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Mob Psycho 100 III- Episode 7 Review

Intro:

Hello ladies, gentlemen, and all those in between from all across the multiverse! My name is Rouga and I know it has been quite a while I am a fair bit behind on Mob Psycho, but I'll get back on track that's for sure. I am still as unspoiled as ever and after the Divine Tree arc and its rather impactful conclusion I can't wait any longer to see where the story goes from there. So here we go. Mob Psycho 100 III, Episode 7 Start!

Episode Review:

We start off from the perspective of Tome who is rather sad that she is soon to graduate and as such leave the Telepathy Club behind without making much in the way of progress toward her goal, and as much as she seems fixated on it normally, this time we see she cares about doing this stuff with her clubmates. Even if they are utterly dense and don't think it's anything to cry about that they won't be together anymore, which I find a little sad and also rather insensitive, middle school boys I tell you. As expected Tome gets fed up and just decides to leave after the other three act like complete dimwits one time too many. Still pints for Inukawa and the others to seek help from Mob. Of course Mob himself can't do anything for as vast as his power is, telepathy is not in his toolbox, but thanks to Ritsu's presence they can go see the twins and hatch a plan to find other telepaths with their help. which is pretty clever. I have to say the slight bit of worldbuilding we get with the introduction of Noise is really welcome scene and overall I am glad Takenaka's inclusion ended up being positive.

Honestly, that little bit of exposition on Takenaka helps him feel less like a total jerk, while also giving us more growth for Mob who can actually get a clue, that is a really big leap from how he started off. Seeing the little bit of inspiration from Mob was also a really welcome scene and overall I am glad Takenaka's inclusion ended up being positive.

Meanwhile back with Reigen, he's doing his usual thing with trying to be a spiritualist or rather conning people in some of the most moral ways I've seen as well as a small slice of life bit with both he and Serizawa. I do quite enjoy the little things like that. We also got a nice bit of comedy with the setup for the UFO search. Always nice to have some of that in this show. We end the episode when the crew gets to their destination in search of the UFO, a nice little setup episode for another part of the story, overall I really enjoyed it, especially coming from the high stakes and emotional tones of the previous arc some winddown time is always good after such a story.

With that. This will be all for the review I hope to see you all in the next one when we discuss episode 8. I have been Rouga, and thank you for reading!

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Mob Psycho 100 III- Episode 6 Review

Intro:

Hello ladies, gentlemen and all those inbetween from all across the multiverse! My name is Rouga and today I bring you another installment of the Mob Psycho 100 III reviews What I hear to be the climax of this arc. A good buddy of mine told me this one gets quite sad so let's gear up with our comfort foods at the ready and see what episode 6 has in store for us.

Episode Review:

Starting off right where we left off after a brief mashup of flashbacks with some new and redrawn shots with the shirt-based comments we are greeted by Dimple, still in his Academy Awards cosplay monologuing about the garish shirt Then we go into the deep stuff with Mob releasing the rest of his powers so that they do not get in the way of his talk with his red-cheeked friend. Dimple is utterly flabbergasted by this and frankly so am I. that said, for Shigeo who said he does not acknowledge Dimple as a god, refusing to fight with him is probably the best way to do just that. I honestly didn't really notice the parallels between Shigeo and Dimple till this episode laid them out before me but now they feel clear as day, in their own ways each wants to be acknowledged. and that makes them similar. Dimple's desire for a friend also reminds me of Envy from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and FMAB memories are always good. Dimple abandoning his scheme only for Mob to ask if it's really ok with him when Mob was the one to convince him was quintessential Mob Psycho and I am all here for it. I was honestly expecting this whole episode to be this slow and wholesome thing. The appearance of an autonomous Psycho Helmet wasn't something I thought of at all. Quite a neat surprise that gives us some more time to see what Golden Dimple is capable of. The action sequence has some really nice effects and animation, and giant brocco-mob is a pretty neat idea. The sequences are somewhat Naruto-Esque to me given the jumping Brocco-mobs on the broccoli "branches" and the string of them holding Dimple down, reminiscent of one of Naruto's attacks from the video games. Overall this is a really really REALLY well-made action sequence. showing off a lot of cool stuff while putting the God in a hopeless situation. playing up the urgency of the matter at hand. Even more so, the sacrifice of Dimple to destroy Psycho Helmet and save Shigeo was a heartfelt, difficult moment. especially because Mob is not aware of what exactly happened but he knows the gist and seeing him actually show emotion outside of being at 100% is something that speaks volumes about just how sad the loss of his friend is to our boy. I hope it isn't forgotten going forward with the story. With that. This will be all for the review and the Divine Tree arc as a whole. A really great emotional addition to the story of Mob Psycho and one I will not easily forget. . I hope to see you all in the next one when Episode 7 drops. I have been Rouga, and thank you for reading!

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Mob Psycho 100 III- Episode 5 Review

Intro:

Hello ladies, gentlemen, and all those in between from all across the multiverse! My name is Rouga and today I bring you another installment of the Mob Psycho 100 III reviews The Sacred Broco-tree arc is in full swing now and Mob, as far as he is aware has to fight off a dangerous religion all on his lonesome. You know, normal teenager stuff. With his brother, mentor, potentially parents, and all his friends being thoroughly brainwashed and the Psycho Helmet people heralding him as their founder Mob's emotional explosion is immanent and with all the things swirling around him I cannot even begin to speculate what that big 100 is going to bring us. So let us not speculate anymore for it is time to get the review underway. Mob Psycho 100 III, episode 5, here we go!

Episode Review:

No intro bitties this time from Dimple, he is too busy playing god for that. We start right off the bat with a conversation between Mob and his doppelganger. With some pretty cool visuals, seriously, the inside of the brocco-tree looks great. What really sells this scene to me tho is the emotion coming from both of these characters. Dimple is drunk off his very green, currently, Mob-shaped behind on power. Mob on the other hand is his usual deadpan self attempting to fact-check Psycho Helmet. Having this all play out as Mob is approaching his adversary aids the pacing in my opinion. It'd feel rushed if we just had a confrontation face-to-face in a snap. What also warrants a talk is how Dimple is explaining the whole "belief and divinity" shtick. Honestly, it feels real, People are given what they perceive as signs and interpret them in their own ways, as such religions are born, and people with particularly strong faith in something can be easily manipulated which is exactly what Dimple took advantage of, albeit with a supernatural twist to it. Dimple bringing up Ritsu and Reigen just as Mob approached Teruki's unconscious body was perfect timing on the part of the creators. If I'm being honest Mob looks really intense right after and he's not even at 100 yet, I was legitimately taken slightly aback by this. The opening starts exactly when Mob figures out who Psycho Helmet is and states the name Dimple. Honestly quite a good place for that. I don't tend to speak on the opening placement but it makes some fundamental, internal sense to me to be placed here. Dimple's attempt at convincing Shigeo to join him further reinforces what I said last time about this arc reminding me of Mogami's, Mob is left on his own in a different world, without Ritsu, without Reigen, without anyone he really knows to help him. This time it's the same, only this time the trap isn't for Mob, but for everyone else. Pretty interesting mirror that. Honestly, I am starting to wonder if One had any experience with this sorta stuff because Dimple is really talking like some big guru or cultist and that's becoming kinda scary. Thankfully Mob ain't buying a single bit of his crap, good for you Mob.

The confrontation with Hanazawa had some really nice impact, given how he was the first to rebel and I feel like Mob to some extent hoped for his help, only to see another friend torn away from him by Dimple's brainwashing. Then the divine buff made for a really potent scene. It's not often we see Mob outclassed like that. The exchange between Mob and the bunch of Broccoli-Mobs had a really great balance of action and emotion and again, seeing Mob be overwhelmed, and losing his powers, I never thought I'd see that in this series. And oh the irony, when Dimple was talking to Mob about his mistakes, Dimple himself made a huge one. What was that you ask? Well bringing up Tsubomi of course. Seeing Mob slap Dimple around while brief was very entertaining to see, especially with how confused Dimple was when it happened. Serves him right if you ask me. The whole confrontation while I am not going to recap blow for blow I do want to say so far was absolutely amazing to witness due to the aforementioned mix of emotion and action. Mob doesn't want to fight Dimple, and yet endures blow after blow as his emotions build, and we see Dimple be absolutely terrified of what Shigeo is showing. The episode ends with Mob reaching 100%, and Dimple seeing the shirt Teruki helped pick out for Shigeo, that's one heck of a serious yet goofy cliffhanger and I really cannot wait to see how this all plays out in episode 6 With that. This will be all for this review. I hope to see you all in the next one when Episode 6 drops. I have been Rouga, and thank you for reading!

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Mob Psycho 100 III- Episode 4 Review

Intro:

Hello ladies, gentlemen and all those inbetween from all across the multiverse! My name is Rouga and today I bring you another installment of the Mob Psycho 100 III reviews. this time the number that comes after three. When I last spoke to you through my inaudible words about this here anime we'd had a little bit of setup for what seems to be the grand conflict of the season, sort of like Claw was. and with Dimple ready to take control of fifty thousand people with that creepy as all hell Mob disguise things are shaping up to be pretty bad. Fifty kilo units of person is quite a lot of manpower for such an existance as Dimple, With this complete and utter bunglenut of a spirit at the helm things have the potential to turn, shall we say interesting. So without further ado let's jump right into it.

