#what is [character's] to go order from the konbini is SUCH a good question i actually love that

[seoafin]

Can we get some trivia for violinist!mc , like was she the secretly popular at school but doesn't recognise/ doesn't care about it, whats her favorite food that she mix and match from the konbini? 🥺 or is it too early for that? she sounds so precious just from the 3 posts

yes ofcccc you can get some trivia <3

it's funny you ask whether or not violinmc was popular in school bc i wrote about this exact thing in reo's POV about the time he was trying to figure out more about nagi (bllk episode nagi) but finds out that nagi is lowkey the school cryptid LMAO

It seemed inescapable, how your name would always come up in conjunction with Nagi's. Nobody knew much about Nagi, but you were somewhat of an infamous figure within the school. Popular opinion was divided. You had spoken up about some male teacher’s overly touchy ways, which prompted several other girls to speak up. An investigation was opened. He was quietly fired. Some female students admired you for your outspoken ways, while others thought you too bold. Male students steered clear of you after you had curtly turned down a confession of a well liked athlete, irritated that it had cut into violin practice. You were well regarded in the drama department, garnering fans from the few performances the school had forced you to do during the school's culture festival.

people definitely thought violinmc and nagi were dating in hs but also thought it was crazy because violinmc was considered out of his league LMAO also ppl think violinmc is kinda intimidating bc she very easily defaults into defensiveness but if that's just an act. violinmc gets hurt very easily!!!!

violin!mc gets a lot of bentos and onigiri from the konbini! sometimes she adds a iced coffee or a pocari sweat. she doesn't really cook that often and it's just easier to buy premade meals than to cook since cooking takes time away from practice. it wasn't until she met nagi that she started getting more snacks like jagariko or toppo or even some bread. i feel like she unconsciously adopts some of nagi's tastes in sweets. i'd imagine that they eat dinner together a lot. well, it's more like eating dinner at the same table. nagi is playing a game on his phone and she's looking over some sheet music, but they're doing it together and that's what counts ig 😭

violin!mc is not good at studying. nagi is a horrible tutor. every year she barely managed to pass enough to keep her scholarship but she did it! somehow. nagi would always accompany her in the library though while unhelpfully pointing out things that did not help 💀

before she met nagi when she needed a change of pace she would go to the riverbank near her house and sit on the bench overlooking the river. she would just sit and listen to her previous performances while watching the kids play soccer. after meeting nagi she just goes to his house next door and watches him play games LOL

[recentanimenews]

Higehiro – 05 – The Mysterious Woman

I love the series that can replicate the same butterflies in the viewer’s stomach that the characters have in a particular scene, such as when Yoshida takes Gotou to his place to see Sayu. They stop at a konbini first, where Gotou prepares an extravagant bag of drinks and snacks to break the ice.

It’s not like there was going to be any melodramatic blow-up between Gotou and Sayu, but the episode is always cognizant of how strange this particular scenario is without going too over the top with it. It’s an episode titled “Reality”, after all, so Gotou and Sayu’s meeting unfolds realistically.

Gotou also has Sayu send Yoshida off on a shopping errand in short order so they can talk in private as two women. Gotou asks simple and direct questions—where Sayu is from, how long ago she ran away—but also knows not to press when she asks a question Sayu isn’t ready to answer (why she ran). Another important question Sayu tries to consider is how long she intends to stay with Yoshida.

Gotou makes clear that no matter how hard or respectable Sayu is, a high school girl cannot escape the high-school girl label, so it’s best to use it to her benefit rather than detriment. Sayu admits that in the process of running she was probably looking for someone to tell her not to run away.

Before Yoshida, the men she let use her body in exchange for a place to stay were only enabling her. “Something inside me just went crazy”, and she couldn’t deny that, at times,  when they wanted her it made her feel good. Then she met Yoshida, who not only didn’t do anything to her, but said he’d set her straight.

Gotou may not have Sayu’s sexual experience, but she’s still a woman who was a teenager and knows how hard it was and is. So shetells Sayu she’s glad she found somewhere safe, and because she knows and trusts Yoshida, she thinks it’s fine to let him be nice to her…as long as it’s the right way.

Sayu knows she shouldn’t run from her past forever, and resolves to face it, leave Yoshida’s, and “go back to where I was”. But Gotou, gathering Sayu into a supportive hug, makes clear she should take her time facing what she needs to face, while accepting the kindness she needs to accept.

It’s such a staggeringly lovely and understated scene of empathy and sisterhood, with superb voice performances from Ichinose Kana and Kanemoto Hisato, it makes what goes on with Yoshida in the meantime that much more disappointing. Because he happens to run into Yuzuha…who has been stalking him and Gotou all night. Yikes!

It’s the first time on this show I didn’t quite buy a character’s behavior. After inviting herself to go shopping with Yoshida, she makes a scene at the station as if Yoshida were two-timing her. While she initially accepted that Sayu was living with him, she deems it “weird” for him to let Gotou and Sayu in the same room on a night she thought he and Gotou were spending the night.

While Yoshida could have cleared up matters rather quickly by simply telling Yuzuha that Gotou wanted to meet Sayu, and that was the sum total reason she went to Yoshida’s place, the fact remains Yuzuha is reacting to a situation she knows far too little abhout to make judgments.

Especially when she questions Yoshida’s “priorities” and doubts whether he actually loves Gotou, she seems motivated by her own jealous rather than genuine concern for him or Sayu. She is right about one thing, however: Yoshida is far too nice…in not more forcefully telling her off!

