#hanamaru season 3

[lilyginnyblackv2]

List of Anime Produced by NitroPlus:

This information is from MAL and is only looking at TV anime.

Steins;Gate, Psycho-Pass, Fate/Zero, Madoka, Fate/Zero 2nd Season, Psycho-Pass 2, Aldnoah.Zero, Gakkougurashi!

Suisei no Gargantia, Aldnoah.Zero Part 2, Psycho-Pass 3, Robotics;Notes, DRAMAtical Murder, Azur Lane, Buddy Daddies, Katsugeki/Touken Ranbu

Togainu no Chi, SoniAni: Super Sonico the Animation, Blassreiter, Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru, Gunslinger Stratos The Animation, Tokyo 24-ku, Revenger, Hina Logi: From Luck & Logic

Zoku Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru and Warau Arsnotoria Sun! 

----

I haven’t watched all of these anime myself, but for the ones that I do know, a good chunk of them tend to have some queer aspect about them. 

Steins;Gate: has Ruka/Luka, a character that is gender-conforming (I know that there tends to be heavy debate on whether or not Ruka is a trans character or an otokonoko character, which is a bit different and more like a Femboy identity). Regardless, Ruka is shown to struggle with gender identity and also has a canon crush on Okabe, the MC and a man. 

(The image below is of Ruka stating “I want to be a girl!”).

I’m not super well versed in Steins;Gate though (I watched it when it aired, but never got super invested in the series, games, and etc), so if anyone has anymore info on this character and series (in regards to queer aspects), feel free to share.

Psycho-Pass: I have only seen Season 1 (the other seasons are on my “To-Watch” list), but there is a canon lesbian couple in the series: Shion and Yayoi.

They are shown post-coital and everything (like, in the bed, putting underwear back on, etc.). Shion, the one in the white lab coat in the image above is also stated as being bisexual over the LGBTQIA+ Wikia. They are more minor characters, but they aren’t just background characters either.

Madoka: I watched the show when it was airing back in the day. I haven’t seen any of the movies or spinoff stuff, but I do remember there being very heavy queer subtext (specifically yuri).

Madoka and Homura are a huge yuri pairing in the anime community for a reason, lol.

DRAMAtical Murder & Togainu no Chi: Both of these anime were adaptations of Nitro+ video games. Those games were very GAY  and very sexually graphic and kinky. It’s been a while since I watched either anime, but I do know that they had to tone down these series down a bit.

DRAMAtical Murder (I think the above image is from the game though).

Togainu no Chi

Interestingly, MAL has Togainu no Chi labeled as a BL, but not DRAMAtical Murder.

Anyway, both of those shows are very gay.

Finally, Revenger: this is a currently airing anime. I haven’t watched it myself (I got too caught up in Buddy Daddies, which also caused me to fall behind on watching The Fire Hunter too, my brain can only do one anime at a time, lol). But, I do check out the discussion posts on this series over on MAL and r/anime from time to time to get an idea of how they are handling characters and themes.

And apparently one episode contains a gay brothel. Okay. I was also aware of the character: Nio.

I checked out the official site before it aired, and I wanted to wait and see/hear how they handled Nio’s character. The official website describes Nio as 両性具, which is a word that is generally translated into English as hermaphrodite or androgenous, but not as intersex. Japanese also seems to deferentiate these words: 両性具有 vs. インターセックス (intaasekkusu). So, I’ve been a little uncertain of how this particular representation would play out, but regardless if it is well handled or not, the fact of the matter is that Nio’s character exists outside of the gender binary as well and is a queer character in this way.

Basically, what I’m getting at here, is that NitroPlus is an anime producer that has series which explore queer themes and has queer characters in them. Not everything they produce has queer elements to them. From what I remember of Suisei no Gargantia, for example, was pretty heternormative and straight, and one of the script writers for Buddy Daddies, Vio Shimokura, wrote for one other series: Tokyo 24-ku, which seems to lean more into “close childhood friends” category of writing with its male characters. But, I haven’t actually watched the show, so I can’t really say (this is just going off of the synopsis).

The other Buddy Daddies script writer, Yuuko Kakihara, has worked on a bunch of different series, but nothing that really stands out as being specifically queer in the sense of having same-sex relationships and whatnot. But, the company of NitroPlus itself hasn’t shied away from queer characters or themes before, either. 

NitroPlus is producing Buddy Daddies along with PA Works, so I think it is important to think about what other series and kinds of content the production companies have made before too. It can add better context and layers when figuring out how to read the themes being presented in a series. 

[startersword]

Rules are to answer and tag some people you want to get know better and/or catch up with! I was tagged by @dwarfdyke :3

Trying to fink...In advance for this little game thingy...i tag...ummm :3c @furmeet @violentrevolution @launitaspeciale @volfoss @gaymaninred @kanenites OK SORRY FOR THE TAGS TEEHEE onto the game *cartoon running SFX*

Favorite color: Red! But I also like pink and warm shades of yellow, bordering on orange...

Last song: According to spotify the last song I listened to was this song from the Touken Ranbu Hanamaru soundtrack 💀

Currently watching: Rewatching Golden Kamuy with my friends since my besteh Ori is trying to finish it up! We're on season 4 right now

Currently reading: Erm. Nuffing. Kicks a rock. Does roleplaying count in a way 😭 OH but I hopefully plan to use internet archive to re-read this manga my sister had when I was a kid! It's called Nightmares & Fairy Tales, the one in specific that I'm looking for had a sapphic retelling of Beauty and The Beast, if I'm not mistaken! I have another issue of it lying somewhere...I'll have to find it 😭

Currently craving: Hmm...I just woke up so as of rn nothing really...but last night I was craving cheese 🫡

Coffee or tea: Both! Even if coffee hates me and makes me feel like I'm going to actually die if I drink too much of it 😭

[thiswasmadeonawhim]

Touken Ranbu 101 (Entry Guide)

((I originally wrote this for Anilist, but I made a modified version for tumblr just for more accessibility.))

So you wanna Touken Ranbu, but have No idea where to start? Don't worry, we've all been there before. This will be a brief yet extensive guide on where to even start here. Starting first with overall world explanation, then sorting through all the different media based on 1) Adaptation and 2) Entry Level Rating (Last updated: 01/13/2024)

What is Touken Ranbu?

Touken Ranbu started as an online browser game back in 2015, and later received a mobile phone application version around 2016. It is NOT a dating sim. TKRB fits under the Joseimuke demographic, in which the main target audience is older women, but don't feel discouraged from exploring if you don't fit the targeted range.

Synopsis: (from the tkrb wiki)

Touken Ranbu (刀剣乱舞) is an online web browser game by DMM and Nitroplus. Players assume the role of a Saniwa sage (審神者) who travels into the past to defeat evil forces that are trying to change the course of history. As a sage, you have the ability to bring famous historical swords to life as touken danshi (刀剣男士). Your duty is to bring these blades to life, create an army, and defeat the enemies!

Since then, Touken Ranbu has received various types of adaptations, ranging from anime, manga, novels, stage plays, musicals and live action movies, all of which are based on the universe created by the game. An important thing to note: None of the different series are related to one another. They all take place in their own citadels meaning that one sword from one version will not be the same in another citadel, aside from their base sword personality. Their base character traits and personalities can be gathered from their in-game dialogue, and are then refined and deepened based on the writer. In addition to this, Touken Ranbu just recently celebrated its 9th anniversary, and with that, a whole slew of new media to consume.

Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru

Starting with the first anime adaptation: TKRB Hanamaru (HNMR). TKRB HNMR focuses on sword life at home in the citadel and is heavy slice-of-life material. Ranging from family bonding, division of household chores, playing with animals and topics like this. It also includes some sortie and battle scenes, but nothing too heavy so it also makes it safe for people of all ages. Really the definition of "cute boys doing cute things".

