#i got a decent way into the monogatari series

[haleigh-sloth]

Any anime recommendations?(besides mha)

OOF

Funny enough I don't even recommend the MHA anime LOL. Anyway.

My taste is pretty basic, not gonna lie. I doubt anything I can recommend knowing what I'm recommending is anything most people haven't seen. But I will do my best.

Just anime? Or manga too? 😭

Here is my list of current and completed series, but it's mostly, if not all, manga. I recommend pretty much everything on those lists (otherwise I wouldn't have/wouldn't be currently spending time on them 🌝).

But, since you said anime, I'll just stick with the anime I know are good (imo).

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood <-------the Brotherhood is very important. I really fucking hate the first anime and don't know why it even exists tbh. BROTHERHOOD. Also, I highly recommend the English dub. Usually, I don't. But for this particular anime the English dub cast was top tier (a lot of them are in the BNHA dub actually..though I still prefer bnha sub) and idk, it just really gets the story across really well with the English cast.

Fruits Basket: 2019 <------there are two Fruits Basket anime. The first one from 2001 stops at volume 6 (out of 23 total 😬) and has a shitty ending. The remake created in 2019 covers the whole story (well, most of it). However, if you want a good laugh, the 2001 version English dub is....hilarious. I will give it that. It's fucking hilarious. If you just want to laugh and not take it too seriously, just watch like the first half of the 2001 series in English lmao. For the 2019 I personally recommend the Japanese cast, because they used the same cast from the 2001 series and it doesn't fit the dark tone of the actual full storyline. That's just my preference though. Also, this is a love story at its core. The kind of love story that gives you butterflies lol.

Ouran High School Host Club: Oh how I wish this one would get the Fruits Basket treatment and get a remake covering the entire story. But alas. The anime is fun, it's goofy, it's ridiculous. But it's insanely popular for a reason. This anime literally has the same English cast as FMAB, so I recommend either/or, Japanese or English. It's great both ways. (this is a love story also, but unfortunately the anime doesn't capture that)

**fun fact, the first three listed here are all women creators :)

K Project: This one is really good, and is better as an anime because that was what it was first, before being broken down into different manga series (which I also recommend). There are segments to the anime though, it goes K Project (first season)---> K: Missing Kings (a movie that bridges the two seasons and is necessary)---> K: Return of Kings (season 2)---> K: Seven Stories (dives into different characters' pasts--because big cast). If you like shows with big casts where all of them get focus, and there's a ton of shit going on all at once that all meets at one endpoint, then this is the series for you. Warning though, unfortunately there are two fan service characters you have to stomach through. It's not so god awful it can't be ignored, but it's annoying at best. But again, it's not prevalent enough to take away from the whole series.

Durarara!!: I mean this one is old and it's insanelyyyyy popular. I prefer the manga, 100x more than the anime due to how confusing the anime gets with the storyline, but many many people like the anime for what it is. And I do too, as it's entertaining as fuck. There is also a second series called Durarara!! x2, which is basically a sequel (both series follow the manga, just....out of order), and Drrr!!x2 has 3 seasons within itself. But this series is good. I'm reading it currently and fucking LOVING it. The anime is super fun and ridiculous in a good way, highly recommend. This one is super unique. It has a large cast and several different POVs (the manga is split up into series covering the different POVs), and there aren't really any side characters, as pretty much everyone plays a decently relevant role in all of the story's conflicts. There are only 4 characters who seem to dominate above the rest of the cast, and they aren't even technically the main protagonists (anyone who knows this series probably knows who these characters are lolol)

Charlotte: idk if there is a manga but I watched the anime and it slapped. It's like 20 something episodes, it's fun, has conflict, lots of emotions, and a pretty decent conclusion.

Darker Than Black: this is pretty much just an anime. It has two seasons. It's been years since I watched it, and I've been meaning to rewatch it ASAP, but this one also is insanely good.

Silver Spoon: I'm planning to read the manga for the full story, but the anime was fun. It's a good breather from tons of action if you're needing something light hearted. ***same author/creator as FMAB :)

Death Note: highly recommend, but....most people have seen or read this LOL

#personal recs #anime recommendation #i'm much more of a manga person #but #certain ones are just better as an anime #darker than black and k project being great examples #god i need to rewatch darker than black #i hope these maybe introduced you to some new stuff #but i doubt it lolol #anime #manga #anonymous #tbh i have watched more anime than this #i got a decent way into the monogatari series #but it lost me #it's not that great #i have a few anime under my belt that i think sucked ass and wouldn't recommend lolol

[osharenippon]

'70s Harajuku (Part 2)

The Harajuku district in Shibuya has gained international acclaim as a hub of Tokyo's youth culture and fashion scene. Its streets are lined with cafes, boutiques, and well-known fast fashion stores, drawing a constant stream of tourists, fashionistas, and teenagers. However, before the arrival of billionaire retailers, foreigners, and media attention, this area's early inhabitants were the ones who truly shaped its unique character.

'70s Harajuku (Part 1)

There's been a few books written about Harajuku and its culture in the '70s. Famed photographer Shinpei Asai wrote "Central Apartments Monogatari" (Central Apartments Tale), published in 2002. Futoshi Kimizuka interviewed some creative professionals who had offices in the building for 2004's "Central Apartments no asobi" (Walking through Central Apartments). Yasuko Takahashi, Japan's first stylist, wrote extensively about her experience working and playing in the neighborhood during that era in "Omotesando no Yakko-san" (Yakko-san from Omotesando, 2012) and "Toki no kakeru Yakko-san" (Yakko-san Who Leapt Through Time, 2015). In 2019, Non Nakamura, who started out as Yakko-san's assistant, compiled photographs and essays from influential figures of the time in "70s Harajuku Genfuukei."

This same Non Nakamura contributed what I consider to be some of the most insightful and readily available essays on this period through her "20th Century Girl" serialization in Mononcle. These essays are accessible for free on their website (in Japanese, though Google Translate provides a decent translation). Nakamura's series chronicles the culture of the 1970s in Harajuku and the broader oshare influences of that decade.

The first essay discusses how she owes her fateful meeting with Yakko-san to rock 'n' roll. Nakamura was a teen during the folk music era when rockstars had long hair, worn-out T-shirts, and bell-bottom denim. She wasn't particularly attracted to this type of fashion, so when she first saw glamorous-looking David Bowie in a magazine, she instantly fell in love with him. Her other passion was the band Carols. She passed by a poster of them, with their regent hairstyles, motorcycles, and leather jackets, on her way to her part-time job in Shinjuku and was remarkably attracted to them. After work, she ran to the record store and bought their then-just-released first single, "Louisiana." When she got home and dropped the needle on the record, the sound of rock 'n' roll took over her body, and she was utterly fascinated with the band. Soon after, she got a boyfriend who followed the regent hairstyle/leather jacket/motorcycle trend of the time.

Nakamura hated studying and wasn't interested in school clubs and activities. She'd fulfill her curiosity about the world by reading the dressmaking magazine Fukusou and admiring the avant-garde professionals that worked in it, such as the photographers (Saku Sawatari, Daitomo Yoshida, Osamu Nagahama), the illustrators (Ayumu Ohashi, Teruhiko Yumura, Yosuke Kawamura, Osamu Harada, Tamie Okumura), the models (Risa Akigawa, Brenda, Ichizo Koizumi), and the writers (Takeshi Matsuyama and Ken Sunayama).

One day, Yasuko Takahashi, aka Yakko-san, started a serialization in Fukusou. In her inaugural essay, she wrote that if she were a teen, she'd probably be chasing her rock 'n' roll dreams and dating a rocker dude her mom disapproved of. These words resonated deeply with Nakamura, who found school tiresome, yearned for an artsy and glamorous world, adored Carol and Bowie, and was dating a delinquent high school dropout who didn't earn her mother's favor. She felt seen and understood.

In her column, Yakko-san published plenty of photos of her daily life. To Nakamura's surprise, she was friends with the guys from Carol and also worked as a stylist for David Bowie. In the 17-year-old girl's eyes, she was the most incredible woman alive.

As she recounts in her second essay, her deep relationship with the Fukuso magazine team started a few months before Yakko-san's inaugural column in the October '73 issue. One day during the spring of her senior year, she felt compelled to write a letter to the magazine professing her love for it. She dreamed of being an illustrator, so she included a bunch of her doodles. To her surprise, the editorial team called her home a few months later and invited her to their office.

After school, she changed from her uniform to her favorite clothes (which included a shirt she bought from a London import shop in the basement of Central Apartments and a gingham skirt she made inspired by MiLK) and eagerly made her way to the meeting. The editors inquired about her clothing and life, and their comment, "I sensed something in you that was not Yojohan-ish," stuck with her.

To understand the context of this comment, we must go back in time to the folk music fever of the '70s, when yojohan (4 tatamis and a mat) folk was at its peak. Yojohan referred to small rooms where impoverished university students lived, often idealized in songs about young love and melancholy that dominated the charts. Nakamura was happy with the comment because, indeed, she didn't like the poor and humid vibe of said songs. She was drawn instead to dreamy pop and rock. 

The teen girl left the magazine's office that day with an invite to publish a double-spread page in the June issue, full of her illustrations and thoughts. It was quite an achievement for her.

