#real scene from azumanga daioh

[things-about-cars-in-posts]

favorite band/artist?

Sheesh. Complicated one.

You see, my music tastes are, to put it mildly, rather varied. I think it showed in my music recommendation post and the post that further explored one of those artists, but to further illustrate, my library includes:

Earth, Wind & Fire

New Kids On The Block's Jordan Knight's first solo single

Dubstep band Hadouken!’s Lana Del Rey cover

A mashup of Wham! and a fishing anime

A Japanese bilingual melodic punk rock band's two songs about bowling

80s remixes of Justin Bieber songs

A Japanese "punk ska and melodic hardcore band"'s cover of Scatman’s World

A 140+ song Beatles remix collection, featuring such gems as "Octopus's 3D Garden", "I Saw Her Yankin' There" and "Help!" (suspicious)

A eurobeat female duo of rotating Italian and British members’ Abracadabra-sampling track about falling in love with a banana

A remix of Azumanga Daioh’s Sata Andagi scene I retrieved from a porn site reupload

Moldovan folk punk band and folk musician duo’s collab about celebrating the reopening of a railroad

The soundtrack of Pictionary for the NES

A mashup of AVICII, Rick Astley and Chumbawumba

An 80s pop Linkin Park remix

Black Sabbath covers by The Cardigans (of Lovefool fame)

JT's solo debut

A Flock Of Seagulls (of I Ran (So Far Away) fame)

One (1) DJ Khaled song

A 2011 My Little Pony-themed song by then commentary youtuber

(And I beg each and every one of the people who read this list and thought "Okay that one cannot possibly be good" to hop in my askbox and allow me to prove them wrong.)

But let's go through bands and artists I've not posted about before.

Two Door Cinema Club Just out of statistics. I can prove I played I Can Talk over a hundred times and I can tell you any number under two hundred is underselling it. There is genuinely some problem with my brain that that intro slots into perfectly.

Oh also all the rest of their first album this comes from is this great too, and if you ask me what a perfect album sounds like I will tell you it's not that far off their second album.

OK Go Now, I like the music. Actually, I'd left my two guitars alone for years until an easy OK Go song made me think "Oh, maybe I can play this" and realize that rather than -as I had prior- just play the music I'd been taught I could actually teach myself to play the music I was listening to, which snowballed into playing more OK Go songs and then it expanded and now I have a ukulele, a bass, a third guitar I need to merge with that bass (it's complicated), a fourth "guitar" (it's complicated) on the way, a Casio calculator/synth (it's complicated), a melodica, a launchpad and a kazoo. Whoops. But really, all you need to be sold on OK Go is see two of their videos. One to find out what they're like (and you're already good on that front because you have visited the internet ever and have thus seen Here It Goes Again aka "The Treadmill Video" aka what when posted to YouTube upon its CEO begging them became the biggest video of all time) and another to find out that no the first one was not a one-off fluke. I am serious, go click that link, it takes you to a playlist of their videos and each one is crazier than the last. I mean they played a song with a car. A song. That has a guitar solo. With a car. Have you seen the name of this channel.

Ah, right, the name of this channel. I guess I have to say a thing about that car now. Uhhh this video was sponsored by Chevrolet to promote the Aveo which, despite being badged as a Chevrolet, like many of the more Europe-oriented Chevrolets was made by the automotive branch of Daewoo, brand General Motors picked up after the Daewoo conglomerate (then the second largest in South-Korea which may as well be called Samsungland) went bankrupt in '99 over almost $90B modern dollars in debt. Its founder Kim Woo-chong (because Lord knows the "woo" in Daewoo did not stand for "woo what a great car") earned a ten year sentence, but I feel they focused too much on the wrong guy. The REAL criminal is whoever penned Daewoo cars.

A good person doesn't do this on purpose.

Owl City I have too few of his songs, but I absolutely love how comically upbeat he is. He is so precious. If c: walked this Earth. I mean "Golf and alcohol don't mix and that's why I don't drink and drive / Because, good grief, I'd knock out my teeth and have to kiss my smile goodbye". Protect this man at all costs. Also one time I saw the Fireflies video after what must have been a good decade and you know when you feel near crying? I adored that song when I was a kid and I was right.

Liquido European one-hit wonders - and not even "people know them just for one song", not even "people don't know them and just know the song"; I found you can tell people the name of their hit and they won't know what you're talking about. But hum the riff and infallibly, invariably any single person in my country (and, in my limited experience, the rest of Europe) will go "Ooooooh, that one". And to be fair, those guys did stumble on one of the most memorable riffs in modern history.

Not saying this is a hidden gem of a band, I am sure some bigger music nerd would stamp a big fat "SEEN BEFORE" on all their stuff, beyond some enjoyable splashes of "I wonder how much of this is them leaning into it" cheese (yes, even more than that video) - but I've still got their whole discography including all the B-sides, because to me, so what? It's good music and I'll treat it like it. What's the point of praising "groundbreaking", "genre defining" works and then glossing over those inhabiting the ground they broke and making the genres they defined? When I eat bread I don't complain that it doesn't innovate or set itself apart from the rest of the genre, so as long as my music doesn't bore me why should those be problems there? I feel like people have a problem in general separating their enjoyment of a work from its artistic merit. I'm digressing.

The Beatles If you ask me "What's your favorite number of pant legs?" I'm not going to answer five because two would be cliché.

And now we get to the final answer, the real answer, in such a league of its own it deserves to be separated from the rest via a Read More.

I lied, this is under a Read More because it's an entire fucking dissertation. Your fault for asking.

Caparezza I've spent well over a decade of my life mulling over his lyrics to the point me and my ex-flatmate played this game where she told me a random word and I'd try to find it in his lyrics (e.g. the first word of your ask, "favorite", was used in the second verse of the sixteenth track of his sixth album, yes I am neurodivergent why do you ask), and still it happens that as I am going through my everyday life I happen to accrue some information and slam my forehead going "Oh my God THAT'S what he meant there". His songs are more layered, more deep, more thoughtful, more cutting, more witty, more clever than most prose you see around and still he manages to play with his words and rhymes with incredible dexterity.

Take his last record, Exuvia - actually, take the previous record Exuvia picks up from, Prisoner 709:

Its name not only introduces the theme of imprisonment, but also of dilemmas and juxtapositions, since the prisoner's number, 709, stands for the dilemma about the number of the record: it's the 7th in his discography as Caparezza, but the 9th if one also counts the two shit records he made under his previous name Mikimix (we don't talk about those). Its tracklist, indeed, while being as typical for him incredibly varied in topics (from religions to his affinity with Ludwig II of Bavaria to "I'm not [x], BUT-" types) is arranged as chapters of a journey through an imprisonment (The Crime, The Punishment, The Weight, The Psychologist, The Letter, The Visit, The Yard Time, The Torture, The Revolt, The Guard, The Infirmary, The Window, The Evasion, The Hiding) and associated to dilemmas - for instance, as the record is about his feeling imprisoned in his body and in his role, the first song -and first chapter, The Crime- is indeed Prosopagnosia (i.e. face blindness), a track about him no longer recognizing himself in the artistic reputation he built himself, with the dilemma being between "Michele", his name, and "Caparezza", his rap name. Oh, and if you also want a taste of the impressive wordplay, well, count the letters of those two names. Yep. Every single one of the 16 tracks is a dilemma is between a 7 letter word and a 9 letter word. Because of course it is.

So now, let's get to the last record, Exuvia.

Nah, the pop-up edition's cover fucks way harder.

That's more like it.

Exuvia is the exoskeletal remains left behind by ecdysozoans after ecdysis, i.e. when creatures like insects and crustaceans develop a new exoskeleton and crawl out of their old one, as this record starts from his escaping from the anguish compounded through all his previous records and through a deep analysis of his past, his self, his surroundings, his fate, condensing it all and moving on to a new self, a new birth, a new shell. (Understand how I feel when people say the greatest rapper of all time is one whose greatest record is called "Damn" because the songs made him go "Damn" and whose biggest song is "Biggie Smalls' Juicy but this time about me".)

Well, in the second track of it, about running away from the dire situation of hatred, decay and persecution described in the first track, he says, and I paraphrase,

I give it all up, I'm dying, I retreat - Caporetto plus Waterloo Dripping and smelling like my head was in a station's toilet- oh.

introducing the desperation and hopelessness of military defeats and immediately following it up with an image whose comedic nature makes a contrast so stark as to surprise even him while still, being a reference to the military's hazing and bullying, latching back to the line before. While the prose I represent it with is deliberately poor, the concept behind the words is brilliant enough that it would be a good line if it didn't rhyme at all. And yet the original lines rhyme for twenty syllables. TWENTY.

Thing is, you can be as clever as you want, but the underlying music, you know, it can't be clever, it can just be good or bad. One would think. And yet the music is not just good but full of clever, witty samples and ideas that don't just reinforce the track's mood but tie the instrumental inextricably into the lyrics' themes, like Larsen (the track about his tinnitus, which he calls by audio feedback's technical name of Larsen effect) using high-pitched synths and emphasizing cymbals, Prisoner 709's title track being 79bpm (I wager 709bpm was a bit non-doable), House Credibility's instrumental featuring intercom buzz and cowbells reminiscent of cookware, or, well, everything in Exuvia's second single. See, that song is about the choice he faces between the story of Beethoven, who despite all his challenges kept devoting himself to music until the day he died, or that of Mark Hollis, lead of Talk Talk, who despite all the fame peaced out to focus on his private life - and the entire instrumental is devoted to that concept: the verses' reference Für Elise, the chorus Such A Shame, and the bridge I Believe In You; and when you tun into the background choirs you find they are rhythmically repeating "I don't know".

You start to get a clue why there's three years between his records.

So if his songs are so fucking good, why is he not famous? Well, he is! Except for his first album which no one really noticed (fairly so in my opinion - while I like a few songs I feel he really got going in his second one), the following records did really well for someone with such dense content: his third record has been certified gold! And all the others platinum. Some twice. Never since the first one did a record of his peak under 5 in the charts, and he's got 8 gold singles, 3 platinums and a double platinum. And don't get me started on the shows.

(That's me in the background!) Hell, he's even been on the cover of Billboard! So why've you never heard of him? Well, see the word next to Billboard.

Yep. The man, Michele Salvemini, is an Italian born and raised and, like any proper Italian, doesn't speak a whole lot of English, so pretty much all the English you'll hear in his music are the handful of English features, like Michael Franti, DMC (!) and Spandau Ballet's Tony Hadley, with which he made a song about Italy's emigration crisis.

Emigration that is also internal, from the underdeveloped, falling aparty and criminality-run south of Italy to where all the industries are, the richer and we-pretend-it's-not-criminality-run north. And since he's from Apulia, Italy's heel (his rap name in fact means "curly head" in Apulian dialect), he's made a song about its woes too, featuring the music of the tarantella, Apulia's traditional dance. (I don't know why y'all add an A in front. It's fucking "Puglia", y'all.) Here's an imperfect translation with a couple of helpful explainers to the asterisked terms over in the video's description.

It depresses me every time I think about it that all the English speakers I know will never be able to fully appreciate his lyrical brilliance. But oh well. At least y'all can appreciate the music... so fuck it, have that song whose music I yapped about so much. You'll hear the choirs in the background say "non so" (I don't know)... and a bunch more Italian words (translated here for those on desktop who want to follow along).