Hanamaru Season 1

Hanamaru Manga

Hanamaru Season 2

Hanamaru Movie Trilogy

So far it's also the longest anime/manga adaptation with 2 seasons (12 episodes each) and a 3 movie series (a 3rd season of sorts). As well as a manga adaptation, so far only based on the first season of the anime as well as one covering the events of the 3 movies. In addition to that, there’s also a novelization of the 3 movies. This adaptation also has the largest cast of swords, currently at 86 swords, so i rate it a 7/10 on the Entry Level Rating scale.

Reasoning: HNMR is a great place to start and slowly learn about the different swords, small bits of their history as well as their relations to one another. I would just recommend coming back to rewatch HNMR more than once to pick up on things once missed, as it also makes jokes based on some other sword related things not within the anime. In addition to that, the large number of cast may be intimidating to those diving right in, that is unless you are used to learning 40+ new characters in one go.

Katsugeki/TOUKEN RANBU

The next anime adaptation would be Katsugeki (KTGK). TKRB KTGK is the more Serious(tm) TKRB anime adaptation when compared to HNMR. It’s also shorter having only a 12 episode anime, one manga adaptation and an upcoming movie (currently still in limbo, thanks ufo-table)

Katsugeki Anime

Katsugeki Manga

Katsugeki Movie

KTGK focuses on the battle and timeline protection aspects of the game, but from a perspective that can be both inviting but also confusing to new viewers. On the other hand, it features only a certain number of swords so it’s easier to learn about the characters as you watch. For this reason I rate Katsugeki a 6/10 on the Entry Level Rating scale

Reasoning: KTGK may have a smaller cast, but many fans agree that their take on one of the swords in particular is out of character. Regardless, I’d say that KTGK is a good anime to first introduce people to the Concept of the universe. To show that it’s not just pretty boys posing with swords, show how every sword has a history and something that they want to protect.

Touken Ranbu Anthologies

The TKRB Anthologies require NO background knowledge but also ALL the background knowledge at the same time. However, this doesn’t mean that it isn’t as accessible for those who don’t know the swords. There are a large number of them and it doesn’t matter where you start with them.

Hibana Mae Touken Danshi

Uijin

Senjin

Hibana Chirase Touken Danshi

Touken Danshi Makuaigeki

Shutsujin Junbichuu

Homare

Shutsujin

Ki no Jin

SQEX no Jin

Touken Ranbu Gakuen

Story wise, these have no stories. They’re all one-shots or shorter, just drawn by sword fans for sword fans. I rate the anthology series a 9/10 for the Entry Level Rating scale due to their easy to consume length as well as how many swords they manage to cover in one go. There’s no way you can go wrong with the anthologies. Don’t like a sword? Just keep browsing til you see a 4Koma of a sword that fits your tastes more then. Much like Hanamaru, I highly recommend coming back after you’ve absorbed more sword knowledge so those jokes can hit one more time.

Touken Ranbu 4-Koma

Much like the anthologies, the 4-Koma chibi anthology series is Even Shorter and easier to consume. So far has 4 volumes.

Anthology Comic 4koma Ranbu

Entry level wise, I rate it an 8/10. Nearly up there with the rest of the anthologies, but still not high  enough standalone to cover just as much. Still a cute series nonetheless.

Touken Ranbu Side Story: Tale of Ayakashi

The Tale of Ayakashi manga series is still releasing, but it’s a good read which features many different swords in different scenarios involving Spoopy Spirits.

Touken Ranbu Gaiden Ayakashi Tan

I rate it an entry score of 6/10 as you may need to do more reading on the side regarding the swords and their connections as well as the ayakashi featured. (they come with small snippets of info, but reading in depth is also fascinating)

Touken Ranbu ~Nihongo Tsurezure Sake~

Another manga currently releasing, this one focuses on Nihongo, one of the heaviest drinkers of the citadel, cooking meals for his fellow swords in the citadel. The focus here being mostly on food that tastes great with a side of alcohol (usually sake). This one gains an entry score of __5/10__. It features other swords, yes, but the main focus is still the meals so I’d say it hits better after you get to know them all first.

Touken Ranbu Musical

The TKRB Musical is one of the 2.5D adaptations that TKRB has spawned. Not to be confused with the stage play series, which I’ll get into later. Currently TouMyu as a franchise has well over 30 productions, including unique stories, reruns, solo shows, duo shows, and live concerts, in just under 8 years. Over the years, TouMyu has grown to inspire and create more adaptations based on their individual plays, including (currently) 2 manga adaptations, and 6 official novelizations.

Atsukashiyama-Ibun

Bakumatsu Tenrouden

TouMyu manga adaptations are just 2 volumes and pretty fast reads. As for whether they can substitute for the Musicals themselves, I’d say yes. They do a fantastic job adapting the main story into an action packed manga. However, I’d also recommend the musicals themselves, at least to try the medium out but also to experience them in their original form. For this reason, I rate the Musical manga adaptations a 6/10

As some Myu samples, the latest 2 MVs featuring Tsurumaru and Ookurikara:

Touken Ranbu Stage Play

Much like TouMyu, the TKRB Stage Plays are another 2.5D project that started at the same time as TouMyu and takes place in its own universe and timeline. So far, there have been no manga adaptations, however, there is an anime series in the works to adapt the first TouSute stage play. It’s now set to release in April 2024!

Touken Ranbu Kyouden Moyuru Honnouji

Just like TouMyu, TouSute has multiple entries for the series as a whole. Running also since around 2016, the stage play adaptation features 12 unique productions as well as one pseudo live event. Rating this based on the stages themselves, I’d give TouSute a beginner level of 4/10.

Reasoning: This is not because it’s a bad adaptation, in fact it’s an amazing series ((I’m biased)), It’s just that it can all be overwhelming to take in at one time. What I recommend is trying another series or two first before diving straight into TouSute, as they require you to know a bit more about the characters when going in other than just basic facts. This really requires you to understand their history and Why they act the way they do when faced with certain obstacles and challenges. If you ever do plan to watch the stage plays though, I recommend going in release order!

Because most of Sute’s youtube videos are region locked to Japan, I have come with a BD pv video. Here, have a stage PV for Tenden:

Touken Ranbu Movie

Not to be confused with any of the other 2.5D series, the TouEiga is as well another citadel of its own. The cast is majority the same from TouSute, however, so it may confuse those just starting out. So far, only the first movie has one manga adaptation. There is a total of two movies, one from 2019 and one from 2023. Both feature a lot of the same swords, but the 2nd movie adds a few more to the roster as well as mixes in some sentai-esque elements so I feel that it may appeal to a wider audience who may not understand a lot of the sword mechanics.

Eiga Touken Ranbu

Since this movie is a one off, it and the manga adaptation both rank in at a 7/10 for entry level reasons. I’d say for this all you really need to know is who Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi are and you’re good to go. The second movie keeps the ranking still at a 7/10 since both are really a non-committal piece of media. You can go in and just vibe and decide if you wanna look into it more later.

Touken Ranbu Kabuki

Our newest live action adaptation will be a Kabuki adaptation of Touken Ranbu: TouBuki. The one and only show ran back in July in 2023. Kabuki, being a traditional theater art in Japan, may seem intimidating at first to someone who has never watched it (this is coming from personal experience), but the adaptation in general was an enjoyable watch and very engaging. Written from the perspective of: If Touken Ranbu were to receive an adaptation written back in the day, there’s a great authentic feel to the production. For a starting point, just due to the hurdle, I rate TouBuki a 5/10 for beginners.

