#i have my gripes w certain stuff but i had fun and loved it!

[blinky-skyd]

was rewatching splat3 cutscenes, i love the storymode so much. i love the pure weird and silly nonsensical stuff. yea you ride a tornado of eels and superjump into space. yea lil buddy just flies after you he can fly that one time yea. craig had his literal brain sucked out and lived and he can also float now. i miss games being weird and doing weird stuff with no explanation! its fun!

[antiv3nom]

Bedman (Romeo)

omg havent had an excuse to talk abt bedman in a hot minute thank u anon...

favorite thing about them:

i love the tragedy of his story arc... that feels like a weird thing to say but its the first thing that came to mind! just. look. the road to hell paved with good intentions bit taken to the extreme really works here!!! the idea that he remembered the name of every person he ever killed because he was under the impression he could bring them all back, only to have the rug pulled from under him? hurts me! in the best way!!!

other than that i do enjoy his design, both romeo himself and the bed :] i wanna give my bedman cosplay another try sometime for sure, it didnt work out for various reasons but i have most of the components and would enjoy cosplaying him fr in the future

least favorite thing about them:

i think i dont really dislike anything about the way bedman is written in the source material strongly enough to point it out here? i think my main gripe is the way the fandom treats him to either extreme, like theres "bedman did nothing wrong ever" people and "bedman is horrific" people and i wish both camps would chill out and recognize hes like. a complex character? but i do think most people do this already which i can appreciate

favorite line:

im a little obsessed w his win line against may in xrd

"I do not understand humans who are motivated by love. A person is born, lives for a number of years, and interacts with up to eight billion people. What proof is there of something they can't even define?"

bc like. buddy. you dont even realize it. YOURE driven by love. all this shit wasnt just for yourself but it was for delilah too!!! fuck!!! you dont even see it as love you see it as necessary because shes that important to you!!! and dont even get me STARTED on the bed in strive and how its still running because of his last minute code additions which almost act as the last part of his will to protect delilah. GAHHHH

brOTP:

BEDMAN AND AXL INTERACTIONS. PLEASE. PLEASE. their dynamic is so interesting as characters with such fascinating ways of interacting with the world...gah. GAH. and no one fucking talks about it!!!

OTP:

sinbed. must i wlabo.

ok but i will, im not as into them as i was like a year ago but i still do really enjoy their dynamic. sin being such a beacon of hope and being so willing to see people as good contrasted with a post-xrd living bedman (bc all my sinbed stuff exists within au but im having fun out here so sue me) seeing himself as inherently evil due to his actions despite his intentions and believing no one would ever care for him? it hits for me

nOTP:

i dont know of anything off the top of my head that ive seen for him??? nothing prevalent at least.

actually on second thought i think ive seen like one instance of bedman and ram in a romantic sense, and that im not a fan of but i guess i could see the appeal, just not my thing

random headcanon:

this motherfucker would have gotten heated in some internet forums or wiki talk pages, DEDICATED to accuracy out here and he WILL fight you about it

unpopular opinion:

not entirely certain i have one? i think the "bedman while flawed is not actually a terrible person and was doing his best given his extremely fucked up circumstances" is a pretty cool take by this point for most people

i think the only thing i have is that my interpretation of bedman has always been as like a young adult rather than a kid but like i dont really have a concrete opinion on that and i totally understand people who do see him as a kid like its entirely understandable to do so

song i associate with them:

other than his character themes, its GOTTA be dramaturgy by eve, which just. it gives the vibes. read the english lyrics it will make sense i prommy

favorite image of them:

THE EEPER...

OTHER than this one its more an animation but his 6p in xrd is so silly i love it so bad...and for a more serious option his instant kill is really cool

[crystallinestars]

Regarding your post mentioning Genshin burnout, recently I kind of felt it as well ! The only saving grace for me was Scara's banner, I finally managed to get him on Tuesday after pining for him during the past few months. So I guess I kind of have more motivation to play now? Esp to build him along w his team (Layla and Faruzan also popped up in my rolls :D). But after I've built them sufficiently, I might lose motivation again ...

And I saw you mention toxicity on online platforms, this is so real (for both Genshin and HSR) 😭 Like I was scrolling on Reddit yesterday and I saw a hella cute AvenPaz family artwork. It was then reposted on another subreddit (It's kinda meme-y community) and OMG they were being so rude ... Like they legit seemed so pressed seeing Aventurine in a non-BL ship. They were going "ohhh the str8s are at it again," (they used a more obscene term that I won't name) and I was thinking: so my bi self is apparently mega straight now just because I like NL stuff, huh 🤨🤨 I had to unsubscribe, like I loved seeing the funny edit pics from this subreddit but whenever they see a NL ship (or even a hint that a male playable character could be with girl) they just absolutely become so rude... I guess it could have been worse (like straight up brigading the artist) but the negativity was so so off-putting. Ofc we could all have our own preferences but whyyy feel the need to become so insulting when they see something they don't like.

Big big sorry for longggg negative vibes rant 😭 Ngl I'm also super tempted to go off about the treatment of a certain architect by the hands of both Mihoyo and a huge chunk of Genshin fandom, but if it is too uncomfy for you then I will refrain. ^^ I don't want to disrespect your blog !

Tbh though it is comforting to know that there are at least other Genshin likers (esp girls) who have similar sentiments regarding BL and our favorite architect ahahah...

Congrats on pulling Scara!!! He’s so much fun and a godsend in exploration. Seems you already have a good team for him (I use Layla and Faruzan with him too 😄)! May he grow big and strong haha.

If you lose motivation to play again, well… don’t play! Do something else you find fun! Life is too short to dedicate all your free time to a single game.

Honestly, the entirety of the Hoyoverse fandom is quite toxic. The only game that’s exempt from it, to my knowledge, is Tears of Themis.

Reddit is definitely up there with Twitter for being the most toxic platform in the fandom (I’m guessing TikTok and Instagram too, but I’ve never been on these sites). The BG/NL ship bashing is incredibly common, unfortunately. Really can’t enjoy anything NL on there. Really, why can’t they leave the things they don’t like alone and just move on? Why be so rude? 😔

I used to be a part of AlhaithamMains and things were mostly chill at first, but over time it became a haikaveh mains. Anyone who requested for there to be a separate sub for the ship was berated, and posts politely saying they didn’t see Kaveh and Alhaitham in a romantic light were rife with hateful and aggressive comments. I remember someone posted Kavehlumi art in KavehMains, and one person had the audacity to comment that Kaveh actually belongs to Alhaitham. And these types of comments were EVERYWHERE, under every NL ship post.

I took one peek into AventurineMains, saw the very first post talk about how Ratiorine is implied in the 2.0 quest, and noped out of there. Not surprised the same fate befell Aventurine 😔

So yes, Reddit is full of awful, loud people that ruin the fun for anyone who doesn’t ship the popular ship. You were right to leave. I left a long time ago and have been so much happier because of it. It’s unfortunate you have can’t enjoy a lot of things now, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to protect your mental health.

If you want to go off and rant about how Kaveh gets treated, please do! God knows I have my own gripes about it, so it’s really nice to know I’m not the only one troubled by it. Plus, I love it when people share their complaints with me, so don’t worry about being too negative.

Trust me, there are quite a few of us girls who love Kaveh but don’t care for BL. We just keep to ourselves and stay quiet to avoid trouble from the toxic shippers.

[messmersflame]

anyways i liked nilou, tighnari and cyno's character quests a lot.

nilou's was p much all dialogue but you had stuff to DO. my main gripe w it is that they wouldnt allow you to fail so there was no point in figuring out certain logic puzzles.

tighnari's was the best imo, with balance between little puzzles, exploration, and combat, and an interesting storyline overall. although i could have done less with the 'calls you dumb' tighnari and more of the 'infodumps about plants bc he loves them' tighnari.

cyno's could have used some more actual detective-ing and helping him investigate, but was the most fun bc you got to run a little dungeon with him.

overall they were pretty enjoyable with their little story and message, and also contributed to character growth that you dont really get to see in the rest of the game.

