#but for characters like- Michiru who isn’t new?? Go crazy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

leefi · 3 years

Text

Starira MBTI III - Frontier

1. Seisho

2. Siegfeld

3. Frontier

4. Rinmeikan

Aruru Otsuki: ENFP

Just go and reread Karen’s entry.

FJDKSLDKL in all seriousness leaps and bounds of Ne from both of them. There’s a reason they often catch themselves saying the same things and why Karen sees so much of herself in Aruru. Not only are they both Ne doms, they’re the exact same type! Ne and Fi together hold that naturally sunny and joyful disposition they both have, and that extreme, passionate love for the people they’re close to. And her Ne may be even higher off the charts than Karen’s. From the entirety of Captain Twins, to improvising lines on stage with Misora as kids, to being the embodiment of Frontier’s free-spirit, pioneering nature - all of this is extroverted intuition, chasing at every possibility under the sun, no matter how absurd it may seem. Her STRONG tertiary Te -- which is much stronger than Karen's, by the way -- supports her dominant Ne, and this is where her gung-ho attitude comes from. “We have to write our own play?? No problem, wheel out the whiteboard! Nobody has an idea yet?? That’s fine, I’ll throw one out and get the ball rolling! Misora and I need three more people for our play? What are we waiting for, let’s go find them!!” All of this is tertiary extroverted Thinking, implementing your ideas out in the world.

Misora Kano: ISTP

She is so compelling!!! I wish we got to see more out of her!! She's already cultivated so many of her talents (and her function stack is pretty strong for such a young age too) - she'd really shine if you just gave her the spotlight! The second ISTP in this series who had her inferior Fe develop super early due to having 1) a ton of siblings and working with so many people from such a young age and 2) a gf with Fi in her dom/aux slot. I’m gonna start with her Fe again because, like Futaba’s, it’s so strong for how young she is - she is quicker to pay attention to social convention than Fi-aux Aruru, scolding her whenever she refers to older Karen by her first name, for example (don't let her see Aruru call Akira -chan). We see aux Se in how energetic and in the moment she is - she grew up acting and doing backstage work and helping her family with their troupe, and we never really see her stuck in her head or wondering about things that aren’t in the here-and-now. Her partnership with ENFJ Michiru to create a new Troupe is going to be SO SO GOOD in the future. They really are going to draw the best out of each other. As polar opposites, they have the exact same functions, just in reverse (like Karen and Junna, or Hikari and Ichie)! So Misora has Ti-Se-Ni-Fe, and Michiru has Fe-Ni-Se-Ti. It’s the perfect setup for them to complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Honestly, I really wish we saw more out of Misora - she deserves more than just being Aruru’s sidekick, and that Feeling function in her inferior slot (extroverted, no less) means that it’s difficult for her to communicate what exactly it is that she wants, both for herself and from others. Like with Mahiru, it’s intuitively hard for her to speak up and say “Hey, I feel like I’m being left behind”. Somebody needs to tap Aruru on the shoulder and communicate that to her - Fe-dom Tsukasa, maybe, or ideally, Misora herself. I think that she’s been kind of shouldered into the straight-man role not just by Aruru but everyone at Frontier because they all have such big personalities (like...she’s got Aruru and Lalafin taking up space, which is already more than enough), and she’s likely been in this position before. She’s been helping her parents run a troupe since she was a child, and now she’s (unfortunately) playing second fiddle to Aruru for the most part at Frontier. She’s been mostly stuck using her Ti and Se, and I really really hope that AA has us seeing her use more of that tertiary Ni and advocating for the goals she has for herself. She deserves to shine so much!!

One final note - I find it so interesting that both ISTPs in this series have such strong senses of faith - Misora is cast as the Faith arcana (and, unlike some of the other girls who are cast as the “opposites” of their personalities, Misora’s seems true to hers), and Futaba obviously has that reverent faith in Kaoruko (and is canonically religious???). It’s a bit antithetical to the ISTP personality type, which values its individuality above all else and tends to be a bit of a rebel. I don’t have much to add here - it’s just an interesting observation.

Shizuha Kocho: INFJ

Lalafin: The Count was such a great actor! I’m sure he would’ve been great on stage too…

Shizuha: Heh heh, maybe!

Shizuha: But still, he never went back to his original persona even after his revenge. He had to stay as the count for the rest of his life.

Shizuha: And he was able to do that because he was good at becoming other people.

Shizuha: ...Although I cannot say if that meant he was happy.

Lalafin: Even after his revenge, he still wasn’t happy...That’s one point of view to make his sadness stand out even more!

Shizuha: Right?...Yes. I think I’ll stick to how I’m doing things now.

THE!! LOVE!! OF!! MY!! LIFE!!!!!!! I CANNOT OVERSTATE ENOUGH HOW MUCH I LOVE SHIZUHA KOCHO!!!! She was my first favorite character in the game (and still is!! But frontier gets no content :’)). As I said with Maya, INFJs are old souls - wise and idealistic, but typically reserved. Auxiliary extroverted Feeling shows up in how she suppresses herself so as not to intimidate or make others feel inferior - we see the exact same thing play out with INFJ sibling Koharu. She’s mysterious but amiable, kind and awe-inspiring - just like INFJ sibling Maya. And we see that token INFJ loneliness playing out with all three, as well. What I love most about Shizuha is that she’s a person of extremes. She is so cerebral and intelligent and dignified in a way that reminds you of Maya but she’s also so!!!! Fucked in the head!!!!! Ni doms baby!!!!!!! (I am fucking crazy. But i am free).

