#2022 anime rewatch (dub)

[ashitomarisu]

Ghost in the Shell (Final Thoughts)

For as long as I have been doing anime watches (albeit since 2013 as a monthly ordeal), my range of genres usually fall within one of three things: magical girl, fantasy/adventure, or music-based (including idols). Dubs are not my cup of tea (since I have grown up seeing localized versions of certain anime titles growing up from Toonami, Jetix, and 4Kids). In recent years, however, I wanted to start looking into older or more mature titles as the age of 30 is quickly approaching my way.

Luckily, there was one dub I recall fondly from my early adulthood that was due for a rewatch.

Note: For this special "final thoughts", I'll only focus on the dub version of Stand Alone Complex, 2nd GIG, and Solid State Society. The 1995 movie is an alternate telling of the manga, which I do not wish to relive that experience. On the other hand, let's not EVEN go near the 2017 live action movie starring Scarlett Johansson because no, absolutely not. That can go back to the burning barrel where it came from. With that being said, let's get on to the post.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

To be brief:

Prior to rewatching this, I never knew of a second English dub that was done around the time Bandai's dub aired. Apparently, Animax did a version, in which Motoko Kusanagi's VA and a couple of others were changed.

It dawned on me that there was a meaning between "stand alone" and "complex" episodes. The term "stand alone" refers to an episode that has NO ties with the main plot of the "Laughing Man Incident of 2024". "Complex" episodes do involve this main plot.

My feelings about the whole "Laughing Man" ordeal was awkward. The previous times I watched this, my head could not wrap around who really was the "Laughing Man". Even after the eighth time, I STILL CANNOT believe Aoi may have been the culprit, when they keep assuming the whole "Laughing Man" idea may have never been a person at all.

That climax...still got chills from those last several episodes. It was such a fucking hellfire at first, but it did tie loose ends pretty well near the end of the season.

Oh, and that iconic opening sequence; one of the best openings to execute CGI in the year 2002 like it was cakewalk. There will never be another song as eerily yet fascinating as [inner universe] by the late Origa (bless her vocals, damn it).

TACHIKOMAS

Oh, and Catcher in the Rye was referenced (one of the books that inspired this series)

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2nd GIG)

Once again, there are three different sets of episode variants: dual (which involves the Individual Eleven as well as the CIS/Gouda arc), dividual (episodes that are independent from the two main arcs, but could have some relevance), and individual (obviously, the Individual Eleven plot-heavy episodes).

Personally, I loved this season a little more for having better writing, slightly better CGI, and a ton of mature/political themes.

The animation can be a bit (and I mean it's very subtle) wonky or off-model, but that did not bother me much during the exposition scenes.

The second OP is great, but not as iconic as the first.

[Spoiler alert], you may want to shield yourself from trauma, but that scene was shocking yet violently executed in a way you'd want to read into the lore as to what made them do it in the first place.

You thought last season's finale was crazy? How about [spoiler alert] getting [spoilers] while trying to stop a [redacted]? Even I still cannot believe the writers decided to go there.

Solid State Society

Frankly, this is the first time seeing the movie; only one thing comes to my head.

Human trafficking (mainly children abduction) being the focus of this antagonist's scheme. Not to mention hacking was involved to minimize the damage when in reality, it's a HUGE freaking deal. It's kind of like...seeing a beehive nestled on the side of someone's house. You think it's not gonna be so difficult to remove, until you notice the bees somehow got into the walls (probably a small crack that wasn't patched up when it was originally constructed) and you find tons of honeycombs plaguing the whole inside of that wall.

(I was not using the glacier anecdote as that is too obvious).

Now, the awkward thing about this movie was how the writers kinda pulled a slight twist to the perpetrator's intentions.

Usually, my perspectives on villains is usually the typical "boo, hiss, dni" ordeal. However, this guy's intention was fueled by several factors:

rising unemployment rates

low birth rate

excessive child abuse rates

rising geriatric population (Noble Rot Senior Citizen)

So, I get what this dude was trying to fight for, but his motives were illegal. Was he a sick son of a bitch? Yeah, for the actions.

Although, I will give the writers damn good credit for tackling subjects like these, because even the topic of a broken healthcare system was alluded (these citizens at end-of-life stage dealing with such poor attention by the system).

Conclusion

Overall, how much more praise could I give to something as exceptional as the Ghost in the Shell dub?

As I have said before, not many English dubs stand out to me more than this. The story, concept, world building, and development are all top tier quality that leave thought-provoking questions to be taken into consideration. Production I.G., Gainax, and these other studios who contributed to the series did such a stellar job creating an adaptation that may still be ahead of its time (for now).

If you're up for some drama, suspense, heavy imagery/themes and a damn good time, I HIGHLY recommend just watching the SAC era of Ghost in the Shell (2005-2008) in its Bandai dub.

You will thank me later.

----------

Before I announce the next review, let me extend some kudos to the late Origa, who lost her battle to lung cancer back in 2015. Part of my adolescence/adulthood was listening to both OPs constantly, mainly [inner universe], which still leaves a chilling, yet beautiful phenomenon to this day. Rarely (and I seriously mean rarely) do I listen to any Russian/English new age. May her legacy continue to be remembered through her contribution to this anime and her other projects.

----

Coming up in a few days, I will be releasing my "Final Thoughts on Toradora!" There are some loose ends I need to get to before I can fully give this my two cents. Until then, stay tuned.

[gramarye]

really really long post where i just talk about johan from yugioh gx thank you

im thinking about johan tonight bc i was drawing him and i wanna talk abt him. bear with me. I REALLY LIKE JOHAN . TO START THIS OFF WITH i have an official licensed johan "WHERE AM I" shirt and i adore it its really funny also i used to have like a johan pin i bought from a german anime store and it was like 8 euros but i shipped it off to my friend who is really really crazy about johan

^johan where am i shirt

anyway johan. jessejohan. i like johan so much believe me he is my nordic scandinavian brethen i just think his writing has issues mainly that he has like no real relationships outside judai and like. i know as a gay person -- i am literally a lesbian In A Lesbian Relationship In Real Life -- that characters will become more likeable when they're queer coded bcuz its Different and its relatable. however i think his writing is kind of really weak and i quote this thing my friend said in 2022 like a lot

HARD TRUTHS TO SWALLOW jesse is a beautiful damsel in distress and his personality outside jaden and crystal beasts is kind of nothing. i love him tho

but the most offensive thing abt it writing wise is like in season 4 when they duel against trueman sorry it was fujiwara. okay i was rewatching gx ages ago and my ex was watching it with me and it was her first time seeing it and shes a literature major and when the whole. "what is the darkness in johan's heart" scene, AFTER IT WAS ESTABLISHED EVERYONE, EVERY STUDENT INCLUDING MANJOUME SHO ASUKA O'BRIEN ETCETC has darkness in their hearts,

my ex goes "if they reveal that he has no darkness in his heart because hes such a special boy im going to be so fucking mad because hes already a mary sue" (HER WORDS NOT MINE she was so mad about johan its funny.) AND THEN THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY DO

like he is literally too perfect. his only flaw is his one (1) time thing about getting lost which is never really brought up again (also its more of an endearing haha funny thing and yes i like it i have a shirt referencing that scene.) and the fact that.. he gets taken over i guess.