Before Yoshida returns home, Gotou makes clear to Sayu that she loves Yoshida and isn’t interested in anyone else, while Sayu confirms that Yoshida loves Gotou. Sayu is frustrated by Gotou’s “mysterious woman” act but still offers her blessing. Then Gotou puts some makeup on Sayu, partly so Sayu can feel better after her little cry, and partly to mess with Yoshida when he comes home.

Yoshida walks Gotou home, and learns that she and Sayu have a “hotline” if he tries anything. But Gotou is impressed by Sayu, whom she regards a a great girl. Yes, she’s a little unstable and “doesn’t understand herself at all”—but she’s a teenager, what else is new?—but she thinks it will all work out. After all, Yoshida is known by the bosses at work as the “problem-solver.”

With Gotou making clear her true feelings for Yoshida, it’s lookig likelier than ever that neither Yuzuha nor Sayu have a chance, should the latter end up truly falling for him. As for the introduction of a young man who works at the konbini with Asami , I’m desperately hoping he doesn’t turn out to be one of the men Sayu stayed with.

By: sesameacrylic

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

7O3X 1 | Saiyuki Reload Blast 1 | Konbini Kareshi 1 | Knight’s & Magic 1 | Chronos Ruler 1 | 18if 1 | Boku no Hero Academia 27 | Vatican Kiseki Chousakan 1 | Katsugeki 2 | Hina Logi 2 - 3

Still need votes for this.

7O3X 1

As you can kinda tell from these notes, I love random trivia, so this was a hype show ever since I found out about it. Then again, I never thought a quiz anime would exist in the first place prior to the announcement of this.

Okay, question 1 – why exactly did some Japanese staff member saddle this show with a name that doesn’t match the Japanese title at all? So long as you know O is a correct answer, you’re fine…

I love how they’ve styled the credits to be like a Q and A. That really works in the show’s favour.

Headband girl’s name is Mari Fukami, right? How does she pose her legs like that?!

For some reason, I like Shiki’s name in the Western order more…

Interesting how Kuroda stands out more than Shiki, knowing anime tropes.

I’m not entirely up to snuff on Japan’s nuclear stuff, but the Descartes saying is fairly well known and I got it. The thing about quiz shows is that you have to want to play along, which I’m not getting just yet, but this is just the setup stage so I’ll keep going. Sahara…The Metamorphosis (I love transformation fiction, so to get a question about Metamorphosis so early on basically means you’ve won me over, LOL)…I think the deeper this goes, the more cliché it may seem, but I like it. Especially because I remember  helping out at the library a lot (plus free pizza as a result…haha).

The books Shiki passes by include “The World of Literature You Don’t Know” and a parody of that Arukeyo Otome thing by Masaaki Yuasa that was released recently (which is based on a novel). Specifically, the name of the 7O3X version of the book is “The Morning is Short, Walk On Girl” (to use the sentence pattern of the original).

Ah, now Shiki’s a kiddo that gets me! I’ve never been too sociable to people and before I got too deep with the internet, it was just me and books, and as a result I specialised in everything English (bar writing, which I was average at). However, by the time I was 13, I lost my skills in English to essays. My love of anime made its resurgence around then so I suspect if I were still a book nerd, I wouldn’t be where I am today…

Okay, I think someone on the ‘net warned me about the panty shot. It’s a good thing Shiki is clearly uncomfortable with it…yeah. Moving on.

That club with the skirts really is disturbing, but I couldn’t help laughing like the brunette in front of Shiki.

Gakuto really made a great first impression. It wowed me. Unfortunately, the quiz show he referenced doesn’t exist, according to Google-sensei…”High School Quiz Show” apparently does, though.

I think there are specialised makers of those buzzers, Shiki. Or you could order them online or something, your call.

Please stop with the panty shot references…but sticking “April” in English really doesn’t make this question work out for me. So, to answer in Japanese, it would be shigatsu.

There are 50 stars on the American flag, right?…Yep. It wasn’t a trick question – buzzing in too fast can be a liability, so make sure you listen to the entire question before you answer!

I’d actually guess Gakuto is going to ask for “the nation with the most people”…Darnit! Oh well, I knew that one before the other guy buzzed in. Interesting how there’s Vatican Miracle Examiner this season though.

I suck at anticipating questions, but I’m good at answering like Shiki. “Et tu, Brute?” is said by Julius Caesar.

The guy to Mari’s left just seems to be fooling around. I’d know that sort of guy anywhere…*frowning face*

I don’t know about this “I fell in love” one…By the way, the text is here. That reveals the author is Dazai and Das Gemeine actually starts with “Back then, each day was the end of my life.” “I fell in love” comes after that.

Kaijou High School? Is this foreshadowing for a later opponent? Like, say, Mikuriya Chisato?

Stop it with the panty shot reference! Argh!

Wait, there’s a silhouette there in one of the circles. The long hair and colour of the circle indicates it’s most likely a girl, but probably one the staff want to keep secret…Interesting.

I’m kind of ambivalent, as this was one of 4 major hype shows for me. The number of panty shot references means they may refer to the event again in subsequent episodes, and fanservice has killed shows for me in the past. However, I’m slowly getting the hang of this quiz bowl stuff, even if I can’t always get in before the answer, and I know the emphasis is on quizzes, so I’ll give it another ep.

Saiyuki Reload Blast 1

Apparently, you don’t need to know much to get into Saiyuki so *shrugs* I’m gonna try it.

