before Rentaro.

As one does! While he was quite defiant about Rentaro dating this guy’s first love and daughter, he sees Rentaro is a pure…wrong words to use about a guy who just lost his virginity to this guy’s baby-mama. Pure enough. Ghost dad approves and passes on. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Rentaro’s first 5 girlfriends are easy to see as they all go to the same school as him. How is Rentaro going to see his sixth, Mama Hahari? Simple. Hahari buys the school. Yeah, the episode ends with her announcing she bought the school. We also see four girls that Rentaro passes by that could possibly be girlfriends #7-11. Pfft. I’ve seen that happen before in season finales. Keijo had an ending like that where we saw all these new characters for one second and then the series never came back.

Okay, let’s see if what I said at the beginning of this review still stands.

*This series was 12 episodes long. I was correct that it was only going to last between 11 and 13. *By series end, Rentaro has officially gotten 6 girlfriends. Even if we add the 5 girls we saw at the end of episode 12, that would equal 11 girls. So, I was right about the number of girlfriends. *My 15% chance of a sequel guess was proven wrong immediately as this got the green light for a second season when the season one finale aired.

Shit, this series was something else. I can honestly say there were a lot of moments in 100 Girlfriends I would have never expected to happen. In a normal harem anime, there’d be a lot of fighting between the girls, the first girl might get a kiss, and the anime would end there so you would have to go to the manga to know what happens next. Or, wait nearly 30 years to see proof of a harem like with Tenchi Muyo. But we all must remember that we are in the 2020’s. If this fucking Goddamn decade has taught me anything, anime has gone above and beyond the norm here. We’re in the decade of Interspecies Reviewers and Redo of Healer!

This anime blew away everything that you’ve seen when it comes to harems. Rentaro has kissed every girl. He is loyal to all of his girlfriends and thensome. And unlike a lot of other harems, he lost his virginity by the season’s end and not to the first girl. I gotta give credit where credit is due in this department. And by the looks of the manga, Rentaro is still loved and quadrupled girl intake. Last I saw, he has over 20 girlfriends. The creator and artists are determined to make the 100 girlfriends thing happen whether the anime continues or not. I gotta respect that kind of tenacity. I am beyond curious to see how Rentaro can possibly handle over 20 girlfriends. So, I am definitely looking forward to a second season for this anime.

And if you want to see a harem done right for the 2020’s, get your ass to Crunchyroll and watch this series.

FINAL THOUGHT: If Rentaro never existed, this anime would be a Yuri anime starring these two. Prove me wrong.

[medea10]

My Review of My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999

Humor me. Who else thought this was going to be a sequel to Ore Monogatari (My Love Story) where Takeo and Yamada go all the way? I can’t be the only one with that sick thought. Okay completely unrelated anime, let’s see what you got.

Akane Kinoshita is out with her boyfriend Takuma…and she gets dumped. Yep, not even 30 seconds into the first episode and she gets dumped. He’s leaving Akane for a girl he met in an online game that he and Akane were playing together. After the breakup, Akane went on the game she got into because of her ex and went on a killing-spree of monsters. Just then, she meets another player named Yamada who looks like Saitama if he had a weird afro on. It takes him two minutes just for a simple reply. Akane gets annoyed and basically tells him off. After some time from the breakup, Akane decides to go to this on-site event for the game she was playing. Never mind getting freebies for the game, she’s going merely for the fact her ex might be there and wants to flaunt the goods to make him regret leaving her.

Things did not go according to plan. Akane trips and falls down on her way to stalk her ex. The person she bumped into is a handsome young man of few words. Akane realized that this mysterious boy is that Yamada she met in her game prior to this event. Well, Akane is face-to-face with her ex. What does she do? Lies and says Yamada is her boyfriend and even bribes him to keep up the farce. Yamada is quite aloof and can be blunt with the things he says…if he says anything. But what Akane doesn’t know is that Yamada is a pro-gamer.

While the boyfriend lie is merely for whenever Akane’s ex is around, Akane has a nice friendship with not only Yamada, but his inner circle as well.

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: Even though this was a Crunchyroll exclusive (in association with Aniplex of America), this didn’t see a dub until a good six months after the series had started. Normally, I’d be concerned. But this did happen during the actor’s strike, so I’ll think no more on the matter. And that’s all I’ve got here. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Akane is played by Inori Minase (known for Rem on Re:Zero, Prushka on Made in Abyss, Makinohara on Bunny Girl Senpai, Ruruka on Danganronpa 3, and Hidomi on FLCL: Progressive)

*Yamada is played by Kouki Uchiyama (known for Soul on Soul Eater, Yurio on Yuri on Ice, Rui on Demon Slayer, Shigaraki on My Hero Academia, Ikuya on Free!, Ichijou on Nisekoi, and Yuuki on Shiki)

ENGLISH CAST: *Akane is played by Abby Trott (known for Nezuko on Demon Slayer, Shizuka on Zom 100, Machi on Hunter x Hunter, Veronica on Seven Deadly Sins, Inui on Aggretsuko, and Fou on Fate/Grand Order)

*Yamada is played by Stephen Fu (known for Weather Report on Jojo’s Pt. 6, Naofumi on Shield Hero [season 2+], Douma on Demon Slayer, Henry on Black Clover, Kaname on Darwin’s Game, and Pax on Mushoku Tensei)

DISLIKED CHARACTER: No, it’s not Runa. As much as I love to dunk on those little girls who latch onto the hot character and glare at the obvious main attraction, I actually hate jerky ex-boyfriends who quickly dump their girlfriends over trivial shit more. Yeah, Akane’s ex can kick rocks for all I care. While we only see him two times in the whole show, his breakup with Akane really messed her up.

SHIPPING: Yamada is oblivious when it comes to females. He didn’t even know a girl was confessing to him in the second episode. There’s no way in hell he’s going to fall for Akane. Never mind, dragging her drunk ass to his home in the first episode. As it turns out, Akane and Yamada had quite the cute friendship for the greater majority of this season. And as the series progressed, several of their friends were all for them getting together (even if the two characters aren’t going to do so). But we have to remember that Yamada is going to do what Yamada does. He can be blunt and slow to respond. Yet he somehow acts differently when it comes to Akane. The blunt and slow responses are still there, but he almost acts on a weird impulse at times with her.

Elsewhere, Yamada is quite the favorite around school and elsewhere. There are so many girls at his school that think he’s cute. And then there’s Runa! A lot of insecurities to unpack with this little one. But the fact that she at first wanted to keep Yamada all to herself and push Akane on some rando guy really speaks volumes. That action of Runa’s almost landed her on my dislike category. But I left her off because I grew to like her throughout the rest of the series. She even became a Akane x Yamada shipper. I thought it was adorable when she tried to have Akane bump into Yamada while eating a piece of toast.

But what about Yamada’s silent classmate, Yukari? And what of the girl from Yamada’s past that liked him? The girl from Yamada’s past is someone we’ll never see again. Yukari on the other hand…well, that’s a topic for the ending.

ENDING: Does Akane like Yamada for real? That’s a pretty big question for her as she kinda sees him in a new light after Yamada took care of her when she was sick. There is one big thing that seems to be holding her down and that’s the way things were left off between Akane and her ex. As most people do when they’re dumped, they go through a myriad of thoughts to narrow down what they did wrong. However, she still wants to tell Yamada how she feels. It’s just that the timing never seemed right with the two of them.

Meanwhile, let’s move onto Yamada’s silent classmate, Yukari. We see her a few episodes towards the end of the season. She’s on speaking terms with Yamada in class. And she recently joined the FOS guild that Akane, Eita, and Yamada are in. Her reasons for joining the video game guild were to of course get closer to Yamada. And in the second to last episode, Yukari let it slip out to Yamada that she likes him. Oooooh, right before Akane got the chance to. I sure hope the hint Eita dropped about Yamada about to get confessed to will make a dent. I think it did!

Yamada meets up with Yukari after the confession. Yukari spills everything out and admits how long she’s liked him and every reason in the world she likes him. And Yamada still rejects her! It wasn’t like those airhead replies he gave to the other girls that used to confess to him. This was genuine as he even says that there’s another. Yukari knows it’s Akane and he confirms. Called it!

The guild met up for a dinner with special food and drinks. Eita thought it’d be perfect for Akane and Yamada to have some alone time during the dinner. Things didn’t go according to plan. Yamada was late to arrive. And by the time he showed up, Akane was drunk. Déjà vu from the first episode. Yamada drags her to her home and that’s when Akane asks if he likes her. Yamada says yes. And to make sure that this is real, he promises to remind her when she sobers up that this is true.

Yamada x Akane is official!

This was a cute story despite how things started. It’s not like we haven’t seen similar things happen in other animes. Akane wasn’t even trying to become Yamada’s girlfriend after that time in front of her ex. It was just a sweet friendship that eventually blossomed into a relationship in the end. I always respect a story like that. One has to wonder if the anime will continue with a second season or if it will stay as is with the happy ending given in the 12th episode. By the looks of things, the manga is still on-going with at least 100+ chapters at the moment. I honestly think that the anime will stay with just this season. Well, if you’re looking for a cute slice of life, romcom, maybe check this out. It’s a short series.

Crunchyroll has every episode for streaming.

[medea10]

Medea Played Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, The DLC’s (Part III)

Just because the main story is over, doesn't mean you have to stop playing the game.

Once you get back from your adventure in Area Zero, Briar has quickly written a book about the ordeal.

An apology for doing absolutely fuck-all when Terapagos was kicking all of our asses and for not controlling Kieran. Fuck no and fuck you.

Actually, you don't have to keep it for long. In Kitakami, go to the Crystal Pond, have Terapagos, and watch as things make no sense.

That's right. A mist comes through and you meet with the professor. You have an in-depth chat about things and in the end, you exchange Briar's book for the Scarlet Book. Everything comes back around full-circle. Back at the school...

Go to Amarys and she'll feed Koraidon/Miraidon a supplement that'll make him fly now.

No, she still doesn't call them by their actual name.

Outside the school, you can meet Mr. Snacksworth. A man who has apparently met nearly every legendary (except Dialga and Palkia) and has crafted snacks for each one.

Once you capture 200 pokemon for your Blueberry pokedex, go to Perrin for a special quest in Area Zero. However, after you complete the request Perrin only gives you a Park ball. You know, the balls you use at the National Park in Johto.

In the clubroom, you can spend those BP's on the item printer, throwing styles, or changing the music.

Cute choices and all, but might I suggest some better songs?

*Mt. Pyre

*Route 27

*Route 44

*The three lakes in Sinnoh

*Lavender Town

Just to name a few.

And of course, you can invite coaches to the club room. Invite two certain coaches at the same time and they might strike up a conversation and you might learn something. Here are some of the things I learned.

*Katy was the one who gave Kofu the Venonat wallet

*Grusha was a fan of Iono's back when she first started streaming

*Nemona knows Lacey from a party a few years prior and gave us confirmation by saying her father Clay's name

*Poppy is nine-years old

*Hassel knows Drayton and his granddad

*Clavell thinks Mr. Jacq-strap is a total slob

*Drayton is a total dick to Kieran long-after the incident

*A lot of the gym leaders are a bit resentful towards Geeta

Let's not forget the gifts and trades! After you battle the coaches, you get a gift. The first time, you might get cool stuff like phone cases, Drayden's black tracksuit, and...

Clive's wig? I look so dead inside.

Invite everyone on the list at least 3 times and trade with all of them will allow you to invite the mystery person named Saffron. That person of course is Cyrano, the director of Blueberry Academy. Defeat him in battle and he'll trade you his Shiny Blitzle.

Let's return to Uva academy and help Team Star.

I got major whiplash seeing Eri here.

Giacomo and Eri ask you for help in tutoring the other Team Star members and hide it from Penny too. It didn't go as planned, but there was a happy conclusion. Plus, you get some new outfits in the process.

This leads to Atticus being grateful for the help that he makes his own garment knock-offs to be bidded on.

Many of these items you might recognize from past games like shoes from Aether, helmets from ORAS, and another reminder of Ball Guy's existence from Sword/Shield. Getting all the items are very costly with most auctions costing as much as 365,000 wing-wangs.

And now, let's get to the Mochi Mayhem.

First of all, you must get this mythical pecha berry from the mystery gift. Once you get it, go to Peachy's store in Kitakami. You notice a certain pink object move and then Arven calls asking to stop by your home. Next thing you know, the object is gone.

Back home, Nemona and Penny joined Arven. There, you also get a letter from Kieran asking for you and your friends to come to Kitakami. He's using snail-mail due to not having a smart-Rotom phone. Before we leave, we learn something about Penny.

Her father used the word "Adven-tour". So it's a good chance that her father is Peony. Which means her sister is Peonia. Which means her uncle is Chairman Rose. I have so many questions and this is the only time we hear about Penny's papa. Once we're in Kitakami, we're greeted with a familiar face.

Kieran is a meek cinnamon roll again. I guess the answer all along was to have him battle with Nemona. Nemona beat the pants off this boy but also had him enjoy himself.

Unfortunately, there is something wonky going on in Kitakami. Carmine has been acting weird. And...um, how do I go about this?

She flaps like a chicken and says the word "Mochi" over and over.

With Carmine acting strangely, there's only one thing to do.

I am...just wow.

After this idiocy, we step outside and it turns into a cliche horror film trope.

Everyone in the town is slowly turning into these flapping, mochi-munchers.

Even Kieran's grandparents get hit with this mochi-demic.

Also, not helping in my suspicions on these two being Jessie and James. I know that's not their names, but Gramps battles you with Arbok and Weezing.

Back at Peachy's, we find the mystery pokemon causing this trouble. But it winds up shooting mochi at us.

Penny and Arven eat up. I avoided it. And Kieran got conked on the head with it. And before you can say, "Mochi, Mochi"...

They were under the mochi spell.

Before you know it, the entire place is surrounded by moch-ombies.

It's just that Nemona is too hard to possess fully.

Once you beat Nemona, you have to fight Peacharunt and catch it.

And those are the DLC's.

The Teal Mask was just okay. I think the only thing I really liked was just Ogerpon and the ability to catch some of my favorite pokemon.

The Indigo Disk, I was actually surprised by. The fact that you couldn't play that one until you've finished Teal Mask and the main game in total meant some major stuff was going to go down. Plus, the battles are a lot harder than normal.

Mochi Mayhem was cute. It reminded me of some of those events for legendaries like the ones in R/S/E or the Victini one in B/W. I'm glad that we got an event pokemon through mystery gift. Something I wish we could have had with Zarude back in gen 8 instead of that bullshit joining a newsletter or something stupid.

So...I suppose this is the end of Scarlet and Violet. Unless we get more mystery gift surprises, this is probably it. I am a little upset that there isn't a battle tower like in previous games. And more important, Pokemon Horizons is going to go off and do it's own thing, not attaching it to the game whatsoever. We'll see what happens at the end of February as Pokemon Day always arrives with huge news in the games department.

And that was Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

[medea10]

My Review of Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku-hen

Okay, new season, new characters, new gang, same opening theme song…

Wait, what?! I mean, the graphics are different, but still.

HISTORY: Takemichi. Time travel. 2005 is a cunt year. I’m not going over it again. Here’s season one and here’s season two. Read up.

SEASON THREE: Previously on Tokyo Revengers, Takemichi returned to 2006 after a glimpse of the most depressing future yet. But that’s going to have to wait as a gang he has no recollection of just kicked the ever-loving crap out of him, Chifuyu, and most of his bros. This is Tenjiku. This gang has Tokyo Manji outnumbered. Many of their captains are so soulless that they’ll beat you within an inch of your life. And worst of all, Kisaki has joined this group. Seeing as Kisaki would be so defiant as to go to another gang five seconds after being thrown out of a gang for trying to turn it into a bloated monster, it gets Takemichi thinking. What if Kisaki is also coming from the future like Takemichi?

While we have that to ponder, we see the leader of Tenjiku, Izana popping up around Mikey. Turns out there’s more to these two leaders than you would let on. And finally, Takemichi knows another person in Tenjiku. It’s not one of Kisaki’s cronies, it’s actually a childhood friend. His name is Kakucho. Despite him and Takemichi being old buds, Kakucho is going to remain loyal to Izana and Tenjiku. Although, Kakucho does distrust Kisaki. So, there’s that! Takemichi (despite the promise he made last season) returned to the future to see what he could find out about the Tenjiku gang. This ended badly. Oh sure, he got some info from reformed Cocaine Bear from last season Taiju. But Takemichi and Naoto wound up gunned down by Kisaki, Kakucho, and Izana.