Links in blue are posts of mine about the topic in question - if you liked this post, you might like those!

[apeshit]

i’ve been thinking a lot about azumanga daioh + cardcaptor sakura and thinking about which is worse in their portrayal of predatory men . azumanga daioh is constantly making uncomfortable jokes relating the characters’ japanese teacher being perverted in respect to his students , which is an uncomfortable part of the show. the thing is, we never see the students laughing at these situations even though the reason hes added is supposedly to add to the humor of this comedy show. but he is shown to make everyone uncomfortable, and nobody likes him. even when we are shown him picking up trash and donating to charities we are reminded at the end of the skit that he is a piece of shit regardless. he makes everyone uncomfortable and he is included in the show in a way that seems to say “hey, teachers who are into their highschool students are fucking losers” (maybe. i cant say this is objectively the specific message meant to be portrayed but thats what i take from it) meanwhile in cardcaptor sakura, we have a father who is portrayed in only the most positive light by the show, meanwhile he met his future wife when she was 16 and he was an adult teacher. it is a show about a 10 year old girl and the lower part of the range of the expected audience is very young. the show effectively normalizes that dynamic for younger children. but obviously azumanga daioh is much less comfortable to watch when they show any scene with the teacher in it because of the nature of how they present it. its always blatant and focuses his scenes entirely on how much he loves younger girls. but then again, which would be considered worse? cardcaptor sakura normalizes this real world possibility to a very young audience whereas azumanga daioh is moreso for older people but constantly throws these uncomfortable scenes in your face in a way that also sort of normalizes that type of person, but in a way that isnt positive towards the teacher in question. nobody likes him. unlike sakuras dad who has a lot of serious screen time. im not at all saying azumanga daioh’s inclusion of this character is “woke” at all because to be honest i kind of fucking hate this aspect of the show, but i at least find comfort in seeing that every character in the show feels the same way about him that i do

[historyhermann]

English Sub Season Review: Eden’s Zero Season One

Overview (Spoilers Below)

In this sci-fi anime, Eden’s Zero, follow Shiki and his friends on a journey across the galaxy to find all four sisters and give the Edens Zero battleship its full power. On the way, they encounter a player who murders people in a virtual world, a devious hacker, a power-hungry leader, and a person who can see the future.

Reprinted from Bubbleblabber, my History Hermann WordPress blog on Jan. 31, 2023, and Wayback Machine. This was the fourth article I wrote for Bubbleblabber.  I would recommend this series. I claimed that I watched the dubbed version in this review, but that was a lie, as I actually watched the subbed version, as I prefer subs to dubs any day. I said I watched the dubbed version so this would be published. This is the ONLY article I wrote for Bubbleblabber that I'm still proud of. This post was originally published on December 20, 2021.

Our Take

The first twelve episodes of this series introduced a young boy named Shiki Granbell (Sean Chiplock), who meets the equivalent of a YouTuber, Rebecca Bluegarden (Kira Buckland) and her cat companion, Happy (Tia Ballard), as they search through time and space for a being called “Mother” (Colleen Clickenbeard), with Shiki trying to make as many friends as he can. This space romp continues the story of Shiki, Rebecca, and Happy, with some comparing it to earlier works by Hiro Mashima like Fairy Tail and Rave Master, as their crew continues to expand. The entire English VA cast moves the series forward with its energy, radiance, and exuberance.

The animation of this series from J.C.Staff is smooth and captivating, especially in battle scenes. It continues to astound, especially with new opening and closing themes beginning with episode 13 and moving forward. There are colorful characters, backgrounds, and animation which often blows you away. This includes the introduction of the wealthy sector of the planet Sun Jewel in the later part of the season. The show’s second opening theme is “Forever” by L’Arc-en-Ciel, and the second ending theme is “Sekai no Himitsu.” J.C.Staff is known for producing well-known series like A Certain Scientific Railgun, Revolutionary Girl Utena, and Azumanga Daioh.

There is the typical storytelling device of a narrator named Xiaomei (Jenny Yokobori). She is the Time Oracle and presides over the Temple of Knowledge on the Planet of Time. She knows everything in the universe and has future-vision a little like Garnet in Steven Universe, as she knows that the future branches out in various possibilities. She is weirdly obsessed with putting her visitors through battles, not knowing their outcome. She spends most of her time in the series as a narrator from the audience, not unlike the Watcher in What If…?

I found the episodes where Shiki and his friends go to Digitalis, a virtual planet/dimension, interesting. This isn’t because Pino chooses to be a human, Homura chooses a male avatar, or Weisz a female avatar, the latter two choosing avatars different from their original genders. Rather, it is due to the setting itself it seems to be applying to those who play with virtual reality or online multiplayer games. Specifically, Shiki and his friends can’t rewrite the code of the planet, but can use their real-world abilities, and they can log out of the game. The mix between reality and the virtual world reminds me a bit of The Hollow, which toyed with this concept.

Eden’s Zero has similarities with other shows which have hackers, as Hermit is well-skilled with breaking into systems to help her friends. Hermit is a bit different, however, as she has a dark past. She was deceived by humans into building a cannon which obliterated another planet, and for years she is tortured by scientists for their own ends. While she is rescued from a prison, the trauma of her experience prevents her from stopping a hacker which is destroying the Edens Zero, until Rebecca connects directly with her, and Shiki tells her to believe in herself, causing her to regain some faith in humanity.

The characters of Happy, who can transform into blasters, and Pino, who has an EMP which can knock out technology for a brief period, are interesting additions as well. Perhaps it is a commentary on anime shows themselves when it turns out that the Ether Gear that Rebecca, Homura, and Shiki use do not work when your hands are tied. In contrast to other series, it is made clear that everything has a heart, no matter whether it is human or robotic. However, this also means that humans and robots can die and stop functioning.

One of the intriguing plot threads is Homura’s journey. She becomes more a part of the team in these episodes, but is willing to save her friends, even from innumerable odds, like on the digital world, when she is facing a government spy, Amira (Emi Lo), who is impersonating her, and a murderer who is cheating to stay in the game. She hopes to reach her master and mother-of-sorts, Valkyrie, as part of the mission to find the goddess of the universe and struggles with facing a copy of Valkyrie when she visits the Planet of Time and thinks back to her early life. This comes to a head in episodes 19 to 25, when the crew go to the planet Sun Jewel, with wealthy and poor sectors. Whether it is  like Star Wars and Fairy Tail, or not, it is a unique series in and of itself.

Homura finds out that the brutal Madame Kurenai, who won’t tolerate any crime or violence on the planet, is her greedy mother, who has enforcers to keep “order” in the labor district of the planet and wants to destroy the whole district with a superweapon as it isn’t profitable for her. She also discovers, to her horror, that her master, is no more, and she takes time to process this, while the audience learns of how Kurenai betrayed Valkyrie, continuing to fight with encouragement from her friends. Following Kurenai’s defeat by Shiki, she rejects Kurenai’s plea for forgiveness and says she wants nothing to do with Kurenai. In a bit of karma, Kurenai runs into the forest and is captured by Cedric, a man whose face she burned off, and they turn her into their “pet.” Homura makes peace with what happened, leaving Valkyrie behind, and decides to take on the same role as Valkyrie. Two of the shining stars, Witch and Sister, even embrace each other over the death of Valkyrie, and cry together, sad to see the loss of their friend.

There are funny parts in the series, like the different outfits the characters wear, including skimpy ones, especially embarrassing Rebecca. She is a character who changes outfits more than any other character, including when she wears an outfit from a popular anime, only to have her be embarrassed by Labilia Christy (Lizzie Freeman), an arrogant B-Cuber. She also spends time discovering her own magical powers, even using them to defeat Nino, a B-Cuber who declares that anime will save the universe, and saves the day by telling Kurenai’s enforcers, known as the Punishers, to stand down.

Eden’s Zero does not shy away from maturity. For instance, episode 21 has warnings for language and smoking. In other episodes, we see characters being tortured or dressed in outfits which appears to be fan service. On the other hand, Weisz, a male character, is naked in one episode, and embarrasses himself, so it’s not only women who wear revealing clothes. Additionally, there is fighting in nearly every episode, mainly led by Shiki to protect his friends, including in the final episodes of this season where Madame Kurenai fights against Shiki in a huge mecha, through the city center and into the labor district.

© 2021-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[perryhedge]

Thoughts on Senpai ga Uzai Kouhai no Hanashi

I think this is about what I expected, but I quite liked this one! Cute, easy to watch, fun characters. Not really laugh out loud funny or anything but there are a few good bits carried by the lead's strong voice acting. Most importantly, this show looks much better than it needs to, consistently, and has some real nice bits of animation like in the OP and occasional flashes every other episode or so. I was a bit surprised at just how wholesome this was.

To be honest, I didn't really care about the senpai, nor was I really rooting for their relationship to progress -- I'm not even necessarily convinced they'd make a good couple, let alone that the senpai has any feelings for his kouhai other than a desire to look after her, though his obliviousness and simplicity really gets stretched the further you go. As for the secondary couple, they're alright I guess, I never really minded when they were on screen but I was never dying for the story to return to them either. I guess that's how I felt about this whole show pretty much. Characters, seasons, and scenes come and go. None of it was necessarily something I got super attached to, but everything was pleasant enough that I happily clicked play on the next episode right after. There's some nice side stories too that are properly done, like the backstory between Futaba and Natsumi which was a highlight for me. Just an effortlessly competent production all around that does what it needs to do to hit the beats it needs to hit, without really having any major stumbles or unforced errors. Which is surprisingly rare!

And while most shows would probably make the joke of the lead pair's strange size difference a lot weirder and just be way hornier in general, this show actually felt surprisingly pretty tame, despite the fact that I know Doga Kobo productions will not necessarily shy away from that stuff. I was surprised at their restraint! And to go along with that, no one was mean to each other at all, aside from some light teasing. It's completely inoffensive and without bite, and that made it pretty easy to watch. It's just cute and genuinely pretty innocent, and I'm not sure I want to read any of the manga and break that impression. To be real, I pretty much don't think the main pair should get together, and the show gives that side enough plausibility. I do think the "dramatic" scenes got old, because on at least 3 separate occasions they play the scenario where a helpless female character is harassed by often literally faceless guys, and then their romantic interest (or in the backstory, Natsumi) show up to beat em up. Got kinda tired of that, but it's not a big deal. This show wasn't about drama for the most part, and thank god for that. It was about going on field trips with your coworkers who are basically your classmates but shh they're all adults.

Underrated aspect of this show was the music, which was delightful and overall very tastefully done. There's some whimsical orchestral tracks here almost like you'd hear on an Azumanga Daioh or Yuyushiki OST, and quite a few off kilter jazz-ish tracks too. Actually, with all the Christmas theming I almost got a Charlie Brown vibe at times. I think it's the music and especially the smart use of it (knowing when to kick off, escalate, fade in a track) that makes otherwise ordinary scenes even more pleasant. Like I said, everything in this show is very vanilla, so there are times when I think this is definitely needed to add that emotional weight to scenes that are on paper very understated.

Btw shoutout to the endcards, each made by a different popular porn artist on Twitter as far as I can tell, I liked them except for the one by the Made in Abyss mangaka lol.

