#anzu hoshino is the best

[wishing--butterfly]

Few of the many reactions of our best girl, Anzu Hoshino!

this honestly the bare minimum because there are so many more hilarious moments in this anime. Anzu's VA, Rie Takahashi did such an amazing job at voicing her! It's immaculate, especially the way her voice switches to manly-ness all of a sudden XDD

Anzu Hoshino is a lengend PERIOD

[addysfandomdump]

To people shipping Anzu with any other character(s): How does it feel to completely miss the point.

[abednadirsgf]

I think I might get indigestion or something bc I'm watching a new shojo anime whilst eating my chili com carne and im squealing and giggling at how cute it is and my tummy feels all funny

[thequietkid-moonie]

Foreign!S/O talks in their first language whenever they're angry

[ HEADCANONS ] [ Anzu, Junta, Tsukasa ]

[ Romantic Killer ]

English isn't my first language and I know pretty much no insult in english, but in spanich a know like a million and I can just invent some 20 more 💀 is pretty funny

If you could talk another language what language would you like? I think i will like to know French or Russian 🤔

Anzu Hoshino

Anzu is just pretty chill with everything so even when you two are dating you can easily get mistaken for just best friends, but she doesn't really give importance to what others think, if she is happy and you too then she doesn't see any problem

About being foreign she doesn't see a problem either, it could even be that if it isn't physicaly obvious neither with your accent then will take her a while to notice it or that anyone say it to her (she will be embarrased in that case)

She doesn't pry on your private live, so aside from asking small things from time to time she doesn't pry on how your contry or culture is, although if you are the one who directly tell her or hear you talking about it with someone else she will be happy to hear you rant about it and even get really curious

She defenitly is surprised and amased the first time she hears you talking in your mother language, since is your first language you do it so naturaly and so fluid that she can't help but want to hear more, wondering what you are saying. Although it would take her a while to get used to hear you talk in that language, you surprise her almost everytime you start talking with it

She gets worried for you whenever she sees you upset or mad (when she actually notice it since she can easily get distracted), again, she won't pry but she want you to know that if you need help with anything you can ask her, even if you just want to complain about what happened is alright for her. She doesn't try to calm you down either, as long as you don't get violent with anyone or with yourself you can express all you want

She is already surprised whenever you speak in your mother language, but the moment you start talking in it angrily she is even more shocked, even a little worried, it take her a moment to comprehend what is happening, but when she does she find it pretty funny, she start laughing but not as making fun of you

Even when she doesn't undestand what are you saying she cheer you to continue, not matter if the two of you are alone or you are saying it towards the person who make you mad, she still cheer you (having someone really mad screaming things that you don't understand could be pretty intimidating)

Later on she will ask you what it means what you said just now ago, truly curious, and thanks to that experience she ask you if you could teach her different words or expresions in your language (doesn't have to be just insults) and she will teach you different insult in english if you ask her

Junta Hayami

Junta is kinda shy some times and being in a relasionship with you already flustered him, so you being foreign make him a little more flustered (specially at the start of your relasionship)

It isn't like he thinks low of himself but he doesn't think that he is a big deal neither, so you being foreign is something that get stuck in his mind, like he doesn't fully understand what he has done to even catch your attention (specially for how he used to be ignored and bothered for almost everyone except for Anzu)

He doesn't want to pry but he tent to ask you a lot of your country and the culture (at first with the excuse of worring if you feel homesick of if it isn't too difficult to adapt), but he is genuinely interested

Hearing you talk in your mother language will always flustered him, he doesn't know why but something about you talking so fluid and naturaly in that languaje just make him skip a beat, specially the first time he hears you, at first he was confused but that quickly becomes amusment and admiration

He may not be the best at reading people but he pay a lot of attention to you since he cares for you, he want to be able to help you whenever you need it, so when he notice that you are angry he inmediatly reach your side and ask you what's wrong, he wants to help you calm down specially if whatever made you mad is still there (either a person or a situation)

If ranting and complaining about what made you mad helps you calm down then he will be there to hear all you have to say (but a little nervious though), however he gets shocked when you start talking in your first language, and since you still seem pretty angry he can tell that whatever you are saying isn't kind words

As much as he is confused and nervous for not really knowing what are you saying he doesn't stop you, also when you finally calm down and start talking in english again he just ask you if you feel better and if you need something, he is really curious about what you had say but is too nervous to ask (and if you tell him that you were saying a lot of insults and maybe even threats he will be even more nervious)

After a while he just get used to this, and even so it always make him nervous, but he will never stop you. If someone ever sees/hears you talking like that and ask him about it he won't be able to repeat or completly explain what you were saying, he just manage to shyly explain that you were very mad for something

Tsukasa Kazuki

Tsukasa is a pretty chill and mature person, and that will be expressed is his relasionship too, however for the bad experiences he had in the past when he start a relasionship with someone that person has to be of his fully trust, someone he knows he can rely on and be vulnerable with, just like you can do it with him

Also, for him you being foreign isn't an issue nor something too special, he will never make a big deal out of it, although if is something important to you he will respect it

He isn't someone who pry so he won't be asking you a lot of things about it, unless is something really small and is related to whatever you were doing/saying, although if you want to talk about it he won't stop you from do so. But as you two start a relasionship he grows a little more interesed and from time to time he ask you more or something more specific, but will never pry to much or force you to talk about it