Encouraged by this experience, she didn't hesitate to write Yakklp-san a letter. And to her astonishment, Yakko-san replied! Before she knew it, they had become penpals and engaged in lengthy phone conversations. Thus began a profound friendship between a 17-year-old high school student and a 34-year-old stylist at the pinnacle of her career.

Funnily enough, Yakko-san feared meeting Nakamura and disappointing her. To the 17-year-old, it was amusing that a grown woman who organized Japan's top designer Kansai Yamamoto's show in London Fashion Week and had the initiative to collaborate with world-famous figures such as T-Rex and David Bowie would be intimidated by her.

But, as she recounts in her third essay, they finally met. First, a quick 10-minute meeting in a Shibuya coffee shop. And then a proper encounter at the renowned Leon, where she also met other cool people she used to see in the magazines. Soon after, she became a frequent visitor to Yakko-san's small apartment in Harajuku.

Initially, she was taken aback by the apartment's minimalist and compact layout, as well as Yakko's sparse possessions. Yet, within the broader context, it made sense that a trend-savvy individual in 1973 lived this way. It was the year of the Oil Shock, the first post-war recession and frugality was in vogue. Books like "Jonathan Livingston Seagull," an anti-materialism allegory, and Alicia Bay Laurel's "Back to the Earth" became bestsellers, reflecting the shift towards a more modest lifestyle.

Amid the growing popularity of the back-to-the-land movement in the United States, minimalism and healthy living gained global momentum. It was Yakko-san who first introduced Nakamura to these ideas.

Through Yakko, Nakamura also learned about "natural food," a relatively unfamiliar concept in Japan at the time. While a foreign concept to most, natural food was all the rage in the vibrant neighborhood of Harajuku, and locals bought it from the market in the basement of the luxury Co-Op Olympia condo. Additionally, a delivery service offered pesticide-free vegetables, spearheaded by a former Leon patron who had forsaken a successful creative career to explore his passion for sustainable farming. Through these encounters, young Nakamura began to comprehend that life presented various paths, and fashion encompassed not only clothing but also a holistic lifestyle, including food and living habits.

The fourth installment focuses on Sayoko Yamaguchi, one of Japan's top models of the '70s, who had worldwide success and shared a close relationship with Yakko-san. Nakamura observed that during that era, the most prominent models were of mixed heritage (haafus), characterized by big eyes, long eyelashes, and wavy hair. Notably, Lisa Akigawa was one of the most renowned among them. In contrast, Yamaguchi stood apart with her almond-shaped eyes and black bob haircut. Her unique style served as an inspiration for many Japanese girls, fostering their self-confidence. Her signature eyeliner makeup and haircut were emulated by numerous admirers. While Yamaguchi enjoyed global fame at international fashion weeks, she became a familiar face to the Japanese public through her Shiseido commercials. She was among the numerous icons in fashion and culture closely connected to Yakko-san.

During the 1970s, Sayoko Yamaguchi was one of the faces of Shiseido cosmetics.

Another notable figure in this circle was the director Juzo Itami, whose tight relationship with Yakko-san was evident in his introduction to her first book, "Aisatsu no Nai no Nagadenwa" (Long Phone Conversation with no Greeting), published in 1976. This title offered one of the first comprehensive examinations of the "stylist" profession, which was relatively obscure in Japan then.

In the fifth essay, Nakamura writes how she found out about the profession through an article at AnAn, which briefly described a stylist as "people who lease clothes for fashion shoots, run around Harajuku with large bags, line the soles of model's shoes with duct tape, coordinate clothes, and attend shoots."

As she discovered through her work with Yakko-san, stylists do way more than that. And that was also what Itami tried to convey in the introduction to Yakko's book:

"I want to introduce my friend, Yasuko Takahashi. She is a first-class stylist. When making fashion editorials or commercials, a stylist can materialize a suitable house, the right interior design, or a place just like the one you're looking for out of thin air. At the same time, they also find props that are suitable for the location and source costumes. Depending on the situation, they will interact with the models and even advise on hair and make-up, so they must be genuinely knowledgeable. Collaborating with Yakko is, without exaggeration, a heavenly experience for me. She is a consummate professional. Once upon a time, when she couldn't find a suitable location, she wandered through town all night, shedding tears of frustration until she eventually discovered one. I mean, she's persistent. Her tenacity isn't limited to her professional life; in her case, she's unwavering in allowing her creativity to roam freely."

Yakko and Itami first met after being introduced by famed photographer Shinpei Asai, who had his office at Harajuku Central Apartments. The three of them worked together on a serialization Itami had at Shūkan Bunshun magazine in the sixties, which had Asai in charge of the photography and Takahashi doing the styling.

Takahashi was impressed by Itami's sensitivity to trends on a global scale. When she went to New York, he told her to buy a Yellow Pages-sized book, "Whole Earth Catalog," which inspired his weekly column. As covered here, "Whole Earth Catalog" was highly influential among Japanese media and creative types in the late 60s and early 70s, molding much of Japan's fashion culture.

But back to Non Nakamura's column, stylist was a novel occupation. She notes that stylists became highly sought after in the 80s, with the effects of the D.C. brand boom and the bubble economy. A diverse range of stylist roles emerged, including magazine stylists, advertising stylists, men's fashion stylists, and even specialists in props and food styling, each requiring unique skills and expertise. But back then, when Yakko-san was one of the few professionals doing this job, a stylist was in charge of everything, from the models and shooting locations to the costumes, dishes, houseplants, furniture, or anything else the shoot may need.

One day, Yakko asked Non to work as her assistant on a Noriyaki Yokosuka shoot. She promptly accepted, even though she had no idea who the photographer was. However, when she mentioned him to the boys in her design school, they were impressed and told her that he was the one who photographed Sayoko Yamaguchi's Shiseido posters, as well as doing the Parco ads. Parco, the Shibuya fashion building, had the buzziest campaigns in the country under Eiko Ishioka's art direction.

When she got to the shoot, the photographer asked her to get some poppy flowers. Faced with challenges in finding these specific flowers, Non embarked on a frantic quest, purchasing as many as she could to meet the photographer's expectations. However, to her astonishment, the photographer didn't even glance at the flowers. That's when she realized that being a stylist was a tough job.

David Bowie was the theme of two installments of the column. Yakko-san introduced him to legendary Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto, who was behind some of his most legendary costumes, and they established a close working relationship in the 1970s. During her tenure as Yakko's assistant, Non had the opportunity to meet Bowie in a 1977 photoshoot in Harajuku. One of the photographs from that session, captured by Masayoshi Sukita, ultimately was used as the cover of Bowie's 12th studio album, "Heroes."

The cover of Bowie's 12th studio album, "Heroes," was shot in Harajuku. Yakko-san was the stylist.

She also dedicated a chapter to another one of her idols, Eikichi Yazawa, whom she met just a few weeks after Carol's farewell concert as he prepared to make his solo debut. She recounts that his charm so enchanted her that she realized she didn't actually love her boyfriend at the time, breaking up with him shortly after.

Nakamura watched Carol's final concert twice. Along with the rest of the country, she followed the telecast, aired a few days later. As she recounts, she and Yakko-san were working in Harajuku on a Saturday afternoon when the stylist took a look at her watch, said, "oh, it's starting soon," and rushed to a design office at Central Apartment that had a TV (minimalist Yakko-san didn't have one at her place).

But she also was one of the lucky few who actually were at the proper concert in Hibya Open Air, which she attended all dressed up in clothes from the trendy Creamy Soda boutique in Harajuku (the owner was notoriously close to Carol's members). Infected by the feral atmosphere, she ended up in the front row and even tried to invade the stage. She succeeded in getting her right foot in before being kicked out by the security guard. But here's a twist: the security was also a regular at Harajuku's Leon coffee shop.

In the 1970s, the hippiest motorcycling gang in Tokyo was The Cools. They were known for their cool styles, hung out with models and celebrities, and were always at Leon. Of course, like all of Japan's young bad boys, they were also big Carol fans. And they actually became close to the members. For their final show, the band wanted to mimic the Rolling Stones -- which had the Hell's Angels as security -- and they invited The Cools to escort them and guard the stage. 

After Carols disbanded, the Cools were actually hired by a major record label and became a proper rock band.

In the 1970s, Harajuku remained a hidden gem, undiscovered by the masses. Yet, this small district nestled within bustling Shibuya played an integral role in the histories of the most extraordinary individuals. As the rest of the country caught on, they sought a taste of Harajuku's uniqueness, propelling it into the phenomenon it has become today.

#carol #the cools #70s japan #70s japanese music #harajuku #70s harajuku #non nakamura #sayoko yamaguchi #david bowie

[yue-muffin]

reveal your watch & rewatch drama list

@mejomonster thanks for tagging me!

currently watching

technically...a lot of things, because i have a habit of starting things and not finishing them for a million years.

Kei x Yaku: Abunai Aibou: decided the suspense would kill me, so i’m waiting until it’s finished. finally, a bl drama from japan that’s not set in high school, a comedy, or a very romance-centric story. cherry magic was an exception, i typically like shows that are not heavy romance-centric as a rule. kei x yaku scratches that particular itch. apparently i like crime jdramas so it definitely scratches two itches.