Unhealthy INFJs can develop this obsession with making themselves martyrs, and I don’t think I need to rehash out her AA conversation with Aruru (and her entire philosophy towards acting - see above quote) to get that across. I want to dive into this more. Truly I do. Shizuha deserves 10 pages of writing. But she is one of the last I'm writing and I've clicked through 3 different AA stories and accidentally found Rui and Yukko's first so I diverted and finished writing Yukko's entry and I've already spent so much time on this oh god the doc is already 18 pages single spaced uhhhh Shizuha my loveliest love I will write your character deep-dive later I prommy <333

(Also, seeing her synergy with Aruru is soo so cute. INFJ/ENFP supremacy!! Same dynamic as MayaKaren!)

Lalafin Nonomiya: ESFP

(Se dom).

She’s so athletic and energetic and in-the-moment and improvisational and quick on her feet (Se, Se, Se)! Fi over Ti aux because she has a much more subjective view of what’s “fun” - “what do I want to do? Where do I want to go? What kind of character do I want to play???". She’s got that trademark genki energy that so many ExFPs share, particularly that childlike zeal that she and ESFP sister Ichie both have. In her own way, Lalafin embodies Frontier’s pioneering, fun-loving spirit just as much as Aruru.

Tsukasa: Lupin is usually portrayed as mysterious and polished, no? But the way you perform him is more fresh and open -- almost like the main character from a children’s book.

Lalafin: Oh! Come to think of it, the book on Lupin I read when I was younger was written for kids!

Lalafin: It was about this big and had a realistic image of Lupin right on the cover!!

I don’t really have too much to add. She’s just a perfect embodiment of that excitable, fun-loving Se and Fi dom/aux duo. Childlike and simplistic-appearing at a first glance, but there's such a fire in there - just compare her to her ESFP twin Ichie!

Tsukasa Ebisu: ENFJ

I can see that use of Se - love of fashion, sweets, dancing, going out and enjoying life - yes, she had overprotective parents and could just be making up for lost time, but I think that nice material things are something she just genuinely enjoys for herself as well. So at first I thought ESFP, but we can’t ignore that enormously caring attitude she has for others and the way she gravitates towards caretaker roles, which indicates more Fe than Fi. So ENFJ it is! She has that Fe and Se, and we see that inferior Ti in how she struggled to realize something was wrong when she was trapped in the play. I love, love, loved her leading role in the Arise All You Sons event and how she and Yachiyo interacted to bring out the best in each other - we saw Yachi using a lot of that aux Ti to support Tsukasa’s inferior Ti and dominant Fe!

Her dominant Fe is SOOOO clear and contrasts to every other girl in Arise All You Sons. She’s the first to go “hey, wait, hold on - I’m not sure what (inferior Ti) but something about this feels artificial, and I don’t think it’s actually going to help the kids”. Inferior Ti/Dominant Fe speaks before thinking too - “Why did I say that?! Why did I do x?!” - it isn’t until aux Ti Yachiyo shows up to help her that she’s able to work through her thoughts. While she can get stuck in the rut of her own mind sometimes, Tsukasa is one of the most caring, empathetic, and mature characters in the series - and she does all this without sacrificing her own autonomy and individuality, which can be difficult for an Fe-dom to do.

#i'll link later this is scheduled and i'm lazy #revue starlight #starira #frontier #otsuki aruru #kano misora #kocho shizuha #nonomiya lalafin #ebisu tsukasa #me: i don't play favorites :)#also me writing shizuha's: ...i'm so sorry queen i will give you justice later #also also me: i don't have an ISTP bias.#also also also me: *cracking knuckles over keyboard for misora's entry* let's go girls #one last thing: I've mentioned the range that ISFPs have. BUT ENFJs??? jesus christ #see Michiru's Ni is more developed than Tsukasa's but Tsukasa's Se is more developed than Michiru's

14 notes · View notes

somegirlsnerdywords2 · 3 years

Text

Anime i’ve Watched

That begin with a Z!

Yep this is how i’m going to bring over all the anime and manga i’ve watched and posted about on the old blog. It’s not so detailed but it will have to do. Anything new I watch or read from this point on will have their own posts.

Zankyou no Terror:

Genres: Mystery, Psychological, Thriller

Synopsis: Painted in red, the word "VON" is all that is left behind after a terrorist attack on a nuclear facility in Japan. The government is shattered by their inability to act, and the police are left frantically searching for ways to crack down the perpetrators. The public are clueless—until, six months later, a strange video makes its way onto the internet. In it, two teenage boys who identify themselves only as "Sphinx" directly challenge the police, threatening to cause destruction and mayhem across Tokyo. Unable to stop the mass panic quickly spreading through the city and desperate for any leads in their investigation, the police struggle to act effectively against these terrorists, with Detective Kenjirou Shibazaki caught in the middle of it all. Zankyou no Terror tells the story of Nine and Twelve, the two boys behind the masked figures of Sphinx. They should not exist, yet they stand strong in a world of deception and secrets while they make the city fall around them, all in the hopes of burying their own tragic truth. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 9/10

Finished airing in 2014 with a total of 11 episodes.

My Thoughts: I could have watched more. Though I clearly really enjoyed this show I really do think it could have benefited from a longer run. More time exploring the plot and characters would have quite possibly elevated this particular anime to god level.

Zombie-Loan:

Genres: Action, Horror, Shounen, Supernatural

Synopsis: Do you know when you are going to die? Michiru Kita does, as she has the ability to see a "ring of death" on the necks of those around her—and the darker the ring, the closer one is to death. One day, she notices that two boys in her class, Chika Akatsuki and Shito Tachibana, have completely black rings. Seeking to warn them of their impending demise, she stumbles onto their secret: they are already dead, but are kept alive due to a contract with Zombie-Loan, a mysterious loan office. Of course, nothing comes without a price, as the boys must hunt down and kill zombies in order to pay off their debt. And once they learn about Michiru's "Shinigami Eyes," they drag her into their crazy world. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 6/10

Finished airing in 2007 with a total of 11 episodes.