Episode Review:

We begin this episode with the number of schoolgirls interested in Mob shrinking 1x Mezato Ichiwhich was to be rather expected what with the completely real not in any way not human, perfectly legitimate founder and creator of the Psycho Helmet Religion showing up to replace Mo… erm I mean clear up the misunderstanding and stop dragging Mob into matters he has completely no relevancy to of course. and further decreased with the telepathy obsessed girl also noping out on him in favor of the psycho helmet dudes, something is definetely fishy here, tho I do not know what or just how much. I am honestly quite pleasantly surprised with Reigen this episode as he actually did some detective-based work to look into the building deterioration, which as someone who is currently going through kamen Rider W, makes me very happy and shows that if Reigen wants to be, he can be quite skilled at many things from massages to photo editting to gaming and even some bit of web design. There is truly more to him than meets the eye and he's not even an alien, at least I don't think he is? he is a great pretender tho. Anyways, getting sidetracked. And just as I imagined things with Psycho Hat guys are going down a brainwashing powder made from the divine broco-tree is some seriously high level stuff if it can even overshadow Teruki's mindbrain And in the previous shot of all those townspeaople one had very characteristic cheeks, I wonder if that's also an effect given they are very dimple-esque or just something random. What's more during Teru's shot we saw Psycho Helmet behind him and while DImple is a spirit I don't think he has the ability to move soundlessly like that to sneak up on Teru with the physical form whatever it is. This is turning the harmless bunglenuts into a serious creep alert and I'm honestly all for it if well executed. The action sequence with Teru battling against the self proclaimed God of brocoli was a very well executed exchange, Showing us the power of this new threat through opposing it to Teru, one of the most capable psychics we've seen in the series and for someone of even his caliber to be able to be briefly overpowered this is trully a large threat. Seeing a comeback of Minegishi, the plant esper in this episode wasn't something I considered but it does make sense for giving us an expert's take on the problem at hand, even if said expert was rather quickly also overpowered by the broco-tree, plus it's nice seeing him turn over a new leaf and get a proper job. Reigen is coming in clutch with the planning this episode he really thinks about his actions and is happy to reach out for the needed help which also gives us an excuse to see Ritsu so that's nice. Especially since it gives us a normal person's point of view on the sheer magnitude of such a task. Seeing more shots of the other characters get wrapped up in this whole religion mess and roping an unknowing Ritsu into being brainwashed was something I honestly did not think about but it's at least good that Reigen did not eat the candy he gave out. I shudder to think of what would happen if Reigen, the guiding force for Mob tried protecting the threat too. And even worse, if the brainwashing could extend to Mob himself.

And wouldn't you know it, Reigen did get brainwashed by the sheer power of, whatever the heck it is that did that. I guess the tree is now powerfool enough to be able to spread its influence around the city with the roots? that'd make sense. Thankfuly Mob caught on rather quickly to what is going on and attempts to stand up to it alone. Weirdly Mesato wasn't brainwashed, or at least not enough to stand in his way and now the believers think they have two founders. With Dimple off the leash, Reigen and most of the city brainwashed, Teru's status being unknown and Mob growing ever nearer that magic 100, Episode 5 is sure to give us something really grand This somewhat reminds me of the Mogami arc in some aspects with the fact that Mob is in a way singled out and i am very much looking forward to seeing it. An interesting little tidbit I wanted to point out here was also in the next episode's preview bit Reigen talking still brainwashed which is some nice attention to detail With that. This will be all for the review. i hope to see you all in the next one when Episode 5 drops. Before I go however I will say that I am soon going to be slightly branching out thanks to the return of a certain Togashi to the world of manga so do look forward to seeing some more of my creative side. I have been Rouga, and thank you for reading!

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Mob Psycho 100 III- Episode 3 Review

Intro:

Hello ladies, gentlemen, and all those in between from all across the multiverse! My name is Rouga and today I bring you the third installment of the Mob Psycho 100 III reviews. Last episode expanded our world with the addition of the Youkai Hunter, a man equal parts bizarre, incompetent, and wealthy which poor Reigen did not get to exploit. Let's see what this episode brings to the table. For those unaware I feel I should point out, I write these as I go through with the episode so as of right now, I do not know what is going to happen today. I typically go by section or scene, write down my thoughts and move on. Now, without further ado, let's get into the episode.

Episode Review:

.We start the episode actually focusing on Tsubomi, which is a weird change of pace because, for as much as Mob likes her, we as viewers have little reason to actually give a flying fart about her. altho for the beauty and if I remember correctly, the second-best student in school, she seems rather insecure by the looks of things. I am starting to wonder why, and if it were a deeper series I'd start theorizing. Seeing the small exchange between Mob and her was really sweet, altho it was strange seeing the typically dense Mob actually know she needed tissues. I wonder if he actually made up the teacher called? Such a short time into the episode and yet ever so many questions, with probably ever so few answers. And the strangeness continues with multiple ladies interested in our plain-looking psychic lad. Altho granted not one of them is really interested in him as a person it feels like The return of Minori is a neat thing to see, especially with the indirect lead into the comedy bit of what I like to call "Kageyama Shiego's delusions of popularity", It's hilarious to me how a boy with little imagination still manages to completely misread the situation that isn't the least bit about him, and somehow start hearing things. 100% High Horse Mob, or as I shall forever call him "100% Jojo Artstyle Mob" is an absolutely unexpected 100% that I am having trouble not laughing about. And as I wanted last episode, Dimple-related things are starting to happen with him absorbing the prayers of the followers of the divine broco-tree, shades of World of Darkness here for those familiar with the system .and of course, he wishes to utilize Mob to be the leader of the Psycho Helmet dudes, probably a leader with some Dimple-colored strings attached. Poor boy cannot catch a break. That said he did rather expertly talk smack at Dimple in the most deadpan of all possible ways, which was very entertaining to witness, I particularly like it when characters don't realize the full extent of fact or irony juice they are spilling at someone. Makes for good comedy in my humble opinion As usual, Reigen is up to his scammy ways trying to use Mob, I'd say it's a regression but honestly it's on brand with him, and he did give the guy a pretty sum for some nice clothes so there's that. And besides, Reigen is rather benign as an individual. so I guess it's kind of okay? It feels wrong saying that about a conman, Am I going nuts? Questions for later. A light-hearted return of Teru for a silly shopping trip aside, we get to the meat and broccoli that I'd been waiting on. Dimple showing himself and leading the Psycho Helmet peeps. That's one hell to close off the episode, I swear we're gonna have 50 thousand people do something chaotic and possibly dumb next episode and I cannot wait to find out what. Overall I very much liked this episode, it was nice to watch Mob be a normal kid some more and his interactions are becoming very interesting as he develops, which I hope continues on till the series' conclusion. With that. This will be all for this review. I hope to see you all in the next one when Episode 4 drops. I have been Rouga, and thank you for reading!

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Post Directory

The following is a list of posts made on this blog catalogued by the type of content they are for ease of browsing. It will continue to be updated as more posts are published.

About Me-Rouga: A short introduction

Full Anime Reviews

Battle Game in 5 Seconds

Kokoro Connect

Rakudai kishi no Cavalry

Anime Reviews by Episode

Mob Psycho 100 III

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Nerdcore Related Posts

Interview with Nina Hope

Interview with Professor Kuro

Anime Discussions

Blue Lock-Initial Thoughts

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A Spin on Soccer Anime-Initial thoughts on Blue Lock

Hello ladies, gentlemen, and all those in between from all across the multiverse! My name is Rouga and the other day I decided to check out this new anime called Blue Lock on nothing short of a whim. I just felt like watching some anime and saw a video about blue Lock in my feed, I figured I may as well see what it's about. This won't be a review post really as much as it will be just a short little discussion-rumble-type thing. talking about my feelings towards the first episode.

Starting off I must stress I have no real plan of action when it comes to this. I'm just kinda going with the flow and seeing where it takes me so please do not expect the utmost professional approach because this simply is not the place for that. First, let's address the elephant in the room and that is the fact I don't have high expectations towards Blue Lock simply because the main seiyuu, as well as the director, are new faces in the industry without a lot of experience, nor can I say anything about the original manga because the author of the story, MuneyukiKaneshiro is a complete unknown for me other than the fact he is collaborating with the author of Prison school, to which I have many questions but the most important of those asking letters is definitely the "why? " After being subjected to the series due to losing a bet with a friend, I cannot place much trust in the man behind the original and if that series is the claim to fame. I frankly don't know what to think other than the other manga he made must've been even worse. My absolutely befuddled state aside let's focus on Blue Lock. The story follows Yoichi Isagi, a second-year high schooler with a frankly unhealthy passion for football. who after a loss in the qualifiers for the nationals was selected by some weird dude to be one of the 300 potential ace strikers for the new Japanese team. And if I am being 100% honest, I do not like that guy nor the whole "strikers must be egotistical pricks" mentality which the series pushes on you in the first episode. Mainly because, and I will die on this hill, you do not win a soccer match with one player. and besides, I feel like strikers are rather overrated. I find myself more interested in the midfield personally. Players who have to balance many aspects of the game. defense, offense, playmaking, control, That said. Throw some shade at a high schooler's pride and you can bet your bottom they'll do whatever the heck you want them to if you phrase it the correctly messed up way. which is what happened with the players gathered by our weird dude. Then we get a pretty entertaining even if short-lived game of soccer-tag, which they for reasons unknown played barefoot. That had to have hurt, come on now. But I bring it up due to the rather sudden change in Isagi, one which Jinpachi, the weird dude-coach-guy really liked, which makes me dislike it more, going from his creed of "football is played as an 11-man team" to "I will be the bestest of the soccer guys and I don't need anyone else." That to me felt way too sudden and honestly, it makes me not really want the guy to succeed in his goal. Altho maybe the second episode will give me more to think about and something to change my perspective. Don't get me wrong the premise of Blue Lock is at its core interesting to me however, it needs a good execution, otherwise, it'll become another mediocre series with no solid direction or themes besides "Here's 300 egotistical teens." and while that could be fun for a comedy. According to my best informed of searches, Blue Lock is not a comedy. That being said I'm very open to being pleasantly surprised by this here show even if my hopes are not that high, sans the strange breath steam effect being almost omnipresent the series does look good and the actors, even the freshies are doing a decent job so far and as much as I absolutely dog on Jinpachi his character does have me interested simply because of how much of an absolute bunglenut he is. With that, I will wrap things up for now and I'd like to thank each and every one of you for reading. If you've something to add, please do so in the comments and I will do my best to read and respond to them. I have been Rouga and I shall see you all next time.

