#i think vinland saga season 2 is my favorite show of last season but this is a CLOSE second

[nerdpiggy]

AHHHH Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia was SO good... such a surprise favorite of last season

[neonscandal]

Thanks for answering my ask from a few weeks ago @neonscandal ..... If you don't mind me asking (again), what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before....

Thank you for asking in the first place! ❤️

Not at all unique is the fact that, as soon as I get asked a question about my top faves, I immediately draw a blank on everything I've ever enjoyed or watched, ever. 😅 I'm sure that's not the first time you've heard that. No need to apologize, as you can probably tell from other asks, my answers change regularly. This is my anime/manga blog so without any regard for order:

Life Lessons with Uramichii-Oniisan (anime) - depending on how old you are, there's a cognitive dissonance that occurs when you're no longer younger than nor the same age as your favorite protagonists in the stories you grew up with. This is the anime that eases the blow of that like the ibuprofen you now keep at home, at work and in your purse. And it's hysterical.

Attack on Titan (anime/manga) - There is something to be said for the eloquence of the exposition in this story which, when you know Isayama spent years shopping his art around to no avail because of the roughness of his style, makes perfect sense. While refining his art, he had all this time to pore over the story, hide little easter eggs so there'd be one string that gathered up all seeming loose ends. Just an incredibly interesting story to unfold. It's the kind of thing you wish you could read again for the first time but that's laughable because, every time you read it, you notice something you hadn't the last time.

To Your Eternity (anime) - This is the Grey's Anatomy equivalent in anime. Like, oh. You're emotionally constipated and need a good cry? Pick an episode at random. Watch a whole season if you're really about that life.

Sasaki to Miyano (manga/anime) - TBH I tied between this or Horimiya. They are not the same story but hold similar places in my heart. What I love about Sasaki to Miyano is how delicate it is. Yea, slow burn, whatever. But no, it just kind of gives Miyano space to come to terms with himself and Sasaki is the safety net that accepts him in all forms. Can love be this sweet?

Goodbye, Eri (manga) - Fujimoto is off the wall. Chainsaw Man is an excellent representation of that. Seemingly unfocused and always good for some sort of shock factor. I've been wanting to write, for some time, about how Fujimoto is like a trickster of a genie but I'll shelve that for the time being. Goodbye, Eri's disjointed narrative as if told in photographs and the art style which shows movement despite its static medium. It's a really elegant piece with a plot twist you don't see coming because, of course you don't. That, in fact, is part of the whole message of the story, isn't it?

Ranma 1/2 (anime) - Nostalgia. This was the first anime I ever watched that I locked into. It started me on a path of drawing, it encouraged me to seek out other shows.. this series is what started it all wayyy back then (okay, not that far back then, this was in the 00's). Tsundere x tsundere, yes but also just the immediate identification with characters who couldn't authentically be themselves because they kept bending and breaking under external pressures. I could very much relate and empathize even if the chaos of their universe was too fanciful for my own. Also, pretty sure Rumiko Takahashi is the longest running mangaka with consistent chapters in Shonen Jump for the last 40+ years is wild.

Vinland Saga (anime) - I honestly don't even know what to say about this story. But I think my favorite observation is a post I saw someone make where they wrote "No one will know the violence it took to become this gentle" with a picture of Thorfinn. And they were so poignantly right. Phenomenally twisted revenge story that is not at all satisfying. 10/10.

Link Clink (donghua) - This show is a vibe. If it hasn't been on a recommendation list yet, it's coming. The music, the art, the unfurling back story of the main characters as they untangle the lives of others? It manages to be both gutting and cerebral at the same time. Like every time I watch I'm like... I need to read the source material because the complexity of the concurrent storylines makes it such a head scratcher as to the larger plot.

Jujutsu Kaisen (anime/manga) - *Gestures vaguely to the rest of my blog.* We're still in the throes of how this story is going to play out which is nerve wracking and exciting for all its possibilities. I hold out a lot of hope that we'll see some stunning exposition in future chapters that we won't see coming.

Belle (anime) - It's just beautiful. 😘👌🏾 I talk a lot about my niece and nephew because I've turned them into my dorky little mini-me's. Also, being an aunt is like the best job. Belle is a movie that had them both gagged with the animation. If a show or series can get both of them to put their ipads, books, art supplies, etc. down, then I know I put them onto something special. Honestly, anything I enjoy with them makes it that much more special to me, personally.

This was lovely. I'll get back to posting lists soon, feel free to check out other recommendations!

[giggly-squiggily]

Hi Hello it's midnight for me and I just finished watching Steven Universe and the movie (I haven't watched Future yet- gonna do that this weekend) so now I have thoughts

Spoilers for Steven Universe below the cut!

First of all: I'm kicking myself repeatedly for waiting so long to watch it cause HOLY- 😭🥰 IT WAS SO GOOD!!! I wasn't sure I was gonna be into shows like this (Wasn't massively into Adventure Time- don't get me wrong, it was cute as hell and funny but just kinda..eh?) But I finally gave it a shot and WOW!

My favorite gem is still Garnet; I just- I adore her. She's wise, funny, the whole Sapphire and Ruby ship is so cute ("They were my favorite couple!"- Bismuth my blacksmith queen) and just-GAH! I love how excited she got over fusions and just how lovely she is all around!

My second favorite is Peridot. I loved her- she is the cutest little green dorito EVA! The way she speaks, her mannerisms, her dynamic with Lapis (Who admittedly I still have mixed feelings on but generally I enjoy her alot)- it was all so freaking kfakjerakjkjrakjerkjekjr I can't get over how cute she is HELP!

Really- I found myself loving all the characters! Pearl is cute as heck, Amethyst is an icon (I loved that scene where she refused to put all her problems onto Steven and recognized he had so much on his plate already- it was truly such a growth moment and I'm beyond proud of her. Plus- Smokey Quartz is an icon), and STEVEN! He's a doll! I adore him so much!

As for Beach City- I don't think I have a non-favorite. Everyone is so charming and silly; and even when they were at their worst they managed to bring it back around. Lars becoming a space pirate and Sadie becoming a rockstar- the grandmother becoming mayor and Ronaldo being..well, Ronaldo; it was all so good! I really do love Greg aswell; that Comet song will be forever stuck in my head. Oh! And Connie! I adore Connie!

As for the movie....eh? Don't get me wrong, it was great- and I really like Spinel; but all the endless songs started to get a little much after a while 😅 There was some great ones like Garnet's return song True Love and Steven's Change song- and of course Other Friends and Drift Away are absolutely incredible. It was a good mix of great songs and....kinda meh songs but still incredibly pleasant to listen to. I had a great time. (I also really liked Happily Ever After but I think I prefer Natewantstobattle's version; the rock cover really gives it that extra oomph!)

The DIAMONDS! I kinda don't know how to feel about Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond. I get why she did what she did; it was clear as glass the home life she was living wasn't good to her- but the way she did it certainly wasn't the cleanest. I like how complex her situation is and how Steven navigated it. I also like how the diamonds were presented- not good gems but complex enough that they're enjoyable. (Not to be bisexual on tumblr but Yellow Diamond....👀)

Overall this was a great time all around! I don't know what I'm gonna watch next (post future), my sister and I are thinking either Owl House or Amphibia, but y'all are welcome to leave suggestions! This was a much needed comfort experience during an admittedly crappy time.

(Also I'm almost done with Season 2 of Vinland Saga and y'all it's absolutely incredible but so freaking SAD- ooooo, I got feelings but I'll share them all when I finish the last four episodes)

This is your gentle reminder to sit down and indulge yourself in something comforting! Especially if things are being tough right now- you deserve to treat yourself :)

[sokuroda]

i haven’t done another one of these in literal months. it is January and the last I posted about things I completed was in November.

Mob Psycho 100 S3 -

my favorite show ever. I don’t even know what to say. i only got into mob like 2 years ago and im so glad i did. i sobbed at the ending. it was very bittersweet but i was so so happy for everyone. mob’s growth made me so so happy. genuinely just such a good show and i got my brother and my friend to watch mob too and they really enjoyed it. this is kind of a ridiculous statement to use in regards to a show but yknow, if i loved mob psycho less id be able to talk about it more. just so many emotions. the finale happened and one of my friends got several voice messages of me crying and just talking about it. i would really like to read the manga for it at some point, and i do plan to read the reigen spin-off as i do actually own it.

Cowboy Bebop -

I started watching this a few years ago and never finished so I thought I should finally come back to it, and it was worth it. It’s so good. The last few episodes made me sad. Just all the, lore episodes I guess, generally caused me a lot of pain. Ed and Ein leaving broke my heart. And honestly Faye’s backstory really got me. THE SONG THAT PLAYED DURING THAT PART TOO!!! SO GOOD. and don’t even get me started on Spike :( I did really like the cowboy episode though, the one with the YMCA or Young Men’s Cowboy Association. was a good episode, and the fridge lobster creature episode haunts me to this day.

Spy x Family - it’s just wholesome. always makes me laugh and is really a no thought head empty show and i enjoy that. i do keep up with the manga for this but it’s always nice to see it animated.

Chainsaw Man - obviously very positive thoughts about this one I love chainsaw man. Suffering from actual brain rot. the vibes are very different from the manga, it’s more cinematic ig but I do think it’s a great adaptation. The intro and all the outros are so good. Especially the Hayakawa family outro. I loved the voice actors. BEAM!!! His va is so good. I love just all the insane laughter from all the characters it brings me so much joy. I love chainsaw man !!!!

Vinland Saga - my brother is so into Vinland saga. And he has told me about it before. I thought I’d watch it because I knew a new season was coming out, and obviously he had hyped it up so much. And it was absolutely worth the hype. I binged like 16 episodes in a day and would have finished it in a day if I didn’t go see Puss in Boots ( which very good btw) It’s in my top 10 now, im not really one come up with a top 10 or anything. But if I had one Vinland Saga is definitely up there. I liked like all the characters. Thorfinn is great. Askeladd is so fucking cool. Canute and Thorkell phenomenal. Can’t believe thorfinn is so short too, like bro is minuscule im ngl. but anyways !!! Even like Bjorn I enjoyed. I was genuinely sad when he died. But anyways. I love Vinland saga too!!!

Kekkai Sensen/Blood Blockade Battlefront -

This wasn’t bad at all! Idk if I’ll watch the second season, but the first one wasn’t too bad. I did start watching it solely because of the outro, and yknow what the outro is really good and does make me very happy so I do stand by that decision. Was not expecting to hear Zoro’s VA in this so that was a pleasant surprise. Zapp overall was just a wild character, and he had a tiny ass waist like wtf was that all about. Anyways, was enjoyable overall.

Terror in Resonance - this show is so good. from what i can remember the music in it is good. There was a song I really liked but idk what it’s called unfortunately. It’s a good show to just binge. I liked it a lot. I cried at the end. I wasn’t expecting that to happen given like the premise of the show, I went into the show just thinking it was about terrorists, and to certain extent it is but also it’s more than that. Anyways, I guess I should’ve assumed things wouldn’t all be wonderful and happy by the end, but man… lots of really cool things within this show and overall just enjoyable though, so id definitely recommend!

currently watching - attack on Titan, one piece (im at thriller bark), buddy daddies, bungo stray dogs s4, and Vinland Saga S2

[swallowtail-ageha]

Do you have favorite anime shows?

