#if you like anime I highly suggest watching Dororo

[yellowpencilcrayon]

Person A: *Stressing about being late to an event*

Person B: *Holds A's face* Hey

Person A: *Flusstered* Hey

[kabookiii]

Hey what are other of your favorite animes? Or manga you’ve read? 🤔 I have nothing to watch/read now since aot took my heart and destroyed it into tiny pieces ;_;

I have watched and read too much anime in my life. I will give what I think most people would like. I can have odd taste so I’m going to be as vanilla as possible :)

This is the closest I can think a piece of literature is to AOT. If you haven’t read the manga Tokyo ghoul I would highly recommend reading it. Kaneki and Eren have a similar feel. There is an anime based on it but only season 1 is good, the other seasons no good animation wise and they didn’t follow the manga. I would recommend watching first season and then reading the manga. The art of the manga is beautiful. I have the illustrations book because I love Sui Ishida’s art work. You will cry with Tokyo Ghoul. 

Anime - I have a lot of favorites. Some that I know others may not like and its okay. I will love in secret so I won’t share this time (nervous chuckle). These are a few but I will try to give diversity in genre. If you want something more specific or a specific genre please let me know. 

Jujutsu Kaisen (action, mystery) if you haven't read or watched already then please watch. 

Yona of the dawn- (Romance, Action)  I love the anime. Only 1 season. I wished they gave me season 2 instead of ovas. Strong heroine even though she starts spoiled but she grows I promise. 

Kaichou wa maid sama- one of my first romance anime. Will forever hold a special place in my heart along with Toradora, Lovely Complex, Nana, Skip Beat! Kamisama Kiss and Inu x Boku SS to name a few. 

Fruits Basket (Romance, drama, mystery) 2 seasons complete. Season 3 recently released. The plot will initially feel cliche but it will get dark.

Haikyuu!!- volleyball sports anime- lovable characters

Made in abyss - mystery 

Your lie in April- Drama, Music- if you want to cry watch this. 

Kono Oto Tomare- (Music, Drama)- great anime about a traditional Japanese instrument 2 seasons. 

Orange (Romance)- if you want to cry watch this. 1 season and ova the manga is good too. 

Black Clover- the first episodes aren’t the most interesting as it gives backstory but it is good. It has comedy, action, romance and lovable characters. The anime ended with 170 episodes but the manga is ongoing and really good. 

World Trigger (Action)- Best team fights and good world building. 2 seasons. 

Noragami- only 1 season 

Beyond the Boundary- only 1 season

Beastars- very unique plot. Only on Netflix 

Parasyte (Horror, Drama).

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures- (Action)- Season 1 imo is weakest but the other seasons are good. 

Mob Pyscho 100 (Action, Comedy)

Ouran High School Host Club (Comedy, Romance)- funny characters that will help cure our depression. Also Kaguya-sama love is war is a good romcon. 

Re:Zero- (Isekai, drama, romance) if you haven’t watched already. 

Dororo- one season only but it will give you feels. Only on amazon 

Chihayafuru (Romance, sports- unique to Japan): Trio of friends and their friendship and love triangle is well executed. 3 seasons completed

Fate franchise- I would recommend starting by watching Fate/Zero first. 

Hyouka- (Drama, Romance). 

Ancient Magus Bride (romance)- only one season but animation is good. 

Manga/Webtoons: To be honest I haven’t been reading as much manga as I did in the past. I find myself reading more webtoons/manhwa so I will suggest webtoons because I want others to love them like I do. I still love manga and always will too. 

Tower of God- the webtoons is great with 300+ chapters. I love Bam. The anime came out but the webtoon is superb. 

Solo Leveling- great fights that are beautifully drawn- webtoon

Omniscient Reader- art style gives me solo leveling vibes. I would recommend to read this after solo leveling. 

The beginning after the end- the novel and webtoon is good, a lot of world building, 

Unordinary- if you like superheroes then you will like this webtoon.

Lore Olympus- based on greek mythology the webtoon has beautiful artwork. 