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Mob Psycho 100 III Episode 2 Review

Hello ladies, gentlemen, and all those in between from all across the multiverse! My name is Rouga and today I bring you the second installment of the Mob Psycho 100 III reviews. The last episode was focused a lot on the slice-of-life scenes and Mob's mental growth as a person. and by the very end of the episode and the little preview of this one, I am led to believe that things, well, things are going to go down. Possibly Dimple-related things, quite certainly Mob-related things, and who knows, maybe some other assortments of things too? Let's find out.

We have something to talk about right off the bat, and that is the intro bit changing from "Psychics" to "Youkai Hunters", which obviously the episode is gonna be about that, we already knew, still, I find it peculiar to change the intro like that and I am rather intrigued to learn of another paranormal profession in this universe.

Salt Middle School is prepping some sort of cultural festival and as luck would have it Mob is stuck with the lazy folks. His attempt at getting the group to work earnestly while not successful was rather humorous. Meanwhile, I have to agree with the other Kageyama brother. I dunno if things are different in Japan but over here, during my days in school we never went quite so pompous with any festivities. also, the cross-dressing cafe is, would schools even allow that? Oh well, Anime logic.

Something I have absolutely zero complaints about tho is one Reigen Arataka who has gone from conman-mentor to, well still a conman but very much embracing the "mentor" part. Allowing both Mob and Serizawa to grow. He himself has also developed a good bit. even if his business has been slow lately, he's taking every day in stride, which is worthy of respect.

The proper introduction to Amakusa is again a very humorous bit. Where normally I could see him as a man of mystery, within the realm of Mob Psycho he is quite the bumbling buffoon and I am left to question if for one he is legitimately a hunter of youkai and for two, how competent he even is. Reigen's line on not understanding 90% of what he said is something that entirely coincides with my thoughts., I also found it rather hilarious just how much he could annoy Reigen and yet still be heard out, even if Serizawa and he are skeptical, and so am I. However, there are things in this world that can change a man, trauma, near-death experiences, the kindness of others, or cold hard cash in a quantity of a million yen. and so we are following through with the Youkai Hunter's quest. Him thinking of Mob as defenseless is with context hilarious. but it does make a level of sense.

And well I'll be damned, Amakusa is actually legit. What's more, the setting for the building is actually properly creepy. Good job on that, The fact that out of the three non-Mob characters the one handling this situation the best is the rather wimpy Serizawa is a nice bit of relief while still not ruining the tension of the situation. Again, I praise that. The action sequence is really really pretty, Mob still spacing out I really like from the story point of view, and Serizawa's blade of calling cards, I have to say is rather cool. The so-called "holy blade" shattering like a toy, that I honestly expected, I have a feeling that if Amakusa may have some legitimate abilities he is still very much a bumbling idiot. Forcing Reigen to refuse such a big sum of money was a little unfortunate to see, as it was an actual legitimate job even if not really done by himself, Mob and Serizawa should have still gotten compensation but oh well, such is the way of the world. Seeing Mob actually figure stuff out for the costumes was a really sweet sight. He's maturing a lot lately. And let's not forget the cafe scene, Ritsu looked miserable, but then again, so would I in his position, potentially, especially when Sho rolled up. The very end with the cracked root and the very end of last episode somehow connect in my mind and I feel like we're gonna see a certain red-cheeked mass of green soon. As this is the first time the ending sequence shows up let's talk about it before wrapping things up. The song itself is very sonically pleasing and overall reminiscent of prior endings, which I do quite like, makes it a nice fit. The visuals for it are done in a very nice rough sketch-like style and the little bits of camera work giving it depth come together to form a very pleasant low-fi ending sequence which just like prior endings showed us the plain side of Mob's life. Overall, I think it's a good addition Overall I quite enjoyed this episode, it gave us more of what the previous one gave us with character building while also expanding the world by adding in the Youkai Hunter, possibly Youkai Hunters plural, and gave us some nice flashy action stuff too. I am quite pleased with this season thus far and I hope it continues.

With that. This will be all for the review. i hope to see you all in the next one when Episode 3 drops. I have been Rouga, and thank you for reading!

[starlightrealmofficial]

Mob Psycho 100 III, Episode 1-Review

Hello ladies, gentlemen, and all those in-between from all across the multiverse! My name is Rouga and today I bring you a post that will in time transform into a series on this here blog. You see, I am quite fond of the story of a certain plain looking psychic penned by a man under the simple name, One. That's right, I am a Mob Psycho 100 fan, and although I jumped on the train quite late, I am caught up to both prior seasons and enjoyed myself thoroughly with them. So it's time to see what the third season brings. A friend of mine theorizes it may be the final one so here is to hoping it's as good an end as the start was.

The people behind the series.

Let's take a look at the staff team before we get into the episode proper. The director seat is once again Yuzuru Tachikawa who was present in this position for both the past seasons as well as having a minor hand in Stains Gate and Kill La Kill, having directed an episode of each series. The position is also held by returning staff member, Hasui Takahiro who while absent from season two has directed an episode of season one. that being the start of Ritsu's arc. I rest easy with them on this project. Another returning face is the producer, Masahiko Minami, who worked on all three seasons in some capacity. He is a man present in both iterations of Fullmetal Alchemist so again, I have no worries. Sound Direction is again handled by Kazuhiro Wakabayashi. with the music being on Kenji Kawai once more. Wonderful to see that the crux of the series has stayed in all seasons thus far. Without further ado let's begin the review proper.

Review

We of course start off with Dimple's usual paranormal phenomena spiel, and I'm happy to see Shinra in the shot of psychics once more. Honestly, that man is a neater addition to the show than I initially thought he'd be. All in all, I must say I enjoy the fact we get psychics we both do and do not know in that sequence. Reused footage or not.

We absolutely have to talk about the opening tho. The visuals going crazy, which is pretty much a given in these sequences is one thing That said I did like the brief shots of the various different characters. But I want to call to everyone's attention is the fact that this is bringing some considerable epic energy into the sequence. The song is just chalked full of power. I am left to wonder if this is to subvert our expectations or pump us for what is to come.

The one sequence that really caught my eye, primarily due to the fact it wasn't happening at Mach speeds, is at the very end of the opening, with Mob and Reigen which combined with the fact of how ominous both these characters looked in parts of the opening is making me go into theory mode tho nothing as of yet has solidified.

The episode proper starts off with a slice-of-life sequence which I enjoy, I find it rather funny that of all characters present mob is actually the best standing in his finals scores. although still below average so that is on brand., The Tsubomi scene is nothing to really talk about other than her score being completely not what I expected and the fact Mob is utterly dense for still chasing her, then again, who am I to judge him?

I'm glad to see Serizawa back in the office with Reigen and Mob. I liked the little exchange before the client. And the actual "business" was quite entertaining too. I actually expected Reigen to ask Mob outright to handle this as part of "training" but what transpired was actually more entertaining, especially with how quickly Reigen flipped between nothing being an issue and going through with the exorcism. Takahiro Sakurai really does a wonderful job with the character. The dramatic rice-gluing scene I got a real kick out of, thanks in no small part to the moody visuals.

Mob asking around for advice is a nice little story beat for this episode. The fact that Onigawara, the walking Jojo reference wants to be a mangaka is quite funny. A shocker to me was one of the Body Improvement Club members, who is the second best in the school. That was definitely unexpected. Not that I think they are just dumb muscleheads but you have to agree, not a man's first choice for school genius.

The exchange with Mesato again was a very much welcome bit. Seeing Mob steadily, subtly grow, seeing potential in others like that even if he struggles to see it in himself. while the scene also acted as a subtle recap of last season. I think it was a good call.

The second client scene I also really liked, as it allowed for more development of Mob and Serizawa and seeing the two of them work together to exorcise the spirit, even if not in a very flashy way was still nice. Subtle display of a bit more control from Mob, or so I think at least. The encouragement from Mob was also sweet. Another super wholesome moment was the conversation between Reigen and Shigeo at the office. I always liked how the relationship between these two evolved. Reigen started off using Mob a lot, but I'd be lying if I said the two didn't mutually need each other, and the fact that Reigen accepts Mob's choice to at some point move on from working under him shows to me that he's glad to have met Mob not just as a tool for his job but as an actual genuine friend and is happy to actively support him.

Overall I enjoyed myself this episode, the pace was on the slower side but that's hardly a bad thing. I liked seeing the development of the characters and their dreams for the future. I'm looking forward to the next one which seems to be thrusting us back into some action. With that. This will be all for the review. I hope to see you all in the next one.