My Thoughts: I don’t remember this at all. I can wager a guess that I did not love the art/ animation though and the rating I gave it originally certainly isn’t doing this title any favours. Also had two specials.

Zombieland Saga:

Genres: Comedy, Music, Supernatural

Synopsis: Sakura Minamoto dreams of becoming an idol. Unfortunately, reality hits her like a truck, and she dies in a sudden traffic accident. Ten years later, she wakes up in Saga Prefecture, only to find herself a zombie with no memory of her past. While still coming to terms with her demise, she meets a man named Koutarou Tatsumi, who explains that he has resurrected her and six other zombie girls from different eras for the purpose of economically revitalizing Saga by means of an idol group. Assuming the role of an abrasive manager, Koutarou begins scheduling events; the girls go along with it, eventually deciding to name their idol group Franchouchou. An absurdly comedic take on the idol genre, Zombieland Saga tells the story of Franchouchou's heartwarming struggle to save Saga Prefecture while hiding their zombie identities and rediscovering their past lives. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

Finished airing in 2018 with a total of 12 episodes.

My Thoughts: I recall the performance animation being an offence to my eyes. Ridiculous, chaotic and fun series though! Just be warned that there isn’t all that much depth here.

#Anime #past anime #zankyou no terror #Zombie-loan #zombieland saga

22 notes · View notes

medea10 · 4 years

Text

My Review of In/Spectre

How did I get into this anime? Let’s see what my check-list was back when I picked this up during the winter time. Does Crunchyroll have immediate rights to play it? Yes! Do I have one more slot open for weekly showings? Yes! Are you in the mood to hear Mamoru Miyano right now? Always! Let’s do it!

Kotoko Iwanaga is used to the abnormal and out of place situations. When she was 11 years old, she went missing for two weeks. During that time, demons asked her to become their “God of Wisdom”. However, Iwanaga lost her right eye and left leg as a result of this power. Fast-forward approximately 7 years later when she meets a college-aged male named Kuro Sakuragawa. She found a fascination with him, but kept her distance due to him being engaged to another woman named Saki.

But Kuro’s life changed when he and his girlfriend were on vacation and saw a kappa and the situation turned near-deadly. Due to an abnormality with Kuro, whenever it looks like he’s on the verge of death, he comes back to life. Thing is, his girlfriend Saki was absolutely set aback by this development and they wound up breaking up. With the news of Kuro and Saki splitting up, Iwanaga seizes this opportunity to spend more time with this young man as she asks for his assistance with dealing with the supernatural…

And to be her boyfriend!

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: At the moment, Crunchyroll is the only one with authority to this anime and several weeks after the premier, they gave us an English dub. So far, so good! I’m getting a chance to hear a few of the newer voice actors and even some veterans like Cristina Vee. Now that some time has passed, all of the episodes are finally dubbed after a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As you already know from sentence one Kuro spoke, yes, that is Mamoru Miyano playing another main lead role. Luckily for me, he isn’t spazzy and he isn’t a holy asshole. Next to him, we have Akari Kitou who I’m hearing quite a bit of as of recent. I really enjoyed her performance as this insightful little lady. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE: *Iwanaga is played by Akari Kitou (known for Aru on Hitoribocchi, Nene on Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, and Kaho on Blend S)

*Kuro is played by Mamoru Miyano (known for Cilan on Pokemon BW, Light on Death Note, Tamaki on Ouran HSHC, Koutaro on Zombieland Saga, Rin on Free!, Death the Kid on Soul Eater, and Tsukiyama on Tokyo Ghoul)

*Saki is played by Misato Fukuen (known for Georgia on Pokemon BW, Chibiusa on Sailor Moon: Crystal, Iggy on Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Pt. 3, Eruka on Soul Eater, Yami on To Love Ru, and Yin on Darker Than Black)

ENGLISH CAST: *Iwanaga is played by Lizzie Freeman (known for Cardinal on SAO: Alicization and Trish on Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Pt. 5)

*Kuro is played by Brandon Winckler (known for Eugeo on SAO: Alicization and Dale on If It’s for My Daughter…)

*Saki is played by Lauren Landa (known for Kyouko on Madoka Magica, Michiru/Sailor Neptune on Sailor Moon [redub], Annie on Attack on Titan, Juno on Beastars, Xenovia on High School DxD, and Sakuya on SAO)

SHIPPING: Well, let’s see if I can make any sense out of this.

*Iwanaga x Kuro: I guess it was love at first sight for Iwanaga as she seemed to have developed a crush when she first met him at the hospital. And you could tell how disappointed she was when Kuro’s relationship with Saki was growing. Even when Kuro is still in the post-breakup mode, Iwanaga has the balls to ask him to enter a relationship with her in the span of a single episode. And even after the two-year time-skip…I guess they are in a relationship. At least according to Iwanaga they are! It’s just that Kuro is so damned uninterested it’s so hard to tell. I’m not sure if I’m fully on board with this ship. Mostly because of Kuro’s disinterested attitude whenever he’s around his “girlfriend”! Iwanaga is very controlling in this relationship and prone to jealousy when Saki re-enters the picture later in the Steel Lady Nanase arc.