i do think the switch around where they bamboozle fujiwara is really funny. it is a funny scene i just wish they literally didn't do it at the cost of "johan is a perfect person without any mental weaknesses when literally every single other character has some flaws" I DONT GET IT!!!

maybe he can just photosynthesize his worries into strength i dont know. does anyone remember that meme

but really like WHAT IS JOHAN WITHOUT JUDAI!!!! why is he literally perfect and above other characters also. why could they not give him any darkness like What possible reason does that serve except me think he is BORING!!!! i do like johan btw as i said i really do. i just think his writing kinda sucks and people are way too nice on johan because he is queer coded but the fact is his writing is really weak. this isnt exclusive to johan ok i also dislike some aspects of jadens writing and asukas and so forth (naming characters i really like to prove my point) I AM CRITICAL this is just. about johan. ok.

and this brings me to the weirdo youtube essayists who only care about s3 and think its the peak of gx and yugioh in general and also. ONE SUCH YOUTUBER. WHO SAID IT IS "HOMOPHOBIC" THAT JESSE IS SOUTHERN IN THE DUB WHICH. WHAT?

you think all southern people all homophobic??? im sorry but i know so many goddamn queer people in thhe south. are you out of your mind. please blow up. LET HIM BE A GAY TEXAN you are just showing your own prejudice literally why did so many gx fans eat up "umm it was homophobic of 4kids to make him southern" they give like everyone accents. he has cowboy boots in his design. its not homophobia hes just southern and southern gay people exist. watch brokeback mountain or something

anway

i think johan is a much more interesting character if you incorporate his manga counterpart into it. like combine him with his anime self and it'd be really fun. his bug enthusiasm in the manga is fun like he has an actual hobby and personality. ADHD bug king

also i think personally they should lean into him being scandinavian more. ITS FUNNY. i think he should try to feed manjoume blodplättar because he looks anemic. he should open a can of surströmming around asuka (canonically very much hates food with strong smells) and she gets so upset she has to like leave the building entirely. she should get into a cultural dispute with o'brien because he thinks carola's swedish cover of mickey is better than toni basil's original

i think this and like. septembers mikrofonkåt is what he should listen to. swedish pop baby

anyway. i like johan i just think Some of his fans are insane and thats why i need to take him down a peg every now and then . in a loving bully way. also hes very gender to me dont worry about it. also TWO different people have said some variation of the "fuck danganronpa and its fans i hope komaeda marries a woman" post about him to me in different years which is so funny.

anyway yes i love jessejohan. send post

[feathersketchcreations]

Hey guys, I know this is random, but I go live this saterday, March 30th at 4:00 pm EST because that's a huge day for me. on March 30th 2022 I created My first official imp oc and joined the helluva boss fandom with Remi! I know this seems silly to celebrate something like this, but this fandom means a LOT to me. there are so many friends I've met. and whats more, I struggled for YEARS to grow my youtube channel. because of this fandom it's helped me improve and get out there more with my content! join me LIVE on March 30th at 4:00 pm EST to rewatch EVERY single remi animation I've ever made and done, and have me personally thank you all for being with me through this challenging but rewarding journy. time flies. it's already been what. 2 years? OOooMAN...

if you're not a fan of oc x blitz content this stream isnt for you ^^; Any stream donations go straight to funding my indie show thats in development Elementals of Tsikiri! (super excited for that! if interested I'll leave our official websites link in the comments!)

stream link! https://youtube.com/live/ggAEyGadRiQ?feature=share

Link to a dub to this comic I did with a blitz va I usually go through, captain doofkin: https://youtu.be/8Nj5JyeqyLQ

Comic art (c) mine

Remi (c) mine

Blitz Helluva boss (c) vivziepop

[kittycowboy]

whats ur fav anime . atm

OHHH hard to choose. Ive been rewatching Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War (and watching s3 for the first time) lately and its def one of my faves. It's a comedy but it has a kot of serious parts fit into it really well (Sometimes in comedies rhe serious bits are totally ruined bt sticking a joke in the middle, or theyre just inserted into it reslly weirdly- I think love is war does it really well tho)

OH !!! Mononoke is also rlly good its probably my all time fav in its genre (Like I wouldnt pit a comedy against mononoke bcs you gotta judge them on different things yk?). Its also the onky dubbed anime that I watch the sub with. The dub aint bad but I thi jnk the sub is just rlly good.

In generalllll I'd say The Disasterous Life of Saiki K bcs its so rewatchable imo (I'm the worlds #1 rewatfher ever).

OH JAPAN SINKS 202O THATS ONW OF MY FAVES 100% i'm Science Saru's #1 dickrider but I really enjoy it in general for a lot of reasons. Bcs its SciSaru the animation has a really unique feel- When you get to watching so many anime you can lose interest in an otherwise good one if it has the standard, boring style every time yk? SciSaru tho has a lot of influence from western animation as well as eastern- The chief of animation is actually Spanish and worked in Ireland and France before going to Japan for SciSaru !! France is actually where one of the founders met Góngora (chief animator) and when he started his own abimation studio w/ Eunyoung Choi (other founder) he invited Góngora to join. Sorry I rlly like taljing abt SciSaru.

Anyway the studios animation is of itself is a amazing. I lije to describe it often as a more western feel with the actual animation, but a very Anime-y framing and bloxking if that makes sense? I could go on abt this for hours. anyway

As I said Japan Sinks 2020 is super good, so's a lot of SciSaru's other stuff. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken is also an AMAZING one done by them. iirc it was the first of their anime that I watched.

Sarazanmai and Stars Align are also great ones !! Yk how when you finish one rlly good media you immediately want The Exact Same Thing but Slightly Different? I like to rec those rwo together bcs it feels like that sorta vibe. Weathering With You also ig. If you were to watxh both of them I'd say go for Stars Align first tho, or else the wildness of Sarazanmai might make Stars Align seen like a bit of a letdown. idk

If I had to go for movies I'm always a sucker for Makoto Shinkai ones, and if you like his stuff then Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop might be down your alley too. I've been watching the Satoshi Kon fest and Tokyo Godfathers is AMAZING as well. Pretty different from the ones I just mentioned tho

Last years fall season releases had some gems too!! Hells Paradise, My Home Hero, and Heavenly Delusion were amazing. I havent finished those last two yet tho haha

Kotaro Lives Alone also came out last year I think? or maybe 2020-2022 idrr. Its a luttle sad but its rlly good. So sad that theres no more ToT

[reliablejoukido]

[ digiweek 2022 day 1: first day/beginning “Tell us about a character you love” ]

I can tell you about FOUR.

When I first watched Adventure, back in 1999 when the dub aired in the US, I thought Matt Ishida was the cutest anime character I had ever seen. I was the same age as him and his cool kid personality just captured my little 11 year old heart. But sadly Matt was a very short-lived favorite character. Because...

When 02 aired the following year, Davis immediately became the absolute love of my life. He was funny, you see. And anyone who could make me laugh was just BRILLIANT in my mind. Every time I rewatched 02 on my old VHS recordings, I pretended I was part of his team, and I even bought his D3. You can see some of the uhhh evidence of my love of Davis here. 