Also, whenever you talk in your first language he doesn't seem like it but he pays close attention to what are you saying, he may don't understand but he enjoys hearing you talking like that

For the traumatic experience he had a while ago he end up learning to be a little more wary of his surroundings, specially with the people so he will learn to read your body language (even if is unconsciously) and he is the type to offer you his help either direct or indirectly

Whenever he sees you getting mad he worries and just step closet to you while trying to find out what bothered you, although if you tent to be loud with your anger it would startle him a little. In either case he will never expect to hear you talking in your mother language while being angry, he is shocked and dounfounded, but he doesn't stop you, the first time is because he is too confused but the next times he just let you be, and still he is paying close attention in case he has to stop you before you get more aggresive

He doesn't ask you about it and don't even say anything, for your expresions and the tone of your voice he can tell that you were angry, he just asks you if you are better now once you are calm

After a while he will just get used to it and will even end up learning some of the words you say without even trying, he isn't planning to use them (unless is with you and in a joking manner) he just reconize them whenever you are complaining and may even start count how many times you say it (just to kill time). And if you apologize to him for talking like that or are embarrased of it he will find it pretty funny

[v-67]

Completed watching Romantic killer anime and it's sooooo wholesome and cute and different🥹❤️

WHY IS THERE NOT A SEASON 2

Fr though, it tackles simple and complex things, and I just love Hoshino's personality sooooo much.

She's simply kind, and helpful, and it's just really warm.

And the male characters and their own traits, it's really sweet

Kazuki's portrayal and his anxiety, his trauma, his catharsis and the way Hoshino was there for him. Also, consent, so much about consent. Even if it was a hug.

Junta's personality, him not being jealous but rather being like, 'it was bound to happen, she's just that amazing'. It was just really sweet. Man's just so adorable and kind.

The wizard, Riri aka Roro. Sweet, warm, helpful, and was a tad annoying at first but in the end I'm just happy he's back❤️

Hijiri, it was nice to see him blend w people and realise what tsuchiya wanted him to realise.

Also Saki and Makoto, idc if anything happens or not, but that particular moment was sweet and I hope they become good friends/anything romantic is fine too because Makoto is🫶 (for my girl Saki)

That asshole senior of Saki annoyed the fuck out of me. I see such things and it genuinely annoys me. Because he was being kind and stuff at first and then pulled off such shit and had the audacity to then tell people some made up story. Had the audacity to do that. AND fucker even met her at the festival and said all those things. Fucking creeps.

I also feel so sad and frustrated about the way Kazuki might have felt. Him clutching his mouth, the portrayal of anxiety and being scared, it hits hard. And his father not being on his side when he needed the support. I love Arisa though. But the way they depicted his trauma, and showed us the things he felt, the way he hesitated to help someone because of what happened. Also the part where she(the stalker) had bugged their house and sneaked in and drugged him, I cannot fucking imagine how scary that is. That affirmation from Anzu and that hug which he so needed, felt so warm and right.

The best thing about this anime is, that Anzu never wanted to be forced into love, it also went against stereotypes, but kinda like stereotypes but reversed which was really funny and warm. She never wanted to pursue romance and avoided things that might cause it because she didn't want a forced romantic thing, but she was always kind and warm to people around her, she looked at them as people and she became a person who does the basic which is needed, which is being simply kind and understanding towards others. She was an understanding person, catering to boundaries, and helping people out and listening to them, and simply just spending time with them. Platonic love, at its best. She loved spending time with them and considered them all her friends and never backed down on standing up for them.

And for that, i have so much respect.

I loved this anime so much.

I was sad to not see a season 2

Any suggestions for similar anime is welcome

[okayto]

Mini-Review: Romantic Killer

Living her best single life, romance is the last thing on Anzu’s mind — until a tiny match-making wizard suddenly turns her life into a clichéd romcom.

Came across a trailer for this and then said, "That's either going to be really good, or really bad." My companion agreed and suggested I test it out and let them know whether it was terrible or not.

Anzu Hoshino is a high schooler with no interest in romance, preferring to spend her free time playing games, eating chocolate, and enjoying the presence of her beloved cat, Momohiki. Unfortunately, when she tries a new game one day, it turns out to be crap, used by a magical creature named Riri as a way to introduce Anzu's new life: due to Japan's declining birthrate, the romantically-uninterested Anzu's life is going to be like a dating sim until she falls in love with someone! And if she doesn't? Say goodbye to Momohiki forever.

Anzu's reaction is understandable.

So, back to my initial hesitancy: "you have to fall in love! Heterosexual relationships are the goal" is obviously a really skeevy theme, and when you're a person who is always happy with aromantic and/or asexual representation in fiction (hi, it's me, I'm a person), it can make you leery. And Anzu can definitely be read as aro/ace, but what's interesting is that you don't have to, the setup is patently absurd and knows it's ridiculous regardless of her orientation.

Some mysterious wizard council decided that a 10th grader needed to be in a romantic relationship or risk losing things she loved. It's compulsory heterosexuality: this character could be aro, ace, aro/ace, gay, or even just a ~15-year-old straight girl who currently has no interest in dating or romance. All of those options are viable, completely normal, and drive home how fucked up the concept of "threaten a teenager so she'll eventually get pregnant" is. (To be clear, the show doesn't dwell on anything beyond "you need to be in a romantic relationship," but even there it's clear that the show recognizes this is a ridiculous proposition.)