Yes! I used to be super into anime a few years ago, but now my interest and attention span has kinda dwindled so i'm not exactly up to date to the new hot animes (i do plan however on starting both Frieren and Dungeon Meshi)

If i have to make a list of my favourite animes, those would be (putting them not in a [most favourite-least favourite] order)

1- Shingeki no Kyojin. Hooly shit i think it was the first anime i seriously watched. The SnK manga was also the first one i ever purchased at like ~11. I just have so many good memories related to that manga

2- DOROHEDORO. God i. I think that animanga was tailor-made for me. It is extremely gorey, but also in a non edgy way. The tone is very lighthearted and the entirety of it's cast has it's spotlight. Also the character design is top notch and the ost makes me go insane

3- Tokyo Ghoul! Another childhood classic of mine (but that's more the manga than the anime) again i have so many memories about it including me doing my ghoul sona again at age 11/12. Good times

4- Pluto! I have never ever watched Astroboy in my entire life BUT i was also a huge fan of Urasawa's 20th Century Boys and Billy Bat so i decided to read it and when the anime adaptation came out i was "oh. They couldn't make it more perfect". Seriously tho, the animation, the story, the characters, the critique of the gulf war (since it was first released in the middle of it)... it couldn't be more perfect. Also Atom looks like my cousin so he's my special little boy

5- Shinsekai Yori. This is a weird one. I don't think that like. I'd actually recomend it to someone else. It's extremely slow paced and the whole subject matter is heavy. It's a dystopian novel-turned anime and i think that the pacing does get affected negatively by this. But if you're in for an heavy watch. Watch it. Please. The finale is one of the most poignant finales i've ever seen in an anime and i still think about it years later

5- Akira! While again this is one of those adaptations where the story had to be cut due to the rest of the manga still not being written, it holds up extremely well. Also the animation is gorgeous and last year i traveled to Rome to watch it at the Space Cinema for it's 35th anniversary and it was a spiritual experience. I do not think i ever looked away from the screen, even if for a split second

6- Vinland Saga! I don't have much to say about it especially to avoid spoilers since the anime is not over yet, but god. Thorfinn. I thought people were exaggerating when talking about his character development but he is genuinely wonderfully written. Also i loved the way season two ended with the poem being played while showing the characters of both the past and the present (and i don't remember if it was there in the manga? I think it was? But also the anime version is more cinematic for well. Obvious reasons)

7- Re:Zero! One of those things that i definitely shouldn't have watched as a preteen lmao. I am not a coneisseur of isekais, so i can't really fully appreciate the subversion aspect of it, but i love Subaru's character and the witch lore intrigues me so much, so if i ever get my hands of the novels i'll read them

8- Higurashi I do know that the anime compared to the novels absolutely sucks (iirc they cut a lot of content?) but i think it upholds very well on it's own (not like the umineko anime lmao). Also i had watched it when i was going through a very hard period of my life, so it's extremely dear to me

And that's it for now! Probably if you'd asked me this a few years back i would have replied with more shounens a la jjk and bnha, which i do still like (jjk way more than bnha) and for whom i had a hyperfixation on it, but again my tastes have immensely shifted and i think that overall these animes have made way more impact on me. Other two animes i really enjoy are FMA and HXH, but again while i recognize that FMA is a wonderful story and i do rank it quite highly it doesn't quite scratch my itch, and i constantly switch forth between loving and hating HXH (mainly due to the fandom's obnoxiousness in treating it like a piece of russian literature)

Have a nice day anon!!!

[elliotapricot]

My Anime 9/10′s

With probably no spoilers cuz I don’t wanna talk too long about them zzz.

1. Fullmetal Alchemist

YALL ALREADY KNOW THIS A 9/10. The only real reason this show is not a 10/10 is because it’s just a story that I’d never rewatch. There’s like 70 episodes, which is way too long for my short attention span, especially since I’ve seen it already. But yeah, by all accounts, this story is a masterpiece and is one of the only “shounen” anime’s that I genuinely enjoyed. No random sexualization. No dumb filler. All the characters have an actual purpose and role in the plot and everyone has their own morals and ideals that interact to make the story interesting. I couldn’t bring myself to really hate anyone, even the villains, because everyone was pretty well written. Also super satisfying ending that ties up everything properly without leaving me confused or upset. If you only watch a few anime in your life, Fullmetal Alchemist is pretty much a MUST WATCH to see a beautiful example of a modern classic anime as an artform. Also I should say that I really don’t like Hunter x Hunter (AN EXTREMELY CONTROVERSIAL OPINION BTW) but I love Fullmetal Alchemist so take from that what you will.

2. Parasyte: The Maxim

Same kinda shit where you already know this a 9/10 for me. It’s just a very satisfying anime that doesn’t have random sexualization or random filler or anything like that. Ending is also very good and ties up the story in a way that doesn’t leave more questions but also allows the characters to have a “life” outside of the scope of the story. I think Parasyte, because of its more horror and psychological-esque vibes, counts as a seinen and not a shounen, so for more mature audiences. I also really liked how the story was successfully adapted to modern times since the manga is from the 80′s. I have actually rewatched this anime, but what stops me from giving it a 10/10 is a few things that I found kinda “stereotypical” that I don’t wanna discuss further too much cuz it’s spoilers. I still obviously really like this anime and highly recommend it.

3. Zankyou no Terror

TBH, this anime is pretty hard for me to properly describe in a lot of words as to why I like it. The art was really pretty as well as the music, which was just straight up amazing. The cinematography of this anime is excellent as well, and a lot of scenes have that sense of being acted out by real people, as opposed to feeling completely drawn/animated. I was a teenager when this anime came out and I think a lot of the themes presented in the show really related to me. The show does kinda have some leftover questions when it ends that prevents me from rating it a 10/10, but I have such a soft spot for this anime. It’s from the same creator as Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop, and although those two animes are also very good, they did not impact me as much as this anime did. Recommended for people looking for idk something that gives off Inception vibes?? In the sense that it’s much more about its themes and its message more so than the believability of the events that occur.

4. Magic Kaito 1412

THIS IS JUST A PERSONAL PREFERENCE BTW LOLOL I DON’T KNOW ANYBODY WHO’D PUT THIS AS A 9/10 ANIME. I JUST REALLY LIKED IT OKAY. It’s made by the same person who does Detective Conan but I like this a lot more because it’s a much shorter series and slightly more mature (more for teens than just straight up kids). I really liked the main guy, I think he’s funny and charismatic. He’s a pervert at times but Imma forgive that cuz of the 90′s. Idk it’s just a really fun anime that I don’t have to take seriously and can just watch and enjoy.

5. Mob Psycho 100 (season 1 AND 2)

Imma put season two as slightly better than season one. So season one would be like a 9 and season two is like a 9.25 for me. Super super funny anime and I like it SO much more than One Punch Man. I liked that there was a good balance of serious moments, but you can definitely still count this anime as a comedy. I’m typically not the type to watch “comedy” but this anime genuinely had me laughing out loud, while also crying and freaking out right alongside the main character. The main guy is super great because he’s just this shy and sweet middle schooler, and it’s really interesting watching him balance trynna have a normal life while also using his powers for good and such. Apparently the anime was decently faithful to the manga and there’s apparently enough material for a third season so I’d be pretty stoked for a season 3, but season 2 ended on a pretty good spot and was satisfying. TBH, if I had the time, I’d probably rewatch both seasons and bump it up to a 10/10.

6. Vinland Saga

This anime is just the first season of what I hopes to be a whole series that will be stay beautifully and faithfully adapted from the manga. As someone who read very far into the manga (but quit like years ago simply because I hate slow updates lol), I actually didn’t enjoy watching the anime at first. I was impatient and kept waiting for when like the “major” events would happen. So I watched like three episodes and quit. But when I had some free time, I decided to get stuck in and commit to watching the whole series and I was so pleasantly surprised with just how good it was. I was impatient but I needed to realize that there is no “filler” or like “wasted time” in the entire anime. I hadn’t read the manga in years, so so many things were only vaguely familiar but I think this helped me stay surprised and excited throughout the anime. I’m looking forward to the rest of the manga being adapted because it’s just a good Viking saga lolol. Major themes of stuff like growing up, violence vs. peace, what it means to be a good person, etc. Lots of blood and LOTS of violence like a LOT they are VIKINGS CMON but tbh not really any gore which I liked cuz gore makes me ughhhh. A very good watch and only a taste of an excellent story.

7. Demon Slayer

It’s just Demon Slayer duhhh. Of course this a 9/10 for me. I don’t wanna write much just cuz the show is so popular. Just read a REAL review of this anime somewhere else lmaoooo. Also yes I did watch the movie in theaters and yes I liked it a lot as well mmkay. I’m mad hype for season two. My S/O doesn’t like Demon Slayer as much as me, but also has Hunter x Hunter as their all time favorite anime. Do with that information what you will lolol.

8. Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2

Same shit as Demon Slayer. Just go read someone else’s review about why it’s so good lol. Also, unlike Mob Psycho 100, I can’t include all of the seasons in this, because I have very various opinions about how good/bad the other seasons were. But this season 3 part 2, was just plain and simply amazing. While I might not like each season equally, as a whole Attack on Titan is also a modern masterpiece of storytelling. Read the manga if you can.

9. Great Pretender

I love this anime so much. Such a good and fun wild ride. The whole show is ridiculous but in a fun way. I’m a HUGE fan of heist films, so of course I absolutely enjoyed a heist anime. I’ve watched this show in sub AND dub, due to the fact that everyone is “technically” speaking English the entire time. If you’re a purist, just watch in sub OR dub cuz I did get confused here and there, especially when I would go back to compare language discrepancies.  Because basically I did this super high maintenance thing where I switched back to Japanese whenever the main character had flashbacks, since he’s ya know, Japanese. The dub also has this confusing thing where the first five minutes or so are still in Japanese, but switches to English when a little cue card on the screen goes “For the Viewers sake, everything from now on will be translated to Japanese.” It’s cuz in the sub, the inverse obviously happens where the characters are initially speaking broken English to each other, but for convenience sake, everything from that point on will be in Japanese. It’s confusing at first but I liked it cuz it just proved the whole international vibe of the show. It’s funny either sub or dub when they joke about how bad the main guy speaks English, cuz in the dub he’s speaking perfect English, while the sub has him not speaking English at all. But anyway, great anime that WOULD have gotten a 10/10 if not for the last episode. Like without spoiling ... WTF WAS THAT LMAOOOO. The anime as a whole is super wacky and zany but at least I could try to think it’s real life, but that last episode was just so unbelievable and bizarre and pulled my suspension of disbelief into the STRATOSPHERE that I just had to convince myself that this show takes place in some improbable alternate reality where something like what happened in the last episode is at least 5 percent possible CUZ HOW DID ANY OF THAT WORK LMAOOO??? Once again, great show, one of my absolute favorites, BUT THAT ENDING THOUGH WTF.

10. BNA

Good super underrated anime that I don’t hear people talk about at all. If Beastars is anime Zootopia, then BNA is Disney Beastars lmaooo does that make sense? It’s a lot more fun and zany than Beastars and I liked it way more. Made by the same people who made Kill la Kill. I really like that more classic, animated “cheap” art style that the anime has, and I also really liked the plot of the story. Not a 10/10 cuz the show does leave a few unanswered questions at the end of it, but this show was such a fun and interesting ride. When I finished the last episode, I was left with a big smile on my face because I just genuinely enjoyed this anime. Recommended if you wanna watch something a little unique and more on the silly and wack side. Talks about some serious stuff, but luckily the show never takes itself TOO seriously, and remains overall lighthearted for a fun action/sci-fi show.

[metalandmagi]

Summer 2019 Anime Worth Watching

Summer is here, and with it brings another new season of anime! In case you’re feeling lost and want to find some new shows to pass the time, here’s some of the anime I think are worth checking out...because some really good shows tend to fly under the radar. I think there’s some genuinely interesting stuff this season, so hopefully you’ll find something you like too. 