Touken Ranbu Outdoor Ibun - Touken Camp

In this spin off, it’s a whole manga where the swords go camping with each other but also cook food. So sorta like Yuru Camp only with sword men.

Touken Ranbu Outdoor Ibun - Touken-Camp

So also like the Nihongo cooking manga, just a different artist and aesthetic. So cause it also is food based, and also camping based, I rank it a similar 5/10 for beginners. Start someplace more… Sword.

Wanpaku! Touken Ranbu

Ok, ok so this series is gonna be an anime, unknown at this time if it will be a full 23 min anime or a short 5, 10 or 15 mins each episode (my bet is on a short form but MAN imagine if they give us something like Uchitama), that is based on a plush toy line series of the Touken Danshi made in collaboration with Sanrio, which explains why they’re all just so cute!

Wanpaku Touken Ranbu

Since this still has no other news out, I can’t rate it on if it’ll be a good intro to the series or not but surely it’ll be a good light watch for any saniwa out there.

Ending Statement

I hope that this guide was helpful for those trying to get into the series. As always, a great place to start as well is the game itself, which is available to download in Japanese on both mobile devices as well as straight in your browser.

[tharizdun-03]

Love Live! Sunshine!! Season 2: EP 1-4 Watchthrough

SEASON 2 TIME!!

#1: "Next Step"

i have no idea what the fuck she's doing but riko is such a good girlfriend

me to riko when she makes weird noises i don't understand

i really loved yohane's introductory episode, but then thought she played too much into her schtick when it worked much better when her embarrassed self awareness of it clashed with her theatrics, so more like this.

like this moment here when she gets into character, but then realizes playing things up won't help right now and she just sinks into her sadness. fucking broke my heart, that slump.

i suppose it's nice that she's more often in yohane mode cause it means she's found a group that accepts her playing this persona, which is great! but i definitely want more vulnerable moments consistently, to humanize her further. she doesn't have to abandon yohane for that.

Maybe. I mean, anything's possible with the butterfly effect, you know. Maybe if you just stepped on a bug that day, you could've prevented WWII. I mean, it'd have to be before the war ofc. Unless you stepping on that bug now impacted a future time traveller. That'd work too.

Honoka could change the weather through her willpower alone, so maybe you can manage a miracle too.

chika's girlfriends embarrassed at seeing her panties. yes, girlfriendS. they are polyamorous. it is written. i have decreed it. (mari and kanan are exclusive for example, so there is reason behind my ships lol)

sunshine has made me into the biggest yuri headcanoner lol.

i also love how you can tell just how much i'm enjoying a show depending on if i write long threads for each episode i watch or not. if i am, that's good fucking shit.

#2: "The Sound of Rain"

These two kind of are the nerds of the group tbh. Yohane is into her chuunibyou stuff (and would probably love something like Dungeons and Dragons btw) and Hanamaru is a big reader. It makes sense they'd develop a bond over that.

chika and riko being cute again.

i dunno, yohane speaks all the time. and i wouldn't call either kanan and especially not mari shy. at least, those are not their core differences that is causing this clash.

what in god's name happened to that first screenshot lmao

fun shot

they're

cute

yeah, that's the sun, stupid.

i like that this episode focused on the other girls separated from our main trio. immediately introduced us to new dynamics, cause that's when these shows work the best, when it's just these dorky girls bouncing off each other.

#3: "Rainbow"

Silly little comedy, but also, this is a big part of Sunshine!!'s charm. This is what they're selling to students. The rural environment, the local fruit, the ocean, the community. Not the actual school, which seems kinda whatever really (3 hours between busses, like?).

also, while i like the opening for this season, it's not a highlight like the first one, but i do love the ed we have for this season, which is just the girls being their cutest

no, not quite yet.

it's nice seeing ruby having grown comfortable enough to banter with yohane like this

look at those smiles. they are so in love. (also, nice reference to the first episode)

besides the first opening, i don't think sunshine has had any outstanding songs like SiP, but i like the classical theme here. also, it was the best choice to go to love live primarily, i think. ofc, they manage to do the open house too, cause that's the kind of show this is.

#4: "Don't Be So Formal with Me"

this show.... getting me all emotional. yes, it's okay to be yourself! you don't have to change fundamentally to get close with other people. you don't have to change your dynamic or friendship, that it's unique to their relationship with you is what makes it special to love!!

you guys know that episode in k-on's second season were mugi feels self conscious about her friendship with the girls cause she doesn't have the same kind of dynamic with all the physical comedy? yeah.

aww, my sweetheart.

and then a minute later lol

dia scaring off dolphins with a glare alone

i love how in You's fantasy, Chika has all these everyday jobs like working at a restauarant or as a florist, but You herself is a model! (photographed by her girlfriend, ofc)

on that note, You looking real cute with her hat and pigtails

nooo, dia, your line with hanamaru was good, you were jumping off of a previous topic and she doesn't interact with customers. they're just stupid, you did well!

hey, remember in you's fantasies back in like ep 11 and she had that random bear costume? we have context for that now as we find out this is a part time job she's taken before.

i dunno how she got all those kids' attention with just some dance, but queen lol. one of the best episodes of this series so far. incredibly cute episode with so many lovely gags and a minor emotional conflict that the series can't over indulge itself on. superb stuff.

[xviruserrorx]

Fandoms

Finished:

-Shows

Arthur Of The Britons (2 Seasons)

AMC The Terror (2 Seasons)

American Horror Story (*11 Seasons*)

American Horror Stories

Bates Motel (5 Seasons)

BBC Atlantis (2 Seasons)

BBC Dracula (1 Season)

BBC Jamestown (3 Seasons)

BBC Merlin (5 Seasons)

BBC Robin Hood (3 Seasons)

BBC Sherlock (3 Seasons)

BBC Sinbad (1 Season)

BBC The Musketeers (3 Seasons)

BBC The Village (2 Seasons)

Being Human UK (5 Seasons)

Being Human US (3 Season)

Beowulf: Return To The Shieldlands (1 Season)

Black Sails (4 Seasons)

Bonding (2 Seasons)

Brideshead Revisited (1 Season)

Buffy The Vampire Slayer (7 Seasons)

Carnivale (2 Seasons)

Carnival Row (1 Season)

Criminal Minds (15 Seasons)

Dead Like Me (2 Seasons)

Devil In Ohio (1 Season)

Dexter (9 Seasons)

Dexter: New Blood (*1 Season*)

Dominion (2 Seasons)

Everything's Gonna Be Okay (2 Seasons)

First Kill (1 Season)

Good Omens (*2Seasons*)

Gotham (5 Seasons)

Grimm (6 Seasons)

Hemlock Grove (3 Seasons)

House MD (8 Seasons)

In The Dark (4 Seasons)

Jekyll and Hyde (1 Season)

Jinn (

Knight Fall (2 Seasons)

La Brea (*2 Seasons*)

Mayday (1 Season)

Medici: The Magnificent (3 Seasons)

Midnight Texas (2 Seasons)

Miracle Workers (*3 Seasons*

Misfits (5 Seasons)

My Babysitters a vampire (2 Seasons)

Nbc Dracula (1 Season)

Nbc Hannibal (3 Seasons)

Nobody's Looking (1 Season)

Our Flag Means Death (*1 Season*)

Over The Garden Wall (1 Season)

Penny Dreadful (3 Seasons)

Prodigal Son (3 Seasons)

Ripper Street (5 Seasons)

Robin Of Sherwood (3 Seasons)

Shadowhunters (3 Seasons)

Someone Has To Die (1 Season)

South Of Hell (1 Season)

Spartacus (3 Seasons)

Stranger Things (*4 Seasons*)

Supernatural (15 Seasons)