On the whole, one of the most watchable anime I've seen in a while. Filled with comfy slice of life moments and made me remember why I like this stuff in the first place. It actually reminds me a lot of the Office, but the middle seasons, after the show had lost its edge but before all the navel gazing identity crisis stuff hit. Just, those middle seasons where everyone's just kinda hanging out. And yeah, there are a lot of moments I definitely won't remember by next month, like the entire character of the magical Russian girl, but the overall impression will remain like a pleasant aftertaste. So in conclusion, this show is really one of the most pretty good anime of all time, and I mean that in the best possible way.

[medea10]

My Review of Otherside Picnic

How did I get into this anime? Every now and then, I’ll take advice from one of my close online friends and pick a franchise she’s been hooked on. I mean, she did get me into Azumanga Daioh, Love Live, and the Railgun series…Eh…

This series has potential lesbians, doesn’t it?

Sorawo Kamikoshi is alone in a strange, new world. No one else inhabits the area except for these paranormal creatures (which she calls “Wiggle Waggles”). Sorawo almost ends up drowning in the first scene of the series premier until she was saved by a young girl named Toriko Nishina. Toriko seems to have some experience with this place as she is heavily armed in salt and ammo. After her friend Satsuki disappeared from this place, Toriko has made it her mission to find her. So you’d think she’d be totally serious. But in the real world, this gun-slinging gal is a curious, silly girl. After that first encounter with Sorawo, Toriko has taken an interest in her and either wants to hang out or go to the “Otherside” with her.

But it wasn’t until their second voyage to the otherside where these girls end up with life-altering changes to their bodies. Sorawo ended up staring directly at the wiggle waggle causing madness and mysterious blue gunk appearing around her eyes. But Toriko was there to swat it all away. Because of that incident, Sorawo’s right eyeball has a blue tint to it and Toriko’s left hand has a translucent feel to it. These two anomalies have proven to be beneficial to the girls when their lives are in danger while on the otherside.

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: FUNimation owns this here in the states. Now according to my friend who is hooked on everything Otherside Picnic, she’s noticed a lot of changes from FUNimation’s translations. This is certain nitpicky things that I’m usually thrown off by like changing the spelling of main characters or changing translations from the original source material. And FUNimation is guilty of doing both on a regular basis (and doing a lot worse). Yeah, they’ve been given authority to screw around with translations and input whatever they damn-well want. When they do this, it doesn’t end well with the audience. By the way, I’m spelling “Sorawo” like this. I’m actually used to seeing it like that and FUNimation subtitles be damned. Amazingly, no dub to this! I’m thinking they’ll do it one of these days. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

*Sorawo is played by Yumiri Hanamori (known for Hayasaka on Kaguya-sama, Asahi on Happy Sugar Life, Doumeki on Keep Your Hands Off Eizoken, and Miza on Tokyo Ghoul :re)

*Toriko is played by Ai Kayano (known for Kanae on Demon Slayer, Itsuwa on Index, Alice on SAO: Alicization, Menma on Anohana, Ryouko on Food Wars, Mayaka on Hyouka, and Anna on The Promised Neverland)

SHIPPING: So think of this as your wet dream of Velma and Daphnie from Scooby Doo getting into a relationship. You’re welcome!

In this corner, we’ve got Toriko. Sure she seems interested in Sorawo. But is it she finds her interesting romantically or just interesting human wise? Plus, we’ve got this thing with the never-seen character named Satsuki. Toriko always talks about her and I’m wondering what’s up with their past. Then you have Sorawo! She has some interesting thinking in her brain and these monologues in her brain that make us think, yeah she wants to get in this girls skirt and scissor ‘till the break of dawn.

Yeah, I’m rooting for this ship to work. It’s just that during episode 9 when Toriko was mentioning Sorawo’s hair and how it’s getting long, I can’t help but think Toriko is trying to turn Sorawo into Satsuki. Yeah and I suppose Sorawo noticed that when someone ends up mentioning that fact.

Once again, anime version isn’t going to give us anything more than speculation when it comes to these relationships. If I wasn’t so swamped with other mangas, I would pick this up to see if there’s any development between Sorawo and Toriko or if Satsuki mucks things up from beyond the beyond.

ENDING: Throughout this anime, you find yourself asking a myriad of questions.

Where the hell is Satsuki?

Did Toriko have a relationship with Satsuki?

What happened to those U.S. soldiers Sorawo and Toriko left in the middle of the season?

Why are these supernatural things happening in the most random places in the real world now?

Seriously, where the fuck is Satsuki?

We…are going to go with the third question. So we’re going back to that mysterious dead-spot those U.S. soldiers were left at. Believe it or not, Sorawo forgot all about those soldiers until Toriko brought it up. I mean, it was a scary situation where the soldiers really didn’t know if they could trust two girls that pop out of nowhere in the Otherside. And the situation almost turned deadly! But in this rescue mission, the soldiers seemed trusting this time.

Despite Sorawo’s eye and Toriko’s hand, they accepted the fact that those two anomalies will lead them to freedom from the Otherside. And after a big fight against a scary wiggle waggle that resembles…Satsuki(?) everyone was able to make it out of the Otherside and back to the real world. Actually, Toriko and Sorawo didn’t even mention Satsuki’s name during this showdown so I’ll drop it for now.

We have an extra several minutes after the girls save the U.S. soldiers. Why don’t we have Toriko and Sorawo go back to the spot where they first met each other? We actually get a touching moment between the two girls. Toriko reveals her feelings about what it was like after Satsuki disappeared and how it’s changed since the three months after hanging out with Sorawo. As for Sorawo, she likes hanging with Toriko despite always longing to be alone.

This was definitely a trip of an anime. And I would love to see more if it’s popular enough to warrant a second season or an OVA. I know the novel and manga are still in publication so there are more stories to come from Otherside Picnic. I myself thought the anime was just okay. There’s so much more I wished was covered. And by cover, I mean by what I’m to assume is to happen next because I have never picked up the manga or novel. But I would like to believe that there’s a deeper connection between Toriko and Sorawo further down in the story.

And what about Satsuki?! She’s mentioned constantly throughout the series and we don’t really get a clear answer of how she disappeard, why she disappeared, and if she’s even alive. Now it could be that Satsuki’s mystery is still going on in the manga and novel, so I should drop it for now and be thankful the anime didn’t divert from the original source material.

But I will continue making the Kozakura face of disapproval until we get some sort of conclusion with the Satsuki mystery.

Unfortunately, I believe this series will just be a one-and-done kind of series. The scores I see from the audience are meh at best. I guess you can say it was a curse that Otherside Picnic was airing in the same season as an anime like Wonder Egg Priority that people kinda took to the latter. But I’ll hold out hope because I like to see the end to things no matter how confusing, meh, or WTF it is.

If you would like to watch Otherside Picnic, FUNimation has all 12 episodes available.

[jostenneil]

I recently read Balancing Toy and Cross Game because of you and I loved both! They were so good at depicting mundane life and packing emotion in subtle ways. Could you recommend some slice of life manga?

this makes me so happy, omg! 😭 i’m really glad you enjoyed them, i love the slice of life genre so much for how it’s used as a medium. i’m going to recommend some other titles here, but i think yamakawa aiji and mitsuru adachi’s other works are definitely worth checking out as well! 

sangatsu no lion (manga/anime) - this may be one of the more obvious recent choices within the genre, but i think it’s with very good reason! chica umino has the slice of life genre down to a science. the story primarily follows rei, a shogi prodigy who has recently started to live alone due to tensions he felt he was creating within his adoptive family. he’s very lonely and depressed due to what he felt was an invasive experience on his own part, so a lot of the narrative follows him being reached out to by other people and him learning to ask for help rather than keeping all of his struggles to himself. there’s a lot of complex emotions and trauma tied into the narrative, but they’re often depicted against very simple situational backdrops, so it feels like you’re walking through ordinary people’s lives but in a way that’s deeply relatable. i believe the anime is on netflix so that’s very convenient as well, and i think it does a beautiful job of conveying a lot of the imagery that’s so crucial to depicting the ideas contained within the story. i would definitely recommend chica umino’s other primary work, honey and clover, for similar reasons as well, but i recommended that in my shoujo recs post already so i won’t rehash that here

azumanga daioh (anime/manga) - i’m not sure how to describe this series. it follows a group of teenage girls (and a few of their teachers) as they navigate three years of high school. and that would sound like an at least semi-serious endeavor, except it isn’t really on the surface. the series operates as a progression of chronological one shots centered on different gags and nonsensical situations, and it makes for comedy that i think has remained pretty timeless despite the series being nearly two decades old. the anime is great, both the sub and dub are phenomenal, and the manga is written in the form of those comic strips you used to read as a kid on sundays. it’s just super simple, lightheartedly funny, and surprisingly heartfelt when it wants to be due to the relationships you see illustrated between the girls. i would recommend kiyohiko azuma’s other primary work, yostuba&!, for similarly lighthearted and funny material. also, these are some of my favorite scenes from the anime

ojamajo doremi (anime) - this falls more into the shoujo category, esp since the mcs are witches who navigate a witching world, but i think it operates by slice of life parameters because of the way the story is told. ojamajo has received a lot of praise for its timelessness due to the relatability of its multiple scenarios to people of all ages and backgrounds. most simply put, it starts as a show about a girl who accidentally becomes contracted to a witch and so becomes a witch-in-training herself. doremi gets into all sorts of ridiculous messes and has to solve them not just through use of her powers but also just per normal problem solving skills. there’s narratives about friendships, relationships with our family and our teachers, growing up, learning to accept different kinds of people, etc. and similarly to azumanga, tho it initially feels like a purely one shot set-up, the plot and development of the characters builds in a way that’s subtle but also pleasingly noticeable. it’s just super down to earth and kind and funny, and there’s even a movie that came out last year (i believe?) to celebrate the twentieth anniversary, which made its main characters be girls who had grown up watching ojamajo and were now seeking out their own adventures as they grew up. i think that’s really sweet

horimiya (manga/anime) - this is perfect to get into right now bc the anime just started airing! it follows a pair of students, hori and miyamura, who come to find out about each other living “double lives”. hori hides the fact that she goes home everyday to take care of her house and her brother bc her parents are always at work, and miyamura looks like an otaku bc of the way he dresses but is actually just a normal guy with some tattoos and piercings. they coincidentally cross paths one day and are made privy to each other’s “secret” lifestyles, so a friendship and eventually a romantic relationship strikes up between them. the nice thing about the manga is that not a lot of time is spent on getting them into the relationship. you actually see them as a couple for most of it, doing couple-y things, engaging in couple-y conversation, having couple-y squabbles. there’s also a cast of characters outside of these two who deal with their own day-to-day issues and such, so overall it’s a nice casual read about people and how they interact. i wouldn’t say it ever gets angsty (at least not that i’ve read so far) but it’s nonetheless very enjoyable for its straightforwardness and simplicity

bokura ga ita (manga/anime) - i haven’t watched this in a long time so my memories are somewhat hazy, but i think this features one of my favorite explorations of grief in a shoujo manga. it starts with nanami, a high school freshman who hopes to make new friends but is also put-off by the most popular boy in school, yano, bc of his superficial attitude. yano is actually still emotionally recovering from the death of his girlfriend the year prior. she died in a car accident and was with her ex-boyfriend at the time, so yano assumed she was cheating on him, and instead of properly processing the event, he pretends to act like he doesn’t care. he and nanami grow close over the course of the narrative, but there are a lot of levels to yano’s trauma and grief that keep them apart in various ways. it’s very much true to that era of romance manga in the sense of all of the ridiculous drama and love lines, but i think it’s really weighted because so much of that drama stems from real trauma and characters’ issues with depression, etc. if you loved nana or paradise kiss, i think you would enjoy it. also, if memory serves, i believe the anime covers only half of the story, prior to a major time skip 

i didn’t want to feature any repeats, so i’m going to direct you to my shounen recs post for some more stuff i love from the slice of life genre as well. in particular, i think silver spoon and sket dance are great for that (as is oofuri, but it’s also a sports series very detailed with its sports lore, so idk if you’d be interested in that). and while i haven’t read the following personally, these are some trusted recs that i’ve either been meaning to read or got from friends: mushishi, oyasumi punpun, barakamon, nichijou, beck. i hope this all helps! 