Years and years later (2009), when was well into college, I decided to watch Digimon in Japanese for the first time. To this day I have no idea why I liked Taichi the best when I watched the original. He was just a fascinating character to follow as he learned how to properly help his friends as a leader. And I thought he was kinda cool in 02, to be honest.

THEN. 2015. Digimon tri. Y’all know who it is, I don’t have to explain myself. He’s just... talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique. I created this blog for him. I multishipped for him. He was my first Digimon cosplay. I’m writing a fanfic for about him. He deserves it. All of it.

for @digiweek 2022

[queen-of-my-goofball-army]

"Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you in theirs, the ones who accept you for who you are. The one's who will do anything to see you smile and love you no matter what."

Um hi there- I'm sorry about the fact that I vanished I really just kinda.. ran out of ideas/energy to make edits and didn't really think that anyone would really miss them that much. I still make wallpapers and things for close friends and for myself but for the most part I just lost my love of posting everything that I make here. I've had this edit done since last summer when I finally allowed myself to finish what I consider to be one of the greatest underrated shows of all time, Welcome To The Demon School Iruma Kun.

If you've talked to me for more then five minutes about the shows that fascinate me and the shows that I go nuts over, you'll know the one thing that holds them together. My love of found family and the messages that can be held in shows that appreciate found family are oftentimes the ones that I hold the closest to me. I don't think that there's another show out there that masters that idea quite like Iruma Kun does. There's just something so beautiful about the simpleness of the story. It's just about Iruma as he tries to make his way through the netherworld as a human. But it's also more complicated then that. It's also about trauma and healing. It's about what it truly feels like when you find your people. It took me a long time to find my people so watching Iruma find his people and bond with them forging lifelong friendships and finally feeling comfortable enough in his own terms.

So what is Welcome To The Demon School Iruma Kun you might be wondering? Welcome To the Demon School Iruma Kun follows Iruma Suzuki, a fourteen year old boy who's parents sell him to a demon. But instead of it being a horror story, it turns into the best thing that could ever happen to him. Due to the amount of abuse that his parents put him through, Iruma doesn't really have the ability to relax. That is until, he's put into an impossible situation. Iruma is instantly taken in by his new 'grandfather' as his journey through the netherworld begins. But Iruma quickly learns something, that the demon realm is much.. kinder than the world that he's used to. His world, his reality was already hellish so now that he's finally able to kickback and relax, to eat however much he wants to and to eat whatever he wants, it's a heaven to Iruma Suzuki. Through the first episode, Iruma instantly is shoved into the demon school Bablys where in the first day he's immediately shoved into the 'misfit class' after getting into a fight with his classmate Asmodeous Alice.

Iruma Kun to me is the epitome of a comfort series. It's a series that since I've finished it, I've gone back and rewatched it twice and I'm about to rewatch it for the third time. It's just so good with it's relationships, it's adorable sense of humor, the way that the animation is so adorably cartoony, the manga panels sometimes looking absolutely gorgeous and wholesome, the way that these characters slowly open their hearts to Iruma it's just so good.

These characters are so comforting to me. My favorite of course from the get go has been Asmodeous Alice or "Azz" as he tells his best friends Iruma and Clara to call him. Ever since I randomly stumbled onto this series in January of 2022 he's been a character that I've carried with me as a huge part of my daily life. He makes me laugh ridiculously hard but there's also this kindness to him once he decides to trust you. I dragged my best friend into this series due to my sheer inability to shut up about Azz. He just means a lot to me and a lot of it is through his voice actor for the dub. Billy Kametz was such a special type of voice actor able to bring light, humor, levity, and lightness into any type of situation. But he also had this emotional weight to him that was perfect for Azz. Azz cares deeply for the two most important people to him, Iruma and Clara.

JUST LOOK AT THIS SOFT SWEET BABY HE NEEDS A HUG- he's one of those characters that I've always found immense comfort in. I He just believes so much in Iruma and he wants to push his 'master' further through the story.

My other favorite characters include Clara, Sabnock, Professor Balam, Jazz, Opera, and Lied. Opera is just so comforting to me but I could say that about literally every character.

If you take anything from my ramblings, I need it to be that you definitely need to read/watch Welcome To The Demon School Iruma Kun. You need to watch this series because it is something that I just love so much. It's something that I could talk about to anyone.

[haztory]

(following up on my previous ask) stoop they're my comfort fics and I love them they're amazing. I'm glad you're doing well and I hope things keep getting better and better for you, sending lots of love and positive vibes your way 🫶🏻. spideroo is and will always be the death of me omg omg I'll be here excitedly waiting for everything you have planned !! speaking of haikyuu, how do you feel about the anime ending with the upcoming movies instead of getting a full on season? (as it should have). also I'll definitely stop by often, I hope you don't get annoyed by me !

thank you for your kind words vale, i will not lie 2022 literally has me on a death bed. but ive been feeling very creative this year and ive honestly missed interacting with the fandom, as limited as i am, and talking to people (like you!) so thank you for stopping by and reminding me of why i loved writing in the first place :’)

tbh, i’m kinda eh about it. i didn’t even get to watch all of season four completely bc i was waiting for the dub (i love the dub you can pry it from my cold dead hands). a movie would help with my attention span, but the reason the show and the characters work is because of the multiple episodes devoted to the characters. a movie kind of chops that development in half i think

idk what do you think? i’ve been thinking of rewatching all of hq to get inspo again but it’s really a toss up at this point

[khuantru]

anime: Bastard!! (2022) - episode 1

Love it so far, its so good. Dark Schneider is such a fun anti hero. 

English dubbing surprisingly good, will rewatch this again later in original Japanese dubbing to compare the two. 

another great title at Netflix anime 

[slade-neko]

End of the Year Questionnaire!

Saw some End of the Year questionnaire thing going around and wanted to do it. If anything for myself as a way to review this year.

1. Song of the year? Alestorm ~ P.A.R.T.Y.

No brainer here. This song has been living rent free in my head for the last 7 months since its release. 🤘🏻

2. Album of the year? Dragon Ball Z: Movie 8 - Broly The Legendary Super Saiyan

Not new by any means, but dang watching this movie again this year and hearing that early 2000's American metal soundtrack. Ingredients for an EPIC childhood right there. 🤘🏻😝🤘🏻

3. Favorite musical artist / group you started listening to this year? Alestorm ~ The pirate power metal band

Pirate Metal is the genre I didn't realize I needed in my life until I heard them.

4. Movie of the year? Dragon Ball Z: Movie 8 - Broly The Legendary Super Saiyan

Again, not new, but I rewatched it for the first time in YEARS and it was just as glorious, if not more so, than the last time I watched it. That 1993 animation and again, the English dub metal soundtrack hit me HARD! Broly's still my favorite DBZ villain even if he's non-canon. The idea of an bloodthristy evil Saiyan, let alone an incredibly powerful Legendary Super Saiyan, is such an interesting concept.

5. TV show of the year?

I rarely watch TV outside of anime... might have to go with the new My Hero Academia season. The non-stop action and fight scenes has been very welcome.