Night Doctor: to be fair, i was actually able to watch an episode without subs and only got a little lost on the medical scenes. its like. a little melodramatic but still a fun ride. my favorite part about medical jdramas is seeing whether the characters who have chemistry end up being like ‘nah, job comes first’ because it makes people so pissed off they teased a romance for the whole season only to drop the ball.

Toumei na Yurikago/An Invisible Cradle: a jdrama i didn’t really expect to be a thing? or that i’d watch? it’s a medical drama (yeah again) about an obstetrics and gynecology clinic, from the perspective of a teenage girl who is interning there. it’s a decent drama that touches on a lot of sensitive topics and hard choices people have to make. also, seto koji, who plays the doctor, is super hot.

Taira no Kiyomori: what’s this, a taiga drama!? or, something that’s not medical or crime related? yeah, i wanted to finally try out a taiga so i grabbed this one bc i’ve always been curious what the heike monogatari is all about yet have no patience to read about the whole long tale. and it’s like. actually, japan does make good historical dramas, they just don’t make a whole lot like china does and usually it’s going to be pretty grounded in reality, not fantasy. taira no kiyomori is one of the Big Ones produced by NHK, 50 episodes long (WAY longer than the average jdrama) and the production value is very good. i just. need a certain brain turned on to watch this. and subs. the old timey, ultra polite and formal language is a headache. i understand some of it, but it takes me a lot longer to process.

Imperial Coroner: a cdrama finally lol. the mystery and action element is getting good, i just haven’t gotten back to it in a while. the mc is kinda annoying, kinda endearing? imma continue it when i have the brain power to concentrate on such long episodes.

dmbj: like. all of them. i have not watched a single season/adaptation to completion except for TLT1 and the time raiders movie. like i said, it’s hard for me to concentrate on long episodes and at some point i kept getting side tracked by the NEW installment in this series and forget to go back to the other ones lol...

Not Me: wait i almost forgot this one. similar to kei x yaku i needed it to finish before i went all in. it’s sooo good but waiting every week was killing me.

Hikaru no Go (chinese): its so good. i just. need to finish.

plan to watch

...though i probably shouldn’t until i finish the ones up above.

cdramas: word of honor (was waiting until it finished!! then i got busy. then i was like am i going to be emotionally devastated bc if so i need to save this for the right moment lol), love and redemption (i swear i’ll get back to it!!)

kdramas: strangers from hell

jdramas: none, surprisingly

rewatching

none really bc i’m too busy finishing all the in progress ones lol. but when i get back around to dmbj i like to start from episode 1 bc if not i’m lost in the chaos of where exactly we are in the timeline again lol.

Tagging: @jaecomments though you might’ve done it already!

#tag game #im terrible at finishing things lol #please don't let me start anything until im done with my watching list

[beneaththetangles]

Light Novel Club, Chapter 28: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, Vol. 1

Welcome to our Light Novel Club discussion of Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai!

As a reminder, the Light Novel Club discussions are now held publicly on the Beneath the Tangles Discord server. I bring this up because this time around, we actually have a number of participants in our discussion on Discord, which made for a very lively discussion this time around! That said, because of the sheer volume of the discussion, we cannot post the entire discussion here without making the post way too long, so we instead have a highlight reel of our discussion. So let’s jump in to the discussion on this light novel that inspired a popular anime, featuring a rascal, a bunny girl, and a strange take on Schrödinger’s cat!

-----

1. What are your overall thoughts on the novel?

Firefox789: My overall thoughts on the novel can be summarized like this: it was an enjoyable and addictive light novel to read. The character interactions really made me enjoy the novel even more than I expected, as some parts of the novel couldn’t be adapted into the anime whether due to the challenge of including them or time/budget contraints (ex. Sakuta’s inner monologue). Character interactions were definitely one of the strong points of the light novel.

Closet0taku: It’s interesting to approach a light novel after having seen the anime (and movie). I enjoyed the LN as it gave more depth to all of the characters I encountered in the anime while also setting up the mysteries that would take another half-dozen light novels to solve. I think, though, that had I read LN #1 first before the anime was released, I’m not sure I would have continued on with the books; the scars on Sakuta’s chest and Kaede’s syndrome might not have intrigued me enough to continue. On the other hand, the denoument with Koga might have been the hook to keep me going. Having very much enjoyed the anime and movie, I find the LNs are indispensable in fully appreciating the whole story, and what points the author was trying to make about culture and relationships.

stardf29: I definitely liked the whole idea of various socio-psychological issues being reflected in the real, physical world. It’s the sort of teenage drama I enjoy from all these anime/manga/light novels in high school settings, since they are issues that people struggle with even after their teenage years, and the novels definitely worked in those struggles well. The novel could also be fun when it wanted to be fun, and the relationship between Sakuta and Mai was also nice, so yeah, definitely a great read overall.

RyanDH: I thought the novel was very fun and relatable. Lots of times, depictions of teenagers can be cringey or out-of-touch, but I found all of the dialogue and characters to be believable and well-written.

Twwk: I mostly enjoyed it! I sometimes got caught up in how poorly the series functions as science fiction—more on that later— and in what I felt was novice-level writing from the author, but when I wasn’t tripped up by those foibles, I blazed through the volume, ravenous for one page after another. It was a fun read.

BambiBethy: I have a confession…I’m only on chapter two because busy mom life! So it’s too soon for me to assess the book as a whole.

2. What made the light novel an enjoyable read for you? (via Firefox789)

stardf29: One reason I like light novels as a medium is how we get to see the thought processes of the characters, and getting into Sakuta’s head here definitely added to how much I enjoyed the novel.

RyanDH: Sakuta was an extremely relatable protagonist for me. I was in a similar situation while still in high school: no phone and a bit of a cynical view of the atmosphere and politics involved in being a teenager. Phones open up so many doors for social interaction, but it also means that nearly every second of young peoples’ lives is now dedicated to maintaining and improving their relationships with their classmates. Look at Kaede’s situation: one missed message and suddenly her friends and her whole class had turned on her. They never get to be truly alone, and I find the whole concept really interesting to try to understand at a deeper level.

BambiBethy: So far I am really enjoying the banter between Mai and Sakuta.

3. If both an anime and LN/manga for the series is available, do you have a preference as to which order you approach them? (via Closet0taku)

FIrefox789: I have learned that my best approach for getting into a title is see how the community reacts to how well the source material is being adapted. If the community thinks that a light novel has a decent to above average adaptation, I will usually watch the anime first and then decide whether I want to read the novels. Bunny Girl Senpai is a case where I was sold on the series to the point I decided to fork out $140 on buying the TV series and movie on Blu-ray and also buying the novels as they released in English officially. However, if it’s the case I hear that the anime isn’t doing the best job at adapting the source material (ex. Horimiya 2021), I will most likely stick with the source material whether it’s the manga or light novel. Manga is sometimes a debatable option for me because I have never liked manga adaptations of light novels as most of the time, they deviate from the novels.

stardf29: So I’ve had the opportunity to approach anime adaptations from all angles: seeing the anime first and then reading the novel, reading the novel first and then watching the anime, and a “hybrid” approach where I read some of the novel, and then watch the anime which goes beyond the point where I read. While I would generally prefer to read as much of the novel as will be adapted in the anime before watching said anime, realistically I often don’t have the time to read that much with all the other stuff there is to read. So the “hybrid” approach is a nice way to see how much I might be interested in an anime adaptation in the first place, and get a feel for how good the adaptation is.

RyanDH: I definitely like to read something before watching it, if possible. It gives my imagination more creative freedom to create the world and characters on my own, rather than just imagine the ones I’m already used to seeing.

BambiBethy: I actually just finished the anime and movie. I usually don’t like reading books if I’ve already seen the live or animated adaptation, but in this case it’s ok since I can imagine the characters from the anime. Also there’s a lot more depth in the LN.

4. In the first chapters of volume, it’s revealed that this novel would be almost a nonlinear story. What was your reaction to this literary writing style? (via Firefox789)

Close0taku: I personally like non-linear novels, films, anime, and other media. It’s a challenge to the viewer to make sense of it. I know some viewers do not like it and find it distracting or confusing—tell me a story, don’t make it convoluted—since it’s obvious that the narrator knows exactly what has happened. But that’s really not how we live life, is it? We often find out “the rest of the story” after we’ve been introduced to people or places; besides, if we were (in Bunny Girl Senpai) to learn at the start exactly the reason for Kaede’s illness or Sakuta’s scars, it wouldn’t be nearly as dramatic. I like mysteries, and while the classic mystery seems linear, it shares the same sort of twists and turns as you discover more information. So, I have no issue with it.

RyanDH: I found the story easy to follow, and it moved at a pace that was just fast enough to progress, but also slow enough to have solid characterization of the main couple, as well as some of the side characters.

stardf29: The funny thing is, this series shares some similarities with Bakemonogatari, which is also non-linear in nature and starts after the protagonist has experienced supernatural events already. (I even read the first Bakemonogatari novel soon after reading this novel…) I think it’s an interesting setup for various reasons. First of all, you don’t have to waste much time with the protagonist getting shocked that supernatural events are happening in the first place. Second, it provides some hooks for future content to revisit the past. Perhaps the most notable thing is yet another thing that Rascal shares with Monogatari: The first story that is told is the one focusing on the girl that the guy is primarily romatically interested in. Because other girls are involved with what happened to them beforehand, this helps “keep them out” of the romance picture; I don’t have to worry about getting too attached to those other girls and not being able to support the “main girl.”