[shidoukanae]

YGO! Questionnaire

Tagged by @cipher-wise​

Favorite series:

My favorite series based on what I watched and enjoyed would have to be Arc-V!!! It's honestly the series that got me to adore YGO when previously I'd seen YGO as, and I chilidishly quote, "uncool". Everything about Arc-V is pretty much wonderful: Yuya's presence as a "everyone MUST be happy" kind of character in a plot that discusses themes of war, revenge, and despair is absolutely refreshing (especially when Yuya's ideals of happiness are stripped from him and made a mockery of by, *coughs* one of my favorite characters in the franchise *coughs*). 

I love how the four Yuu boys are a wonderful combination of "protagonists" (/anatagonists) and how they each play off of each other's weaknesses and strengths, often acting as mirrors to each other in their individual dimensions while having amazing interactions (Yugo and Yuri, anyone? Yuri and Yuya?).

I admire how the endgame plot is a perversion of Yuya's ideals: he gets what he wants, showering happiness upon all, but that "happiness" is corrupted into the notion of entertainment. While Yuya seeks to provide people with smiles and laughter, to give them hope to work together through tough times and to stay strong in the face of adversity, his "counterparts" in the endgame are really good at acting as Yuya's mirror: showing that his style of performing can also be used to appease the bloodthirst of one's own self and that happiness can be corrupted into self-deserving power.

...Hard to put that into exact words without spoiling a lot of things but, gosh, let's just say that Yuri and ____ are the perfect mirrors to Yuya in terms of what his entertainment dueling style is meant to be.

The plot over all is pretty good! I won't lie and say it stands strong all the way throughout the story but the first half is amazing and there are some pretty strong episodes in the second half (Yugo and Rin, the parasite episodes in general, Yuri Yuri YURI). I can definitely say that the humor is there, the characters are amazing (if nothing else, watch for the Yuu Boys, the Bracelet Gals, and Shun versus Sora!!) and having come into the show around episode 104, I was pleasantly surprised by the trip Arc-V brought me and how it played with its protagonist, giving him hope, kicking him down, and toying with his mind - just like the way a warzone might to any idealistic individual.

In terms of other series, I like VRAINS but only up to like episode 19 (or the end of the Data Bank arc). It had potential and I kept hoping it would get better but the plot was constantly floundering, there are plot holes abundant (sewer monsters, ugh), character development is inconsistent not to mention very shallow, VRAINS has some of the best side characters but they're kicked to the curb by a bland protagonist and a villain that could've been so much cooler but they made him a sympathetic mess.

...I have a lot of gripes with VRAINS but, if it were to ever be rewritten with clear goalposts and plot twists in mind (not to mention development on ideas like Charisma Duelists because at the end of the show I still have not a fucking clue what a Charisma Duelists is or was) I would say it has potential to become my favorite series but Arc-V clearly beats it for me in every category lmao.

Zexal’s also really good too!!! I don’t get all the hate behind it because it’s actually really interesting and engaging (also IV’s definition of fanservice is literally the only type of fanservice I will ever accept) and I think I’ve even cried a couple of times during the course of the plot which is like,,, shocking considering it’s not a show I thought I’d cry over (I cried in Arc-V too but goddamn does tiny Yuya just want to make you tear up lmao). This show is really good emotionally and it’s literally so stupid how Kaito carries a lot of the early and middle game of the show yet most of the meat of the plot doesn’t begin to unravel until the second season.

Also, if you ever want to watch a show of 100+ episodes that is so masterfully written that there is foreshadowing for stuff in like episode 130+ on EPISODE ONE, please watch this. Literally there are so many hints of what is going to happen in the future in the early episodes and you won’t really be able to tell what those hints are until you’ve finished the show but goddamn when you go back and rewatch things it does indeed feel amazing how much foreshadowing they threaded into the show without you ever knowing...(please don’t search for spoilers if you intend to watch this. I went into the show knowing some spoilers tho not all and, while I was still pleased by what I watched, I honestly can agree the show is A Lot Better without knowing ANYTHING)

Favorite Protagonist: Yuya. For sure, out of all the series, Yuya. 

He’s a refreshing protagonist, especially considering he shines in a world of war and despair. He’s also someone who you empathize with right at the start and want to hope in, especially since he is the “happiness” in a word of “madness” and “sorrow”. He’s not someone out to save the world (not really, anyways), but his actions touch on the lives of others anyways, giving people in a hope in a world that is otherwise cruel and heartless. Also, it really helps that he’s able to pull you into his world of “egaos”, making you believe in him and root for him despite how cheesy his ideals may or may not sound.

Also love how, despite being the centerpiece of “happiness”, Yuya isn’t allowed to always be happy :> Not spoiling plot related things but if you like protagonists going off the rails insane at times, Yuya’s definitely a fun protagonist for that!!!

Favorite Rival:

Kaito Tenjou!!! Literally the best rival in the series that I’ve seen. Everything about him is literally perfect ngl. From the way he’s chillingly introduced, with the spine-tingling whistles and cruel, almost merciless nature, to the way he slowly becomes sympathetic while also remaining a terrifying presence whenever he appears...I love him????

Favorite BFF:

Does Shoichi count? Because like...he’s Yusaku’s closest friend and ally in the series and I generally don’t pay attention to the other BFF’s in the other series (or at least, the ones I can recall bc I know in Zexal that Yuma has a whole group of friends lmao).

But I like Shoichi!! He cares about Yusaku a lot, is pretty damn cool as a sidekick hacker, his sideplot with his brother was actually honestly endearing and I loved the mystery about him. His early-game jokes w/ Ai to tease Yusaku were also a good laugh.

Favorite GFF: 

Not a girl friend forever for the main protagonist (although she like...lowkey confessed to him...though that plot really never went anywhere so I still don’t know what the fuck THAT was about) but,,, Ema Bessho,,

If y’all knew me back in my peak YGO days when VRAINS was airing,,, this gal was and STILL is my favorite girl of the YGO series. Even though she was pretty much done dirty imo I still love her (even despite considering she’s been made a damsel-in-distress at least three times, she’s only ever won one duel on-screen despite being supposedly good at dueling, ngl they could’ve done so much more with her but tbh she’s mostly just an asset to solve problems at whim and barely gets character development/does nothing but watch and spectate stuff late-game).

Even though she’s like...the unfortunate side character who’s probably meant to be more fanservice than interesting, in the first 19 episodes (and even the Revolver vs. her fight as well as the one time she meets Aoi IRL early-game) made her out to be a lot cooler and complex than she ended up being. I mean,,, a hacker gal who’s self-serving, cynical, and cold-hearted taking on the tasks of her (potentially ex) boyfriend while being really nice to his sister to the point she baffles even herself,,, we could’ve had a really unique and cool character to play around with here but instead we got...cool-ass character with potential to be something more reduced to a spectator with nothing better to do than idolize the main protagonist and have a plot with her brother that honestly detracted from her character more than it added to it imo.

Also Ema could’ve been a female Yuri but,,, nope,,, they decided she was better as a background piece instead TwT

Favorite Villain: Yuri.

Literally Yuri.

I could choose the leather jacket w/ fluff boi in a certain series because hot damn was that guy convincing AF that he wasn’t an evil psychopath (and even while knowing that he was, I still got fooled into thinking he was a good guy somehow omg) however,,, I’ve always held a love for Yuri and the way he’s been portrayed.