Back in 2006, Takemichi tested if his line to the future is cut off. It is. He shook hands with the young Naoto and no-go, future Naoto is dead. Takemichi’s muttering about the future hit the ears of Hina. Okay, so she knows but will pretend she didn’t hear a thing…for now. And then we learn that Izana is actually Mikey’s half-brother. Mikey’s family tree is fucked up. Add to that, Mikey’s (deceased) older brother Shinichiro was the original leader of Black Dragon. He planned to let Mikey be the leader, but of course he started Tokyo Manji. But then we learn Izana was the 8th generation leader of Black Dragon (the prior leader to Taiju). Okay, my head is spinning with everything happening here.

NEW CHARACTERS: Onto the Tenjiku arc characters. There’s really only two notable new characters here. One more thing, Hulu hasn’t dropped any of these episodes in English so I’m only giving Japanese seiyuus here.

Izana Kurokawa is the leader of Tenjiku. This is a person that up to this point Takemichi knew nothing about. This season, he’ll know it all. First of all, he’s revealed to allegedly be Mikey’s half-brother. Second, he was once the leader of the Black Dragon gang (the gang that was started by Shinichiro and was to be given to Mikey.

And then there’s Kakucho! Kakucho was friends with Takemichi back when they were children. But Kakucho went away. I think he went into a group home because his parents died in some sort of accident. I gathered since the anime really didn’t talk much about Kakucho, but the scar on Kakucho’s face tells a big story. While there, he makes a life-long friendship with Izana.

*Izana is played by Nobunaga Shimazaki (known for Haru on Free!, Yuki on Fruits Basket 2019, Yuno on Black Clover, Eugeo on SAO: Alicization, Sengoku on Horimiya, Shinichi on Parasyte, and Sunakawa on Ore Monogatari)

*Kakucho is played by Seiichirou Yamashita (known for Ishikawa on Horimiya, Raiden on 86, Edward on Black Butler, and Clay on Soul Eater NOT)

SHIPPING PART THREE: This does dip into spoilery territory, so I’ll try to mind my words.

Hina! Yes, Takemichi x Hina is still a thing. They’re cute together. She sees him as a personal hero. And I honestly think that Hina’s love for Takemichi grew when she knew what Takemichi has been doing in terms of leaping through time. There is however one person who has been eyeing Hina for a long time. And that’s Kisaki.

Back in season two, we do get a flashback of Kisaki and Hina together when they saw Takemichi do something impulsive yet heroic. I kinda thought that there might have been something there, Kisaki-wise. Who knew I was going to be right? Hina said some kind words to Kisaki about him being so smart that it reached his cold, calculating heart. Kisaki loves Hina and that’s all I can talk about as I want save it for the finale portion. Let’s talk about another ship.

Koko x Inupi. I wasn’t expecting it. I probably should have since our bro Inupi slays in them heels. I’m just a little confused by it. Koko was in love with Inupi’s older sister and Koko’s crusade of earning more and more money was driven because Inupi’s sister was burned in a house fire. But she dies, Koko still strives for more money, and he kisses Inupi because…??? Dead sis, something…Um, let’s talk about another ship.

Emma x Draken is…oh!

YEAH, THIS PART HURT: Emma’s death. Yeah, just going to come out and say it. She dies.

Now, you would think that Emma dying wasn’t going to cause a ripple. Fuck are you huffing? This ripple caused a major tsunami that shook the foundation of Tokyo Manji to its core. First of all, Emma is Mikey’s little sister. He barely got over his older brother’s death. Second, Emma was Draken’s girlfriend. But then Kisaki came in swinging and knocked Emma off…while Takemichi just stood there.

I saw a lot of comments about this part and a lot of anger towards Takemichi. I am actually going to defend him to an extent. Have you ever been in a situation where you had the opportunity to stop something and you were just frozen in your tracks and couldn’t do anything? It happens! I know he can be impulsive sometimes, but coming from personal experience, I can’t hate on him when this fear hits.

I can however fucking hate Kisaki and Izana. Women are supposed to be off-limits. So, this is the plan Kisaki had to warp Mikey. I hate you.

ENDING: Tokyo Manji vs. Tenjiku. This is not going well for Tokyo Manji. Their fight between Tenjiku did not start well and they are very much outnumbered. Smiley and Mitsuya are out of commission for the big fight as they were taken out prior. Mikey and Draken are not going to come to this fight as…fucking Emma died. Mikey’s sister, Draken’s girlfriend! Mikey is wrecked and Draken hates everything. So, it is up to Takemichi, Angry, Chifuyu, Hakkai, Inupi, and…this one guy I can’t remember his name up against over 300 grunts, 4 angry big boss guys, Koko, Kakucho, that dick-head Kisaki, and Izana.

There were some solid hits from Tokyo Manji. Angry went full “Blue Ogre” mode which somehow surpasses his twin brother Smiley’s wrath. And I’m going to admit this. Up until season three, I didn’t know that Smiley had a twin brother. So, color me surprised when I see the blue-haired wonder show up all of a sudden. Back to the fight, Inupi got into Koko’s mind as we got a backstory involving them. All the while, Takemichi pulls his immovable Homer Simpson spirit during the fight. Even Kisaki shooting him in the foot couldn’t stop him. But you have to admit, these boys are outnumbered and not going to win this fight. IN COMES DRAKEN AND MIKEY!

I knew it was going to happen. Didn’t know how or the provocation, but I saw it coming a mile away. The reason was that Hina let it slip out to both boys that Takemichi has been going back and forth from the future to prevent his friends from dying. Mikey vs. Izana actually lasted a lot longer than the October and Christmas massacres with the main bosses. Mikey’s kicks only worked part of the time against Izana. What Mikey doesn’t know is that Izana learned how to fight from his own older brother Shinichiro.

We get some flashbacks of Izana’s youth (as well as Kakucho). Izana gets the surprise of his life to know that he has an older brother. Shinichiro made a big impact on Izana and was happy any time he came to visit. It wasn’t until Izana was going to get the Black Dragon gang passed down to him that everything changed. Shinichiro just happened to mention having a younger brother and that just didn’t sit right with him. Younger Mikey seemed okay with the idea of having another brother. Izana was not thrilled. Add to that, Izana blames Mikey for Shinichiro’s death. Kazutoro strikes again! Izana ends up suffering a pretty big mental breakdown during this showdown. The other Tenjiku members were in an agreement that Tokyo Manji won and to just back off gracefully. No. That’s not happening. Kisaki goes and does a stupid thing that ends with both Kakucho and Izana getting shot.

WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE TAKE THAT GUN FROM KISAKI?!

Oh, now you’re going to be a punk-ass bitch after shooting Izana and Kakucho. Yeah, they’re dying. We get some more flashbacks including an important fact that you can be both shocked and not surprised at the same time. Say it with me now.

IZANA IS NOT RELATED TO MIKEY, EMMA, AND SHINICHIRO!

Emma’s cunt mother said it to Izana when he ran into her. And then Shinichiro admitted the same. Izana and Kakucho hold each other’s hands as they both die on the ground…or so it seems. More soon! Mikey announces the fight is over and that Tokyo Manji won. Kisaki bails with Hanma. Draken and Takemichi trail this asshole. Once Takemichi caught up to Kisaki, that’s when he learns something important.

Kisaki loves Hina. He’s a strategian by heart and had a 10-year plan to rise the ranks of the gang underworld and to make Hina all his. And during this interaction, Takemichi caught a glimpse of a future moment where Kisaki proposed to Hina and she rejected him like one of those rejection scenes from Tomodachi Life. But one thing Takemichi learned this night with Kisaki was that he was not a time traveler. He’s just bent to the point of wanting to warp Mikey and steal Hina from Takemichi or kill her. And then, things took a turn for the worst…for Kisaki.

These are the following three things that are acceptable to say for this scene: *Truck-kun saved the day *Best re-dramatization of Phil Ken Sebben’s death ever *Australian fatigue driving PSA in a nutshell

Okay, I will also accept the phrase, “Ding-dong, the dick is dead”. I am not going to sit here and feel sorry for Kisaki. He was a smarmy bastard in the past and future. And the shit he did in the past should never absolve him. Emma did nothing wrong. Not a fucking thing! Her only crime is that she shared the same blood as Mikey. I’m sick of getting the sad boo-hoo moments for characters who were maggots through and through. You want people to say nice things in your passing, don’t be a dick-bag while you’re alive!

In this aftermath, there were a total of five arrests and three deaths. The arrests were all the top men from Tenjiku. The deaths were Emma, Izana, and Kisaki. Kakucho survived being shot. He’s got a lot to mull over now that his best friend is dead and the gang is pretty much done. It is unknown about Takemichi and the future as we see him talking to Kakucho in the hospital and he hasn’t stopped trembling after witnessing Kisaki be flattened by a truck. So, we don’t know if Kisaki’s death changed the future for the better or if Takemichi can even go back to the future considering what happened to Naoto.

Okay, I loved this season compared to the Christmas Massacre arc. I just wish the season was an episode or two longer just to fulfill my wants of seeing if the future changed for the better or worse. That last future Takemichi was in had Kisaki and Izana in it, so that must mean Naoto is alive again. I’m going to keep with my thoughts and be a good girl who doesn’t look at manga spoilers. For now! I’m sure there’s gonna be more content in the future. The manga is finished with an astounding 279 chapters and the anime is just under 40 episodes currently. I’m sure there’s more to unfold.

Knowing the setup, I’m pretty sure there’s another gang about to pop up or Hanma is gonna avenge Kisaki or some other drama with Koko and Inupi. Again, I don’t know because I didn’t read the manga. But we still need the conclusion of Hina and if she’s past the point of being saved from a grizzly murder. Kisaki is taken care of, that’s good. I still don’t trust Akkun and he’s still around. Every stinkin’ timeline, he’s the one who does the deed. In the meantime, let’s wait a bit for the next installment. Nothing has been announced as of posting this review, but I’ll remain positive.

Once again, because of Disney+’s acquirement, watching the whole season can be troublesome to those who don’t have a multitude of streaming accounts. Season one can still be found on Crunchyroll. Christmas Massacre and Tenjiku arc will be on Hulu.

[medea10]

Medea Played Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, The DLC's (Part II)

Okay, let's check out Blueberry Academy.

If you'll indulge me for a second...

BLUE HIS HOUSE

WITH A BLUE LITTLE WINDOW

AND A BLUE CORVETTE

AND EVERYTHING IS BLUE FOR HIM

I apologize for nothing. Moving away from the random musical interlude. This academy is a floating terarium in the Unova region.

And here's our first nod to the Black & White games. The girl with the pink hair is Lacey.

She came from this guy's penis.

Oh, there are more surprises this DLC has.

This rich-ass school has four places in this dome, the canyon, the coast, the savanna, and the polar. Many, many, many pokemon not in the original game are there. Yes, all the starters. There is however, a hefty price tag for that.

Aside from the vending machines at the rest areas, you are to pay with BP's (Blueberry Points). And you get that by doing Blueberry Picnics (BBQs). Unfortunately, the tasks are only worth like 100 or something cheap like that. And if you want ALL the starters, you have to have a grand total of 12,000 points. And so much more points if you want to decorate your club room, put music in it, print items, challenge the elite four, buy special items at the school cafeteria, get new features for selfies, learn new throwing styles, invite coaches like Larry, and catch legendaries.

Phew, that is a lot. My recommendation, host and/or join BBQs. If you're like me and are prone to playing solo, there are some Discord groups that offer a lot of opportunities. The group quests are something you'll need to get more legendaries. Moving on.

You will eventually meet up with Carmine. Her brother however...

Kieran becomes an angsty teenager who should just go back to his dorm room, put on some My Chemical Romance, and cry into his knock-off Ogerpon teal mask.

More importantly, Kieran is the champ of the school. Higher than the elite four. You know where this is going. You have to challenge the elite four and then Kieran.

That's when you're introduced to Drayton. And it better be obvious to you by looking at this kid. He's a slacker. He was the ex-champ. He's definitely a dragon-type trainer. But more importantly, he is the grandson to Unova gym leader Drayden.

And as you can tell, Carmine hates this guy's guts. Drayton will sucker you into challenging the elite four. There is pushback as you are merely an exchange student. But you do get the support of two members and Kieran just wants to defeat you. Yeah, we'll see how that turns out for you.

Okay, let's take on the E4. Please note that every single battle you do here are double battles. And give this game some credit, these are not easy battles. Not even the random trainers are.

Let's battle Amarys first. Just like the gyms in Paldea, you have to do certain tasks first before the battle. Amarys has you and Koraidon jump through hoops. Kinda like a Mario Party game.

I have my own theories about this girl as I think she's the product of Lenora and her white husband Hawes. But apparently, she's from Castelia City and Lenora is from a different town. So, that theory ends with me. Also, she's a steel-type trainer.

Next, let's battle Crispin.

He's a fire-type trainer. His first task is to make him a spicy sandwich. I have no theories of where this kid came from. The second I saw Crispin and his cooking attire and his pan...

And all I can think of is Kuga from Food Wars. They're both spicy boys who cook. And they're both in an elite group where they both are on the verge of getting kicked out.

Drayton's trial can be tricky if you're walking into this blindfolded. You have to face three trainers only using pokemon you caught in the Terarium. Raids in the terarium do not count. Traded pokemon technically caught in the terarium do not count. Once done, you can battle the dragon boy.

And as for Lacey...

Urp.

I'm resisting the urge to not bring up learning about Venonat's radar eyes from Tracey Sketchit in the second season. Oh wait, I still said it. You should know me by now.

Lacey's trial is a quiz with 5 questions. It's actually the easiest trial. As long as you know where she sleeps on Granbull and which is the true Sinistea.

Kid, I'm about ready to put you through a wall. Sigh. Let me just waste this wannabe punk.

You are going to battle Kieran. Much of the school and the E4 come out to watch you. And if you want to watch this boy suffer, put Ogerpon in your team.

So you defeat him.

Kieran pretty much has a mental breakdown and is beyond repair at this moment.

SELFIE TIME!!!

As much as I'd love to relish in this kid's agony, we have to move the story along. Because immediately after, Ms. Briar asks for you, Kieran, Carmine, and Drayton for help.

So all of us (minus Drayton because he's a lazy-fuck) are going to Area Zero. Briar was finally able to get permission from Geeta and Rika (who are there now). It's been a while since I saw Rika.

GAH! What did I do?!

Oh. I forgot about The Way Home arc already. When it's been a full year since playing, you tend to forget why you're being yelled at.

Geeta gives you the Indigo Disk (hence the name of this DLC). Has no idea what it is or why it is. But thinks you might have some use for it.

The Indigo Disk actually sends you to a lower level of Area Zero since it seems Professor Crazy Bitch's lab is locked down due to inactivity.

In the depths of Area Zero, you'll come across these special tera pokemon. They are stella-tera. And in the depthiest of depths, we will come across Terapagos.

Kieran decides he's going to use this opportunity to surpass you.

LADY, CONTROL YOUR STUDENT!

What am I, a judge in a Donald Trump trial?

More swipes at Trump. I thought I told you that we won't stop! I thought I told you that we won't stop!

Terapagos eventually emerges. But then...

This little shit catches it with a Master Ball. I'm impressed.

Kieran battles you with Terapagos. It fails. Then, Briar tells him to terastylize Terapagos.

Think of this as a Tera-raid from Hell. It puts up three barriers. Constantly takes away your ability to terastylize. And every now and then, it changes what type it is. All the while, Briar is having her wet-dream of seeing Terapagos in full form and Kieran is...

Yeah, this whole thing is a cluster-fuck. Time for you to end this nightmare and catch this fucker.

But wait, didn't Kieran catch it with a master ba...?

We good now? Okay. Let's take this behemoth down.

After finishing off Terapagos, you can then catch it, and 100% rate for this one. It better be after all the shit you go through.

Lady, Ms. Frizzle has more control than you do.

Well, that's the end of the main story to Indigo Disc. The pokemon is caught, the day is saved, we think Kieran is going back to normal, and the end credits play with a remix to Ed Sheeran's Celestial.

Okay, I think this is a perfect place to end my shit-post.

To be continued.

[medea10]

Medea Played Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, The DLC's (Part I)

Previously on Shit-post Theater

This. That. Also This. That too.

Yeah, it's been a minute. I've been holding off on doing one of these since the first DLC that dropped back in December really didn't wow me as much as I thought it would. So I waited until the second one dropped. Only to learn that an epilogue was coming soon thereafter. That was awfully kind of them. Okay, sit back.