Anzu is impossible not to like: she's a happy, healthy teen who really likes what she likes (gaming, chocolate, cats), doesn't care much about what others think but isn't a misanthrope, and her reaction to being told "treat your life like a dating sim or never see your cat again" is to swear revenge on the wizard and do everything in her power to avoid engaging with any of the concocted plots, even as they reach cheap-fiction levels of believability, much to her disgust.

Potential love interest has to move in with her because of Reasons? Time to be Unattractive!

And the thing is, because of Anzu's determination to never get anywhere close to a romantic scenario, the people she meets are able to understand she's a safe person to be around--the first guy she meets, for instance is always having girls ask him out or try to get close--and engage with her without having to worry about hidden motives.

Anzu's determination means she is committed to not putting on a facade, which lets her personality and character shine through. Add to that some Riri-concocted scenarios that force Anzu to spend time with other characters in improbable situations, and what you get is a really, really fun and often-humorous story.

The guys themselves also turn out to be good, fun characters. They get introduced to the plot as obvious love interests, but none of them were conjured out of magic and thus they all have their own reasons to continuing to be around Anzu (although the continual magic contrivances of Riri certainly help them keep their exposure up anyway).

The ironic thing is that Riri's terrible game definitely does enrich Anzu and Kazuki's (potential love interest #1) lives, without question: Anzu gains new friends she enjoys spending time with, Kazuki does too, in a way that he's not been able to enjoy with many people before. The other potential love interests' lives are similarly enriched...but it's never because of romance! Really, this show is a good look at the power of friendship and just community in general.

And while Anzu probably would've been fine if the whole thing had never happened--while she was kinda a loner after-school, there's no evidence that she was harming herself or setting up any future problems (which is, obviously, part of what makes the wizards' scenario so stupid)--Kazuki is a different matter. I don't want to say much because of spoilers, but it's clear early on that he's not just a loner because of his personality, but he's lived through some dark experiences that makes him want to stay away from any kind of relationship talk too.

It's great, and while the story wraps up nicely, I would watch so much more.

Please, I am begging the Powers That Be: give us a season 2 where Anzu and the gang go after the wizard council. Friend hijinks and cartoon violence, it's a match made in heaven. Please.

Verdict

English dub? Yes!

Visuals: Shiny and modern! Except for Riri's game, but that's intentionally bad. Anzu's many faces are very funny as well.

Worth watching? Yes. And I would watch another season, even though the story wrapped up fine. Give me more of this lovely friend group of weirdos who love each other.

Where to watch (USA, as of March 2023): Netflix (sub and dub)

Click my “reviews” tag below or search “mini review” on my blog to find more!

[somegirlsnerdywords2]

Anime i’ve Watched

Romantic Killer:

Synopsis: When gamer Anzu gets transported to a world of hot guys, it’s like she’s in a dream…someone else’s dream! High schooler Anzu Hoshino has a great life. Every day she plays video games, pigs out on snacks, and pets her beloved cat. But this blissful existence is turned into a confusing mess when a magical creature transports her to an altered reality bereft of her favorite things. Now she’s stuck with hot guys instead! How can she possibly survive in such an awful world?! Anzu must play along in this altered reality before she can return to her normal life, so she begrudgingly makes friends with Tsukasa Kazuki. He unfortunately happens to be one of the hottest and most popular guys at school, and what’s worse, she realizes that he might not even be that bad of a person! (Source: VIZ Media) 

Status: Completed

My Rating: 10/10

An anime completed in 2022 with a total of 12 episodes.

Just to be clear, the synopsis is a wee bit misleading, the female lead does not get transported to a land of hot guys. The guys already exist in her own world, the wizard just creates opportunities for them to meet and interact.

You know what? I went into this expect very little and came out of it firmly believing this to be the best romance anime released since Horimiya (That i’ve watched at least...). Let’s talk about why!

The Good:

Strong and hilarious female lead who quite frankly isn’t looking for love and has one hell of a moral compass

A weird wizard potato who eats and breathes chaos

Reverse harem/ otome game setting but with Substance

On point comedy

Exploration of deeper topics such as stalking that isn’t played off for laughs or brushed under the rug despite the comedic nature of the anime, very very well done

Character development! 

Great art, music, voice acting

Honestly I don’t think I have any cons, I very much enjoyed this one. 100% recommend! I would sell my soul for a second season. 