Despite ALWAYS being the bad guy, the show has always made this purple fucker into the most entertaining character on-screen. He even beats Yuya sometimes in terms of how entertaining he is - that’s literally how good he is,,

Also his facial expressions are amazing, he’s a VERY VALID threat to the main cast (and his creeper levels are not only off the charts but literally called out by the main female protagonist herself lmao), and he acts as the perfect foil to Yuya, battling not to entertain others but to entertain himself.

Also, he likes killing people.

No this is not a joke.

He literally likes killing people. And is pretty sadistic about it, too.

(^^^^ for those who don’t get the joke, “Fusion” is pronounced “Yuugo” which sounds similar to “Yugo” which is what,,, Yuri is making fun of,,, more context is needed of course but this is a Great Running Gag)

Favorite card:

I don’t know if it actually exists as an actual card but...that crystal dragon from the YGO movie with the glass pyramid. Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon...it’s really pretty...I love it...

Favorite Episode:

I’m...too lazy to search for names of these episodes but I can give brief summaries of them,,, because I can’t choose,,,

Arc-V: Shun vs. Sora (ALL episodes). Hot damn if you have never watched YGO but want to try and see for yourself why people like it: WATCH THESE EPISODES. I can’t explain how amazing these episodes are and, while I admit jumping straight into them might have you missing out on some important context (such as who Shun is or why Sora’s battle tactics lead to revelation) it’s honestly an amazing fight regardless. The battle starts off plain enough - there’s obvious tension, it seems like a typical fight of a battle royale, etc. - my god does the battle ramp up in emotional tension and promptly kick you in the gut with not only how blindsided you’ve been, but it also showcases just how cruel these “entertainment duels” can really get.

Any episode with Yuri. Literally any episode he’s in. 

I think this is like...episode 8 of VRAINS...but whenever it is that Akira hires Ema to find the reason why Aoi just...straight up got knocked into a coma. Literally this is my favorite episode when it comes to Ema. The way she makes fun of Akira even while aware of his situation,,, her cruel selfishness and desire for money bubbling to the surface, the way she confesses how she can’t be trusted willingly and still asks Akira why he’s hiring her,,, god I love this episode in terms of what Ema could’ve always been.

Episode 13 (/14?) of Zexal!!! This is the episode Kaito appears and when the show REALLY picks up. Kaito is a fun bastard of a rival and tbh I don’t think I’ll ever stop getting chills of him walking in, debris frozen in time all around him, as he approaches his victim, whistling an eerie children’s tune as he gets ready to close in for the kill,,,,

Favorite Deck to Use:

I don’t...really play the game itself but...I have used a couple of decks and I guess you can say I really love Raid Raptors??? First of all, those warbirds make really fun sounds I love ‘em in the anime but they’re also just fun to use in general (even tho I used a,,, very basic deck for them,,, I love them still).

Fusion, Ritual, Synchro, XYZ, Pendulum or Link:

XYZ bc it’s really the only summoning method I’m used to lol :P. Also XYZ loyalist I guess???? 

Years in fandom: roughly five to six years iirc? I mean, I was a fan of the early day YGO and watched it as a kid but not active enough to be in the fandom for it lmao. Also not in the fandom atm because Sevens lost my attention (it’s a good show!!! I’m just unfortunately more a fan of things with serious plots and darker themes and it’s hard for me to stomach slice-of-life shows that don’t focus on a mature and engaging plot). However, Arc-V and Zexal holds a special place in my heart (as does VRAINS, begrudgingly) and so I occasionally find myself wandering back to these shows like right now,,, 

[big-meows]

Borderlands 3 final thoughts

disclaimers:

Fuck randy pitchford. I mean, obviously i feel like that goes without saying, yes I bought the game, i like the series and sometimes a bitch just wants to sink 70+ hours into a hyper-violent but ultimately goofy, non-threatening video game in a stressful time, sue me.

to that end, yes I played on easy. I also played solo. 

i play for fun and i dont fuck with build culture or w/e. i picked moze because i know her VA personally, and that was my only deciding factor.

I play on the ps4 so frankly i have no horse in the epic/steam debacle. I dont really care.

i didnt play bl1 but ive played the others.

spoilers. all the spoilers.

Anthony burch deserved better. I cant believe i have to see “at least im not anthony burch” in the year of our lord 2019 but its still happening out there. He deserved better, and this game is proof. maybe bl2 was “memey,” but it had a solid foundation and a great villain. TPS was also good, i think, honestly i only played it once and I dont remember it super well. Tales is the best in the franchise, and yes it counts, shut up. Burch’s absence is felt here. the story is weak, the villains are flat, and everything is written with the energy of a man who thinks everything that comes out of his mouth is fucking hysterical. like, im not even mad at “big dock energy” or the other stupid, already dated goofs, Im mad that every NPC was painful to listen to, or that rhys, arguably one of the most developed characters in the BL universe by virtue of the game he came from, was 90% mustache jokes. All these characters are like the versions that come out of fandom a year later, flanderized and already boiled down to their one token joke and repeated forever and eternity. You just met Lorelei and she seems cool, but man she REALLY NEEDS HER COFFEE AND IT IS HER ONLY DEFINING PERSONALITY TRAIT LOL!!!

Vaughn is The WORST, BRO

i dont think anyone really grows imo. Im particularly irritated by ava, who i very much want to like! but she has like three stock phrases she uses throughout the entire game, so after maya gets evaporated, you go talk to her and shes like “WOW this ship is cool, so much shit to steal!” like, you couldnt program her to sulk or not want to see anyone for a while? come on.

influencers as villains could have been really powerful if it had been introduced gradually, but mostly it was just obnoxious and too on the nose. troy and tyreen were very hollow. you get brief glimpses of humanity in them, but they’re so rare it almost feel like an accident. You get one(?) mention of their childhood before you finally stumble fully into the plot in the last few hours of the game. troy’s “betrayal” could be spotted a mile away despite it being hardly developed. I honestly dont even know if they loved each other or not? Was tyreen hurt by troy’s betrayal and subsequent demise? did troy look up to her and want to be her equal, or did he want out from under her shadow? i dont know. did i miss those echo logs? should the majority of the lore in a game be MISSABLE?

jack tracked well as a villain because you, over time, learned exactly how awful he was beyond “cocky corporate asshole who wants you dead” re: angel being his daughter. the twins are just....flatline obnoxious the whole way through.

sucks to be leda, apparently extremely badass but ultimately an afterthought who lives and dies offscreen only in recollections of the past.

sucks even worse to be fiona. i can tell you right now i wont be fucking with DLC unless it brings back fiona.

hammerlock saved this fucking game, he brings a certain dignity to the table that really helped level the tone after the rhys-katagawa stuff. Eden-6 was actually my favorite section of the game. loved hammerlock, loved jakobs, loved clay, and LOVED the jakobs estate. dunno why?? maybe because that level had me thinking “i could almost pretend im playing bioshock rn”

my GF absolutely hates the new claptrap. she’s right though. a claptrap that experiences emotions outside of “delusional exuberance” isnt actually claptrap

can my boy mordecai catch one single fucking break

is the vault hunter ever actually there? its really distracting how they’re never actually involved in cut scenes.

zer0 was too chatty. kind of kills the air of mystery.

gripes aside, i DID clock like 76 hours as moze, and i will probably continue to fuck around in it post game to clean up some extra stuff. might even start a zane of fl4k. the reviews promised it would be “more borderlands, nothing special” and thats what we got. it came at a time when i needed to remove myself from social media for a few weeks and lose myself in something mindless and violent, and it provided me with exactly that. its not elevated from BL2/TPS at all. the only improvement i can think of off the top of my head is being able to change quest objectives without entering a menu (thank god). it falls short in a series that always kind of had a low bar to begin with. disappointed but not surprised. i knew burch and eddings were both gone and that their absence would be felt. but i wanted to be gay and do crime anyway. so. you know. whatever. i got approximately what i paid for.