I think a more literal version of this ep title is “Sudden Storm”. “Squall” implies power as much as immediacy…

This reeks of DN Angel (late 90s/early 2000s) style, and I like it! Plus I’ve heard of the dragon/Jeep from other people who’ve talked about the series (notably there was an article on CR that convinced me to watch this and it mentioned the dragon), so…that was actually no biggie. Camera blood spatter is a bit questionable, though…

I have weird tastes in humour, as you might know from Kado. Therefore, when the woman appeared at the window, I laughed myself silly…

Shangri-la is China, so it’s natural that west China is different to east China. Kind of like how western America and eastern America are different…

I dunno why Gojyo is a water sprite, but that “diarrhoea sprite” thing is funny.

Gahh! That blonde (Sanzo) is too hot for me! No wonder people put characters on dakimakura, this guy looks right at home on one.

Well, I dunno what I just got myself into, but that was some good stuff! Next ep, please! (Plus, Granrodeo and Luck Life, the same duo of artists on Bungou Stray Dogs. That’s gotta be a good sign, right?)

Oh great, I left the ep running and it turns out there’s an after credits segment. Tsukigakirei’s after credits extras didn’t quite work for me, but since I laughed so much at the main show, this shouldn’t hurt, right?

G-Guh! The dragon can write calligraphy?! With its feet?! At least the joke works in Japanese and English…

That baldness joke works for me, considering I know Sanzo’s a priest…welp, if you get a lil’ background knowledge, it seems like you can conquer almost anything Saiyuki, and who knows what places it’ll take me in the future, eh?

Konbini Kareshi 1

I’m here for the VA talent, if nothing else. Nishiyama’s (Atsushi of Boueibu) getting a lot of side roles lately, which is great!

That running sequence took a good minute and a half, which is the same length as the OP. I almost noped out of there because that kind of thing is only compelling for about 10 seconds for me.

There’s something that’s a hybrid of Sagrada Reset, Denpa Kyoushi and Tsukigakirei here…which means it’ll probably get a low to medium rating, if anything. I can normally peg what sort of rating a show will get by its first episode,because shows tend to be consistent about what they do.

Interesting to note they don’t use shigatsu here.

The picture book is “The Mermaid Prince” (<- update: “The Merfolk Prince” is a better translation, so my bad). It was pretty obvious by the swimming sequence in the OP that at least one of these guys is a swimmer, or at least a PE nut (as some of the other things on his table suggest).<br>

I’ve never seen a younger brother be a morning person and the one to wake up a sibling. It’s always an imouto or a mother…

Wasn’t this straight romance, and not Hitorijime My Hero romance? Towa really has that bromance thing going on for him, the way Suna and Takeo (Ore Monogatari) do.

CS I think is a reference to BS Japan, one of the TV stations that shows Boueibu. Update: It’s actually highly likely to be CS-TBS, which shows the show. By the by, Nishiyama is Miki.

The red keion announcement vaguely pisses me off simply because I know that’s the light music club. I’ve seen small snippets of K-On, and while it wasn’t enough to warrant marking episodes off, catchy songs aren’t enough to keep me coming back.

This first meeting seems a little hamfisted for some reason I can’t put my finger on. However, it’s great Miki’s getting a lot of lines right here, although it’s still a side role…

The background scenery is beautiful in this show…

Here we go again…(basically, I have a very low opinion of this show, just as I suspected I would have).

I’ve got the volume on to evaluate Nishiyama, but the high-pitched teasing voice Towa just used is not natural at all. It would’ve worked better in his normal voice.

I get why the girls are fangirling over books, but I didn’t get who Michael Ende was until “The Neverending Story” came up, haha.

Glasses girl (Mami, right?) is reading something called “Glasses Man”, haha.

There’s a lot of voiceover here, as if the anime staff don’t quite care about their show enough to animate lip flaps.

As soon as she stepped on his foot and he didn’t give chase, that’s when I realised I didn’t quite care about these people. The pacing in this show, during critical moments, is just too awkward, that’s why…

Well, that was subpar. It has an opportunity to get better next ep, but I don’t care to stick around enough. However, there’s an interesting thing in the ED – there’s credits for scripting “Merfolk Prince”, meaning that may show up in a later ep. This ED sounds Coldplay-turned-Japanese, which is cool.

Knight’s & Magic 1

If you didn’t notice already, I’ve become so complacent with the premieres, this is my biggest season so far. If I finish watching every first ep I intend to watch as of the count I did for this commentary, I’d have 17 documented (7 more than on my hype list) because I have time, plus I’m relying on ANN to find me the good stuff this time.

What’s with that apostrophe in the title? As someone who likes their grammar to be correct, I just don’t like it.

I get the appeal of programming as an IT nerd, but it’s an acquired taste, plus it doesn’t have much payoff when you get frustrated at problems within your own code because it’s all a bunch of words and punctuation anyway.

Oh, it’s that effect where you-letterboxing! That’s what I was thinking of! (Reminds me of Erased.) Also, the ambient light is nice here, but the angled letterboxing is just plain weird.

CGI…bugs? That’s a pretty bad choice for monsters, IMHO.

ANN people have commented Erni’s past went too fast and I agree. Also, it’s just cliché after cliché with this show, ain’t it? Including the need to kabedon a girl.

Why does red eyed girl look like Atsushi of Bungou Stray Dogs? Plus, the wear on the mechas is nice.

Not every man – or every woman or other kind of person – dreams of robots, y’know?