I also have a Winter list and a Spring list and a fall list now!

And here’s my master list for 2020

New Shows!

Given: A *cough* BL *cough* romance anime in which tsundere highschool guitarist Ritsuka Uenoyama is on the verge of losing his passion for music when he stumbles upon the sleepy-eyed Mafuyu Sato who constantly carries a guitar around that he doesn’t know how to play. Drama and musical shenanigans ensue. This was by far my most anticipated show of the season, because I happen to have read a few chapters of this manga and liked it a lot. The only reason I stopped was because I wanted to hear the music in this music oriented story...so naturally the anime makes me very happy. Not only is it sweet and cute with great animation, but it’s also hilarious. Sato is also basically a human incarnation of a lost puppy, and you just help but fall in love with him and the other characters! AND NOW WE HAVE TWO GAY MUSIC SHOWS THIS SEASON! 

Dr. STONE: An action adventure anime that takes place 3,700 years in the future after the world is struck with a mysterious phenomenon that turns the entire human race to stone. Our protagonists: the genius, scientific minded Senku Ishigami and the muscle-y comic relief Taiju Oki, must find a way to rebuild civilization and turn humanity back to normal using the POWER OF SCIENCE! It’s fun, good looking, and way more interesting than I thought it would be. I’m not very attached to the main characters yet, although it’s still early. I’m mainly sticking around for the plot, the comedy, and the answers to the crazy amount of questions I have after watching the first episode!

Fire Force: An action/drama where super powered fire fighters must protect Tokyo from people who are spontaneously combusting while our hero Shinra must find out who started the fire that killed his mother. More than anything, I’d say this show is definitely worth watching for the cinematography and action because almost every second has been high flying dynamic animation that really grips you. It reminds me a lot of Soul Eater, the story and characters have a lot of potential, and you know an anime will be good when the girls have muscles too!

If it’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord: Can you tell it’s based on a light novel? A slice of life set in a fantasy world where an adventurer named Dale stumbles upon an adorable lost little girl in the woods, who happens to be branded as a criminal. So of course Dale basically adopts her and tries to find out how she came to be with him. It’s basically fantasy School Babysitters without the tragic depth to it (but there’s room for potential). Yes, this is definitely the most wholesome show of the season, but it’s to be expected considering it’s basically Japan’s latest attempt to get people to have more babies. Personally, the most interesting aspect of this show is the fact that Dale and his “daughter” can’t speak the same language. Unfortunately, the light novel ends up pulling a Bunny Drop...so I sincerely hope the anime doesn’t try the creepy romance factor. So for now, if you feel like puking up some rainbows, give this one a try. 

To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts: An action drama where, during a civil war, one side used “forbidden technology” to enhance their soldiers and basically turn them into badass monsters. The only problem: the soldiers who were turned start to lose their humanity and end up killing humans for the fun of it. Now our protagonist must hunt down his fellow soldiers and kill them before it’s too late. Honestly, this show has some pacing issues and can be a bit stilted in terms of its character interactions, but what kept me watching was the last 5 minutes of the first episode. I was so not prepared for the roller coaster that was the first episode’s ending, and now I’m extremely intrigued. Besides it’s made by MAPPA so I would at least give it a couple episodes to see if it’s for you.   

Vinland Saga: The story of a young boy named Thorfinn’s journey to become a great warrior and while the adults deal with going to war. IT’S THE ONE WITH THE VIKINGS!!! It basically feels like a darker, grittier viking version of Moana. I’ve heard literally nothing but praise for this manga for so many years that my hopes skyrocketed as soon as I heard Wit was doing the adaption. And it has definitely lived up to the hype so far! It’s a great action historical drama to fill the void after Dororo. The only problem is no one will watch it because it’s on Amazon Prime.

Kochouki: Wakaki Nobunaga: A fun brightly colored historical anime about the famous warlord Nobunaga when he was a young teenager. I honestly don’t know what the tone of this anime is going to be from here on out, because it’s going to go from “fun thieving shenanigans with pretty boys” to leading people into battle, but it got me interested. I know putting Nobunaga in an anime isn’t exactly original, but this one seems like a fun ride...and it looks gay as fuck. 

And I have to shout out some that haven’t premiered yet...just in case...

Try Knights: This one doesn’t come out until the end of July, but you bet your ass I’m going to be watching it because it’s an original anime about PRETTY BOYS PLAYING RUGBY! And I have a feeling it’s going to be very... different from the other resident rugby anime All Out. 

Yokai Ningen BEM (Humanoid Monster BEM): Okay, this one’s not out yet either, but the trailer had a really cool vibe to it, so I’m including it anyway. It’s a remake of the 1968 anime in which a group of yokai who look like humans fight crime in the big city. If nothing else, the music is cool, and it’s made by Production I.G, so why not?

*UPDATE* The first episode finally dropped, and holy crap I’m so into this. It’s basically Durarara mixed with Psycho Pass mixed with Bungo Stray Dogs. The first episode has me completely hooked!

Next seasons and continuations!

As always there are some leftovers from the spring season that are continuing into the summer that I highly suggest!

Carole and Tuesday: The musical sci-fi anime directed by Shinichiro Watanabe wherein a rich runaway named Tuesday meets a streetwise girl named Carole, and the two decide to start a band together. Now Carole and Tuesday must rise to stardom in a world dominated by android created music. It was by far my favorite new show of the spring, and if you can find a way to watch it (because it’s still not available legally anywhere aside from Japanese Netflix apparently) I wholeheartedly recommend it. It’s got the best and most diverse music I’ve seen in an anime in a long time, an interesting setting (apparently it takes place in the Cowboy Bebop universe!?), and very well rounded fun characters. And I'm dying for a soundtrack release with all the songs!!!!

Fruits Basket 2019: Yes, the remake of the classic 2001 anime in which a girl moves in with a family who can turn into animals from the zodiac is getting a full run. And thank God because I just can’t say goodbye to it after only 12 episodes. It is so stunningly beautiful in both animation and story subjects that I don’t know what I would do without it. The characters feel so much more fleshed out, and I feel like I learn a lesson about life each week even though I already know most of what’s going to happen. If you never watched the original because thought you were too “cool” to watch a shoujo anime, give it a chance. Because if you think it’s just a generic love triangle romance show, you couldn’t be more wrong. The reboot is so good at portraying different kinds of love and how the presence of love and family can change lives AND IT’S JUST SO FREAKING GOOD! 

Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba: In case you missed Ufotable’s newest project, this is a shounen anime that follows a young boy named Tanjiro and his sister Nezuko who has been possessed by a demon and their journey to turn Nezuko back to normal while fighting demons along the way. I still feel like this is a pretty basic shounen anime story wise, but I really like the characters, especially the villains. It has some of the coolest fighting/power mechanics I’ve seen in awhile, and the animation is very cool and different!

Ace of Diamond act 2: Our favorite shounen baseball anime is continuing into the summer. And I have very mixed feelings about this season so far. We are getting some fun new characters and some great scenes with the team, but the games are very...choppy and rushed. Apparently this is how it goes down in the manga, and we’re in for some good Sawamura development...but it’s still touch and go for me personally.  

That’s it for now. Most of these are available on Crunchyroll, except Vinland Saga, Carole and Tuesday, and Kochouki: Wakaki Nobunaga. Since Try Knights and Yokai Ningen BEM aren’t out yet, I don’t know where they will be available legally. 

See you next season!

[clydesgod]

tagged by: i stole this from @dis--parity​​​

tagging: errr if you see this then just do it k?

relationship status:  obtained gf

favorite color: purple

lipstick or chapstick: i tried lipstick cuz i think make up looks nice but i honesly don’t think it fits my face well and I was sorta going through a phase. I do respect people who can pull it off though!!! I need chapstick atm tho

last song i listened to: Poland Theme (Atomic) - Geoff Knorr

last movie i watched: aghhh man i honestly can’t remember. I remember watching Raya with a bunch of people but only the first 30 mins cuz I had to pass out. I literally can’t remember ugh

top three tv shows: god this is going to be tough cuz I don’t watch shows with humans in them anymore. I’ll do my best though.

1. Mob Psycho 100 - AAAAAAAAAAAAAA SO GOOD SO SO GOOD WATCH IT AAA I love the animation, the characters, the plot, the Reigen AAAA 2. Beastars - insert furry joke but, man, I rly do love this show. Idk why but I love the style, the tone, the setting, it’s vry good 3. Star Wars the Clone Wars - Okay, not anime this time, but I overall really love this show. It started out really bland but slowly became my my favourite things that came out of the prequals.

top three characters: ahghhhhhh painful. I hate listing just 3 i have so many hfdjhfid

1. Reigen Arataka (MP100) - I hated him at first but after watching season one he has become an obsession. I still hate him but in a  <3 way 2. Askeladd (Vinland Saga) - again, despised this dude at first but halfway through the anime I really started to like this guy. Not gonna spoil but it’s rly cool to see someone of his nationality in any kind of media. hehehe 3. Catty (Undertale) - I shit you not, This NPC made me into a furry.

top three ships: Okay im not gonna go too into detail cuz i don’t care much for shipping 1. Carole X Tuesday (Carole and Tuesday) - Harold, They're Lesbians 2. Legoshi x Haru (Beastars) - they’re cute common let them kiss 3. Noi x Shin (Dorohedoro) -  They’re sof uckin cutedshfgdjhfgjfg

books i’m currently reading: I can’t say I’ve read a book in years but I really wanna read a few things sometime. Like the communist manifesto and all that. I do read a lot of manga though so that’s close enough

[littlechocolatekitten]

Thoughts on Vinland Saga

I can’t believe I waited so long to watch Vinland, its so good, I was seriously missing out!! I finished the whole season in like two days. I just have some thoughts and opinions about the anime that I want to share. 

((Spoilers)) ((long post)) 

1. The character development in this show is absolutely amazing. Almost every character you see from episode one until the end goes through their own complete story arc. The main one is Thorfinn’s revenge arc. Then we have Askeladd’s arc (which is by far my favorite). Even the story of the two blonde haired brothers had its own subtle ending. I love seeing that in stories; every character contributes to the plot as a whole. 

2. I am obsessed with vikings (and men as warriors in general), so watching this show was pure eye candy for me. Especially Thorfinn’s dad, he’s sooo fine, why’d he have to die so soon!!! And freaking Thorkell!! He’s cute and all, but my god is he huge! That scene when he picked up a whole ass boulder to throw at a boat *faint* 

3. Canute got on my nerves before he finally decided to act like a damn king. I can understand wanting to be silent out of fear (considering his childhood), but there’s a difference between being silent and being a whole punk ass bitch. Ragnar did spoil his ass, but the one thing I appreciated about how Ragnar raised him was that he genuinely cared about Canute’s feelings (for example, Canute likes to cook and he fed that hobby). At the end of the day, the King should have raised his son, I don’t know what it is about royalty and not wanting to raise their kids. 

Now after Canute finally stops being a little bitch and spoke up for himself he got respect from me. The whole concept about what is love and that being related the idea of a ‘true warrior’ was well played in the scene when Canute finally comes to terms with what he must do. It took the death of the only person who cared about him to become a King- that’s some deep shit. 

4. Askeladd always knew Thorfinn didn’t really hate him. He knew the night Thorfinn didn’t try killing him while he was ‘defenseless’. I figured it out after the second ‘duel’. Its funny, cause I kept thinking in my head, why does he keep challenging him? If you want to murder him, just do it. And then after hearing Askeladd’s past, on how he killed his father. If you truly hate someone to the point that you wish death on them, there should have been nothing stopping Thorfinn from getting his revenge. 