[pain-suffering-even]

headcanons: Goto Ryuji

content warning for mentions of alcoholism, domestic and child abuse, and murder

Quick headcanons - 

Name: Goto Ryuji

Age: 32

Gender: Male

DOB/Place: April 8th, 2028 in Okinawa, Japan

Rank/Type: S Rank Fighter

Guild/Occupation: Draw Sword Guild Leader

Past Occupation(s):

Skills:

Weapons: Sword

Family: Hoshino Jun (brother in-law) (deceased)

Wakabayashi Anzu (mom) (alive)

Goto Isamu (dad) (alive)

Goto Fumiko (older sister) (deceased)

Hoshino Minoru (nephew) (alive)

Core headcanons - 

Hidden talent: Pretty good at cooking

Favorite food: Crab legs 

What motivates them: Minoru and the rest of his family, 

Treasured possession: Any of the presents Minoru got for him (pots and pans, a fluffy blanket, a few cat themed things) 

Deepest secret: He’s killed Minoru's father and hid the body and no one knows what happened to him

Best/Worst thing to happen to them: His family and his hunter family/His sister marrying that man

Random memories: Picking up Minoru in the pouring rain from his dad's house and the way he was clinging so tightly to him Goto had to let him keep his jacket, meeting Reiji for the first time and thinking he looks so edgy, watching an old lady feeding the cats in a nearby alley and doing the same when she stopped coming around, going out for a walk in the fields nearby with a friend and stargazing and realizing how he felt, going to his sisters baby shower and immediately picking up on husband's weird behavior when he caught him glaring at everyone behind their backs, 

Best friend/Worst enemy: Hoshino Minoru/Nishimura Oniyuri, the founder and original leader of the Draw Sword Guild

Good/Bad traits: Practical, relaxed/Stubborn, literally suicidal, insensitive, possessive, 

Things they’ve done/like to do: Cook his parents recipes, feed the neighborhood cats, help his parents out with various chores like picking vegetables, cleaning the dishes, setting the table, etc, collect various vinyl albums, 

Personality type: “Virtuoso” ISTP-A (11% extraverted, 89% introverted; 26% intuitive, 74% observant; 69% thinking, 31% feeling; 33% judging, 67% prospecting; 71% assertive, 29% turbulent)

Nervous habit: Goto doesn’t get nervous (he gets infinitely more trigger happy), drinking, 

Things they’re afraid of: Minoru losing faith/trust in him, 

Things they want to accomplish: Befriending the pregnant neighborhood cat, getting the courage to teach Minoru some cooking recipes,

Additional headcanons -

He collects swords and also vinyls

He day drinks a lot

Has the patience for physical brain teaser puzzles, like Rubik cubes

He's a great cook but is too lazy to go out and get groceries so he just orders out a lot

His laugh is kinda obnoxious and he's quite self conscious of it

He really likes sunlight

He lives outside of the Draw Sword Guild dorms, partially because the house he got has such large windows that Ryuji absolutely loves

Really likes studio Ghibli movies and most old anime movies as well (Ponyo, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Akira, etc)

Their Timeline -

Age 12: his sister gets married + moves out

Age 13: announces child + Ryuji picks up on abuse happening + Minoru is born

7 years pass; sister breaks her leg + leaves her job + returns to japan

Age 20: finally gets to see sister and Minoru again

Age 21: ryuji is confirmed A rank (still can't decide - flip a coin decided for me)

3 years pass; Ryuji spends time with Minoru and his sister

Age 24: Ryuji joins the draw sword guild + upgraded to group leader

Age 25: sister gets diagnosed with cancer and eternal sleep

Age 26: Ryuji is upgraded to vice

Age 27: sister passed away in her sleep, Ryuji didn't get to say goodbye

Age 28: red gate incident + Nishimura Oniyuri dies + reawakening as S rank

Age 29: Minoru’s phone call + killing his dad

Age 30: Minoru is confirmed S rank

Age 31: Minoru joins the draw sword guild

Age 32: now

[metalandmagi]

The Real Anime Awards of 2022 part 2

A few weeks ago, I made my own joke categories for what I consider the real 2022 Anime Awards (The Real Anime Awards of 2022 part 1), but I also wanted to put the memes aside and make my real list of nominees for the real categories that Crunchyroll usually does (minus best director, best film, and best fight scene). I did it last year too, and it was a lot of fun trying to think of a varied list. So here are my picks!

Best boy

Bon (To Your Eternity season 2)

Yuu Izumi (Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie)

Wakana Gojo (My Dress Up Darling)

Matsuboshi Raidou (Aharen is Indecipherable)

Milo Nekoyanagi (Sabikui Bisco)

Yoshikazu Miyano (Sasaki to Miyano)

Best girl (as per tradition, there are more than 6 nominees, because they’re all best girl to me)

Marin Kitagawa (My Dress Up Darling)

Aoi Amawashi (Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story)

Eiko (Ya Boy Kong Ming)

Yor Briar (Spy x Family)

Desumi Magahara (Love After World Domination)

Ranko Mannen (Akiba Maid War)

Lum (Urusei Yatsura)

Nazuna Nanakusa (Call Of The Night)

Best protagonist

Eve (Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story)

Kong Ming (Ya Boy Kongming)

Mai Kawai (Police in a Pod)

Loid Forger (Spy x Family)

Anzu Hoshino (Romantic Killer)

Shigeo Kageyama (Mob Psycho 100 season 3)

Best Antagonist

Enrico Pucci (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean)

Eren Jaeger (Attack on Titan the Final Season part 2)

Daki and Gyuutaro (Demon Slayer Entertainment District arc)

Mami (Rent A Girlfriend Season 2)

Faputa (Made In Abyss season 2)

Riri (at least until the last two episodes) (Romantic Killer)

Best Animation

Demon Slayer-Entertainment district arc

Akebi’s Sailor Uniform

Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Chainsaw Man

Mob Psycho 100 season 3

Honorable mention: Fuuto Tantei

Best Score

Spy x Family

Made In Abyss season 2

Call of the Night

Chainsaw Man

Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Honorable mention: To Your Eternity season 2

Best Character Design

Yurei Deco

Yojouhan Time Machine Blues

King’s Ranking cour 2

Do It Yourself

Golden Kamuy season 4

Made In Abyss season 2

Honorable mention: Mob Psycho season 3

Best VA Performance English (Sorry, I don’t watch many dubs)

Elizabeth Maxwell as Barbara and Barbie (Shadows House season 2)

Christopher Wehkamp as Nyanko Sensei (Natsume’s Book of Friends. They started dubbing it this year, so it counts!)