Maybe throw away that sandwich you've been holding onto since November of 2022.

At the start, Jacq-strap tells you about an opportunity to go on a school trip to Kitakami. A region that was just pulled out of thin air...

And here we are!

You're in Kitakami with three randos from the academy, being chaperoned by Ms. Briar, who is an instructor at Blueberry Academy in Unova. And if that doesn't sound familiar to you, it will soon enough.

Soon after, you are accosted and insulted by one of Blueberry Academy's finest asses, Carmine.

The little one behind Carmine is her little brother Kieran. Now that I finished that interruption. I gotta do something really important.

There we go. I am complete. I can finally get a Clefable in these games.

A girl and her Clefable. Is there anything more perfect in this world?

I suppose I should look around this small region.

There's only one Pokemon Center. And it's an outdoor facility just like Paldea.

Gender neutral bathrooms along with boy/girl ones? Uh-oh, don't tell the right-wing weirdos on X.

More pokemon to catch as well. Even Jacq-strap gives you a special egg. I hope it's something...

Sigh. Gible, use Draco Meteor.

And then we meet these two oddballs. O'Nare and...the other one. I don't remember the other one. Biff or Billy or Monty Q Moneybags. Shit, I don't care. They're part of the Pokemon version of the Illuminati. And you'll find them in weird places throughout Kitakami and Paldea. Even on the jagged tippy-tops of the Great Crater. Follow them enough times and O'Nare will battle you a couple of times and you can get a few goodies like nuggets, big nuggets, and a phone case.

There's also a rumor that these two are really Nemona's parents. There's no proof of that and as of this date of posting, we don't know Nemona's parents. I have theories that she's the product of Goku and one of the compulsive gamblers on Kakegurui.

The point of this school trip is to go all over Kitakami and take selfies in front of certain landmarks. Each place tells you parts of a story involving a man, an ogre pokemon, and three "savior" pokemon. Through it all, you're with Kieran. That shy little cinnamon roll.

And then it's time for this mask festival. And you meet Kieran's grandpar...

Huh.

I could be wrong, but did Jessie and James wear disguises like this long ago? Nope? Sorry, my imagination! Okay, moving on.

At this festival, you can play this Ogre-busting game where you have to place mochis up before certain hungry pokemon eat em' up.

You can keep playing this game for a chance at winning a shiny Munchlax.

During the festival, you and Carmine come across that ogre pokemon mentioned prior and a teal mask. Hence, the name of the first DLC.

From this point on, you're going to learn more about Ogerpon. How he's not a bad pokemon and that the tale is fabricated.

And all of this is destroying the cinnamon roll. Kieran always loved the ogre from the stories and feels a little betrayed when you and Carmine hide the new revelations from him.

He is now a stale cinnamon roll.

It's not long before the three "savior" pokemon from the story crash the DLC and run amok all over Kitakami. Eating everything, stealing Ogerpon's precious masks, and turning into titan-sized pokemon.

So, let's get all of these masks back for Ogerpon and defeat those giant, toxic nightmares.

Ogerpon gets a happy ending where the villagers apologize for how it was treated by their ancestors.

Kieran will fight you again for Ogerpon, which ends something like this.

Oh, get up off the floor you drama queen. Shinji Ikari has more dignity than you right now.

And then you fight Ogerpon in a battle.

It's going to be tough since it has four masks, he's tera during the whole battle, and each mask changes his second type. But once defeated, you can catch it with 100% rate.

That's actually it. I was surprised when I finished it so fast. I was worried about taking too long playing it because I had a birthday trip around the same time of release. Speaking of...

I still find this cute.

After the Teal Mask main story, there were a few things we could do.

Like donating your hard-earned moolah to the caretaker in Kitakami. I know he ain't worth it like Honey in Sword/Shield, but...

Nah, I've got nothing.

You can finish off your Kitakami pokedex. There should be 200 entries. And if you fill 150 entries, you can help Perrin.

First of all, we were all wrong about who Adaman was ancestor to. I still want to believe that Adaman is somehow connected to Mikey from Tokyo Revengers. It's not possible, but I'd like to. Good on the creators for giving us Perrin in this game.

The game takes a small turn into Pokemon Snap! territory for a second as you have to take snapshots of pokemon in the wild.

And then you battle the special Hisuian pokemon.

This little fella is different from Legends Arceus. This is known as the Bloodmoon Ursaluna. And no, you can't evolve your Ursarring in this game. After you finish this mini game, Perrin will reward you with Hisuian Growlithe.

Fast forward three months later when you get that call from Clavell and has an old friend of his who wants to meet you.

Let's checkmark another gay couple to the Scarlet/Violet game I approve of.

Cyrano here is the director of Blueberry Academy and wants you to be an exchange student. Remember, this is the school that Kieran and Carmine go to and that Briar teaches at.

And that's it from me. Okay, go on and get out of here. Feed your Koraidon a sandwich.

To be continued.

[medea10]

My Review of GTO - Great Teacher Onizuka

Oh, shit. Only now do I realize that I haven't posted an actual review since October and it's now January 1st. That is unlike me, but I guess there's been a domino effect of things happening one after another like a small vacation out of state, working through the holidays, and just general laziness. Okay, let me get back on track. Let's review, GTO!

-------------------

Well, this has been a long time coming. This has been seen as one of the greatest animes of all time. I mean, “greatest” is in the title so it would be false advertising.

Eikichi Onizuka is about to become a teacher. He’s 22, a virgin, and an ex-biker gang leader. Perfect qualifications! Onizuka has high ambitions of becoming the greatest teacher of all-time. Hence, the title of this show. Is it for his love of education? No, he just wants a high school waifu. Oh honey, that’s going to get you put right in the slammer. Don’t let this perverted side fool you, Onizuka has a lot of life experience that could set his students on the right path. Unfortunately, Onizuka is put in the roughest class at Holy Forest Academy. Could this be a test for him or is he the right person for the job?

A lot of doubt has been thrown at Onizuka. He has quite the police record including more recent incidents and even more to come as you’ll see throughout this series. In his assistant teaching stint, he did some unorthodox methods of getting through to some students and parents. In the actual teaching interview, Onizuka punched and later body-slammed the vice principal. But, Onizuka wound up as an instructor. A middle school teacher, but a teacher nevertheless. These students are at the threshold of adulthood despite all the things they’ve gone through. I mean, these kids are dealing with shit like bullying, sexual assault, suicide, body issues, and trust issues. Mr. Onizuka might just be the right person for the job to help with these difficult pre-teens/teens.

You know, when Onizuka isn’t doing something sketchy.

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: Holy shit, look at all of these castmates on the dub. Everyone here has 2-5 roles in this anime. Shit, early 2000’s dubbing company, hire more people. You know how early this anime dub was? Steven Blum played the titular character and used a fake name for the credits. Wow! Come on, like we aren’t going to know that’s really Spike Speigel voicing this bro. Another amazing sight for this anime is the fact that they got the Papenbrooks to voice a couple of characters. That’s right, Debbie Rothstein and the late Bob Papenbrook. By the looks of it, Bryce wasn’t in this anime. I think this was dubbed prior to his anime debut.

As for the sub…OH SHIT, SEKI-ALERT! Greatest seiyuu in the world, Tomokazu Seki! Yeah, this looks like Toji 2.0. And that makes so much sense because Tomokazu Seki does play Toji. Look at these two and tell me I'm not crazy. Anyways, here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST:

*Onizuka is played by Wataru Takagi (known for Wataru on Detective Conan, Kaiman on Dorohedoro, Tobi on Naruto, Ganju on Bleach, and Chudelkin on SAO: Alicization)

*Fuyutsuki is played by Fumiko Orikasa (known for Diantha on Pokemon XY, Riza on FMA: Brotherhood, Seras on Hellsing, Kyubei on Gintama, Rukia on Bleach, Shirley on Code Geass, and Lotte on Little Witch Academia)

*Yoshikawa is played by Kousuke Okano (known for Russell Tringum on FMA)

*Uchiyamada is played by Cho (known for Jaken on InuYasha, Brook on One Piece, Chobi-hige on Natsume’s Book of Friends, The Principal on Hidamari Sketch, and The President on Super Milk-Chan)

*Murai is played by Tomokazu Seki (known for Tracey on Pokemon, Gilgamesh on Fate/Stay Night, Kyo on Fruits Basket, Pucci on Jojo’s Pt. 6, Shuuichi on Gravitation, Itaru on Steins;Gate, and Meito Anizawa)

ENGLISH CAST:

*Onizuka is played by Steven Blum (known for Spike on Cowboy Bebop, Orochimaru on Naruto, Shishio on Rurouni Kenshin, Roger on The Big O, Leeron on Gurren Lagann, Kadota on Durarara, and Tom from Toonami)

*Fuyutsuki is played by Wendee Lee (known for Faye on Cowboy Bebop, Konata on Lucky Star, Serenity on Sailor Moon [redub], Yoruichi on Bleach, Yahiko on Rurouni Kenshin, Yui on Fushigi Yuugi, and Haruhi Suzumiya)

*Yoshikawa is played by Kirk Thornton (known for Shirou on Blue Exorcist, Tanjiro’s father on Demon Slayer, Ougi on Code Geass, Klein on SAO, and Hotohori on Fushigi Yuugi)

*Uchiyamada is played by Bob Papenbrook (known for Nobuyuki & Katsuhito from Tenchi Muyo [season 3]) [R.I.P.]

*Murai is played by Tony Oliver (known for Lancer on Fate/Stay Night, Minato on Naruto, Soujiro on Lucky Star, Ulquiorra on Bleach, Simon on Gurren Lagann [finale], and Lupin the III)

DISLIKED CHARACTER: First things first, I will not hate on any of these students. A lot of these students like Miyabi and Anko (despite being absolute bitches) had some unfortunate things happen to them or to their friends. It’s not really their fault they were dealt a shitty hand in life. Especially when you have educators who you’re supposed to put your faith and trust in and they do something to you so unforgivable that you look upon every educator in a horrible light. Anko and the girls bullying Yoshikawa relentlessly is definitely something I dislike, but I’m going to stay focused on where I was going.

The adults at the school however are fair game. Onizuka and Fuyutsuki are excused here to an extent. Onizuka has his demons and everyone knows it. He does get his point across albeit through unorthodox methods. Though he would totally be fired in real life! And Fuyutsuki has been nothing but kind and patient with her students. But I digress, many of these teachers showcased here are pretty bad. Especially the gym teacher and the English teacher Mr. Sakurada. The gym teacher reminds me too much of the gym teacher from Persona 5 and that’s a big strike. If you know, you know! Sakurada on the other hand, there’s no forgiving with him when he gets involved in trying to steal the third-year class trip money and would just sit there and allow Onizuka’s head be put on the chopping block. Never mind being blackmailed by one of his students, he did Mr. Onizuka dirty here. Now as for Vice Principal Uchiyamada…

And the face he makes before…well, you’ve all seen the memes.

Every episode I tell myself that maybe there’s something deeper to this guy. That there’s some redeeming quality to this man and that he doesn’t deserve to be shit on episode after episode. I know there were a lot of shows and animes that would be mean to the vice principal or have them be the butt of the joke. Mr. Bone from Doug and Guber from Boston Public come to mind. Uchiyamada has definitely been the severe punching bag and butt of the joke in the series. I stopped counting how many times his car got destroyed because of Onizuka. To be fair, some of those were to stop a student from committing suicide. But then you remember his very first scene in this show was of him staring at and later sniffing Miss Fuyutsuki’s ass.

Hell yeah, I’m putting Vice Principal Uchiyamada on here!

…I do wane away from hating this guy later on though.

SHIPPING: You know what? I was sitting here the several months I spent watching this anime thinking that this couple was going to happen. And when I hit the final episode. I’m shocked yet not surprised. I’m just going to crumple up this ship, throw it in the garbage and pretend I never thought what I thought.

PREQUEL: A couple of years prior to the GTO anime, a five-part OVA series was released between 1994 and 1997 showing Onizuka and his friend Ryuuji in their high school days. This was during their middle/high school days where they were known as Onibaku. Just letting you know, nobody has licensed this in the states, it’s not streaming anywhere, there is no English dub, beware of shotty subtitles, and the Japanese cast is different from the television series.

MUSIC: I know everyone goes to the first opening theme by L'Arc~en~Ciel. And you should, it’s a great song. But if you want a toe-tapping earworm, the second opening Hitori no Yoru is the jam.

I swear, I always neglect Porno Graffitti. I need to stop, because they’ve been putting out good-ass bangers for the last 20 years.

ENDING: The final arc just before the finale was the classes taking the big trip to Okinawa. This almost didn’t happen due to one of Onizuka’s students blackmailing one of the teachers to trick Onizuka and steal all the money for the trip. That was an ordeal. But they all made it! This trip showed more of Yoshikawa than I anticipated. Remember this kid? He’s the one that almost offed himself several times throughout the series and has been bullied repeatedly. The bullying continued on this trip. So Onizuka got the bright idea of changing the sleeping arrangements and having them become coed. The end result of having Yoshikawa and his bully Anko share the same room led to an episodes-long coming to terms for Anko having feelings for Yoshikawa despite all the bullying.

Does it bother anybody else that Anko looks and acts too much like Asuka Langly Soryu? What is it with this anime and its characters looking like Evangelion characters? It can’t just be that they came out in the same decade. There’s gotta be like several animators that worked on both anime!

The final two episodes answer the question of who the hell was the teacher before Onizuka. We got our answer when the dude (Mr. Saitou) ends up in the hospital after being stabbed nearly to death. The students loved their teacher. But he wound up in a relationship with another student in the class. And when found out, Saitou promised his class one thing, but turned around and did something else. The whole class felt betrayed by the teacher they once trusted. The end result of this ordeal was that Saitou left Holy Forest Academy and actually wound up working at another school despite what he did at his prior employment. The girl Saitou had an affair with wound up pregnant and later committed suicide. And the entire classroom of students was left with a severe distrust of educators.

It's no doubt that in these last 40 episodes, Onizuka has helped each and everyone of his students in one way or another. For many, they were able to put their faith in a teacher again. But one final holdout was still never going down. And that was Miyabi! She has been trying to get Onizuka fired at every given opportunity. These episodes, she switched gears to another target. One night, she visited Mr. Saitou and stabs him. Miyabi was on the run for most of the day until she was found by Onizuka ready to stab a member of the board of education. Onizuka had a few choice words for this guy. So, the board of education guy was like, “Imma end this man’s career”. The board has given the principal an ultimatum. Miyabi must surrender herself to the police and Onizuka must be terminated for “assaulting” a board member.

Thankfully, the entire school was on Onizuka’s side. Despite everyone risking their own careers to support this guy, it is what it is. Even Vice Principal Uchiyamada! That was pretty surprising as Uchiyamada has been on a crusade since day one to get Onizuka terminated. The principal put her foot down with her decisions concerning Miyabi and Onizuka that it really ruffled the board members’ feathers. I should say so as they are some shady fucks. Murai and the other students do some sleuthing of their own and came across some interesting things. Mr. Saitou was really trying to do the right thing by his students. Miyabi didn’t stab him, Saitou stabbed his own damn self in a suicide attempt. And the school board is pretty much the bad guy in this situation.

It all comes together when Onizuka enters the room, brings the press, and admits to everyone that he stabbed Mr. Saitou. This whole scene was just anarchy that it was hard for anyone to comprehend everything that’s about to go down. The anime just shows Onizuka leaving with the police…and then he tries to escape. All of a sudden, it’s two months later. Fuyutsuki and the principal are wondering if Onizuka will ever return. And at that same time, Onizuka’s on his motorcycle traveling the United States southwest until winding up in California where he’s going to be a teacher at a junior high.

Okay, sure anime! “See you soon”. Yeah, sure. I’ll buy that. THIS ANIME CAME OUT 25 YEARS AGO AND THAT’S STILL THE LAST WE’VE SEEN OF GTO. At least in anime form. The manga went on until 2002.

I’m sure this is another case for me to go to the manga and start digging around for answers if there are any. Yes, I enjoyed this one. Okay, yes. Onizuka is the…great…Shit, I can’t finish that sentence. I’m still on Team Koro-sensei from Assassination Classroom. I know both teachers are of different generations and their curriculum was hella different, but I still have to side with Koro-sensei.