6. Episode of tv or webisode that defined the year for you?

Nothing stands out at this moment... but to go along with the previous answer, there was that one episode where Mirko kicks the ever living daylights outta those disgusting freakazoid Nomus in MHA was pretty dang cool! Go, bunny! 🐇

7. Favorite actor of the year? Nobody!

I don't idolize people. That way I can't be disappointed when they inevitably let me down. 🙃

8. Game of the year? The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (PC PORT)

Technically an unofficial re-release, BUT without a doubt this is my GOTY. Absolutely freakin' phenomenal. It's objectively the BEST video game ever created finally freed from it's console shackles on PC Master Race. Seriously, 60 fps, true widescreen, gyro support, restorations, gameplay enhancements, built-in randomizer, mod support, RESHADE, you name it. Fans always treat Nintendo's games better than Nintendo and this clearly shows it. Bless the team behind the Ship of Harkinian port. They made a lot of dreams come true this year.

9. Best month for you this year?

Every month I draw breath is a good one!

10. Something that made you cry this year?

HA! I don't cry, but no seriously I feel like there was something I watched this year that made me teary-eyed, but I can't remember... Oh, well, must've not been that important then!

11. Something you want to do again next year?

Play more old games. 🎮

12. Talk about a new friend you made this year.

I don't make new friends, BUT my best friend I haven't seen since 9th grade of high school visited me in person for the first time in nearly 13 YEARS! Let me tell you something, best friends are the ones that will never fade over time and will always be there. That's amazing and I'm lucky to have 'em! 🤗

13. How was your birthday this year?

I aged. Another reminder of my fleeting mortality. 💀

14. Favorite book you read this year?

I don't read books. 🚫📚

15. What’s a bad habit you picked up this year?

I don't do bad habits.

16. Post a picture from the beginning of the year.

Jan 13th, 2022. My first Sims screenshot of the year. Deadpool staring at the camera while lightsaber dueling one of my Miqo'te OCs.

17. Post a picture from the end of the year.

Dec 6th, 2022. Aaand my last screenshot of the year... is a smug shirtless Sasuke. Well okay.

18. A memorable meal this year?

Pizza 🍕 (probably the one I shared with my long time friend if I'm going to be sappy about it.)

19. What’re you excited about for next year?

Playing more video games.

20. What’s something you learned this year?

By far the biggest lesson I learned is new things suck! Nothing is better than the old stuff. Games, shows, all of it. Too many remakes/ reboot cash grabs that are shameful in comparison to the classics.

21. What’s something new about your place of residence (room, home, or general location) now vs the start of the year?

Nothing. It's exactly the same. Just the way I want it. WELL I might have a few more anime figures and a Monokuma plush that I didn't have before...

23. Favorite place you visited this year?

Wait... did I leave my house this year?

24. If you could send a message to yourself back on the first day of the year, what would it be?

"I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise."

25. Did you keep any New Year’s Resolutions?

Play more old games. 🌟 Yeah, I did and I want to play MORE! 🕹️

26. Did you create any characters (in games, art, or writing) this year?

I assume this means OC's... Well uhh, I made a lot of sims recreations, not many OC's. I guess I just don't have a lot of "original" creativity! Oh, but there was that werewolf girl I designed. She's cool!

[zencribnotes]

Rules: tag 9 people you’d like to know/catch-up with:

Tagged by @cielrouge (nice to meet ya!)

Last show: Laid-Back Camp (a rewatch of both season 1 and season 2 in Spanish dub on Crunchyroll, since I’m always interested in how other languages dub Japanese anime regardless of my fluency in them. Disclaimer: I am not at all fluent in Spanish). I was also rewatching previous seasons of Disenchantment and half-watched The Mandalorian, which I never saw until recently. I recently finished some movies, though, which are “The Producers” (2005) and “Dick Tracy” (1990). I liked all the characters in Dick Tracy except for Dick Tracy himself, that guy was kinda boring; great aesthetics, though!

Currently watching: Midnight Asia, a pretty cool travel show that depicts nightlife subcultures in various Asian metropolises. Also am catching up on the K-Drama “Thirty-Nine” which is delightfully emotional and full of beautiful people.

Currently reading: “Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth” by Elizabeth Williamson, published by Penguin Random House, 2022. I saw an excerpt from this book recently from Slate (this article specifically) and it was very interesting, especially when it pertains to the current January 6 hearings.

Nonfiction: See above, but also am concurrently reading “From Front Porch to Back Seat: Courtship in 20th Century America” by Beth L. Bailey, and published by Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989. (It’s really interesting to see how dating has changed from the turn of the century America and what motivates these changes, from changing economics, various wartimes, and reflections of daily life Americans. I also am writing fanfiction based in the early 1920s and sorta am triangulating how people lived in the world during that time by reading various nonfiction books that includes portrayals of life during that time period).

Last book: “Life and Times of Michael K” by J. M. Coetzee, which I read for when attending creative writing classes at UCLA Extension. It’s very bleak, but I think it’s very well-written and thought-provoking.

No pressure Tagging: @brennacedria , @sarasa-cat , @auronlu , @kentsarrow , @ansburg , @ladylaguna , @queenlua , @sevdrag

[drag0nalias0]

Damn time really flies without you noticing. Its already 2024. A year ago to this day (the 7th january) Buddy Daddies started aring. It was great but i havent thought of it much like most of tje other stuff i watch/read. However i was scrolling though yt shorts and one of the videos was just a genshin impact video of something (i havent played it before but it was the acaramouch fight by the looks of the robot) but the song playing in the background was oddly familiar, so i clicked on the sound and looked at some of the thumbnails for the other videos before realising that it was the Buddy Daddies opening... its such a good opening and i checked the ed video and the musics great as well. I forgot how great the last image on the ed is with them all sitting on the sofa together. Ive gotta rewatch it but the dubbed version at somepoint. That one yakuza babysitting anime as well thinking of it. Anyway i found out that the first episode of Buddy Daddies was january 7th 2023 and i thought it was amazing how i remember it again on january 7th 2024. The yakuza one was july 7 2022 (not actually that many days before my birthday thinking about it) and ive yet to finish it so i really should at some point.

Anyway time really does fly...

[satanicchristiancult]

He compartido 89 publicaciones este 2022

63 publicaciones originales (71 %)

26 reblogueos (29 %)

Estos son los blogs que más he reblogueado:

@satanicchristiancult

@ankle-beez

@house-ad

@pansexualnoodle5

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He etiquetado 86 publicaciones en 2022

Solo el 3 % de mis publicaciones no incluye ninguna etiqueta

#mori writes: 71 publicaciones

#mori’s reblogs: 20 publicaciones

#mori is a mood: 15 publicaciones

#mori and their bnha bs: 6 publicaciones

#newsies: 4 publicaciones

#the owl house spoilers: 4 publicaciones

#costa rica football: 4 publicaciones

#costa rica: 4 publicaciones

#arawn writes: 4 publicaciones

#tw swearing: 3 publicaciones

Longest Tag: 116 characters

#i’ve spoiled myself and analyzed with what i’ve played enough to believe that she isn’t the mastermind/traitor thing

Mis publicaciones más populares este 2022:

5

Currently translating Beetlejuice the musical to Spanish. I’ve been doing this on and off for five hours.

Wish me luck!