[starlightrealmofficial]

Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry-Anime Review

Hello, ladies and gentlemen and everyone else from all across the multiverse! It's been a long, long LONG while but finally, I'm back to this here blog, and today, just as I promised in my review of Kokoro Connect. Today we'll be talking about another project of SILVER LINK in collaboration with Nexus. This one has many names, Chivalry of the Failed Knight, Rakudai Kishi no Eiyutan, Tale of the Worst One, take your pick, everybody. That being said, for the remainder of the article I will stick to calling it the way I do in the title, or some abbreviation of that for the sake of simplicity. Now, let's see what timeframe we're dealing with.

It's the fall of 2015. Haikyuu's second season's starting, One Punch Man's happening, and A-1 Pictures is pushing out Gakusen Toshi Asterisk. Keep that one in mind, it's important. In that sort of environment, SILVER LINK releases a short series based on a Light Novel written by Riku Misora and the subject of today's article.

What Is Rakudai?

Imagine if you will, an academy for gifted youth who can shape their souls into powerful weapons. These Blazers, as they are called, train at a prestigious academy to become Mage-Knights. In a funny coincidence, in February of the same year, a little-known series called Black Clover began publication., Rakudai was still first with mage-knights between those two tho, the novel starting in 2013. That tangent aside tho, among the students of Hagun Academy, one is deemed a failure. His name is Ikki Kurogane. The series centers around him trying to prove his worth to everyone. And ohhhhhh boy did they mess up calling him a failure.

Ikki Kurogane-The Worst Knight

As a failure, Ikki didn't have proper training like other Blazers did, but that didn't stop him from learning. He developed a skill of his own, Blade Steal, the ability to mimic someone's style after witnessing it, which he used to hone his craft as a swordsman. Where other Blazers' weapons gifted them with essentially super powers of different kinds, Ikki's Intetsu was not like that, it was for all intents and purposes, a plain old sword. But due to Blade Steal, he had become an extremely competent user of that hunk of..metal..soul? Soul metal? What is this, the Minecraft Bleach Mod? At any rate, he's very good with a sword, and only gets better once he initiates his once-a-day super buff, Itto Shura! Which roughly translates to "I am a superhuman god swordsman, what you gon' do?" It dramatically improves Ikki's already impressive physical abilities from strength to speed to perception, to a plethora of other things. So, we have our protagonist set, especially with a pretty good performance from Ryota Osaka.  The voice of Sadao from The Devil's a Part-timer, Tanikaze Nagate from Knights of Sidonia, Apollo from Danmachi and Cheval from Monster Hunter Stories Ride On. But any knight worth his salt should have a lady right? And Ikki is no different.

Stella Vermilion-A Himedere Done Just.

I don't know if schools in Poland are just out of fashion or something but co-ed dorm rooms and stuff never really flew here, and whoever decided to put a literal princess in the room with the school's biggest fail was either a master of irony, a moron, a genius, or some combination of the above. And if you asked me which is true, I'd say "Yes". However, we can all agree that the first meeting between these two is, well, rather humorous. Imagine for a moment you're in Stella's shoes - first of all, they're probably very comfortable. Secondly, you've just been assigned to a room and you're changing, when suddenly a boy walks into your room and sees you in the act. Using his infinite wisdom in a way I can only describe as "Somehow", he sees that the only way to make things right is to show himself naked to you, taking off his shirt. Yes, my friends, this series is an Ecchi and, honestly, a pretty nice one.

Needless to say, Stella doesn't take too kindly to this and immediately demands Ikki be taken out of the room, to which the boy of course objects as it was his first. The matter is fortunately resolved and over the course of the series, the two get gradually closer and understand one another better, in a pretty realistic way if you ask me, which is always a plus.  And while we're at it, let's praise the series some more.

The Technical side.

The music within this anime is a definite strong point in its favor. I find it to be composed beautifully and the fact it uses classical instruments more than digital ones is a definite plus when it comes to how emotive and immersive it can be. Koutaro Nakagawa did a fantastic job as the composer. And along with sound director Jin Aketagawa, they crafted a really pleasant sonic experience. But granted, given their portfolios that shouldn't surprise anyone. Nakagawa's work includes Code Geass and Gosick, as well as Yu-gi-oh Arc-V and Digimon Universe, while the latter of these fine gentlemen is the sound director of Your Lie in April, Food Wars, Fire Force, Dr. Stone, Toradora, Re: Zero, Horimiya, Fruit Basket, Highschool DxD and many others. If we are to talk about the sound of Rakudai, I feel it's an absolute crime not to mention Identity, the opening theme of the series performed by Mikio Sakai, which I have been in the past guilty of listening to on loop. What can I say? It's a good song, and if you pay attention to the visual style of the opening. That provides us a neat segway into the next part. 

The Visuals

This mostly monochrome palette shift is something that to me is synonymous with Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry. It is an aesthetic utilized in decisive moments of a battle and it really puts me in the moment each time the colors said their bye-bye. That coupled with some really fun to watch sword combat and the hype generated when that ace in the hole, Itto Shura came out, plus a generally smooth animation quality and a cast of fun characters, even if not too many got action in the span of these 12 episodes, are definite positives.

The Rival

Remember how I said to keep A-1's Asterisk in mind? The two series definitely have their similarities and had been considered rivals in a sense. The funny thing is, they were really close, despite the fact that, unlike Asterisk War, Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry wasn't really promoted.

"But Rouga!" I hear you saying "Asterisk had two seasons and Rakudai only had one. That must mean Asterisk did better right?" While the first statement is certainly true, the second we could debate but I frankly don't find the need to. Asterisk's anime was at its creation planned to have two seasons while today's subject only had one. Both series were simply made to promote the source material. This still doesn't stop people from asking when the second season is coming on the author's MAL page of all places, which to me is a bit humorous. I do think that both these series did rather well at their task. I certainly want to pick up the novel of Rakudai and read it.

Conclusion

I have to admit, the series as a whole, the anime at least - I cannot speak for the novel as of right now - isn't that spectacular. Much like Battle Game in 5 Seconds, which I already covered, it's an anime that I simply had a fun time watching. That said I do place it a good bit higher on the list than Battle Game. It's actually one of two anime series that I hadn't watched alone. A friend of mine came over to my house every once in a while and we'd watch it together on her recommendation. I really liked that. And for those fond memories, I must thank the studio, Riku Misora, and everyone involved in the creation of this piece of media. I sincerely hope you give it a shot. It may not be the most stellar but just like Ikki Kurogane himself. It is far from the worst.

I have been Rouga and thank you all for your time. I hope to see you soon.

[starlightrealmofficial]

Professor Kuro- A Nerdcore Interview

Rouga: Hello Ladies and gentlemen from all across the multiverse! It's Rouga again welcoming you into the Starlight Realm, and again, I am not alone. May we please welcome Professor Kuro, aka Kuro seonsaengnim! if you know, you a real one.

Kuro: Woah never though the multiverse had a show like this! Hi everyone its Kuro Seonsaengnim and class is always in session!

Rouga: that's right, now Kuro, why don't we educate our readers on what exactly you do in the University of Barology and Dope Flows?

Kuro: Well I teach - The Way of The Artist! It is a class where we take different songs and videos and deconstruct what makes them impactful and amazing. From lyrical content, to the construction of bars, to the altering and various flows and pockets that are inhabited. And for the advanced students, we even dissect the instrumental and music production/mixing and mastering to understand how sonically all things come together to make fire! And sometimes we go galaxy brain and discuss even how the videos are put together to add to the experience!

Rouga: and best part is? You ain't got to pay a penny to enroll, just follow this dandy little link to the man's YouTube and Discord, and join us in the classroom. and don't worry, essays are not required, that said I do still write them, and all are read by the Professor himself.

Kuro: And all of your essays are A+! It is always a delight to read comments and see what parts of the class different people resonate with and it helps me know what to teach in the future as well. And yes the only thing it costs is time and not a single thing more.

Rouga: so, now that the introductions are done, let's get down to the meat and potatoes of this here interview, to start off, what prompted you to start your reaction channel?

Kuro: So the ironic thing is that originally I wanted to do YouTube to make anime content! The name Professor Kuro came from me wanting to teach classes on various anime. I was going to start with One Piece and go arc by arc summarizing the series to allow for casual fans to refresh their memory as well as for new fans to have a gate way into various series. Then one day I was on YouTube a few years back and an Anime Rap song came up on my YouTube recommendation page (the only time YouTube has ever recommended something worthwhile), that was my introduction to Anime Rap! A year or so after that I was talking with my close friend and catching them up on some of the recent drops in the community at the time and we were in VC together watching reaction videos and my friend asked me - "Hey you really know your anime and you love music, especially rap, why don't you use that channel you made and start doing reactions?". Ironically this was a huge revelation to me because I never thought to myself to make a reaction channel. I sat on the idea for a bit and decided - "Why not!". And after my first few reactions, some of the artists that I now call peers and friends noticed my reactions and welcomed me into this amazing world we all share now!

Rouga: Kudos to them and you friend then! I myself am not a day one follower of yours, but as our introduction established to those who pay attention, I been around and it has been an absolute pleasure to watch your videos and interact with you as a member of the community.

Kuro: Thank you and it is always a pleasure to interact with members of the community. The way I look at it is I'm only here because of ya'll so I really do love to interact when and where I can!