Syfy Sanctuary (4 Seasons)

Teen Wolf (6 Seasons)

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1 Season)

The Almighty Johnsons (3 Seasons)

The Healing Powers of Dude (1 Season)

The Imperfects (1 Season)

The Last Kingdom (*5 Seasons*)

The Living and the Dead (1 Season)

The Sandman (*1 Season*)

The Society (1 Season)

The Tomorrow People (1 Season)

The Umbrella Academy (*3 Seasons*)

The Winchesters (1 Season)

Thirteen (1 Season)

Troy: Fall of The City (1 Season

Unorthodox (1 Season)

Vampire Diaries (8 Seasons)

Versailles (3 Seasons)

Vikings (6 Seasons)

Voltron: legendary Defender (8 Seasons)

We Are Lady Parts (*1 Season*)

You (*4 Seasons*)

-Movies/Franchises

Call Me By Your Name

Ghibli studio movies

Her

Ondine

Saw (Franchise)

The Interview With The Vampire

The Shape of Water

-Books/Light novels

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Aristotle And Dante Discover The Universe

Aristotle and Dante Dive into The Waters of the World

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman

Find Me by Andre Aciman

Heroes Of Olympus (5 Books)

Magnus Chase and The Gods Of Asgard (3 Books)

Maurice by E.M Forester

Percy Jackson & The Olympians (5 Books)

The Kane Chronicles (3 Books)

The Trials Of Apollo (5 Books)

The Sun and Star by Rick Riordan

-Comic Books

Lone Receiver

-Anime

Akatsuki No Yona

Amnesia

Angel Beats

Another

Assassination Classroom

Black Butler

Blood-C

Blue Exorcist

Brothers Conflict

Bungo Stray Dogs

Danganronpa

Deadman Wonderland

Death Note

Death Parade

Diabolik Lovers

Dramatical Murder

Durarara

Free

Fruits Basket (2001)

High School Of The Dead

Higurashi No Naku No Koro Ni (original)

Junjou Romantica

Kamisama Kiss

Karneval

K Project

Loveless

Love Stage

Magi

Maid-Sama

Mirai Niki

No.6

Orenchi No Furo Jirou

Ouran High School Host Club

Pandora Hearts

Place To Place

Princess TuTu

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Rozen Maiden

Sekai ichi hatsukoi

Shugo Chara

Soul Eater

Sugar Sugar Rune

The World God Only Knows

Tokyo Ghoul

Toradora

Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru

Touken Ranbu: Katsugeki

Tsubasa chronicles

Uta No Prince Sama

Vampire knight

Xxx Holic

Yuri On Ice

Zombie loan

-Manga

Drug and Drop

Fruits Basket

Kitchen Princess

K Project

La Esperanza

Loveless

No.6

Pandora Hearts

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Soul eater

Soul eater NOT

Strawberry Panic

Sugar Sugar Rune

Tokyo Ghoul

Tokyo Ghoul:re

Vampire Knight

Xxx Holic

-Games/Franchises

Baldur's Gate

Borderlands

Devil May Cry

Final Fantasy

Kingdom Hearts

Persona 5

The Evil Within

Waiting for/Caught up:

-Shows

(S2) Good Omens (Waiting for Season 3)

(S4) Stranger Things (Waiting for Season 5)

(S11) American Horror Story (Waiting for Season 12)

(S1) Dexter: New Blood (Waiting for Season 2)

(S3) Miracle Workers (Waiting for Season 4)

(S1) Our Flag Means Death (Waiting for Season 2)

(S1) We Are Lady Parts (Waiting for Season 2)

-Currently airing

(S2) La Brea (s2 e7 - Waiting for episode 8)

-Movies/Franchises

Aristotle And Dante Discover The Universe

-Books/Light Novels

The Hammer of the Gods by Rick Riordan

-Comic Books

The Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way (Waiting for Volume 4: Sparrow Academy)

Not Caught Up With:

-Shows

(S13) BBC Doctor Who (Really behind-ish)

(S4) BBC Ghosts (Need to watch Season 4)

(S6) Peaky Blinders (Need to watch Season 6)

(S5) The Handmaid's Tale (Need to watch Season 5)

(S3) The Umbrella Academy (Need to watch Season 3)

(S2) The Wilds (Need to watch Season 2)

(S2) Vikings: Valhalla (Need to watch Season 2)

(S2) Shadow and Bone (Need to watch season 2)

(S3) The Witcher (Need to watch Season 3)

(S4) You (Need to watch Season 4)

-Books/Light Novels

Shadowhunters Chronicles by Cassandra Claire (Really behind)

Currently watching/reading:

-Shows

(S2) A Young Doctor's Notebook (s2 e2)

(S2) BBC The Mill (s1 e3)

(S2) Britannia (s1 e3)

(S5) iZombie (s1 e8)

(S1) Jinn (s1 e2)

(S1) Midnight Mass (Restarting)

(S3) My Two Dad's (s1 e14)

(S1) Nobody's Looking (s1 e4)

(S2) Raising Dion (s1 e4)

(S1) Safe (s1 e6)

(S3) Shtisel (s1 e2)

(S2) Special (s1 e2)

(S5) Switched At Birth (s1 e20)

(S2) Tell Me A Story (s1 e3)

(S1) The Defeated (s1 e3)

(S1) The Imperfects (s1 e6)

(S5) The Last Kingdom (s1 e2)

(S4) The Man In The High Castle (s1 e3)

(S2) This Close (s2 e2)

(S8) Weeds (s2 e10)

-Books/Light Novels

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Currently Revisiting:

-Shows

Being Human UK (Rewatch 1 - s2 e6)

Dexter (Rewatch 3 - s)

Grey's Anatomy (Rewatch 2 - s2 e?)

Lucifer (Rewatch 4 - s3 e2)

Ripper Street ( Rewatch 1 - s2 e?)

The Almighty Johnsons (Rewatch 1 - s3 e11)

Vikings (Rewatch 2 - s2 e5)

-Books/Light Novels

Call Me By Your Name (Re-read 4)

-Games

Final Fantasy XIV (Replay 1)

Haven't Started:

-Shows

(S3) Baby

(S2) Black Spot

(S3) Derry Girls

(S2) Diablero

(S4) Eastsiders

(S1) Elves

(S5) Leverage

(S1) My Dead Ex

(S4) Ozark

(S2) Russian Doll

(S4) Roswell New Mexico

(S2) Sense8

(S1) The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself

(S5) The Magicians

(S3) The Rain

(S1) The Seven Lives Of Lea

(S1) Tidelands

(S1) Tiny Pretty Things

(S2) Trinkets

(S2) Young Royals

-Comic Books

Killjoys

The Sandman

The Walking Dead

Not sure/On The Fence:

-Shows

Cw Arrow

Heartstoppers

Not Continuing:

-Anime

Attack On Titan

Tokyo Ghoul: re

-Manga

Attack On Titan

[lucy-ashton]

So… The months have swept by at a speed, and the least I can say is that I have been through 180-degree changes during each of them. Because I wanted to focus on the hiatus of my novels, I fell behind on my fanfictions. And when I wanted to go back to my fanfics, I realised that I was running out of material, inspiration and that I literally couldn't write in the passion of the moment anymore. I now require a background, a lore built from A to Z that prevents me from committing plot holes and other usual errors. As a result, my fanfictions also ended up on hiatus. I'm not exactly in great physical shape right now too, which really doesn't help, and my job is taking up the rest of my precious free time

Anyway, all that to say I've wisely decided to wait until the broadcast of season 3 of Touken Ranbu Hanamaru to get down to writing the last fanfic of my series The Story of the Saniwa. I know that the latter was already expected last summer, but that it was postponed due to the publication of my other series: Golden Chains & Crown of Sand (Part 2). I also know how highly anticipated this fifth and final part is, but hopefully Hanamaru season 3 shouldn't be too far away now. After the broadcast, I will have all the inspiration to finish this The Story of the Saniwa series, which quickly will be followed by the last part of Golden Chains & Crown of Sand.