-Mori

8 notas. Fecha de publicación: 14 de abril de 2022

4

Hello everybody, I’ve been working on a project for a while, but i think that I’ll need more information to be able to complete it.

Theatre kids and/or musical theatre enjoyers, could you please answer some questions?

There are 12 questions, 2 of which are are optional. All of the questions are made to only be answered with options already there, except 2 of them, which are the optional questions.

Your answers are greatly appreciated!

-Mori

12 notas. Fecha de publicación: 24 de octubre de 2022

3

16 notas. Fecha de publicación: 29 de mayo de 2022

2

So, Boku No Hero Academia World Heroes' Mission is finally on my country’s cinemas, and now that I’ve finally watched it, it’s time for my thoughts.

(Spoilers ahead!)

Let’s start off with the fact that I’m rewatching the movie, but this time it’s someone’s recording of it. Finding it might have taken me a while, but I am the master at finding pirated content.

My thoughts:

Izuku’s new suit man, I love it.

That intro tho, now that’s perfection.

Rody’s English dub. I never watch the dubs of anything, but I found a recording of the English dub so I’m rewatching this while I write. The point is, I already love his dub.

The fact that Izuku couldn’t catch up to Rody for a while is ridiculous.

Bones is trying to do way too cool scenes, to just realize that they don’t have enough budget to make them look good, but they don’t care so we end up with this, some scenes that look crappy to be done by animation studios, but wonderful if they were fanmade.

May I propose Midoriya Izuku as the best Spider-Man? My man caught his Gwen Stacy/MJ on his first try! /ref

Todoroki is seriously like “Break your phone and run away. I don’t care if you actually killed someone. Just run”. Or at least that’s how I’ll always interpret it since I saw a post about that.

Izuku seriously just went all Light Yagami there by sending that secret message.

“Cafetería Callejón” huh. So this actually does take place in Spain? I thought that article I saw was a joke or an exaggeration, granted, I didn’t read it, but still! (Later in the post I’ll talk about where the movie actually takes place).

Descúbrela

16 notas. Fecha de publicación: 10 de enero de 2022

Mi publicación más popular de 2022

If anyone gets a full recording of the Newsies 10th Anniversary Reunion, I’m willing to sell some organs for it.

-Mori

40 notas. Fecha de publicación: 28 de marzo de 2022

Descubre tu resumen del 2022 en Tumblr →

[wowmmorg]

Zankyou no terror episode 1 dub

#Zankyou no terror episode 1 dub archive

#Zankyou no terror episode 1 dub free

#Zankyou no terror episode 1 dub crack

No memes, image macros, reaction images, "fixed" posts, or rage comics.Don't know which flair to use? Check here!.Everything posted here must be anime specific.Post filters Reset Filters Hide: Fanart Cosplay Clips Official Media Help What to Watch? All of the Above News Spoilers NSFW Search for: Episode Discussions Discussion Rewatch Official Media News Video Fanart Cosplay Watch This Writing Writing Club Clip Satire Help Contest Miscellaneous Megathreads Merch Mondays Recommendation Tuesdays Thursday Anime Discussion Casual Discussion Fridays Miscellaneous Anime Questions Week in Review Monthly Meta ThreadĪnime info Airing Show Discussions Frequently Asked Anime Questions Rewatches Weekly Discussions Watch Order Guides Recommendations Where to Watch

#Zankyou no terror episode 1 dub archive

Subreddit wiki Wiki index FAQ Mods Comment Faces by Category AMAs Events Related Subreddits Related Websites Watch This! Archive Writing Club All pages Spoiler Tag Changes Tag your spoilers, it's easier than ever!Īnnouncing the New Flair System for r/AnimeĪ Quick-Start Guide to /r/anime Learn all about the subreddit The Start of Winter 2022 Survey Results What are you looking forward to this season? They should not exist, yet they stand strong in a world of deception and secrets while they make the city fall around them, all in the hopes of burying their own tragic truth.The Results of the /r/anime Awards 2021! What do you think? Zankyou no Terror tells the story of Nine and Twelve, the two boys behind the masked figures of Sphinx. Unable to stop the mass panic quickly spreading through the city and desperate for any leads in their investigation, the police struggle to act effectively against these terrorists, with Detective Kenjirou Shibazaki caught in the middle of it all. In it, two teenage boys who identify themselves only as "Sphinx" directly challenge the police, threatening to cause destruction and mayhem across Tokyo. The public are clueless-until, six months later, a strange video makes its way onto the internet.

#Zankyou no terror episode 1 dub crack

The government is shattered by their inability to act, and the police are left frantically searching for ways to crack down the perpetrators. Painted in red, the word "VON" is all that is left behind after a terrorist attack on a nuclear facility in Japan. Twelve and Lisa return unharmed, but Nine informs her as a result of her decision to live she has decided become their accomplice. Nine takes a photo of the destruction with his phone. Lisa responds that she does not want to die, sending Twelve to extract her as the building crumbles down. Nine`s terse answer is that he will ask her directly. He asks Nine to decide whether they should kill her or keep her alive. When Twelve is interrupted by Lisa, he gives her one of their stuffed animal bombs and flees the building.

#Zankyou no terror episode 1 dub free

Assuming the government office building free of surveillance, Nine and Twelve place stuffed animals containing thermite-based explosives beneath the sprinkler systems of the main building. At that moment, the greater Tokyo prefecture loses power and citizens in the building are evacuated without Lisa. While at the government office building, she wishes everyone would disappear in frustration. Lisa withdraws further and begins showing signs of an eating disorder. Nine and Twelve interrupt Lisa Mishima`s classmates as they bully her, then take their place undercover in her school. and large sparks will fly, scattered around the Shinjuku area." Despite the video coming to the attention of former detective Shibazaki, he does not initially report it. Referring to themselves as Sphinx 1 and 2, two masked teenagers claim "Tokyo will be enveloped by darkness after 3:00 p.m. Six months after the event, a mysterious video is posted on social media. A perpetrator left the message "VON" at the scene of the crime in red paint. In Aomori, Japan, plutonium was stolen from a nuclear fuel reprocessing facility during a snow storm.

[asphodelical]

The Great Anime Rewatch of 2022 - Part XIII

Toradora!

First watched: circa 2011-2012 Rewatched: August 2022

Original rating: 7 New rating: 4

Toradora was one of the pillars of high school romcoms when it aired. I resisted watching it for years until someone finally convinced me. I have no idea if newer fans still take to it like the collective anime fandom did back in the day. But how does it hold up over a decade later? 

Holy shit, the first few episodes are so bad. Pretty much the sole source of said badness is Taiga. Fans will simp over any cute girl, no matter how obsessive, insane and/or abusive she is—because that’s what Taiga is in these first few episodes. Her abusiveness persists throughout the duration of the show. There are no other words to describe her behavior. Even after her nonsense reins itself in, she’s still annoying. Shout out to Ami, who’s the only character who wasn’t either a bland doormat, or relied on gimmicks.

Another reason why I didn’t enjoy Toradora! on rewatch is because no one wanted anything. There were no goals, no hobbies, nothing of interest in any of the cast or the story. The premise of the two leads crushing on each other’s best friends is so weak, and I think the show knows it, too. It was like watching a checklist of all overused tropes slowly being ticked off. (Cultural festival? Check. Ski trip? Check. Beach trip? Check. Christmas episode? Check.) It also doesn’t help that Toradora!’s humor mostly relies on physical comedy and over the top reactions, most of which is painful to watch. 