Megan Shipman as Ayna (Spy x Family)

Johnny Yong Bosch as Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War)

Courtney Lin as Riri (Romantic Killer)

Mick Laur as Bon (To Your Eternity season 2)

Best VA Performance Japanese

Tanezaki, Atsumi as Anya (Spy x Family)

Imai, Fumiya as Yuuya Niyodo (Phantom of the Idol)

Kuno, Misaki as Faputa (Made In Abyss season 2)

Satou, Rina as Ranko (Akiba Maid War)

Koyasu, Takahito as Bon (To Your Eternity season 2)

Hikasa, Youko as Hizuru (Summertime Rendering)

Best OP (No the Chainsaw Man op isn’t in here, I literally made a separate category for it on my meme awards)

Spy x Family OP 1 (“Mixed Nuts”-HIGE DANdism)

Ya Boy Kongming (“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”-Queendom)

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean (part 2) (“Stone Ocean”-Ichigo)

Akiba Maid War (“Maid Daikaiten”- Ton Tokoton Staff)

Call of the Night (“Daten”-Creepy Nuts)

Mob Psycho 100 season 3 (“1”-Mob Choir)

Honorable mention: Yurei Deco (“1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 LOVE”-clammbon)

Best Ed

Spy x Family ED 2 (“Shikisai”-Yama)

I’m the Villainess So I’m Taming The Final Boss (”Nomick”- ACCAMER)

Kaguya-Sama Love is War season 3 (not the special ending, the regular one, though the special ending is good too)

Mob Psycho 100 season 3 (”Cobalt”- Mob Choir)

Shadows House season 2 (“Masquerade”-Claris)

Chainsaw Man (I mean come on, how is this fair? What are you trying to prove by making 12 different endings? You’ve got to be kidding me!)

Honorable mention: Komi Can’t Communicate season 2 (“Koshaberi Biyori”-FantasticYouth) (no I'm not kidding, this ending fascinates me. I can find something new to focus on every time I watch it.)

Best Comedy

Aharen is Indecipherable 

Police in a Pod

Spy x Family

Romantic Killer

Bocchi The Rock

Play It Cool Guys!

Honorable mention: Isekai Ojisan

Best Romance

Sasaki to Miyano

Love After World Domination

Kaguya-sama Love Is War season 3

My Dress Up Darling

Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie

When Will Ayamu Make His Move?

Best Drama

Dance Dance Danseur (it might technically be a sports anime, but it certainly felt like a drama in the second half)

Attack on Titan the Final Season part 2

Summertime Rendering

Shadows House season 2

Made in Abyss season 2

Akiba Maid War

Honorable mention: Golden Kamuy season 4 (I don’t care if it had to go on hiatus, it deserves to be recognized)

Best Action (I usually judge this category based on how good the action in the show is, rather than the show as a whole)

Demon Slayer Entertainment District arc

Lycoris Recoil

Mob Psycho 100 season 3

Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War

Chainsaw Man

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 

Best Fantasy

King’s Ranking cour 2

Shadows House season 2

Sabikui Bisco

Made In Abyss season 2

Vanitas no Carte season 2

To Your Eternity season 2

Honorable mention: Kokyu no Karasu (Raven of the Inner Palace)

Anime of the Year

Spy x Family

Demon Slayer Entertainment District Arc

Summertime Rendering

Chainsaw Man

Mob Psycho 100 season 3

Made In Abyss season 2

Honorable mention: Akiba Maid War (yes unironically)

But who cares what I think? What would you guys pick? Let’s see how much I match up with Crunchyroll!

[catgcmer]

  are you looking for LOVE ? For romantic walks in the park and sharing food while STARING into each others eyes?   —  well that’s too DAMN BAD, you won’t be finding that here ( not if i can help it )  

i assume this is still the best way to get round the rpc so please LIKE or REBLOG if you’re interested in netflix’s newest anti heroine battling love anzu hoshino from romantic killer ! !

[apricotheart]

Not an nsfw ask, but in Anzu's mind, how does she envision her first kiss ? Is there a specific setting ? Is it something she'd not expect or something she plans ?

( unprompted asks / always accepting !! )

Anzu, in typical teenage girl fashion, always expected that her first kiss would be terribly romantic. One for the books. Something that even the movies would be envious of. The setting always changes depending on her mood or who she envisions her first kiss with, but there's always a sense of anticipation bubbling like a carbonated soda in her chest. She's expecting it, but trying not to look too eager. Desperately wanting to experience the pinnacle of teenage girlhood.

The reality, however, isn't nearly so cookie-cutter romance.

But first, a little backstory.