“Trandorkis.” That’s the worst name I’ve ever heard in a while, and not just because it has “dork” in it, mind you.

Well, the look is shiny, bright and appealing and I can see this having a niche appeal to those who like giant robots. However, the backstory was too fast and Erni is way too OP for this world, so I’m dropping it.

Chronos Ruler 1

I’m familiar with only the first one or two chapters of the source material, so I was surprised this got adapted to anime…considering it’s a Taiwanese creator on a Jump manga though, it was kinda inevitable these days with all the Chinese coproductions.

That was a pretty interesting intro, even if it seemed like I’d watched the PV instead.

The battle there was good but a lil’ rotoscopy…hmph.

The colour scheme’s a lil’ dark…it’s a bit worrying, because Chronos Ruler normally has some pretty bright colours. I don’t want this to come off as a completely edgelord work like Big Order. I don’t seem to recall this dog though…

I’m pretty sure I don’t remember the forced humour spot, either, though it’s not as bad as, say, Bungou, where the director is known for his distinctive style of humour. Then again, my memory on this stuff is kinda vague.

This thing is starting to show cracks in its façade. Some of the movements are stiff and the CGI, while integreated well, doesn’t quite work with the 2D (although that’s shown up since the battle with the Horologue). “Cabalet” really adds to the cracks.

Every time Kiri speaks, I think of Kunikida (Bungou), so Victo is Dazai.

Adding the music to the show really adds another crack. There is absolutely no singing going on in this one singing scene.

Cue bad time puns. Puns are one of my specialties, y’know, so I don’t mind ‘em. Why else would I run LOL Yeah Shinichi, eh?

Victo, you remind me so much of +Anima’s Senri…and that’s just beautiful. Not many shows remind me of that. To anyone reading this, if you can get your hands on the old Tokyopop releases, +Anima is a gorgeous series, so go read it!

If Victo’s cards can fire at Mach 10, then he can’t beat Koro-sensei, LOL. (Ouch.)

Kids, don’t wear your hats inside. That’s an etiquette thing you should never forget, okay?

That was…strangely a much better premiere than I expected a Chinese part-production to be like! It’s better than the bunch of premieres I’ve tackled already and since good premieres are scarce, I’m taking it!

Update: Here’s another sign that doesn’t bode well for this show – it’s got the same director as Chaos Dragon (Masato Matsune), which I dropped after 2 eps. Chaos Dragon is known to be the epitome of road apples around the internet…

18if 1

18if was initially the only thing guaranteed to be out of Amazon’s greedy hands, so it’s great to see something so visually exciting ifnally be here for me. I know it’s based on a mobile game, which tend to be bad, but…c’mon, I’m struggling to find a good lineup here with what’s basically the death of Kaito x Ansa (it debuted on the 12th, but still hasn’t come CR’s way). Katsugeki’s good though, so at least that’s a lock for the commentary…

Quick –is this thing meant to be fully English? Or is this just Funimation being annoying?

Oh no, what a horrible first impression! Someone who speaks from their *erhem* and a chicken, aka cock…*muffles laughter* How dirty of me to even suggest it, but…well, it’s what we’re working with here.

The more I watch, the more confused I get.

Couldn’t Haruto have run towards the door? Or is this one of those non-lucid dreams?

This 16 frame simultaneous animation doesn’t quite work for me, but it’s an interesting hallmark of this anime.

Katsumi’s a Looney Toons Cat, sort of kind of…

The production values are mostly quite good, but unfortunately Haruto looks eyesearingly bad and I still can’t quite grasp the narrative thread of this show…

I just realised I completely didn’t care about Haruto getting his arm chopped off, not only because this is a dream world where anything can happen, but because heck, that arm drop wasn’t dramatic in the least.

“Anything can happen in this world”, eh? Including headphones being sliced off with a head, it seems.

Wait, so Yuko’s from his school? Haruto, please don’t encourage Yuko to skip school, as cool as that is.

Okay, I can see this becoming a harem crossed with The Royal Tutor…which would pretty much make this the Monogatari series. Unfortunately, because I still can’t quite detect what’s happened narrative-wise and the production values aren’t as great as they seem at first glance, I’m dropping this.

Boku no Hero Academia 27

Finally, we get out of that pool of mediocrity to get to the good stuff. Let’s go!

This new amazarashi OP is…great! Absolutely great match for this show…but as a musical choice for me, it’s kinda dull.

This old man is great humour-wise, but man, he’s basically Speed of Sound Sonic as an old geezer, LOL. The vibes between “little bro” and “big bro” are just too much.

Gran Torino really is a great old guy, basically Yoda, LOL (I had to make the comparison because even though I’ve never seen Star Wars, Horikoshi’s a fan). He can see weakness just from watching Deku on TV, which is what every great mentor should be able to do, right?

What makes movement flexible? Belief in one’s own strength and no fear for repercussions (not quite in the way Deku’s doing right now, but rather going all out all the time without having a subconscious fear drag you down). Also of course exercise and youth works in your favour.

Deku likes katsudon, LOL. No wonder he’s basically Yuri Katsuki’s little bro as well as Saitama’s, hahaha.

Best Jeanist is basically Aoyama gone pro (I’ll say ouch for Bakugou in advance).

Oh! Uwabami! I know she came from Oumagadoki Zoo, so it’s nice to see her animated!

Gahaha, Gran Torino is such a Mr Miyagi (even though I’ve never seen the original Karate Kid).

“Omazan”, LOL! This ep just keeps getting better and better!