I think everyone here wishes they had a teacher like Onizuka. Well…a majority of people. You do have to admit, a lot of the things he did throughout the series would have gotten him fired, arrested, or deported. Going to a home and smashing a wall so that a father and daughter would be closer. That’s one way, but I’m surprised that family wasn’t pressing charges. The raucous behavior he’s had throughout the series. The perversion too! The numerous amounts of times he destroyed the vice principal’s car. And let’s not forget some of the things he did before he entered Holy Forest Academy.

Is there ever hope that this’ll ever see a revival? There’s always hope! Hell, Fruits Basket got a revival and exceeded expectations. And other anime revivals happened to…lesser expectations. Maybe one day, some crazy studio (maybe MAPPA) will do a service to the anime community once again, give us a new cast, have Aniplex pick it up, and have the whole story told. Or, we could just leave it be and have the classic remain a classic.

In the meantime, GTO is available on Retro Crush and Crunchyroll.

[medea10]

So This is 2023 and What Have I Watched (& Played)

Hello Internet, it’s Medea once again doing her usual schtick. 2023 was definitely a…year! Yeah, I don’t see 2023 as anything worth while as 2024 is the year that’s going to cause a lot of havoc in my book. I’m hitting another old bitch milestone and I’m not digging it if you get my drift. But in terms of anime, there was no shortage of exciting moments. We’ve been introduced to new gems like Frieren, Skip & Loafer, and Oshi no Ko. Saw the satisfying conclusions to Attack on Titan. Surprise returns like Rurouni Kenshin! And of course, the best thing to happen in anime. Tracey Sketchit spoke for the first time in 16 ½ years.

YES, THAT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME!

Okay, let’s talk about the other crap that wasn’t as important as Tracey Sketchit. Per usual, I will give special acknowledgement for certain anime and games with these special categories. And I don’t discriminate in the year these animes and games were released, just as long as I watched or played it this year. So, if something was released in 2021, it totally counts here. Let’s hit it!

First Fandom of 2023: Oshi no Ko

Yeah, I’ve given this a lot of thought. I realize that this anime didn’t release until April 2023. Nothing against the animes I watched in the winter months, but the second I watched Oshi no Ko, I literally forgot what I watched in an instant. I think there was a Tokyo Revengers sequel and an anime about a tomboy girl. Like most of the internet, I was hooked because of the 82-minute premier. I was so enamored that I wanted to recommend this anime even though just one episode had just aired. It even got me to start reading manga again to see what happens next. I’m just glad Kinokuniya had several volumes. Oshi no Ko shows us the dark side to the entertainment industry in Japan. If you’re an idol and get married and have babies, it’s all over for your career. If you’re a child actor, things might not go well for you once you grow up. Social media can kill! This series seems to open up the conversation of how fans hold their favorite personalities to different standards and it can get all kinds of toxic from that.

Favorite Main Character of 2023: Liko from Pokemon Horizons

Look at that, a Pokemon main character I really like. Yeah, I’ve more often than not have given my blah feelings for Ash Ketchum and Red throughout the years. Despite my thoughts on those two, I was very conflicted when it came to Pokemon ending Ash and Pikachu’s adventure. But when they introduced Liko and Roy in that same breath, it gave me a little bit of optimism for the franchise. How often do we ever get an actual female lead in Pokemon? But does she live up to the hype? That’s for you to decide. My opinion is always janky at best. Liko was barely a day in a new school with her first pokemon before her world is turned upside-down with a shady group after her, a mysterious pokemon appearing to her inside of her pendant, and joining an explorer group where Crispin Freeman plays the leader. Liko, seems to handle herself really well considering all that just went down. Every week, I feel as though she’s improving, gaining more confidence, and ready to take on this lore that we’re learning more and more as the story progresses.

Favorite Villain of 2023: Kanoko, Kaya, and Shinichi Saimori from My Happy Marriage

I’ve made myself perfectly clear that when it comes to this category, I may hate the particular villain but will put them on this category if they’re truly evil enough. These three family members are that special category of rotten. Imagine you’re the main character and you have your father, step-mother, and step-sister treating you like a slave. That’s just layer one to the Saimori family. Miyo Saimori has lived this hell for nearly her whole life due to the fact that she doesn’t have supernatural powers like the rest of the family. Her actual father shunned her because of that fact. Her step-mother, Kanoko destroyed everything that belonged to Miyo’s birth mother and that brought Miyo comfort. And Kaya made it her mission to just destroy any shred of happiness Miyo comes across.

Now, you would think leaving the Saimori property at the end of episode 1 and getting engaged to someone would have ended the Saimori hell. No, it didn’t. Papa Saimori is still doing some shady dealings behind the scenes. And when Kanoko and Kaya learned that Miyo was happy living with Lord Kudou, they took it upon themselves to kidnap Miyo off the street, hold her captive in a shack, and beat her until she gives up her happiness with Kiyoka. I know at this point it felt like it was adding more fuel to the shock-value fire and in many ways, it was overkill. I’ll admit, it was. And I still hate these people. I know I should hate Eren Yeager more or Tetta Kisaki or even that guy who harmed Ai Hoshino. But this is my 2023 choice and I can’t see anyone else top…

YOU! Okay, hold my wig! Imma smack this bitch down!

Favorite Video Game Character of 2023: Bowser

From what? Nearly anything this year. And any other year for that matter! Every now and then, I will enjoy the shenanigans from that giant green lizard. Take your pick. Super Mario Wonder and RPG came out this year giving us some fun moments. Particularly with RPG where he kisses Mario, has nearly the best expressions of the game, and just proves to be the best bad-ass. Hell, even replaying some of my older titles from SNES and some Switch titles like Golf and Mario Party, he’s still the life of the party. And let’s not forget his big screen debut where Jack Black does the role justice. I knew he was going to be the best part of that film. Was I right? Fuck to the yeah, I was.

Jack Black is that awesome!

Favorite Game of 2023: …

I’ve had an interesting year when it comes to playing games. Earlier this year, I hit the nostalgia button by going backwards in game consoles. For several months, I found myself playing the following Pokemon games; Emerald, Platinum, HeartGold, and Black. Don’t judge, every now and then I will want this nostalgia where I play old Pokemon games while blasting some jazz music that used to play on the Weather Channel. Don’t we all? I know what you must be thinking.

But Medea, why those games? The window for getting event pokemon has closed eons ago. And unless you’re a genius with tools, you can’t change the clock battery on those GBA games.

Yeah, I know and don’t care. Emerald has the best pokemon and OST. Platinum and Black were guilty pleasures. And HeartGold, nay EVERY gen 2 game is my favorite!

It wasn’t until the middle of the year where I ventured onto a franchise I never played before and had fun with two of their games. One of them was released this year and the other was released in 2021. My favorite is the latter.

Story of Seasons – Pioneers of Olive Town

Yes, I love A Wonderful Life. I just happened to really like the other one just a smidge better. I think it’s because I feel like I have more time in Olive Town than Forgotten Valley. AWL has only 10 days a month while POOT has 28. Imagine what I learned after 40 days and you’re in the new year. That’s a death I’m still not over. I think it’s also because of some of the game mechanics and things you can do and get that kinda won me over. There’s a little more freedom when it comes to planting and animal care in Olive Town that I think I’ve come to appreciate a little more.

So…yeah. That’s my one not 2023 mention in this entry.

Final note for this entry: Iori is best boy of POOT and Nami is best everything in AWL.

Favorite Het Couple of 2023: Sylphiette x Rudeus Greyrat from Mushoku Tensei

Spoiler warning for this entry. Skip ahead if you’re not currently caught up with Mushoku Tensei. This is your only warning.

Never mind the spoilers of Rudeus’s love life and all of the drama that went down last season between him and Eris. This here was my OTP. I was a supporter of this from the get-go and in a preliminary move, called Eris a bitchy she-beast that Rudeus would never have interest in. Ha! Silly 2021 Medea and her silly thoughts. Well, time makes fools of us all and we wound up watching Rudeus get ditched. After that, he makes a detour at Lake Flaccid. A wonderful limbo where all you can do is play with two deflated blue balls. I am making absolutely no sense here, am I?

During the limp dick arc, Rudeus enters a magic academy where he meets a certain student that ended up reigniting that fire in his pants he sorely needed. Confusingly, though. Yeah, Rudy-boy thought for a second that he fell for another boy. But what Rudeus doesn’t know is that this is a girl and not just any girl, IT’S SYLPH! I and I’m pretty sure a multitude of fans were screaming at the top of their lungs every time these two were together during an episode. Yes, I just love seeing these two together after so many years away from each other. But Rudeus doesn’t know that’s her and Sylph is staying quiet. Eventually, these two officially reunite and Sylph even goes the extra mile to cure Rudeus’s erectile dysfunction. And after a night of passion and dick-curing, they’re engaged. I don’t care how disgustingly fucked it was to get to this point, a win is a win.

Favorite Yuri Couple of 2023: Hime Shiraki x Mitsuki Yano from Yuri is my Job!

It’s in the title. Was it my favorite ship of the year? Far from it. It’s just that this was the only Yuri couple I saw this year and, well, if the category fits. Plus, I’m not supporting the other ship that came from this title. Mitsuki and Yano were good friends years ago. But there was a falling out from them due to a misunderstanding. Now they’re in high school and they end up meeting each other again under strange circumstances. They are both employed at a café that’s heavy into acting like a Yuri-based, high school manga. Seriously, this is literally lesbian Ouran here. I’m glad these two are becoming friends again. Will it evolve into something more? Mitsuki’s blushing is a good indicator.

Favorite Yaoi Couple of 2023: Shuumei Sasaki x Yoshikazu Miyano from Sasaki to Miyano

Hey, two years in a row! Yeah, Sasaki to Miyano returned again this year with a movie. And just like last time, I was filled with the bubblies watching them again. Everyone was excited for the return of this wholesome couple, especially Crunchyroll and Kinokuniya. Probably to market the anime and manga, I guess! I have to give this story a lot of credit here as there’s talk of others accepting Sasaki and Miyano’s relationship for what it is including their friends, classmates, and even family members. Let’s not forget that while there are anime out there with gay couples, Japan (the country these stories come out of) are not too liberal about that. While not as extreme as places like Russia or Saudi Arabia, they’re also not cool with it like the U.S.

Fandom That You Didn’t Expect to Get Into: Pokemon Horizons

Yes, like everyone else who was attached to the original Pokemon anime, I was skeptical about this direction we were taking. The story of Ash and Pikachu was being retired and all of the characters and their pokemon we’ve all grown to love over the past 25 years were no longer going to be featured week to week. At least I got to see my baby Tracey one more time.

Moving onto Horizons, it was a nice change of pace to see new characters, a different kind of adventure that doesn’t revolve around winning gym badges, following not just Liko and Roy but older characters like Mollie and Friede, new villains not affiliated with Team Rocket, and a female heroine. Yes, I know Roy is there but…come on, she’s the first person we meet. We meet like six other main characters before Roy! There is so much mystery and intrigue when it comes to nearly every character on this show that I really wish Ash and his companions got more fleshed out during their time. Well, that’s why we have fanfics.

Fandom That Made An Unexpected Comeback: Rurouni Kenshin

Oro?

Did I expect a return of this 1990s classic? No, but I will happily take it. ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM ASIDE! Yes, I’m not going to sit here and deny what the creator of Rurouni Kenshin did. I really thought he deserved a harsher punishment than what he got, but that’s life unfortunately. And don’t cast stones that I’m watching something made by a convicted cum-bucket. Most of you will still sit there and watch the old episodes of Rick and Morty or Ren and Stimpy and those creators did horrendous things too. You ain’t squeaky clean!

Moving on! When executed correctly, a reboot can capture the audience of old and new fans. First of all, the animation is stupendous. They’re done by the same studio that did Tokyo Revengers and Cells at Work: Code Black. The music is wonderful, especially the opening and ending themes. And best of all, they’re sticking to the manga adaptation compared to the original series. No disrespect to the original, but you all have to admit that after the Kyoto arc, it all went straight to Hell. Especially after Studio Deen took over! As of this date, I’m hoping for a second season, for people to not cast judgement on the people who work on this (creator excluded), and that the series continues to go in this positive direction.

Fandom That Inspired the Most Crack: The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You

Every week watching this anime, I am mouth-on-the-floor. Is this another one of those borderline-hentai series that I’ve been throwing on this list every other year. No, it’s a harem. But not just any other harem anime. In the same year as Rent-A-Girlfriend’s 3rd season and in the same fucking anime season as the second season to Girlfriend, Girlfriend, we get an anime of a boy who is pre-destined to have 100 girlfriends. No fucking shit, 100 girlfriends! Rentaro has blown both Kazuya and Naoya out of the water and onto some jagged rocks.

Obviously, we’re not going to get the full 100 girlfriends any time soon. Hell, the season will probably end at 13 episodes with the same number we’re at as I’m writing this (which is 5). Still more than Naoya and Kazuya. Rentaro’s girlfriends consist of a curvaceous pink-haired girl with vivid sexual fantasies, a blonde tsundere with a flat-chest, a petite girl who communicates through a book on her phone, a girl we’re pretty sure she’s not a robot despite her name being Nano Eiai, and a confusing cluster-fuck that loves drugs and can change from a loli to a Tits-Mcgee in seconds. And all 5 end up doing more than just kissing and holding hands. ARE WE REALLY SURE THIS ISN’T A HENTAI?!

There’s also a vice principal that French kisses any student that runs down the halls and is voiced by Orochimaru.

ARE WE REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY SURE THIS ISN’T A HENTAI?!

Last Fandom of 2023: Tokyo Revengers – Tenjiku Arc

I know I started Tokyo Revengers at the beginning of the year. But I kept going back and forth with liking it and thinking it’s okay. Probably because of Hakkai’s family drama that did it. Or maybe the disappointment I felt when the Christmas Massacre felt like a fizzle once Mikey came in and ended Taiju’s career with one kick to the head. But then I was told to wait until this arc when shit does indeed go down.

Yeah, they’re right. I’ve been at the edge of my seat for a lot of this season. Yes, it is very clear that Takemichi is the underdog, the crybaby, the physically weakest member of the Tokyo Manji gang. His record shows that in nearly every fight up to this point. But he stands his ground against all odds and over 300 grunts Izana and Kisaki can throw at him. I’ve often referred to Takemichi as Homer Simpson in the episode “The Homer They Fall”. You can punch him, kick him, and even shoot him in the foot. He’s still standing. And it’s not easy when the top men of Toman are out of commission due to death in the family or got severely injured. It’s a shame every week I’m enjoying myself so much that as soon as I start hearing, “SAY MY NAME” I get pissed. And then I jam out because once again, the ED theme is a banger.

[medea10]

My Review of My Happy Marriage

How did I get into this anime? So, I noticed this anime’s promotional poster and wondered to myself if this was going to be like Taisho Maiden Fairy Tale. That is the weirdest reason for watching an anime I’ve ever given and I sometimes pick animes just because of who sings the opening theme. Actually, I wasn’t that far off with my idiotic question.

Miyo Saimori is someone who was brought up under some unfortunate circumstances. Miyo’s mother died when she was really young. Her father ends up remarrying another woman and having another child with that woman soon after. Miyo was kinda shoved into the background and become subservient to the family as she was seen as useless. Apparently, everyone in the family has supernatural abilities except for Miyo. That’s why they see her as someone with no merit and useless. Her step-mother and half-sister are cruel to her. Her father says nothing. All Miyo does is lower her head and obey them.

Oh my God, what kind of Cinderella, Princess Sara, Taisho Maiden Fairy Tale shit did I pick up here? This first episode is just cruel. Treating Miyo like a slave is one thing, but erasing every happy thing from her life including what her dead mother left her is just sick.

There is one person who has been kind to Miyo for all of these years and that’s a family friend, Kouji. He’s the only one to ever make her smile. Unfortunately, things change and not for the better. Miyo’s father announced that Kouji was to be betrothed to Miyo’s half-sister Kaya. This of course broke Miyo’s heart despite her expecting something like this was going to happen. Now, there was more to the announcement. Miyo was also to be married off. They’re sending her away to be married to the lord of the Kudou clan. And just to be bigger dicks than you would imagine, they’re sending Miyo to be married off to someone who has a reputation for being a jerk.

If this story takes place around the same time as Taisho Maiden Fairy Tale, could the story do us a big favor and just have this whole family die in the Great Kanto Earthquake? I know it’s a terrible thing to wish upon anyone, let alone a fictional family. I was just really annoyed by everyone in Miyo’s family that it made me say what I just said.

Despite the rumors about this young lord and all of the marriage proposals that have lapsed due to his attitude. This man, Kiyoka Kudou is actually kind-hearted. And Miyo just deserves the best. She deserves a nice life!