Chainsaw man- manga. Anime will be coming in the near future and will be animated by Mappa. 

(I have read a lot of romance manga/webtoons that it will need a separate post/list so if you are interested please let me know and what kind of romance you are looking for ^^). 

[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!

[the-mess-42]

I seriously just can’t get over how freaking incredible this opening is. It gives me chills every time I listen to it and every time I watch it (like to the point of emotional orgasms). 

Its almost same level as Tokyo Ghoul’s openings 1 and 4 (bless TK from Ling tosite sigure) like I can’t even handle how incredible this opening is. Even if you haven’t seen this anime (or even if you don’t have an interest in seeing this anime), I 1000% HIGHLY suggest you watch/listen to this euphoric opening. 

Side note: I also highly suggest you watch this anime because it’s just another beautiful anime, like MAPPA fmuuuuuu. (Secondary note: this is [so far] another tragic MAPPA anime so if you’re looking for feels, I would seriously suggest this anime, but if you were looking for more of a Yuri!!! On ICE MAPPA-produced anime after the emotionally draining, tragic, heart-wrenching beauty that is Banana Fish, this is not for you [though I suggest you watch it in the future once your heart is healed]. Basically this anime is tragically beautiful and I adore it so so so so much.) 

[animeandfilmotaku]

A film’s geek’s watching: Dororo (2019)- When a path of humanity is formed amidst a hellish world

Well it has been many years since i actually put a review- so this one is more reflective, and more of me barfing my thoughts out.

Yes 2020 has not been a great year all (I am not even exaggerating it at all, given I did my fair share of Work from Home with lockdowns), and sometimes going back to the comfort shows make a difference that you forget that the world is actually terrible and shitty, and you disappear into the adventures.

Anyway to keep the long story short, I have caught the flu bug in the craziest period- Christmas retail and I have to confine myself at home, so I have been binging Inuyasha a lot lately (With all due thanks to its spin off Yashahime which has been a source of comfort from the beginning, Stan Moroha) which I enjoy the adventures of Inuyasha and Kagome together, but with Saturday looming in ever too slowly, I just do not have much time to binge 167 episodes (and including 26 from The Final Act) , so a friend of mine recommend to me Dororo as she said it would fit my fill of Inuyasha with Japanese folklore references and mystery and of course being a slut for Samurai films, mostly Kurosawa films.

And of course, being stuck at home with medicine and all, I decided to give it a go, and boy it was an amazing trip

It goes simply like this, a young man named Hyakkimaru, alongside with his chirpy side character Dororo (My friend said I would like her as she is similar to Moroha from Yashahime which is so true), whose body is stolen by 12 demons as a result of his father’s pact many years ago, went on his journey to slay the demons to get his body back.

If I could summarise it, it is a Faustian story set in Federal Japan, with a supernatural twist. What is surprising is that the source material is based on an incomplete manga by Osamu Tezuka (which yes it is that guy who wrote Astro Boy and Black Jack), which was dropped out in the 60’s due to a dwindling interest by the manga-ka himself and the publishers, hence opening itself to many interpretations for its rather abrupt ending. I mean it is pretty grim ahead of its time in the 60’s which has so much potential but it was unfulfilled until Studio Mappa took it in its own hands.

And man to create an intriguing story within 24 episodes, with great characters and great atmosphere, with what they have, I am shook.

During my chats with my friend, live blogging about the series, this is how she summarise me watching it

Watching Dororo be like:

“Ah cool a seemingly Kurosawa inspired anime”

“Inuyasha??”

“And now POTC?” 😂

In case, you are wondering why that, there are fracking zombie sharks like Salazar from Pirates of the Caribbean 5, there are cursed swords and demon trees holding human like fruits (I cannot help with the sword episode to think of Inuyasha movie 3 with So’unga which BTW it is so creepy AF), ,sweet action scenes which could be taken out from the cinematography of Akira Kurosawa and rolling shots of Kenji Mizoguchi!