Anzu was not always a good friend to Yuugi. They'd known each other since elementary school and for a long time Anzu and he were glued to the hip, until about the end of middle school when she started learning about things like cliques and social acceptability. She began distancing herself from Yuugi when she realised he wasn't "cool", and that his lack of "coolness" was reflecting onto her. She was never outright mean to him. She didn't ignore him completely. But she went to his house less often and spent more time with a group of popular girls who favoured fashion and makeup and boys over card games.

Her first kiss happened at the birthday party of her then-friend and ringleader of a group of popular girls, Hoshino Natsumi. With Natsumi's parents in the other room, she'd convinced the rest of the party goers to gather around for a game of spin the bottle. Anzu, too embarrassed to admit she'd never been kissed and too stubborn to back down, plopped on a pillow next to Natsumi and hoped that the bottle would never land on her.

It did.

Anzu's first kiss was with a boy whose name she doesn't even remember now. The only thing she remembers is the other kids hollering and cackling as he took her face in his hands and kissed her so hard their teeth clacked together. He tasted like stale Cheetos and Anzu swore she'd never go to another one of Natsumi's parties.

Coincidentally, she didn't. Not long after, they started high school and the first time Anzu caught sight of Yuugi being targeted by bullies more fiercely, she stepped in and sealed her reputation as his protective best friend. Natsumi and her cronies dropped Anzu pretty quickly after that.

[fanboyscribbles]

#RomanticKiller. I've only seen one episode and I'm already writing this because I am most certain that I will finish this series before the weekend. Romantic Killer is about Anzu Hoshino who lives the best days of her life playing games, eating snacks, and loving her cat. Until one day, all these disappear and she finds herself in her own 'otome' world. How does she survive? I'm just as curious. Ok. I've only seen one episode, but that's all I needed to say yes to this series. It feels so genuine and so relatable as someone who also nerds out and may likely be considered a shut-in since the pandemic started. The art is ok. It's no My Dress Up Darling or Horimiya, but for some reason, I got immediately reminded of these two titles. Maybe adding Ouran High as well for the reverse harem. Anyway, the art is simple, but what really carries it is the comedy. The antics are over the top. This is my kind of comedy. So much banter, side comments, and the reactions are just insanely good. Not as extensive as Asobi Asobase's range of varying art reactions, but still funny in their own way. In just one episode, the stress that accumulated from today just melted away as I laughed my head off. It's that kind of feel good show and I am so happy I found the trailer just in time for today's premiere. If you're looking for something new to binge, this. This is it. Try it. Just one episode and you'll see what I mean. Also, does this count as part of my #Fall2022 watchlist? Well, it IS anime and it premiered within the season, so I'll take that as a yes. Now go, watch it. Start the weekend early because God knows we need it. Pumanaw ka-- just kidding. 10/10 Byyyeeee. P.S. heard voices of Takagi-san Rie Takahashi and Hiro Shimono. Checked MAL and wow, Natsuki Hanae and TsudaKen!! https://www.instagram.com/p/CkOP19-I_RO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[translationandbetrayals]

Romantic Killer: how killing romance can save love

Romantic Killer is one of those anime you have probably seen on the Netflix homepage that you skipped over, not giving it much attention—and that’s just if you’ve been lucky enough for it to show up in your recommendations. And I don’t blame you. The art style is pretty much like a visual novel, which can be annoying to some, and the premise feels a bit cliché. It’s giving ‘I’m not like other girls’ vibes. I mean, a not-so-feminine girl uninterested in love being forced to care about romance? Meh.

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If you asked me why Romantic Killer ever caught my attention, I wouldn’t be able to answer. However, I’m glad that it did: the message the show sends you in the 12 episodes it has is one that I will carry with me. It’s a wonderful show with fun and refreshing characters, and I would love to see it get its flowers—and maybe, just maybe, even a second season. But that’s just me being delusional.

Romantic Killer is, originally, a manga of the romantic comedy genre, adapted in 2022 into an animated show (an Original Net Animation, to be precise) by Netflix. The story follows Hoshino Anzu, a 15 year old girl whose eyes can only look at her three biggest desires: her cat Momohiki, chocolate and video games. Her life revolves around that holy trinity. She has no time for romance, because she’d rather spend her free time playing games. The only way anyone could make her think about the l-word is through otome games.

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One day, Anzu rushes home to play a new videogame she had just bought, sitting down in front of her console with her chocolate and her beloved Momohiki on her lap. The opening screen shows a lot of text, mostly written in kanji, that she refuses to read so she simply clicks start. That’s when a being of doubtful origin with a silly hat and a magic wand pops out of her screen, saying that she’s been chosen as Subject 0 for Romantic Thriller: a magical experiment that puts girls uninterested in love through a lot of cliché romantic situations straight out of a shoujo romance and otome games, to deal with Japan’s decreasing birth rate. Her three biggest desires are taken away: all the chocolate stores near her either run out or close and her dad (a postman, mind you) is transferred to the United States, taking Anzu’s mom and Momohiki away with him.

That’s how Anzu ends up living alone, her three biggest desires gone, and at the mercy of the wizard, Riri.