[haltandcatchfiretothemax]

ananobrain replied to your post “ananobrain replied to your video “Aside from mistakenly describing...”

I totally forgot it was Donna's sweater?! Oh God! I read some interviews w the Chrises and what I felt was, they wanted Cameron and Donna to be canon. They said the S4 was a love story between them and since amc isnt that open, i think they tried to give us signs, and seriously, the colors and how the SONGS??? Endgame.                  

ananobrain replied to your post “ananobrain replied to your video “Aside from mistakenly describing...”

Also, one thing that I gathered was. Donna throughout this season was surrounded by yellow and there were always something green. When Cam was in scene, there'd be something yellow in it. The hospital scene shows it best, theres always something that connects them together. I also love how they manage to put them afar just using  the cameras. It's fantastic. We are lucky to have Halt.                  

Your second point is such a cool observation, I’m gonna have to look for the yellow in Donna’s scenes when I rewatch!

But omg, I completely missed this entire ‘s4 was a CamDonna lovestory’ talk? That’s what I get for being petty and refusing to read any showrunner interviews after s3....

Regarding the ownership of the sweater...you know what occurred to me? Cameron had all of her stuff with her, so, she easily could have gotten something from her trailer? The sweater’s fit and color look more like something Donna would own, though, and I don’t think the viewer was supposed to remember that Cameron had her own clothes with her. I feel like if we were expected to intuit anything there, it’s that Donna loaned it to her. Not to overthink this (you know, here on my blog where I overthink these things) but, if you fell into a friend’s pool, you’d probably have to borrow something, a person wouldn’t have all or any clothes with them, typically. And again, we haven’t seen Cameron wear anything like that all season.

tl;dr I can’t help but agree with you about ‘the signs’. It’s all fun and games to joke/gripe about The Chrises and how they plotted Mutiny’s collapse and Cameron and Donna’s reunion, and/or how they’re white bros who accidentally wrote not one but two lesbians, but after a certain point, it’s like, okay, but what really happened here?

I haven’t the faintest idea of what things are like at AMC or any network, I just know from like, living in the world that lgbtp rep, especially for women, hasn’t improved as much as straight people seem to think it has. I also know that a lot of straight viewers, mostly whiny, heterosexist white girl Lee stans, have expressed how pissed they are at the idea of CamDonna being endgame. Regardless of how many viewers might not want to, it’s more than reasonable to shift the question from ‘wow what was with all the gay subtext, were we supposed to get a vibe...?’ (with Gordon and J*e ALSO?!) to ‘After all of that subtext, why weren’t Cameron and Donna fully and unequivocally canon?’

[kihocrystal]

Spring 2018 - Final Impressions

Sorry this post is so late (again)! I had a *really* busy July, which really didn’t help at all. But anyway, here’s my thoughts on the shows that I finished this past season! All but one are sequels, though (and the one non-sequel was a carryover from last season)... Don’t worry, I’ll watch stuff like Megalobox and Hinamatsuri eventually! :’D

All “reviews” are listed in alphabetical order!

Amanchu! Advance - 8.0 / 10 (B-)

I liked season 2 as a whole! (Except for one episode / thing…)

QUEERBAITING SUCKS

I dunno if this is the fault of the anime or the source material…

…but this is still the most blatant example I’ve ever watched >_>

episode 11 didn’t need to happen!!! Why couldn’t Kokoro just… be a girl

or y’know, just let Pikari and Teko continue to “love” each other as they have! OTL

maybe why it annoyed me so much is that it’s like… a total bait & switch that went on for 2 SEASONS

to be fair, the reveal kinda went over my head? But when r/anime pointed it out, that’s when the salt began :/

yet the finale still has them blushing over reading thank you notes? It’s like this show wants its cake & eat it too

at the end of the day, the Kokoro stuff just… got in the way of Teko & Pikari’s interactions, platonic or not >_>

Also I’m one of the few people who actually liked the Peter arc

and it gave Ai some spotlight time!!!

it’s nice to have a little story arc to change things up (as opposed to an episodic structure)

(though I understand why many didn’t care for it… it leans a lot more towards supernatural than usual)

IMO they at least gave precedent w/ that one lucid dreaming episode w/ Teko, though

AND THERE’S ACTUAL SCUBA DIVING THIS TIME \o/

the underwater moments can be very magical… definitely the visual highlight

And the cast of characters is still enjoyable to watch too~ (def. a good group dynamic there)

Kokoro is considered a polarizing character for sure

I didn’t mind him that much until, y’know… his gender reveal led to the queer-baiting thing >_>

The finale was really nice though! It had pretty diving scenes and had cute Teko & Pikari moments~

In any case, this is still a very relaxing and heartwarming anime~

It has all the things I enjoyed about S1 here; it’s just the things added on top were a mixed-bag

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card - 8.0 / 10 (B)

EVERYONE IN THIS SHOW IS BEING VAGUE AS SHIT

But at least the mystery is interesting!

It’s just too bad it took like… 20 episodes to start getting any kind of explanation :’)

I actually watched the original series through a r/anime rewatch at the end of last year!

(meaning there wasn’t much time for me going from that series to this sequel)

I enjoyed the callbacks to the original series as well!

(including going from *anime* canon! i.e. the 2nd movie actually being canon)

The visuals look nice! Even though it almost looks a bit… *too* rounded in comparison to the original

I enjoyed watching Sakura capture all the new cards in different ways~

Even though this season was VERY light on plot (mostly), this aspect provided the action~

Also I enjoyed watching the character interactions too ^^

But yeah… the lack of overarching plot development and VAGUENESS kinda holds this season back

that being said, the final episodes set up some potentially interesting developments to come

and the finale itself *definitely* was not a conclusive one, so S2 better be confirmed soon!

Overall, I still enjoyed this continuation for the things it did right! I’ll be looking forward to a S2~

Darling in the FranXX - 8.0 / 10 (B)

Well this is/was a… polarizing show, to say the least.

I enjoyed it overall, but certain things about it hold it back from a higher score for me.

There’s two main elephants in the room with this series, really

#1 is… the heteronormativity

this was basically from the get-go, and in the roots of the story / themes itself

since the themes revolve around male/female partnerships & the importance of that… Yeah

one of the core quotes being “a female and a male aren’t complete w/o the other” …Yeah, again

also the sex-like positions of the “stamen” and “pistil” while piloting also doesn’t help

the workings of this world’s society has hetero relationships as the standard and doesn’t really allow for other options

(i.e. the FranXX piloting, Ikuno’s female attraction not working out in both operating the mech & her feelings for Ichigo, etc.)

at least Ikuno and Ichigo got a scene to talk about their attraction feelings & make up somewhat ^^

plus the Nines are basically gender non-binary but are seen as antagonistic forces for most of the show… Yeah

and just basic hetero things (like sex & pregnancy) were like being attacked in this show (when it’s not in real life???)

there’s an image meme that’s like “no, Prime Minister Abe… this will not get people to have babies” (…agreed :’D)

sure, there are *many* ways you can interpret this show, but the fact that so many people have seen it as such is Not Good

#2 is… the show supposedly “jumping the shark” towards the end

the main culprit of this (for many people) seems to be the “suddenly aliens!” reveal in episode ~20

this didn’t really impact my enjoyment of the show at all, but I definitely understand why people would be disappointed

in a way, it does kinda shift the story away from the themes it was using prior to this…

perhaps the lack of foreshadowing was another reason the shift in plot didn’t go well

plus it tends to directly riff off of certain visual cues from other mecha (like Eva & Gurren Lagaan)

Those two main gripes aside, the directing & visuals in this show were what kept me interested throughout

music choices, visual choices, etc. just really made certain moments better than they probably should’ve been

I enjoyed the characters as a group as well (even if most of them individually weren’t anything to write home about)

Goro’s a good bro, Ichigo went through good development, Kokoro & Mitsuru developed as a good pair…

Futoshi ended up being kind of a fat joke to the end though (& it was interesting that him & Kokoro didn’t end up together)

of course, Zero Two is the one everyone loved (& I liked her & Hiro’s dynamic as well)

sure, some people felt like she had “no personality” after she realized the truth about Hiro, but I didn’t mind the change

Plus I like that this show had a… pretty good ending, actually! (All things considered)

Directing as always was on point, and we got to see everyone’s lives over time (& Hiro + Zero Two eventually re-uniting as kids)

I just wish the main group got to see the two of them again :’)

though I do wish VIRM actually got full-on destroyed instead of a “we might come back” ending :/

and the ending was also kinda like “oh yeah, all the Children sent away didn’t actually die!” ???