Asides from me nerding every reference i can get my hands on in Dororo. In the end you cannot do it without great characters and their vulnerability/motivations, and it is so lacking in today’s anime which I could say it for Yashahime itself (It is only lately that we seen a softer side of Moroha, like maybe 9 episodes in which is considered slow to an average user).

We grew up in the Netflix binge culture that we expect fast and instant results which pay little attention to us rooting for the characters themselves, and thankfully Dororo was not like that, if I summarise it, it is flawed people search for what it is like being human, not morally in black and white in that sense, but shades of grey in a hellish world.

To balance mercy with revenge, to hope than to despair, and of course with war, there is peace.

Hyakkimaru, in search of his physical wholeness struggle with his beastly side.

Dororo, despite the travesties with her parents, still able to hope and love.

Tahomaru, torn by jealously and neglect, rising to be a great leader but fallen short.

Daigo (he is the worst), blinded by pride and ambition, forget the little moments in front of him.

There are so many characters I want to list, but I suggest you watch it for itself, if I summarise Dororo’s core - it would be simply the true demons is within ourselves and it is up to us whenever to move forward or regress to its ugliness.

Thankfully Dororo took it with much grace on its journey, so in case you are wondering what is my interperation of the coda (It may be flawed but it is my take)

I think why they chose the divergence between Hyakkimaru and Dororo path as he is like a child learning about the world and the figures always shield him so he want to do like a redemption of the horrors he seen and some way balance both sides, Dororo on the other hand learnt that strength comes from the heart and the resilience of humans to move forward despite the troubles

After all the priest said there are troubles in the world but that what make us human

I think the dad ended up being the demon himself because of selfish reasons and of course like any Faustian story,  he paid the price of material things in exchange of humanity.

I say it was a great great series to follow, and with 24 episodes to binge on. I hope you enjoy this journey as I do.

In case, you are done with Dororo- I suggest Mononoke though the stories can be seen individually and more of the creepy side. I would highly recommend that, well it is not so humourous but it is a nice landing point.

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: Five Books About Anime Recommendations to Sink Your Teeth Into

  At a time when you're getting very used to the walls of your home, there's no better time to watch some anime. While we're always in the mood to binge on screens, this is a great excuse to get in some reads. When you need to unwind, why not finally read some books you've been saying you'd get to for so long? Printed media is making a comeback, and it's really satisfying to hold a nicely printed, nicely bound book in your hands.

    Today is Read-A-Book Day, so here are some of our suggestions that bridge the anime world and print! Learn about the behind-the-scenes process in the anime industry. Discover how your favorite creators achieved success. And look at some gorgeous anime art. Check it out!

  Anime Supremacy by Mizuki Tsujimura

  Image via Penguin Random House

  If you have ever been curious about the production of an anime, or are a fan of Shirobako or Bakuman, this book is for you. It focuses on three different women — a director, a producer, and an animator — and how they navigate the twists and turns of the industry. It doesn't just focus on what happens behind the screen but also sheds light on other aspects, such as voice acting and anime collabs/in-person rallies. While the book doesn't shy away from the time-crunching nature of the anime industry and how it can be a real struggle to work with creative teams — it demonstrates the passion they have for the work they do, without a doubt. Each one of the women enters the field with big goals, and how they match their ideals with reality is a frank but overall uplifting story of chasing your dreams. 

  The Osamu Tezuka Story: A Life in Manga and Anime

    Image via Stone Bridge Press

  It’s hard to be an anime and manga fan and not know the name Osamu Tezuka. Commonly referred to as the “Godfather of Manga,” he went on to pen famous titles such as Astro Boy, Black Jack, and Dororo. Its author, Toshio Ban, was one of Tezuka's assistants who worked with him through his career, so we are given a true snapshot of this larger-than-life man. While the book mainly focuses on Tezuka's life, it's also a great look into the culture of the time and what allowed Tezuka to thrive. The story doesn't shy away from all the work Tezuka put into his craft — including, sadly, overextending himself at times. This is also a gigantic book, at just under 1,000 pages, so there's a ton of information to glean just from picking it up. A longer read, but definitely worth it. 