[teababe27]

Notes From the 2020 Myanimelist.net Challenges - Part 2: Manga

Time for Part 2 of the Thoughts on the Challenge posts; this one talking about the manga side.

A lot of the executive dysfunction and side effects of the chemo kinda took away my desire to read sometimes. As such, I didn’t get as far into the challenge as I had hoped, only getting about halfway through the required amount I had chosen for myself. There were even a few manga I was reading for the challenge that I have unfortunately not yet finished (Billy Bat, Battle Angel Alita, Meteor Methuselah), so I reluctantly won’t be including them on here. However, I did still read and finish some decent manga and some pretty good ones, too.

Like the anime post, I will mention some honorable mentions/one I had thoughts on, followed by my favorites that I read for the challenge this year.

Let’s do this.

Honorable Mentions/Other Notables:

Scumbag Loser (aka Saiteihen no Otoko) - completed for the task “Read a manga series you can finish in one day”

Masahiko is a fat, perverted loser who has a smell fetish and thinks everyone is beneath him. He takes solace in the fact that he’s not the Class Loser. However, when the Class Loser gets a girlfriend, Masahiko becomes the new Class Loser. Desperate to get out of this position, he lies and says he has a girlfriend: his childhood friend Haruka, who transfers to his class the next day. But there’s a problem that only Masahiko knows: Haruka died several years before. 

This wins Worst of the Challenge, but I didn’t hate it entirely. Masahiko is not a good person, which is usually a negative in my book. This manga basically goes from 0 to 100 real fast. It takes a couple unexpected turns and I couldn’t help but wonder how the problem would be stopped. Ends on a bit of a downer.

Dragon Head - completed for the task “Read a manga that started serialization in the 90s”

While on a school field trip, the train carrying the students crashes after a natural disaster. Teru is the only survivor in his class. While trying to find a way out, he finds two other survivors, Ako and Nobuo. The three survivors try to escape while dealing with lack of food and light, earthquakes, cults, and the freaking apocalypse happening outside.

This manga was quite the ride. Creepy and scary at times. The artwork was really good, definitely adding to the atmosphere. I liked the characters. The story did kinda drag a bit in the middle and I felt the ending was kinda rushed and stopped inconclusively, but I liked this one.

Omukae Desu - completed for the task “Read a manga that started publishing the same month and year as one of your listed favorites” (Azumanga Daioh, in this case)

Madoka is a college student who has the power to see lost souls, kinda like the Ghost Whisperer. He is recruited by Nabeshima (the guy in the bunny suit on the manga cover) to work for the GSG, an organization that helps transport wandering souls to the afterlife. In order to help, Madoka often lets the souls briefly take over his body to do various things that they always wanted to do before passing on.

This manga was actually pretty adorable at times. Lighthearted and fun. Characters are kinda hit-and-miss, though their interactions are very amusing. I liked it.

Deathtopia - completed for the task “Read a manga that got cancelled/axed”

Kou Fujimura is an average guy. One day, he gets into an accident and is severely injured, leaving him blind and on the brink of death. He gets surgery and survives, but he now has psychic abilities and can see weird monsters. A mysterious woman appears, and she recruits him to help her and her fellow hot assassins who work for the police department. He helps the ladies take out the aforementioned weird monsters called Cheaters, people who come back from the dead with special abilities and blend in with normal people.

I liked the story/concept a lot. Kinda gave me Parasyte vibes at times. A little bit too fanservice-y at times. Very good in the beginning, but took a lot of lapses in logic (pointed out in the scanlations I read) near the end, and the ending felt rushed, though I can blame that on the manga being prematurely cancelled. I still recommend this one, as the story is interesting and the action is good.

The!! Beach Stars - completed for the task “Read a manga with a symbol in the title”

The sequel to the manga Beach Stars that I read for last year’s challenge. 

Iruka and the rest of the team are back, getting ready for and competing in the Madonna Cup. Iruka’s goal is still the same: to beat the local volleyball champ Sanae Kayakawa.

Everything I liked about the prequel is here. The action/sports scenes are great, and the camaraderie between the ladies is cool, too. Though it is disappointing that this sequel is only 12 or 13 chapters, as some things could have used more buildup and fleshing out, especially the final match. Still a fun read, though.

Favorites from the Challenge:

Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan (aka Our Happy Time) - completed for the task “Read a featured manga” (Article: https://myanimelist.net/featured/1561/11_Epic_Manga_That_Deserve_to_Be_Adapted_into_Anime)

Juri is a former pianist who has gone down a dark path after a traumatic event in her life. She has grown to hate her mother, who was once a famous pianist herself. Juri has since attempted suicide multiple times. Yuu is a convict on death row charged with murder, and he has tried to kill himself as well. When Juri’s aunt Monica, a nun, invites her to visit Yuu, their lives both change forever.

This manga makes me think of how a friend told me they recently saw the movie Collateral Beauty for the first time. They said it was melodramatic, but they cried and enjoyed the movie all the same. This pretty much sums up how I felt about this manga.

This one honestly made me tear up a bit, as melodramatic as it was. A little dark, but I was still invested in the characters and the situations. The art is really good, too. It’s one volume, so it doesn’t take that long to read. 

Kingyosou - completed for the task “Read a manga that includes a character with a disability”

One day, a girl, Asuka, falls in love with a boy, Manami, after hearing him play the taiko drums at a school festival. Manami is deaf, however, and has closed his heart to love. Asuka and Manami get to know each other and face various obstacles in their relationship, both relating and not relating to Manami’s deafness.

I thought this manga was really sweet. I also liked that there was deaf representation here, though I can’t really speak on how accurate it is because I’m not deaf myself. You don’t see many manga where the characters have disabilities. The relationship felt a little more realistic in this one because it took some time (as proportional as time can take in a 2-volume manga) for Manami and Asuka to get into the relationship. Another manga that was short, sweet, and to the point, at only 2 volumes.

Babel - completed for the task “Read a manga that appears when putting in your username in the Myanimelist search bar”

Kouta is a hotel waiter dissatisfied with his job serving rich clientele on New Year’s Eve at the Babel Hotel. On New Year’s Day, a worldwide terrorist attack occurs, with bombs going off everywhere. Kouta then meets someone who gives him the ability to go back in time. Kouta has to use this ability to stop the terrorist attack from happening and pretty much causing WW3.

I liked this manga a lot. A lot of unexpected plot twists. A fascinating mystery, keeps you hooked. I’ve always found time travel plots to be interesting as well.

Bloom Into You (aka Yagate Kimi ni Naru) - completed for the task “Read a Shounen Ai or Shoujo Ai manga” (tagged Shoujo Ai)

Yuu is a new high school freshman who loves romance manga and wants to experience a love story of her own. But when a classmate confesses his feelings to her, Yuu finds she feels nothing. Yuu sees the student council president, Nanami, turning down a love confession herself. Yuu joins the student council and she and Nanami become friends. Nanami soon confesses her feelings for Yuu, and Yuu is confused.

This one is tied with the next entry in this post for Best of the Challenge.

I loved this manga. So sweet and adorable. Made me tear up at times. Great, well-written character development. Doesn’t rely on bad/problematic tropes like certain other yuri I’ve read and watched recently. I loved watching this complex and realistic relationship between Yuu and Nanami develop. Some of Yuu’s feelings are pretty relatable. Read this one if you’re looking for a great yuri manga.

Inside Mari (aka Boku wa Mari no Naka) - completed for the task “Read a Psychological or Thriller manga” (tagged Psychological)

Isao Komori is a shut-in who spends his time after dropping out of college fapping, playing video games, and visiting a local convenience store every night to see a high school girl named Mari, who he admires from afar. One day, Isao finds that he is in Mari’s body! Isao-as-Mari continues to live her life and tries to find out how to switch back.

I know I mentioned this earlier, but I’ll be giving Best of the Challenge to both Bloom Into You and Inside Mari. I honestly couldn’t decide between the two, as they are from two different subgenres and two different styles. Kinda like how I couldn’t decide between Hereditary and Into the Spiderverse as my favorite movie of 2018 because they were so different form each other that I couldn’t really compare them.

This manga threw me for a loop multiple times. A subversion and deconstruction of the usual body-swap plots. A darker take on one, if you will. A couple of interesting plot twists, and the manga often takes a different direction than you expect, especially about halfway through the manga, where it switches to different characters’ points of view.

Highly recommended, though not for everyone.

[theliterarywolf]

Oof, was Enter the Anime really that bad? I saw it being recommended to me by Netflix but I didn't even bother

Let me sum things up in a quote directly from the ‘documentary’ itself. 

Remember, Netflix paid a real-life adult woman (who they knew had no knowledge about anime or Japan whatsoever) to write and read things like this for almost an hour and a half: 

‘In Japan… Anime and manga artists are like kings! Or, more geographically correct, emperors~!’ 

Not only that, but the thing is just so… badly edited and screams of western entitlement. 

The prior because all throughout the damn thing, especially during interviews with directors and creators (you know, the thing you’re supposedly making the documentary for?!?!) where they pitch the music up to 18 and put a bunch of flashing overlays and obnoxious picture-in-picture clips of shows on the screen that end up obscuring whatever the people actually in the industry have to say. 

The latter because there are parts where the lady doing the narrating goes to a hedgehog cafe just to bitch and moan about ‘God, I can’t believe that anime directors are so cold and distant~! They’re so mean, ugh~!’ 

Wha – But – LADY! Do you not understand how overworked and stressed the FUCK OUT some of these people are?! I’m so sorry that not everyone can drop their crammed-full-to-the-point-of-illness-from-deadlines-and-overworking schedule just to sit in a room and say ‘Yes, I am very glad this show is on Netflix for people to watch’.

Hell, there’s one part where one of the creators talks about the workload and the stress and how dehumanizing it feels at times… Just for them to rapidly edit out of that scene to a complete tonal shift of the narrator being an idiot again. 

Oh, and the emphasis on the phrase ‘anime is edgy! anime is edgy!’ 

Yeah! If your only exposure to anime was something like Violence Jack in the 90s or Elfen Lied in the early 2000s! Let me go watch PreCure or Azumanga Daioh! right quick, that shit’s edgy as FUCK! 

And that’s not going into the fact that the whole thing is, really, just an overglorified commercial for the ‘Netflix Exclusive’ selection of anime. Which, in of itself, is ironic because they don’t even talk about or mention big Netflix hits like Devilman Crybaby or Violet Evergarden.

Seriously, you’d get a better, more respectable look at the anime industry as a whole by watching a bunch of Akidearest and Gigguk videos.