*Kuro x Saki: Yes, Saki was Kuro’s former girlfriend. Actually, it was more than that! They were freakin’ engaged! But because Saki got freaked out by the fact that Kuro could regenerate his body if he gets severely injured, she ended the relationship. Yeah, I can totally see how that would be shocking for anyone to go through. Due to the mystery that Iwanaga and Saki were trying to solve, the romance talks kinda had to be put to the side. It seems as though near the end that Saki has put her feelings of Kuro in the past and seems to have moved on for the most part. Plus when Saki was engaged to Kuro, she felt inferior to ANOTHER past love of Kuro’s. And now we gotta talk about…

*Kuro x Rikka: They’re cousins! BLOOD COUSINS! But Kuro has a special place in his heart for his sickly cousin! I mean, his thoughts of being greeted by Rikka at home compared to his real girlfriend are freakin’ damning. Plus both of these people have the same anomolie courtesy of their fucked up family. I’m not sure after the whole Steel Lady Nanase mess if Kuro’s perception of Rikka has changed for the worse. I just know that there was definitely something between those two. Kuro brings all his girlfriends to meet Rikka only for Rikka to say something like, “she’s not your type”.

ENDING: For the majority of the series, Iwanaga and Kuro have found themselves in the midst of a mystery involving the death of a famous actress. Seems simple enough in an anime like this, an idol (Karin Nanase) dies suddenly by a steel beam to the face and comes back to haunt the world of the living as a ghost (later named Steel Lady Nanase). But it can’t be that simple! There’s gotta be reasons for Steel Lady Nanase’s existence and Iwanaga is gonna figure it out one way or another.

I mean, she knows the real truth. It’s just that someone is pulling the strings behind Steel Lady Nanase still causing havoc. She’s still running amok due to a fan website dedicated to the ghost. And that site has A LOT of traction with fans of all sorts. Add to this mind-fuck, Kuro’s “lovely” cousin Rikka is the administrator for the website. As I’ve mentioned before, she has that immortality power that her cousin possesses as well. And Rikka uses that power to keep things going with Steel Lady Nanase.

Iwanaga went through several scenarios to disprove Steel Lady Nanase’s existence. And all but one of those theories were poked by skeptics and even Rikka who was stalking the forums. It wasn’t until Iwanaga came up with the theory of Nanase meeting a woman who looks exactly like her and that her doppleganger was the one that died at the construction site. Somehow that was the theory millions of fans took as truth and this was how Iwanaga was able to take down Rikka and her fansite.

So everything is gonna go back to somewhat normal. Karin Nanase can rest in peace, the spirits around the area can rest easy without being tormented by a crazy bitch swinging a steel beam, Saki goes back to work as a police officer, Rikka is still lurking around, and we get a cute moment between Iwanaga and Kuro.

This anime started out strong, but once you realize that this Steel Lady Nanase arc was going to be covered in 10 episodes out of a 12 episode series, it kinda leaves this series a little underwhelming. The idea of having one character with the ability to communicate with spirits and another character with an anomolie in his body preventing him from dying seemed really interesting. Especially when you have someone like Iwanaga trying to solve mysteries and coming up with the best case scenario in every case! But that’s just it, we only got two cases in this 12 episode series. The manga still seems pretty new and so I’m hoping to see more development with Iwanaga and Kuro. It’s an okay series, it’s just that I give a hesitant recommendation with the warning that this will drag a bit when we’re stuck in Steel Lady Nanase hell for 10 episodes. In an anime season that was filled to the brim with mystery animes, I actually found myself a little more invested in Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun. But that’s just me! You guys make your own judgments on which mystery anime of 2020 wins your vote.

Final note: The OP is a banger and as for the ED, it’s always a treat whenever Mamoru Miyano is singing!

If you would like to watch In/Spectre, Crunchyroll has all 12 episodes available for streaming in both sub and dub.

#anime review #in/spectre #kyouko suiri #kotoko iwanaga #saki yumihara #kuro sakuragawa #rikka sakuragawa

13 notes · View notes

lucyoftheabyss48 · 4 years

Text

Top 6 Spring 2020 Anime to Watch

I was going to make this a Top 10, but it got way too long, so I cut it to 6. (Also above pic is from BNA)

Anyway, these are the Top 6 Spring 2020 Anime that I personally think will be worth watching. For all of these included in the list, I have watched at least the first episode. But of course, this list will be very biased, because my beloved Studio Trigger finally has another show again.

I won’t be including sequels (but I’m watching Fruits Basket S2, Ascendance of a Bookworm S2, and I’m trying to catch up on Kaguya-sama and Tsugumomo)

Let’s start from Number 6. May contain vague spoilers for the first episodes of these shows. More below!

6. Gal to Kyouryuu

This one looks like trash. I know. I know, but give it a chance. Maybe all you’ll get out of it is its comedy and strangeness, and its wacky live action second half. But just let me tell you the best part of this show, and why it’s so high on my list.

First, a quick summary. A gyaru (gal) girl takes in a dinosaur that she found one day, and they spend their time just living life together. That’s it.

That is it, but I think there’s more to it than just that. This gal girl, Kaede, from what I can tell, has just been going through the motions in life. She felt bored and uninspired and unmotivated. Her life was just work, and whatever fun things she could find to fill up her free time.

But when she brings in the dinosaur, despite her many complaints, she still cares for him and thinks of him and is considerate towards him. And for her to have someone by her side, and looking to her as a companion to face life together, side by side, creates a little more fun and a little more motivation in her own life.

This isn’t a deep show or anything. I don’t think there’s some dark hidden message, unless you want to look at it that way. It’s a sweet little show about the relationship between two lost and lonely people, finding their way in life together. One of them just happens to be a cute dinosaur.

Which amazingly, no one seems to question. I think that’s great, because it just cuts out that whole obstacle of others coming to terms with the dinosaur’s existence, and goes straight to him as just an individual character, and his relationship with Kaede.