  A Sky Longing for Memories: Art of Makoto Shinkai

  Image via Penguin Random House

  Makoto Shinkai is one of the most prominent anime directors of our time, directing hits such as Your Name and Five cm per Second. While it’s easy to get lost in the heartache of his stories, one of the most prominent things to pick up on are how fantastical and dreamlike his backgrounds are. Each one has a lot of life to them, even without a single character in front of them — a real treat of an art book. Not only is every shot of the backgrounds colorful and vibrant, but they also feature a lot of explanations of how they were put together in the final films. It's a nice glimpse into one of the huge standout parts of Shinkai's work, and really lovely overall. 

  The Art of Posuka Demizu

  Image via Pie International

  Posuka Demizu is best known for her art for The Promised Neverland manga, and for good reason. A lot of her work is extremely detailed and complex, something that's clear just from looking at her twitter. All of her illustrations pop with a lot of character, even simple sketches, and it's lovely to see. A fun thing I enjoy a lot about the works featured here is that it's easy to conceptually get what is on the page at first glance, but when I stare at an image long enough — especially an image with backgrounds — I always find something new. Just the cover itself is a good exercise in this. If you like highly detailed, vibrant fantasy (or are just a fan of the art style of The Promised Neverland), I suggest giving this book a shot. 

  Everyday Scenes from a Parallel World: Background Illustrations and Scenes from Anime and Manga Works

  Image via PIE International

  It's hard not to focus on the more prominent parts of anime, specifically the characters and their actions. Some of the best animation shots that come to mind are very likely those showing off the best of characters and the very limits of how they can move. However, this book pays close attention to an equally important part of anime: the background art. This one features a wide array of artists, including some who have devoted their entire professions to making backgrounds, and it's amazing to see their thought process and how all of these pieces come to life. Like the Makoto Shinkai book, this one has some truly gorgeous illustrations and is a great peek into the creative process from sketch to color. 

  Do you have any other book recs? Let us know in the comments!

        Noelle Ogawa is a contributor to Bubbleblabber and Cup of Moe. She can be found on Twitter @noelleogawa.

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[poppun-chan]

The Year of Keroro Challenge Update 3 (Yes Sir)

This took quite a bit longer than I hoped, this post is a really big one, especially episodes 15 & 17. Actually, today I’ve caught up to watching, once I catch up in writing as well I’ll update weekly, but for now I still have a few posts worth (I’m especially looking forward to the next one).

But for now enjoy a translation of all the writing on the whiteboard from the pool episode:

There’s no shot of everything on the board but here is the meeting related part (Note “enjoy” is written a bit oddly, normally it would be in katakana since they used the English and the “ji” would be from “shi”, not “chi”). However, the best part is the little scribbles on the whiteboard:

It works because Japanese has vertical writing, but one of these is supposed to be both names under the same umbrella (You can see it done full scale with actual people at the end of Only Yesterday). In Japan sharing an umbrella with somebody is considered very romantic, so this is a bit like writing two names in a heart, either way it’s easy to guess who drew it. As for the “Finding Nemo” bit, it basically translates as “Even for searching....” which doesn’t really make any sense, but given the drawing and the fact that the movie came out less than a year before this episode aired, chances are they fiddled around with the writing to make a nod to the movie without name-dropping it (You can find more about that and quite a few other things under the break). And fun fact, flat fish can be either left or right sided and one is considered better tasting (I can’t remember which)

And the plan count:

Serious Plans: K66:14 D66:1 MMK:1

Funding Plans: K66:1

It’s a plan, I Swear!: K66:4

New category: Oh look! Progress (Not actually invading today, just trying to make it look they are so HQ will leave them alone): K66:2 (The ocean invasion plan went here, though it could fit almost anywhere)

Episode 15: This is one I’ve always really enjoyed....fun fact: psychologists seem to be a bit undecided about multiple personalities and over the years have gone back and forth a few times on whether it’s a real psychological condition or created by a person reacting a certain way to unrelated things (for example there was a time when a lot of people were diagnosed and it was traced back to a repressed memory, but when the catalyst events were researched it turned out that most never happened and those people were highly susceptible to suggestion).