This show will likely have a legacy not unlike Guilty Crown going forward, but I thought it ended better than that show, for the record

But yeah, this show is far from perfect and has questionable themes. But I still enjoyed it over all for the things it did well~’

Nanatsu no Taizai S2 - 8.0 / 10 (B-)

Unfortunately, not as good as S1 (but I still enjoyed this season overall)

S1 felt like its own self-contained story, but this season is clearly a “Part 1” for things to come

I wish Diana had more to do this season… she lost her memory early on and STILL doesn’t have it back

she was out of the main conflict (& separated from the group) for most of it :/

she also had these WEIRD ANGLES & POSES all the time… the fan service w/ her was *Really* distracting

the only consolation is that we got to learn some backstory for her & meet her fellow giants

oh well, at least she’s met up with King again and is enjoying his company by the end :)

The Gowther twist is interesting, but the way they revealed it was kinda… underwhelming

plus that *also* hasn’t been resolved yet (like many other things this season)

Some good moments this season were centered around Ban

such as his relationship w/ Jericho, time w/ a resurrected Elaine, and the small arc w/ his foster dad :’)

Also the final Sin got introduced w/ Escanor! PRAISE THE SUN

he’s a fun character; skittish by night and INVINCIBLE by day

The addition of power levels was kinda weird

it wasn’t necessary in S1, so why add it now???

The training arc gave us a full flashback to Melodias’ past w/ losing Liza, which was nice (and sad ;~; )

plus the vs. 10 Commandments fight actually showed Melodias full-on dying? That doesn’t happen much

it was a brutal death too! Hard to watch ;~;

plus they even changed the OP animation to reflect that he died… now that’s commitment

of course he came back later on, but there’s a catch… (since he loses some emotions every time)

There were some good fights, mostly during the “tournament” arc

(especially Melodias vs. all commandments… a sakuga highlight for sure)

The finale had a good stopping point, but it definitely makes clear that the story’s not over

so yeah, unlike season 1, this season *needs* a season 3 to be worth the watch

So yeah, there were some good moments & fights this season, but as a whole, it’s weaker than S1

Shokugeki no Souma S3 (Part 2) - 8.5 / 10 (B+)

I enjoyed this season! Continuing on the darker tone that the first half of S3 set up

This plot line of Central taking over the school is still my favorite plot point thus far, tbh

in other words, shit is finally going down!

…even if many of Central are just mustache-twirling villains :’D

Erina’s gotten great development from this arc too…! She’s not just a typical stuck-up tsundere anymore

her backstory is definitely a harsh one. It was great seeing her gain the courage to stick up to dad!

We also learned more about Souma’s dad! :O

Especially about how he was seen as feared, and the pressure of success got to him :’(

along with how this backstory tied into Asami’s motivations as well

Most of the season was kinda a gauntlet of opponents for the “resistance” to face off against

seeing Akira turn evil (for a bit) was interesting, but it’s a good thing he turned good again~

we oddly haven’t seen a lot of the Elite Ten in cooking action yet???

The final part of the season started off the big Team Shokugeki! …but it only got through the first round

the stakes are definitely high for this one, and also seems like the big conflict of this arc for sure

it’s just, y’know… the season ending in the middle is not a good look, really

at least the ending wasn’t abrupt; it was open-ended but still had a sense of conclusion

All in all, a good second half of season 3 (with some of my favorite plot content thus far!). Keep it up!

[tigerlover16-uk]

In a way its really wierd to me how angry people get over Super. It's clearly just trying to be a simple comedy action series aimed at kids. Though I suppose there is the ageold ruining my childhood thing. But it doesn't really strike me as very provocative to inspire such strong negative feelings. Im just mostly looking at what it's trying to be. It doesnt strike me as tryhard either. The most powerful being is a audience selfinsert that just wants to have fun. Its so selfaware on many levels.

A lot of people obsess over Dragon Ball and want it to remain this (In their heads) perfect, untouched work of art I think. I’ve never agreed with that sentiment, but Dragon Ball IS one of the most iconic and influential anime and mangas of all time and has a special place in millions of peoples hearts. With that kind of pedigree, I get a lot of people having very high standards for any kind of a follow up.

There are legitimate grievances to be had with Super, and plenty of things that can theoretically go wrong with continuing Dragon Ball’s story (Just look at GT for proof of that).

So it’s perfectly reasonable to have concerns… but, unfortunately the Dragon Ball fandom has the same problem as the Star Wars fandom, Sonic fandom, and really a lot of other major fandoms out there: They let their nostalgia and obsession with the series get completely out of hand, and treat every mistake, big or small, as a sign that the end times have come and that the series is ruined forever.

Some of this does come from nitpicky aspects of the series that only certain obsessive fans actually care about and the majority of viewers are actually casually ignorant to (Like power scaling), some of it does come from places of genuine concern (Animation issues and messed up production early on, stuff like the Future Trunks saga ending, the show running in circles with certain characters rather than letting them progress further, etc), but a lot of it is, frankly, people just wanting an excuse to complain because “It’s not like Z!”.

As someone who grew up with the Star Wars Prequels and 3D era Sonic games, and prefers them to both franchises earlier outings (Mostly… 06 WAS a complete mess, nostalgia aside), I tend to have little sympathy for people whining about how a flawed sequel has completely ruined their favourite series and thus their childhood forever. 

And while I do sympathise with more reasonable fans who have fair reasons for disliking it, I think people in general are being incredibly myopic if they think that Super can actually damage Dragon Ball as a whole.

Like, you want to know why I keep comparing it to the Prequel Trilogy? Because for all the handwringing from petulant manbabies about how their precious (Dated and somewhat overrated, FTR) sacred movies had supposedly been ruined forever… the movies didn’t actually hurt Star Wars much in the long run, let’s be honest.

The Original Trilogy still exists. They’re the same movies they’ve always been, and if you don’t like the Prequels you’re free to ignore them and enjoy the original three movies for what they are, since they do function as a self contained story. There’s still plenty of tie in material from the old and new EU for people who want MORE Star Wars content not related to the Prequels too.

And on that note, we’ve had PLENTY of good Star Wars content since the Prequels came out too, with the tv series Star Wars: The Clone Wars frequently being hailed as one of the greatest works in the entire franchise, if not one of the best cartoons ever made, with some Prequel detractors even arguing it SALVAGED those movies. And let’s not forget how the first installment of the sequel trilogy became the first franchise film to gross over $2 Billion at the box office.

That’s not even getting into the fact that the Prequels also brought in a whole generation of new fans and lead to their love of the franchise, myself included.

For whatever problems the Prequels had (Real, imagined or grossly exaggerated), in the long run… Star Wars was fine. 

Even now with the Last Jedi, which many argue is a horrible movie that hurts the overall story of the Star Wars Saga (Funnily enough, I’m actually in that camp this time), I think similar logic applies. I, and other fans may not like it or a lot of stuff the Sequel Trilogy has done, and with stuff like Solo the Star Wars franchise may be going through a bit of a rough patch in terms of public interest at the moment… but honestly, I don’t think things are going to be bad forever.