Gahaha, I just made a comparison of Yuri Katsuki to Deku, and suddenly here come the food metaphors. This show became superhero!YOI with better comedy, and that’s just even more fantabulous than before.

This fairy tale AU, I dig it. Unfortunately, Mercy (@mercysorrows) spoilt prince!Shouto for me, but yes, this AU is just as great as the ep itself. Kaminari looks great in this, although I’m disappointed I couldn’t see Tokoyami. What a great twist at the end though, for it to be 1-A’s festival album…is that foreshadowing for a later arc, perhaps? (The All Might fire is both a fitting and a sad analogy, because All Might’s force is literally Deku’s sword and shield and All Might’s presence is what makes Deku a hero, yet it suggests Toshinori’s time as a buff man is limited…*feels all sad inside*)

Vatican Kiseki Chousakan 1

This one actually seems like it has some promise, and because I was a Detective Conan fan a few years back I’m a sucker for any new seasonal mystery series. By the way, let’s just call this “The Vatican Anime” and leave it at that, okay?

“This story is a work of fiction…” – The Vatican’s real, though, right? By the way, “succor” is, according to Google-sensei, “assistance and support in times of hardship and distress.”

The shaky camera doesn’t quite do it for me…There was similar stuff for Chronos Ruler, only that time they overdid their spinning.

I thought the door was an elevator, that’s how deceiving that doorbell was. Sheesh though, Hiraga looks like the dude from 91 Days when he’s tired (which is not a compliment!).

The Game of Angels and Demons seems to be reversi or something, Google doesn’t give me anything good on it.

*points at undressed Hiraga* Unnecessary, but wowee. Me likey.

“I’m the one who came up with the game.” – Oh, that explains why I had no proper hits on it…*sighs*

Biometrics? I thought we were in the 91 Days era, or at least another period in the past. Turns out we’re in the present (or somewhere very close to it).

Comparison to Youkai Apato here – both shows take care to state the obvious, but well…they’ve all got a good dose of (at least somewhat good looking) bishies, so I can live with that.

Okay, wait…they show Mexico on the map, but Google just keeps getting me hits for New Mexico (slightly off from the shown section of America) when I look for “aliens America 1945”, and Roswell was 1947 so uh…this really is a work of fiction, after all.

The most widespread religion where I am is Christianity, so it was optional for me to take RE back in the day. I’m not too familiar with Catholics (although there should be some if I bother to look for them), but…this smacks so much of my old RE classes yet doesn’t give me the same nostalgia as the recent Saiyuki did. Maybe it’s the cracks of subparness and the stating the obvious that are doing this.

This Jacob guy looks brainwashed. More than the other procession of priests we’ve just been introduced to, at least.

Bad CGI…then again, I keep these gripes because even Chronos Ruler does better than this and because Kado is its precedent.

“…follow the way like a little child would.”

So the show finally shows some promise! Why did it only start pulling out its big guns now? Probably lazy writing…

I know the AB negative blood is rare, but couldn’t there be someone else with that blood type around the Church? It’s not impossible, y’know?

Can someone verify the correctness of the Italian in this email?

I think we met Johannes already, so…it seems like this show has a propensity to introduce the viewer to a person twice over. That works when things are like Detective Conan (one story spread over 3 eps) but doesn’t work for 1 ep.

I get a sense of feeling of blasphemy from you guys (Hiraga and Nicolas) too, although I’ve pointed out my reasoning.

It’s a good thing it seems like the staff went out to the Vatican to get something that looks realistic, eh?

Wait, is Lauren a man?! Oh my…Also, from my version of the video (from Hidive/Sentai) I get the feeling the next ep preview got blended into the ED. Or was that just time constraints?

Wait, there’s a Horror Bunko? If I knew a Horror Bunko existed, why haven’t they started adapting stuff from it until now? I think people have been complaining about the lack of good horror works in anime…(Oh, I could probably answer my own question there – horror isn’t that popular in Japan itself. It’s popular in the West though…)

All in all, it’s not quite as Scooby-Doo as some people have pegged it to be, but not inspiring enough to continue.

Katsugeki 2

I’m pretty scarce on choice, so I’m doing what was previously never ever done before – I’m picking up one of my worst rankers (Hina Logi) to have a second look at. Mind you, we’ve had an overall stinker of a season so far.

(insert “Come at me, bro!” joke for Tonbokiri)

Huh, interesting – I’ve used female pronouns for the saniwa due to the female VA, but now that I properly listen to them, they do seem more like a dude. Does that mean that Touken Ranbu is specifically trying to go for a larger audience than just fangirls? Of course, for the fangirls, there’s Hanamaru, but Katsugeki’s way better.

Okay, Mutsu. 6 bullets is overkill, calm your gun-totin’ farm. Mutsu’s much like the typical anime protag and while he’s an alright sword, I never have been able to understand the appeal behind him. Maybe he’s for the people who like muscular bishies…? Tonbokiri and Yamabushi probably do that better than him…

LOL, these two. However, just comparing their stats, Kane-san edges over Mutsu a bit for everything aside from range…and that’s only because most swords have a short range.

When you talk about Tonbokiri, you often hear the legend, so it’s no surprise to hear it here. I’m just not good with sorting these swords chronologically though, so…Tonbikiri comes from the age of Nobunaga no Shinobi, huh? Interesting.

Daifuku.

The reason Mutsu carries a gun is because Ryoma Sakamoto was around during the dying days of the age of swords.

It’s kinda hard to hear what Mutsu’s saying from the way he talks, but the hot pot is specifically a nabe.