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: Welcome to a very new experience here. As you all know, this is a Netflix exclusive anime. But unlike many animes they’ve licensed in the past, this one was put out on the same day as released in Japan with an English dub. That is almost unheard of on Netflix. Recently, Netflix has been releasing anime alongside the Japanese schedule like when Blue Period came out. Some had a small, couple-week delay like Komi-san. Others are released all at once like Aggretsuko and The Way of the Househusband. And then there are those animes that people wait an eternity to see, but Netflix finds a way to delay it by weeks or even months.

The U.S. waited 11 months for that Steven Stone vs. Ash Ketchum match. That’s a disgustingly long wait, Netflix. Not even 4Kids was that cruel! THIS DOES NOT HELP WITH PIRACY YOU PEOPLE KEEP SCREAMING ABOUT! I will never be over that one.

So, I’m watching the dub. I gotta give praise to the cast here. This is my first time hearing either Miranda Parkin or Damien Haas. I am impressed by their performance and wish them nothing but the best in the future. It wasn’t all newbies in the cast. I saw a few memorable names like Lizzie Freeman, Mela Lee, and even a few Pokemon voice actors like Erica Schroeder and Mike Pollock. This kind of stuff makes me giddy. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Miyo is played by Reina Ueda (known for Mallow on Pokemon SM, Kisa on Fruits Basket 2019, Kanao on Demon Slayer, Gray on Lord El-Melloi, Jiro on Tokyo Ghoul, and Elianna on Bibliophile Princess)

*Kiyoka is played by Kaito Ishikawa (known for Kiawe on Pokemon SM, Naofumi on Shield Hero, Genos on One Punch Man, Iida on My Hero Academia, Kageyama on Haikyuu, Sakuta on Bunny Girl Senpai, and Urie on Tokyo Ghoul :re)

ENGLISH CAST: *Miyo is played by Miranda Parkin

*Kiyoka is played by Damien Haas

DISLIKED CHARACTERS: I think you know what I’m about to do here.

Miyo’s entire family (minus birth mother) are horrible people. And if this series is set during the Great Kanto Earthquake, I hope they all die. I know I said that before and it’s a horrible thing to say, but I’m at that point where I’m saying ‘fuck it’. The step-mother and half-sister are that usual kind of awful that one would expect in a Cinderella type of story like this. But Miyo’s father, her actual biological, blood father had the audacity to say in the third episode that he doesn’t care about his own kid and whether she’s still alive or not after sending her to the Kudou home. Just because she can’t see spiritual beings like the rest of the family?! I think I hate you the most.

This hatred was just the beginning.

Give Taishou Maiden Fairy Tale some credit as I didn’t have to see Tamahiko’s rotten family in every episode. The first six episodes were full of horrible scenes featuring Miyo’s father, step-mother and step-sister being horrible creatures. Whether through nightmares Miyo continues to have or them plotting and scheming, they continue to exist. The pinnacle of their disgusting behavior came when Kaya got jealous of her sister being happy for once in her life. So, Kaya and her step-mother had Miyo kidnapped off the street, tied her up in a shed, and beat her until Miyo caves into their selfish demands.

By this point, I’m thinking if this is just overkill in the evil department. Like, if you two are looking for the worst characters in anime for the year of 2023, you’d win that category. Even the guy that stabbed Ai Hoshino is in no competition compared to these bitches. But I feel like their evility was much too much.

Thankfully, after episode 7 we don’t see much of these wretched people. Kiyoka torched everything in his way and pretty much destroyed Miyo’s father, step-mother, and sister Kaya’s livelihood. I even think Kaya’s engagement to Kouji was broken off as she’s sent away to fuck if I know. I’ll take any kind of karma that can be bestowed upon these cum-buckets.

SHIPPING: Arranged marriages. Perfect matches or doomed from the start? Let’s see how this works out.

In the first episode, I was worried that this poor girl is going to continue getting abused. By the second episode, I twinged with this after watching Kiyoka put up the defiance just eating the food Miyo made. But that soon disapated with some optimism when Kiyoka took Miyo out on the town and gave her a present that could be mistaken for a marriage proposal. And by the end of episode 4, I was cheering for this. Especially when Kiyoka went to Miyo’s parents and demanded them to apologize to Miyo.

Unfortunately, other forces are working for selfish reasons. Apparently, Miyo’s father had originally promised Miyo to another family. Despite not having any spiritual powers, she still carries her mother’s blood and she could potentially pass on something to her children in the future. And this other family is Kouji’s family. Kouji is of course still on Miyo’s side and was pissed that his father did nothing to aid in Miyo’s torment. Just for good measure, let’s add Miyo’s cunt sister Kaya to this mix. She’s willing to throw away her fiancé Kouji and steal Kiyoka just because she can’t stand her sister being happy.

As I mentioned before, we don’t see much of Kaya and the rest of the family after episode 7. Same goes for Kouji. You would think that’d be the end of the interruptions and this ship can set sail. You know as well as I do that isn’t in the cards. We’ve got Miyo’s meddling cousin Atara to deal with.

ENDING: Everybody wants Miyo! It’s clear that Kiyoka loves Miyo and just wants her to be happy. But then you’ve got these interlopers who want Miyo only because she has an almost extinct bloodline (Usuba) running through her veins. Pretty much the same reason Koji’s father wanted Miyo. Two of those people are Miyo’s grandfather and this guy named Arata that happens to be her blood cousin.

That’s nice. Where the fuck were these two bros when Miyo was getting abused by the Saimori family? Follow up question! Where the fuck were these two bros when Miyo was getting the Kunta Kente treatment just a couple of episodes prior?!

For people so worried about the fate of the Usuba bloodline, you didn’t seem too concerned about Miyo until this very moment when she might have a slim chance of having some special power. As it turns out, Miyo just might. The following problems to this are; it’s ravaging her in her sleep, and her full power might have been sealed off by Miyo’s deceased mother. For this very reason, these two family members insist Miyo stay at their premises. Kiyoka was not going to give up his fiancé to these people whom he still has severe distrust over and ends up in a duel with this Arata dude. This was essentially, bringing a sword to a gunfight. Unless your name is Himura Kenshin, you are probably not going to win in a gunfight with a sword. I know Kiyoka is pretty tough, but…no. Knife to gun fight!

There’s a lot on Kiyoka’s plate at the moment. There have been going-ons with a supernatural called “the grotesques” and one wrong move could result in many lives lost. But this whole thing with his fiancé is something that has him worried all over the place. I guess Kiyoka’s demeanor changed quite a bit since we first saw him in his debut. During the big battle against the grotesques, he wound up seriously injured.

Meanwhile, Miyo learned from her grandfather about the Usuba family and her mother Sumi. Turns out that when Sumi was younger, she decided to help the dwindling Usuba family with their family troubles by marrying one of the families willing to give financial support. That just happened to be the Saimori family. The father was not happy by that decision and it unfortunately caused a rift between the two. Soon after marriage, Sumi gave birth to Miyo and realized her potential already. Sumi (who already had a weak constitution to begin with) managed to seal Miyo’s supernatural powers to prevent her father and the other Saimoris to abuse it. And then she died! Okay, I’m easing up on hating on the grandfather. Miyo’s cousin is still on the sus-watch as he continuously kept Miyo away from Kiyoka. Even when Kiyoka is injured, Atara tried to keep them apart. Thankfully, Grandpa realized that if he did this, he would lose Miyo the same way he lost Sumi. Miyo was able to be by her beloved’s side.

Kiyoka was in a deep coma due to a horrific injury. After a few weeks with the Usuba family, Miyo was able to regain what was sealed away from her after so long. Miyo has a special ability to go into dreams. She went inside Kiyoka’s dreams. After battling around with her inner insecurities, she managed to protect her fiancé and he was able to recover. This power was also able to vanquish the grotesques that invaded too. No one can tear apart these two. Not the Saimoris. Not the evil governor that wanted all the power for himself. Not Atara. No one! And we end with a happy ending where Miyo goes to a fancy party and puts her new education from her sister-in-law to good use.

Yes, love me some happy endings. Miyo deserves it! And best of all, we’re getting a season two to this. Guys, end it here. I know I can’t resist seeing what happens next. But after everything Miyo has been through, I can’t stand the fact that more tragedy could befall her. I also don’t want to see the Saimori’s again. I don’t care if karma came in like a firestorm to these people, I never want to see them again.

I’ll be honest, I was unaware about this story being about people who have supernatural abilities until episode 1 or 2. When I learned that, I thought that was just sloppily tacked on. That was until all this grotesquery nonsense and Kiyoka’s work came into play. I dropped my thoughts on the matter then. Despite every horrible thing happening to Miyo is playing right on my screen, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see if this girl ever gets her “happy marriage” like what it says in the title. And at least if there’s a season two, we might see the actual wedding. I mean, they aren’t married yet.

But aside from that, if you want to watch a supernatural/romance anime, you might want to consider watching this anime. Just be warned that the first half of the anime could aggravate you with how they treat one of the characters.

Every episode is streaming on Netflix.

[medea10]

My Review of Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc

Here we are again! I shouldn’t say that. I love Demon Slayer. Who cares if the plot is simple? I’m a simpleton and enjoy it.

HISTORY: The story of Demon Slayer is…wait, I’ve already gone through this twice. Just read my previous reviews to get caught up.

Here's Season One

Here's Mugen Train & Entertainment Arc

SWORDSMITH VILLAGE ARC: First, let’s see what happened after Daki and Gyuutaro were defeated. Muzan was displeased. This is the first upper rank demon of his that has been killed in over 100 years. So, there’s a lot of tension around him and the other upper ranked demons.

As for Tanjiro, he was in a coma for two months. Uzui, walked it off despite having major injuries including a newly-formed nub where his arm used to be. Zenitsu healed and is off on a mission (so we won’t see or hear him for a while). And as for Inosuke, he was hit with a lot of poison attacks and was on the brink of death several times. But here he is two months later on the ceiling like he’s fucking Spider-Pig.

Seriously, I love this guy. It’s a damn shame he won’t be here this season either.

So, Tanjiro’s sword got chipped in the last battle. Oof, his swordsmith is going to have him murdered. Don’t believe me, he sent him death notices to Tanjiro while Tanjiro was in a coma. This guy don’t play!

Okay, time to go to the Swordsmith Village. A mysterious village that unless you come from there, you don’t get to know how to get there. Your ears, eyes, and even nostrils must be shut. Tanjiro is going there to heal up some more and meet Hotaru to get his sword fixed up. There, he meets up with two hashiras, one demon slayer we haven’t seen since early season one, and a mystery fella that Tanjiro recalls from a dream or memory. That last one, we’re not going to get any more pressing information about this recalled memory. Totally shouldn’t have even mentioned that in this review.

Now, keep in mind that I’m only giving you the light-hearted crap that happens in the first couple of episodes. Demon Slayer has a funny habit of giving a few episodes at the beginning for the silly stuff before it goes into full-on archaic fights against the demons.

CHARACTERS OF IMPORTANCE THIS SEASON: Hmm…which Hashira will possibly die this season? The pink-haired moe-blob and the aloof guy who could give a fuck. I’m prematurely calling it like I see it thanks to what happened to Rengoku and Uzui. And as the hashiras are getting stronger, as are the demons Muzan sends.

Muichirou Tokitou is a Hashira who always has a face of someone who couldn’t care less. But don’t let that fool you as he’s a fast and experienced demon slayer. But this season, we see him act differently at times and that’s usually when he’s with Tanjiro. After a really traumatic event in his life, his memories become a little fractured.

Mitsuri Kanroji is another hashira who uses a sword that’s almost like a whip. From what it looks like, Kanroji doesn’t have major baggage with avenging dead family members like nearly every other character on this show. Kanroji was quite strong for her age and would get stronger with each passing year. Unfortunately, this was a turn-off for marriage suitors as they were put off by Kanroji’s strength and even appearance. She ends up using her strength for good by protecting those in need of protecting.

Genya…oh, I’ve made jokes about this guy from the get-go. And after finally watching this subbed and watched the series My Hero Academia, Genya is just Demon Slayer Bakugo. But we finally see this guy in action instead of being an angry, screaming asshole. He’s actually the younger brother of another Hashira. Literally did not know that until this season! Genya is trying to catch up to his older brother Sanemi. And believe it or not, Genya has a backstory very similar to Tanjiro. Dead siblings and everything!

With all of that said, here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Tokitou is played by Kengo Kawanishi (known for Rei on March Comes in Like a Lion, Ritsu on Fruits Basket 2019, Sogiita on Railgun, and Satou on Food Wars)

*Kanroji is played by Kana Hanazawa (known for Chloe on Pokemon Journeys, Kaede on Angel Beats, Mayuri on Steins;Gate, Nadeko on Monogatari, Anri on Durarara, Shiro on Deadman Wonderland, and Ruri on Oreimo)

*Genya is played by Nobuhiko Okamoto (known for Gladion on Pokemon SM, Accelerator on Railgun/Index, Bakugo on My Hero Academia, Garfiel on Re:Zero, Usui on Maid-sama, Ryou on Food Wars, and Liebe on Black Clover)

ENGLISH CAST: *Tokitou is played by Griffin Burns (known for Colt on Attack on Titan, Tadano on Aggretsuko, Diavolo on Jojo’s Pt. 5, Ryouta on Kakegurui, and Jintan on Anohana)

*Kanroji is played by Kira Buckland (known for Jolyne on Jojo’s Pt. 6, Beatrice on Re:Zero, Izumo on Blue Exorcist, Rishia on Shield Hero, Iroha on Magia Record, Setsuna on Yashahime, and Luculia on Violet Evergarden)

*Genya is played by Zeno Robinson (known for Goh on Pokemon Journeys, Hawks on My Hero Academia, Shuuji on Tokyo Revengers, Zenon on Black Clover, and Garfiel on Re:Zero)

SHIPPING: Weird, I don’t think I brought up any shipping topics in the previous review. Probably because Uzui is a giga-chad with his three wives. There was only one little, teeny-tiny, baby scene that cemented something I didn’t even think of.

This. I love this.

THE RETURN OF THIS ANIME’S SCARIEST CHARACTER: I always love to bring this guy up. Mostly because his appearances make a bigger impact than it really should with me. Tanjiro’s swordsmith doesn’t even need to be on screen to be intimidating. The death threats he sent to Tanjiro while he was in the coma speak for themselves. Apparently in the manga, there’s literally a page that just says, “Fuck you” over and over again. Haganezuka does not play around when Tanjiro chips, breaks, or loses his sword and this is already the third time this has happened. Well, bro comes back all buff and…doesn’t try to destroy Tanjiro. This time!

Haganezuka winds up honing a sword for Tanjiro and that has been his mission for the remainder of this season. Why should I bother saying anything here? Because this man is determined. He is being attacked and insulted by a demon and Haganezuka is still working on Tanjiro’s sword. You would have to pry this sword from his cold dead hands at this point. He was even defiant about giving Tanjiro the unfinished sword when it could mean life or death for everyone around him. HE EVEN TRIED TO HARM TANJIRO AFTER spoiler, spoiler, spoiler! This guy don’t fuck around!

The fact that he stands his ground and does his job even when you’ve got an upper-ranked demon threatening him speaks absolute volumes. I’m still intimidated by this man.

He’s hot under the mask too.

ENDING: This season came and went pretty fast. Once we got to the last episode of the season, I thought it was going to be a rush job. But then you see that the final episode has a running time of 51 minutes. Can Tanjiro, Tokitou, and Kanroji manage to kill these upper rank demons causing all of this trouble here?

Tokitou was pretty much on his own for most of his fight with Gyokko. Tokitou was able to overcome poison needles and being drowned to death to defeat this demon. This almost didn’t happen because Tokitou always focused on the bigger picture in the fight. And if it were up to Tokitou, he would just ditch Kotetsu and the other swordsmith villagers to fend off a demon. Tanjiro’s words prior to this showdown resonated with him until uncovering buried memories. After witnessing a terrible tragedy at a young age, it’s no wonder Tokitou suppressed it.

Now for the other big demon. At first, Tanjiro was up against between 1-4 demons. They all represent an emotion and were equally terrifying. But then those demons turned into one demon, Zohakuten. This one demon is a mish-mash of the four demons I just mentioned and caused a lot of damage. But even he is not the upper-rank demon mastermind. Yeah, despite nearly killing Genya, damaging Tanjiro’s eardrums, and almost having Kanroji engulfed, this guy is not the main demon. The upper-ranked demon is this small thing.