People will eventually move on with their lives. People who don’t like the Sequel Trilogy can move on and enjoy the old movies while pretending they don’t exist, and enjoying whatever other spin offs they like, while fans who do like the Sequel Trilogy and modern star wars content can look forward to more stuff they enjoy. 

I can complain about certain directions the series has taken, but as someone who’s endured having people tell me that my childhood favourites ruined their lives (To which I have to say… please go outside and get some air, for Christ’s sake), I have no interest in wangsting about the state of things when I have a lot of better things I should be doing.

That’s not to say no one should complain of course, there are legitimate failings to the Sequel Trilogy and Last Jedi in particular and people have every right to complain (As long as they’re not the toxic fanbrats whining about the “SJW AGENDA!” And bulling the cast, those people can jump off a cliff along with the people who bullied Jake Lloyd and drove Ahmed Best to contemplate suicide). In fact, it’s a good thing for people to be critical since actually constructive criticism is necessary and good feedback for studios responsible for these pop culture franchises.

Going back to Dragon Ball, I personally enjoy Super. I think it’s done a lot of good things, though also had various missteps along the way. But despite those issues and while I hope future works take steps to fix and improve on things, I’m fairly happy with the current state of the franchise and eager for more.

I do think you have a point too, anon. Super itself isn’t honestly trying to be anything revolutionary or even on Z’s level. If you actually examine the show as a whole, it’s basically extended filler that mostly serves to expand the universe, create a big sandbox for future stories to possibly build on, and further develop several characters. The only time it really tried to do anything particularly ambitious was in the Future Trunks saga, where we had villains who questioned the state of humanity and there was an ideological battle going on between them and our heroes, mostly Future Trunks.

Other than that though? We got two movie retellings that were basically self-contained conflicts, a small-stakes tournament that mostly served to introduce a bunch of new recurring characters, and a multiversal tournament that, while it did do some interesting thematic stuff here and there… was mostly an excuse to introduce EVEN MORE new characters, give old ones a chance to shine and develop some more, and have a lot of cool looking fights.

Super isn’t really trying to be Z. It just wants to be a fun show for kids and which nostalgic fans can hopefully enjoy. If anything, I think it was mostly a test run to see whether continuing the franchise with more stories beyond the occasional movie was viable.

There’s certainly gripes to be had, but really Super’s status as a fill-in for a time gap in the Z anime to me just makes it feel a lot more low risk than an immediate sequel to the end of Z, since things do still end the same way they did regardless at the moment. It exists for fans to enjoy if they want to, but it can be easily ignored for fans who don’t and prefer the previous series.

And personally, I don’t think it’s really possible to truly “Ruin” Dragon Ball because the story already got an ending. The original manga, and the two anime adapting it, are a complete story on their own. One with a very open ending that leaves the door open for future stories, yes, but it’s a complete story nonetheless. Whatever directions future series may take, good or bad, it’ll never truly change the story as it originally was, because that manga and it’s anime will always exist for people to enjoy as it was intended.

I hate GT and I’ve complained about it plenty, but while I have very personal reasons for why it annoys me… at the end of the day, it’s irrelevant now. We got a different continuation that ignores it, it’s divorced enough from the original canon that I can just go about my days pretending it doesn’t exist, and I got my closure over it with that last re-watch sorting out my feelings on the series. 

So, really, flawed as it is there’s nothing to be REALLY mad about, is there? It exists, but it doesn’t do me any real harm, and it’s there for people who do enjoy it (For whatever weird reason, lol) to watch at their leisure. So in effect, it’s harmless… or at least it will be once we get another post-EoZ series to prove it didn’t completely close the door on those being made.

Dragon Ball’s kind of lucky in that way. It got to a point where it had a satisfying resolution where it can hopefully stand the test of time as a classic work of fiction, but people who want more still have the opportunity for that. 

And people who don’t think it should continue, or just don’t like those continuations, are free to not watch those works and enjoy the series the way they want to. Or, even if they don’t like Super, it’s still possible a better series or other products like movies can be made down the line that they can enjoy better.

Just like with Star Wars and the Sonic games.

I may have issues with Super from time to time, but overall I think it did a lot more good than bad, and most of it’s faults could be improved on in future series. The worst thing it actually did was destroying the original future timeline, but even that’s fixable if they just have another story with Future Trunks coming back and have somebody go “Hey, maybe we can use the Super Dragon Balls to bring your timeline back”. 

I get having personal attachment to the series and it’s characters, I do too. And I get people getting emotional when they feel something they like is being disrespected in any way. If people think the show handled Goku’s character badly or did something to hurt the overall ongoing story, then they’re within their right to complain and be upset about that. TO A REASONABLE EXTENT.

I do also get the feeling a lot of people just can’t handle Dragon Ball having a flawed follow up, aswell. Given that Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z are influential classics, it makes sense that a lot of people would be unhappy with anything that didn’t live up to that quality. But I think some people do get overly worked up about it.

Fact is, all franchises have both flawed installments, and a number of duds to show for them. Star Trek has bad movies and the bad series here or there (Enterprise). Doctor Who has had bad seasons. Marvel and DC have had plenty of bad comics and media adaptions. Mario and Sonic and Pokémon and lots of others have had bad games or adaptions. But that hasn’t ruined everything that was good about those series, or stopped them from putting out good new content.

Every piece of media has it’s flaws to be frank, and every franchise will inevitably stumble here or there. Dragon Ball has had plenty of duds before Super. The Broly movies, GT, Return of Cooler, Episode of Bardock, a bunch of bad video games most people don’t even bother to remember, FREAKING DRAGON BALL EVOLUTION. And plenty of stuff about the old series themselves has aged terribly (Especially in early Dragon Ball). But none of that has managed to kill the franchise.

We’ve had bad, mediocre and decent though heavily flawed Dragon Ball stories and products in the past, and we’ll have plenty more in the future. And while there’ll be stuff that is worth griping about, really at the end of the day it’s not the end of the world, and people who do get legitimately angry thinking it is need to relax now and again.

I get people thinking that things should have just stayed the way there were, thinking that Dragon Ball shouldn’t have been continued if that continuation wasn’t going to live up to it’s predecessors. And I’m never going to argue that people shouldn’t complain about things (I certainly do).

But realistically, Dragon Ball was going to have follow ups sooner or later. It’s the biggest franchise Toei and Shueisha have, and one of the most iconic series of all time. Whether I or anyone else thinks Dragon Ball needed a follow up or not, it was bound to happen because we live in a world where milking popular franchises is the name of the game. 

People can complain about it, people can and should have issues with flawed products. People can insist on Dragon Ball’s legacy needing to be preserved. But like I’ve said... the series as you loved it isn’t going anywhere. No one is obligated to support everything the franchise does. So I don’t think getting overly angry or worked up about Super or GT or whatever not being everything they wanted them to be is something to freak out over.

Fact is, for all the complaints... a lot of people still love Super and enjoyed it. A lot of people still love Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. Super has brought Toei nothing but monetary success, and interest in the franchise is at the highest it’s been since Z finished airing in the West over a decade ago and the franchise went truly dormant for the most part. If anything, I think Dragon Ball actually gets more respect these days than it did for most of the latter half of the last decade, where it became sort of an internet laughing stock in the West.

We’re still getting plenty of high profile and quality products, like FighterZ, which along with Super itself and the movies preceding it has helped draw in a lot of new fans and brought back a good chunk of lapsed ones. There’s a generation of children the world over that are going to have grown up on Super as their first Dragon Ball series, and it’ll be an important part of helping them get into the franchise and the previous series, much like Kai before it. 