5. Askeladd’s story almost had me in tears. To be only fourteen years old and carrying your dying mother back to her homeland so that she could die in peace... And seeing how much he cherished his mother and her memory. What hurts me the most is that, even in this day and age, there are men like that in this world; who use women and then toss them to the side as if they were nothing. His mother was the descendant of a legendary hero, and she ended up a slave, raped, abused, and forced to sleep on hay in the stables. 

Askeladd’s arc is genius story telling. You see his character in the beginning, this charismatic and strong person leading a company of unruly vikings. And then finding out that he hates vikings, and even hates himself because he’s part Dane. And he simply exists for the sake of finding someone worthy to follow behind. *tears* 

6. My homie Bjorn *tears* why’d he have to die too! He was my favorite!!! I love a loyal man. And then the little bromance between him and Askeladd *more tears*

7. I thought it was very precious to see Torgrim’s (I think that’s his name) brother care for him when he lost his mind. 

7. This whole idea of what love is, how they explore it in the show, is very interesting. We assume that Thors found out what it meant to love unconditionally, hence his reason for not wanting to fight and deserting the Jomsvikings, for saving the runaway slave, and allowing himself to be killed for the sake of his son and friends. This is my own opinion, but I think Askeladd kind of reached that moment at the very end. He could have easily saved himself and Wales if he had given up Canute. But he chose to die and save them both. 

8. I think if anyone understood Thorfinn the most, it was Askeladd. He lowkey raised Thorfinn. And Thorfinn was so blind by this idea of revenge, I wasn’t surprised when his brain shut down on the last two episodes. I think when Thors told him that ‘he has no enemies’, subconsciously that must have stuck with Thorfinn all those years. 

9. I wonder what happened to Helga and Ylva. Like, is the mom still alive?

10. Overall this was a great watch. I liked the animation, the voice acting was great, the plot is great, and the drama is definitely there. I can’t wait for season 2. 

[untapanimedraw]

Anime of the Decade 2019

Alright, now we start breaking down this current year. There was a fuck-ton of anime that I watched and to get this done on time and without going crazy I can only highlight some of my favorites, but it was a damn good year. Lets get into it!

Winter:

Dororo - This is a remake of an incomplete anime series from the late 60s. And besides this show having an absolute banger of an OP and ED, it has some gorgeous art and a story full of heart and ambition. Party is over. 

The Promised Neverland - Definitely the suprise show of the season for me. I hadn’t read into the manga and was fortunate to not have been spoiled on anything going into it and that was definitely for the best. For a show based on suspense and mystery, keeping the thriller aspect is of absolute importance. This show was absolutely spectacular. 

Kaguya-Sama: Love is War - Oh man, this show was so much fun. Just so much fun from start to finish. The mind games, the banter, the character interactions are all so entertaining. There’s a surprise ED too that is too adorable to even describe. 

Mob Psycho 100 S2 - Ok, so this is my AOTS and a strong contender for AOTY. This second season takes everything we loved about the first season and cranks that up to 15 and then they have the absolute gall to throw in some super strong character growth as well! And as if that wasn’t enough, there were multiple EPISODES this season that had some absolutely mind-blowing animation. 

Spring:

One Punch Man S2 - Oh man oh man, I so wish this had kept everything the same from a production standpoint as the first season. This story is arguably slightly more interesting than the first season, and this could definitely have benefited from a 2 cour airing. And nothing has been able to top that season 1 ending fight and animation. This was a troubled season, and I hope if there’s another one that the production will be able to keep up with everything. 

Demon Slayer - This was such a great surprise of a show. I hadn’t heard about it or anything about it before starting and I was quite pleasantly surprised. One of the best new shounen shows of the last few years. 

Attack on Titan S3 Part 2 - And here is my AOTS. This second part of season 3 is just everything good about Attack on Titan PLUS... FINALLY! THE basement reveal!!! This is the building culmination of years of waiting and dozens of episodes and it is truly great. 

Isekai Quartet - Talk about the biggest surprise of the season, this show came completely out of left field. It’s an isekai show about 4 isekais. Like, this show is so fucking meta it’s insane. Also everyone is chibi, even Ainz. And there’s going to be a season 2 and they’re adding Shield Hero to the case. Truly insane. 

Carole & Tuesday - I really wish I could give this my AOTS, that’s how much I love this show. Particularly this first half. It’s basically a 90′s show that somehow got missed and is now being made and that still feels like it belongs. This is really an anime that’s a love letter to music and it succeeds wholly. 

Summer:

Dr. Stone - This is my AOTS. I absolutely adore this show. This season there were a LOT of shows that aired on Fridays and this was the first one I watched every single time. Humanity has been petrified for over 2500 years and this story follows Senku a science obsessed high school student who decides to recreate the entirety of scientific evolution in record time. Bill Nye meets prehistoric era shounen series. What an awesome idea, and I absolutely love it. 

Fire Force - Fire Force is like a love letter to fire animation. The only thing that holds this show back is some completely unnecessary, ill-timed, and ill-executed fanservice with a particular character. It really feels like a block that keeps me from wholeheartedly reccommending it to people, but besides this it’s an absolute treat for the eyes. 

DanMachi S2 - Wooooo season 2! AND we’re getting a season 3 and a MOVIE!!

Vinland Saga - Holy shit, this show is beautiful. SO good. 

Fall:

My Hero Academia S4 -  Hell yeah, more HeroAca. This first part of season 4 has been a slow-burner, so we’ll have to see what the rest of the season has in store for us next year. 

Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun - This is such a charming show. It’s got all the appeal of the fun shows of the 2000s and reminds me of a less ecchi Rosario Vampire. And it is absolutely worth checking out. 

Vinland Saga (second cour) - I’m going to cheat a bit and include this in my fall selection. It is a 2 cour show, but the second part of the season is almost drastically better than the first part and I thought the first part was a solid 10/10. This takes it up to another level both in the visuals and the story and characters. Definitely my AOTS. 

Alright, so we have Mob Psycho 100 S2, Attack on Titan S3 Part 2, Dr. Stone and Vinland Saga. I am having some legitimate struggles right now. Dr. Stone wins on straight entertainment value, Mob wins on character growth and animation, AoT wins on payoff and action, and Vinland Saga wins on beauty and story and characters. I think it all comes down to Vinland Saga as AOTY, but damn that’s a hard choice. 

[ceies]

Vinland Saga “Prologue”

A Review!

So, yesterday I watched “End of the Prologue”. It was a fantastic season finale. It really completed the story arc of most of the characters and while there are some lose ends left to tie up in the Manga or a 2nd season and while surely Thorfinn’s and Knut’s story can go much longer, it would have also been a very satisfying end to the show as a whole, I felt.

Within just this Prologue everything seemed to go full circle. And I think, that is why this is a ‘Prologue’. Looking back at it the season seems like a very complete story by itself that can easily set up another possibly even bigger story but is not necessarily part of that story but instead stands alone. Of course, I could be very wrong as I haven’t read the manga but that is how I interpret the revelation that all these 24 episodes had just been the ‘Prologue’.

When I finished watching, I didn’t get around to writing down my thoughts as I did for most of the rest of the season. I didn’t write something about every episode of this season, but the more I progressed the more I had to say about it. And just like that, I had a lot to say about the finale… BUT! I didn’t feel ready to write anything coherent down. The events of the finale really had to sink in. It’s now 24 hours past, and I still might need some time.

But… I think I’m ready to make my first season review where I talk about what I thought about this show, what I liked (a lot) and disliked (not so much) et cetera et cetera…

Now, keep in mind, I have only watched the show once. I also watched the whole show within a week, so many events might be very fresh in my mind, but I didn’t necessarily give it enough time between episodes to process everything that had happened. Also, while this will be very long… I can’t talk about everything!

When I frist writing this review, I wrote down about six pages just on characters... I reallized I had to tone it down. So, this review will be more story and plot focused, and I may try to write something else about the characters (or maybe some few special characters) later on, in a second post some time later on.

Some technical stuff first: I watched the show with German Subs, so some of the names are a bit different to the names in the English Subs. I now know that “Knut” is “Canute” in the English Subs, and “Björn” might be known as “Bjorn” by the English audience. That said, I’m used to the German names and I really can’t be bothered to check every single character for their English spelling. So, for the sake of consistency… I’m just going to use the German spellings.

The Plot:

Thorfinn, son of the former warrior Thors, sneaks onto the ship, when his father is forced to join the war between England and Denmark. However, Thors is betrayed by his old comrade Floki who pays a pirate/viking/mercenary called Askeladd to kill him. After Askeladd through some trickery and underhanded tactics manages to kill Thors – who is the much more powerful fighter – in front of Thorfinn’s eyes, the young six-year-old swears vengeance. In the following years he follows Askeladd and his crew around always looking for a fair duel in which he can finally kill Askeladd to get his revenge.

About ten years later Askeladd gets his hand on the Danish prince Knut and thus they are dragged into the plot for succession on the Danish throne.

Overall, this story to me seems very character-driven. It’s the characters that keep me hooked, not so much the plot. Actually, I think the plot is nothing too special. For the most part it’s rather predictable. To me at least, it seemed, like nobody really tried to surprise me until the very end. Only around episode 21/22 did the plot really go into high gear and then there were a few surprising turns of evens.

Before that for the most part it was even somewhat difficult to actually understand, what this plot was about, if there even was much of a plot, beyond just Thorfinn’s pursuit of revenge. So up until around episode 10 when Prince Knut was introduced most of the story was just focused on establishing Thofinn’s family and the relationship between him and Askeladd. Something that I got the feeling doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. Neither the crew nor the rest of the world and to be honest not even Askeladd himself seemed to care for Thorfinn’s revenge. It’s something that Thorfinn is utterly obsessed about, but the rest of the world doesn’t care. And that is very apparent pretty much from the start.

I at least felt like some bigger plot was missing for the first ten episodes. While Thorfinn grows up the war between England and Denmark rages on, but we don’t see much of it. There is no story here. Even later on, when we finally see some actual battles, it’s not really the war against the English anymore, but just Danes fighting Danes (although some of these Danes allied with the English for a while).

Thus, for most of the story, as a viewer I also felt like we were short an ‘Antagonist’. Of course, there was Askeladd, but the show from his introduction made it pretty clear that while Thorfinn might see him as his enemy, in the grand scheme of an overarching plot, he would not be the antagonist. But that Antagonist was still out there… and remained out there and unknown for a long time.

It’s really only in the later stages of the season that we find out what this story is really about: And it’s about Knut more than Thorfinn. It’s about the succession on the throne of Denmark. Thorfinn growing up in this mess I think mostly serves to set him up and establish his character as the protagonist for the next arc(s). But unlike most other characers in this show, Thorfinn on the question of the throne of Denmark which everybody else is focused on, has no own agenda. He just follows Askeladd round. That’s also why midway through the season Askeladd feels a lot more like the main character than Thorfinn.

So at this point I have written a lot more about the Plot than I had originally intended. Overall I just want to end with this: There’s not a point in this Anime where I felt that I didn’t know where it was going. Still I felt like the story was very character-driven, while the plot was rather weak. That changes around the midway point of the season. Once Thorfinn has finished growing up (for this season) the plot really thickens… and somewhat comes out of nowhere. Still, every step on the way up until the last four episodes seemed very predictable to me. The show makes no effort hiding that, when and how Thors would die, or Ragnar or how Knut would grow up, or even Thorkell joining Knut. There was no surprise here. And that might have been the reason why halfway through this show, I thought somewhat arrogantly: “Oh, I always know what’s going to happen, I could write this show.”