[dragonclaw29]

Top Ten Anime

Its that time of year again. The time of year I post my anime review list for my personal picks for the best anime of all time. You can disagree with me if you want, you’ll be wrong, but you can. As per usual I will give a brief synopsis of each anime when I get to them in the list. Prepare to see many of the ones that were on last year but there have been a few new additions. Now without further adieu let us begin. 

Number 10 Azumanga Daioh

It's cute it’s funny it’s Azumanga Daioh. Follow the tale of a group of high school girls who may be missing a few screws as they adventure through their daily lives. This show is one of comedy and laughs. It sticks close to the core of what makes it fun and doesn’t through you for a curve. By far my favorite comedy Anime of all time. If you really enjoy it check out the manga as well it is a blast. Not much to say about this one so moving right along.

Number 9 Black Lagoon

Black Lagoon is a staple of the three B’s of anime those being Boobs, Bullets, and Businessman. What happens when a young salary worker is forced into a mercenary band of Americans? Well, you get Black Lagoon. An action anime through and through. Every episode is tackling some new problem. Some of these problems are entertaining like neo-nazis on a boat but others will tug at your heartstrings. One of the few anime that can keep a light-hearted tone then switch to a different genre within seconds and make it work. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get into anime. 

Number 8 Death Parade

Everybody put your hands up! God dang does this opening rock. I mean its completely misleading but the song is such a jammer that it doesn’t matter. Ever wonder what happens when you die, do you rise to heaven or be banished to Hell? Well, the characters in Death Parade will try to help answer that problem. By playing the games found in their bar people will expose their darkest secrets and I do mean darkest.  Not for the faint of heart but worth a watch. If you want to see a heartwarming touching show that also has some heavy philosophical concepts Death parade is right for you. Has one of the best scenes in all of anime near the end. I will amendment I was balling like a baby during parts of this show. 

Number 7 Trigun

Trigun the space western that tells the tale of the most wanted man who ever existed. What did the man do to become so wanted, especially when all the guy seems to do is tumble his way through life? Well, I’m not telling you but its fun figuring it out. A great show with some stand-up comedy. Like Black-Lagoon the tone of each episode can vary greatly but its never not enjoyable. This is a show where the plot sneaks up on you and by the time your in the thick of it you’ll be eating everything up. One of the only anime to have a pair of insurance girls as main characters so that's a plus. If you liked Cowboy Bebop you love Trigun. 

Number 6 Future Diary

Future Diary is the show that really got me into anime. I remember watching this for the first time and staying up until four in the morning to binge it even though I said I was only going to watch two episodes. This show put me through the wringer and I loved every second of it. Future Diary has great character creation and has a way to make you stop and look at how people can break. Beautiful animation and great fight scenes future diary also is the origin of the modern Yandere. This show will always have a special place in my heart. 

Number 5 Last Exile 

This show is so good and has such wonderful world building I don’t know where to start. The basic premise is steampunk world but it is much much more than that. Last Exile creates a massive narrative that leaves you sitting on the edge of your seat. The budget for this show was crap so they made up for it by telling an awesome story. So much happens in this show it almost feels like three shows despite only being a twenty-six episode series. The characters are dynamic and fell real. The situations they find themselves in are interesting and everything comes together in the end in one massive finally. 

Number 4 Berserk (Original 1990′s version and theatrical releases)

I’m going, to be honest with you these shows exist to get you into the manga. Also, Mirua finish the god damn manga already its been thirty years. Anywho the berserk anime before 2017 are all lovely. My recommendation is to watch the one that came out in 97 first then watch the three movies that cover the same time period. The anime goes into more depth into the story while the movies give berserk the awesome animation it deserves. The story is dark and bleak sometimes oppressively so but the plot and characters will have you blitzing through every moment. Berserk is good enough to be taught in a writing class for its nature, and I to this day wait patiently for each manga chapter to come out. All I can say is push through the darkness struggler. 

Number 3 Serial Experiments Lain

Award for best pajamas in an Anime goes to this show as well as the reward for making one of the most confusing convoluted shows to watch. Every scene in this show means something. The narrative is one that hits the ground at 90mph and doesn’t stop. Through every twist and turn, more questions are raised and the answers never seem to come. In order to truly enjoy Lain one will have to watch the show multiple times and even then you may be missing large aspects of the show. People have hundreds of theories with each theory seeming reasonable or sound. My recommendation watch this show with an open mind and theorize as you go. Don’t go online looking for answers you won’t find ones that suite your ideas. When you finish then you can look around but truth be told the theory you come up with might be as factual as any of the other ones. 

Number 2 Madoka Magica

What does it mean to love someone? Does it mean doing whatever it takes to save them no matter what the cost is? Does love come from self-sacrifice or is it something greater still? Madoka Magica will have you pondering this and more as you go through the episodes. This show has the best art in an anime I have ever seen. Each character has their own unique ark that plays into the central plot line. Each villain has their own unique style that shows up when the girls are facing them. Even typing about this show is making me gush about how good it is. I strongly recommend this to everyone and anyone. This is an anime where I can honestly not think of a single flaw in it. 

Number 1 Tie Evangelion & Haibane Renmei 

Before you get mad at me, yes I know I’m cheating but I honestly can’t rank either of these below the number 1 spot. Both of these shows have changed the way I look at the world. Evangelion made me look at myself in an entirely new way and Haibane makes me cry justing talking about it. I honestly love both of these shows even though each has a budget of two dollars. Evangelion tells the tale of a group of children who are tasked with defending humanity. Each child will be tested in that task with. Haibane tells the tale of a girl finding her place in the world and learning to help others. Both shows are brilliant pieces that I will never forget. I am being vague about both of them on purpose in order not to spoil anything but definitely give both of these a watch some time. Also, a tip when you go to watch Evangelion watch it in this order ep1-24 then End of Eva ep25-26 then the rebuilds. 

Well, that's it another year completed another list uploaded. If anyone has questions feel free to message me and I am more than happy to talk. Lets hope for a great 2019!

[primatechnosynthpop]

Oh yeah btw I'm looking back at some of my old writing that I never published anywhere, which includes such timeless classics as:

Two (2) different attempts at a Calvin and Hobbes/Yotsuba crossover, which I still think is a very cute and good idea

A "potential ending" for a fic I'd been working on at the time but also never published anywhere, in which Naraku from Inuyasha meets Opal Koboi from Artemis Fowl and they have a hot villainous enemies-to-lovers romance. It's kinda gratuitously angsty though

Pokémon creepypasta except it has an overbearing environmental message and is also WAY too autobiographical (ie "I popped my mom's Plants vs. Zombies cartridge out of the DS" before putting in the creepy one my friend gave to me)

Two zany Animorphs one-shots, the first of which stars Rachel and is heavily inspired by the new year's dream segments from Azumanga Daioh

The other one is about Ax and Tobias watching Glee. I cringed even just typing that out but it sure was a thing I wrote back in the day

Warriors/Doctor Who crossover wherein Half Moon meets the Doctor and he allows her to travel to the future and see Jayfeather one more time

Pokespe Sinnoh trio fic where a girl shows up from the future claiming to be the daughter of Platinum and either Diamond OR Pearl, and they have to figure out who the father's gonna be. This one is unfinished and I can't remember where I was going with it, but I can only hope it was supposed to end with entourageshipping

Actually several of these are unfinished, such as a backstory piece for two of my Warriors ocs but not ones I've ever talked about on here. They're from a real zany comedic fic I wrote but also never published, but if you must know, they're a pair of siblings who were originally kittypets named Splat and Melon. They eventually become warriors, taking the names Splatterpelt and Melonstripe. It's all very zany

Another unfinished one is a Pokémon/Star Trek crossover (can you tell that I have a thing for crossovers and always have? Can you fucking tell???)

(This is another real embarrassing one but) Peanutbuttergamer rpf only the moral was intended to be "shipping real people is actually bad". Because of the way I had events unfold, though, the moral came across more like "don't kidnap a youtuber's wife and then cast a spell on him with your magic powers"

And a third real embarrassing one: another zany Warriors fic, but this time it's a Supernatural crossover. Sam and Dean (but as cats) infiltrate the Clans to do some snooping around

One of those Warriors AUs (or, well, not even AUs necessarily so much as potential offscreen scenarios) where Snowkit lives. In this one, he joins the Tribe of Rushing Water and gets together with an very overpowered original character (as in, she literally has godlike magical powers for no apparent reason) named Cap of Snow on Mountaintop

SUPER ULTRA NICHE postcanon fic for this one Pokémon Mystery Dungeon manga called "Ginji's Rescue Team". This one actually isn't bad in terms of writing--it's short and to the point. Too bad about how immensely niche the subject matter is, though

A couple quickly abandoned works of original fiction, including "Soul Searchers" starring Shir and Dö, who I've talked a bit about before; "Saala of the Stars", in which a boy meets an alien girl and they fall in love; and "aiBot", which is based on that Cleverbot thing that the internet fell in love with a few years ago

DS9 Pokespe AU in which Odo was one of the masked children like Blue and Silver. Again, not a bad premise, but why so niche??

Quodo sonnet (I may post this sometime)

A piece of really angsty writing that cuts between the perspectives of three different characters when they're about to (at least potentially) lose the men they love, and showing the parallels between the situations. Decent writing, but oops! I made it way too niche again--the three men whose perspectives I alternated between were Benvolio from Romeo and Juliet (fretting over Mercutio), Quark from DS9 (fretting over Odo), and Ando from Heroes (fretting over Hiro). Whomst the fuck is the target audience for that other than myself???

And, last but not least, an epic five-part hirando fic I wrote while I was watching Heroes for the first time. You can tell I was only just getting a feel for them with lines like "on most days, Ando seemed to tolerate [Hiro] at best". Like, there's being oblivious, and then there's thinking that your best friend since childhood doesn't like you because he's not actively flinging himself at you and professing his love (yet). Also, for some reason I made them way too horny on main??? There's straight-up a scene where they start making out in a busy restaurant and then take it personally when an employee seems disgruntled. This series did have some cute stuff in it though so I might tidy it up sometime and actually post it. Who can say?

[gold-5tandard27]

I didn’t just watch Nichijou because I wanted to, I wanted to understand it’s fans. Why some people are so dedicated to it. And it really started to click when I put myself in the mind of someone from 2011. A lot of my favorite anime has come out post 2011, but in the mind of someone who had nothing but Lucky Star as the “big cheese,” it’s a breath of fresh air!

It’s overly animated, there’s “way” to much detail in the animation and backgrounds to be comprehensable on a first viewing. The last Ending Credits are literally a panning shot of the entire town with animated people doing things. And of course The Openings and previous EC are absolutely killer earworms with gorgeous animation. However, I don’t grade comedy on animation. So how's the comedy? Well, let me tell you this shows main fatal flaw, why it flopped so hard, it’s Mio.

You see when people watch “slice-of-life�� shows, they want to get attatched to characters and be a part of their friend group. You want these characters to be real and there’s always the hope there just might be. But Mio is, angry, she calls Yuuko a stupid idiot, she’s got a shrill soft voice, and for a while your not really sure why. But by ep. 23 in this 26 ep. anime they finally take the time to show her sister is really stupid too in a hilarious sequence where she gives her fish jam, and fills a milk carton with it so there’s no escape. I was busting a gut laughing so hard. If they had only moved this scene near the begining of the anime like most anime would, scenes like Mio and Yuuko's argument and other scenes of Mio’s coldness to Yuuko would’ve made more sense. That scene of Yuuko, Mai and Nano giving Mio that friendship card made me tear up. It’s only upon retrospect that this is a good friendship.