Rouga: I still remember the expression you had when I first popped into your stream, not gonna lie it warmed my heart, but before we go on too big a tangent, let's get to the next question. When was it that you decided, and what made you decide, to not only react, but also create music?

Kuro: So it's actually funny on the outside it seems like I decided to create music after reacting but in actuality, it was the reverse. My first ever YouTube post as a verse I did for a DizzyEight open verse challenge! I always knew I wanted to make music I just knew that I still had a lot to learn and so reactions came first. As I continued to listen to other musicians, research music, and practice my skills behind the scenes, I was able to post music with less stress and more growth in between tracks. So in truth, I decided to create music back in College. It was my Junior Spring and I was in an independent study course in my Film Minor and as a final project, I decided to produce, write, and make a song, as well as a music video! Then during my senior year, I made a few more songs on my own and that is when I knew I loved to make music.

Rouga: Were any of those the ones that are up on your channel? like your Uncle Iroh track, or Yusuke track? oldies but goodies I tell you people.

Kuro: No those songs only exist in my mind and possibly on an old hard drive! Once I started YouTube everything that is up on my channel was made to be up on my channel, think of the other songs as prequels that the world will never see or hear.

Rouga: some heroes shall remain unsung I suppose.

Kuro: I see what you did there!

Rouga: Your mind is as sharp as ever catching bars. and speaking of bars, but more about their spittage than catchage, how do you go about creating music? what is your creative process like?

Kuro: I LOVE this question! Long Response inbound!; So for me the creative process starts with deciding if I am going to lease or produce a beat for the character or song, usually this is decided by if I have a specific vibe/sonic space in my mind for the song. Once the beat is secured I move on to what I want to say in the track and this can really be broken down into 1 of 3 categories. For songs - do I want to inhabit a vibe, or do I want to send a message, and for features - do I want to highlight a single aspect of something and make the verse built around that core. A lot of this is decided off of feeling and gut instinct. For example with my Jiraiya Rap - "Weight of The World" I knew I wanted it to be a message. I knew I wanted to write from Jiraiya's heart as if he was sitting with Naruto as two men at the ends of their journey. Where as with my Shigaraki Rap - "Drop" I knew I wanted to create a space to let villainy and the dark rule through tone and lyrical content. I often don't control my own creative process but rather let what is speaking to me speak for itself, I don't force bars or lines, I don't force certain beats, I let the music make itself and all I do is navigate the ship till it docks and a song is completed. When it comes to bars I love using different techniques, layering them with multiple meanings and interpretations. Also, I love using different literative elements in my writing because there is poetry in rap and in music!

Rouga: Right now I have to ask if you own a printer, or if you threw it out the window years ago, because I could not agree more! and to add to that complexity, there was that one time when you decided "Yo lemme be Senior Kuro for this one!" and threw in a whole other language!

Kuro: That was a fun one! I don't often hop into my linguistics bag and I might start changing that soon because cooking up that verse in Spanish (shouts out to my homie Kero for the help) was a whole lotta fun!

Rouga: oh? is the prof going to borrow some study material from the man, the myth the legend, Shao Dow? That sounds dope.

Kuro: I do need to brush on my Japanese for sure but that isn't the only language I have in the tuck, ya'll are just going to have to wait and hear for the rest

Rouga: yea, we gotta deploy that neutral Jing and see what comes. Speaking of Shao Dow tho, that segways nicely into, who in the community is your biggest inspiration? at one time you mentioned DPS, who else is on that list?

Kuro: Yes I have definitely stated that DPS has been a big inspiration for me, interestingly enough now my biggest inspiration is myself. I know that sounds corny or nonsensical but I am reaching a point where my own art excites me for what I can do next and when I look at peers in the community and their growth and their skill level it motivates me to stick to the grind more. If that is inspiration then genuinely the list of who inspires me now is going to be as long as the number of channels I am subscribed to! I guess you can say I find inspiration everywhere I look!

Rouga: "tis a mark of a great artist to see beauty and inspiration wherever he gazes", as a wise man once said. either that or my mindbrain is doing a crazy and I just came up with that on the spot, I truly never know.

Kuro: Either way good job to your mindbrain!

Rouga: thank you, and while that would be a good segway into a special thing, we shall hold out a lil bit longer here, and I have another question to you. Who do you hope to work with in the future that you have not worked with before? and if you have specific reasons for the choices please do list them.

Kuro: Oh 1000% PE$O PETE! The biggest reason is that I want to do a One Piece Manga spoiler-filled crazy song with him. He is one of my personal favorite artists in the community right now and not only that he is a true homie and a really great guy. His interview on NCC is one that stays with me.

Rouga: I shall have to do my homework and check it out, but I definetely agree, the man is a legend and whenever I hear one of his tracks, I cannot help but ask "Who are we fighting?"

Kuro: Plus that man got ... SAUCE!

Rouga: he got the dough and the sauce, get a DPS colab for some cheddar and you got yourself the makings of an awesome Nerdcore Pizza!

Kuro: Haha I love that!

Rouga: spur of the moment bars for the people. which segways nicely into your inclusion in the, and please pardon me if I mess it up, Packed Lunches Rap Battle League. What's that like?

Kuro: Ahh The PLBL! It was really fun, it was a great way to showcase a type of rap that the community doesn't have much of and even got some new names and faces into the community. It's dormant for now but stay tuned it'll be coming back in the coming months.

Rouga: That's a great thing to hear. And for those who do not know what the PLBL is, it is a freestyle rap battle league hosted by the scene's resident Were-Bear, Shwabadi. where he, my lovely guest Kuro, and the True Evil Villain act as judges in a battle for the sickest bars. What to you, Kuro makes a good rap battle verse?

Kuro: PUNCHES! You got to get at your opponent but you have to do so creatively. Rap has been around for decades and battle rap as well has been around for decades, certain lines are not going to hit anymore but if you can get creative with your disses and schemes (schemes are really important) then you can have a great verse. Also rebuttals are both your friend and enemy, spend a verse with too many rebuttals and you will lose the battle because you didn't clap back.

Rouga: Reminds me that one time you saw my hypothetical rap battle verse targeted at Ham Sandwich, which Ham if you are reading this, I have absolutely nothing against you man. I love your stuff, the brain go wild with the draft sometimes.

Kuro: #StreamRonin #Stream-WheyfuAnthem

Rouga: hmm, we've spoken a good bit about rap, but Nerdcore is not just rap, as lovely people such as Fabvl, Divide, HalaCG, and Nina show us, Have you given thought to stepping out of rap into another genre as well maybe?

Kuro: I used to be a singer and was in a musical once but that was years ago and my voice is kinda trash now so I am now practicing singing behind the scenes so that I can make sure that when I sing on a track it sounds really good!

Rouga: #SingingKuroIsComing everybody, make it trend.

and speaking of coming, you have anything coming down the pipeline you wanna share with us?

Kuro: Yes! I have 4 songs in the works right now - A Yami Rap, A song with my brothers Diggz and Mir, A song with a certain Rose, and a song about a certain Swordsman!

Rouga: well I cannot speak for those reading but my interest is quite sufficiently gained, you and Diggz on a track gonna sound awesome, and our resident Durag man ain't no slouch either, this is gonna be great.

Kuro: Trust that we went CRAZY on that track!

Rouga: so, Before we set out to do this interview I told you I'd have a lil something special set up for you if you remember.

Kuro: Yes!

Rouga: Now is the time to unveil said special something, Tell me prof, are you familiar with Lyrical Miracle?

Kuro: Indeed, the Shwabados show?

Rouga: You know it, and I may not be a queer pink bearman, but I do propose to you a very similar game, I have prepared a few song verses, and I would like you to name the song and tell me who said the line. All of them are tracks that you have on-camera confirmed to have heard at least once. How's that sound?

Kuro: Let's do it!

Rouga: cool, I do not require you to complete the lines tho, unlike Lyrical Miracle. So, round 1 "raising my hand feels like raising a knife. Blink of my eyes and I’m taking a life. if we’re not chill then I put them on ice."

Kuro: Feels like a Breeton Boi bar.

Rouga: it is not I will give you 3 shots.

Kuro: Bet then if its not Breeton then I'ma say Shwabadi.

Rouga: dingdingding! bravo, and the track?

Kuro: Megumi Track?

Rouga: mhm, do you remember the title?

Kuro: Yeah, Shikigami Life.

Rouga: That's a score.

Kuro: Woohoo!

Rouga: round 2 "Who say they gon’ try me, Well my team ain’t bout the bull. you know who’s beside me."

Kuro: Breeton Boi, Wizard King!

Rouga: First try! great job, for those confused, I did not say songs Kuro reacted to, but ones he heard, and this song was confirmed to be heard in the comments. next up, round 3 "Hold them in my shadow, I will not relent. Bring them to the gallows, watch as they descend"

Kuro: Divide Music By My Side.

Rouga: yep, I won't lie I half expected to trip you up into Shwabadi's Shikamaru track due to the hook of it. which sidenote, is a total bop.

Kuro: Both are bops, fun fact when I first uploaded my reaction to Divide's Shikamaru track I accidentally used Shwabadi's thumbnail in my thumbnail lol So I do have a history of being tripped up by the two.

Rouga: aha! I was onto something there! Next! "So many were meant to hate us, but really? Who fucking doesn’t? There’s only a few I trust. The ones that I’m getting stuck with told me that the gun I hold is fake, but I wish it wasn’t."

Kuro: Zach B Headshot.