Twwk: That’s really interesting that you make that connection to Monogatari, stardf29. I don’t recall thinking it when I watched the anime series, but while reading the light novel, I kept returning to Monogatari and thinking that it must have influenced it. Rascal is almost a more palatable version of Monogatari, easy to engage with but also less creative (not that a bunny girl isn’t an interesting way to begin a novel series!).

5. The novels get a lot of praise for portraying the relationship between our main duo, Sakuta and Mai, very well and with an entertaining writing style. What do you think makes their relationship so special? (via Firefox789)

RyanDH: What was so funny and likable about their synergy was the shock factor involved in some of their banter. I could NEVER imagine saying to a girl some of the things Sakuta says while poking fun at Mai, but the fact that she responded similarly always made me laugh.

Closet0taku: Sakuta has almost no filter. He often says what he feels. He has a lot of respect and integrity where Mai is concerned, but he can’t turn off his teenage self, either. He’s unapologetic about trying to steal a kiss from Mai (he’s unsuccessful in LN 1), if not more. Mai tries to match Sakuta’s frankness, but falls short, and embarrasses herself when she does. It’s this twisted repartee where both are learning about the other through a variety of trying circumstances as they both come to grips with the strange goings-on.

stardf29: There’s something to be said for the gap in Sakuta’s and Mai’s statuses: Sakuta is kind of the loser guy in school (for various reasons), while Mai is a famous actress. Under normal circumstances, the two shouldn’t even ever talk with each other, but because of the whole Adolescence Syndrome, they find not only a reason to talk, but also a chance to understand each other beyond the statuses they have. As others have said, they also play off each other well, which helps balance out the more serious moments between the two.

BambiBethy: Their personalities are amazing! The way they just clicked when they first met is really special. I love imagining their banter and facial expressions.

6. What do you think of Sakuta and Mai individually as characters?

Firefox789: Sakuta is definitely a great portrayal of a non-typical male teenage light novel protagonist. What makes Sakuta a great character isn’t that he manages to get the girl, but how he does. Sakuta has enough self confidence in himself that he can approach the beautiful actress, Mai Sakurajima, without having second doubts about how he sees himself in comparison to others. He never compares himself to Mai or gets down on himself for wanting to approach her. Sakuta felt attracted to Mai and just approached her without any second thoughts. A reason why Mai was willing to open up to Sakuta was because he was honest to her about why he was approaching her and why he wanted to help her. If Sakuta had lied to Mai even once, it would have been game over for him, so him being honest to her was the one reason why his relationship with her was so successful. A minor complaint about Sakuta is that he can sometimes blurt out the most blatant and inappropriate comments known to a teenage boy, but he has enough good qualities to himself that most readers can overlook his flaws.

Closet0taku: Sakuta is a noble soul trapped in a teenager’s body. “I just can’t ignore someone in trouble,” is his life philosophy. He’s proven it with Kaede, and will demonstrate it again with Mai. I think the consistency of his character is maintained throughout the LN. As far as Mai is concerned…she’s a little more undefined as a person—we don’t get to hear her inner monologue, so we have to take her at face value. I can’t say whether a celebrity would really act this way, but I am happy Mai is doing so.

7. What do you think of the other characters that appear in this volume?

Closet0taku: I like how all the other characters have their quirks—the dismissive Futaba, vulnerable Kaede, brash Koga, reliable Kunimi. They’re not terribly well-developed yet—that will happen in the future—but they are good touchstones for Sakuta to interact with as he moves throughout his day trying to get to the bottom of Mai’s Adolescent Syndrome.

stardf29: I don’t have too much to add about the main characters; they’re both good protagonists for this story as others have said. There sure are some fun side characters, though, which is good because they will be in focus in later volumes. Kaede is your classic Overly Attached Little Sister, though perhaps she has more reason of being so attached given her past. Kunimi is a nice guy friend to support Sakuta (his girlfriend is kind of a jerk, though, to put it nicely). Tomoe is… silly. I mean, it’s one thing to kick a guy because you misunderstood when he was helping a kid, but to ask him to kick you back as penance? Definitely an amusing first impression. And Rio provides the scientific info dumps and assistance with figuring the whole “Adolescent Syndrome” out, and I do like these sorts of “professor” characters like her.

Twwk: Aside from the mains, I definitely found myself liking Tomoe. As stardf29 notes…so silly. What an unusual introduction!

8. What do you think of how the story uses the idea of “Adolescent Syndrome” in general, and the concept of Schrödinger’s cat in this volume?

Twwk: It confused me—though that’s not the novelist’s fault. I thought Adolescent Syndrome was a referrence to being a chuunibyou, as if these occurrences were chuunibyou come to life. But I later gathered that the syndrome is actually completely made up for this series. I do think that using this invented syndrome though, along with the use science elements, weakens the story. Before the discussion above comparing the series to Monogatari, it was more The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya that I was most reminded of. That series—and Monogatari as well—uses the supernatural in a way that makes the science fiction possible, and thus veers it toward a direction where the novel doesn’t much have to explain its science. But here, it feels like we’re supposed to accept the science presented, and that’s problematic because it’s not written particularly well. It feels like the writer did about an hour of research and just went with it, which is fine if your story involves espers and goddesses along with aliens and time travelers, but not when Sakuta turns to Rio for “hard science” advice. If the author just forgot the science angle and say, made Rio into some other type of character (she doesn’t particularly seem a good scientist as she is, by the way, guzzling coffee from beakers), I would have more readily accepted Schrödinger’s cat as an idea just put forward by an adolescent, and it would work in this supernatural environment.

stardf29: I actually liked the usage of Schrödinger’s cat in the story; maybe I’m just more interested in science overall, but I thought the reflection of this bit of quantum mechanics into real-world phenomenon was done pretty well. It’s not so much science working in weird ways to me as it is some kind of supernatural force that has “hijacked” scientific concepts. In that sense it does make me curious as to what this whole “Adolescent Syndrome” actually is, and if we’ll learn more about where it comes from.

RyanDH: So well said stardf29, I agree 100%. A supernatural force “hijacking” science is exactly the vibe I got from that portion of the book, and that theme definitely carried over into the second book as well. I believe our intrinsic need to understand and classify the world and wrap up all of these findings into what we call “science” can leave us with certain biases when we experience something so out of the ordinary

Twwk: So you both like how science is woven into the plot? “Hijacking” science is an interesting way of seeing it, but it’s use in this novel remains a wall for me. When you allow your work to enter the realm of science fiction, it needs to feature a sense of realism related to that science, and somehow talking science without letting it guide the principles of the story feels like a cheap plot device, like, “Let’s throw science in this story to make it distinct! One of the girls can even be a science nerd!” But perhaps that’s just coming from someone with way too much bias for sci-fi novels.

stardf29: Maybe likewise because I’m more of a fantasy person, I can think of this more as “the fantasy-zation of science” rather than science in and of itself?

Closet0taku: I’m fine with the scientific parallels to quantum theory and relativity, and in particular the theories of observation (which go beyond physics and into philosophy) that give rise to Mai’s manifestation of the syndrome.

9. How much can you relate to the struggles that Sakuta or Mai go through?

Twwk: Related to the question earlier about their relationship, I like “watching” Sakuta and Mai. They have a fun report. I don’t necessarily relate to them because I find them a bit idealized—Sakuta is a little too self-aware, confident, and strong, and is too easily able to charm Mai, who on the other hand is walking wish fulfillment—though if I had to pick one, I find her more relateable in the sense that she’s struggling under a weight that she doesn’t necessarily need to carry, but still is unable to lift off herself. I don’t think that’s unusual for people to experience, especially when you’re a teenager.

stardf29: I think what I relate to most, moreso than the characters’ Adolescent Syndrome-related issues, is the whole idea that there’s some kind of “atmosphere” within a certain group (like the students at a school) and how people will get looked down upon for trying to ruin that atmosphere by doing something that “stands out.” That is definitely something that I feel is stifling about socializing, and Sakuta breaking past that to confess his love for Mai was a great “ruin the atmosphere” moment in the book.

Closet0taku: I don’t know that I can relate to their particular struggles, as I think high schools in the U.S. are somewhat less focused on the “atmosphere” and the impenetrable cliques that form. I won’t say it’s unique to Japan, but it is certainly endorsed by its culture.

=====

Thanks for reading, and special thanks to everyone who participated in the discussion! I would love for future discussions to also have readers like you joining in, so if you are interested, join our Discord server and check out the Light Novel Club channels! You can also join to peek in on our discussions live, to make sure you don’t miss anything we talk about.

For March 2021, we will be reading Tearmoon Empire, Vol. 3! Our discussion will begin on March 20th. We will also be announcing our April 2021 title on the Discord soon!