Hantengu is about the size of a field mouse and extremely fast. I had my thoughts about this particular demon and if he’s earned the reputation of being an upper-ranked demon. All this demon does is repent, cry, and run away. But the fact that he’s behind the four emotion demons and then-some, he’s something to be feared. Beheading him turned out to be troublesome as he grew in size and almost snapped Tanjiro’s neck in two. Just like with Gyuutaro in the previous season, Tanjiro needed the aid of two swords to do the job (thanks to Haganezuka and Tokitou). And even then, the body is still moving on its own. It can still kill even with no head and the sun is beaming down on his body.

Speaking of which, Nezuko’s a demon right? She can’t be out now that it’s daybreak. Yeah, this fight lasted longer than any of us anticipated that we nearly forgot that fact. Tanjiro was faced with a difficult decision. He wants to protect his sister from being burned by the sun, but he also wants to save these stray villagers that are being chased by the headless Hantengu. Nezuko made the decision for Tanjiro by kicking him off to finish the job. With the flashbacks playing, non-manga readers are wondering if this is the end of Nezuko. Tanjiro finishes off Hantengu and as he tears up at the thought of never seeing Nezuko again, she appears without her bamboo mouth-guard and in tact.

She’s a demon and can survive the sunlight. Convenient and a bit of a game changer! Then again, this series has many moments of convenience.

As per usual, we do see the tragic flashback of the perished demon. But Hantengu wasn’t the only one who got one. Muzan found out about Nezuko being the special demon he’s yearned for that is impervious to the sunlight like every other demon that’s ever existed. Muzan has his usual blood-filled temper-tantrum. But we got to see him from many years past as a sick human that was given certain medicines from a suspicious doctor.

Dammit Demon Slayer, this immediately made me think of Michael Jackson and Conrad Murray. This cannot be a coincidence!

For now, let’s look at the positives of this victory. Kanroji and Tokitou survived without having too many injuries. Nezuko is alive and can speak. Haganezuka gave us a cute tsundere moment at the end. And us fans are treated to another season some time in the future.

What can I tell you that I haven’t said in my prior reviews? Demon Slayer, I like it. It’s not for everyone. Some people think it’s great and others think it’s “mid” with a weak plot and story. Some love it regardless and others think it’s overrated. Some think that the animation is stupendous and others think it’s fucking stupendous. Yeah, that’s the one agreement here is the animation. Despite hearing all of these, I will continue to like Demon Slayer…you know, as long as ufotable doesn’t take any artistic liberties to alter the original content.

This season was just as action-packed and exciting as I anticipated and have come to expect. While I was really enjoying the story of the Swordsmith Village arc, I felt a slight dip in my excitement compared to the Entertainment District arc. But that’s just me! I think there was a lot going on between Tanjiro fighting the demons and all the while seeing Tokitou, Kanroji, and Genya have their backstories told. And now, I’d like some more clarification on Genya and his feral-Bakugo power. Maybe next season! The next season will be known as the “Hashira-Training arc”. I’m sure we’ll get more Genya since his older brother was in the promo visual.

Only this season did I realize that Genya’s brother was played by greatest seiyuu in the world, Tomokazu Seki. How did I not realize this sooner?

As usual, Demon Slayer is available on nearly every platform you can think of including Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Adult Swim, and FUNimation. But for this particular season, Crunchyroll has it all.

[medea10]

My Review of Pokemon: Aim to be a Pokemon Master

Previous Pokemon Reviews Here:

Pokemon: Indigo League/Orange Islands/Johto

Pokemon: Advanced Generation

Pokemon: Diamond & Pearl

Pokemon: Best Wishes (Black & White)

Pokemon: XY

Pokemon: Sun & Moon

Pokemon: Journeys

This is it. The big one!

This might be my shortest Pokemon review ever or my longest-short review. Whatever!

When we saw that Ash beat Leon and became the strongest trainer in the world, what do you think we were going to get afterward? He’s the top trainer in the world. He beat the likes of Steven Stone, Cynthia, and Leon. There’s nothing above this since it seems that Red doesn’t exist in this universe. But still getting the news about this truly being the end of Ash and Pikachu’s journey really took a toll on everyone.

I spent days after the announcement looking at all of the thoughts from people all over the globe. There was excitement for the new protagonists. There was sadness for those attached to Ash and Pikachu. There was gloating from people who were waiting for this moment. My opinion on this was all over the place. I was excited, sad, nervous, and absolutely ship-wrecked all rolled into one. That last emotion is understandable as there’s a very glaring chance that after these final eleven episodes, I will never see Tracey Sketchit again. EVER! And not just him, but everyone else that made a dent in Ash’s journey. Even my mother got sad when I told her they were ending Ash’s adventure and wondered how they were going to do it. Keep in mind, my mother is in her 70s and has only watched a handful of episodes (mostly Wooper related).

But the reactions that really kicked me in the feels came from Ash’s former and present English voice actresses, Veronica Taylor and Sarah Natochenney. Regardless of your opinions on which Ash was superior, these ladies both had a hand in Ash’s journey in the English version. Sarah especially since she not only grew up watching the show, but joined the cast when she was like 18 or 19 and has been voicing him ever since. Lisa Ortiz also should get a nod here because she’s the official voice director for Pokemon and has been with the show from literally day one. Seeing their reactions to the news was such a feeling.

There have been many opportunities to retire Ash and Pikachu. I thought it was going to be over after Kanto. I even had several dreams where either Ash, Misty, or Brock died…and for some reason Gary became a Klan member with a drinking problem. My 13-year-old mind was certainly an enigma. Thankfully, it was not the end. It could have been over at the end of Johto when Ash split from Misty and Brock. But it wasn’t over then either. Things could have ended when Brock left for good after Sinnoh. Could have saved us a lot of lull and nothingness of Black and White. But it wasn’t over then either. We in fact got some of the best moments of Ash’s path to becoming a Pokemon Master. Ash was able to go further in a pokemon league when facing of against Alain. He surpassed that when entering the Alolan League by becoming the champ. And finally, world champion.

So…does this new title make Ash a Pokemon Master?

I really hope so. If Pokemon has the ambitions to end Ash and Pikachu’s career in 11 episodes, they better do it tactfully and satisfies everyone. Obviously, satisfying everybody is never going to happen. I will of course find fault with everything. If you recall my thoughts in the 20th movie I Choose You, I said that the perfect ending for Pokemon would involve a fight against Ho-oh, Pikachu speaking, and Ash possibly dying. That movie already did all of that and that came out a good 5 years before this whole thing. With all of that said, let’s hit it!

RETURNING FRIENDS: Just as the promotional poster advertised, this will mostly contain the original trio, Ash, Misty, and Brock. Misty joining Ash for a while kinda brings back a lot of memories. In the second episode, we witnessed an old-fashion battle between the two. In fact, this episode was eerily similar to an episode from the Johto arc where the two fought over who was going to keep Totodile, except it’s with a Clauncher. As for Brock, he’s spotted by them, they save him from illusions, and he hangs out with the two for a while.

It's just these two traveling with Ash. Oh sure, Cilan ran into them. And kudos for getting both Mamrou Miyano and Jason Griffith back to voice Dento-fruit! But that was just for one episode. Best wishes to you and be on your way. And…nope, I’m saving that for later.

So, if you were expecting May, Dawn, or Serena to return, they do not. If you were expecting a nod to Clemont because Cilan knew him too, it doesn’t happen. If you were expecting another trip to the Alolan region where Misty and Brock meet Ash’s adopted Alolan family again, nope! If you were expecting an update on Goh and Chloe, sit and spin.

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES, JAMES: There really aren’t that many people left that have been with Pokemon from episode 1. James Carter Cathcart was one of those lucky individuals. If the name seems unfamiliar to you, he’s gone by several aliases over the years including Billy Beach, Carter Cathcart, and Jimmy Zoppi. That last one is the one I always called him by. This guy has been around since episode 1 voicing Gary Oak and a myriad of other voices in just about every season. He was Todd during Kanto, he was Pryce during Johto, Mr. Briney during Hoenn, and that ass-wipe mayor from the Orange Islands. Dude plays a corrupt politician really well. My kudos there! Outside of Pokemon, remember that bug-freak from Yu-Gi-Oh that did the thing everyone hates him for? That was him. He played Weevil! But most youngins know him as the current voice of James, Meowth, and Professor Oak. I know I was never a fan of Cathcart’s voice for any one of those characters and was very vocal about that. But this guy stuck with it for the last 16 years and that’s very commendable. Not to mention his work with scripts and ADR for Pokemon for many years. So why bring this up now?

At the beginning of 2023, Cathcart was diagnosed with an advanced case of Throat Cancer. Any cancer diagnosis is frightening, but he seemed to stick with his work schedule with voicing and working on scripts. That was until the cancer didn’t react to the treatment like intended. As of April 2023, James Carter Cathcart had retired from voice acting and ADR/Script work. In the Pokemon English dub community, that’s a biggie. This guy has been there since day one. He has been in every season and after season 8, every episode. I don’t want to say he’s the Unshou Ishizuka here, but both did play Professor Oak and voiced many voices throughout the years. Despite the many critical things I’ve said throughout the years, there are two roles I’ve enjoyed from him the most. First is Miki from Revolutionary Girl Utena. And the other is Gary Oak. I loved him as both and it’s great that he comes into reprise Gary when it calls for it and that he continued to voice Gary even after the big voice change.

Thank you for your years of service.

WITH. THAT. SAID. The final eleven episodes will showcase the new voices of James, Meowth, Professor Oak, and Gary Oak. And no, they aren’t voiced by Eric Stuart, Maddie Blaustein, or Stuart Zagnit. Stuart burned those bridges down long ago and Blaustein’s been dead for over 15 years now. Not sure what Zagnit is doing now as I think the last time he voiced for Pokemon was during Black & White. Okay, here’s the new people!

*James is now voiced by Edward Bosco (known for Udon on Boruto)

*Meowth & Prof. Oak are now voiced by Mick Wingert (known for Po on Kung-Fu Panda [TV], Lovecraft on Bungo Stray Dogs, and Matsuyo on Mr. Osomatsu)

[this has gotta be like the seventh fucking voice for Professor Oak, I kid you not]

*Gary is now voiced by SungWon Cho (known for Hyoudou on Aggretsuko)

RETURNING POKEMON: It’s been a long time coming. Ash is shuffling around his pokemon in each episode of this final season. We’re seeing pokemon from other generations mingling with other pokemon. It’s just so special! On top of that, we saw two of Ash’s former pokemon like Squirtle and Lapras as both got their very own episode. It’s always special to see Squirtle not only with its squad, but with it’s best buds Charizard and Bulbasaur. Was their last reunion back in AG? Has it been that long?! And as for Lapras, it’s still with it’s family surfing around the world. I just wish the episode it was in didn’t annoy me.

Yeah, fillers still exist here.

THE STORIES: And this is where I begin sighing. These stories really should be showcased in past seasons. Ash and gang help a stuck Wailmer. Ash and gang help a Beartic control its ice type attack. Brock is caught in a slump because the girl he likes has a boyfriend. The episodes here are very formulaic in terms of Ash and friends get in a jam with a pokemon of the day, get in it with Team Rocket, do the task. And some of these episodes feel like a re-hash of past episodes. I guess it's because Ash is traveling with Misty and Brock again, they want people to get some nostalgia before the end happens. Now, there is one episode that was my fav…TRACEY!

Yeah, I know, besides that! I’ll get to my crazy ramblings soon enough.

Hands down, the best of the 11 was Getting to the Heart of it All. This episode was where Ash and Gengar help a Banette. That one will kick you in the feels, but will make you smile because there’s a happy ending. And we all love a happy ending!

MUSIC: Oh, the original music is really making me feel nostalgic. All of the background music from season one and thensome returns in a big way and featured in most episodes. Even a few surprising music tracks like in episode 10 where we got the music from the fifth movie. Big surprise there! When it came to the opening, we are once again blessed to hear Rica Matsumoto sing a version of Mezase Pokemon Master. Normally, I will tire of the same song being played again, but this song is a classic. It’s up there with Sailor Moon and Hunter x Hunter. Those openings are classics. The ending themes were mostly the very first ending theme, Hyakugojuuichi by Unshou Ishizuka. But there have been a couple of episodes that featured other past ending themes including one of the Team Rocket endings, Takeshi’s Paradise, and Lapras ni Notte. That last one, you know what that means!

Medea spends a minute and thirty seconds screaming, “THERE’S TRACEY! THERE’S TRACEY”!

Damn skippy, I did!

Did the U.S…I don’t even need to finish this question. You all know the answer. Generic ending theme. I think it was copy and pasted from Journeys. The opening followed the same footsteps as the original by giving us another version to Gotta Catch em All. Both opening themes gave us nostalgia from the past.

ENGLISH OPENING CUT OUT THAT CROPPED TRACEY PICTURE! YOU ARE DEAD TO ME, ENGLISH VERSION!

Okay, let me get through this portion before I go back to outbursting again. As for other musical aspects, did they keep the background music? Some, not all. But some! I know that the U.S. version was never going to play Mezase Pokemon Master, Hyakugojuuichi or anything else Japanese. But what could have been awesome was if they could play some of the old Pikachu Jukebox hits. It was never going to happen, but it’s a nice thought. The last time they even played one of those was during DP and they slipped in that classic Team Rocket song.

BANNED IN THE U.S.A.: Ah, welcome back annoying friend. I think I forgot to speak about the passed-over episodes from Journeys when I reviewed earlier this year. But the U.S. never airs the clip-show episodes, so it’s not really banned. Editing out Brock’s maracas when he’s about to go into his Takeshi’s Paradise song, that’s something to discuss.

For the love of chicken noodle soup, what are you doing? Really?! Maracas had to be edited out like they’re fucking riceballs?! Has any group ever found fault with Brock shaking maracas?! There was a Family Guy cutaway where Peter is shaking maracas while thinking about murdering children. That’s an eyebrow raise, NOT BROCK SINGING WHILE SHAKING HIS MARACAS!

Okay, I’m done beating this dead horse.

TEAM ROCKET’S END: With the end of Ash and Pikachu’s adventure, this meant the inevitable end to Team Rocket tailing the twerp and their schemes to steal Pikachu. But how?! Jessie, James, and Meowth have been together through it all. Granted, there were several episodes where they would go their separate way. But they would always patch things up by the end of the episode. There were two Team Rocket centered episodes in this arc. One of them was totally like that Orange Island episode Pokemon Double Trouble. Don’t even get me started on that! But the other had Jessie and James reunited with all of their pokemon from the past. I mean, not all of them. At least they remembered Weezing, Arbok, Victrebel, Lickitung, Dustox, Mimikyu, and Maerine.

Team Rocket decided to come up with a convoluted plan involving all of their pokemon to separate the twerps and steal Pikachu once and for all. But when their plan ended up in failure thanks to Pikachu and a wild Latias of all things, Team Rocket just called it quits. The three went their separate ways and that was it.

While it felt very rushed and was put at the end of an episode instead of the beginning like most Team Rocket split-up episodes, I feel like this isn’t over. I know it doesn’t look good on paper. Team Rocket has lost to the twerp more times than one can count and that includes with borrowed pokemon from the boss. Maybe they felt defeated when they realized that they couldn’t beat them even with all of their pokemon. Or maybe it was an overwhelming feeling after getting their ass kicked by a legendary pokemon out of nowhere.

THE LATIAS ARC: Throughout 10 of these episodes, we would see Latias in some form. I wrote off Ash and Latias back at the fifth movie. Ash will never catch a Latias. He will not get together with Latias from Alto Mare. He will not fly around Hoenn on the back of a Latias or mega-evolve one like the Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire games. Fool didn’t even mega evolve Charizard or Glalie and I swear that’s the last time I’ll scream about that. So on and so forth! In the first episode of this arc, Ash saves a Latias after it was injured. I honestly thought nothing of it. But after the events of that episode, every episode in this arc showed Latias in invisible mode observing Ash. So, I’m wondering if Ash is going to do something for Latias near the end of this series. Catching it is so out of the question though. In some instances, Latias even saves Ash and Pikachu.

And seriously, Misty and Brock don’t even question Ash flying through the air with ease and unhurt. The fuck, guys! He’s not riding around on Wonder Woman’s invisible ride.

Latias confides in Ash, Misty, and Brock to help a Latios who has been hunted by a poacher. This poacher is giving off every kind of vibe that Hunter J had. In answer to everyone’s question here, there is no mention of Hunter J despite having technology that stones pokemon in their place. Hunter J’s death will remain up in the air…with her scattered ashes. Ash was able to stop this hunter with aid from Latias and Latios. Officer Jenny conveniently shows up after all is said and done. But after that, Latios and Latias fly away…to Alto Mare?