Rouga: and who else is on that track?

Kuro: Breeton Boi!

Rouga: ladies and gents can I get an Ay Yuh ? You really know your stuff man!

Kuro: I try to, its funny how because of how often I listen to songs or how I pay attention to lyrics when I react just based on how the lines are composed I can feel the artists from them. Shows how unique and diverse the community is

Rouga: Facts. I can't NOT see a Zach B line for example and not mentally read it in his voice ready for the next guess?

Kuro: Always.

Rouga: "See somebody in my circle move in snake ways, make em vacate, snake way, they crossing See em hate, great, lay wastе, we drop em, need a playmate, make haste, I'm yawning"

Kuro: Ham Sandwich Zeno Rap Omni King.

Rouga: mhm, and that rap was hosted by?

Kuro: Zeno, cuz aint no body on my level lmao DPS.

Rouga: perfect record so far, let's see if the final two rounds trip you up. "No it isn't black and white when playing high stakes Got a girl here by my side, and I call her my checkmate Now we changing our fate Roll the dice, that's eyes of a snake"

Kuro: None Like Joshua NGNL.

Rouga: Yep, which he of course had done with the lovely Ironmouse.

Kuro: Shouts out Ironmouse she is fantastic!

Rouga: Hell to the yes she is! Girl always gets that attention whenever she hops on a tack last one.

"Flatten peeps like futons, folding like bets On a beat spitting monkey bars, over your head."

Kuro: Shabadi, Follow Me, Jin Mori Rap, Hosted by DPS.

Rouga: Ladies and gents and all the enbys, what we just witnessed is the man work his absolute barollogy skillz in front of our very eyes if that is not enough to convince someone to join the classroom for more, I do not know what is!

Kuro: What can I say I love the community, I love the music, and I mean it when I say it, I'm really bout this life lol!

Rouga: It shows in the best possible way believe me. and now, as a bit of a closing statement. what else is the professor passionate about when he's not out here breaking down bars or spitting them?

Kuro: Life, I love music, I love anime, I love video games, I love hanging out and talking with friends, I love philosophy, working out, going out and just exploring all there is to explore in this world. Also, I am a big football fan, American football, international people dont come for my neck its not my fault it's called what its called lmao.

Rouga: Ladies and gents, Professor D. Kuro. inspirational nerdocre artist and barologist. What else can I say? having you on was an absolute pleasure, thank you for agreeing to join me for this little interview.

Kuro: It was an absolute pleasure, I had a lot of fun, thank you for having me on!

[starlightrealmofficial]

Nina Hope- An Interview With A Nerdcore Artist

Rouga: Hello ladies and gentlemen from all across the multiverse! Today marks a special day! for you see I am not alone, yes today we have a guest, those who remember back when I was active on YouTube I did a couple nerdcore song reactions, and I am very much a fan of the scene, so today I have invited a new face in nerdcore for a little interview, Let me officially welcome, Nina. and thank you once again for agreeing to do this!

Nina: Hi everyone!! So stoked to have been asked to do this, I'm really super excited, thank you!

Rouga: Pleasure to have you with us. So, as a little introduction before we get to the interview proper. Nina herself's also done a few of those as part of her podcast, the Nerdout Space. so this time we're flipping the script a little. Everyone make sure to check out her YouTube channel. and as for us, Let's get down to the questions unless you've something to add of course.

Nina: Nahhh I'm just super ready for this!! Let's start!

Rouga: so, first question, what inspired you to start YouTube in the first place? and did you do anything prior to the podcast?

Nina: Great question! So actually, I first just started with my podcast on other streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts etc. through Anchor. At the point of publishing my first episode, it's been a year since I started talking about it but didn't exactly have the means to make it happen. To be fair, my motivation to make a podcast was the fact that I really wanted to have a safe space to rant about my current hyper-fixations without the need to try and bother people in my close proximity that have been listening to me ramble for 20 years at that point. Then I had to get an iPad for school and suddenly I had the chance to start making something decent. "Doing Youtube" and making music came much later, but that is a story of its own.

Rouga: I definitely see how that came about then, and I'm glad it did, and since you provided such a nice segway for us, What exactly inspired you to get into nerdcore as a creator? and why specifically nerdcore?

Nina: Ah, well, to be honest, Nerdcore wasn't really the goal, initially, that is. I just wanted to talk about nerdy things and so I did, but then I got more and more into the actual musical nerdcore community and I saw all the amazing, hardworking artists as they progressed and evolved and helped each other and I just had two things on my mind:

1) These are some truly breathtaking people, I'd like to find out more about them. 

2) These people are following and living their dreams. I want to do that too.

For years I was so insecure about myself and even though I started with singing live at seven years old, I constantly doubted myself and dismissed my passions for not being good enough to execute them. But then people like Mir Blackwell and Breeton Boi really showed me their interest in seeing what I can do and where I can go musically and it felt like my dreams made sense for the first time after so many years

Rouga: Big big BIG shout-outs to them for that, Your voice is absolutely heavenly and your passion is just so infectious, when I first heard you sing, I had to run the song back like thrice back to back to back. I simply could not get enough, and then you collaborate with Kenzie, AKA LesserCrab who at that point I'd gotten quite friendly as well and I was just in love. And funnily enough, before the Ragyo track dropped, I actually talked with Kenzie and told her it'd be awesome if the two of you collabed.

Working with LesserCrab was just so so so nice! I can not stress it enough, she's so hardworking, she does so many things by herself and I really hope she can get more recognition in the community. I think she was the first-ever person to ask me for a collab and I think it worked out really well!

Rouga: oh yeah, Kenzie's awesome as an artist and the fact that she does dang near everything herself? I can't not just stand up and applaud her. Nerdcore's full of incredible artists, and to think the new wave has people with such passion and talent already? it only makes me more excited for the future, don't you agree, Queen? 

Nina: Definitely! I've worked and I'm working with so many hardworking and passionate people like Abhimax, AfroLegacy, Dakuto, and so so many more and they are all incredibly talented and showed me nothing but love and kindness.

Rouga: We'll definitely speak about Abhi and Johnald in a little bit here, but since we're in the mood of spreading love, let's spread it some more, Do you have any artist or artists in mind who you believe deserve more recognition than they get?

Nina: Oh, definitely! Apart from those already mentioned I'd like to mention André Gaël, YellowBladeMusic or Tere Chi, all very talented and passionate people under 500 subs!

Obviously, there are so many more I could mention, most of which I plan to work with such as Cola Cong, RhyceRecords, Tozoku. so many amazing people it's hard to name them all.

Rouga: and just in case those reading needed to be reaffirmed, out of all those names you dropped, I don't think I actually heard a single one. Well I know how I'm spending my weekend then chuckles 

 so, coming back to you as an artist, it's honestly impossible for me to think of Nina Hope, and not start humming Favorite Song lyrics. how was that creative process? since we talked about you featuring on another track, how was making your own with a feature?

Nina: So, the making of Favorite Song was actually so overwhelming. I absolutely fell in love with the beat Abhimax made and I knew I had to make it into something. And if there’s something I can express well, it’s love. Actually, the lyrics of the hook were in my head for a while (inspired by not only Kirito and Asuna but also my partner), I wrote them inspired by a different beat and I was so shocked when I found out how perfectly they suited the Abhimax beat. Now, I most certainly didn’t expect it to turn out as it did. When I first heard the rough mix, I cried. Like, legit cried. I listened to it over and over, showed it to my family and it just seemed so unreal that I was a part of making that. That it was made under my name. It would never have been possible without the help of so many people.

Rouga: You all can't see it right now, but my face is a freaking banana of a smile, like a sheepish grin. 

I needed a moment to recompose myself here, so, if we're talking about working with other artists why don't we finish off the set and talk about you working with Afro Legacy? because I won't lie, I've things to say about the song.

Nina: See, AfroLegacy is the biggest fucking gremlin ever that's simultaneously my favorite nerdcore person hands down. We got the same gremlin energy, love his music, he's so so hardworking and so open to whatever I had to bring to the table. Both songs we've made together so far are doing really well and people seem to like them, and I give all the credit to him for making it happen. Cosplay Chick was such a meme thing to happen though. Like, going into it I had no idea I'd be in my dorm room recording how I giggle and sigh and shit for the track. It kinda just happen and I'm here for it! 

Rouga: It's slightly funny to me because based on that and how you reacted on Discord, I'd have thought you were super embarrassed about it. But in the song itself you sounded like you just had a blast, and complete confidence in what you were doing, and I am not just talking about the sighs and giggles. 

Nina: Well to be honest I did have a blast, but I was still very self-conscious about it, no doubt. I had no idea what reactions to expect but mostly all the feedback was positive! That made me feel so so much better about it and I'd certainly do something similar again.

Rouga: I'm sorry if this comes out wrong but, that's quite a different reaction to "please do NOT show my parents!" 

Nina: Lmao please STILL DO NOT show my parents😭 it's enough that my sibling heard it.

Rouga: So, I think this is a natural progression at least, how do you go about making music or a podcast? What're the creative processes like? 

Nina: That's a very broad question! Can you specify what exactly interests you so I know where to start? 

Rouga: like, how you go about making a song how it all begins forming in your mind.

Nina: I see! Well, I usually have the general idea about- This is the character I'm currently inspired by and this is the vibe I'm going for. Then It's all just about finding the right beat for the vibe and using it well. I usually write things as "inspired by" because while I do throw in a bar here and there, I'm mostly a singer, not a rapper, and most importantly, I'm still learning how to write songs in English properly, since it's not my first language and it can be a little challenging here and there! 