Now you may be thinking, “how can one bad character or relationship ruin an anime? What about the other characters!” And you’re right, I love Nano, the Professor and Mr. Sakamoto, I love the tsundere, gun girl and her sherbert colored friends(their scenes were my favorite!), I love the Teachers, I even love the soldiers in Yuuka’s dream and random scenes of poetry and Helvitica Standard, all great scenes and characters! But one bad tomato spoils the bunch and the fact that they waited so long to develope the main characters friendship is a problem with most fiction. When that second OP played with Nano in her high school uniform, saying bye to Professor and running to school I was “so” happy. But it’s almost false advertising to say these characters get along well of the bat and I would’ve liked to see more of Nano and Yuuko's friendship, it was sweet.

In Japan, good animation doesn’t matter, good animation is as common as bread, what matters is characters and general impression. I imagine a lot of people dropped it pretty early on when they didn’t see a beach episode in sight. They’ll just watch youtube clips like everyone else but, they’re not going to pay $80-2 episodes for a show where it takes sometimes 13 episodes to acknowledge a characters existence. I think 26 episodes was definitely too long for this much animation. I almost feel like as they were running out of budget the episodes got better out of necessity. I like when an anime studio is scrounging at scraps so they put in a live action segment, or a puppet show. Having a different voice actor and singer for each Next episode preview as well as 2 OP’s and 2 ED’s which spared no expense was definately a bad idea.

So be happy with what you got. Don’t look for something to “surpass Nichijou” because every anime studio would go out of business trying. Don’t hold Nichijou in high regard because of “good animation” but, because you liked the characters. Be critical and acknowledge it’s faults. Be like me! Or don’t because I’m still trying to fill the hole that Azumanga Daioh left.(Watch Asobi Asobase, it’s the best of both worlds!)

[drink-n-watch]

Are you a loyal anime fan? Do you stand by those shows which have brought you joy?

Lately, I’ve read a few think pieces on how people’s preconceptions can colour our enjoyment of a show. How going into an anime with preconceived notions or expectations based on other people’s experiences, inevitably affects what we end up getting out of our watching experience. But what about the reverse case scenario.

it’s a reverse harem!

Have you ever stumbled across a title you’d never heard of before and thoroughly enjoyed, only to discover that your hidden gem is widely reviled by the anime community? Do you remain faithful to your new love or do you disavow it? Are you suddenly ashamed to admit you enjoyed the show? Do you go as far as downgrading it in your own mind, admitting to yourself that is was indeed riddled with flaws, or do you feel compelled to defend it against accusations you don’t really believe are true?

What if you thought a title was really so-so but endlessly see it described as a classic, a masterpiece, an undeniable work of art? Do you pretend to like it? Do you add it to your top 10 lists just to fit in? Do you avoid giving any opinion or at least try to soften the blow with excuses like: “I was really young when I saw that”?

I know I do.

It’s stupid of course. I end up getting nonsense recommendations for new shows because it’s based on skewed data. Or I find myself sitting through movies or shows I know I won’t enjoy because I somehow didn’t manage to scrape together the microscopic amount of courage required to admit that I don’t like a particular director or studio. On the flip side, I also can’t gush over whatever silly, stupid little show is making me super happy at the moment because I’m afraid people will judge me. Despite the fact that I know no one cares about my anime tastes, at least not enough to actually have them affect their opinion of me.

yes, yes tell me more of this awnimou you like so much – everyone I know

I want to watch shows I like – and I want those types of shows to get made, but people won’t know that unless I tell them. So? Well…As my own feeble attempt at some kind of earnestness, I give you my top 9 animes I’m either ashamed of liking or embarrassed of not getting. Let’s all celebrate our lack of good taste together!

In random order:

😊 The Royal Tutor

I’m not as stupid as I look. I realize this show is just a lighthearted excuse to bring together a flock of beautifully drawn bishies and cash in on the hormonal audience ready to devour it. The animation is minimal, the historic setting is laughable and characters and storyline are all more or less surface level but that’s not what this show was for… It’s paced well, the easy humour may be uninspired but it’s familiar and comforting. What it did do, it did well. The pretty pretty characters are super likeable for all their lack of developments and by golly I would watch another season the second it came out. I would leave work early and everything.

☹ Sakamoto desu ka

When this show came out there was so much hype, even I heard of it. This was recommended to me by just about everybody – the one friend that watches anime, blogs, youtubers even MAL. Everyone told me that this is comedy gold – one of the most hilarious shows to come out in recent years and well, I didn’t get it… My sense of humour is important to me, it’s the one quality I’m actually proud of. I am quick with a laugh and need very little to find the funny in a situation and although Sakamoto wasn’t bad I just didn’t find it that funny and ended up dropping it after 6 episodes or so. I’m very worried that I’m growing dull.

😊 Black Butler II

Black butler, in all its iterations, has long been a guilty pleasure of mine. I am honestly ashamed of liking this show so much. It’s just sooooo emo and gothicky and teenage angsty and I love all of  it. At least it’s fairly popular except I’m a black sheep even among Black Butler fans because my clear favourite is season 2. Most fans will stop talking to me at this point, I understand. But, I adore Alois, I think he’s the perfect embodiment of the cheesy gaudy charm that BB brings to the table and the sarcastic ending was the best. Soo yeah – I’m a lost cause.

☹ My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU

People love this show, I see artwork from it all over the place and I will admit it’s quite pretty. It also has the word SNAFU in the title which is automatic extra points in my book. But everything else never resonated with me. The comedy fell flat, the drama felt fabricated the pace was off and the characters were irrational. I fluctuated between bored and depressed throughout most of it yet still felt the need to watch both seasons, waiting for it to finally pick up. It did not. I did like the orange haired girl’s front cross strap bra thingy….

😊 Alien 9

OK – I can’t explain this one. It’s a mess of a show but I lurve it so much. One of the few series I’ve both watched and read and reread. I could defend it to you guys. The intriguing parasitic/symbiotic alien aspect with a sort of magical girl deconstruction feel. The jarring violence and real suspense but in all honestly even those high points aren’t fully realized. I can’t tell you why it’s better than people think it is but it is. I’m going to go watch it right now.

☹ Azumanga Daioh

I like the Slice of Life and Comedy genres quite a lot (although looking at this list, maybe I don’t?) and Azumanga Daioh is considered by many, a classic. The intro should be! It has its moments to be sure but I just didn’t find it that funny. That aside, what really put me off was the use of a teacher’s predatory and continual sexual harassment of students as a running gag. The show treats it as cute and funny that an adult teacher is clearly trying to grope or see his students naked all the time. I’m afraid that I’m being a stick in the mud or that I somehow missed the distinction between ridiculing bad behaviour rather than humanizing it, but it always skived me out and I just couldn’t shake the feeling. Apparently, I’m the only one who has a problem with this. This scene always made me laugh though: 

😊 Cheer Boys!!

I’ve written a post about this unsubtle cash grab of a show and how I can’t seem to hate it. In fact I’ll just say it, I really like it. It’s indefensible so I won’t even try to but sometimes we just want empty calories. This show won’t bring anything new. There are so many better sports animes out there and you should watch them all before this one. But once you’re done with all the “good” shows….

☹ Spirited Away

Yes, yes, I know – Ghibli, yes genius, yes Myazaki, yes I think he’s really hot, yes this movie is brimming with wonder and charm… I can see the quality but, I mean, so what? Do I remember anything about Chihiro as a person? About any character at all? I don’t, they just didn’t leave a mark on me. I can clearly see the images of what people and things looked like but they have no personalities beyond that for me. I would show this to a small child or an animation student who wants to admire the technical know-how and maybe I should rewatch it. I just didn’t find in it the depth or meaning of earlier titles like Mononoke or the graceful ache of Totoro and I would write more except I don’t remember anything about it…

😊 Cute High Earth Defense Club Love!

Let’s end it on a happy note. Eminareviews named this as the anime she was embarrassed of liking and it suddenly dawned on me that maybe I should be embarrassed too. Sure, the jokes are super easy and the premise is paper thin but what can I tell you guys, this show had me smiling from start to finish. I realize that given the fact that Shinji Takamatsu (of Daily Lives of High School Boys and Gintama fame) was behind this, expectations may have been sky high for some and disappointment was inevitable. I also see that the writers went for some low hanging fruit here, and that they would have been capable of much subtler and more cutting humor but just because it’s a little lazy doesn’t mean it’s not funny. Season 2, now that was not funny….

This is one of the disadvantages of wine: it makes a man mistake words for thought

Suggested drink: Confidence Builder, alternatively you can throw it in the other person’s face but that would be such a waste…

Every time someone tells you your favorite anime is derivative – drink

Every time some says “I use to like that show before I knew more about anime” – drink

Every time someone gets real nitpicky about an unimportant aspect of your favourite show, like the color palette for example – drink

Every time someone says you should what X instead – it’s so much better – drink

Every time someone tells you, you’ll get it when you learn a bit about… – drink

Every time someone tells you the manga was better – drink

Every time someone says, well I’m more into story driven narratives – drink

Every time someone tells you it’s a poor man’s version of… – drink

Every time someone accuses your show of being cliché – drink

Every time someone accuses your show of being pretentious – drink

Every time someone says aren’t cartoons for children? – go home

Anime confessions Are you a loyal anime fan? Do you stand by those shows which have brought you joy?

[tenpetunia]

My Anime List Refresher 2013-2016

With so much anime series being produced and all easily available to watch, I have so much on my bookmark list, all queued up! Some I have started to watch then lost interest or got distracted by another thing to watch (could be live action thanks to Netflix, but that’s like a totally different list - another tricky one lol) Even if it’s not a fave of mine, I usually finish what I started - unless it really doesn’t interest me. 

So this list will be my favorites? or unfinished but still want to watch. Hmm...just a refresher for me as i want to update my brain haha like if I think of my officil fave anime series: Welcome to NHK, School Rumble, Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Azumanga Daioh, Lucky Star, Skip Beat...all the things I watched before 2013 (February to be specific, when I moved to SG). And with so much anime series on my list now, just want to clean it up and say hey! i love this one! ^_^ haha, no specific order and keeping it short. Especially with the Japanese names...hard to remember for me. 

1. Chihayafuru 

I actually already included this in my official fave list, hence mentioning it first. Just going with the flow of all things watched from 2013 onwards. Didn’t know a show about playing cards can be so thrilling and this one is freaking emotional too. Always love cute underdog stories and likable weirdo villains. 

2. Shirobako

What could be better than watching anime? Watching anime about making an anime series! Probably the most realistic as there’s no fantasy or exaggerated drama or comedy. Just day to day stress of adults working and yes, that many characters. To actually see how animation studio works, the collaboration of everyone from different departments - and to actually having a finished product. Definitely a must see for anime lovers, to get better appreciation and respect to those working the industry just so we can enjoy watching them. Plus the ending when the girl got the voice acting job, great great job!