Thank you all for your patience, it will be duly rewarded with some awesome Behind The Scenes secrets posted here right after the fic will be posted!

I can't wait, I miss writing a lot. See you guys soon <3

[jajachanx3]

CYaRon!, AZALEA & Guilty Kiss in their PJs from Love Live Sunshine Season 2 Blu-ray Source

[tyviac]

i was looking back at all the chichi memes ive made since i spent a year trying to forge him and god i love my old man so much 😭💦

[toumin]

Kenma Noya and Ichi Yagen Nendos

[delanimelist]

My Anime List!

-Here is a list of my finished and unfinished anime!-

Finished

-This will only include the Anime themselves, no movies. Individual seasons I won’t count separately-

Anne-Happy

Ao-Chan Can’t Study!

Aoharu x Machinegun

Assassination Classroom

Blend-S

Cells at Work!

Cells at Work! CODE BLACK

citrus

Classroom of the Elite

Cute High Earth Defense Club Love!

Daikaichi- I’m Being Harassed by the Sexiest Man of the Year

Danganronpa: The Animation

Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope’s Peak Highschool (Both Arcs)

Gakuen Handsome

Gakuen Heaven

Given

Haven’t you heard? I’m Sakamoto

Himegoto

Interviews with Monster Girls

Jingai-San no Yome

Kenka Bancho Otome: Girl Beats Boys

Kiss Him, Not Me

Koro-Sensei Quest!

Love, Chuunibyo, and Other Delusions!

Love Rice

Love Stage!

Magical Girl Ore

Makura no Danshi

Marginal #4: The Animation

Masamune-Kun’s Revenge

My Hero Academia

Nanbaka

Netsuzou Trap -NTR-

Orenchi no Furo Jijo

Osomatsu-San

Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt

Parasyte -the maxim-

Pop Team Epic

Recovery of an MMO Junkie

ReLife

Room Mate

Sarazanmai

Seki-Kun: The Master of Killing Time

Sekko Boys

Skull-Faced Bookseller Honda-San

Spiritpact

The Highschool Life of a Fudanshi

The Laughing Salesman (The New Series)

The Royal Tutor

This Boy is a Professional Wizard

Watamote

Welcome to the NHK

Yuri!!! On Ice

-Things That I’ve Finished But Don’t Count for the previous list-

A Silent Voice (Not a series)

Grave of the Fireflies (Not a series)

Perfect Blue (Not a series)

This Boy Suffers From Crystallization (Not a series)

Given Movie (Debatably canon to the series)

My Hero Academia: Two Heroes (Debatably canon to the series)

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (Debatably canon to the series)

Osomatsu-San Movie (Debatably canon to the series)

The Royal Tutor Movie (Debatably canon to the series)

Ghost Stories (I watched the dub which has a vastly different plot to the sun)

The Gregory Horror Show (Not animated in a style close enough to the anime art style for me to count it as an anime, though it is a show animated in Japan)

Unfinished

A Centaur’s Life (Next on the list to finish!)

Angel Beats (On Ep. 2)

Asobi Asobase (On Ep. 2)

Beelzebub (On Ep. 2)

Blood Blockade Battlefront (On Ep. 2)

Chio’s School Road (On Ep. 2)

Devil is a Part-Timer (On Ep. 7)

Dr. Stone (Haven’t watched S2)

Food Wars (I would watch more but I don’t want to watch ahead of my sister)

GeGeGe no Kitaro (2018) (On Ep. 8)

Great Teacher Onizuka: The Animation (On Ep. 2)

Hayate the Combat Butler (On Ep. 2)

Hetalia (Need to watch S3, S4, S5, & S7)

Hinamatsuri (On Ep. 2)

How to Keep Mummy (On Ep. 2)

Junjo Romantica (Can’t Watch S3)

Kaguya-Sama: Love is War (On Ep. 2)

Kämpfer (On Ep. 3)

Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! (On Ep. 2)

Lupin the Third (Part 1) (On Ep. 2)

Maria Holic (On Ep. 3)

Mayo Chiki! (On Ep. 6)

Midnight Occult Civil Servants (On Ep. 4)

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid (Haven’t Watched S2)

Mob Psycho 100 (Haven’t watched S2)

Ms. Vampire Who Lives in My Neighborhood (On Ep. 3)

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom (On Ep. 2)

Nichijou (On Ep. 5)

One-Punch Man (Haven’t watched S2)

Pokemon (To finish the Pokemon anime you would literally have to watch for longer than a week without stopping)

Prison School (Can’t find the epilogue episodes)

Rent-a-Girlfriend (On Ep. 2)

Sanrio Boys (On Ep. 2)

Servamp (On Ep. 2)

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (On Ep. 5)

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K (On Ep. 7)

The God of High School (On Ep. 2)

The Promised Neverland (On Ep. 2)

The World God Only Knows (On Ep. 2)

Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru (On Ep. 2)

Tsuritama (On Ep. 2)

Umamusume: Pretty Derby (On Ep. 2)

Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-Kun! (On Ep. 2)

Yamada-Kun and the Seven Witches (On Ep. 2)

Zombie Land Saga (Haven’t watched S2)

Cancelled

Aho Girl

Anime-Gataris

Another

B-Project

Black Butler

Comic Girls

Comical Psychosomatic Medicine

Corpse Party: Tortured Souls

Cromartie High School

Daily Lives of Highschool Boys

Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?

Dimension High School

DRAMAtical Murder

Dream Festival!

Etotama

Frankenstein Family

Fruits Basket

Future Diary

Girlfriend Beta

Hitoribocchi no Marumaruseikatsu

IDOLiSH7

Joshi Kausei

KAIJU GIRLS

Kamigami no Asobi

KING OF PRISM -Shiny Seven Stars-

Kokoro Connect

K-On!

Lucky Star

Magical Girl Raising Project

Mekakucity Actors

Miracle Train

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU

No Game No Life

OneRoom

Overlord

Punch Line

Re:Zero

RWBY

RWBY Chibi

School Babysitters

Sengoku Collection (Parallel World Samurai)

Senryu Girl

SKET Dance

Sword Art Online

The House Spirit Tatami-Chan

The IDOLM@STER Side M

Toradora!

TRINITY SEVEN

Welcome to the Japari Park

Anime Recs

Cowboy Bebop

Dagashi Kashi

Fairy Ranmaru

Heaven’s Design Team

Junji Ito Collection

Ouran Highschool Host Club

Samurai Champloo

STARMYU

The Island of Giant Insects

Umayon

Yes, No, or Maybe?

Yes, I’m aware I have an awful taste in anime, I don’t have a life, and I haven’t finished barely anything. This blog is not meant to attack anyone. Just because I finished any of these anime doesn’t mean I recommend them or that they’re my absolute favorites. Any anime/game/manga recommendations are greatly appreciated!

[kurayamineko]

[turtlycute]

2021 Anime Watch Master List: Part 2

This is the second part of my master list for the new (to me) anime I watched in 2021. It was so fun to watch this list grow as the year went on.