Rouga: so we're following a Divide Music school of thought here, always nice to have that, as for English not being your first language, all I can say is hats off to you for doing so well, especially when you decide to go into Spanish, which also is not your first language. The blend is just something else. 

Nina: Thank you so much, I really try! I'm hoping to bring all the other languages I speak to the game sooner or later.

Rouga: Well then we have even more to look forward to. speaking of stuff to look forward to, what are some of your dreams as an artist in the scene? 

Nina: There are so many things that I hope to do! I want to do the podcast (as well as everything else) more often, but mostly I hope to work with some of the people I highly admire such as HalaCG, Divide, Rustage, Shwabadi, Connor... the list goes on. Hopefully, after this summer, I would like to start streaming too and bring more content to the community. I don't precisely have a goal in views or subs or anything, but it would sure be nice to make a living out of something that you love to do.

Rouga: That sure sounds like a lot of fun. and I'll tell you right now, nay, I am calling it, by this time 2023, one of those names on that list at a minimum, will be checked.

Nina: I certainly hope so, that really would be a dream come true!

Rouga: Well I believe in you, us Slavs stick together right? 

Nina: Always!

Rouga: So, I can't really think of much else nerdcore related, but you do not limit yourself to simply nerdcore as we stated before. You love to nerd out over a bunch of stuff. So let me ask you this what is your most recent fixation? 

Nina: Whooo that's actually such a good question... I think my current fixation is mostly spending time and making new nerdcore friends, talking to everyone has been so fun! But as to what I spend my time on nerd-related right now is a lot of Arcane content, especially the ships, ah, the ships give me life! And I've always been a shipper at heart, there's no changing that.

Rouga: I'll be honest I never got those hardcore shippers, and I don't typically ship characters, but sometimes, sometimes you just find that one pair that just clicks and it's so right. 

Nina: I wouldn't say I'm a hardcore shipper, I just love... love, at the end of the day, hehe 

Rouga: And that's a very positive note. also yes, I am 1000% a pro-Vi and Cait person, and Ekko as much as I like him can buzz off about it. 

Nina: I am literally every arcane character person I just love them all so much 

Rouga: Silco I adore as an antagonist, as a person tho he can go die in a ditch for all I care, and I love him for that. 

Nina: Don't we all just love a good, good villain?

Rouga: yeah, why Danzo's cool well he's not, but you get the idea.

Nina: I totally do!

Rouga: I absolutely hope for another series set in the Arcaneverse that'd be awesome!

Nina: There are a loooot of characters in League of Legends, so I most definitely hope so! especially some of my favorites.

Rouga: May I ask you list a few?

Nina: Definitely! I love characters like Nami, Miss Fortune, Illaoi or Taliyah, but there are many interesting stories happening in Piltover and Zaun too with characters such as Seraphine (nowhere near my favorite, but lore fans know) and Skarner, Zeri and Renata etc! 

Rouga: Taliyah is a character I always liked too, Nami was one I also played in my day and I quite enjoyed, being a support player and all, even tho it's a thankless job. but yeah I definitely agree with you, and I know that what I am about to say may not be the flashiest, but I'd like to get a story focusing on Varus, that Darkin had always interested me, even back when it was only Aatrox, then as Kayn came around and Varus got retconned into a Darkin? I was very excited!

Nina: Yesss there are so many interesting plot lines, I'm super super excited to see them unfold like this!! 

Rouga: yeah, and let's not forget one of the biggest memes of the game and his mystery that being "Who in the blazes killed Yasuo's master?" 

Nina: YUP!!! So many questions.

Rouga: And just because I am curious, what's a series/property that you hope or want to get more love or time in the spotlight? 

Nina:hmmmmmmmm

I really hope more people get into Percy Jackson now that the new show is being made!! 

Rouga: it's actually something I'd been meaning to give a shot funnily enough.

Nina: please do!!! It’s so great!

Rouga: why don't you give our readers a little incentive and try and sell them on it briefly? how's that sound? 

Nina: Hmm, sure! So Percy Jackson and the Olympians, while not without fault, is the fantasy series with all that Harry Potter hoped to have - lgbtq+ and racial representation and diversity, amazingly adapted chosen one and found family tropes and so many more! It's so so soft and heart clenching at the same time! I personally can't imagine not having read it! 

Rouga: You've me sold, let's cross our fingers and hope the readers feel the same way.

I think that's a good place to call the little interview. Do you have any closing thoughts or anything you want to tell our readers to look forward to? 

Nina: Aahhhh so many things! Mostly just, don't give up on the things you love to do because life's too short to lose time on self-doubt!! And there's gonna be so much more music from me this year, I hope you can be here to witness it 

Rouga: I am literally smiling at this, and for such a wholesome conclusion, you deserve a hug. Well then ladies and gents, I've been Rouga, and my lovely guest was none other than the absolutely amazing catgirl nerdcore queen, Nina Hope. Thank you for being with us!

[starlightrealmofficial]

Kokoro Connect-Underrated Gem of 2012

Hello, ladies and gentlemen from all across the multiverse! god, it feels like forever since I used that greeting. come to think of it it has probably been a good few moons so yeah it’s pretty much been forever. Welcome to another post on this lovely blog. Do you ever watch an anime or any other show and you feel it’s really good but never hear people talk about it? Well, I have one of those, probably more but when I think of this subject one series in particular always comes to the forefront.

Let me take you back in time a bit, it’s the summer of 2012. Naruto’s in its final stages, One Piece’s Fishman Island arc started, Sword Art Online just reeled its head on screen, Hunter X Hunter and Fairy Tail both in good stretches. Kuroko no Basket, Gintama, overall a pretty big point for the hard hitters (if you excuse Naruto’s final arc and don’t mind filler with Fairy Tail that is. :)

With such a lineup people are talking, shows are going strong and a newcomer not so high on energy isn’t likely to break through, is it? And that, that is a real shame. That’s the landscape that the focus of this little article had to face, but enough beating around the bush, what is Kokoro Connect? Those of you who know a lick of Japanese may think it’s some sort of romance if you were to translate the “Kokoro” into the English “heart”. Such an assumption however is wrong.

How to handle an emotional teenage drama without constant tearjerkers or edge

So what IS Kokoro Connect about? I hear you asking. Well, let me enlighten you. The primary setting for the series and the sequel OVA is a school with a little strange of a rule. You see every student must belong to a club. and our main cast members are very much misfits, either they wanted to join a club that does not exist, or no club in particular interested them, or they straight up did not want to be in a club. So what did our outcasts do? Why make a club of their own, duh.

And so Yamaboshi Academy gains an extra club on the roster, the Student Cultural Society which consists of wrestling fan Taichi Yaegashi, Iori Nagase, an indecisive optimist; Himeko Inaba, a Kuudere computer wiz,; Yui Kiriyama, a petite and emotional karate girl and Yoshifumi Aoki, the class clown who wanted a gaming club.

Ok so we’re gonna have some normal slice of school life wholesome series? yes, but take the “normal” out. You see strange things are starting to happen to them, yes very strange indeed as our new friends soon begin to switch bodies at random between each other and I don’t know about you, I personally never was part of a school club but that does not seem like a typical thing to happen in them. The series sees our group of protagonists juggle life under those strange new conditions and even other peculiar conditions that come later because body swapping alone is not the only thing that’ll happen in Yamaboshi Academy oh no. There are a lot more strange occurrences where that came from, and I’d like to talk about where that came from so if you don’t want spoilers I’d advise you skip the next paragraph, It won’t be really big plot twists or anything but just in case you don’t want any knowledge past the first episode, I’ve got you covered.

The Cause

The students quickly find the culprit behind those strange phenomena happening to them. an entity possessing their teacher calling itself Fusenkazura, or Heartseed. I will stick with Heartseed for the duration of this article just because it’s easier to type. So what are the motives? what exactly does this strange entity want? Well, it’s quite simple. All Heartseed wants is to be entertained and to that end, it brings the phenomena to the Student Cultural Society simply because it found them interesting.

A little more in-depth here, I really like Heartseed as a part of this story, he’s sadistic to a point and somewhat playful but ultimately pretty benign to the point where I struggle to call him an antagonist when such a moniker is used for characters like the Joker, Frieza or Smoker who very much actively want to bring harm to the hero. Joker and Frieza have both wanted to kill their nemesis at different points, only one ever succeeded tho, at least in a way that ever mattered for more than a couple minutes. and even Smoker who let’s face it is ultimately a just and pretty likable guy surely understands that were he to capture a certain rubber boy, said rubber boy may well end up not so alive by the end of proceedings. Heartseed is different from these guys, sure he doesn’t really attempt to make the club’s life easier with all the body swapping and other shenanigans but he’s not actively out to harm them either. he’s in a weird morally light gray area, a moral Gainsboro if you will.

Overall a fascinating secretive character and a testament to the fact, not all mysteries should be solved. an undeniable part of what makes Heartseed so freaking interesting is that we don’t know everything about him and the only things we do know are things he himself tells us, which speaks volumes not only to the overwhelming reality warping capabilities of the entity but also the state of self that comes with it. Perhaps even Heartseed feels telling the club everything would make things less entertaining? who knows?

Talking about the plot is all well and good but man does not live by plot alone. so what about the other aspects that make an anime? let’s talk a little about that now.