On that note there are a lot of fun little touches in this episode like the fact that Momoka’s legs don’t fit in the machine (of course it’s made for somebody much shorter, but still), how when the the two Momokas merge the reversed light and dark pink on their swimsuits also blend to create a peachy pink (subtle), and the nod to frogs hibernating. It’s also worth noting that this episode aired in 2004, in July I believe, which is part of the reason why Keroro mentions the Olympics since this was shortly before the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens (Also Keroro & Giroro’s expressions while swimming are just strangely delightful, the way their faces look when their expressions break the face’s natural patterning).

Now onto something big that has caused a lot of confusion in regards to the original subtitles: The bleeped out bit was supposed to be Patrasch, not Cleopatra. The name and this entire bit of the scene was supposed to a reference to the Dog of Flanders anime series that was part of the World Masterpiece Theater series, namely the ending scene of the anime where the boy and his dog (Patrasch) both freeze to death in a church. The book is considered a classic children’s story in Japan and the 1975 anime still occasionally reruns on T.V. and received a remake movie in 1997, and the ending scene has been referenced in many other works (One example that’s made it here is the Pokemon episode Holy Matrimony). Basically, it’s the anime counter part to calling out “Rosebud”.

As for the censor bleep, that’s something that sometimes happens when somebody name-drops something that the production company doesn’t have the rights to, I’ve seen it in talk shows too. I believe it’s related to the way Japanese copyright laws work in regards to parody and references; appearently they’re allowed as long as the copyright holder doesn’t object, so by bleeping out name-drops and putting pixelation or censor bars over the faces of famous characters they can help lower the chances of a complaint by just suggesting the other work instead of out right referencing it. When there is a complaint the scene can end up being removed or in some cases, like the first episode of Osomatsu-san, the entire episode can be banned from official release.

Oh by the way, I’m presuming “Oha” is short for ohayou or good morning, I know around this time there was a children’s idol/media show called “Oha-star” which used a similar greeting.

Episode 16: It’s the Masami episode, and I have to admit, I had forgotten how far off the deep end Tamama goes in this one; when he showed up I expected him to be excited, but sweet goodness I didn’t expect him to be that excited. This bit is for the cross-section of Keroro & Pony fans, but I always imagined that if they had the originally human Sunset Shimmer appear in Equestria Girls they would handle it a bit like this

Also this is the second time Mois has come really close to destroying the Earth and I have to wonder how it repairs itself afterward so it isn’t already on the brink when she starts, the best I can think of is that magma flows into the crack and solidifies, linking the ground back together; sort of like when you get a cut

Episode 17: 

Actually, it’s a bit interesting that Tamama & Giroro were the ones who fell in the water tank; dark colours absorb heat better than light ones and red tends to make people feel warmer so they’re actually the best able to warm up afterwards. Also in part two the Aliens could have done better if they switched Mois & Dororo and Momoka dodging Natsumi was a fun detail, but didn’t they already establish the being watched feeling was caused by a weird but harmless alien? Having said that, I can imagine some ghost stories would actually be more frightening for a ghost since there’s a chance you’ll encounter whoever the story is about

The next two paragraphs are just talking about two ghost stories mentioned in the episode that I wasn’t sure how well know they were, if you already know them feel free to skip to episode 18

The T.V. program Keroro & Tamama are watching at the beginning is an adaption of a famous ghost story; there are many variations, the basic premise is a jealous wife thinks her husband is smitten with the maid and destroys one of their best plates so she can frame the maid and fire her. When the maid is accused she tries counting the plates and when she finds there’s one missing she searches for it, in one way or another this leads to the maid dying in a well near the house shortly after and her ghost appearing every night, counting the plates and always being one plate short.