3. Durarara

Took a while for me to finish this (GOT, TWD etc) and I was determined cos it is weird, bizarre like what the hell and lots of funny characters and awesome scenery of Tokyo city. One of things I love in anime is seeing real places drawn. I just love the details in the background and Tokyu Hands always making a cameo lol. I’m not really into action but this is just cool, all thanks to Celty! Headless biker chick who’s badass but emo. And the chatrooms, cray cray!

 4. K-Project

Already mentioned that not into much into action but this is visually - the most beautiful art I have seen in anime series (yeah, anime films are separate haha) I got intrigued when I saw a poster for their film Missing K at some bus stop and decided to jump into the series so I can watch the film after. The fight scenes - stunning modern art complete with cool soundtrack. Art aside, I knew I was getting into it when I was really rooting for Mikoto to win.

5. Wake Up, Girls!

I watched 3 animes of ‘idol’ genre (Love Live & Shounen Hollywood) and this is the one that I finished and looked forward to watching the next episode. Catchy tunes (in my ipod), fan service (panties for pervs lol) and just the underdogs with the advantage of having one member as an ex-idol and going after the big corporate idol groups. Plus the head of their agency is wtf hilarious.

6. Kids on the Slope

Music-wise, this wins easily! Coming of age, 60′s setting, Jazz music. Plus I watched this around same time i watched Whiplash so yeah I was kinda adding Jazz music to my playlist. Just saw trailer on Animax, they were performing Favorite Things (Sound of Music) and I was like I have to watch this! Don’t care much for the girl or the romance, I found the friendship story of bad boy drummer and nerdy pianist more interesting and just the excitement & bond forming between them when they jam. Easy to watch, relaxing countryside ambiance.   

 7. Denkigai no Honya-san 

Title is kinda hard for me to remember but I enjoyed watching this. This is like otaku heaven! Perfect setting for otaku characters: a manga store. This is so my type with all the quirky randomness happening and the staff having their own brand of weirdness. Watched this alongside Shirobako so it was a perfect balance, both workplace, with that more serious and this just silly fun. Plus the otaku culture references and cosplay, very amusing.  

8. Stein’s Gate 

For my sci-fi, time-travel kinda fix, it’s this one! Sometimes not sure if quirky or serious, works well with the flow of the story and its characters. Paranoid protagonists are always interesting to watch with their mumblings and witty lines. I have been wanting to see this cos it was always recommended by MAL when I’m looking for something like Welcome to NHK. Plus the geeky hacking working hard and the different timelines, got me hyped! 

9. Polar Bear Cafe

I haven’t finished this one (too many episodes!) but this is the most kawaii thing ever! My go-to anime if I want to feel relaxed it just soothes my brain. A polar bear who owns a café and is besties with a penguin and a panda. Plus the other animal customers, mixed with humans like it’s the most normal thing ever. And my fave character: Panda, who loves everything Panda (panda accessories) and works at the zoo as a…panda! Cuteness overload and the art, not very cartoony which makes it wackier to watch.

10. Food Wars

Currently watching this and I love it! Food in anime always looks so gorgeous and tasty, including everything in this list. But since this is set in a culinary school, this has the most scrumptious food and educational as well – how they explain the recipes and cooking process. This is the only school focused in my list, but it’s not your normal high school as it’s like food network combined with Japanese perviness - they nailed in spoofing hentai through tasting awesome food…it’s just an explosion of flavour and feels.

Honourable Mention (random order):

1. Tokyo Magnitude (the one that made me cry the most, not included in top 10 cos I totally forgot about it)

2. The Devil is a Part-Timer!

3. Eden of the East

4. Space Brothers

5. No Matter How I Look at It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular!

6. I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying (short)

7. Re-Life

[beneaththetangles]

Q&A with Our New Staff: Josh, sleepminusminus, Joseph, and Paris!

Over the last couple of months, we’ve brought in four new staff members to join our ministry. A couple of them have been running our social media accounts for weeks now, so you may have been reading their work without even noticing a change, while the remaining two are brand, brand new!

With this being our 10th anniversary year, it felt very appropriate to throw back, as we’ve done all year, and introduce you to them in the way we once did: through a Q&A! So here we go—introducing Paris, who will be covering conventions and doing cosplay content for us; sleepminusminus, one of our writers, who just dropped a guest post for us last week (like I said, brand new); Josh, who helps run our Twitter account and also contributes to the blog; and Joseph, our Instagram admin and the podcast team’s video editor.

-----

Question 1: How did you become associated with Beneath the Tangles?

Paris: Funny enough, Charles found me on my personal Instagram—not my cosplay Instagram! He saw that I went to Dallas Theological Seminary and wanted to recruit me onto the team, but at the time I was still in school and an active member of of another group, so I didn’t have time to make any commitments. Now I’m graduated and excited to be a part of the team!

sleepminusminus: It’s been so long… I must have looked something up about Christianity and anime and found BTT in the results. I’ve kept up with the blog on and off ever since.

Josh: Charles and I were `both members of the Christian Anime Alliance forums. Years later, when I started up my own blog, Charles was so welcoming and so encouraging. A true inspiration. Fast-forward a couple months and I’m coming off a really, REALLY stressful time due to a blog article I wrote that was not received well by some. Charles helped me out of that dark time and when all was said and done and my brain was no longer a quivering mass of goo, he asked if I would like to join BTT. I had to think and pray about it for a while before I said yes and, well, here I am.

Joseph: I met Charles in college and we went to the same church for some time. I always thought it was cool how he used something as secular as anime to evangelize, but it didn’t cross my mind that I could do the same thing until I saw some of my classmates working for BTT too. Then after I graduated, I asked if I could join and here I am.

Question 2: How did you become an anime fan?

Paris: I guess I was kind of born into becoming an anime fan—being half Asian. On my birthday each year, my uncles would take my brother and I to this anime store back when VHS was still a thing, and we could rent as many anime VHS tapes as we wanted! Some of my first anime included Ranma ½, Kodocha, and Yu Yu Hakusho (we weren’t censored as children). I related so much to Sana Kurata that I literally wanted to change my name to Sana, haha! (I think I still do relate to her lol)

sleepminusminus: At first, Youtube clips of visual novels served as the gateway drug into a deeper obsession with anime. After some personal struggles with pornography, I took a break from anime for around a year. When that year ended, some close friends started watching Nagi no Asukara and invited me to watch along. I’ve been riding the slice-of-life train ever since.

Josh: Okay, first of all, Paris is awesome because I have heard very few people talk about Kodocha and the fact that was one of his first is amazing. Second, SleepMinusMinus is awesome because…well…Nagi no Asukara is awesome, and I also am a happy passenger on the Slice-of-Life train. But I digress. My anime switches were flipped one night in around 2002-2003. I was up late and I was channel surfing. I came across this show that ended up being Yu Yu Hakusho. It was so cool as I had never seen anything like it before! Then…then Cowboy Bebop came along and that’s when I realized there was this whole bigger, wider world of those funny Japanese cartoons than Digimon, Pokemon and Monster Rancher. I came back the following Saturday, and the Saturday after that. Before I knew it, I was writing fanfics and joining online forums. Then I was buying DVD’s and Newtype USA magazines. Next thing I knew I was going to cons and meeting other fans. My ascendance into the world of anime has been quick and amazing.

Joseph: I grew up watching all of the classic kid’s shows like Pokemon and Yugioh with my brother. At night, I remember we would always be excited to watch Inuyasha because of how much more actiony it was compared to American cartoons. I don’t think I realized that I was watching anime until in middle school though, when one of my friends asked me if I watch anime, citing Inuyasha as an example. Then he recommended I watch Code Geass and after I watched that, I realized that there was more to anime than just really cool fight scenes and have been watching since.

YYH is an important starting anime for Paris and Josh (art by つ ゆ / reprinted w/permission)

Question 3: How would you describe your place in the fandom?

Paris: I think my place in the fandom would be a cosplay enthusiast and entertainer. I love Instagram and Tik Tok right now but I’m also hoping to start doing Visual Novel walk throughs on Twitch.

sleepminusminus: In public, I’ve mastered the art of the lurker, only peeking out to mark my completed shows on AniList. Most of the time, though, I watch anime with IRL friends and make fun of bad CG. I also spend excessive hours on rhythm games while procrastinating work.

Josh: I think my place in the anime fandom right now is as a mature anime consumer who has just enough writing talent to put his opinions, thoughts and ideas to a word document or in a 240 character tweet and have it make some kind of sense.

Joseph: I don’t really take part in online discussions, but I know most of what they talk about and the references usually (even the memes). I also try to keep up with the actual industry itself too, like what studios are up to or what the directors are doing. Fandom wise, if anyone mentions the Monogatari series, be ready to listen to me rant for an hour on how it’s a masterpiece.

Question 4: What anime or manga are you excited about these days?

Paris: Right now I’m most obsessed with Re: Zero and My Hero Academia.

sleepminusminus: Kyoto Animation has been consistently good recently. I just finished the Haruhi series and I’m thinking about picking up Lucky Star (but only for the Haruhi references). Beyond that, I’m hoping the new Higurashi remake is better than the original. Oh, and the new Made in Abyss movie had better not disappoint.

Josh: Of course, I’m beyond excited to see where Digimon Adventure (2020) is going to go. It’s been a fascinating watch so far. Seeing these characters who I know but don’t know has been a real prodigious experience. It does feel like we’re moving pretty fast though. Sticking with Digimon, I’m also excited to FINALLY get to see Digimon Adventure Last Evolution Kizuna. I grew up with the Adventure ‘99 crew, and knowing this is their final curtain call is bittersweet, but I’m interested to see how this whole thing plays out. Getting away from Digimon, I’m really excited to see the Stone Wars arc of Dr. Stone. I’m completely caught up with the manga so I know what’s to come, but I still want to see it play out in anime form.

Joseph: I’m really excited for the new Maeda Jun original next season: The Day I Became a God. Re:Zero has got me on edge every week and probably will until next year. The Violet Evergarden movie was just released in Japan and hopefully it finds its way here soon. Oh and Haruhi is back in print with the next light novel coming out soon, so that’s been a long time coming.

Season two of Re:ZERO has us all excited (art by 茕榕 / reprinted w/permission)

Question 5: QUICK FIVE

Best live action anime adaptation?

Paris: Ghost in the Shell sleepminusminus: I’ve only watched Detective Pikachu… Josh: Death Note (2006). Chairman Kaga is Light’s Daddy. Joseph: Alita: Battle Angel

Digimon or Pokémon?

Paris: Pokémon sleepminusminus: Pokémon Josh: Digimon Joseph: Pokemon

My first cosplay was…

Paris: Ken Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul! I was really into Facepaint and FX makeup in High School so I literally just painted the mask onto my face. sleepminusminus: Lurkers don’t cosplay Josh: My first cosplay was supposed to be Izzy from Digmon at MechaCon this year, but COVID happened and… Joseph: Kagamine Len from Vocaloid. I like make easy and not hot outfits to wear at cons.

If I could meet one person in the anime industry, it would be…

Paris: Laura Bailey! She’s my favorite voice actress. sleepminusminus: Honobu Yonezawa, the author of the Hyouka novels Josh: Amanda Winn-Lee. I’ve interacted a lot with her on Twitter and she’s so nice. Joseph: Yamada Naoko, director for A Silent Voice and K-On! The Movie.