It’s just really sweet, I can’t say this enough. It might be a little subtle. But just watch out for the things that Kaede does for the dinosaur, like how she seriously thinks about what she can do to help him. I also think the dinosaur definitely helps Kaede let down her guard and be more relaxed about some things. Both their lives are just brighter with each other than without.

(Edit after seeing Episode 2, SPOILERS: Never mind about this not being deep or dark, the ending of Episode 2 has changed my mind!! Please watch it, and let’s discuss theories!!!)

5. Arte

If you’ve read any of my past essays, maybe you’ve found out by now that I live for the dynamic between really great and supportive partnerships. And maybe you’ve also found out by now that most of this list consists of said partnerships. Arte definitely has one too.

So Arte is about a noblewoman who wants to be an artist, but everyone is against that, because she’s a woman, and women at that time don’t become artists. And moreover, she’s a noble, and so she needs to be ladylike and get married so she can continue to live a comfy life.

Basically that’s the premise, and Arte goes about trying to find her path to becoming an artist. She eventually becomes the apprentice of someone we all know: Leonardo da Vinci.

If you like art, if you like history and historical figures (read: if you’re a Fate fan like me), or if you just like a cool and determined female MC, then this is for you. I would say this is comparable to Ascendance of a Bookworm, or the anime movie Miss Hokusai. It’ll probably have equal parts lighthearted comedy and darker seriousness, and plenty of coolness from Arte and Leo both.

4. Gleipnir

I read a good chunk of the manga a year or two before this came out, so I’ve been looking forward to this. The animation in this first episode was really good quality, and it’ll probably only get better from here. The story is basically, one day, our MC Shuichi suddenly gains powers to turn into a big stuffed animal suit. Everyone who has these powers to transform has entered into a big battle royale to the death to collect the most coins.

Shuichi just wants to live a normal life and get rid of this animal form, and Claire wants to find a certain someone (among other things). Shuichi doesn’t want to fight, doesn’t want to kill anyone — but he can’t do nothing because then he’d be killed. And he doesn’t even know yet why he was turned into this monster.

That’s where Claire comes in. She has a goal, but she doesn’t have powers like he does. She’d be killed instantly on her own, just as he would because of his hesitation. Just so you know, she gets it into her head that the best way for them both to live, and get what they both want, is for her to get inside his animal suit form, and control him from the inside.

They’d both die on their own, but together, they can survive.

I think the story is interesting and plenty mysterious. There’s a lot of good stuff to sink your teeth into. But like always, the core of the show, to me, is the dynamic between Shuichi and Claire, and how they both find purpose and motivation because of each other.

Also Shuichi’s VA is the same as Tanjirou. And Ikuto in Runway de Waratte. So that’s a plus.

3. Princess Connect! Re:Dive

So it might be easy to dismiss this as another fantasy adventure harem with the lackluster MC, but I’m going to argue for our mostly silent and robotic protagonist. We find out in the first episode when he wakes up that he lost his memory, so I would say that that’s the reason why he’s pretty emotionless. So as he interacts more with Kokkoro, and learns more about the world from her, he becomes more expressive.

I think the best example of this is his last line at the end of the first episode, which sounded a little more emotional and personal than any lines he’d said earlier.

On another note, the animation is top notch — way, way too excessively pretty and beautiful and detailed, but I ain’t complaining. The grass. The grass. Watch it, and you’ll see what I mean. And the lighting. The lighting.

The action animation and comedy both are pretty reminiscent of Konosuba. A certain character’s finishing move is pretty similar to Explosion. And like Konosuba, a lot of the appeal of this show will probably be the female characters, their wild personalities, and all the shenanigans they get into.

But also like Konosuba, there’s a small, hidden sweet side sprinkled throughout, in how their ragtag group finds friendship and companionship with each other, when they couldn’t find it elsewhere. If you look at it that way, I think this show can be sweet and deep in its own way.

2. Tower of God

This is a big one that I know lots of people have been looking forward to, as it’s an adaptation of a popular Webtoon. I haven’t read the webtoon yet, but I will eventually. I’ll just say that first, the art and animation here is really, really good. In particular, the scenery and background art is amazing, and really creates the whole atmosphere. A single change in background can change the mood in a second. You’ll see what I mean immediately in the first scene with the big door. Or a little later on with the blood splatter.

The animation of the movement in action scenes is smooth and fluid, no problems there. The art style may take some time to get used to for some people who may not like it, but it’s personally just the kind I like. Honestly it reminds me of a Shaft work. So if you like the Monogatari series, the use of art style and background art here gives a similar vibe, or at least I think so.

As for the story, it starts with Bam getting separated from Rachel, and he starts his journey to climb a tower so he can meet her again. We get pretty much no reason for why she left yet, but I think we’re in for something really good with this story.

(I’m planning on making a separate analysis essay entirely on a certain scene in the first episode, so look forward to that.)

1. BNA

Brand New Animal. Trigger’s latest work, the last few being SSSS Gridman and Darling in the Franxx, and their first movie, Promare. I am a huge Trigger fan, and I’ve been excited for this one for a while.

Our MC, Michiru, is a human, but she suddenly gets turned into a tanuki person. She seeks refuge in Anima City, because (surprise!) the humans don’t like the animal people. But not everything is as it seems in Anima City, and she teams up with the wolf person, Ogami Shiro, to find answers — thus getting caught up in something way bigger and stranger than she ever expected.

First off, if you’ve been missing the crazy and cartoonish animation from Trigger’s earlier stuff, then you’re in for a treat. This has an undeniable Kill la Kill vibe, but with Promare’s amazing popping colors and backgrounds.

If you want to say it’s another animal show, like Beastars and Zootopia, go ahead. Let’s just get that out of the way.