But looking back on it now, I realize that although I saw most of the tiny steps on the way a mile in advance, I still had no idea where it was going, and if somebody had asked me, what this story was about around episode 5 … I would have had no idea. I would have probably said: “Askeladd and Thorfinn finding some weird Mentor-murderer-surrogate father-relationship”, “Thorfinn getting revenge”, “the war between England and Denmark” or maybe even “Thorfinn looking for the fabled Vinland” (which I think will ultimately be what later arcs will be about). None of those assumptions would have been wrong, but none of them would be right either. I would have never in my life guessed that it’s about “Askeladd deciding the succession of the Danish Throne to protect his homeland.” Because all of that is only reavealed in the last few episodes of this show.

Characters:

Now this is where this show really excels. Knut really impressed me, Thorkell is utterly hilarious, Thors is “larger than life”, Thorfinn is a dichotomy growing up in the image of two great men, I really grew to like Björn, Ragnar was bittersweet, King Swen did not disappoint as an Antagonist with the limited screentime he had and Askeladd… probably makes my top ten list of favorite characters of all time… And I don’t even have such a list. And that’s just scratching the surface.

Most of the characters in the show, as soon as they get just a little bit of screentime to shine… boy, do they shine. They are interesting and layered, and nobody is quite like the other. They don’t always defy character-archtypes that we already well know from other stories, but sometimes they do and when they do, it’s glorious.

Even some side-characters who are only introduced for one episode seem to be very well-done that we can understand who they are, why they are who they are, and what they do or what their purpose in the story is. Such as the old lady who saves Thorfinn in episode 5, the girl who witnesses her village being massacred by Askeladd or Master Asser in Wales.

Some characters like Atli and Torgrim or even Björn took a while to grow on me, other’s like Askeladd or Thorkell or Thorfinn’s sister Ylva were love on first sight. But overall I would say in this show there remain few (if any) characters who I can’t understand where they come from or why they do what they do. And WHAT they do is often disgusting, vile and evil stuff. But still, it feels like I’m not watching senseless violence but character-driven actions that make perfect sense in the environment they are and grew up in, even if it’s sometimes difficult to watch.

Overall, I think Floki was the weakest and most disappointing character with the screen time he got. And that’s saying something... However, I do have some hope, that we might get a bit more about him in a later arc. Especially in regard to him ordering the hit on Thors there are still some lose ends here.

This is everything I want to say about characters. As I said, I could fawn over Akeladd or Knut or Thors for hours, but... let’s move on.

Animation, Music etc.

Going to keep this short: It was great. Sometimes the animation goes completely crazy, like when in my otherwise least favorite episode 7 we suddenly get a first perspetive view on the battle. I have to be honest, I don’t like Thorfinn’s angry face, but it absolutely does it’s job. I loved some of the picturesque nature images. For example when kid Thorfinn learned how to hunt in a forest in autumn that was just beautiful. Snowstorms are... oh wow Very well animated.

I liked the Soundtrack though I have to admit, it didn’t stand out to me. One reason is that I have just a bad ear for music.

I loved the second opening more than the first. But the first was good too (although I think it spoiled much of the story for me).

The japanese synchronisation was amazing. Thorfinn’s voice actor in particular was really impressive whenever he got angry.

So much about that, I said this would be very short!

Other thoughts / Themes:

So again... this is one of those parts that could get very long, so I might make a seperate post sometime later on to talk more in depth about some of these ideas.

Ultimately I felt this arc was a lot about boys growing up. This is something that both Knut and Thorfinn have in comon. The story very centers and focuses around them growing up and turning into their respective adult selves. Especially Knut’s developement in the second half of the season was very entertaining to watch. The developement of both of these characters is vey much tied to the conept of “leaving the nest” and “the father’s death”. It’s something they both share with Askeladd himself - who did the deed of killing both their father(figure)s. While I don’t want to go too deep into it, I think this is (although in a more symbolic meaning of the word) is a critical point of growing up and maturing. Finding your own way, taking responsibility, not being held back by the expactations put on you. In this show this concept is used in the most twisted way possible. Askeladd brutally murders Knut’s fatherfigure for Knut’s character developement. And he is successfull in doing that. With Thorfinn however his father’s death leaves him shackled to the man he blames and hates for it - not so much because he is actually shackled to him, but because he is so obsessed with revenge. Both of them then learn and grow up under Askeladd (Thorfinn more so than Knut - although I find the relationship between Askeladd and Knut almost as fascinating if not more so) and ultimately lose Askeladd too which could almost be seen as losing their father a second time (in Knut’s case maybe even third or fourth time; Ragnar, God, Sven, Askeladd). And although Thorfinn always wanted to kill Askeladd it is ultimately Knut who fully steps into his role as king by killing Askeladd.

Another concept that is explored mostly with characers like Thors, the priest Willybald and Knut is the concept of “love”. What the show means with love is not so much a specific love for somebody in particular, but a more broader love for all beings / all humans. It’s something we see with Thors early on in the series when he give eight sheep to free a already dying slave and doesn’t regret it even when the man dies shortly after. Or when he refuses to kill Askeladd even if that could save himself, his son and his men. “You have no enemies, nobody is your enemy” is what he tells his son, and of course Thorfinn for the longest time doesn’t quite understand it - or if he does, he doesn’t follow this mantra. Instead it seems Knut - although never knowing Thors is most like him. They are often compared and they seem to share this Love that is undiscriminatory. Even if Knut is a bit more willing to kill than Thors being a more realistic character in this world.

This also goes hand in hand with how the show explores leadership or kinship. Askeladd is a leader whose men follow him because he is ‘lucky’. But he is also very much a king with no following or crown, even if he does not call himself such. On the other end of the spectrum is Sven whose crown gets too heavy and even controls him. Then there are the two people askeladd chooses to be his leaders: Thors whom he offers leadership of his band and later Knut whom he grooms into being a king and who coincidentally both share the “Love” as possibly the only two characters in the show.

The last thing I wanted to talk about was Religion. The season started with dreams of Vinland - this fabled place in the west (which I guess is America) where there is no slavery or war or cruelty, where the fields are rich with fruit and corn and... really a paradise on earth. It’s somewhat similar to how Askeladd’s mother described the country Artorius resides in in the west across the water. An of course it also is very similar to how christianity imagines “Paradise” to be. Halfway through the season we not only start dreaming about “Paradise” but there’s talks about Ragnarök, Last Judgement... People are waiting for these things to happen. Askeladd is waiting for Artorius’ return. Knut is trying to reach Paradise through prayer... All of these things however never happen and are doomed to fail. I loved this episode when Knut shortly after Askeladd said something similar in the episode before, realized he had to create Paradise himself, it was impossible to reach it just by waiting. Askeladd later says that it’s absurd believing Artorius would leave this fabled country in the west just to get back to this wartorn brittain... Both reached the same epiphany: I’m sick of waiting, I will do it myself. I loved this concept that is in a way criticising all kinds of religions while not really forcing this critical view onto anybody. Many people throughout the show find inspiration and shelter in religion - even Knut and Askeladd for some time. But ultimately you can’t spend our life waiting for things that will never happen.

There’s so much more to talk about like Thorfinn’s and Askeladd’s hatred and rage. The cruelty of war and slavery.... Or the overall morality of the characters and world. But I think I will leave it at that and just write another post once I’m done with it.

Conclusion

Overall I enjoyed this very much. Episode 7 was probably my least favorite episode and overall I think the second half and especially the last five or so episodes where much better than everything before that. The arc got better and better consistently.

I’m very glad how it ended. I still think the finale was fantastic. Now I still need some time to mourn and process everythig. This was overall a great season.

Watching it was sometimes a bit difficult.The show makes no effort to hide how brutal this world is. Characters - even characters I root for - ended up doing vile things on-screen. Murder, Rape and Slavery are everywhere, even if at least the latter two aren’t shown graphicly. So I would’t recomend it to anybody who is a bit squeamish in that regard.

But in general I myself loved this show!

[entamewitchlulu]

so i did a reading challenge this year and i wanna talk about what i read

transcription under the cut

i did Popsugar 2019 and wanna talk about what i read:  Book Reccs and Anti-Reccs 

1.) Becoming a Movie in 2019: Umbrella Academy (vol 1) by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba

4/5. A fascinating take on superpowers, dysfunctional families, and the apocalypse. Can get pretty gory, confusing here and there and you have to pay close attention to panels for lore, but overall an entertaining romp.

2.) Makes you Feel Nostalgic: Circles in the Stream by Rachel Roberts

4/5. Middle grade novel about the magic of music, belief, and of course, friendship. Definitely written for kids, and has some unfortunately clumsy Native rep, but overall an absolute joy to dive into once again.

3.) Written by a Musician: Umbrella Academy (vol 2) by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba

4/5. Ramps up the confusion to ridiculous degrees with some absolutely bonkers, unexplained arcs, but still fun to watch this dysfunctional family do its dysfunctional thing.

4.) You Think Should be Turned into a movie: All That Glitters by Rachel Roberts

4/5. Continuation of Circles in the Stream, but with more unicorns, more rainbows, and more fae, which makes it automatically even better than the first.

5.) With At Least 1 Mil. Ratings on Goodreads: 1984 by George Orwell   

1/5. I understand why it's important and all but wasn't prepared for some of the more graphic scenes and the overall hopelessness of the message.  Would not recommend or read again.

6.) W/ a Plant in the title or cover: The secret of Dreadwillow carse by Brian farrey

5/5. A fantasy world where everyone is always happy, save for one girl and the princess, who set out to solve the mystery of their kingdom. Poignant and great for kids and adults.

7.) Reread of a favorite: Cry of the Wolf by Rachel Roberts

4/5. Yet another installment in the Avalon: Web of Magic series, which clearly I am obsessed with.  Please just read them.

8.) About a Hobby: Welcome to the Writer's Life by Paulette Perhach

5/5. A welcome kick in the pants, chock full of great advice told without condescension, and full of hope and inspiration for writers both new and old.

9.) Meant to read in 2018: The Poet x by Elizabeth Acevedo  

4/5. Absolutely beautiful coming of age novel told in verse.  Do yourself a favor and listen to the audiobook version.

10.) w/ "pop," "sugar," or "challenge" in the title: Black Sugar by Miguel Bonnefoy

2/5. I think maybe I just don't understand this genre.  Or maybe the translation was weird. I was confused.  

11.) w/ An Item of Clothing or Accessory on the cover: Our dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani

4/5. It had a lot more slurs/homophobia than I was prepared for, but otherwise is a very touching, relatable collection of queer characters living in a heteronormative world.

12.) Inspired by Mythology or Folklore: Ravenous by MarcyKate Connolly

3/5. A girl goes on an impossible quest to save her brother from a child-eating witch. Really wanted to like it more because I loved the first one, Monstrous, but it dragged a little.

13.) Published Posthumously: The Islands of Chaldea by Diana Wynne Jones

3/5. I adore Diana Wynne Jones, but this one was missing some of the magic of her other books. Not sure if it was because it had to be finished by someone else, or if I just grew out of her stories.

14.) Set in Space: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

4/5. Powerfully written story of a girl straddling tradition and innovation, who wields power through mathematical magic, surviving on a spaceship alone with a dangerous alien occupation after everyone else has been killed.

15.) By 2 Female Authors: Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

2/5. Ostensibly a story about a revenge pact in a small island town, but leaves far too many dangling threads to attempt alluring you to the sequel.

16.) W/ A Title containing "salty," "bitter," "Sweet," or "Spicy": The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith  

3/5. It's okay but I literally just never know what anyone means at any time. Are they being reticent on purpose or do i just not understand communication

17.) Set in scandinavia: Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura

2/5. Technically and historically accurate and well made, but the story itself is not my cup of tea.  Very gory.