Noting that Tonbokiri’s ben out about 50 times, this saniwa really is a rookie and this era is probably the second or third map. Yagen isn’t too rare though, so he’s probably the biggest veteran here in regards to this saniwa. However, Mutsu’s number means that this saniwa’s starter wasn’t him…who was it, then?

Mutsu’s statement about daifuku is a pun on the fact “daifuku” means “great luck” as well as being a name for this mochi-like item.

Mutsu, weren’t you going to eat…?

What even is a Historical Restraining Force? Is that the group the saniwa is part of?…My bad, they just explained it.

One of the things that make Touken Ranbu so great is the propensity of it to go from battle action to serious drama or poignant melancholy at the drop of a hat.

This ED…was an odd choice, but has a nice singer. I realised the shots of people I don’t recognise show the swords when they were…y’know, swords. I still love the style of the next ep preview though (it’s even got the same BGM as the game!) and as expected, the citadel at the end of the ED is gorgeous.

Hina Logi 2

Good anime are scarce this season and magical girl shows that can be put through the commentary are scarcer, so…here we are.

“Rice Balls Over Flowers” is hana yori dango. Plus, hina means chick and since chicks are cute, I guess that’s where the aesthetic of the show comes from.

Someone likes the Osomatsu-san ED aesthetic, it seems.

How can you walk and not notice those breasts??? That’s exactly why I didn’t want to pick up this show again.

A qipao is a type of Chinese dress, the sort that normally has a slit up the leg and a skirt that doesn’t quite go to the knees.

Interesting, they’ve incorporated the panda hair accessories into the Trance.

For some reason, the production values here are quite nice, meaning either luck and Logic sells well in Japan or Bushiroad put a lot of their funding behind this…it’s probably a case of both.

She wants to stay with Nina, but unless she was either bored or maltreated at her home castle (which I don’t think was the case) I don’t really get Lion’s motivations…

Well, it actually was a rice ball (onigiri)! Geez, these puns…

Nina needing a logical answer is of course appropriate for a show based off Luck and Logic, LOL.

I seem to remember this Veronica lady from the original, which is funny, because I don’t remember Nina and Luck and Logic was very forgettable…

*tries to sneak away* Gratuitous boob shot? On a high schooler? Yeah, nah.

“small little town” – Small and little are the same thing though…

Trying to entice the lolicons with this ED is not good, y’know.

There really seems to be something hinted about Kagura-sensei, y’know?

I’ve termed this season “the race to the bottom”, but it was interesting to actually pull out a low ranker and give it a second chance. While I’m still not into Hina Logi as a whole and I gave it a 30 first time around, it’s probably better than that stinker Konbini Kareshi.

Hina Logi 3

*shakes head* Only in anime would someone ride a rocket like this. Only in anime.

I can’t see what Lion’s pointing to…

I am screaming profanities at my screen and shaking my head. Only in anime would a plotline like this happen. Only in anime!

I kinda understand Lion’s plight, since my dad used to go to my school to help out every now and again or have parent teacher interviews. Of course, that was when I was much younger, so…yeah. I think the staff are trying to get more younger girls involved in this by bringing in a “sexy dad”, but my tastes don’t skew that way.

Oh, now I understand Lion, but I still don’t get Mahiro, Yayoi, Karin or Karen.

Doesn’t spasibo mean “thank you” in Russian?…Yep. So Liones (country) is based on Russia, then.

Oh gosh, it’s one of those “There are two trains” questions…they bore me to death so much (and I can never solve them!) that as much as I like solving anime board questions, I’ll pass on this one.

The subber at CR decided to put their sub out of the way at the expense of being able to read the question. However, not being able to read the sub of the dialogue is a major problem! So I have absolutely no idea what the teacher was saying during the time she had that math problem up! (Also, that Foreigner question would depend on if you defeated the monster on impact or took extra time to properly defeat it.)

When there’s that screen with the four visuals on it, there’s a girl with a horned hoodie. I recognise her from the original series, but I don’t remember her name.

Here’s something on ezhiki, although there also appears to be a cookie variant.

Little kids always want their own independence, to the point where running away is one of those things most kids do, but then they come back. I don’t think I ever ran away from home, though. I was always too busy with studies and piano to run away…

I know these eyecatch-style screens are meant to be funny, but still…I never laugh at them…isn’t that sad for a show that wants to be a funny slice of life/fantasy…thing?

Last time I saw a bear in anime, it was Armed Girls Machiavellism…

Why would you ever need a bear repelling machine???

Who’s Belle?…Oh yeah, Belle is the squirrel.

Dasvidanya = goodbye. I’ve learnt more Russian because of anime than I ever would have without it (I read the entirety of Crime and Punishment thanks to that gorgeous Fyodor in Bungou Stray Dogs, y’know).

[thejpfdude-blog]

The Upcoming Summer 2017 Shows I’ll Be Watching

Hello friends and welcome to the annual beginning-of-season post about the shows I’m watching for the season! With the Spring 2017 anime season almost ending (thank goodness), now’s the time to look at the slate of shows that the Summer 2017 season has to offer.

A reminder of the usual thing I say in these posts:

I might watch some other shows that are good or drop some shows if they aren’t good, but that’s for the future.