#Light Novels #Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai #Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai #J Novel Club #Discord #BtT Light Novel Club #Articles #Author: stardf29 #Author: Firefox789 #Author: Closet0taku #Author: RyanDH #Author: TWWK #Author: Bambibethy

[evajellion]

Why Suketoudara is (one of) the most well-developed characters in Puyo Puyo

You ever just look back at how far the Puyo Puyo and Madou Monogatari franchise has come, and think about how much the characters have changed over the years? 

Some have become main stay recurring cast members, while sadly some others have been completely left in the dust or remain in Quest or other spin-off titles. Others become more amazing in hindsight, such as Schezo and Rulue (even if most can argue SEGA dropped the ball on their character in recent times), starting off as slightly minor characters, getting their own arcs.

Witch is also pretty incredible to think about, what once was a mere mook enemy became one of the most popular characters, obtained her own spin-off title, and co-starred in a Madou game with Schezo.

Then you have the most interesting case imo, which is Suketoudara. What makes him so incredible? When you look at his actual personality and character, and how it’s changed across games… for the better!

Since I said I would talk about this after seeing @superbuffalo007​‘s post, I decided it’s time the unspoken truth is finally said-- which is Suketoudara’s character across the games.

So originally, Suketoudara started off no differently than Witch and Draco. The only huge key difference was his character design, in which rather than being a cute humanoid girl… Suketoudara was a funny fish with human arms and legs that liked to dance. His design was goofy albeit uncanny (especially in the PC98 Madou), which probably got some designers at Compile to chuckle, nothing more.

He was a blank slate enemy, nothing more, nothing less. And once we got the first two Puyo Puyo games, which had “Manzai” based dialogue for comedic purposes. We learn that this funky fish prides himself and his beautiful legs. I mean, to be completely fair… he does. Usually in these games (and Puyo Sun), Arle was the straight man while Suketoduara was the goof.

Out of nowhere, the guy skyrocketed in popularity. He, Nasu, and Carbuncle were easily marketable characters due to their distinct, funny appearance which I assume made them very popular with younger fans. In commercials, you would probably often see this character be frequently used-- that’s how iconic his design was. His personality though, was about as shallow as everyone else’s.

This changed of course, in 1996 and onward, where Compile decided “hey, maybe we should do more with this character besides just having him dance”.

In 1996, Madou Monogatari Hanamaru Daiyouchi Enji (Big Kindergarten Kids) would be released for the Super Famicom. Rather than the usual dungeon-crawler, this game took inspiration from the likes of A Link to the Past, Final Fantasy, and Earthbound in terms of its overworld design. More importantly though, it took what was once mere mooks, the most popular characters, and made some of them into full-on major bosses you had to fight.

Amongst those characters are Nasu Grave, Skeleton-T, Mini-Zombie, and Suketoudara (called Jr. in this game).

You know who wasn’t? Uh… Witch and Draco, if you can believe that. Yeah, that’s right. Suketoudara was a major, if not the main antagonist for a good chunk of this game, while Witch and Draco remained mere mooks. That’s pretty incredible if you ask me!

He’s the typical schoolyard bully/delinquent, going around causing problems for several towns and even stooping as far as to steal eggs from dragons. Suketoudara constantly meddles in Arle’s quest, and it only comes to an end one day after sending Arle a letter, in which he challenges her directly at her school. Turns out he just happens to have the last Secret Stone.

And at the end of the game, after Arle defeats Devil, the true main antagonist? Suketoudara has a complete change of heart, asking for Arle’s forgiveness, realizing he focused too much on his training, even saying he wants to be Arle’s henchman instead.

He even calls her “sis”, in a relatively friendly way, after everything he had done.

Whether or not you consider this game canon, it added a lot to Suketoudara (if this is the same as the one in the Puyo Puyo titles, and not Jr. as in a child of his). Suketoudara was a foul-mouthed bully in his youth, a complete contrast to the innocent, playful Arle. But he changed for the better after Arle told him to reflect on himself. That is way more characterization than Draco has ever received.

Suketoudara got fleshed out further in a couple of DiscStation games, both a year before Hanamaru and two years after, we would get some really interesting development, which would of course come from his interactions with another character.

DiscStation Volume 9 is (presumably) when we would first see Suketoudara interacting with Serilly in the game “Madou Sugoroku”, a Mario Party-esque game that seems to have no real story, pairs of characters are just competing while Harpy serves as the game hostess. This would be one of the earliest instances of Suketoudara being shown to have a crush on Serilly.

DiscStation Volume 18 would give us Serilly’s Happy Birthday, a game where Serilly uses a magical stone to go up to the surface in the hopes that she’ll make a friend that will celebrate her birthday with her, rather than leaving Serilly to celebrate it alone.

While I am sadly uncertain about the full details of this visual novel, it seems that in Suketoudara’s route, he collapses due to a drug Witch had made, so Serilly nurses him back to health by making an antidote. This leads to Suketoudara, a normally brash and selfish character, to become warmer and open up to Serilly. Again though, this is a loose translation of what transpires.

Lastly for DiscStation, we have Madou RUN! 

A game featuring Arle, Schezo, Witch… and not Satan, not Rulue, not Draco, but Suketoudara! In this game, our four protagonists compete in a game of tag set up by Momomo, for an object known as the Dragon Ball, which can grant any wish.

Oddly enough, rather than it being about his dancing, the only wish on Suketoudara’s mind is that he wants to be closer to Serilly. Mind you that the other three characters are more interested in the power of the Dragon Ball to become stronger, while Suketoudara just wants to improve his relationship with a friend he has feelings for.

His attitude in this game is notably far less aggressive when compared to how overly competitive Witch and Schezo are, a far cry from how Suketoudara used to be in the earliest Puyo Puyo games.

In Puyo Puyo~n, we have yet another cheerful Suketoudara, as opposed to the grouchy, territorial one we saw in past mainline Puyo titles. Much like the previously mentioned DiscStation games, Suketoudara is primarily just interested in Serilly’s presence, stuttering in a shy manner around her, and feeling crestfallen when Serilly says that he’s only a friend.

He only starts to lash out against Arle once he thinks that Serilly only called him a friend because another person was embarrassing her. To be fair, pretty rude of Arle to make comments or butt in. Overall? It seems that Serilly has had a positive influence on Suketoudara, but he still had some of his temper.

In Puyo Puyo Box, nothing interesting happens, but Suketoudara definitely mellowed out in the Quest Mode. Similarly in Minna de Puyo Puyo, Suketoudara only wants Arle to watch him dance, which she ignores in a rude manner.

After a couple years of going missing, Suketoudara returns in Puyo Puyo! 15th, and is arguably, the most friendly of the returning Compile characters next to Zoh Daimaoh.

Unlike Satan, Rulue, and Schezo, who are rude and dismissive of the Fever characters, Suketoudara seems happy to meet new faces and actively encourages them through dialogue usually related to dance. No mention of Serilly is made, but that just proves that unlike Rulue, he can go without thinking or talking about his love interest for every two scenes.

And also unlike 90% of 15th’s roster, he doesn’t get screwed over by the fake wishing medal. He makes a simple, short wish where he says he wants to be first to do solo dances.

Puyo Puyo 7, in my opinion, is the peak, friendliest Suketoudara has been in any game. Ringo runs into him, and rather than being actively antagonistic, he explains that he was with Arle (possessed by Ecolo) and got lost, so he asks for her help. In exchange, Suketoudara assists for a short period of time. He tries to persuade Rulue out of attacking him, manages to hold a decent conversation with Satan and Carbuncle, even showing concern about Arle’s strange behavior! 

He, along with Satan, are the only Madou characters in 7 that were genuinely worried about Arle. Schezo, Skeleton-T, Draco, and Rulue did not care in the slightest. He has grown from not wanting Arle around at all to being a friend that does care about her!

Puyo Puyo 20th… sadly took a step back, with Suketoudara obsessively searching for his shoes. A lot of the characters were jerks in this game though, so it’s not a problem exclusive to him. If anything, I’d argue he’s the tamest example and just being plain comedic.

Thankfully, in Puyo Puyo Tetris and Puyo Puyo Chronicle, Suketoudara was back to being his cheery self, unlike in 20th. He just wants to show off his dance moves, has friendly enough conversations with Arle, Ringo, and Ally-- playing Puyo just for fun rather than an offense reason…

Ess on the other hand… yeah, she’s straight-up rude to him, and he rightfully defends himself. I should note that through all of these games, Serilly went completely unmentioned, which might mean that Suketoudara actually got over his infatuation for Serilly. Even with her grand return in Puyo Puyo Chronicle, the two never have a conversation.

That being said, I definitely do think that Serilly’s kind personality, and if taken as canon, Suketoudara’s rivalry with Arle in Hanamaru, definitely molded him into being one of the most grown characters in the entire series. He went from being the typical jerk with only thing on his mind, to being an upbeat, helpful character that is willing to put dancing aside when there are greater matters at hand. Puyo Puyo 7, Tetris, and Chronicle are the arguable proof of this.

That’s why I like this character so much. That’s why I feel the fan-base kinda takes him for granted-- they don’t know about his evolution throughout the games. He went from a funny jerk, to a guy with a crush, to someone with a confident and friendly personality.

Because of that… I am honestly completely fine with Suketoudara staying for future mainline games. Even if he doesn’t add much, at least he isn’t as actively unpleasant as he was in Compile’s early run.