Moving on, Michiru escapes to Anima City, expecting it to be a place where all the animal people can live freely and be themselves. But it turned out to be a free-for-all, strongest wins type of society, where animal people are quick to betray their own kind for their own personal gain. And even side with the humans who discriminated them in the first place.

Michiru’s character will probably be a hit or miss for most people. Some might find her annoying, others charming and endearing. I like her, as I tend to like these types of characters.

But I think what’s great, is that she gets challenged. Her ideas and beliefs about both the animal people and humans are put to the test, and her suddenly becoming an animal person herself means that she’s in a unique position of being able to understand both sides. But she’s also still an outsider, and she finds that maybe neither side was really quite like what she once believed. And so, her place in either side of society will come into question for her. There’s a lot to dig into here, and I’ll probably make separate posts for BNA alone later on.

If you like Trigger, watch it. It’s probably more of a mix between Gridman and Promare than it is Kill la Kill, despite sharing many animation similarities (even a certain sports match that’s basically torn right out of Kill la Kill). If you want something that’s a little more different and subtle and intriguing than their usual works, then this is for you. If you liked Beastars, give this one a try too.

Some Extras

--that I wanted to add to this list, but I’ll just briefly put them here so this post doesn’t get any longer:

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

Shironeko Project: Zero Chronicle

Listeners

If there’s more you think I missed, feel free to put ‘em in the replies!

Upcoming Essays:

Analysis on Orb Scene in Tower of God Episode 1

Navigating the numerous Fantasy-Adventure genre anime of the Spring 2020 Season

Various BNA essays (I’ve seen episodes 1-6 already, will be tagged for spoilers)

Gal to Kyouryuu Theories

Maybe something Fate related, it’s my recent obsession

#anime spring 2020 #bna #tower of god #princess connect re:dive #gleipnir #arte #gal to kyouryuu

32 notes · View notes

naruseii · 4 years

Text

Myu review 7: 1997 Eien Densetsu

Before continuing further, I’d just like to mention this. This review is purely based off of my personal opinion. I personally am not that fond of SenShi and since this Myu contains that ship, my comments/views differ from the majority, which is okay! Whether we agree or disagree, let’s keep the discussion civil and let’s also respect each other! Thank you and enjoy this (long) review!

First impression: I was actually pretty excited for this Myu!! With Stars K being so amazing and this being the second to the last Myu of the First Stage, I really expected a lot!

•

Impressions: Actors/Actresses

Anza Ooyama (Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon)- OH YES QUEEN ANZA!! She was so good in this, it’s like she saved the Myu. I really liked how she portrayed Usagi in this Myu. Sad/Mature Usagi is so essential to the Stars arc and I think Anza pulled it off pretty well especially during I Miss You and her talk with Setsuna about Mamoru. She had her fun, silly Usagi moments but I think her more sad/mature/serious moments were the highlights of her character. Her Super Sailor Moon was pretty okay!! She had the mix of funny and serious Moon which created a good balance. Her Eternal Sailor Moon is obviously my favorite. I have to say I wasn’t as impacted as I was in Stars/Stars K but her Eternal Moon was still pretty good!! She makes her so strong/powerful and also really mature and lady-like which is why I love her as that version of Moon so much. Of course, she did well in all aspects and I just really really enjoy Anza-Moon a lot!! 💕

Ayako Morino (Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury)- Ah s***, here we go again. I really can’t stress enough how much I don’t like boy crazy Ami. I’m not a fan of the SenShi pairings so automatically I didn’t enjoy the ZoiAmi bits. This is not Ayako’s fault of course (it’s First Stage/general Myu writing) but seeing her act it out really didn’t settle with me. Ayako’s pre-Zoisite Ami wasn’t too bad?? She kinda overdid the “innocent Ami” but that’s nothing new. I quite enjoyed her Mercury though, because she really did break out of her “innocent Ami” character and showed her true strength as Mercury. Normally with these reviews I always prefer her Mercury over Ami and it’s the same with this one. She’s either lacking or too much, really.

Misako Kotani (Rei Hino/Sailor Mars)- MISAKO WAS SO GOOD IN THIS MYU!! I love her strong and sassy Rei and all her Rei scenes were so fun and interesting to watch! I really like how her relationship with the cast is shown through certain scenes (like the teacher-director switch scene) because it really added to her charm. Just like Ayako, she was given many scenes to showcase her character/character development and I think she gave off an amazing Rei and Mars. I love her voice and her acting so much here!! I’m sad Eien K is her last Myu because I’m really starting to like her a lot :^( .

Akari Tonegawa (Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter)- Akari wasn’t too bad of a Makoto/Jupiter! I really love her little movements and her facial expressions because they add more to her character. Her Makoto was more on the masculine side although she had moments which showed her girly side. Her Jupiter was lacking but, it’s more on the writing than her acting. I can’t really judge her voice on the singing aspect since she didn’t have a solo but, I do have to say her voice is quite powerful. Her dancing was okay and overall, I think she did pretty well despite not having much to do!

Akiko Miyazawa (Minako Aino/Sailor Venus)- Akiko was sooo cute!! I super love her Minako!! She portrayed the perfect fangirly Stars Minako and you can definitely tell from her gestures and how her voice becomes higher than usual (which was a nice touch)! Just like Akari, her senshi counterpart was lacking due to the writing. I think she had the potential to show a really great leader Venus! As mentioned before, her Minako was amazing and I think she touched on every aspect of the character pretty well!! I’m really excited for her next performance (and future ones)!!