18.) Takes Place in a Single Day: Long WAy Down by Jason Reynolds

4/5. A boy goes to avenge his murdered brother, but ghostly passengers join him on the elevator ride down. Stunning and powerful character-driven analysis.

19.) Debut Novel: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

4/5. Charming and then surprisingly heart-breaking comic about Nimona, a shapeshifter who wants to become a villain's minion. Really love the villain/hero dynamic going on in the background, along with the dysfunctional found family.

20.) Published in 2019: The Book of Pride by Mason Funk  

4/5. A collection of interviews with the movers, shakers, and pioneers of the queer and LGBTQ+ community.  An absolutely essential work for community members and allies alike.

21.) Featuring an extinct/imaginary creature: Phoebe and her Unicorn by Dana Simpson

4/5. Incredibly charming, Calvin and Hobbes-esque collection of comics featuring the adventures of Phoebe and her unicorn best friend.

22.) Recced by a celebrity you admire: The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen

2/5. Recced by my fave author Brandon Sanderson. An unfortunately disappointing anthology proving that any story can be made uninteresting by telling the wrong section of it.

23.) With "Love" in the Title: Book Love by Debbie Tung

4/5. One of those relatable webcomics, only this one I felt super hard almost the entire time.  Books are awesome and libraries rule.

24.) Featuring an amateur detective: Nancy Drew: Palace of Wisdom by Kelly Thompson

4/5. REALLY love this modern take on Nancy Drew, coming back home to her roots to solve a brand new mystery. Diverse cast and lovely artwork, though definitely more adult.

25.) About a family: Amulet by Kabu Kibuishi

4/5. Excellent, top tier graphic novel about a sister and brother who have to go rescue their mother with a mysterious magic stone. LOVE that the mom gets to be involved in the adventure for once.

26.) by an author from asia, Africa, or s. America: Girls' Last tour by Tsukumizu

4/5. Somehow both light-hearted and melancholy. Two girls travel about an empty, post-apocalyptic world, and muse about life and their next meal.

27.) w/ a Zodiac or astrology term in title: Drawing down the moon by margot adler

3/5. A good starting place for anyone interested in the Neo Pagan movement, but didn't really give me what I was personally looking for.

28.) you see someone reading in a tv show or movie: The Promised NEverland by Kaiu Shirai

4/5. I don't watch TV or movies where people read books so i think reading an adaptation of a TV series after watching the series counts. Anyway it was good but beware racist caricatures

29.) A retelling of a classic: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Rey Terciero

5/5. We can stop the Little Women reboots and retellings now, this is the only one we need. In fact, we can toss out the original too, this is the only one necessary.

30.) w/ a question in the title: So I'm a spider, so what? by Asahiro Kakashi

4/5. Cute art despite the subject matter, and a surprisingly enthralling take on the isekai genre. Love the doubling down on the video game skills.

31.) Set in a college or university campus: Moonstruck (vol 2) by Grace Ellis

2/5. An incredibly cute, beautiful, and fascinating world of modern magic and creatures, but unfortunately falls apart at the plot and pacing.

32.) About someone with a superpower: Moonstruck (vol 1) by Grace Ellis

4/5. Though nearly as messy plot-wise as its sequel, the first volume is overwhelmingly charming in a way that overpowers the more confusing plot elements.

33.) told from multiple povs: The Long way to a Small, Angry Planet by becky Chambers

4/5. Told almost in a serial format, like watching a miniseries, a group of found-family spaceship crew members make the long journey to their biggest job ever.

34.) Includes a wedding: We Set the dark on fire by Tehlor kay mejia

4/5. Timely and poignant, a girl tumbles into both love and resistance after becoming one of two wives to one of the most powerful men in the country.

35.) by an author w/ alliterative name: The only harmless great Thing by brooke bolander

3/5. Much deeper than I can currently comprehend.  Beautifully written, but difficult to parse.

36.) A ghost story: Her body and other parties by Carmen Maria Machado

4/5.  It counts because one of the stories in it has ghosts. A sometimes difficult collection of surrealist, feminist, queer short stories.

37.) W/ a 2 word title: Good omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

4/5. Charming, touching, and comical, probably the best take on the apocalypse to date. Also excellent ruminations on religion and purpose.

38.) based on a true story: The faithful Spy by John Hendrix

4/5. Brilliantly crafted graphic biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and his assistance in fighting back against Nazi Germany.

39.) Revolving around a puzzle or game: the Crossover by Kwame alexander

4/5. The verse didn't always hit right with me, but the story is a sweet, melancholy one about family, loss, and moving on.

40.) previous popsugar prompt (animal in title): The last unicorn by peter s. Beagle

5/5. Absolutely one of my all-time favorite books, it manages to perfectly combine anachronism and comedy with lyricism, melancholy, and ethereal beauty.

41.) Cli-fi: Tokyo Mew Mew by Mia ikumi and Reiko Yoshida

4/5. Shut up it counts

42.) Choose-your-own-adventure: My Lady's choosing by Kitty curran

3/5. Cute in concept, a bit underwhelming in execution. Honestly, just play an otome.

43.) "Own Voices": Home by Nnedi Okorafor

3/5. The storytelling style was definitely not my style; while the first book was slow, too, it felt more purposeful. I found my attention wandering during this installment.

44.) During the season it's set in: Pumpkinheads by rainbow rowell

3/5. Cute art, but precious little substance.  The concept simply wasn't for me in the first place.

45.) LITRPG: My next life as a villainess: All routes lead to doom! by Hidaka nami

5/5. An absolute insta-fave! Charming art, endearing characters, an incredible premise, and so much sweet wholesome fluff it'll give you cavities.

46.) No chapters: The field guide to dumb birds of north america by matt kracht

3/5. It started out super strong, but the joke started to wear thin at a little past the halfway point.

47.) 2 books with the same title: Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roger

4/5. A brave and enduring personal story of growing up in and eventually leaving the Westboro Baptist Church. Really called to me to act with grace and kindness even more in the future.

48.) 2 books with the same title: unfollow by rob williams and michael dowling

1/5. How many times do you think we can make Battle Royale again before someone notices

49.) That has inspired a common phrase or idiom: THe Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

4/5. Definitely good and deserves it's praise as something that pretty much revolutionized and created an entire demographic of literature.

50.) Set in an abbey, cloister, Monastery, convent, or vicarage: Murder at the vicarage by agatha christie

3/5. I just cannot. physically keep up with all of these characters or find the energy to read between the lines.

ok that's all i got, what did y'all read and like this year?  (oh god it’s gonna be 2020)

[arcaneranger]

Final Thoughts - Summer 2019

Hey, look who finished the season perfectly on time, even if he did so by dropping a bunch of stuff last minute! (Technically, as of writing, I haven’t finished Re:Stage Dream Days, but you can rest assured that it’s bad.)

I thought I was going to do a first impressions rundown video for the entire season at once, since my impression posts don’t tend to get a lot of engagement anyway, but since I didn’t end up going through with it, I’ll summarize my point - summer started strong, and even here at the end, I can easily say it’s the best season thus far in what’s largely been a letdown year for seasonal anime (and a god damn renaissance for long shows, thanks to My Hero Academia, so if I seem down on a season that had Dororo, or Vinland Saga, or Fruits Basket, remember that I exclude those shows from my considerations until the end of the year).

This season saw several high-profile continuations like A Certain Scientific Accelerator, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls In a Dungeon II, and Symphogear XV, but also new works by creators like Mari Okada, and anticipated adaptations of Astra: Lost in Space and Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest, and in the end, well...a lot of those were mixed bags at best, but the biggest drawback I will remember Summer 2019 for is that it was drowning in bad isekai shows. The aforementioned Arifureta, the basically-counts Danmachi, and also Isekai Cheat Magician, Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks, The Lost Ones, Demon Lord Retry!...it just never ended, and that’s not even counting If It’s For My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord. 

Speaking of all that stuff, let’s get right into it, yeah?

28 shows were simulcast this season, and of those, I…

Skipped 4:

Yami Shibai 7, Starmyu Season 3, A Certain Scientific Accelerator, and Lord El-Melloi II Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note were all skipped because I have not watched the previous series.

Dropped 15:

Worst of the Season: If It’s For My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord!

I dropped this after one episode because I found the aesthetic and tone to be aggressively boring and I found even the cute daugheroo character to be utterly generic in execution...and then later found out oh boy was I right to drop it, based on how many people compared it to the Bunny Drop manga that we don’t talk about. *shudders*

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest

Wins the “biggest tryhard” award for being just the most straightforward an SAO award gets, right up to being grimdark for dumb reasons. The first episode alone had inconsistent animation, and that just did not bode well for the future...and the plot instantly reminded me of Slime, which soured on me over time. I let this one go sour after one shot.

Demon Lord, Retry!

The blandest of beige this season, Demon Lord had neither the story nor the production values to reel me in or convince me it was anything but the Overlord wannabe it so clearly was.

Isekai Cheat Magician

This show was a pretty transparent attempt to have an isekai story with a childhood friend romance plot, and while I’m fine with one and a half of those things, it couldn’t execute them in any decent way by the end of the first episode, and just wound up being largely boring.

Wasteful Days of High School Girls

Speaking of boring, what if Nichijou wasn’t funny? You’d get something like this.

Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?

So the tone this one ultimately ended up having was pretty much exactly what I expected after the premiere - it leaned too hard on jokes that weren’t as funny as it thought they were, and too hard on the dumb hentai mom trope, and neither of those things interested me in the slightest. Pretty okay with having left this off the watchlist.

The Ones Within

I have stated multiple times in the last few weeks that Symphogear is great because it can convince you that it’s a work of genius. The Ones Within has, unfortunately, convinced itself that it’s deep social commentary of some kind, rather than a bargain-bin Danganronpa with no real thought put into it.

Are You Lost?

I’m amazed that we got another Eromanga Sensei this season and it flew entirely under the radar. For God’s sake, the first episode featured a young teenage girl eating a bug and drinking her own urine. I just didn’t see myself being particularly entertained by the shock value longer than the premiere.

Ensemble Stars (4/10)

I can’t tell if this one is actually over, but Funimation’s site doesn’t list any new episode premieres coming up, so I’m gonna assume it is? I gave this one a shot and hung onto it because it took UtaPri’s premise and gave it the slightly more serious tone I was looking for, but dropped it after the second episode started to drown us in side characters with no hint that the floodgates were closing, rather than giving ample screentime to a select cast so they could actually become at least two-dimensional before throwing in more people we’re supposed to care about.

BEM

BEM suffered from an unfortunate lack of distinct personality, which sucks when it seems to have had a decent story to tell. Nothing else about the show wound up sticking out to me, though, which has me fully convinced that Production I.G.’s name is only on this to boost recognition, and the second-billed LandQ studios did the majority of the work. And their best-known other show is Swordgai. So...

To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts (5/10)

I have gotten absolutely no pushback so far for my decision to tear into this show because it should have been a different show, so I’m gonna take that as a general agreement of my earlier statement. What a waste of a concept.

Cop Craft (5/10)

This one I still think I was not crazy to pick up after the first episode, because it wasn’t until the third that the animation tanked hard and the pacing went absolutely nuts, and apparently stayed that way. Did they write a thirty-nine-episode story that had to be condensed into twelve or something?

Magical Sempai

This one I probably would have kept watching if the majority of its humor wasn’t just the title character embarrassing herself in lewd ways. It was funny, but I didn’t see myself enjoying anything more than one episode of it.