Like always, I’m organizing these shows into three categories: Full Chance are shows I’m giving the whole season towards, Short Leash are shows I’m giving three or so episodes towards, and One Shot are shows I’m giving one episode towards. As we progress towards categories, expect less words for each anime as I lose interest in writing. Also a reminder that MAL links to the shows are on the titles for those interested. So let’s start with…

Full Chance Shows

Ballroom e Youkoso: First off, this show already has an interesting concept. And while that isn’t a huge factor in how good a show ends up being, this show does have some other aspects to it that I think might make it good. Basically, this show is about a guy who enters the world of ballroom dancing. In the most simplistic sense, it is a sports anime, so that is a plus for me given my propensity towards the sporting events. Another big plus is that this show is made by the same studio that made Haikyuu, another sports anime with some great animation scenes. If there’s one thing that this show needs in order to be successful, it’s the animation, given the high amount of movement in the sport. Yes, sharing the same studio doesn’t necessarily mean that the animation will be good (given that there could be different staff for animation roles), but it’s still a good sign. On a personal note, I don’t really like the character designs. But hey, that’s a minor issue (unless they somehow get worse or something). Overall, this show has some potential: let’s see how it capitalizes on it.

New Game!!: Yeah boi. From the makers of New Game! comes New Game!!, the second season. Believe me when I say that I’m honestly trying to keep my hype for this show down. But it’s not working, because I’m pretty dang excited for it. This show was one of my favorite shows in what in my opinion was a stacked Summer 2016 season of anime, filled with moe and fun little antics by each of the cast. Also that beautiful character design. Mmm that’s good stuff. Me likey.

Looking at this seriously though, my recent experiences with second seasons make me very wary of how this show could go wrong. So let’s see. More lewd would make this already kinda-lewd show somewhat intolerable (Okusama ga Seitokaichou). The new characters could be annoying (Chuunibyou). Old characters can get annoying (also Okusama). They don’t tweak the formula for funny and things get stale (KonoSuba). Characters could suddenly change personalities into ones I don’t like or ones that ruin the dynamic of the show (GochiUsa). The genre shifts suddenly into one I don’t like (Oregairu/Saekano) I mean there’s a lot of ways this could go wrong. My point I guess is that I don’t want to ponder it too deeply. It’ll definitely be in the back of my mind, and I’ll keep expectations low throughout the season (not just before the season like I did with Demi-chan). But I’ll just enjoy the ride for the most part. Because like always, at the end of the day I watch anime for entertainment.

Tsurezure Children: Ah yeah, give me more of that vanilla romance. This show is a collection of many many couples’ stories. Which means if you don’t like a couple, just wait for the next one. It’s also a short, which is great given this show looks to be skit-based with a focus on many couples in a given episode. I’m always down for some nice romance shows, so I’m looking forward to it. If it ends up being anything close to Honobono Log it’ll be a favorite.

Short Leash Shows

Aho Girl: So I’ve actually read the source material for this show. It’s... okay. It’s not bad, but it’s nothing special. So imagine my surprise when I saw it was getting an anime adaptation. Meanwhile I sit here waiting for Horimiya or Kaguya-sama Wants to Be Confessed To adaptation news...

Anyway, this show is about a really stupid girl and the poor soul who hangs out with her. All the funnies revolve around the stupidity of said girl and the guy who becomes the straight man. The show is in short format to fit the 4-koma format of the original source. Real talk though, even if this show was perfectly adapted I don’t think it’ll be anything higher than a 6/10 for me. But I might as well give it a shot, since it’s a short anyway, and I like anime. This is my life now.

Centaur no Nayami: In the same vein as Demi-chan and MonMusu (to an extent), we have this show about the life of a centaur living among other supernatural beings. I don’t know too much about this show other than the plot, so it could honestly go in any direction. If it doesn’t go the lewd (MonMusu) or the weird romance angle (Demi-chan), I think it has a chance of being a pretty relaxed show about the life of a centaur. Other factors ignored. Actually, what I find interesting is the studio making this, a Chinese animation company famous for making not-so-famous shows like To Be Hero, Cheating Craft, and Hitori no Shita. I don’t think that’s a good sign though when the first show in that list is probably their best one and I haven’t heard of the other shows they made. So I’m not too optimistic about this one, but plot-wise it does look interesting, which is nice for now.

Dive!!: How fitting for the season of summer. This show is about a diving team on the verge of closing. When suddenly, the coach asks to keep it open on the condition that one of the peeps from the team represents Japan in the Olympics. Wao, such ambition.

I don’t know much about this show, so I can’t say much about it. Plot-wise, it’s interesting given there aren’t much diving shows (if any). The studio though is the reason why I have this show in Short Leash instead of Full Chance. The studio is responsible for making... Piace: Watashi no Italian, Tsugumomo, and (the kicker) Battery. Yes, the same Battery that contends for the worst anime I’ve ever seen. So yeah, I’m a bit wary. But I’ll give it a shot, why not?

Hajimete no Gal: Sigh... this is my life now. Again. This show is about the life of harem main-protagonist #234852 and his scumbag friends in his quest to find a girlfriend. Because that’s all life is about. And if you don’t have one you’re a sad sack of stupid. Somehow, the gyaru girl MC asked out says yes, and shenanigans happen. I remember reading the manga for this a long time ago, and thinking “what the fudge is this baloney” (curse words changed). I mean seriously look at this. I have several questions, none of which pertain to the show’s plot (more like PLOT amirite).

Okay, bias aside, this show has the potential to be an interesting show about subverting expectations... in a way. There’s a reason why this show is in Short Leash and not One Chance, and that right there is pretty much it. As you can tell from the above paragraph this type of show isn’t really my thing. But that doesn’t mean I’ll just flat out dismiss it. I’ll give it a chance. A fair chance: I’ll keep an open mind to it. But if it is really that bad, then refer to the first paragraph for an “I told you so”.