Yuuta Mochizuki (Tuxedo Mask/Prince Endymion/King Endymion)- Just like in the previous Stars musicals, Tuxedo Mask/Endymion was hardly present. And when he was, he was typically walking around, getting attacked, kneeling and having few lines of dialogue. Even though he didn’t do much, I still think he did well in what he was able to do!! I hope they give him much more to do in Eien K since it’ll be his last Myu as Tux!!

Sanae Kimura (Haruka Tenoh/Sailor Uranus)- Oh yes!! Sanae was pretty good in this Myu!! She’s had really good scenes especially with Hiroko because their dynamic is just that great. Her Haruka really got to shine when she was with Hiroko. Their scene in Kick Out A Bloody Mystery and Orurean no Sei Senshi really showed off Haruka’s humorous and serious/dedicated side well. Her Uranus is still pretty strong. Her scenes with Moon, the Starlights and Galaxia really highlights her strength as Uranus (especially during the betrayal). Although Uranus (and Neptune) weren’t too memorable in this Myu, I think Sanae did a pretty good job in all aspects and got to portray her character pretty decently!!

Hiroko Tahara (Michiru Kaioh/Sailor Neptune)- Hiroko is just so so good. She makes me enjoy Michiru/Neptune so much!! I really do love her dynamic with Sanae because she actually gets to shine more/take the lead at times and she isn’t just Haruka’s femme gf on the side. As mentioned before, the mystery scene and Orurean no Sei Senshi were probably her best scenes as Michiru. As for her Neptune, she had much more of an impact that before. Especially during the betrayal scene where she said she’d follow Haruka anywhere she goes (she’s basically just re-enacting the scene from Act 1), it really felt genuine and I felt like she encapsulated Neptune and her emotions very well. She’s pretty great in all aspects and again, Uranus and Neptune weren’t too memorable in the Myu but she got to pull of her character pretty well!!

Rei Saitou (Setsuna Meioh/Sailor Pluto)- Oh my gosh I love Rei!! I really loved her scenes where she talked about spending her entire life alone yet still believing in love (or something like that). She really encapsulated Pluto’s loneliness and strength as a person and a soldier. She’s also had her funny moments which gave her a good balance of being humorous and serious. Her voice is amazing and she still dances pretty well!! Overall she did really great!! I super duper love her Pluto!

Chihiro Imai (Hotaru Tomoe/Sailor Saturn)- I think Chihiro did okay for her first and last role!! But I do think she could’ve done better. She captures child Hotaru a bit better than Keiko since she’s younger although, her delivery wasn’t too good at times. There were some points where she would sound emotionless and her movements were also kinda stiff. She has a good voice (especially for her character) but the way she says “Saturn” in To A Brand New World bothered me just a tiny bit. But otherwise, I think she was pretty okay!!

Mao Kawasaki (Chibi Chibi/Sailor Chibi Chibi)- I’m so glad Mao returned for this Myu although, her role as Chibi Chibi was very minor. Since Mao had exposure playing a child role in the past (Chibiusa), I think she was able to keep her acting pretty child-like. She didn’t have as much freedom as she did as Chibiusa but her monologue as Sailor Chibi Chibi and her song “Mou ii no” really amazed me!! She was really good!!

Sayuri Katayama (Seiya Kou/Sailor Star Fighter)- Oh my gosh can I just yell about how charming Sayuri’s Seiya is?? She got a good balance of leader Seiya/Fighter and soft/caring and charming Seiya/Fighter. I think her best moments were with Usagi (I Miss You) the other Starlights (Kick Out A Bloody Mystery) and Kakyuu (Kakyuu Ouhi to Three Lights). I think she captured more of the manga Seiya while having some bits of anime Seiya as well. To be honest, her strongest character is Seiya. Her Fighter had the leadership and care/concern but honestly, it doesn’t strike as much presence as her Seiya does. She has such an amazing singing voice and she dances pretty well so yeah!! I loved Sayuri!!

Hikari Ono (Taiki Kou/Sailor Star Maker)- Um...😔👉👈...I REALLY LOVE MY GIRL A LOT. She was so good okay. Honestly, she makes me less annoyed at Taiki altogether. She’s had her moments as the know-it-all (a.k.a ((sorry, language)) smartass) Taiki but she also had her funny/laid back moments too. I loved her scenes with Momoko or the Kinmoku gang because we really get to see the true character of Taiki/Maker which Hikari portrayed very well. I was surprised she had such a strong Maker because she didn’t really do much as her for the past 2 Myus!! She has the dedication (to mostly) Kakyuu and a strong will. Her singing is great and so was her dancing!! So yes 8/8 my girl did great!!

Momoko Okuyama (Yaten Kou/Sailor Star Healer)- Momoko is the CUTEST Yaten and you can’t convince me otherwise. I was watching the Stars anime when I watched this Myu and her Yaten was a breath of fresh air from her anime counterpart. She’s had her sassy moments but she was such a goof ball in almost all her scenes!! From solving mysteries to deciding on who the next leader of the Three Lights is, she was just so fun to watch! Her Star Healer was very strong and caring! I think she did pretty well in all aspects and I just love her!!

Sakoto Yoshioka (Princess Kakyuu)- YES FINALLY A KAKYUU!! I loved Sakoto!! She has such an amazing voice and I’m so glad they gave her more than one song to sing in this Myu! She really has the “other worldly” presence that Kakyuu has when she makes her first appearance. She was also very kind and motherly but in a different kind of way than Setsuna. She portrays Kakyuu’s emotions so well and she moves so gracefully which really made her capture Kakyuu’s character!! I’m looking forward to seeing her again in Eien K!