GRANBELM (6/10)

This one I got halfway through before realizing that, during my end-of-season catchup, I had absolutely no desire to return to. The plot didn’t really start moving until the fifth episode, and in that time I had not gotten particularly invested in the characters, especially since the show makes fun of the viewer for thinking that the big mecha dream battles actually had stakes beyond “you don’t get to be The Thing”. At least it looked nice and the mecha designs were very original.

Are you willing to fall in love with a pervert, as long as she’s a cutie?

There were four shows this season with questions for titles. Just saying! This one actually had me hooked right up until the end, revealing that not only is it a fanservice show, but a fetish pandering one. That being said, if I were attracted to women, I could have seen myself getting something out of it, what with the decently moody tone and good production values.

I put 2 On Hold:

Is It Wrong to Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? II

I’ll probably come back to this when the third series comes around, just to give it one more chance to pull me back in, but ditching my favorite character for harem antics and character shilling just did not endear me to this long-awaited sequel.

Re:Stage Dream Days!!

This one’s not actually on hold, but I don’t have any other good place to mention it. This one I’m gonna make it through just on willpower, not because it’s good, but because it starts out as the most shameless rip-off I’ve ever seen in anime, specifically of Love Live!.

And I Finished 7:

Kochoki (5/10)

I thought I was gonna give this one a 7 at least, for nearly the whole season, for being a decently-told and somewhat new telling of Nobunaga’s early life with great production values for Studio Deen...right up until the structure fell completely apart at the end, almost completely out of nowhere. I’m still in awe of the gall this show had to literally skip over the final battle.

How Heavy Are The Dumbbells You Lift? (8/10)

This one came right the fuck out of nowhere and totally blew my expectations out of the way from the very first episode. Looking at the summary, I was convinced I was gonna drop this after the premiere...and found myself totally hooked by its cheery visual presentation and excellent sense of meta-comedy, not to mention its genuine educational value.

Astra: Lost In Space (8/10)

One of two adaptations I was really looking forward to this season (along with Fire Force), Astra was pretty much what I expected - a very good translation of a very good manga that ran for the perfect amount of time to be divided into twelve-ish episodes. A fantastic and memorable cast of characters enhanced a surprisingly twisty story, and Lerche made it all look just as good as I’d hoped.

The Demon Girl Next Door (8/10)

Speaking of defying my expectations, another show I was expecting pretty much nothing from, maybe one I could compare to Gabriel Dropout or something, that was instead an incredibly charming story of a girl trying to save her family by defeating a magical girl...with a very, very loose definition of the word “defeat” in play. I couldn’t have asked for much more from this one, aside from maybe a sequel?

Given (9/10)

Speaking of “Lerche” and “gorgeous”, this profoundly gripping story of a spacecase and a loner hesitantly making music together blossomed further and further as it went on, and became my new go-to reference point for explicit gay relationships in anime. It went where even Yuri On Ice!!! couldn’t, and left me desperate for a Part Two.

O Maidens In Your Savage Season (9/10)

My write up for this show was one of my longest in recent memory, and I stand by it - even if Okada had to write a few plot contrivances in to get where she’s going, at least she presented her cast in an incredibly thoughtful way and gave them a satisfying payoff, with the knowledge that they’re teenagers and all of their problems can’t be solved in one semester. The high water mark for discussions of sexuality in this medium.

BEST OF THE SEASON: Symphogear XV (9/10)

Anime is wonderful, and so am I.

So that wraps up summer! We’ve got a lot to look forward to in fall, even if My Hero Academia and Food Wars’ fourth series will both ultimately end up on a list in the distant future next year. Will Psycho-Pass 3 redeem the series? Will Azur Lane be better than Kantai Collection? Will Beastars beat Aggretsuko as the biggest furry panderer of the year? Only time will tell. And then I’ll tell you all what I think it said.

[unnaturalsolace]

Summer 2019 Anime

I passed the 3-episode limit for this season, so I figured it was time to talk about what I’m watching and what I dropped. 

CONTINUING FROM LAST SEASON:

Kimetsu no Yaiba: Still loving the anime, still my favorite manga (as you could probably tell). Aside from that episode 13 (you know the one), it’s still been a great adaptation, especially since this is where things really start to pick up in the manga. I am literally just counting down the days of the week until Saturday arrives, no joke. And I really do think a season 2 is possible since the manga sales have picked up a lot, although I don’t know how anime sales look like yet. I am sooo hyped for all the pillars to appear!!

Amazing OP, amazing ED 

Fruits Basket: Also loving this adaptation as well. I think they are doing a really good job, especially with some of the details (I reblogged a post before about Yuki and Kyo’s anger marks that actually started out as animals). I actually got into Fruits Basket more than a decade ago, and it was pretty much my favorite manga until KnY. So the fact that they’re both getting adapted at the same time is pretty awesome for me. I never watched the first adaptation, and I probably won’t tbh. 

Comfy OP1, comfy OP2, comfy ED1, comfy ED2

CURRENT SEASON:

Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo.: I’ve been reading the manga and it was interesting so I decided to watch the anime as well. Adaptation has been great as well, everything looks really good. As for the story itself, I liked the manga at first, but the scanlations haven’t gotten that far so I don’t know much beyond what’s aired so far. However, I have heard that there’s some NTR in the future so I’m not looking forward to that. The manga only has one chapter left so we’ll see how it all ends I guess. But I think overall it tackles some good themes, although I feel too old to relate to them lol.

Bem: This anime kinda reminds me of Gegege no Kitarou, mostly just the supernatural aspect. I did end up dropping Kitarou at some point, and I feel like I’ll probably do the same for this one. It’s been okay so far, but nothing special I’d say. And it seems like every time there are supernatural protagonists, the human characters are always relatively dumb.

Amazing OP

Cop Craft: This is a nice buddy cop anime I suppose, although one of the MCs looks like a 13-year-old which is a liiiittle weird. So I really hope the MCs don’t end up together. The story is a bit cliche but I think I’ll continue watching for a little while, although I may drop it depending on if my interest wanes.

Dr. Stone: One of my other favorite WSJ manga. I think it’s really hilarious, and I’m liking the science promotion, although I know some people think it’s a little childish. I recently started collecting the manga too. I think the anime has been doing a good job with all the expressions, and the manga has a lot of great expressions to look forward to. 

Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru?: I read Kengan Asura (which is also getting an adaptation) and I heard this was by the same author, so I decided to check it out. It’s actually quite fun! I tried doing some of the exercises myself but I got really lazy and gave up after a few days lol...but it did motivate me for a little bit. I think it is definitely very educational (edutainment?) and also funny.

Very catchy OP

Enen no Shouboutai: I read some of the manga, although I think I dropped it like a year ago or something. I also read the author’s previous work Soul Eater, and I feel like these are both kinda...meh. I dunno, I feel like something is missing for me to like the manga. There’s not a lot of memorable characters, and my favorite (that I remember) is probably Arthur. Also the series has some really dumb fanservice, so that’s definitely gonna come up a lot in the anime. (Where’re all the anime DUDES with lucky lewd syndrome? I wanna see a guy trip and accidentally shove his ass in someone’s face, c’mon.) I’ll keep watching for now for Arthur, but I have a feeling I might drop this in the future too.

Given: I remember reading 1-2 chapters of this, then I guess I forgot about it. But I am liking the anime so far, it’s got a good sense of humor and hooray for more BL anime! I’m liking the characters, although I hear there’s some drama in store for the future. But it’s pretty comfy so far.

Comfy ED

Kanata no Astra: I read the manga since it’s a pretty short series (5 volumes). Overall I thought it wasn’t bad. I think my problem with this is how someone else put it: the idea and plot are good and serious, but the execution is rather childish. But it does get better later (from what I remember), and the climax is good. However, the resolution is just waaaay too easily settled. Kinda spoilers, but all the bad guys are just taken care of like an unimportant afternote. I guess the focus was more on the interpersonal relationships, but the manga was way too short for that to be really effective.

Nakanohito Genome [Jikkyouchuu]: I think I was pleasantly surprised by this. I went in expecting another death game/survival anime, and I got a rather funny show that isn’t taking itself too seriously. And even though there are 8 main characters, I think it’s been doing a good job of making each of them unique in a way. Also there is a tsundere boy, and tsundere boys are always the best characters (Exhibit A: Kyo). I really don’t know what direction this show will go in tbh.

Tsuujou Kougeki ga Zentai Kougeki de Ni-kai Kougeki no Okaasan wa Suki Desu ka? (AKA Okaa-san Online): I started watching this because I saw a funny clip. I think that overall it’s pretty self-aware of what genre it is, especially with the latest episode and the hot springs. But I definitely can see that it dips into pandering here and there. Personally there’s too much mom-pandering for me (and she can be real overbearing, but the show doesn’t seem to count that as a flaw and kinda portrays her as without any faults), although I guess that’s the point of the show. I’m more interested in the other characters, and I hope it stays self-aware. I hope it stays a wholesome mother-son relationship with no actual serious incest vibes...I like that the son is actually worn out by the incest moments without any blushing or anything.

Comfy ED

Vinland Saga: A good manga, and WIT is doing a solid adaptation. Not really sure what else to say except that the animation is great, and I’m looking forward to Thorfinn growing up. I’ve been keeping up with the manga weekly, but I haven’t reread it, so I’m kinda fuzzy on most of the early stuff (although I remember major events). 

DROPPED AFTER ONE EPISODE:

7Seeds: I remember this was a great manga (and Basara was too), but I kinda stopped reading a couple of years ago. I think it actually ended recently? I tried picking my interest back up with the anime, but the direction of the first episode was just so weird that I had to drop it. I mean, I read it, so I kinda knew what was going on, but for people who haven’t, it was probably confusing as fuck. I have no idea why they directed it that way, what’s wrong with just following the manga?

Ensemble Stars!: I wanted to give this a try because there are some great doujinshi out there, but I am honestly not that into idol anime (I think Idolish7 was the only one I ever finished). I’m not really into otome anime as a whole, it just makes me feel old.

Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator: I used to like Accelerator as a character, but I never got into the whole Index franchise. I tried giving this a shot but I think my interest is gone by now.

So that’s what I’ve been watching the summer, hopefully some of you guys feel the same about some of these. Just wanted to give my 2 cents on some shows, and also advertise great OPs and EDs.

[childofaura]

Rating the anime I’ve watched in 2019: A really short list

Kinda just felt like doing this, 2019 has been a REALLY interesting year in anime. I didn’t watch a whole lot of stuff, but I wanted to kind of go over what I did watch. So I’ll talk about what I thought and rate it 1-10.

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND: THEY’RE RATED SOLELY ON MY OPINIONS, IF I DON’T FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT ONE PLEASE DON’T GET MAD. ALSO ALL OF THESE WERE WATCHED IN SUBS. ALSO SPOILERS AHOY.

1. Dororo.

The OP was AWESOME. The animation in the first half of the series was really smooth, but there was a slightly noticeable dip in animation later on. Not huge, but still there. Actors were FANTASTIC, and the little girl who plays Dororo is so cute! Characters were incredibly well written and varied, Hyakkimaru still struggled despite his honed reflexes and training, and Tahomaru was so morally divisive, it was great. Somber tones really bring out the nasty forbidden underside of the Shogunate’s “lasting peace”. Though the ending with Tahomaru, Hyakkimaru’s mother, and his father figure all dying in the fire was rather... disappointing, Hyakkimaru forgiving his father and Dororo deciding what to do with the large sum of money left behind, to use it for the greater good, wraps everything up.

Dororo’s a solid 8/10.