Our main character, also labeled an anti-heroine, is a very fun person, but also incredibly spiteful. That’s why the series is called Romantic Killer and not Romantic Thriller: because she makes it her mission to absolutely ruin Riri’s plans. She makes an oath, saying she won’t play the game by the rules and, instead, will break it. She wants her chocolate, her games and her cat back and she’ll do it her own way under her own terms: by absolutely turning upside down whatever romantic prompt or scenario the wizard throws her way. Kind of Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun levels of absurdity regarding romance.

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Romantic Killer is silly. Unserious, even. And the best thing about it? The series knows it and completely exploits that factor. By putting Riri there, it gets away with the most insane scenarios possible: Kazuki Tsukasa’s apartment (one of Anzu’s romantic interests put in her path) is the only one flooded after a horrible rainstorm that forced him to spend a night at her house, him and Hayami Junta (Anzu’s longtime childhood friend, according to Riri, who she has no memory of) end up living with her under the same roof, she gets hit by a rich kid’s car (who turns out to be another love interest)... anything that feels ridiculous is immediately excused by magic.

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If not executed properly, that justification can make the story feel stale and so ridiculous that it stops being enjoyable, but the show deals with it in a way that feels natural despite constantly reminding you that that is by no means the case, adding into the comedy.

But also, Romakira is not shallow—Anzu manages to create genuine, real connections with every potential love interest, letting friendship bloom between the characters organically, despite the planning there is behind their encounters.

On the contrary, actually! It gets incredibly deep in a matter of episodes in a way that we, as viewers, simply don’t expect—and yet, when it happens, it doesn’t feel out of place. Everything flows seamlessly. The way the characters are presented and how they interact with each other opens the door for plenty of different scenarios, varying in tone and severity.

We get into the backstory of one of Anzu’s love interests, revealing that it’s rather a painful one. Turns out he was a victim of severe stalking and harassment, which made him move out of his hometown on his own and, eventually, it’s those events that put him in Anzu's path. He blames himself for sending mixed signals to his stalker, because that’s what one of his parents made him believe, and Anzu simply hugs him and cries for him. One of the things that really moved me and really stuck with me was how Anzu whispers, her voice shaky with rage as she holds him tightly, “I wish we had met sooner. I would’ve been the first one to believe you.”

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The show makes it very clear that Anzu, despite not having a lot of friends, the ones she has are extremely precious to her and she’d do anything for them. She’ll go against people who are older, stronger, more dangerous than she could ever be if that means protecting those she holds dear. She is also someone who doesn’t judge others, believing in their pain and not trying to minimize it—in fact, she actively validates people’s feelings and, at their pace, tries to help them find a way to alleviate whatever is hurting them.

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A lot of the time, we don’t get to see stalking and harassment of men (or in general, if we’re being completely honest) taken very seriously in media: it’s usually turned into the butt of the joke or it becomes a punchline, and the characters are meant to simply put up with the situation or even be thankful that anyone paid that much attention to them. It’s a clear reflection of our own biases as a society.

Generally speaking, the affected person, be it a woman or man, is the one responsible for the harassment, with those around them turning to victim-blaming tactics to take away the responsibility from the perpetrator and put it in the affected party. It’s not fair, it’s demoralizing and it can hurt the person’s sense of self and worth.

Romantic Killer goes the opposite way. There is another character who also was harassed, almost abused, and Anzu believes her immediately. She continuously defends the girl’s autonomy, her right to defend herself and she also stops everyone who dares gossip about the situation. Time and time again, the series makes sure to remind you that it’s never the victim’s fault, and that support is of the utmost importance. Both times, we can see the characters affected being validated by a supportive environment, protected by their loved ones, and constantly reminded they’re not at fault for what was done to them.

When we constantly see harassment turned into a joke, both the act itself as comic relief or the consequences being minimized, Romantic Killer is a breath of fresh air. When we constantly see how romance between men and women is the end-all be-all for girls, a goal to be achieved to find fulfillment in life, Romantic Killer is a change of pace by emphasizing friendship.

Yes, Anzu might be aiming to kill romance, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t appreciate love. Quite the contrary, in fact: she loves deeply, fiercely and protectively. She just doesn’t tend to show it romantically.

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If you are ever in the mood for something fun, surprisingly deep and kind of ridiculous (and with cat content!), you know what anime is perfect for that. ;)

Francisca Salgado. ☆

[pain-suffering-even]

heacanons: Hoshino Minoru

content warning for domestic abuse, child abuse, cancer, and attempted suicide

Quick headcanons - 

Name: Hoshino Minoru

Age: 20

Gender: Male

DOB/Place: February 23rd, 2040 in Okinawa, Japan 

Rank/Type: S Rank Assassin 

Guild/Occupation: Draw Sword Guild

Past Occupation(s): - 

Skills:

Weapons: Sword 

Family: Hoshino Jun (father) (deceased) 

Goto Fumiko (mom) (deceased) 

Wakabayashi Anzu (grandma) (alive) 

Goto Isamu (grandpa) (alive) 

Goto Ryuji (uncle) (alive) 

Core headcanons -

Hidden talent: Sleight of hand/magic tricks 

Favorite food: Calamari 

What motivates them: Making his mom proud, finally doing something with his life, 

Treasured possession: A blanket Goto bought for his birthday 

Deepest secret: He doesn't buy his dad killing himself, but the only other option is him being killed, and that’s... 