As for Koyuki’s story, I’m not sure if the subtitles are quite right; she says “entrust”, so....Either way it’s the story of the Yuki Onna or Snow Woman. Although she’s known for freezing people to death in the mountains, in this story she spares a young man and warns him never to tell anyone of the encounter or he will suffer “a fate worse than death”. Eventually he marries, has children and forgets all about the incident, then he suddenly remembers it one night and tells his wife only to find out she was the Snow Woman all along and that because he told the story to somebody she must leave and warns him to take good care of their children. The fate worse than death she mentioned was having loved someone so much and had her taken away from him.

Episode 18: Alright, I have an odd question....If they’re doing a manzai or cross talk routine, does Keroro play “The dumb one”? The way a lot of these work is that there’s one person who says ridiculous, outlandish things and a more normal person who reacts; the former role is called “Boke”, the same as in “Bokegaeru”, so it would be a bit funny if actually choose that part.

Also Keroro & Mois’ disguise names translate as “Blue Sky Keroko” (Aozora Keroko) and “Great Sea Mois” (Unabara Mois....Appearently it was supposed to be an N, I was surprised too). They don’t show up until the next beach episode, but Nankyoku Tamae is “Southpole Tamae” and Giroro’s I believe is supposed to be a nod to Cucuruz Doan, a character from Mobile Suit Gundam who only appeared in one episode which never aired overseas.

Episode 19: Actually, Natsumi’s reaction seems a bit much to me; Dororo was making the takoyaki properly and had good intentions, Giroro was actually helping children win at his game (Come to think of it, considering Japan’s laws about gun ownership those games are probably the only time any of these children ever touch a real gun), and they removed Kururu’s rigged booth from the manga, so the only dodgy bit was the masks (and isn’t the scoop supposed to be defective with the normal ones being slightly more secure? so wouldn’t it be okay if she fiddled with the wire or used it upside down? I’m thinking about this more than I should, aren’t I?). I’m fairly sure her reaction to the radio plan would also have been less if it had been during another show

Episode 20: At the beginning Dororo makes a statement about protecting the Earth’s environment after invading and I’m going to hop onto my soapbox and mention that he’d probably do a better job. Did you know there are massive patches of garbage floating in the oceans caused by currents bringing the garbage together? Research has been done into cleaning it but if we could even just remove the plastics that would remove one of the main types of waste in these patches, benefit the (at least) 267 species affected by the photodegradation of plastics in the ocean, and save both petrochemicals and the energy that goes into creating new plastics (To give you an idea of the difference recycling makes, by recycling one aluminium cam instead of making a new one you can save enough energy to recycle that can 20 times or enough to power your house for 4 hours)....The ozone layer is starting to grow back, so let’s keep going (If nothing else do it because it would make Dororo happy)

I’d like to point out as well that they had recycling in the Edo period (one example was shops that repaired broken pottery, which were so popular that for a year no new pottery was made at all)....On a more lighthearted note the Keroro platoon looks adorable in those little sailor outfits

Episode 21: I have to wonder about Kururu’s handling of the video: on the one hand, he did seem to genuinely be upset about it, on the other hand not saving your progress is more of a beginner mistake than you would expect given he does this work all the time (and the laughing when the phone falls in the drink could be taken as either finding it funny or that laugh people do when everything has gone so spectacularly wrong it’s the only way to can cope with it all). In other words part of me suspects that he did have a backup stored away somewhere and just wanted to enjoy everyone else’s emotional highs and lows. It’s also interesting to compare Natsumi’s more transformational approach to coping with the heat (change the air’s temperature so it’s colder) to Koyuki’s more adaptive approach (change one’s body temperature so the air feels colder by comparison)

I also really enjoy the second part (and I’m sure Dororo would have too if he had gone with them), though I admit I used to get vertigo from the bit at the beginning with the other motorists (Appearently it’s a Lupin reference) when they fly off the road. The end is adorable though, when they realise they were helped by Grandmother Akina (though the scenes when she helps them are charming too)