The People Behind The Series

The anime was made by the studio Silver Link which you may know from series such as Jahy-sama, Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry (We will definitely come back to that one at some point), Bofuri, or Masamune -Kun no Revenge. so in my experience at least there’s a decent level presented even if the studio is not talked about as much as Madhouse, Bones, or Sunrise.

The series itself is directed by Shin Oonuma and Shinya Kawatsura. the former of these fine gentlemen has directed an episode of Bakemonogatari and directed Watamote as well as Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry. While Kawatsura’s works include a few episodes of Blue Exorcist, Jojo part 3, Storyboarding and directing a few episodes of Toaru Majutsu no Index II, and being the assistant director for Durarara. So I’d say with a clear conscience that these two know what they’re doing

When it comes to the source material that comes courtesy of Sadanatsu Anda who has penned a great story, tho as a writer they have very little to their name that I could find. The art is done by Yukiko Horiguchi who has worked on things such as K-On and Lucky Star as well as animated for Inuyasha and I am here to inform anyone not in the know that those, well those are kinda a big deal.

What about the soundtrack? well, the sound director is Toshiki Kameyama who has a lot of series under his belt the ones I’ve heard of include 3-Gatsu no Lion, Nisekoi and SSSS Gridman.

Names and portfolios are all well and good but Rouga, I hear you asking, how’s that Project onto Kokoro Connect?

well sit tight cuz I’m about to give you the things that you give to questions, and that is what we call answers.

Visuals And Sound

When talking about the visual side of Kokoro Connect I feel one word describes it perfectly, that word being “fitting”. the visuals are just what they need to be for a given scene and they do their part phenomenally between the actual art, animation or the lighting, everything just plays together very well in painting the perfect picture that needs to be painted and the scores paired with the scenes make a very good atmosphere for the series, It’s a school life comedy with a bit of drama in just the right moments, tones and amounts to enrich the story. I’ve one scene in particular from much later into the series and oh my god is it emotional. All I will say to avoid spoilers is that when you see it, you will know it.

Of course a great story needs characters to populate the environment and an anime needs actors to bring those characters to life. and Kokoro Connect’s cast is very much a positive. We have Miyuki Sawashiro known for her roles in Fruits Basket, Psycho Pass and Sword Art Online, Aoki’s voiced by Takuma Terashima who you may know as Shiki from Edens Zero, Oscar Orcus from Arifureta or Shiroe from Log Horizon. and Taichi is voiced by the man behind Orochi Ginba from Beyblade Burst, Jun from Erased and Hetalia’s Finland,Takehiro Mizushima. just to name a few voices you can hear while watching.

Final Thoughts

Overall Kokoro Connect is a very well made series that utilizes each aspect of the medium: art,music,voices and animation to great effect making a series that is very much worth a watch. Sure it may not be as hype as Hunter X Hunter or as emotional as Anger Beats,or have as much visual flair and pzazz as Mob Psycho or Demon Slayer but I feel like that is actually a benefit to the series rather than a detriment. Kokoro Connect isn’t trying to be something it’s not. It’s a relaxed school comedy and it plays out great as such. I highly recommend you watch the series if you haven’t. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Maybe see it with a friend who you’d like to get into anime? I believe it to be a nice entry point to the slice o life genre if not anime as a whole.

Thank you for reading and I hope to see you in the next post I make.

[starlightrealmofficial]

Battle Game in 5 Seconds-Anime review

Hello everyone! I’m Rouga and this is the first proper bit of blog that I’ll make. True to my weebness it’ll be a material concerning a recentish release, if you count July of last year as recent that is.

As the title suggests the series in question is Battle Game in 5 Seconds or as I’ll be calling it for short from time to time, BG5 which has nothing to do with backgrounds but, it kinda does. More on that later

The Protagonist

To have a good story you must have a good protagonist. In the case of BG5 our hero is Akira Shiroyanagi and while much like on the series itself the opinions on our gamer boy are mixed, my own opinion on him is that even if he is not the most stellar of protagonists, he’s at somewhat of a breath of fresh air when you compare him to your Narutos, your Gokus, your Luffys or your Dekus. Did I just compare a fresh and not so beloved series protagonist to some of the most well known ones and ones people generally hold highly, well save for Deku that is. Did I do that? Yes, yes I did and do I think Akira stands on equal footing with them? Well, that is quite a different story. but to get to the bottom of this thought of mine that then formed a thing called an opinion we need to get to know our Mr. Protagonist

Akira is as you can see rather ordinary looking, but if you ask me that only adds points to him rather than doing the other thing that you do with points.

Akira’s a high schooler with a passion for gaming and an absolute disdain for boredom. All this guy wants is a game to immerse himself in for however long, fully engage in it, to break the dullness of his everyday life. Despite the fact that he spends all day playing games, even during class he still manages to be top of the class due to the fact schools basically test how much you can memorize, I guess his high grades earn him a pass on gaming? not like any school I ever went to in my day but sure, guess he doesn’t bother anyone so no point bothering him and everyone’s happy.

At any rate on his way to school he gets chased by a hulking dude-thing and so his first instinct is of course to kick into top gear and run like he has never ran before.

As our protagonist runs from the monstrosity chasing him he comes to a realization.

“This is just like a game” he thinks and immediately he starts having some Good Doctor level mental analysis, and so he hatches a plan. This is about the time when the series tells you, the viewer “this is not gonna be a standard shounen”. As Akira’s trap fails, testament to how gosh dang durable the creature is. it then leaps to capture our boy and in a split second decision the pro gamer makes it impale itself onto a pole and die, then throwing it several feet below.

This guy’s cold and I love that about him, especially since that coldness isn’t the only character trait he has, He’s not about to just start murdering everything in his path, but if it really comes down to it? he’s not afraid to get is hands dirty.

The Antagonist

Now we know our protagonist but to have a good conflict and thus a good story a good hero is not gonna cut it, they need an adversary, and who’s that adversary for Akira Shiroyanagi? The obstacle he has to overcome? It’d be none other than Mion.

Mion can best be described as sadistic and playful. and absolutely twisted. After Akira gets rid of the monster chasing him Mion appears and congratulates him, only to reveal it was an “unwinnable event” and seemingly kill the boy. In his final moments Akira assumes what ends up being true, this meeting is far from the end.

Akira finds himself along with several others as a test subject for some experiment and Mion explains the following:

They all are officially registered as dead.

They’ll be taking part in various “programs“ with some goal in mind although said goal is not made known.

There is no penalty for killing each other..

each of them has been given some special ability by the organizers.

if any of them are deemed useless, they will be disposed of.

Each of the participants has a set of handcuffs on them. They take 5 seconds to unlock, once they do the person is able to use their ability.

The crux of the conflict in BG5 is as you can probably guess, Akira wanting a rematch with Mion and that is his goal throughout the programs. That very simple mechanism is what drives the plot and while it is a very basic plot, at least from the portion that has been shown in the anime, it works well enough for what it is.

The Power System

The abilities in BG5 aren’t particularly complex, and as such they are simply referred to as abilities. but hey, not every power system has to be as complex as Nen or as uniform as ki and much like the other aspects of the series, for what it is. It works well..

Most abilities are rather basic as I said, like the ability to quintuple one’s physical abilities (that means multiply them by 5) or the ability to turn a stick into a sword. Some however, can be more diverse and such is the case with the ability held by our protagonist. They gave it the name Sophist and the description of it is “whatever the other person thinks your ability is” and I LOVE this ability because of how it operates. I tend to gravitate toward powers that rely on the user to make them great. Why abilities such as Bungee Gum, the lantern corps rings from DC or the Gomu Gomu no Mi I hold in high regard. And Sophist is no different, it’s an ability with a lot of potential that only someone with a keen mind would be able to utilize it to the fullest and figure out the exact ways the ability operates, which Akira spends some time doing with a good, clear explanation. making it easy to follow.

But even the best plots and characters can fall short if the visual side of things disappoints.

Visuals

I said the acronym BG5 had nothing to do with backgrounds but now is the time to talk about them, and the foreground, the foregrounds too.

Visually the series presents a good level with well drawn settings for the scenes, solid but not stellar animation quality and Miyako Kashiwa’s character designs come together to form not the greatest anime of its season it’s at the very least an enjoyable pass time. That said it’s not without visual flaws, the occasional use of CGI is not the greatest but at the very least it’s sparse and not insufferable. it just doesn’t look as good as say Ufotable’s quality with the asset.

Conclusion

Battle Game in 5 Seconds was an overall average but enjoyable watch and while I wouldn’t recommend it as strongly as I’d recommend Shadows House for instance, if you’re looking for a good pastime or looking to show a friend the world of anime this one’s not too bad of a call for the Battle Shounen genre.

Thank you for reading my first proper post on here and I hope there’ll be many more to come

[starlightrealmofficial]

About Me-Rouga

Hello, This is Rouga from a small YouTube group, Starlight Realm. I don’t really have the conditions to reliably record right now and I don’t think that’ll change anytime soon

As a result I opted to start this here blog where I’ll talk about various things that my mindbrain decides it wants to release to the public. that don’t belong on the Wattpad page.

What you can expect from me here mostly is posts about anime/manga/shows and the like, some discussions, some reviews maybe a theory or two but I honestly suck with those so don’t get your hopes up people.

I’ll do my best to be professional but I’m not gonna censor myself or be overly serious, it’ll be like talking to me normally only you don’t get to hear my deceptively British voice.

I hope you join me for this journey and thank you very much for reading this short little introduction