#puyo puyo #madou monogatari #suketoudara #serilly #long analysis post!!

[puyopreservation]

Update: 05 Jul 2020

I’ve been looking into GoFundMe.

To make sure what I’m getting us into. I try to make it a point to be as transparent as possible with you guys (besides my real name, which GoFundMe will display, I gotta see if I can change that).

And with that transparency I do wanna let you know I am gonna ask for more than I’d like to ask of you.

I’ll likely repeat this when the time comes to launch the fundraiser. But here it is first: Whatever the final price is, I shall raise it by 2,9%. And whatever you’d like to donate, please add $0.30 to that if you can. (Unless I’m misunderstanding this, please let me know if I do. This is too much math for me the Mod, appreciated if you do it for me.)

Once again, this fundraiser is not meant to Gatekeep existing content on this blog. That’d be stupid. But around 10% of it will likely go to Scanner, the hurdle that keeps books that likely aren’t scanned on the internet (such as the Waku Waku Puyo Puyo Dungeon Manga, more examples to come) from being in physically in my possession to digitally in yours. Everything else will go up when my orders arrive.

While I’ll gladly scan everything I got when only the scanner has been covered and I’ll dutifully will keep watch of this blog regardless if I got my money. Please remember: it’s not very fun to work on a project such scanning these books you feel like you wasted money on.

I don’t think scanning them is unimportant. I do want them to be out there for everyone (hopefully some people translate them too). But it sure won’t fun scanning them all with a mindset they’ve been a money sink.

No stretch goals, because I don’t want more money than I asked for. GoFundMe allows to have raise funds over the asked amount and I don’t think I can turn that off. And I sure don’t want all that extra money (I mean I do, but I’ve gotta stand by my principles).

What if everything I’ll raise that goes over the amount I asked for goes to someone else’s GoFundMe? Preferably a charity. Just throwing that out there without knowing what charity to give it too...

The estimated cost of the fundraising.

1,099.64 USD (plus some possible shipping cost adjustments) for all the Puyo Puyo/Madou Monogatari/Disc Station literature I bought with the intent of preserving (whether they’ve been preserved already or not, I didn’t know at the time).

A decent scanner I’ve been eye-ing that’s 279 EUR (313.74 USD). But I’m sure I can find a cheaper one that’s just as effective for 80 USD or something. You guys’ opinion? What should I do?

Plus possibly whatever the price of the topic below is!

Google Drive or Dropbox?

I need either one of these to publicly store everything I found and will scan. 

At this time of writing, the folder I store everything in is currently 7.30GB and counting!

Google Drive’s default storage is 15GB it can store everything I have so far. But I do wonder that will last? With how fast it is growing. (And it has to share space with my personal stuff as well.)

A Google Drive Storage upgrade to 100GB will cost 19,99 EUR (22.48 USD) a year, 100GB is more than efficient I should think. And I’m gonna add that first 22.48 USD to the GoFundMe amount should we go with that. Everytime afterward I’ll pay the yearly fee it myself. Because I don’t wanna burden you guys with yearly donations to this blog.

With. That. Said.

Despite that I write my Fanfics there. I hate Google. I’d rather use Dropbox. But Dropbox’s default storage is 2GB. But the most simple paid upgrade is absolutely OVERKILL for what this blog tries to do!

119,88 USD per year for 2TB! Something I’d likely have to fundraise every year and I don’t want that on my conscious even if you guys are cool with it.

The only way I’d be okay with that price if there were more moderators to split the difference on that price each year. And while this blog is open to having more moderators (Mod Mamono just wanted to be called that), there were no actual plans to have more, Mod Mamono still rather have that not on his conscious.

Strawpoll! You guys choose: https://www.strawpoll.me/20510661

Google Drive (No upgrade to 100GB.)

Google Drive (One time payment of 22.48 USD through the GoFundMe for 100GB storage.)

Dropbox (Yearly eBegging for 119,00 USD.) 

Last word on this future fundraiser for now.

I do my best to stay as transparent with you guys as possible. I wanna let you guys know what you’re in for. I hope you believe me on that. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something went awry on my end.

If you help me out I’ll give you guys credit for the stuff I’ve bought with the bought with the intention of preserving. All of it that can be scanned anyway. It’ll be painful for one guy to do. I won’t by grateful for the arthritis that would certainly give me. But I’ll sure be forever grateful for helping me out. (The blog will still be here, regardless.)

I’m not planning to pull this stunt ever again. At least not on a big scale where I feel the need to have my money back.

Some pictures of things that should be arriving that don’t seem to have been scanned yet:

These two aren’t books, these are CD-Roms. The most expensive items here... Hrrrmmmmnnnngh... They hold some Disc Station tidbits. And includes the end (not the middle it seems) of Madou Monogatari: Mano and the Mysterious Hat (Look it up, it’s a real thing).

(INSERT PICTURE OF the Compile Gallery 123~ぷよぷよ-そして魔導物語へ~ CD-Rom here.)

These two above seem to be especially obscure, not even sure if there’s more until I have my hands of them. Seems to be an adaptation of Madou Monogatari: Hanamaru Dai Youchienji /  Madou Monogatari: Big Kindergarten Kids. (Please verify that for me if you can.)

Can a translator identify this series? For now all I have to go on is Ladybug’s Puyo Puyo. Ladybug being the publisher it seems.

You’ll notice that the 4th volume is missing. That’s not a coincidence, you’ll be doing me a favor if you can find the fourth one. Preferably as a PDF. This is the cover. This is all I have to go on:

And of course the Waku Waku Puyo Puyo Dungeon manga and Typing of Puyo Puyo. As shown off here: https://puyopreservation.tumblr.com/post/622644155518189568/listen-up-puyo-puyomadou-monogatari-fans

The rest I ordered is already online and in the collection I’ve gathered.

It’s 4:30 AM, I hope there are little to no typos. I hope it’s as clear as possible. Feel free to raise your hand if it isn’t. I’m pressing Queue. Good night.

#mod mamono #preservation update #puyo puyo #madou monogatari #translation request #disc station

[medea10]

My Review of Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku

#anime review #wotakoi #wotaku ni koi wa muzukashii #narumi momose #hirotaka nifuji #tarou kabakura #hanako koyanagi #naoya nifuji #kou sakuragi

[hapuriainen]

Hapuriainen’s Animation & Comics & Games of 2021

I started this way earlier but it’s almost May already... But anyway here’s the 2021 annual roundup for archival purposes.

Manga

Attack on Titan

Well this was a thing. I don’t think the ending was completely unexpected or against the kind of themes the story had, but I still didn’t like it and in the last 4 or so chapters my enthusiasm plummeted. Though most of my dislike for the ending stems from the fact that it had a ship I hate. A later revisit may get me to appreciate some elements of the ending more but right now I don’t feel like touching the series at all.

One Piece

My interest towards One Piece keeps reaching all time lows. I still have little idea of what’s at stake in the current arc and there are far too many characters, most of whose names and affiliations I can’t remember. Lately it’s been endless action scenes where the main characters feel mostly unnecessary. But at least Robin got a decent fight after almost two decades and I still like Yamato. Hopefully we’ll get out of Wano this year.

Other manga: Witch Hat Atelier, Case Study of Vanitas, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Awards given: Best non-romantic relationship (Noe & Vanitas)

Animation

Digimon Adventure tri 5-6, Digimon Last Evolution, Digimon Adventure 2020

Finally managed to get these off my list. I was very excited for all the nostalgia when Tri was first announced, but in the end watching it was a complete chore when the characterisation was bad and the plot was unnecessarily complicated and managed to drop the ball on the major elements it introduced. Last Evolution was a lot more enjoyable for me since it was a single contained story that knew what it was doing.

Adventure 2020 on the other hand was also a huge disappointment, for not doing anything interesting with the characters and having way too much Taichi/Agumon shilling. Worst part was when the cast split towards the end so I thought we could get even a couple of episodes without them, but in a rage-inducing moment they kept popping up all the time anyway for no other reason than to take screen time away from other characters. I’m aware that there’s a lot of nostalgia reasons why I like the original Digimon Adventure, but I still think there’s a lot of things it did far better than the reboot.

Yashahime

Another huge nostalgia related disappointment. The plot is far too complicated for a setup that wouldn’t need to be more complicated than “the kids of the characters from a show you like go on an adventure!”, and I really don’t care all that much for Towa and Setsuna and their drama. But I am still here for Moroha and her family reunion at least delivered properly.

Awards given: Best Side Girl (Moroha)

Zombieland Saga

I have never in my life been into idol shows, or zombies, but this one had such good character designs that it’s always been on my radar. Though ultimately what made me watch it was that I thought the manager was really funny in the OP. 