May- August:

Assassination Classroom (Ansatsu Kyoushitsu)(2015) episodes: 22 started: 5-3-21 finished: 5-5-21 rating: 8.5/10

Assassination Classroom: Second Season (2016) episodes: 25 started: 5-6-21 finished: 5-10-21 rating: 8/10

Tonari no Seki-kun: The Master of Killing Time (2014) episodes: 21 started: 5-19-21 finished: 5-20-21 rating: 8/10

Noragami Aragoto (2015) episodes: 13 started: 5-24-21 finished 5-26-21 rating: 8/10

Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru (2016) episodes: 12 started: 5-28-21 finished: 5-29-21 rating: 7/10 note: episode 6 with the Udon Song left me in stitches 9/10

Stars Align (2019) episodes: 12 started: 6-3-21 finished: 6-4-21 rating: 8.5/10

Given (2019) episodes: 11 started: 6-7-21 finished: 6-8-21 rating: 9/10

Aoi Hana (Sweet Blue Flowers) (2009) episodes: 11 started: 6-16-21 finished: 6-18-21 rating: 7/10

Bloom Into You (2018) episodes: 13 started: 6-21-21 finished: 6-23-21 rating: 8.5/10

A Whisker Away (2020) film watched: 7-1-21 rating: 7/10

Kenka Banchou Otome: Girl Beats Boys (2017) episodes: 12 started: 7-17-21 finished: 7-17-21 rating: 7.5/10

Just Because! (2017) episodes: 12 started: 7-20-21 finished: 7-22-21 rating: 7.5/10

HoriMiya (2021) episodes: 13 started: 7-26-21 finished: 7-27-21 rating: 9/10

D4DJ: First Mix (2020) episodes: 13 started started: 8-5-21 finished: 8-8-21 rating: 6/10

Carole and Tuesday (2019) episodes: 24 started: 8-12-21 finished: 8-18-21 rating: 9.5/10

K-On (2009) episodes: 13 started: 8-20-21 finished: 8-24-21 rating: 7/10

Mashiro no Oto (Those Snow White Notes) (2021)  episodes: 12 started: 8-30-21 finished: 8-31-21 rating: 9/10

Click here for Part One

Click here for Part Three

[okayto]

Mini-Review: A3!

Mankai Company is a far cry from its glory days as an all-male theater. With only one member left and debt collectors at the door, a young woman finds herself in over her head when she boldly confronts the Yakuza’s loan sharks, promising to bring her father’s theater back into the spotlight. She might be able to recruit enough talent, but can they bloom into the actors she needs?

Right, so, unlike Touken Ranbu, which I watched because it sounded fun and didn’t learn until later that it’s based on a mobile game, I’ve been playing the A3! (”Act! Addict! Actors!”) mobile game, and knew what to expect going in. And unlike Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru, whose anime seems to be a thing all its own (more separated from the fighting/training focus of the game), A3! just transposed its built-in storyline to animated form.

Which is, honestly, a good idea! The existing, base story is perfect for a series: Trying to locate her missing father, Izumi Tachibana ends up at the theater company he used to direct, just in time to try and stop it from being knocked down by yakuza coming to collect on debt. She makes a deal: they’ll put off claiming its large debt for now if she can gather enough members to form a troupe and put on a successful play. The problem: the theater currently has 1 member, with no prior experience. So she’s got to find 4 other guys, a script, and get them to put on a well-acted, sold-out performance in the span of 3 months.

When that’s successful, she goes on to put together the theater’s other seasonally-named sub-troupes in sequence, aiming to get the company back to its former glory and make enough money to pay off its debt and ensure its continued existence. And the anime makes this easy: both 12-episode seasons are split into two 6-episode arcs that follow each troupe from formation to closing night. 

And through it all, members learn to work with others/open up/express feelings/all that good stuff, because of course they do.

The fun of A3--both games and anime--are the characters. The game has no romance function, rather its focus is training the actors and putting on shows, and the in-story struggles are usually because Character A and Character B keep butting heads, or Character T and Character Z had a falling-out years ago, or Character S just wants to fight.

The story doesn’t change from game to anime, and actually some things get cut, but animation does let it expand on other things, particularly what the stage plays actually look like.

I really enjoyed it, because they are all dorks, but they are all dorks I’ve been playing for 4 months and I know what their deal is. They’re all designed to be likable! I like seeing Yuki and Tenma snark at each other all. the. time. I like sweet Misumi and his mysterious obsession with all things triangle. I like Citron’s cheerful language mistakes, and Homare’s bizarrely ethereal poetry recitations.

There are 20 actors in the main story (4 troupes x 5 actors each), so while it’s a lot of characters overall, the story focuses mainly on 5 at a time, so you don’t feel lost in a sea of people.

Verdict

English Dub? As of this writing, only the first 3 episodes were dubbed before the pandemic interrupted, and it doesn’t look like finishing it is a priority. The dub that exists is decent, though, and I particularly like Monica Rial as Izumi--I think she added a layer of humor that I don’t get from the original voices.

Visuals: Mediocre. I mean, the hair is nice and shiny, but the first season in particular often has faces that are slightly off, and characters stand straight or are seen in profile often, not moving much in group scenes. Camera shots aren’t creative. 

It did improve in the second season, which got a new character designer, new art director, and new show director. But even so, A3! was cheated.

Worth Watching? Listen. I am an active player of the A3! mobile game, and each troupe’s anime arc mirrors their storyline from the game. So for me, this was really fun, a chance to see characters actually moving around, to see visual gags, a different way to watch a story I’ve seen play out on my phone. And sure, there’s a chance you’ll like it without that background.

But would I recommend it if you’re not playing the game? No. The story is better, the characters given more depth, in the mobile game. (The theme song is very fun, though, as are the openings--which change every 6 episodes to focus on the troupe that’s getting the spotlight.)

Where to watch (USA, as of April 2021): Funimation (sub and what exists of the dub); Hulu (sub)

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

[ganbaramen]

News from Nijigasaki 2nd Live

A lot of new information was revealed at 2nd Live, so I’ve collected it all here!

Contents

Anime this autumn! (trailer, Yu’s seiyuu, pre-anime special video)

Merchandise news

Concert news (2nd Live BD, 3rd Live in 2021)

SIFAS 1st Anniversary campaign (free stars! also new visuals, MVs, and streams)

Setlists

You can find the setlists on Love Live! Wikia (they take up a lot of space so I’ll just link them).

Anime: coming this autumn!

The first episode will air Oct 3 22:30!

It’ll be broadcast not only on Japanese TV but also on YouTube and LINE LIVE.

It will also have overseas simulcast; the details will be announced later.

They revealed this trailer, which shows Yu Takasaki (the club president and Ayumu’s childhood friend) speaking for the first time!

Yu is voiced by Hinaki Yano (yano_hinaki35 on Twitter), and they showed us a short introductory message from her:

The OP and ED single release dates were announced (previously called “New Single 1″ and “New Single 2″):

OP single: out Oct 21

ED single: out Nov 4

They’ll each have one B-side as well.

There will also be a special video “Pre-Anime TOKIMEKI Special ~Go Forth! NijiGaku!~” broadcast at Sep 27 20:00, featuring

Members appearing: Hinaki Yano (Yu), Aguri Onishi (Ayumu), Mayu Sagara (Kasumi), Kaori Maeda (Shizuku), Miyu Kubota (Karin), Natsumi Murakami (Ai), Maria Sashide (Emma), Chiemi Tanaka (Rina)

Narration only: Akari Kito (Kanata), Tomori Kusunoki (Setsuna)

Finally, they announced the online “Nijigasaki High School Store” (similar to the Uranohoshi Girls’ High School Store), which will sell anime-related merchandise. It’ll start operating in October.

Merchandise

New book series—"get more familiar" with NijiGaku members

NijiGaku member Photo Essay series starting this winter, with full color illustrations

Comics and tapestries based on the LLAS bond stories—first set (Ayumu, Ai, Setsuna) out Oct 29

Concerts

NijiGaku’s 2nd Live will be released on Blu-ray, and NijiGaku’s 3rd Live will take place in 2021!