2. Rising of the Shield Hero

I ended up checking this one out after hearing all the controversy it was stirring up, because I wanted to see what it was. Like always, the “controversy” was a big tepid pile of nothing, and I got to experience an isekai that operates under a different mood with different dynamics. Animation quality is consistent and good, and there’s a LOT of female characters that are well rounded and strong, like Raphtalia, Melty, the Filolial Queen, Glass, etc. Scenery is beautiful, and Naofumi’s growth into trusting again is nice to watch. Also the soundtrack is so enjoyable, Kansas is my favorite song. Cons, though few, are still there: the pacing can be a little funky at times (Mainly what comes to mind is that AWFUL filler episode where they fight the Church from the molten pit, and don’t move AT ALL. Worst episode ever), the physical growth of some of the characters like Filo is jarring (In two days she grows horse sized, after they had that montage of taking care of her) even with an explanation. The last thing that rubs me the wrong way (It’s not really a con in general, just a con for me) is Raphtalia’s crush on Naofumi. It’s simply that they spend the first few episodes building their relationship as a father/daughter, then they try to shift to romance after establishing that first familial relationship.

Rising of the Shield Hero’s an 8/10.

3. The Promised Neverland

AAAAAAAH HOT DAMN I LOVED THIS ONE. It was completely out of my range of what I normally watched at the beginning of 2019, BUT I LOVED IT SO MUCH. The animation is eerie, especially the facial expressions and how smoothly they move. The children are so darling and thinking about how they might have possibly died in S1 broke my heart, as well as me hoping they didn’t, lol. Every episode leaves off on this wonderfully tantalizing cliffhanger, so binging the episodes are a must. Characters like Mama and Sister Krone are terrifying, though in the latter’s case I love how clever she was, and was sad when she died. Her Japanese actress definitely blew it out of the water and had a lot of fun with the character. I’d say the only (not really a con, but) thing that weirds me out is how close the characters’ mouths are to their faces, but that’s a stylistic thing and I won’t fault them for that. The children are strong and resilient and I can’t wait for the next season.

The Promised Neverland’s a 9/10.

4. Demon Slayer

I got into this one late, and I hate myself for getting into it late. But nonetheless, I’m so glad I watched it and I can say with confidence it’s up there with FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’s level of excellence. Tanjiro is such a kind-hearted boy who constantly puts himself through physical torture for his only remaining family; Nezuko’s “hypnotism” to see humans as family feels more like placebo because she just genuinely has compassion for people, especially when she looks at Ms Tamayo and Yushiro as family when they’re also demons. All the characters are deeply involved in this story with either known or hidden (Zenitsu) strengths that allow them to conquer their struggles. The style is unique and the character designs are pretty, and HOO BOY THE FIGHTING ANIMATIONS, THE STYLIZED TECHNIQUES. MWAH! MUCH LOVE! I love the soundtrack so much, it almost reminds me of the Pokemon movies’ orchestra pieces. The story is well paced, and no issues with filler. Showing how even demons deserve compassion is a beautifully unexpected twist in this show.

Demon Slayer’s a 10/10

5. To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts

I do love this series dearly, and while the good outweighs the “meh”, I still have to address the issues. BUT FIRST, THE GOOD THINGS: Characters in this show are incredibly in-depth, even the soldiers. The designs of the Incarnates are fantastic, terrifying and imposing. Schaal is a strong young girl who sets off with just a suitcase and a rifle and, after meeting Hank, decides to get inside his mindset to see why he’s doing what he does, and why he had to kill her father. Hank is a man in constant suffering who has to see his best friends losing themselves to insanity, knowing that they’re not the people they used to be but questioning whether he’s really doing the right thing regardless. All the soldiers have their own focal point in the episodes they show up in, showing their unique traits and attitudes, and how it links to the monsters they are now. The concept of Incarnate soldiers is parallel to veterans with PTSD. While Liza’s a bit of a ridiculous fan-service character, there’s really no complaints because the fan-service in this show is balanced; they show Hank unnecessarily shirtless a LOT (Though honestly I’d be fine if they let him wear his shirts more). But the cons. There are a decent amount of them. Animation is clunky and lower budget. Pacing is not easy to keep up with, as the split between Hank’s mission and the main conflict with Cain interrupt each other quite jarringly. Schaal’s father seemingly rises as a zombie again to serve no other purpose other than Schaal’s character growth, as we could assume that a LOT of the other monsters like Keynes, with the fire of justice, would also come back to life. Liza doesn’t really seem to do much or contribute much as a character; she came close when she volunteered to take up the Incarnate Extermination Squad’s equipment by saying she knew how it worked but she literally. Just. Held up a shield for the commander (forgot his name, Cain’s little bro) to jump off of. She needs to do more. Love the series and I love watching it, but it’s a mixed bag.

To the Abandoned Sacred Beast’s a 7/10.

6. Fire Force.

Well... this one is definitely gonna be tough to deal with, because I only got maybe 8 or 9 episodes in before I had to break away. So I’ll break it down simply.

Pros: Animation is SOLID. ABSOLUTE. FLUID AND DYNAMIC. It’s literally Midoriya vs Todoroki, but in EVERY EPISODE. Some characters are fascinating and enjoyable like Shinra, Maki, Joker, and Hibana. The concept of Infernals, people who just burst into flames without warning, are a solid idea to run on. The OP is a banger. The soundtrack fits the mood perfectly.

Cons, and a lot of them: There isn’t a whole lot going on in terms of variety, it’s mainly fighting Infernals in the city. It picks up eventually, but slowly. While some characters were enjoyable, others were either flat or downright unbearable to deal with; flat characters like Obi (He’s not a bad character, but he feels... generic) and Iris (Also not bad, she’s strong in what she’s had to deal with and being kind regardless, but it’s just standard quiet girl.). Unbearable character is really just two so far: The lieutenant, who gets borderline abusive (both mentally and physically) with Maki (Like I get it dude, you had trauma with fire and Infernals but you don’t need to be an abusive shit), and Tamaki, ESPECIALLY Tamaki. She’s rude, screechy, treated Shinra like utter shit when they first meet, and respects almost no one outside of her district for no real reason. And she also falls into the next con: The one-sided fan-service. Now I will defend the right to fan-service with everything I believe in, but I’m still allowed to have my opinion on it, and the way it goes in Fire Force is just... so awful. Fan-service jarringly interrupts what are supposed to be heavy emotional or important scenes (Iris sitting on the ground with nothing but a towel, Iris getting her clothes burned off by Hibana, Tamaki sticking her butt out after getting hurt by her district partner, Tamaki’s clothes being burned up and being against the wall with that weird-ass kitty pose with her wrists, etc.), Tamaki’s “lucky lechery” is supposed to be funny somehow but it makes literally no sense, and oh cool she ends up sexually harassing the dudes with it, too. I could understand this level of fan-service if it was like a harem anime or a cheese-cake-ish anime or whatever, but it’s- it’s a shounen. There’s nothing that really shows you there’s gonna be this weird level of fan-service.

I respect everyone who loves Fire Force, but it’s just not my cup of tea. That’s all.

Fire Force’s a 6.5/10.

7. Vinland Saga

THIS ANIME. THIS ANIME IS PERFECT IN EVERY WAY AND YOU WILL NEVER CHANGE MY MIND. The first OP PERFECTLY encapsulates just how much of a hellish live Thorfinn is about to live. The animation (Being from the same company as Attack on Titan and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress) is SUPERB where the characters move with weight and purpose. Seriously, have you seen how the characters jump forward? With their legs and arms forward? It’s a little detail but it’s so great. Characters are multi-faceted and it gives me strong feelings about how awful they are but how clever or strong or brilliant they are. The pacing of the anime is perfect; something plot-important happens in each episode, the characters travel long distances to give you a feel of movement, and there’s not a single episode that could really be considered “filler”. Dynamics of these characters work in fascinating ways at times. The actors absolutely own their roles; Askeladd’s actor nails that perfect nonchalance where he seems surprised but you know he’s truly not, Thorfinn’s older actor knows how to scream his lungs out in anger. The main star, though? Thorkell, hands down. That guy is absolutely having fun with his character.

Vinland Saga’s a solid 10/10.

[uncivilizedelk]

Entertainment Media I Liked a Bunch

Somebody asked me to provide a list of entertainment media I enjoy that I don’t regularly make YT videos on, so here’s some off the top of my head in random order unless otherwise specified. I only included media I have a high opinion of (as opposed to it just being decent or pretty good). Basically, this is stuff I’d spend money on to own. Also, I definitely forgot to list a ton of stuff; this is simply what came to mind first.

Anime

FLCL has been and continues to be my favorite anime. A ridiculous amount of plot and depth packed into 6 episodes with incredible pacing and the best soundtrack.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (and 2nd Gig). Both seasons of this anime are really good overall, though a few of the stand alone episodes are pretty bad. One of just a few anime where I prefer the English dub.

Serial Experiments Lain was something I loved in high school, but I really need to re-watch it to give an up-to-date opinion (I own the blu-ray yet have never popped it in). Still, I feel like it’s worth mentioning just because there are few things out there like it.

Dead Leaves is all the fun GAINAX packs scrunched into a 50 minute hyperfest without the slog of mediocre plot which I feel plagues a lot of their work.

Princess Mononoke is the best Ghibli film, hands down.

Manga 

Japan Tengu Party Illustrated is my favorite manga and it’s essentially a story about identity. Has a very unique woodblock print artstyle. Definitely not everybody’s cup of tea.

Freesia is really dark, awful, depressing, and vile. I really like it, but it’s not for the faint of heart, and definitely NSFW. 

Vinland Saga is like a more introspective Berserk without the fantasy elements (also there’s no “boat issues,” and a long arc about farming is in my opinion Vinland Saga’s best arc so far). 

FLCL manga is actually quite different from the anime, and I love it.

Hunter x Hunter is unexpectedly subverts and deconstructs common shounen tropes, though the first arc is pretty bland in my opinion. I personally prefer the manga; the artwork varies in quality but the anime has pacing issues (though which shounen anime doesn’t?). Hunter x Hunter just gets better and better the further it goes.

Full Metal Alchemist is a really solid shounen series. I prefer the manga, but the Brotherhood anime is decent (just has standard pacing issues as well as weird shifts in focus for some events).

Sengoku Youko is like an Inuyasha-ish series if Inuyasha was actually engaging and not downright awful. The pacing tends to be all over the place in the manga, but it still is a stand-out shounen for me. Same guy did Lucifer and Buscuit Hammer which started great but dragged on too much around the middle.

TV Shows

Avatar: The Last Airbender. I consider it greater than the sum of its parts, and it has some pretty grand character arcs. I didn’t particularly enjoy Korra, because I think it has the opposite problem; it’s parts are greater than the whole.

The Wire is an amazing show about how systems effect the individual and vice versa, and it’s just a really realistic depiction of various problems that plague cities. This ain’t your average cop show, and somehow it just manages to build more and more on itself with each season. I think everyone should watch it.

Twin Peaks – I think everybody’s heard of David Lynch’s work by now. I’m one of those people who really like the 1st season, but I think the 2nd season essentially turned into fanfiction and I’m not fond of it whatsoever. 

Breaking Bad – everyone’s heard of it. It’s good. I feel like I don’t even need to list it.

Films

Alright, so I’m getting tired of providing descriptions at this point, so I’m just gonna provide names of movies I’ve enjoyed.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Let the Right One In

The City of Lost Children

Trainspotting

There Will Be Blood

Moonrise Kingdom 

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Pulp Fiction

Eagle vs. Shark

The Hunter

Green Room

How I Ended This Summer

Drive

In Bruges

Where the Wild Things Are