Awards given: Best character designs

Other anime: Blue Reflection Ray, Umi Monogatari, Nanatsuiro Drops, Fairy Ranmaru, Inari Konkon Koi Iroha, Futari wa Precure, Tropical Rouge! Precure, Magia Record s2, Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero s3 (already discussed these on my magical girl blog)

Awards given: Best Girl (Laura, from Tropical Rouge Precure), Worst girl (Nanatsuiro Drops), Biggest WTF (YuYuYu’s confusing timeline), Worst Romance (Nanatsuiro Drops), Best OP (the song for Fairy Ranmaru)

Pompoko, From Up on Poppy Hill, Mirai no Mirai, Tenki no Ko

These had been on my watch list forever. None of them raised particularly strong feelings in me, Pompoko was kind of meandering, Poppy Hill had nice slice of life moments but I didn’t care for the relationship drama, Mirai expected the audience to be more interested in a toddler than what I’m able to afford to a movie, and Tenki no Ko had too many elements that relied on teenagers behaving impulsively for me to really like it. However the yolo scene in the hotel was great.

Awards given: Worst Boy (Tenki no Ko mc-kun)

Raya and the Last Dragon, Onward, Soul, Luca

Liked Soul the best, Onward had a good ending, Luca did nothing for me and I really didn’t like the character design, and did not enjoy Raya.

Awards given: Worst Side Girl (Sisu)

Games

Breath of the Wild

What replaced SNK as what I’m into the most. At first I played until Hateno lab in 2019 and put the game on hold for over a year because I couldn’t stand the horses and returning to the game wasn’t inviting at all. But then I finally got to it, ditched the horse and played over 100 hours. I like the open exploration, colours, angst and characters so much and I’m currently on my second playthrough. Can’t wait for the sequel.

Awards given: Best Boy (Link), Best Side Boy (Revali), Best Romance (for once I actually ship something and it’s Link & Zelda here), Best visuals, Best Work

Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity

Was hesitant to pick this up since I’m very bad at anything resembling an action game, but I wanted more of the botw cast and this was the only option. Thankfully the easy mode practically plays itself, and after several missions I really got into the game and had a lot of fun with the gameplay and character interactions. The story sucks though and I hate what they did with Link... (as in they did nothing with him)

Awards given: Best Music

Plans for 2022

Botw2 is what was looking forward to the most but now it’s moved to 2023...

But the new Pokemon generation is coming out this year right?

Evangelion has been on my watch list since 2014, maybe I’ll eventually get to it if I keep including it.

I’ve completed Skyward Sword earlier this year so it’ll be on the 2022 list if I manage to write one

Tiger & Bunny 2 and Spy x Family just started!

Tokyo Mew Mew New in summer

[usaghinanami99]

@pichipichiparadise  Didn't I say you should be prepared for this? Well, here it comes! I hope I spelt all the titles right 'xD And sorry in advance for any grammar mistakes, I always do my best when I write in foreign languages but I'm just your average teenage fangirl who loses all of her reason before what she loves the most. Before starting, I should say that I love both slow romantic ballads and fast-paced pop songs on an even level, so I don't think I am too biased towards any of the two genres; truth to be said, MM offers some great pieces for both types of music, and I like all of them. Now, here's what you were all waiting for, i. e. my complete ranking of all the songs from the anime Mermaid Melody!