Dates and details will come in the future.

SIF All Stars: 1st Anniversary! [JP version only]

[Japanese source here: https://lovelive-as.bushimo.jp/news/njkva/]

The SIFAS 1st anniversary campaign is kicking into full gear! They revealed a new key visual, which includes Shioriko:

The app will have a new icon featuring Ayumu:

To celebrate NijiGaku’s 2nd Live, there is a Step-Up Gacha available from Sep 13 21:00 to Sep 18 15:00. The steps:

10-pull (Free!)

10-pull (400 paid stars) with a 7% UR rate

10-pull (500 paid stars) with a 7% UR rate and a guaranteed UR

They will be giving out 10 days of 10-pull tickets (100 pulls in total), available from Sep 17 04:00 to Oct 3 04:00!

There was a preview of the “Love U my friends" 3D MV, which they confirmed will be released in the future.

The NijiGaku anime broadcast campaign will feature

Login bonuses with Niji memories and stars (first round: Oct 4 11:00 to Oct 11 04:00)

Special NijiGaku story with completion reward (first one: Oct 4 00:00)

The 3D MVs for the Just Believe!! solo songs will be previewed on YouTube, one per day. The currently released ones:

Say Good-Bye Namida (Ayumu)

Margaret (Kasumi)

Finally, there will be two SIF/AS live streams in late September:

SIFAS 1st Anniversary Live Stream! ~Strengthen Our Bonds with “You” ♡ Special~

When: Sep 26 20:00

Guests: Nanaka Suwa (Kanan), Ai Furihata (Ruby), Aguri Onishi (Ayumu), Maria Sashide (Emma), Moeka Koizumi (Shioriko)

It’ll feature new information about SIFAS, including info about Season 2 of the main story.

Aqours Special Live Stream! SIF☆Meeting

When: Sep 27 18:00

Guests: Anju Inami (Chika), Rikako Aida (Riko), Kanako Takatsuki (Hanamaru)

They’ll discuss the future of SIF, using viewer mail as well as their own ideas.

[blackandorange]

It’s top 10 anime of the year time!

It is, my petal! Let’s continue this yearly tradition with 

MY TOP 10 ANIME I WATCHED IN 2019

(as always, this is a list of the best anime I watched this year, not of the anime that came out this year. There’s some old stuff, some new stuff, some obscure stuff... hopefully you can discover something new!)

10. K. It’s a beautiful franchise with stunning visuals, such an interesting plot, memorable characters and an amazing voice acting cast... all of this sadly ruined by the excessive fanservice. Without it, It would have been in the top 5. 

9. Katsugeki / Hanamaru Touken Ranbu. Probably the anime you petals recced me the most, I was afraid of watching it because of the low MAL rating but, oh boy, was I wrong. I loved it so much I ended up rewatching it later in the year. I simply LOVE ALL MY SWORD SONS SO MUCH!!!

8. Cells At Work. After watching it I feel like I understand something about human biology. Finally an anime worth the hype, it was absolutely fantastic, I loved every single second of it. 

7. The Ancient Magus Bride. For a slow stories lover like me, this anime was truly beautiful. I loved the whole setting, the characters, the relationship they created between each other. It managed to be soft, even in its darkest parts. One of my favourite anime love stories for sure.

6. Psycho-Pass (Sinners of the System + Season 3). PP was originally higher in the rank but, after the ending of s3, it fell down a lot of spots. The SOTS movies were amazing, I loved them a lot, as much as I loved the beginning of s3. Too bad that, as the episodes progressed, the quality of the animation deteriorated and the plot became more and more absurd and beyond the PP logic. I was truly disappointed, especially since PP is a franchise I love so much :(

(at least Ginoza got ever hotter)

5. Tsurune. The archery anime truly didn’t disappoint. It’s a kyoani masterpiece of visuals, music, human emotions and oniric settings. It was so quiet and yet it managed to be so entertaining. A beautiful little gem. (and yes, it’s very gay)

4. Hoshiai no Sora. The anime no one planned to watch is the anime everyone ended up watching. I was so sad to hear that the season was suddenly cut in half and we couldn’t get the planned 24 episodes, but the first 12 managed to portray fucked up family relationships and friendships in a way no anime has ever done before. It’s raw, difficult and emotional, definitely worth watching.

3. Given. It’s not just the best BL of all time, it’s probably one of my favourite anime of all time. The raw emotions, the funny parts and the sad ones... everything feels so REAL in this story, I couldn’t get enough of it. I actually read the whole manga in a day and, let me tell you, I cried so much. I just... really love this story so, so, so much.

2. Daiya no Ace. When I started this 200+ episodes journey I had no idea I’d end up loving Daiya so much. What can I say, you all were right. It’s amazing, in everything. Definitely worth of being part of the holy trinity of sports anime!

1. Mob Psycho 100. A masterpiece, there’s no other way to describe it. It’s impossible to describe it because you just don’t watch MP100, you live it, you experience it, you grow in and with it. Just watch it.

And this is it, my top 10 of the 25 anime I watched last year :D

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Maou-jou 9 - 12 (FINAL) | Idolish7 s2 10 - 15 (FINAL) | SLS 2

I’ve been holding off new seasonals because of other things, but after I post this I’ll have enough time to get around to them. That’s why I can’t guarantee winter 2021 seasonal tags on this post...maybe the next one will have them...

Maou-jou 9

…it seems shopping channels even are the same in the demon world.

Now even the demons have quests! (The frame is different to the princess’s, though.)

Oh! The quest failed.

Neo Alraune: in flower language, “the 2nd coming of happiness”. The worry from a little while ago was, “I’m worried about my brother.” The worry from recently: “I didn’t think about being happy that the princess didn’t kill my brother.”

The penguin demons are pretty cute!

Don’t you know how parents forbid children from sleeping until they finish all their homework? Must be something like that.

Yoku ganbarimashita! – Syalis worked hard!

LOL, mental age: 3. Poseidon likes cute things…I can’t read a lot of this…the hardsubs cover the JPN text.

They…both succeeded! (…LOL?)

Maou-jou 10

Owarinocity = Endopolis. It’s a good equivalent, if I do say so myself.

…oh yeah. What happened to Alraune? Update: There she is!

Also, that blonde guy in the infomercials doesn’t look too bad…*makes chef’s kiss gesture with one hand* Nice.

I wonder, was Twilight once human…?

LOL, there’s a goat symbol on the cleric’s pyjamas. Also “first time”, LOL.

I think they were playing shiritori at one point.

Hanamaru saikou yoku dekimashita!

Maou-jou 11

…How does one “sleep cheerfully”, anyway?

I think I saw Twilight drop something…some kind of paper…

Aw, Twilight blushing is kinda cute!

LOL, 70s shoujo style. Also, “It cannot be!”

Whoa, she cancelled it?!

I read up on this series on TV Tropes…and apparently the Demon King captured the Princess in her sleep.

Kagemusha? Like a ninja or something?

Apparently the Demon Cleric is much older than he looks.

Ooh! Hypnos is back!

A-whatsit really is abysmal levels of stupid!!! (LOL)

Maou-jou 12 (FINAL)

Who’s that one tiny guy occupying one of the Ten Kings’ seats?

*watching after Christmas, about a week after the anime finished* This is not seasonally appropriate!

…*thinks for a second, then spits* That’s the 2nd Nemu in the fall 2020 season!!!

Ooh, the head paladin doesn’t look that bad, either.

“…is it good to be…”

“…has seized the princess!”

“…that demon king is rather cute.” – See? Someone agrees with me.