Koi to Uso: Firstly, the plot of the show sounds pretty interesting. Here’s the description straight from MAL:

Lies are forbidden and love is doubly forbidden. In the near future, when young people in Japan turn sixteen, they are assigned a marriage partner by the government. People don't have to go through the trouble of looking for someone, and everyone accepts that the country will find a compatible partner to make them happy. Yukari Nejima is fifteen years old. He lives in a small corner of the country, and just can't seem to get ahead in life. Both academically and athletically he's below average. But within him, he hides a heart burning with passion! In this world in which love is forbidden, what will happen to him when he falls in love?

So yeah, that piqued my interest, and there wasn’t any obvious red flags, so I initially put it on my Full Chance list. But a few days ago one of my friends found out about the adaptation and responded, I quote:

“did Koi to Uso really get an anime”

“really”

Now he never said anything beyond that, so it’s kind of a moot point, you would think. Except this dude has some good taste, liking the same shows I like and the same characters I like (for the most part). Thus, I’m kinda wary about this show now. Stupid reason, I know, but trust your friends and trust your enemies closer. Or something like that. We’ll see what the deal is with this show soon enough, I guess.

Konbini Kareshi: So I remember reading about this show in an article about a convenience store in Japan sponsoring an anime. And now it’s real. Hmm. Well, corporate sponsorships aside, this show looks to be pretty interesting. It’s about a group of friends’ lives revolving around a convenience store. Yeah, sounds about right. I mean, I’m not expecting much from this show, so if it does end up being a nice slice-of-life (with romance maybe?), I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Made in Abyss: So I’ve heard good things about this one, but I don’t trust people anymore after I’ve been betrayed by their expectations multiple times. This show is a fantasy, so it’s kinda already out of my range of liked genres. The story is basically that there’s a giant abyss, people explore it, there’s a kid who wants to explore it when he grows up, his mom’s exploring it, and then he meets a robot boy, and stuff happens. Simple, right? Well, idk, it’s honestly kinda boring to me. And the character design looks weird. So why the heck do I have it on my list, much less on Short Leash? Well I might as well give it a chance, in case it is as people say it is. Benefit of the doubt and all that. And I feel like one episode isn’t enough to give it, so Short Leash it is.

One Chance Shows

(Editor/Writer’s Note: This is around the point where I got bored of writing these summaries. Notice how the posts get shorter and snarkier the further down you go. Isn’t that fun.)

(Also SO MANY SHOWS WHY.)

Gamers!: Look generic in every aspect: story, character design, etc. But sure, let’s watch an episode because this is my life now.

Isekai Shokudou: One of TWO shows with “isekai” in the title. One of them is apparently not actually isekai, but I don’t remember which one it is. This one is about some restaurant that serves normal people, and on Saturdays serves the same food to otherworldly creatures. Oh, so it’s this one. I mean this honestly sounds pretty interesting, but it’s so out there in idea that I just put it here. Though honestly it’s a hybrid Short Leash/One Shot show.

Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni: And then there’s this one which is about a guy who... surprise... gets transported to another world. Wow, that’s so original and I’ve never heard of it before. But wait, plot twist. He has his CELLPHONE. WOW. Truly a revolutionary idea that’ll sell all of the source material! (Actually that could be true... at least the second half of it).

Keppeki Danshi Aoyama-kun: This show’s about a guy who’s a genius soccer player who’s also fastidious, which for those of you who didn’t study your SAT vocabulary, means “very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail”. Interesting enough idea, so I’ll give it a shot.

Nana Maru San Batsu: A show about the world of competitive quizzes. Finally, I can learn about the subject which has eluded me for so long! Truly, anime is a blessing.

In all seriousness, sounds interesting enough, so, yes, I’ll give it an episode.

Netsuzou TRap: And here it is, ladies and gentlemen: the “Degenerate Otaku Show of the Season”! Featuring stuff such as yuri, NTR, and drama, it’s about two girls who are friends who have boyfriends, but find they’re more than just “friends”. To be fair, I didn’t want to watch this at first. But then I found out it was a short (10 minutes), and so I just put it on the list because why not.

Nora to Oujo to Noraneko Heart: Oh my god that description is too long. I guess this show’s about a girl and a cat. Sure, why not. And something with a princess, and one of them is probably named Nora. My knowledge of Japanese is truly great (/s).

THE REFLECTION: Okay, what the actual F is this description:

After THE REFLECTION, some of the people in all parts of the world are discovered with super powers. Some become heroes, and others villains. How did the Reflection happen? What was the cause of it? With many unsolved mysteries, the world is lead into turmoil.

I learned almost nothing from this description other than SUPERHEROES. But yeah sure, I’ll watch an episode.

Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e (why is the title so long): The best way I’ve heard this show described is a serious version of Baka to Test, which I’ve never watched. But the character designs look pretty good, so I’ll watch it I guess.

And that’s (finally) it! That was a journey, filled with 19 shows in total. I definitely won’t finish all of these though, maybe half at best, because let’s be honest most of these shows will suck. But hey, maybe there’s a show out there I didn’t list here that’s good. And maybe one of these One Shot shows ends up being good. That’s the fun of anime: finding hidden gems. Also watching it. That’s pretty important too.

Well, thanks for reading this long monstrosity. And yeah, I’ll see you in the next post!