And we’ve got a new movie coming out that’s generating a lot of hype and which looks to be giving the franchise a much needed and exceptionally positive visual overhaul, which it’s needed for a while now.

For all the ups and downs, and there have been plenty... Dragon Ball is doing fine. Regardless of what any individual person thinks of Super, Dragon Ball’s legacy isn’t in any danger. The franchise isn’t collapsing, and the overall story and all of it’s characters haven’t been completely ruined beyond repair.

Things could be better. But Z and Dragon Ball could have been better in a lot of places too. It’s okay to be unsatisfied about the current state of things and to voice complaints, as much as it’s okay to be loving the thrill of having Dragon Ball really make a comeback.

Things will be fine. With Super currently off the air, I think now’s the time for everyone to just take a chill and relax. The world didn’t end, and it’s not going to any time soon. (Well, unless Trump throws a hissy fit and launches nukes at everyone but, you know, hopefully that won’t happen).

[pod7]

Spring Anime* 2017 Lightning Review

*just the shows that I watched of course

For the first time ever, I’m leaving out shows that I dropped, so if you remember me talking about a show but it’s not listed here, I was either bored by it or just didn’t enjoy it anymore after a certain point, and that’s really all there is to say~!

Shows Included: Alice to Zouroku Watch, Boku no Hero Academia S2, Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism, Cinderella Girls Gekijou, Clockwork Planet, DanMachi Gaiden: Sword Oratoria, Frame Arms Girl, Hinako Note, Kabuki-bu!, Little Witch Academia, Nobunaga no Shinobi: Ise Kanegasaki-hen, Pokemon Sun & Moon, Quanzhi Gaoshou, Renai Boukun, Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records, Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata ♭, Seikaisuru Kado, Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii desu ka?, Tiger Mask W, Tsugumomo, Twin Angel Break, Zero kara Hajimeru Mahou no Sho

Reminder that there are spoilers in the reviews below

Alice to Zouroku Watch I feel like this was a great concept to begin with, but after the initial six or so episodes, it really seemed like the writer/s were like “okay, what do we do now?” It would have been much better as a six episode mini-series. To focus the last six episodes on new characters, rather than developing a new scenario around characters that have already been introduced, is a huge waste of everyone’s time. It was also quite disappointing that they built up this relationship between the two titular characters, and then they share hardly any screen time in the second half at all, and considering their dynamic was the backbone of the story, it really just fell flat for me. That being said, it was a nice light-hearted affair that was half supernatural and half science fiction. I would love to see a spinoff about the special agent with the Dream of Alice to basically have any weapon. 7/10 

Boku no Hero Academia S2 I actually had a few problems with this season. The previous season ended with “This is the story of how I became the greatest hero of them all” or something to that effect, but it didn’t really feel like they did much to further that this season. Instead we got LOTS of development for other characters, especially Todoroki, who, if you had asked me what his name was after the first season, I wouldn’t have had the slightest clue. I loved the Uravity vs Bakugo fight, it really showed that Uraraka has potential for greatness and wasn’t so one note as her powers had seemed previously (in my opinion.) My biggest gripe of the season was the final fight, and how pointless it was. If the point was to frustrate Bakugo with what he felt like was an unearned victory, they should have had Deku and Todoroki be disqualified for (unintentionally) bringing too much danger to the audience, or something along those lines, making Bakugo the de facto winner. Instead they made a big deal about Deku and Todoroki’s fiery collision causing a thermal shockwave/explosion which could have hurt people, only to then have Bakugo basically do it to himself, over and over, while escaping Todoroki’s ice, without any indication of harm whatsoever. It was stupid, is what I’m saying. Also Deku’s lack of a definitive victory of any kind has worn beyond thin. Still a great show, just thought there were some hiccups this season. 8/10

Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism As harem-y as this was, it was still a really great “trials of the swordsman” story, and the influences were very prominent with each new challenger. Aomu is an incredible character, and while I felt they were wasting her by not having her around much of the season, it just made that much more impact when she showed up in the final three episodes. I can’t see this idea stretching much farther than where it left off, so if the manga/LN continues from that point I don’t think it’d be very interesting, but if you like swordsmanship type shows (like Chivalry of a Failed Knight) then this should be up your alley. 8.5/10 

Cinderella Girls Gekijou I’m not heavily invested in CG, but I enjoyed most of this. It was a bit tough remembering who some of the characters were at times, and then also not knowing some of the characters because I haven’t read the manga or played any games or any of the side content was kind of frustrating, but all in all, a short, cute gag show. 8/10 

Clockwork Planet Besides the horrific facial design for pretty much every major character, this turned out to be a quirky, fun action show. It was nice to see the male and female leads be in a dynamic that was not romantic, but still loving, in a way, as they eventually adopted a parental role for Anchor. I think it got a little full of itself with some high tier philosophy that wasn’t necessary, but most people who have watched a lot of anime are probably used to that by now, so it may not be a detractor for you. If you’re looking for something different that’s not too involved but fun, this is the show for you. 8/10 

DanMachi Gaiden: Sword Oratoria I was pretty game for this, as it felt like there was a lot left on the table deliberately for Ais in the first season. Lefiya was an interesting character, and one that reminds me of a character I have in mind for a series that I’ve been daydreaming of for a decade, in that she’s kind of the protagonist, but Ais is definitely the protagonist. Kind of like in the movie DREDD where Judge Dredd is the star, but the movie follows or at least we experience most of the movie with Cassandra. It feels like the type of series that every season could have a different cast of characters and as long as it still fit in the time frame and world as the others, it would be enjoyable. That is my subtle way of asking for a Season Three that deals with the Hephaestus familia. 9/10

Frame Arms Girl This was actually one of my favorite shows of the season because of how silly it was. There was action at some points, but the best parts of the show were the girls just interacting with each other and the human world, fully knowing they are toys of some kind. Not much to really say about it other than that; it’s brought to you by Kotobukiya, so if you love their statues you will appreciated the design of the characters. 9/10

Hinako Note I had really strong Wakaba Girl and Lucky Star vibes from this show, but also ANNE HAPPY mixed in a bit as well. I think it would have been more appealing if this had been a story about Hinako moving away for college, because then the fan servicey stuff (which was really out of place, reminiscent of Bakuon!) wouldn’t have been so awkward and unnecessary. I think they should have fleshed out the landlady character more, she just kind of felt like a background character most of the time despite being somewhat the lynchpin of the show. They also didn’t really seem to do much theater stuff, which hurt it in my opinion in a season where it’s standing next to Kabukibu. Decent, cute, and moe~blob. 8/10

Kabuki-bu! SPEAKING of, WOW, what a great show. I loved the hell out of this show, so much that it’s my show of the season. If you missed out on this show, you should really give it a chance. It has several classic storytelling items; underdog story, forming a team, bending the rules to find success. Several character archetypes I enjoy a lot as well; princely girl that the girls swoon over, cocky guy who is kind of dumb but is reliable when it counts, girl who cares a lot about everything she’s into and couldn’t care less about things she’s not. There is a lot going on in this show and to cover it all here would A) take too long and B) spoil a great show, but suffice to say, if you don’t know anything about Kabuki, this show will teach you the basic stuff, and it doesn’t beat you over the head about it (like some sports anime do.) 10/10 highest recommendation