Anyways, that was a fun series. See you soon!

Idolish7 s2 10

…Back at it after so long…(I can’t help it though – Crunchyroll, per month, is about double the local Funimation sublicensor’s fees, and for much less content that’s worth my money to boot!)

I’ve always thought Momo was like Sasara (HypMic), so seeing him anguished hurts me in the kokoro too…

I know Banri was involved with Re:vale somehow…this must be it.

…Male idols are also popular among men? Is this why there are 8 (!!!) idol anime in winter 2021 alone…? (Also, that’s why HypMic became popular? Multidemographic appeal crossed over with obvious merchandising opportunities?)

It’s kind of scary how Momo stepped the formality towards Yuki like that (to -san).

I guess in his heart Momo still reveres Yuki, some way or another.

The rakugo curtain really sold the moment that they (current Re:vale) were acting like an old married couple.

Yay! Silver Sky is such a cool song! Of course I recognised the intro when it came on.

…I see. The elder Kujo is entrusting his dream to Tenn, so that’s why he banned Aya from seeing Tamaki. However, it’s hard to know what to feel when Aya speaks in the vaguest terms possible.

I think that was a special ending for only this episode. I don’t know what its name is, but I guess I might recognise it on Spotify one day.

Idolish7 s2 11

LOL, Nagi’s reaction.

Considering the ‘rona is getting worse outside our very windows as we speak (type?), I think it’s correct to be concerned about your future right now.

Looking at these narrow streets reminds me of going to eat hotpot at the end of my Japan trip…only Japanese streets look like that, I think. Hong Kong’s streets are more crowded than that and America likes their suburbia.

Of course, when you say hajimemashite (nice to meet you), someone’s gotta say it back, hence the reply.

Considering there are people all over the world watching the Idolish7 anime, I would say you are telling the world about I7, Riku.

Oh! Restart Pointer! There was an MV for that one…I think it was around the time Idolish7’s MVs started getting better.

So this is the context around the new outfits! Cool!

There have been way too many puns about “idol” being…y’know, “ai (love) doll” and stuff like that…

I have one Twitter person who I follow (DejiNyucu, part of the creative team for Autumn’s Journey) because I don’t get much I7 content and they keep mentioning this “Haruki” person…and suddenly a “Haruki the Betrayer” showed up in the graffiti…they might be the same person, I think. Not Deji, but Haruki. Update: Sakura Haruki, perhaps…?

Sougo’s such a bad liar…

Sometimes, the best way to deal with things is to be direct…(I’m not very good at that, I naturally talk in a very roundabout sort of way.)

Sougo with long hair like Yuki would be really pretty… (<- has an obvious thing for guys with long hair)

Idolish7 s2 12

Nagi’s stupid accent is generally what he’s best remembered for (for me), so seeing him speak normally, and do a press conference on top of that, is…impressive.

A kabedon on top of all this! Whoa!

Shibuya 109 parody…? (I’ve seen that once or twice – parodying that means people know their stuff about Shibuya.)

I think the “it’s overflowing!” is referring to the hype in the “room”.

…this dejected Momo is worrying…(well, he is worrying and I am worrying about him.)

Oh, I see. The person responsible typed the letter so that they couldn’t be traced back. Kind of like those old movies where the culprit would cut letters out of newspapers to make threat mail, but…with even less traces than that, because cutting letters out leaves evidence.

…wow, it took a while for this ep. to have an intro…

…LOL, I just spotted Kenjiro Tsuda cited as the “fake Zero”, meaning the real one might never show up this season.

There’s something really stupid and infectious about these managers’ enthusiasm for drinking energy drinks. It puts a goofy smile on my face.

Is Musubi Tsumugi’s mother…? Update: Yes, she is.

…Wait, so the Chiba Shizuo guy is actually important?!

Idolish7 s2 13

Whenever someone says “by the way”, it means they’re changing the subject. I hate to state to obvious, but Sougo is clearly deflecting the topic of conversation from being about him.

I wonder if this guy (Haw9) is the actual Zero graffiti vandal…?

Hmph, I didn’t realise Tenn doesn’t refer to Kujo-san as his father, but…like that (“Kujo-san”) instead.

Oh hey! These are shots from Vibrato!

Most dramas can be solved with the power of Good Communication. That includes this one.

I feel like “he has a dark side” describes both Tenn and Kujo-san.

“Everyone, remember to wash your hands and gargle thoroughly.” – This is always a good thing to remember in the time of ‘rona. Reminds me of Jakurai’s line in ARB (<- this game started just after the ‘rona came down).

What did Sougo go to uni for (what specialisation)?

Idolish7 s2 14

I just realised Banri calls Momo -kun. Hmm…

Denki = electricity, LOL.

I feel like Tenn is basically Ramuda, give or take actual pink hair…guys in musical groups with pre-existing angst that they become the “centre” of. The fact Fling Posse have Saito Soma and so do Trigger strengthens the connection.

I would watch the heck out of a musical like that! Make it come true, Idolish7! (Also, today is I7 day! I’m not much of an I7 fan outside the anime, but…that’s cool!)

That shot of them jumping! I remember seeing it on the official site before!

Idolish7 s2 15 (FINAL)

There you go! I was wondering where Banri’s injury was – that was the only bit that didn’t add up for him to be Yuki’s old partner.

Hmm…Momo is 4 years younger than Yuki but 2 years younger than Banri…

This episode has a real concert vibe to it, to the point where I got startled by how loud the yell was at one point. (Even if it is mostly stills.)

LOL, lookit Okazaki!

Apparently, if you’re a hako oshi, you like all the members of a group. Someone with a green light and a pink light likes both members of Re:vale.

LOL, Usagi for Asahi beer.

…I forgot Nagi is 19.

…Ooh, I think that’s the kid from ZOOL. No wonder they needed a season 3!

That’s all. See you next time!

SLS 2

“fine and upstanding person” – That’s…hard to believe, Hayato.

I wonder how many bois Toboso designed for SLS…?

…The episode title is actually “Blank”. Not “Break”.

One of the guys’ shirts says moteki on it. That’s a period in one’s life where one enjoys more romantic attention than usual, literally “popularity season”.

The subs missed an I, so initially I knew Kiriyama’s name as “Kiryama”.

There are meant to be 2 wings, right…?

“He who controls information controls everything, right?” – For once, I’m surprised Hayato is right (and not just in that smug way of his).

“…I’m being treated like a manager.” – But Hayato is a manager! (In a sense.)

The plait guy jumps to nicknames really fast…also, why do I get the feeling Maeshima will lose the key?

I hate to say this Maeshima, but I side with your childhood friend (Kiriyama) here. As much as the anime wants me to back you, I’m watching for everyone else at this point.

That blocky building looks pretty cool. I think Zel (Archi-Anime) would like it.

Sasugai’s setup looks pretty cool, including his chair.

…hmm, Maeshima’s like me in a sense. I learn best by copying others, but memory is my best asset. If I don’t regularly train the fundamentals, I suck at everything. That said, I don’t have an eidetic memory. Also, I didn’t quite figure out Ken = Ken(sei Maeshima) until I watched long enough to connect the dots.

LOL, Derry’s. (<- reminded of a word for “butt” <- derriere)

Well, the guy’s (Souta…?) shirt does say moteki…

Kiriyama kinda looks like Jyuto (HypMic), come to think of it…Right down to his angry streak (although Jyuto has a reputation to keep as a “cool dude”, while Kiriyama is more of a Manza (Boueibu HK) and he’s more angry than he looks).

…This ED is nothing special.

…Hmm? Is that a small Terauchi and Maeshima…?

I think I’m sold for now, but I’m rooting for the other team, not Maeshima’s…not yet, anyways.