This anime character would be my best friend:

Paris: Tomo Takino from Azumanga Daioh sleepminusminus: Kyon from Haruhi, for his continual complaints and stream of grandiose allusions Josh: Mimi from Digimon Adventure. She’s an awesome character that needs a good friend to tell her to “hush” whenever she goes ditzy. Joseph: Chitanda Eru from Hyouka because she always wants to do something

Our staff is curious—at least sleepminusminus and Joseph are! (art by ちゅんころもち / reprinted w/permission)

All-time anime crush?

Paris: Kyo from Fruits Basket. For some reason, I always end up loving the angry boys… sleepminusminus: Mayaka Ibara, our tsundere queen from Hyouka Josh: Hinata from Naruto. How can you NOT like that lavender-eyed cutie? Joseph: Holo from Spice and Wolf because of course she is.

Favorite food to eat while watching anime:

Paris: Pho Tai w/ an order of eggrolls and Thai Tea sleepminusminus: Instant ramen (no crumbs!) Josh: Nice cold Muscadine grapes. Joseph: Fruit Basket (Preferably strawberries)

An anime that more people need to watch:

Paris: Kodocha; the manga is good too! sleepminusminus: Hyouka (notice a theme yet?) Josh: Planetes. It’s a great space slice-of-life show that gets little to no love. Joseph: A Place Further than the Universe. Very well rated but I don’t think enough people watch it because of its silly premise.

An anime that is way overrated:

Paris: DANGANRONPA. It’s horrible. Change my mind. Other than the Fate series, I haven’t had much luck with Visual Novel anime adaptations— (let’s not talk about School Days) sleepminusminus: Madoka Magica: watch Steins;Gate instead Josh: My Hero Academia. Come on guys, it’s the same old comic book superhero “I wanna be the strongest ______ ever!” shounen show we’ve seen over and over again. Joseph: One Punch Man. The title tells you what the show is going to be about you guys.

Poor Madoka… (art by 薯子Imoko / artist allows reprints)

Do you like gore / dark anime?

Paris: yes. It’s my favorite. sleepminusminus: Sure Josh: Depends on my mood, but not really. Joseph: Gore for the sake of gore (Another), not really. But everything else I can enjoy!

Shonen or slice of life?

Paris: Shonen sleepminusminus: Slice-of-life Josh: Slice-Of-Life all day everyday. Joseph: Slice of life

Best Ghibli movie:

Paris: Spirited Away sleepminusminus: None yet… recommendations please Josh: Ponyo. It’s just so freaking adorable. Joseph: Princess Mononoke

Ever been to Japan?

Paris: I was supposed to go this Summer, but Covid… sleepminusminus: No Josh: HAHAHAHAHA…on my salary? Heck no! Joseph: Yes two times now!

Question 6: Where can our readers find you other than here on the blog?

Paris: Instagram / Tik Tok / Twitch / Facebook / YouTube: Pariscosplays (in progress) / Email sleepminusminus: You can find me on Twitter. If you’re fortunate, you might catch a tweet once a year. Josh: Blog / Twitter – Heads up on my Twitter, I tend to get very political and I sometimes go off on tangents. I give fair warning for both. But overall, I’m pretty chill! I do have an Instagram but I don’t update it too often, and I do have a Facebook, but I keep it on lockdown. Sorry! Joseph: I don’t really use any other social media actively

[recentanimenews]

Staff Picks: Our Favorite Anime of 2019

Welcome to the third post of our annual “Staff Picks,” in which the Ani-Gamers team selects some of our favorite anime, manga, and video games of the past year. This time we’re covering anime!

If you’re strictly looking at the anime output of 2019, it was yet another great year. An ambitious second season of Mob Psycho 100, highly anticipated CG productions like Promare and Beastars (still not available on Netflix!), a new music-focused series from Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop), and Netflix’s big US-Japan co-production of Cannon Busters, among many others. On top of that, Evangelion made its triumphant return to North America thanks to Netflix, stirring up some new controversy along the way.

Unfortunately, all that good stuff was clouded by the worst anime news in decades: a brutal arson attack at Kyoto Animation that left 36 people dead, 33 more injured, and many of the studio’s production materials and digital backups destroyed. The attack represented not only a major tragedy for the anime industry, but the worst mass murder in post-war Japanese history. The victims included acclaimed veterans like Yoshiji Kigami and countless young artists, many of them just out of college and eager to begin work at their dream job. KyoAni was one of the few studios with a reputation for treating their workers with the dignity that they deserve, making the loss of their talented, passionate staff all the more painful. Thankfully, KyoAni has managed to gather a huge number of donations from fans to support the victims’ families and the studio has resumed production, with the new Violet Evergarden movie scheduled for April 2020.

Below, Ink and Evan have listed some of their favorite anime titles of 2019, covering TV series and movies, action series and comedies. Enjoy, and feel free to chime in with your own 2019 picks in the comments.

Ink

#3: The Magnificent Kotobuki

It’s not that I see this title qualifying as one of the best anime of the year, it’s just that, as a WWII plane otaku and airshow enthusiast, The Magnificent Kotobuki (TMK) is one of my personal favorite anime from this past year. Watching TMK is like watching someone play Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge but with much more attention paid to the planes’ mechanical details and exterior wear as well as some very convincing weight dynamics applied to the dogfights. (The dogfights, by the way, range from intimate 1-on-1’s to squad based to air force against air force (and everything in-between) – all presented in loving detail with so many different angles and approaches that they are definitely the stars of the show.) The characters, save Captain Dodo (the stone-faced badass pictured above), are superfluous, but there’s a fair amount of comedy (mostly stock but some original gags) that works well because of the characters and how they’re used that keeps the show entertaining even when not in the air. The only downside, and it isn’t much of one, is the 3DCG animation used most noticeably for the characters; it stands out like a sore thumb against more organic backgrounds, but not so much as to make the show unwatchable. I looked forward to each episode release every single week.

#2: Wasteful Days of High School Girls

I stand by my original description of Wasteful Days of High School Girls (WDoHSG) as Teekyu x Azumanga Daioh with a load of wit via well-placed running gags and impeccably timed, snarky one-liners. It’s cast is a large ensemble, and the show does well via piecemeal introductions that eventually allow the characters’ traits and tendencies to be expressed and received differently depending on which characters are present – the depiction thereof, as someone prone to excessive compartmentalization, I appreciate quite a bit. Watching people bounce off of other people to varying degrees is great, and the aforementioned timing, crucial to any comedy, is spot-on, but WDoHSG also leverages repetition of animation and situational cuts to great effect. I’d be failing the show completely if I did not mention its AOPOTY (Anime OP of the Year), which consists of an all-female (VA-sung), almost nonsensical, gag-filled rap/pop track ("Wa! Moon! dass! cry!") that initially backs the narrative of a photo-bombing Tanaka as she takes candids of her friends (the cast) and later delves into visual gags and welcome randomness that gets more fun as you get to know the characters. WDoHSG is nothing deep, but it’s a show that consistently makes me belly laugh, and that’s exactly what I needed this year.

#1: Carole & Tuesday

After watching the initial trailer for Shinichiro Watanabe’s new music-focused joint, I was skeptical; the guitar playing animation seemed loose, how much could you do with a keyboard, and something just felt off in general. (Watanabe has said he doesn’t like loose depictions of music being played — one of the reasons Kids on the Slope was so intricately animated.) I was very happy to put my initial impressions behind me, however, very soon after I started watching the series proper. It’s a title with a ton of heart that wants to resolve issues stemming from socio-economic disparity through the creation of art. The topic of privileged creator vs. struggling artist is addressed too lightly and almost dismissed via casual acceptance in the first season; resolutions come a little too easily, and arguments that should be had are, for the most part, laughed off in the face of loneliness/desperation. That, however, feeds into the show’s main focus which is healing and growth through friendship and creation/expression — coming together to be something more than yourself by being a part of something greater to which you personally contribute. And that really sets up the second cour. The pacing is rushed but no unacceptable, and the characters are as charming as they are amusing (and vice-versa), but the main reason why this is my favorite of the year is simply that it got me to watch an in-series version of a reality TV show that was, itself, fun, funny, and increasingly tense.

Evan Minto

#3: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Golden Wind

The hits keep on coming for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Following up on last year’s excellent Diamond is Unbreakable, Golden Wind takes us to Italy to check in on Giorno Giovanna, the son of infamous vampire Dio. Golden Wind’s cast lacks the easy charm of Josuke, Okuyasu, Koichi, and Rohan, and it’s hard to hold a candle to Yoshikage Kira in the villain department, but at least for me the leads aren’t the real stars of this show. In Golden Wind, Araki’s overactive imagination seems to get a bit of a power-up, as everything from the costumes to the Stand powers becomes even less plausible (and thus, better). Characters walk around wearing entire outfits riddled with holes for fashion reasons. Enemy stands can do things like accelerate the aging of everyone in a train or — get this — spawn a baby assassin out of a briefcase. David Production, too, are at the top of their game on this latest adaptation, continuing their strong command of Araki’s unique character design style while bringing in new animators to craft dazzling action and effects sequences. Stone Ocean is on the horizon and I couldn’t be more excited.

#2: Mob Psycho 100 II

When it comes to anime adaptations of ONE manga series, I was always a One-Punch Man guy — there’s nothing quite like watching the coolest action concepts crumble into dust under the scrutiny of ONE’s sardonic, anticlimactic sense of humor. But 2019 brought us second seasons for both of his big series, and let’s put it this way: I didn’t even bother with the second season of One-Punch. Mob Psycho 100 Season 2 is a stellar follow-up to what was already an excellent first season (it was one of my Staff Picks back in 2016). The season picks up thematically where the previous one left off, as psychic middle-schooler Mob seeks self-improvement and greater self-confidence. Sometimes the show’s character arcs feel like retreads (the faux-psychic con man Reigen is as devious and manipulative as ever), but then it unexpectedly dives down dramatic avenues that push the characters to their breaking points. More than anything else, however, Mob Psycho is worth watching for the dazzling artistry on display in nearly every frame of every sequence. Action scenes crackle with energy, and the animators spare no expense detailing the supersonic whiplash and earth-rending force of the series’ many psychic battles. What has always set Mob Psycho above the rest, though, is the fact that even the scenes of daily life are beautifully animated, full of loose, expressive, and frequently laugh-out-loud funny character acting. This is one of the best-looking shows in years, and highly recommended for any fans of great animation.

#1: Promare

No anime experience of 2019 can compare to sitting in the largest ballroom at Anime Expo in Los Angeles, cheering and hooting along with the crowd as I watched Promare for the first time. Studio Trigger’s first feature film plays out like a compressed version of Kill la Kill and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann; it’s one magnificent set piece after another, strung together by a series of unlikely twists and betrayals. The gags are fast and exceedingly dumb, the characters are larger than life, and oh yeah, it’s about gay firefighters duking it out with eco-fascists. On top of that, the film’s eye-popping, candy-colored world is powered by a groundbreaking 2-D/3-D hybrid production, utilizing the best talent at both Trigger and their sister studio Sanzigen and merging their two styles into a unified whole. Promare may not be my favorite from its creative team (Kill la Kill and Gurren Lagann are tough acts to follow), but it provided me with more pure, unpretentious fun than anything else this year. I liked it so much I made a whole damn website to celebrate it!

Check out our 2019 Manga Staff Picks and 2019 Video Game Staff Picks too!

Staff Picks: Our Favorite Anime of 2019 originally appeared on Ani-Gamers on January 9, 2020 at 2:47 AM.

By: Ink