Toradora! tries to compensate for its weak writing and feeble foundation with quirks, gimmicks and loudness. I may have enjoyed it the first time, but ten years later and it doesn’t work for me anymore. __________________________________

Big O

First watched: September 2012 Rewatched: August 2022

Original rating: 8 New rating: 6

English dub. My memories of Big O only consist of the main three characters, and me thinking this was the anime equivalent of Batman. Ten years later, and the Batman similarities are still strong. As for everything else?

I forgot that Big O is mostly episodic. One of the recurring/main themes is the humanization of robots and androids. In ten years since I originally watched Big O, I’ve experienced stories that handle those themes way better. (Specifically Nier: Automata.) Even the ideas concerning the regular humans and their memories is something that I don’t find as compelling here as I do elsewhere. I liked episode 9 because there was emotional tension and stakes for Roger and Dorothy. I had no investment in anything else. 

The dub is good. However, a lot of the English localization felt clumsy and forced, and completely lacked subtext. When it comes to that, it’s much more tolerable in Japanese with subtitles. Hearing it in your own tongue is something else entirely. Big O also doesn’t have much of a sense of humor. 

I’m sad I didn’t take to Big O as much as I did back then. Maybe it’s the vast over-saturation of superhero stories in the world today; from Boku no Hero Academia, to all five hundred Marvel films and properties. Maybe it’s because I don’t really care for Roger. Maybe it’s because Big O also doesn’t have much of a sense of humor. Whatever it is, I had no motivation to watch the second season.  __________________________________

Katanagatari

First watched: August 2011 Rewatched: August 2022

Original rating: 8 New rating: 8

I have already rewatched Katanagatari once before, but I wanted to revisit it again. 

Katanagatari is absolutely one of the prettiest anime out there. Its distinct art style married to a vibrant color palette and lovely animation is a feast for the eyes. No matter what you think of the show, no one can say it’s bad looking. 

In addition to its visuals, Katanagatari is also known for its dialogue. As in, there’s a lot of it. The upside is that Togame and Shichika are two great deuteragonists with enjoyable chemistry. The downside is that it leaves no room for subtext or subtle physical language. (Only Yesterday is a masterclass in physicality.) There’s usually one scene of dialogue per episode  that always feels too long, or it’s going in circles, or borderline purposeless. In episode two, that honor belongs to the catchphrase discussion in the desert. In episode four it’s the three insect Maniwa guys. In episode six it’s everything between Togame and Shichika before they get rescued by Konayuki, etc. Writing like Katanagatari’s has strengths and weaknesses, and I think it’s a very “like it or hate it” situation. 

The Maniwa all kind of suck as both characters and antagonists. They never pose any serious threat. Instead their main purpose is to test Togame and Shichika’s moral compass. It’s too bad they couldn’t do both. At least not all of them die by Shichika’s hands, so at least it keeps things varied. The other thing that ends up sucking in the long run is that we don’t see Shichika fight Sabi Hakuhei. The anticlimax is initially funny, but then he keeps being brought up, and his existence comes into the subject in episode ten. So Togame just keeps referring to things the audience never knew. 

You know what also sucks? THE FUCKING NARRATOR. At the end of episode six, she just runs off her mouth and spoils the ending of episode seven. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? Episode seven was a mess—terrible comedic choices and non-linear storytelling robbed the characters and audience of the shock and tension we crave and deserve. 

But even after finishing my third complete viewing, I still really like Katanagatari.  __________________________________

Princess Tutu

First watched: 2011 Rewatched: August 2022

Original rating: 8 New rating: 8

My first experience with Princess Tutu was a wild ride. When I first began it, I dropped it after eight episodes or so because Ahiru was annoying and I didn’t care for the story. After a few months I resumed watching, at the behest of other people who swore to me that it got better. It did. I vividly remember adoring and respecting the ending. But before we get there, let’s start from the beginning.

The first few episodes are truly annoying. Ahiru has a lot of stupid physical gags. I completely forgot about the cat teacher, whose gags are also tragically unfunny. I hope to forget him again ASAP. The character designs, mostly their hair, for Fakir and Mytho, are also yikes. 

Aside from the questionable sense of humor, I had a good time revisiting Princess Tutu. I’m actually really surprised about it. Despite the fact that certain things in its execution leave a lot to be desired, I love almost all of the tropes and how the show uses them. The ending didn’t blow my mind as much as before, but I still respect it for sticking to its internal logic, and not pulling a deus ex machina for Ahiru.  __________________________________

Umineko no Naku Koro ni

First watched: 2009-original airdate Rewatched: August 2022

Original rating: 7 New rating: 4

I remember when everyone talked about Umineko. So many people created amazing cosplays of all the witches, and people couldn’t decide whether Umineko was actually good or not. It seems to have faded from the collective fandom consciousness, and always tended to be overshadowed by its sibling, Higurashi. 

Holy shit, I forgot how many fucking characters were in this thing—the whole damn Ushiromiya family, the servants, the witches, the demons, LAWD, HAVE MERCY. Aside from Beatrice, Battler, and the rest of the witches, I had forgotten about pretty much everyone else. But wow, I really found myself sucked into the initial mystery. The build up towards Beatrice is exciting, as is her looming presence over the first arc. 

By episode 8, the amount of elements and characters being thrown into the story were already spiraling out of control. By the end of the second arc, Umineko was well past ridiculous and had crossed into stupid territory. The facial expressions degraded and got uglier and dumber. More and more characters and elements were piled on, quickly escalating into an absolute mess that was not trying to hide that it was made up as it went along. The majority of the characters are little more than one or two personality traits. (I.E. George is…nice? Jessica is…nice? idk man, i’m tired.) Most of the cast didn’t even need to be there. 

As for the things I like? I like how the opening animation changed with each arc, especially the painting. The opening song is still amazing. I like the relationship between Beatrice and Battler. I like some of the costume designs for the witches (Beatrice, Maria, and Eva). And I like the first arc. In a way, this is more disappointing than my rewatch of Higurashi. because Umineko had such a strong start. In the end, it was too much of a mess for me to enjoy. But the first arc is good.  __________________________________

Psycho Pass

First watched: 2012-2013-original airdate Rewatched: August 2022

Original rating: 8 New rating: 5

I never felt like I was enjoying myself watching Psycho Pass. I kept watching because I was more invested in the ideas and themes and the world building, rather than the actual story and characters. Only a few scenes really stuck with me, including the one where Makishima kills Akane’s friend, and the masked guy attacking a woman while everyone around them simply watches apathetically. 

It’s no secret that Butch Gen’s biggest weakness is his character writing. Akane is so morally simplistic, it’s annoying. The only character whom I found remotely compelling was Makishima. Unlike Madoka Magica, I don’t know what each cast member wants or needs or fears. (Say what you want about the Madoka characters, but you know what each of them wanted.) I don’t know what kind of unique relationships each member of the team has with one another. 

In the end, I was never emotionally invested or entertained watching Psycho Pass again. I don’t think it’s a bad show, though. I will not be rewatching season two or checking out any other pieces of the franchise.  