Best/Worst thing to happen to them: Having a great uncle like Goto/His father 

Random memories: Goto introducing the alleyway cats to him and getting itchy eyes and a swollen throat but not saying anything because the cats were so cute and Goto seemed to love them, Goto bringing home fresh apricots and peaches and his mom scolding him, his mother building one his Lego sets with him and doing funny voices for the characters, waking up in the lounge with everyone laughing hysterically and Tatsumi holding a trombone and wondering what the hell is going on only to be told he’s an extremely heavy sleeper, exploring Goto’s vinyl collection and taking a really comfortable and soft midday nap and waking up with a blanket over him, 

Best friend/Worst enemy: Kanae/His father 

Good/Bad traits: Empathetic, Idealistic, /Sensitive, Independent, 

Things they’ve done/like to do: Steal fruits off the trees in people’s lawns and backyards, show off his coin and card tricks, pick wildflowers from nearby fields to bring to his mom, 

Personality type: “Mediator” INFP-T (39% extraverted, 61% introverted; 51% intuitive, 49% observant; 5% thinking, 95% feeling; 44% judging, 56% prospecting; 11% assertive, 89% turbulent)

Nervous habit: Clinging to people/hugging people, do panic attacks count as coping 

Things they’re afraid of: His father, hospitals, dark rooms,

Things they want to accomplish:

Additional headcanons -

Him and Kenzo fight/spar a lot

Anxious wreck most the time but disguises it as minor annoyance

Kanae made the mistake of asking him to cook once and everyone realized why he just eats snacks and protein bars all the time 

Secretly yet not so secretly a cuddler. everyone has discovered this at some point during Kanae's sleepovers whenever they watch movies

Sleeps in so often, man. He's just a really heavy sleeper I guess. Can't hear a single thing going on. Could literally play the drums right next to him and he’d be like ‘is it raining or somethin?’

Their Timeline -

Age 1: move to New York

6 years pass

Age 7: hears his dad push his mom down the stairs which results in a broken leg

Age 8: returns to Japan and meets his uncle Ryuji 

Age 10: gains his rank but doesn’t get tested because he knows it’d upset his dad 

Age 11: start being homeschooled

Age 13: his mom is diagnosed with cancer and eternal sleep + his dad hits him for the first time

Age 15: his mom passes away + the abuse gets worse

Age 16: hears about Ryuji’s red gate incident 

Age 17: calls Ryuji + learns that his father “killed himself”

Age 18: gets tested for his rank and its official he’s an S ranker now 

Age 19: joins the Draw Sword Guild

Age 20: now 

[translationandbetrayals]

Don't judge a book by its cover

That phrase up there is very much the truth, and I always end up confirming it when I try to judge things beforehand.

Last Sunday I was laying on my sofa after work, procrastinating some school projects, thinking about a way of relaxing. I wanted to watch anime, with the excuse of making my last post.

I searched through Crunchyroll and nothing caught my eye, so I give up and decide to look for a movie on Netflix or some other anime. The movie idea die soon on me because I was too lazy to watch something more than an hour long. I was checking the popular anime catalogue when a title piqued my curiosity. It was called "Romantic killer".

I watch it with zero hopes, it looked funny but what convinced me to watch it was the yellow thingy. And oh my god, I'm glad I pick it. I saw it in one go, all the 12 chapters, I have so much In my head still about this show.

I just come he to promote it, I almost drop it when I saw the horrible CGI for the otome game, but then I remember the bear in Golden Kamuy, and I remind myself that sometimes not very good-looking are indeed very excellent works if you can see past the bearer of aesthetically pleasing things.

Soooo, there is this girl named Anzu Hoshino, she has three basic needs in her life, her cat Momohiki, chocolate and games. Her romantic life is non-existence due to these things, but she does not care a thing. Every day after school she rushes to her house to fulfil her needs.

One day, she was overly excited to come home, because she brought a new game that she wanted to try for in while. To her surprise, when she run the game, it was not what she bought, it was a trashy otome game, but her surprise was even bigger when a magical yellow creature came out of the T.V.

The creature, called Riri, explained to her that she was selected to experience real-life romance due to the declining birthrates. Anzu decline the offer immediately saying that she was not interested in those things and that she had everything she needed in her life. So, Riri made a drastic decision, they confiscated the three joys of Anzu with the condition of giving back those things once she found love.

Anzu decides to accept the conditions but is determined to avoid the romantic situations as much as she can, but Riri makes it hard because they use their magic to make a lot of encounters with "ikemen" very much like otome situations.

With Riri's traps Anzu ends up meeting different ikemen, and the development of the character's relationship ships ends up in a very wholesome way. Is not a typical romance, Anzu always ends up making the best faces when she tries to be non-romantic and I love it like, it's so funny, I found myself genuinely laughing. But there's also the deep stuff because nothing prepared me for the dark events that happened in the final episodes ( I read someone said that the show goes from romcom to psychological thriller with zero warning, but there are some very not-so-obvious clues). Anzu is a very good and loyal and amazing MC (and very relatable), she helps others, believes in people, is a very good friend and is loyal to her standards. The other characters are also very cool.

I encourage you to watch it, it's very very good, I'm rooting for everyone, and it treats serious topics the way they need to be treated, also some characters are LGBT coded so freaking cool. So, yeah watch it, I tried to summarize without many spoilers.

-Francisca Scopesi ( •̀ ω •́ )✧