Little Witch Academia I love this show, but the ending was a bit too... dramatic, for me. I didn’t really understand Croix’s goal; she wanted to prove that she could be on Chariot’s level and didn’t need to be chosen (though she wanted to be) by the triskelion to achieve it’s power, but then what? She built up all of this power on negative emotions, but she wanted to reshape the world into a better place? It was weird, but I liked Croix’s dialogue and VA. I also think it was kind of lame that Chariot didn’t get to tell Akko who she was on her own terms, like it would have been enough for Akko to arrive and see Chariot confronting Croix without having seen her transform, find out her hero may have stolen her dreams, and then have Akko save the world and have Chariot reveal herself, asking for forgiveness. The idea of regaining hope after being disillusioned with your all time hero is enough without having had to also pile on the betrayal of her teacher/mentor, in my opinion. It felt like it was overwritten, like they really, REALLY wanted to make an impact, but it didn’t because we’ve known since the OVA who Ursula was, so it was more just feeling bad for Akko that she didn’t put two and two together fast enough, honestly. Was really happy about the minor cast getting their own time to shine, especially Amanda and Constanze. 9/10

Nobunaga no Shinobi: Ise Kanegasaki-hen This show is continuing, but I just wanted to say if you’re looking for a short breather type anime in between more dramatic or high action shows, it doesn’t get much better than this for currently airing stuff! Continues 

Pokemon Sun & Moon It’s the best, most palatable Pokemon anime in ages. I’m still watching it week to week, so that should be proof enough. The intro theme is so damn catchy, one of the rare few that I listen to it all the way through every episode. Team Rocket is fucking incredible this season, by the way. Continues

Quanzhi Gaoshou I wasn’t sure what to think about this at first, but it became one of my favorite shows of the season. The protag is so unabashedly a wish fulfillment fantasy that it’s kind of charming in a way. And the way that the things he does in the game, there is like 0% chance of being able to do it in the real actual game is what makes it so fun. It’s in Cantonese (I believe, please let me know if otherwise), but after the first couple episodes I didn’t really notice. I feel like this season set up the atmosphere of the game’s community within the game more than the community outside of the game, so hopefully there is a second season that actually explores the characters themselves a bit more (especially the boss at the cafe, vastly underutilized.) 9/10

Renai Boukun A literal harem anime, though obviously it was a bit of a parody on the side. The way Guri was changed was kind of abrupt and not really that convincing, so it was weird that they played it so seriously. The writing of Yuri could have just used more everything positive, but for a wlw character, even one in love with her half-sister, she was OK, considering how bad it could have been (she was portrayed as fairly pure and innocent outside of the stalker habits, when she could have just been a raging lust demon like lesbian/bi girls tend to be portrayed.) I liked this show’s version of god though, it was pretty funny. Not especially memorable but enjoyable. 7/10 

Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records It actually took me a good minute to remember what this show was about, but then I remembered Re=L is a character’s name in it, and how ridiculous that was, so I remembered all of it. It was very much the otaku teacher show from last year but with magic in it. The 100% slutty school uniforms for these middle school girls was really gross, as someone who generally enjoyed outfits like Ryuko and Satsuki’s in KLK, these were just overly sexual for no reason or purpose. I would have liked more scenes with Celica in them, because it felt like she had way more going on behind the scenes, similar to Ais in DanMachi, than we will likely ever see. Honestly I’d give this show a pass, there’s not much redeeming value here unless you’re into the “guy who is OP but pretends to be lazy and carefree because of the trauma he’s accrued” trope (that only Gin-chan can pull off.) 6/10 

Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata ♭ Didn’t enjoy this season. It felt like this season was far too busy trying to troll otakus to tell a good story. I didn’t get the feeling, at the end of the finale, that Tomoya would actually continue making doujin games, it felt more like he was ready to just continue hanging out with his girlfriend sidekick and going through the motions. Not every show has to have a happy ending, but I feel like most of them should have a satisfying ending, and this just didn’t have that, in my opinion. The thought of a show centered around Utaha and Eriri making their first AAA game together has merit though. 5/10

Seikaisuru Kado This show kind of shit the bed at the end. If the yaShunina’s goal was to bring a human to the anisotropic, and he thought Shindo was ready, why didn’t he just have him walk through the box that he used to transport him places into the anisotropic? He was willing to KILL HIM for refusing, so why give him the option to begin with? It was very odd. And the reveal of the woman negotiator being an anisotropic being as well was surprising, but the idea that she was ultimately there to make a baby, even a god baby, doesn’t sit well with me somehow. There was something off in the way the CG character models were presented as well that I just was never able to look past, and I couldn’t help but think in some moments where we’re meant to be awed by the imagery and effects how much better other studios would have done with traditional animation. The first 8 or so episodes are good sci-fi, the rest, your mileage may vary. 6/10

SukaSuka To be honest, I started skimming through episodes once her hair started turning red. It reminded me of Gokukoku no Brynhildr in a bad way. Obviously, being the big softie that I am, I wanted to see just a show about a soldier becoming a father figure to an orphanage, eventually falling for the woman caretaker while fighting off the advances of some of the younger girls (that part wasn’t necessary, but it is anime so it’s expected at this point, right?) Instead there was some kind of attempt at psychological horror and shattered memories type stuff that probably was meant to be deep but just felt like an imitation of everything that has tried it before. Not worth checking out really, one of those shows I will forget about by the end of next season. 6/10

Tiger Mask W As an anime fan and a wrestling fan, I enjoyed this show quite a bit. I actually knew all of the real wrestlers included in the show, so that was pretty fun seeing who all would show up. They did a weird thing where like... Ririko and Naoto were dating, but then she left at the request of Daisuke (the man Naoto is avenging) to help his son and then she fell in love with him instead while Haruna (Naoto’s manager) decides she loves Naoto, and all of this was revealed in like five minutes of one episode near the end of the show. it felt like the writers just kind of forgot that Ririko was dating Naoto and then had to cover their ass more than anything. The wrestling part of the show could be pretty up and down at times. Some episodes, Tiger would be absolutely covered in blood and dropped on his head and cut open and all kinds of other horrible things that don’t actually occur in real life pro wrestling shows, and then the next episode we’re lead to believe that a clothesline could end a man’s career. It was more noticeable in the first half of the season though. All in all a great love letter to an old franchise that also advertises some of the better wrestlers in the current New Japan Pro Wrestling roster. 8/10

Tsugumomo I actually read the manga for this series beforehand, and it has a pretty interesting concept, except it is actually pretty raunchy. Like, really raunchy. To the point of being vile in many cases (the characters teasing the protag about getting an erection around them in their younger forms was something they could have left out of the show, for real.) I ended up watching all the way through mostly to see the build-up to the first big fight of the series against Sunao, which end up being animated very well, I was quite happy with it. It’s hard to tell if this will get a second season, but i could definitely see it having several OVA, since things are... less restricted when it comes to those. 7/10 

Twin Angel Break This would be a good entry-level magical girl show, at least for people who are familiar with the concept without actually having watched any. It felt kind of goofy most of the time, similar to Cinderella Girls in that it felt like anime characters acting in another show. Mary was great, and I wish there had been more moments of her in her down time, like when she blends up the medals and drinks them while thinking to herself. Of course the main thing I want to talk about is that there is a trans character who except for the first minute or so she appears on screen, is treated completely normally, even when she falls in love (and a villain falls for her), it’s initially played for comedy, but it ends up having a positive outcome on the plot, so I think it’s okay. There is also a girl who is sleepy, where’s a sheep mascot hoodie, is constantly tripping, and ends all of her sentences with “da baa”. She’s really cute and I was really expecting her to be end up being a mole or something but nope she’s just cute. 8.5/10

Zero kara Hajimeru Mahou no Sho Kabukibu was just so strong, that even this show couldn’t top it, and it was really really good. It was a bit like Spice & Wolf and Junketsu no Maria mixed together with the supernatural elements dialed up to 11. Zero is a great female lead, and it’s unfortunate that this looks like a one season show, because she feels like the kind of character you could write around for YEARS. Mercenary has a wonderful voice, and was believable all the way through, but especially when he stayed consistent at the end, waving off Zero’s advances, despite his growing affection for her. Watch Kabukibu, then this. 10/10