OH MY GOODNESS, LOOK AT THIS GUYS! THE FIFTH MOVIE IS CANON TO THE POKEMON ANIME! Bianca and Latias from the fifth movie get a cameo. Of all the movies I’ve wanted to be canon to the anime…I mean besides the second and third movie, I’m glad it’s the fifth one. There, we survived 10 episodes of Latias stalking Ash. He didn’t catch it. See, told you it wouldn’t happen.

Medea was secretly hoping he’d catch it though.

THE FINALE: Those eleven episodes seemed to piss on by, huh?! Japan has prepared its fans that the end of Ash and Pikachu’s tale was near. Tribute videos were out on social media. Notifications were all around Tokyo. And a panoramic video in Shinjuku station shows Ash’s greatest moments. Meanwhile in America, Sarah Natochenney is getting melancholy as her time as Ash could be coming to a close. Netflix America is slow as fuck getting these fucking episodes out while Canada and even South Fucking Africa aired these long before America.

Medea was sleep deprived due to a night meeting at work, but still woke her black ass up at 2:45am to see if Tracey was going to show up.

Don’t I always?

The final episode begins with the splitting up of the OG group. Misty goes back to Cerulean and Brock goes back to Pewter. Ash and Pikachu go back to Pallet Town for a nice soak in the tub and rest. The next day, Ash returns to Professor Oak’s lab…

Nope. Stopping this right there! I’m not getting my hopes up with your stupid bait-and-switch. You’ve been dangling this fucking carrot in front of my face for the last 23 years. Oh, maybe if there’s an episode at Oak’s lab, I might see Tracey. What have I been getting since the end of Advanced Generation? Nothing! Pbbt! Zilch! Go fuck yourself with your Oak lab episode. I ain’t falling for this shit. Go on, break my heart like you always do and let’s finish this anime on some kind of note.

gasp

I…can’t…he’s speaking. His voice, I can actually hear it. There’s actual lip movement. WE HAVE LIP MOVEMENT, PEOPLE! And his Marill. Ohmygersh, his cute little blue boy! Tomokazu Seki is actually voicing Tracey for one possible last time. And he even shows up twice in the same episode. And GASP! HIS VENONAT EVOLVED! OOOOOOH, and Scyther is still alive. This is ecstasy!

YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

A MOMENT LIKE THIS! I’VE WAITED SIXTEEN AND A HALF YEARS FOR A MOMENT LIKE THIS! FOR HIM TO SPEAK AGAIN! OHHHHH I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S HAPPENING TO MEEEEEEE!

I’m crying. I’m really crying. These are tears of joy dammit! You like him, you really, really like him. OH MY GOD, THANK YOU ANIPOKE! I wanna, I wanna thank everyone in the Pokemon anime. Behind the scenes and otherwise. I want to thank Tomokazu Seki for taking time out of his busy Gilgamesh schedule to voice Tracey again. You truly are the greatest seiyuu in the universe.

Hey, I waited 16 and a half years to hear my boy speak again. I am gonna rub it in the haters faces. And when I rub it in haters faces, I smother it in their face. I’m sure the ONLY reason we’re hearing this is because the game Pokemon Masters EX casted Tomokazu Seki to voice the creepy Ball Guy around that time. And I’m sure he was enticed to voice Tracey Sketchit again. Like, since you’re already here…Whatever the case, I am happy. I am ecstatic. I am elated. I am pretty sure I woke up the dead when I screamed at three in the morning. No, seriously. I was all ready to write off this final episode as the day Pokemon screwed Medea out of seeing Tracey for the billionth time. But when I got the message from one of my girlfriends saying she was happy for me during the broadcast. I knew something was coming and that I was going to be very, very happy. I was.

This episode gets a perfected 10/10, you gave me life and a perfect way to cap off the series. The only way this moment could get better is if Donald Trump gets arrested.

six days after this broadcast, he was

Holy fuck, that’s two-for-two. The only way this moment could get any better would be if they could get Ted Lewis to voice Tracey.

HE TOTALLY DID! Craig Blair no longer voices Tracey and this pleases me. No disrespect here. It's just Ted Lewis is the G.O.A.T.

I’m on a roll. Better start asking for more shit. Okay, I wish for more Yuri on Ice content. Um…those last two episodes of Empire to be filmed. A legitimate streaming service to air Boston Public. Video footage of the Spongebob cast voicing the episode “Sailor Mouth”. A bottle of Ting. Animated movies getting respect from the Academy. My student loans paid off. An all-expenses paid trip to Italy…

Excuse me Medea, you still have to talk about the final episode.

Oh. Ash goes to Oak’s lab. Tracey is shown and the world is great again. He leaves for a couple of days and has Ash take over in his place. Quickly finds a missing Charmander. Gary helps Ash out. Gary then finally brings up the burning question of what comes next now that Ash is a World Champion? This kinda left Ash wondering for a good chunk of this episode. It really impacted him to the point where his mom gives him new shoes for a new journey and he hasn’t put them on at all. Meanwhile, Jessie, James, and Meowth are working the slop kitchen at TR headquarters.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH, I TOLD YOU, I TOLD YOU! They were going to come back together. And my marked words were correct-o as they went in trying to steal the twerp’s Pikachu solo, but reunited with their motto. Team Rocket’s plan of catching Pikachu ends with a surprise encounter. Pidgeot.

Well, I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting that to happen in this episode. I’ve made my peace with Ash never seeing certain former pokemon again, with Charizard and Squirtle being major exceptions to that. But the previous arc had me questioning all of that logic when Ash sees Greninja again and that final snapshot of him and Butterfree. During this final season, we not only got Lapras, but Pidgeot. Two pokemon I thought I would never see again outside of a league memory hole or opening sequence and here they are. Back to the lamenting, Ash wonders what’s next in life. The good thing is that he doesn’t see his winning the world championship as a stopping point. That leaves an opening to seeing Ash again sometime in the future. Ash sees a rainbow (without a Ho-oh this time) and goes on a new journey…with his new shoes. Next time, a new adventure.

That’s literally what the final message was said before playing the iconic Type Wild. In the English version, there was no message and we got a slow piano version of Gotta Catch em’ All.

Okay, where to begin? Going into these 11 episodes, I thought that Ash was going to see not only all of his old pokemon, but his old friends as well. That totally was not the case. In fact, the only ones to show up in these eleven episodes were Misty, Brock, Cilan, and Tracey. Somebody’s been reading my thoughts and hand-delivering them to me. Yeehaw biatches! While I’m all for more Tracey and Cilan, I honestly wouldn’t have minded seeing everyone else too. Yes, even Serena. Not Dawn, though. She got enough screentime during Journeys. I am Dawn’d out again. Pokemon Journeys did this task almost flawlessly by having all of the former travelmates watch Ash as he competed in the finals against Leon. Except for Goh. Hey yeah, Goh and Chloe are not in these episodes. Same for the Alolan gang. That’s a bit of a sore spot.

But silly me and my fantasies. There was no way that was ever going to happen where we get all of Ash’s teammates together. Do you know how hard it is to get certain voice actors after a lengthy period of time? May’s voice actress is permanently retired. Who the hell knows where Max’s seiyuu is? And the fact that they even got Mamoru Miyano and Tomokazu Seki for anything without being charged a fortune is beyond me. Plus, after the massive wave of toxic fan-people with Serena, it’s best that we don’t go with any of that. They literally had to sneak her in an episode of Journeys without saying she’s going to be in an episode. I think we should all remember that this is the Ash and Pikachu show and everyone else is coming along for the ride. Yes, even the popular ones. And I guess because Misty and Brock were his first travel mates and the ones who stayed with him the longest, it would seem most obvious to have Ash, Misty, and Brock travel again.

I was however miffed that the majority of these episodes were a bunch of fillery type of episodes. But the way I see it, we finally get to see Ash switch out his pokemon and have new team setups we never saw up to this point. Hell yeah, I like seeing Rowlet and Totodile together. Kudos for a team-up with Snorlax and Talonflame! But then you get the dilemma of the day end with an invisible Latias staring at Ash, it’s building to something worthwhile. I mean, not Ash catching Latias like any decent person would have loved to see, but it led to a very thrilling conclusion. I honestly thought the last couple of episodes were the best of the lot. This includes the lonely Banette episode, the Team Rocket reunion episode, the Latios/Latias episode, and the finale. Everything else, I could take or leave.

Okay, I take it back. I did enjoy Cilan being all Cilany and OH MY GOD, I DIDN’T EVEN SAY THE THING IN MY LAST REVIEW!

This moment is brought to you by Dento-fruit! Dento-fruit: 100% Fruit for 100% Fangirls

Is this the need-all, end-all perfect cap to the Ash and Pikachu journey?

No. But what could they do if they wanted to keep our boy still forever 10?

Will it satisfy every Pokemon anime fan out there?

Again, no. The DP and XY fandom will dislike it for obvious reasons. Hey guys, Dawn got like a billion and a half cameos during Journeys and Serena still got that fucking kiss. I had to wait 16 and a half years for my favorite character to even speak. Fuck off with your wants.

Were these final episodes good?

Some. Not all.

Would I recommend this to disenchanted Pokemon anime fans?

Eh, probably the last couple of episodes. Unless they’re OG trio fans, then the whole thing.

Will Medea make a pentagram on the ground and ask for the otherside to have Tracey show up again?

Who said I stopped doing that?

Who knows what is to come of Ash and Pikachu in the future if we’re to get anything. We could get another project featuring Ash and Pikachu from the alternate universe. It could happen! Currently, Pokemon Horizons has been gaining a lot of positive traction between old and new Pokemon anime fans. I’m just beyond happy that Liko is NOT a product of Ash. Not sure if there’s a time-leap here, but for now I’m breathing a sigh of relief. I’ll save my happiness of certain casting choices for the Horizons review in the coming years. Crispin Freeman in the cast is the chef’s kiss of perfection. But it’s good to see several voice actors (both sub and dub) returning to voice new characters. Just to name a few people, Kazuya Nakai, Billy Bob Thompson, Yuka Terasaki, Kei Shindou, Erica Shroeder, Megumi Hayashibara, Ikue Ootani, and Lisa Ortiz. Those last three are a given as you cannot have a Pokemon anime anything without those three.

It would be nice to see a mention of Ash and Pikachu every now and then. Just something to keep Rica Matsumoto and Sarah Natochenney in work. While I’m mentioning them, I want to thank Ash’s voice actors. Hell, let’s add Veronica Taylor too! Thank you for the many wonderful years of memories. I’m going to miss the hell out of Rica and all of those banger opening themes she gave us for the past 26 years. Veronica, we all grew up listening to you. You are indeed the O.G. And Sarah, while I was skeptical of you for the first few years of you voicing Ash, I grew to enjoy it. Best of all, you exceeded my expectations in the last few years, especially your performance in the twentieth movie I Choose You. Thank you.

Hmm…do I have any other high hopes for the anime as a whole? Aside from more Tracey…I will never stop saying it. The other things I want is for a credible sight to give us the Japanese version and no more of this waiting months on end for Netflix to drop a batch of episodes. That ruined Pokemon and it ruined Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Pt. 6. You know it, I know it, and the entire anime world knows it. If Yu-Gi-Oh can have the Japanese version play on Crunchyroll, something like that should happen for Pokemon. That’s my high hopes for the future.

As of September 8th, 2023, the final eleven episodes (or Pokemon: Aim to be a Pokemon Master) will be available to stream on Netflix. Alongside the eleven is the Journeys episode that takes place in the alternate universe for Ash and Pikachu. If you live in Canada, Japan, or South Africa, you’ve already watched these episodes.

[medea10]

My Review of Carole and Tuesday

How did I get into this anime? I’ve been wanting to watch this anime for the longest time. It’s just that when it first came out it was in ‘Netflix jail’. And not just regular Netflix jail, “Japanese Netflix jail��. After it was finally released, I found myself caught up in other ventures like Komi-san, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Violet Evergarden. I know, I sicken myself for that.

It’s important to note that in this story, people have the capability to live on Mars and the planet is now a terraformed, human-thriving place to live. We have AI technology to thank for that. Okay, now I see the connection to Shinichiro Watanabe directing this anime. I’ve been wondering for years why the genius behind Space Dandy and Cowboy Bebop would do this.

We start the anime with a young girl named Tuesday running away from home with nothing but her guitar and the clothes on her back. She leaves her affluent family behind and ends up in the metropolis Alba City. There she meets a keyboard player named Carole. Carole has been on her own her whole life. During the day she’s at part-time jobs (that she usually gets fired from) and at night, she plays the keyboard. Carole and Tuesday’s meeting was fate. They both connected when they jammed together. After playing on a stage for a few minutes, someone recorded their surprise performance and uploaded it online. The video became a viral sensation and caught the attention a man named Gus who wants to be the girl’s manager.

Aside from seeing the misadventures of Carole and Tuesday, we occasionally see things about a famous model named Angela. She has aspirations of hitting it big in the music industry as well and goes through all kinds of trials to be on par with all the AI generated music these days. But of course, Angela isn’t the main focus of the story, Carole and Tuesday are. They don’t even meet for real until the 8th episode. But Angela who already has name-recognition feels a little threatened by the mellow melodies of Carole and Tuesday. Let’s watch these talented ladies make some music!

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: As I said before, this was indeed nabbed by Netflix back in 2019. Sure, it’s no problem now. But count back four years and you’ve got months of pirating or waiting depending on your patience. It eventually aired and as a collective everyone moved on to the next big thing. In later years, it looked as though Sentai Filmworks licensed it as well. Is that what Sentai is going to continue doing? Are they going to take every single Netflix anime series, license it, and redub it? Legitimately asking here! They just did that to Kakegurui. If they do, for the love of God, please don’t let them redub over the songs. And thank you Netflix for not trying to butcher the songs. I always get worried when watching a musical anime that it’s going to happen. Long story short, I loved both the sub and the dub. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Tuesday is played by Kana Ichinose (known for Maki on Kaguya-sama, Maaa on Made in Abyss, and Yuzuriha on Dr. Stone)

*Carole is played by Miyuri Shimabukuro (known for Inca on Fire Force and Yuuna on Tsurune)

*Angela is played by Sumire Uesaka (known for Nagatoro on Miss Nagatoro, Shalltear on Overlord, Chloe on Miss Kobayashi, Dekomori on Chunibyo, Aya on Tonikawa, and Mitsuki on Yuri is my Job)

*Gus is played by Akio Ootsuka (known for InuYasha’s father on InuYasha, All For One on My Hero Academia, Rider on Fate/Zero, Gouhin on Beastars, Kyouraku on Bleach, Blackbeard on One Piece, and Skull Knight on Berserk 2016)

ENGLISH CAST: *Tuesday is played by Brianna Knickerbocker (known for Rem on Re:Zero, Kanao on Demon Slayer, Filo on Shield Hero, Akane on Durarara, Wiz on Konosuba, and Misha on Misfit of Demon Academy)

*Carole is played by Jeannie Tirado (known for Lutz on Ascendance of a Bookworm, Norman on The Promised Neverland, Fana on Black Clover, Kanae on Tokyo Ghoul :re, Riko on Love Live Sunshine, Zera on Fairy Tail)

*Angela is played by Ryan Bartley (known for Allister on Pokemon Journeys, Ram on Re:Zero, Takechiyo on Yashahime, Yuna on SAO, Yusa on Charlotte, Futaba on Magia Record, and Gilda on The Promised Neverland)

*Gus is played by Jason Marnocha (known for Samurai Sword on Chainsaw Man)

DISLIKED CHARACTER: Mamoru Miyano or not, I don’t like Ertegun. To be fair though, there are a lot of Mamoru Miyano characters I hate. Look, the point is I don’t like this guy.

Yeah. His first couple of appearances left a nasty taste in my mouth. Even when it seems like he’s a better man with Carole and Tuesday after losing all his money, I would always be suspicious of the guy. At least with Cybelle, we never see her again after the shady shit she did. This guy, we see up until the end of the series.

SHIPPING: Tuesday sure has had her fair-share of love interests. Well, she had one. But Cybelle was too much of a stalker fan. We actually see another stalker who loved a singer too much here too. But because it’s Angela, they took care of things before she was shot on stage. The Cybelle thing kinda got crazy when she gave Tuesday a hickey and set off a booby-trap that injured her. Yeesh, this woman!