[recentanimenews]

ROUND-UP: Here's All the Big News from Virtual Crunchyroll Expo 2021

  Did you get a chance to watch some of the stage streams while they were live during Virtual Crunchyroll Expo 2021? Whether you were there for all of it or you spent some time catching up on VOD, we have a handy breakdown of all the major announcements that were made over the weekend. 

  An Unforgettable Opening

    Opening ceremonies are always a big occasion, but how many in the history of the world can you name that featured the debut of legendary horror manga author Junji Ito as a VTuber? None, we say! Thankfully, you can watch and rewatch both the opening itself and the isolated moment in which history was made. 

  For those who love anime and video games, Crunchyroll also announced a partnership with Microsoft that offers three months of Xbox Game Pass for PC to subscribers. 

  New Anime and Future Projects

    It wouldn't be an expo without a Crunchyroll Industry Panel, and this one was full to overflowing with seasonal announcements. Among the upcoming anime are the likes of video game adaptation Muv-Luv Alternative, light novel series adaptations The Faraway Paladin, The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest, and Skeleton Knight in Another World, and manga adaptation World's End Harem.

  As you may have read, Crunchyroll and Adult Swim also have the BLADE RUNNER: BLACK LOTUS animated series on the way, with the subtitled version coming to Crunchyroll and the English dubbed version set to air on Toonami's Adult Swim block. During the series' V-CRX panel, Crunchyroll’s head of development Sarah Victor spoke with directors Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama, touching on their creative process, how BLACK LOTUS fits into the Blade Runner universe, and more, and a new visual was showcased along with a peek at the opening. 

    As if that wasn't enough, we learned more about the ORIENT anime adaptation—based on the Bessatsu Shonen Magazine manga by Magi author Shinobu Ohtaka—which is due out in 2022. There's also a new visual for the SAKUGAN anime, more details on Love of Kill, and the debut trailer for Crunchyroll Original High Guardian Spice. 

  Beyond anime on the screen, Crunchyroll is bringing it to bookstores with the new book Essential Anime, written by Patrick Macias and Samuel Sattin. You can check out the cover here!

  Manga at the Speed of KADOKAWA

    Speaking of other types of media, KADOKAWA held a panel during V-CRX with TheAnimeMan as MC, in which the publisher revealed big plans for manga and light novel distribution. Read our full story to see how things are changing and which titles will be first out the gate via the new, speedier methods of distribution. 

  Crunchyroll Games Crossover

    Finally, we got a big surprise during the Crunchyroll Games panel at V-CRX. A special teaser debuted for Mitrasphere, in which the addition of none other than Crunchyroll-Hime was revealed. 

  What were your favorite moments from Virtual Crunchyroll Expo 2021? Let us know about your own experience in the comments! 

    -------

Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. You can read his comics at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox.

By: Joseph Luster

[asphodelical]

The Great Anime Rewatch of 2022 - Part XI

Seirei no Moribito

First watched: August 2011 Rewatched: July 2022

Original rating: 8 New rating: 6

English dub. The most compelling aspect of Moribito for me is Chagum. I’m an absolute sucker for the character trope of “sheltered rich person learning the ways of the world.”

One of the main reasons why I lowered the score is that it’s slow. Individual scenes can often be a chore to get through. I.E. Watching Shuga (whose name I can hear without thinking of Min Yoongi) solve a puzzle lock to go into an underground passage and nothing else is boring. I appreciate the how wanting to take its time to show the audience these things, but it couldn’t do it a little faster? It’s also very inefficient at communicating information—lots of infodumping via talking heads and drab monologues. 

Perhaps the bigger problem I have is that once the primary objective of faking Chagum’s death is accomplished in episode six, there are no other goals. Thus Moribito turns into an episodic series until episode fourteen, with stories that don’t do enough to serve the characters, or interest/entertain me. There was a distinct lack of stakes and loss, so I never felt any real tension. Also, no one ever thought to give Balsa and Chagum fake names while they’re still living in town? It was still an okay journey, but I liked this way less than I did before.  __________________________________

Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu

First watched: I have no idea Rewatched: July 2022

Original rating: 8 New rating: 6

I got into anime around the time Haruhi was one of, if not the biggest thing in anime. Just like mostly everyone else at the time, I was super into it—knew all of the character songs, the ‘Hare Hare Yukai’ dance, bought merch at the first and only anime con I ever went to. I’m 90% sure I’ve rewatched the TV series at some point; I just don’t remember when. My feelings for Haruhi have more than mellowed out since then. I think there’s still fun to be had, but it’s nowhere near close to a favorite. I’m glad people have stopped putting it on the holiest of anime pedestals. But let’s revisit the movie, which is regarded as one of the best pieces of Haruhi media. 

Holy shit this movie is over two hours long. Watching Kyon make himself look like an asshole and an idiot due to his lack of genre savvy-ness is fucking painful. Contrivances like these always feel like red flags of weaker writing. Please, give your characters some fucking tact. It’s not that hard. I know people do it for the ~drama~ but please stop. 

I think my favorite part of the movie is the lack of Haruhi for 80% of its run time. Kyon is a way less enjoyable character than I remember, and reads way more of a self-insert. Anytime the movie goes into slow-mo, I roll my eyes. Everyone praises Shoushitsu for its premise and tone, but this sort of thing isn’t exactly unique. It wasn’t in 2010, and it’s definitely not now. Whatever. I’m like one of three people in the whole world who rated this less than a 9 and no one reads this anyway, so who gives a shit about what I think. 

There are few stories/franchises in any media that I feel like I’ve ‘outgrown.’ I don’t like saying it because it makes me sound old and elitist. And just because I’m not in the target demographic doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it. (Percy Jackson was written for middle schoolers and I enjoy it each time I reread it.) However, I’m confident in saying that I have outgrown Haruhi. 

On a random note: It’s interesting that despite Haruhi was a massive phenomenon, none of the female seiyuus have had long term success in their careers. Meanwhile, Ono Daisuke and Sugita Tomokazu have been thriving for almost two decades with no signs of slowing down.  __________________________________

Macross Frontier + Itsuwari no Utahime + Sayonara no Tsubasa

First watched: October 2009, October 2011   Rewatched: July 2022

Original ratings: 7, 8, 8 New ratings: 6, 7, 7

Going into my rewatch spree, I had no intention of revisiting nearly every piece of Macross media I’ve watched before. Life comes at you fast. 

Macross Frontier - Finally revisiting my gateway Macross. It’s fun coming back to it and understanding the references to other characters and installments, like Minmay and Zero. Everything related to Frontier has the best music of any Macross ever. This is not up for debate. (Sheryl has the better songs. Ranka’s kind of suck in the TV series, with the obvious exception of ‘Aimo,’ and her Minmay covers. 

First things first: Why in the name of the Macross Galaxy are Ranka and Sheryl simping so hard for Alto? Mikhail is RIGHT. THERE. Sure, he’s a compulsive flirt, but Mikhail is aware of his problems. He’s also supportive, and makes his own decisions. Alto is boring and led along by everyone else.