Tamami Matsumoto (Sailor Galaxia)- She's definitely different from Saori!! She has a lot more power and a lot more stage presence. She shows off Galaxia's dominant and villainous side really well. Although, I think she’s too mature for Galaxia. I see Galaxia as an intelligent kid but with lack of experience. Tamami’s Galaxia seemed like a queen figure (like Beryl or Nehelenia) who’s seeking revenge when she’s really just someone new to the scene. Nonetheless, I think she portrayed Galaxia well especially with her movement and her voice! And her reformed Galaxia was just as great!

Shadow Galatica (as a whole)- I’m surprised they didn’t include Iron Mouse in this one but even Aluminum Siren and Lead Crow considering that the Stars anime already ended by then and people should know Shadow Galactica but oh well I guess. They removed Pewter Fox as well for some reason but they made up for these losses with Tin Nyanko and Mitis (formerly known as Titanium) Keroko! Both Toni and Megumi did such amazing jobs portraying their characters in all aspects. Sailor Chi, Phi and Theta were amazing dancers and complimented scenes really well. I enjoyed them a lot!

Ryuji Kasahara (Kyaos/Chaos)- Don’t get me wrong, I love Ryuji as an actor and I did enjoy him in this role! But I really didn’t like the build/the writing for Chaos. In the manga he’s just like any other final boss at the end of each arc and since Chaos is the very last villain, he should be portrayed as the most evil creature to exist. Ryuji usually plays playful villains which is probably why they had to rewrite Chaos’ character. The teacher/director Kyaos was really fun to watch and he really played the two really well!! I just wish we could’ve gotten more of a serious/powerful Chaos from him.

Yuri Nishina (Queen Beryl)- So glad they brought her back from Gaiden! She makes an excellent Beryl!! Her voice is really suited for her character and she really shows the evilness of Beryl so well. She doesn’t do much dancing so her only movements are just swaying her arms when she attacks. That aspect kind of bothers me a bit in some scenes because it looks so lazily done even if her lines/scenes hold so much emotion. Regardless, I enjoyed her evil Queen Beryl as much as her reformed Beryl! She did well in both!!

Hidetaka Asano (Kunzite) & Akira Tomemori (Zoisite)- OH YES MY SHITENNOU BOYS!! I mean this time we only have half of them, but it kinda works! Zoisite had more of a role than Kunzite since he somewhat pursued a relationship with Ami. Due to that, Zoisite showed more of his masculine side than feminine side which really changed the atmosphere around his character. Kunzite on the other hand, was less of a leader and more of a casual person. Despite these, I think both Akira and Hidetaka were able to carry on their characters very well! They delivered their lines confidently and they have good singing and movement! I really enjoyed their performance!!

The story: I’m gonna change this part up! Normally I’d tell the story while inserting my opinions in at certain points but since Eien is longer than previous Myus (I think this one’s 2 hours?), I’ll just give my opinions on the story instead.

It was SO MESSY. This is like the first Stars Myu but even messier. The best way I can describe this story is that they fused both interpretations (anime and manga) of the Dark Kingdom and Stars Arc but also kinda tried to revise Stars K? There was just so much going on in general. Some parts can be understood if you’ve seen the anime or read the manga (or both) but if you’re a Myu-only person then maybe those things may seem unclear/unnoticeable.

[ACT 1]

I’m assuming this is because of the 2 hour time mark but Act 1 was super long. It kinda felt dragging at times. They also inserted a scene that wasn’t really necessary which was the “Little Match Girl” scene with (who I’m assuming is) Chihiro. It was just her talking to this entity (I think it’s Beryl?) while lighting her last match. The entity was talking about how darkness is gonna swallow up the world and how that last match won’t help her (which it didn’t) and through that, Queen Beryl got resurrected. Do you get what I mean??

But aside from that, the rest of Act 1 was just okay. It was a super long act and since there was so much in it, I didn’t find the transitions from scene to scene to be well executed. I think each Senshi/character got a fair amount of screen time although some didn’t really do much. All the musical numbers and scenes were great!! It’s just that there’s too much, really.

[ACT 2]

Act 2 was way shorter. By this point you should be getting the story but I still didn’t understand what I was watching. There was definitely a shift in atmosphere between the acts as Act 1 was more lively and fun (although it had a few serious moments) while Act 2 was more heavy and probably tried to focus on the story more. Most characters were well developed by then until we discover that some of them get redeemed or some of them are actually evil (or maybe they were pretending to be evil but were just good all along). I’d have to say that I preferred this section of the story more than the first. It just seems more well put together although it still hardly makes any sense. The unexpected shift of stance from the villains (evil to good or “good” to (very) evil) was a nice touch on their part. All in all, I think Act 2 or just the ending of the Myu really wrapped up everything pretty well. Despite all the many ups and downs, the ending was actually quite decent.

If you want to know about the story, I suggest you read the ‘97 Eien page on the SM Wiki: https://sailormoon.fandom.com/wiki/Pretty_Soldier_Sailor_Moon_%7E_Eternal_Legend

•

Overall opinion: As much as I really wanted to like this Myu, I can't. I had a hard time understanding what was going on & I had to watch this a second time just to make this review. The actors and actresses weren't bad, they all did such an amazing job; the story is just terrible. The concept they went for is good, it's just that the execution wasn't. I'm really hoping for the best for Eien K especially since it's the last Myu of the First Stage.

FINALLY!! GOSH THIS TOOK A WHILE. I actually watched this Myu with @missemperor back in May and we DID NOT enjoy it. I had to watch it again because the story never stuck to me and I forgot what everyone did in the Myu. To be honest, there were moments that are likable but the problem really is just the story. I’m really crossing my fingers for Eien K!! How about you? Did you like ’97 Eien? Did we agree on things? Feel free to leave your thoughts!!

((Character profiles are from @myu-resource , CD cover is from @galaxycosmos))

7 notes · View notes