But then we see Tuesday seem a little interested in an investigative reporter named Kyle. She doesn’t have to say anything, her facial expressions and the redness of her face says it all. But one night, she was planning to give him a gift and sees him kissing another girl kinda shattered her.

Now if there’s anyone with an interesting love life that we only see a little bit of is Gus’s. Probably because of his prior marriage to Marie…who is now marrying another woman. This show is totally rep’in the LGBT+ community and I’m lovin’ it.

GUILTY PLEASURE: Yeah, I really like that Mermaid Sisters song.

Admit it to yourselves. The second you heard that song, you found yourself humming it the rest of the day.

HALFWAY POINT: Before the midway point, Carole and Tuesday made it onto the hit reality-competition show Mars Brightest. If I were to explain it, it looked like an American Idol, The Voice, America’s Got Talent mish-mash. The girls made it through to the top 8 out of over 200 contestants. But they were up against some really talented singers including several influencers plus Angela who is doing her singing debut. Their non-use of A.I.’s with their music might seem like it would cripple their chances of winning the competition, but the judges and the audience have fallen in love with the duo. It wasn’t an easy ride here. Before their semi-finals match, a disgruntled Tuesday fan set up a booby-trap that burned her arm. Cybelle was all kinds of red-flags and I pray that’s the last I see of her.

After the semis, Tuesday is kidnapped. Tuesday’s mother (Valerie Simmons) orchestrated this to bring her back home. Tuesday’s mother is a politician and in the middle of an election to become the leader of Mars and doesn’t need her “disobedient” child causing mayhem in the middle of a crucial campaign. Thankfully, Carole, Gus, and Roddy were able to break in and bust Tuesday out (with some help from Tuesday’s brother). Unfortunately for Carole and Tuesday, this bust-out happened on the day of the Mars Brightest finale and they had to hurry up to the studio to perform live. The good news was they made it in time. The bad news, they were disqualified for not being present during the broadcast. But they were allowed to perform despite being disqualified. Their performance was so moving that they were actually given a record contract.

Gus however put an end to them getting a contract from that Mars Brightest judge Catherine. Gus has been in the business a long time and would feel it would be better for the girls if they had a little more freedom when it comes to their music. And so, they all go on a journey for an elusive producer named Tobe. They lured this secret guy out and after scaring the shit out of everyone with an axe, he agreed to help the girls produce.

I know I should have put this in the sub/dub section, but I fucking love John Snyder’s voice. No one ever says anything about this guy and he plays a grizzled, old fuck better than most voice actors. But aside from that, we’ve also got Tuesday’s mother waging a war on illegal aliens in her presidential campaign, a stalker getting a little too crazy for Angela, and Ertegun being financially bankrupt.

ENDING: It’s been well established at the beginning of every episode that Carole and Tuesday were going to cause a monumental moment that will cause a seven-minute “miracle”. So, it should go without saying that the girls hit it big by the end of this series. But what do we have to look forward to before then? Angela’s agent Mr. Tao being arrested. Angela’s mother having a heart attack. Carole and Tuesday working on an album. An Angela A.I. clone. Carole’s friend detained for being an illegal alien. The Mars election. The Grammy’s. All of that happening within the final couple of episodes may seem too much, but I think it all ended quite nicely.

First, let’s get to the Angela stuff. Everyone still sees Angela as the golden child in the music industry and nearly everywhere else. Mr. Tao expanded that by creating an A.I. of Angela. His experiments do go really in depth and can get unethical. Added pressure from her mother Dahlia hasn’t helped her one bit as it just gave her severe stress. Angela ends up getting hooked on pain killers and other medications. But a sudden collapse from Dahlia changed everything. Angela learns from Dahlia that she isn’t really her mother but loves her regardless and then she dies. Angela was a wreck at this moment and still attends the Grammy’s to perform. She gets the Best New Artist award and performs…I think.

I’m not sure if she actually performed or if it was all in her head. Angela’s psychosis almost went to Perfect Blue levels. What we are sure of is that she collapsed on stage as she overdosed on painkillers. Angela’s mental state was out of control that we don’t know if she’ll ever sing again.

The Mars election has been a big thing since the halfway point. Tuesday’s mother Valerie has been climbing up in the polls with her controversial illegal immigration stances. Truth be told is that, she doesn’t really support zero tolerance deportation, that’s her campaign manager pulling those strings. Her manager is not only behind the support for deportation, but also devised a terrorist attack and blamed it on illegal immigrants. Tuesday’s brother Spenser has been trying to save his mother from making a big mistake by continuing with this election any further. Spenser thankfully wasn’t alone as he was with that journalist that Tuesday took a liking to, Kyle.

As for Carole and Tuesday, these two ladies have really been riding their luck and it’s been going pretty well for them. They were able to write the last few songs for their upcoming album, they were nominated for a Grammy, and a notable singer wants to sing with them at the award show. Crystal was a singer the girls have met once before and now she wants to perform with the duo at the Grammy’s. And it was a success!

The girls are happy here, but they can’t help but notice the state of Mars and what could become of it. Tuesday’s mother could become the leader and put in a military state. Carole may never see her friend Ezekial again. Not to mention Angela’s slight fall from grace. The duo wants to do something. They plan with their closest allies to come up with a one-night performance. Gus, Ertegun, and the rest will get in contact with people they can trust. All Carole and Tuesday have to do is write the perfect song to unite everyone who will listen. Easier said than done! Although, this series has shown that these girls were able to make lyrics and music and having it turn out successful. Will it work? We get a conclusion in the final episode for most issues surrounding this series. Valerie listens to her son and drops out of the election, but not before telling off her campaign manager. Mr. Tao got his revenge on some enemies. Tao also paid Angela a visit and gave her a little bit of closure. Both he and Angela are genetically engineered children.

And as for this special moment, many special singers came for this occasion. There were big superstars like Crystal. Past acquaintances from the Mars Brightest competition like Pytor and GGK (not Cybelle thankfully). A singer from back in the day, Flora. And even…Desmond?! I thought Desmond died! And best of all, Angela came too. It seems she’ll go back to singing for fun, like when she was a child. Carole and Tuesday brought those feelings back to Angela with their songs.

All of these artists together on one stage. This was the seven-minute miracle. This song united all who listened. And at the end, we get the message that this’ll be continued…

gasp

In your memories.

D’oh! Cock-tease! I came in thinking I was going to love this anime. I was not disappointed in that department. Netflix has a reputation for putting out hit-or-miss animes. This is definitely one of the best…after Violet Evergarden.

First, I want to talk about the music. Nowadays if the anime is a musical, the character’s seiyuu will do the singing. And that should be an expectation when I see big names like Maaya Sakamoto, Mamoru Miyano, Megumi Hayashibara, and Sumire Uesaka. But there were different singers for nearly every song. I don’t think I’ve heard this since watching NANA and I love it. Another unique thing I saw with Carole and Tuesday was that the girls did not have a spat that almost breaks up the group. We did not see that at all. These girls got along and did their music.

Next…this anime got really current with a lot of things. Yes, I know this anime is set a possible century from now…and for some reason Instagram still exists, but it can still feel relevant. Music is mostly done through A.I. influence and nowadays, it’s starting to look a lot like that. Everything is now thanks to things like A.I. generated art and Chat GPT. And of course, the big thing that stuck out at me was politics. I am in no way an expert in the subject. That wasn’t even my major in school (although coming really close to minoring in poli-sci). I’m just a regular U.S. citizen that keeps up with the news. Seeing the portion of the anime where Tuesday’s mother is talking about cracking down on illegal immigration on Mars really strikes a chord. Yeah, pretty much every administration has their way of dealing with that issue and all of them really did a really lousy job.

I’m pretty sure this anime was making a point with what the Trump administration was doing with the MICE officers. Pfft. I know this really stands for Mars Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but seeing officers wearing uniforms that say MICE on it, I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. Another bit that was struck during Carole and Tuesday was when it came to artistic freedom. Yeah, this is another thing that I’m noticing a lot of recently. Political figures cracking down on what artists can and can’t do or make an example of. Nowadays, I’m seeing certain states ban books, songs, and other such things. Seriously, just because Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton sing about rainbows, that needs to be banned? Tennessee, do better! And Florida, you’ve never been good. Just do the whole world a favor and drop in the ocean.

Yeah, I’m gonna stop my rambling here. This anime has been a treat and I encourage anyone who loves music to definitely check this out. Netflix has the whole series available for streaming. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to crack down on some Bungo Stray Dogs.

[medea10]

My Review of In/Spectre: Season 2

First season review here.

Color me surprised when it was announced that this series was getting a second season. I didn’t hate it or anything, I was just okay with the story. I didn’t think the Steel Lady Nanase story was going to last as long as it did and thought Kotoko was going to solve more mysteries than that. That reason alone was one of the reasons I was just blah with the anime. Plus, I was pretty in to Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun more than this and both aired around the same time. Well, at least Hanako-kun is getting some kind of new project. What it is, I’m skeptical as fuck about. In the meantime, let’s check out more mysteries with Kotoko and Kuro.

HISTORY: Kotoko Iwanaga is used to the abnormal and out of place situations. When she was 11 years old, she went missing for two weeks. During that time, demons asked her to become their “Goddess of Wisdom”. However, Iwanaga lost her right eye and left leg as a result of this power. Seven years later, she meets a college-aged male named Kuro Sakuragawa. She found a fascination with him, but kept her distance due to him being engaged to another woman.

But Kuro’s life changed when he and his then girlfriend were on vacation and saw a kappa and the situation turned near-deadly. Due to an abnormality with Kuro, whenever it looks like he’s on the verge of death, he comes back to life. This caused the inevitable rift between Kuro and his girlfriend and leaving an opportunity for Kotoko to jump in and force herself on him. Ever since, Kotoko has become Kuro’s really clingy girlfriend. Kuro is just so disinterested and indifferent when it comes to her romantic shenanigans. But he doesn’t mind being an aide when dealing with the supernatural.

SEASON TWO: The first episode starts off with some exposition from a couple of no-name apparitions where they talk about Kotoko and Kuro. Basically, stuff we saw last season including how Kotoko became the God of Wisdom and some stuff from the Steel Lady Nanase arc. Come episode 2, we’re introduced to our next big case involving a man who befriended a Yuki Onna and is accused of killing his ex-wife.

Thankfully, this season we get more than just one long case that extends to pretty much the entire 12 episodes. The Yuki Onna murder case was settled faster than anticipated with only 3 episodes dedicated to it and we get another mystery involving a creepy puppet and dead sea life. And of course, we get more from the mysterious cousin Rikka. Unfortunately, it’s only one episode where she’s actually seen. But her essence lingers! And if you could believe it, there were three more mysteries shown in this season. Now, that’s what I’m talking about! If you’re going to be a supernatural anime, do more than just Steel Lady Nanase for an entire season.

LICENSING: Just like the previous season, Crunchyroll streamed this series with several dubs available. No doubt about that as this series was known as a “Crunchyroll Original” back when they were doing that. Wait, are they still doing that? Nah, I don’t think they are. That’s all there is to it. The original cast came back and, yeah, it’s all good.

SHIPPING PART TWO: Yeah, Kotoko and Kuro are still together…I guess. Kotoko is still clingy and saying perverted things. Kuro is still dead inside despite being immortal. I mean, yeah, they still have cute moments here and there throughout the season. But, come on! You’ve seen these two together. Despite my thoughts about this ship, I don’t hate Kotoko. Yeah, I don’t hate her. I just hate this ship. They work well together when dealing with the supernatural. It’s just that I think they should just remain professionals at their craft and nothing more.

And no amount of sensual ending themes sung by Mamoru Miyano is ever going to convince me otherwise here.

Even when he's pictured with her, Kuro just has this, "Please, just end my life" look on his face.

Now, were there any interferences from anybody this season? Surprisingly no! Yeah, Rikka only had one episode where she was the main focus. Although, her presence has lingered around several of the cases Kotoko worked on. And Rikka still thinks that Kotoko is wrong for her cousin. She’s not quiet about her thoughts on the matter either. As for Saki, Kuro’s ex-fiancé, no sign of her this season.

After badmouthing Kotoko x Kuro, I should have no say in this matter. But I support these two here. Don’t at me!

RANDOM NOTE: Ladies and gentlemen, we have found the one person who survived a hit from Truck-kun. I know several characters on here are spirits and immortals, Rikka and Kuro especially. It’s just that when you literally watch a character get hit by a truck, you automatically think they’re dead or dead and in another world. Rikka gets hit and gets up like nothing happened.

ENDING: Throughout this season, Kotoko and Kuro have been aiding several people with anomalies surrounding the supernatural. This last arc had Kotoko help a dying man resolve his guilty conscience with his family. This mystery had us running around seeing who really killed this man’s wife. Apparently, this woman who was killed 23 years ago, her entire family wanted her dead including her husband and adult children. Sounds like an anime version of the Trumps to me! At least this woman wasn’t buried on a golf course.

Medea, can you go one review without making a snarky Trump-related comment?

When he stops existing, I’ll stop.

The family was running a hotel business and the mother wanted to run the business and the family her own way. So, her husband’s ideas were put on the back-burner, the eldest son can’t leave to become a chef, the daughter can’t marry who she wants, and the youngest son can’t run anything. Unless this woman dies!

Now, where does the supernatural part come into play here? The husband apparently made an agreement with an entity back when he wanted his wife gone. The man was promised it will be so. In actuality, someone actually killed the woman before the entity could do anything. Kotoko heard from the entity, the patriarch of the family, his son, son-in-law, and second-hand talk from the granddaughter. Kotoko laid down what really transpired the night of the murder. Things did not go well for the family with hearing the actual truth about the daughter killing her mother. Things got so heated from the conversation that the son-in-law pulled out a gun, threatened Kotoko with it and wound-up shooting Kuro in the process.

Oh-ho-ho, what did you think was going to happen here?

Kuro’s just going to come back to life. Kuro and Rikka are immortal due to a meddling grandparent and a mysterious item they ate as kids. And of course, Kotoko can communicate with spirits and demons. But this family doesn’t need to know that. In the aftermath of this family learning the full truth, things took a downturn as the father’s illness got worse and the daughter tried committing suicide as the family knows she murdered her mother. Kotoko and Kuro visited the patriarch to the family again after what has happened and learned that they were recommended to help him by none other than Rikka.

Kuro’s seldom-seen cousin Rikka has been in-and-out of this series. She has made her feelings known to Kuro and Kotoko as she loves her cousin Kuro and hates Kotoko. Rikka stayed with the couple during a time in the first season, but took her leave and hasn’t been seen by the two since then. What are Rikka’s intentions with recommending two people to get help from Kotoko? We do not see this in the final episode.

Instead, we see Kotoko conveniently at an unagi restaurant where there’s an intense conversation between two friends. One of the friends accuses the other of killing his spouse. Now, you would think that Kotoko would have heard these two guys speaking aloud in a public setting. But this is Kotoko Iwanaga, the “Goddess of Wisdom” to many spirits, entities, and whatnots. Kotoko was at the restaurant for ulterior motives to do something so crass with Kuro later. She didn’t expect to hear from a ghost. It’s the ghost of the woman that guy from the table over killed. She’s latching onto her living husband making things heavier and difficult for the man. Kotoko later confronts the man and explains that his late wife’s ghost is causing this pain. Kotoko pretty much destroys this whole man’s career in mere minutes. We end with Kotoko going home with Kuro and…the end, I guess.

Hmm…I’m only now realizing that three of the mysteries this season revolved around a dead wife of some sort. Dead ex-wife, dead wife, some guy that killed his wife…and Rikka might be the reason why Kotoko ends up helping out in all of these mysteries. Is Rikka sending Kotoko some hints that if she marries Kuro, she’ll wind up dead. I’m reading too much into this.

I can’t say I didn’t get what I wanted out of this season and that was to have more stories that focus on more than just one entity or mystery. I got that. But I can’t help but feel an empty feeling when it comes to that certain woman, Rikka. We see her in one episode and she’s only mentioned a few times. Yet, there’s so much tenseness between her and the duo. I guess we need yet another season to see if we get more interactions or some kind of showdown. It looks as though the manga is still in publication so I’m going to assume we’ll get more In/Spectre in the coming years.

Okay, fine. I liked this season better than the first season. And judging by the scores on MAL, I’m not alone in that sentiment. And okay, I’ll get off my high-horse about Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun and give In/Spectre its due. If you’re interested in the supernatural, give both seasons a shot. Can’t have one without the other.

Crunchyroll has both seasons available for streaming.