Ranka is…much worse than I remember. She’s quite the Mary Sue, perhaps the biggest one in everything I’ve rewatched so far. 500% distilled wish fulfillment for teenage girls, including but not limited to: being part Zentradi, getting launched into superstardom easily, constantly being rescued by the love interest, a long lost brother, and having a magical voice with the power to quell an entire alien fleet. The fact that she clings to Alto, someone she doesn’t even know, does not help her. I’m chalking that up to lazy writing. Nakajima Megumi’s voice acting clearly improved as the show progressed. 

On the other hand, Sheryl is way better than I remember. This is a lady who makes decisions. She wants to learn how to pilot? She does it. She takes action when her more experienced pilot is out of commission. She fails and the ship blows up, but she made the effort. Her flaws include being spoiled and jealous and they show themselves at appropriate times. Sheryl is a strong enough character that she doesn’t need all of the extra elements that Ranka has. I do wish they changed her age, because she’s way too sexualized to be 17 y/o. 

The only thing that Ranka has going for her over Sheryl is that her seiyuu also sings. Having Sheryl’s seiyuu and singing voice being two different women is an unfortunate disconnect. Were the staff so taken by May’n’s voice that they had to use her no matter what? Even if it meant hiring a separate seiyuu for Sheryl’s speaking voice? 

As for everything else: The fact that Mikhail’s name was inconsistent was bizarre. Anytime it was focused on the military stuff I checked out. Grace is a dull villain. The relationship between Mikhail and Klan feels more like siblings than lovers. It’s hard to be invested in a love triangle when only one of its points is worth a damn. It doesn’t even have the decency to make a decision. 

Itsuwari no Utahime - This is why I came here! Massive improvements in almost every aspect. Having Ranka already a part of the friends group does absolute wonders for the story and everyone involved. Alto is also massively improved here. We finally get to understand his feelings about acting during his monologue on the train. 

There’s still an issue for me concerning Ranka: the creators seem to be at war about whether to sexualize or infantilize her. It’s like the thought of neither didn’t often cross their minds. 

There are a few weird points—the awkward glossing over the Miss Macross Pageant. If someone is watching these films without having seen the TV series, that will make no sense. The fix is pitifully easy, too: Don’t reference the pageant at all, and just have Ozma and Ranka talk about her desire to sing. 

Sayonara no Tsubasa - Behold, the true divergence from the TV series. Ranka finally took charge and confessed to Alto. This is one of the best changes. The villains are all still crap and some of them got off’d way too easily. All of the supporting cast also suffered in these films; most of them were just there for the sake of being there. Although it’s more important that the central trio improved. Sheryl and Alto’s fate still leave me a bit unfulfilled, but at least there was finally a resolution to the fucking love triangle. Overall I’d take the films over the TV series any day. 

A brief summary of all the musical sequences: 

‘Universal Bunny’: we sure are sexualizing a 17 y/o character but man this is good shit

‘Forbidden Elixir’: feels like a gender fluid dream.

‘Nijiiro Kuma Kuma’: it doesn’t get more infantile than this. 

The entire Alcatraz bit: I like the homage to Macross 7. 

‘Sayonara no Tsubasa’: Amazing. What a send off. 

On a final note: It must be nice to be able to sing without warming up. Can’t relate.  __________________________________

Mushishi Zoku Shou

First watched: 2014, original airdate Rewatched: July 2022

Original rating: 10 New rating: 10

Episodic series by nature will never all be winners. Not even my beloved Cowboy Bebop can say all 26 episodes are top notch quality. The exception to the rule is Mushishi. It always has been. The way it elegantly tells deeply human narratives that dig into deep fears—fears that we may not have even known we had—along with its masterful storytelling is something unique to it and it alone. Nothing that has been influenced by Mushishi, or tried to replicate it, has ever come close. It’s one of the scariest horror anime that doesn’t label/market itself as such. I’m so glad I still love Mushishi. __________________________________

Yona of the Dawn

First watched: May 2015 Rewatched: July 2022

Original rating: 7 New rating: 8

Shoujo has been on a decline for a long time now. The demographic has stagnated, from the death of Shoujo Beat to a lack of creativity and innovation. Yona of the Dawn is one of the few newer shoujo titles that feels like it’s trying to do something. Reverse harems can be good if there’s effort put into them! 

As I mentioned in the Moribito section, I’m still a sucker for Yona’s central character type: a sheltered/privileged person growing more worldly and such. She has a clear arc and is constantly tested, and pushes herself. She has agency and often makes her own decisions. Hak and Jaeha are also great. Out of the main guys, they’re the most nuanced. Jaeha in particular was a standout because Yona had to earn his loyalty more than anyone else’s. And Jaeha’s internal struggle with his dragon’s blood. Good stuff. Anytime Hak and Jaeha are scene partners is just a great time. Hak and Yona have genuine chemistry that makes them one of my favorite couples in recent memory. Kiha, Yun, and Shinha leave a lot to be desired, but are still likable. (Kiha and Shinha faded into the background by the pirate arc.) Zeno just entered the season too late. Overall I enjoy the chemistry the party has with each other. They’re fun. 

Yona’s weakness is its worldbuilding—it’s (morally) simplistic and often under thought. Example: the events that start the story are borne out of a dislike for the king because he’s pacifist and ‘weak.’ But we never get any sense of that from the guards or the citizens of the kingdom until the coup has already been executed. However, it absolutely improved as it went along, with a lot of moments of real thought put into it. Example: the two episodes with Suwon and the earth chief. The chief wins the battle and the entire kingdom demands to have the same necklace he wore. That’s genuinely great. Even though overall I wish the worldbuilding was a little more nuanced, the things it does absolutely exceeds other fantasy/sci-fi anime. coughtriguncough Yona also does that annoying thing of using misconstrued gay situations as humor, like in episode 18 with Hak and Jaeha. Not cool and not funny. 

But the pros outweigh the cons. The moments that hit absolutely hit. (Yona and Suwon running into each other at the end? Holy shit, what a moment.) I really enjoy Yona. I still want another season or two because I think it’s a story worth animating. 

The second opening song didn’t need to be there. Keep the sweeping orchestral piece. (Especially if half of the opening is recycled visuals, come on.) __________________________________

Macross: Do You Remember Love?

First watched: October 2011 Rewatched: July 2022

Original rating: 8 New rating: 7

I am not the person to about DYRL? properly. Eleven years later from my first viewing, and a lot of it still holds up today. The thing I care for least about the original Macross is its characters. Especially Hikaru. He still sucks. Minmay’s music will either sound charming or outdated depending on what kind of music you grew up with. The first half hour was a little rough, but everything improved after that. DYRL? is an important part of anime history and I’m glad I revisited it.  __________________________________

Mob Psycho 100 + 2

First watched: 2016, 2020, original airdates Rewatched: July-August 2022

Original ratings: 8, 8 New ratings: 6, 7

First season - I enjoyed this less upon rewatch. I much preferred the story when it more contained within normal daily life and was focused on a smaller cast. As soon as the character count exploded and the shady organizations got involved, my investment dipped. Once Reigan (my favorite Mob character) finally came back in episode 11, it felt like a return to form. But the funny moments are still funny, and the first half is incredibly entertaining. 

Second season - I liked the second season more because it was so focused on Mob and Reigan as people. Sadly I still can’t say that I have any emotional attachment to the characters.