48) Ai no ondo Sorry, but it's just a big "no" for me. The tune is so irritating that it somehow annoys me to listen to it. 47) Koi wa nandarō? Urgh. Same as before. Irritating tune and even more irritating singer – it's higher on the list just thanks to some passages in the lyrics which make me think of some sort of sexual innuendo, and since I am both a hopeless romantic and a huge pervert, I vastly appreciate it XD 46) Oh, yeah! Alala Does this remind you of exaggeratedly cute idol songs? Because it's the impression it gives me, and it's not a good one. (OK, I'm overdoing, there are definitely some idols I like, but Jpop rarely clicks with me if it's not related to anime in some way) 45) Splash dream! Er... this is getting boring, but I just cannot stand Asumi Nakata's voice 'xD However, this is where the tunes stop being outright irritating for me, and it's just a matter of them failing to catch my heart. 44) Aurora no kaze ni notte I'm on shortage of comments already, I guess I'll just say that Ema Kogure sounds like a 2 year-older and that I keep on forgetting how the tune goes. 43) Star! Meromero heart Irritating singer, forgettable tune, stupid lyrics (I know it's done on purpose, but still). On with the next one. 42) Mother symphony OMG, I feel guilty for puttin your favourite song so low! Actually, I must admit that I've never thought about the lyrics the way you put it, and maybe reading your comment will help me appreciate this song a bit more ^^ However, this spot is where the songs start being just boring and uninteresting to me instead of plain unsufferable, so it's still something... I guess? 41) Nanatsu no umi no monogatari – Pearls of mermaid As I said, boring and forgettable and little else. I think I've already lost half of my readers by now. 40) Birth of love Really? Did they waste Eri Kitamura's talents to make her sing this so-so piece? That's a crime on my book! 39) Piece of love I said I love love songs, but that's simply an understatement: I am a literal sucker for slow, deep, emotional songs about feelings and such. But this... what I can see is that it tried to be a romantic piece but failed miserably and ended up being a mere yawn-inducing song. I'm not exaggerating, I really find it sleep-inducing! In this sense, it low-key reminds me of A dream is a wish your heart makes, lol. But I feel the need to repeat that I absolutely adore romantic ballads if done right, in fact the main theme from Beauty and the Beast is my single best favourite song in the whole freaking world, OK? But there's a clear limit between "romantically slow" and "sleepily slow", and this songs trespass it. 38) Mizuiro no senritsu I have a sensation that composing more upbeat songs is easier, because there can't be the risk to have your listeners fall asleep, or is it just me? In fact, this makes nice for a Jpop song... it's just that I'm not that big a Jpop fan to start, and the idols I do follow, such as Momoiro Clover Z, I do so just because they have sung songs from animes I love. I guess this song is somehow OK, it's just a matter of me not connecting with it. 37) Portami con te OK, finally here's what I think is the worst Italian song – in case you started thinking I was biased and would put all the Italian songs on top... well, you wouldn't exactly be wrong about the bias part, but still. For me, this song is just on the limit between "nice romantic slow songs" and "boring as heck slow songs": one day I find it sweet, the other day I think it is simply too slow. But what really made me decide to put it low in the list is the fact that it's a mere rearrangement of Yume no sono saki e instead of a completely new piece of music, thus making it the sole and only non-original song from the Italian dub... which is not cool. Definitely not cool. 36) Yume no sono saki e I really have the same opinion about this song and the last one, due to them being so terribly similar, but I decided to give this the higher spot because I'll be eternally pissed that they decided to use an already-existing base to arrange Portami con te, and that's not something I could ever forgive 'xD 35) Daijina takarabako (slow version) I think this could make for a nice lullaby. What else could I say? It's cute and it manages to be slow without being boring; now, I don't consider it to be necessarily unforgettable, but here we're starting heading for the better. 34) Hana to chō no serenade This is the perfect LanHua song, full stop: it's just as haunting, hypnotizing and mysterious as it should be, with that exotical feel to the tune that spices it up. And it is even better in French! It may seem to be too low in the list to be a song I like, but these are just the songs that I find to be good but not great. 33) Kibō no Kaneoto – Love goes on Now that's a pretty battle song! True, it may not be at Sera Myu level (but then, very few can compare to the eternal goddess Akiko Kosaka), but I admire the fact that it manages to be both sweet and relatively upbeat at the same time. 32) Concerto d'amore "Good but not great" is again all I can say about this one, so I'll add that I'm very disappointed by the fact that the second half of the song has never made it to the series proper and is therefore only present in the CD version – which is a shame, because I think that is where the song gets better. The tune is nice enough, but maybe it's overused, in the sense that it always plays whenever a radio is on during the show, which sometimes feeds me up; but it isn't a boring song, definitely not. 31) Voce del buio OK, I'll admit that the concept is good: this villain song wanted to be suffocating and practically impossible to forget, and it succeeded perfectly – that's the type of melody that just can't get out of your mind after one single listening. But there's too much rap for my taste and, though the contrast between the tune of the stanzas and that of the refrains is amazing, it somehow comes off as "I recognize is good, but it's not exactly my genre". 30) Ever blue Man, this song used to be so much lower in my list! The thing is, I just couldn't make myself listen to it without suffering terribly xD But then I heard the French version and I finally understood that it was just a case of me hating Hitomi Terakado with a passion that prevented me from appreciating the song! In fact, thanks to other foreign dubs (such as the Portuguese ones, but really, each one of them is better than the Japanese), I discovered thatt with a decent singer, it actually turned out to be a pretty song, and I'm more persuaded than ever now that the Cosplay Singers have just released their cover! I'll never understand why they tend to cast chipmunks instead of voice actors in Japan, but whatever. 29) Super love songs! Nice, clean, pleasing song of the more upbeat scale, with a catchy refrain: that's how I like my Jpop. 28) Daijina takarabako Even I cannot understand how can I like a solo by Asumi Nakata, whom I honestly detest, but I guess that when the melody enchants you, miracles can happen. Good job! 27) Legend of mermaid I think I can't say anything about this song that hasn't already been said xD Well, I like it but don't love it; I can only add that the instrumental intercourses in between the singing parts come off as really annoying to me, I think I don't enjoy the way they are arranged that much. 26) Ashita ga mienakute OMG this song. This song. This song. OK, sorry, let me rephrase that: as a 9 year-older watching Pure on TV, I was at best indifferent about Mikaru's feelings, and even partially blaimed her for the pain Lucia was suffering. Growing up, I melted out towards the character and, while I'll always be on Lucia's side when it comes to the love triangle stuff, as a middle-schooler I undertood that nothing of the love drama was Mikaru's fault. Some years ago, when I started using the Internet, I discovered that the Japanese dub of the anime had different songs from the Italian one, and was literally blown away upon first listening this one. A song sung by a handicapped girl my age who mourned about her solituted and sufference was, like, so much akeen to me as a person that it seems a strange coincidence. Add to that that I loved seeing depressed characters, because it helped me find my own depression a little less terrible. I've grown out of that phase now, mostly thanks to me having changed school, but this song holds a special place in my heart, and if I were to make a ranking of the most relatable songs I've ever listened to, this would come third after Belle and Let it go. 25) Tsubasa wo daite As lost in my thoughts as I were, I haven't mentioned the fact that both songs have got enchanting melodies (and I thought this even before knowing of the songs, because I absolutely loved the instrumentals that played when Mikaru and Mikeru spelt out their poems in the Italian dub). This version gains a higher place because, while Mikeru is less relatable than Mikaru, Junko Minagawa is a much better singer. Ah, and it's a song sung by a character who laments his condition and talks long about his feelings, which is exactly my cup of tea. 24) Kodō – Perfect harmony We're getting better and better with the battle songs! Here's another catchy one, but I'm afraid I haven't got much else to say about this. 23) Ankoku no tsubasa This is another case of the French version making me appreciate the song more than before – seriously, though, just listen to it! I really dig the style taken here, it screams "sexy villain" from every note and it's done so damn right. 22) Kizuna And here comes my favourite Japanese battle song! The thing is, I really dig the refrain but cannot say the same about the stanzas, so I decided to even it out putting it around the middle. What is more interesting to me, though, is that this song was clearly the basis used to compose Eternal eternity for the 3rd season of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal, which makes it again more important. I know what I said before about me disapproving of rearrangements, but what can I do when one is just so unbelievably good? (Because yes, I indeed prefer Eternal eternity. Kill me now.) 21) Sekai de ichiban hayaku Asa ga kuru bashō Have I said how much I like sweet lullabies yet? Because I love them. I've got no more to say. 20) La nostra forza (rearrange) My first reaction upon hearing this on the CD was like "OMG how dare they ruin one of my favourite songs", but with time I learnt to understand that this style actually fits LanHua more than the regular version would have. Though I don't think I have to point out that the one sung by the BBS and Alala is far better. 19) Mermaid Melody – Principesse Sirene There's a complex love-hate relationship between me and this song, and it depends on how much weigth I put on each aspect of it: if I concentrate on the tune, I find it to be a great song worth of the glorious tradition of Italian OPs; if I concentrate on the rest, though... I really can't understand how they could come up with the idea of casting a 14 year-older to sing it, and this is without mentioning the absurdly stupid lyrics it features. Maybe this is what leads me to enjoy the karaoke version so much. 18) Legend of mermaid (slow version) What can I say, if not that it's cute and pretty and sad and everything else? I don't like Asumi Nakata and Hitomi Terakado's versions one bit, but Kana Ueda saves the song for me. And the instrumentals are far better than those of the original version. 17) Ai no kiseki Another awesomely sad and emotional song sung by Kana Ueda – see the pattern here? It's the type of song that really makes you cry, and I live for that. 16) Return to the sea Closing Kana Ueda's section, and at the same time opening the sequence of the songs that I outright love, comes Sara's awesome image song, which is tremendously catchy and terribly depressing at the same time. That's the magic of music (and cartoons) for you. 15) Taiyō no rakuen – Promised land That's exactly the type of Japanese OP that clicks with me for its catchyness, and well... What can one say about Miyuki Kanbe, apart from being sorry over her tragedy? She's incredible. She's an excellent musical actress and a perfect Usaghi (though to be fair, my best favourite is and will always be Anza Ōyama, no matter what, with Miyuki being a close second). Her singing is gorgeous and, as a sidenote, she's the person that made me realize that not all nasal voices are terrible – quite the contrary, on her case. 14) Beautiful wish This. Song. Is. Just. Perfect. Especially in French (but I guess you're tired of me saying that, uh?), but Eri Kitamura rules, too. This melody is just too perfect and it would deserve to be no. 1, if only there weren't some songs which are even more perfect imo. 13) Rainbow notes It's like the first OP, but even better: the catchyness has been brought up to eleven and Miyuki is as freaking skilled as always, and she'll be dearly missed forever. 12) Before the moment Sorry everyone, but the prize is going to the Pure OP for me (please don't kill me!). Not that I prefer Eri over Miyuki (though I love them both so much), but it just... well, listen to it. That music. 11) Star jewel Rina rocks and this song shows it excellently! And Mayumi Asano is the only one from the main trio who sounds like a real human being, so that's a plus. There's some pure awesomeness here. 10) Dolce melodia To think that, when I was a kid, I reckoned this song was just too much. I mean, not even for an instant did I dislike it (the contrary, in fact), but I found it to be so overused that it started tiring me, to the point of getting on my nerves. Now that I'm older, I've understood that beautiful things are always beautiful and can just get better every time you enjoy it again. Now I can listen to this song on repeat more than a dozen times in a round and always recognize it for the true masterpiece it is. (Except for Caren's version, that is – Rossella Liberti's voice is just something I can't stand.) 9) Kuro no Kyōsōkyoku – Concerto That is, the perfect villain song. Villain songs are really the best songs in the Japanese dub. I don't know what to add. Oh, wait... 8) Yami no baroque ...What do you mean, there's an even more perfect villain song? This show is just too much and it's so beautiful it's killing me, but I'll gladly die with Mermaid Melody if I must. 7) La nostra forza OK, the Japanese version definitely wins in the lyrics department, but the music here is just too prefect for it to be any lower. 6) Ritorno all'oceano Pure awesomeness and nothing more. Denise Misseri's version is gold and Francesca Daprati's is diamond, but there's really nothing else to say. 5) Battito d'amore Please don't judge this basing on the CD version, because the duet between Valentina Ponzone and Claudia D'Ulisse can't even remotely compare to the many stunning versions heard in the TV series. Battle song at its finest. 4) Fantastica poesia Battle song at its ultimate finest, i. e. The very best battle song ever! With the addition of some sexual innuendos to spice up the lyrics, how much better can it get? 3) Stella preziosa This. This better. It's a telltale sign the fact that I just can't bring myself to choose which I prefer between Francesca Daprati's version and Elisabetta Cavalli. 2) Assoluto amore I can't say anything else, I'm afraid. Perfect music, great lyrics and Valeria Caponnetto to do the goddesses' job. I'm in heaven. 1) Dolce melodia (orgel version) A sadly emotional arrangement of a great song? Yes, please. This song is too perfect and it's too much for my heart to bear, to the point that I'm not even listening to it as of now and I'm already crying just at the thought. Sung by Denise Misseri it's a masterpiece, but sung by Valeria Caponnetto it's the greatest tragic song ever.

#mermaid melody #mermaid melody pichi pichi pitch #mermaid melody pichi pichi pure #mermaid melody principesse sirene

[purpleswans1]

My Favorite Hidden Anime Gems

I’ve been watching Anime for several years now, and I’ve watched a lot of really good series (and a couple of bad ones). Among them are some series that are a lot of great series that I believe don’t get the attention and following they deserve. Some of them may be more popular than I realize, or they were popular a while ago and just faded over time. But all of them are, in my personal opinion, definitely worth a watch.

Quick note: I tried to put down why I believe some of these shows aren’t as popular. More than one of them is because the original material comes form Light Novels, which aren’t a readily available to the western fans as manga and anime, which alienates those fans since they believe they are missing some of the story.

Now, on with the list:

1. Kemono no Souja Erin (Beast Player Erin)

I can’t express to you how much I love this show. The best way I can summarize it without giving to many spoilers is that it’s a coming of age story about a girl who wants to be a beast-veterinarian like her mother, and follows her as she grows up That doesn’t really go into the juicy bits though. It has strong women in positions of power and male-dominated fields, brilliant world building, and the main focus is on the relationship between mothers and their children. It’s very refreshing, and I think tumblr would love this.

Now this one actually has a lot of reasons why it is less known. First of all, the original source is a light novel. In addition, the anime’s art style is much more simplistic than most anime a fans are used to. Finally, although the plot is entertaining for all ages, the show is actually geared towards kids. As anyone who’s watched Gravity Falls or Steven Universe will tell you, this doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. This does mean though, that the audience that it’s intended for doesn’t have easy access to it. That being said, I definitely suggest that people watch this.

2. Saiunkoku Monogatari (The Story of Saiunkoku)

This one is a court romance, and a really great one at that. The story begins about a sensible girl who is asked to turn the king of her country into a decent ruler by becoming his wife, but the story grows into something greater, focusing on politics, the magic of the kingdom’s origin, and the girl’s dream of becoming a court official. There are several well-done female characters, some who take on traditional feminine roles and some who want to be in male-dominated fields. There’s a little bit of a reverse harem situation going on, but the main character is well-rounded and most of the boys are just supporting from a distance. the main focus ends up being on the political drama rather than just the romance.

The animation is a little old, and the original story is from a light novel. In addition, I suspect that the second season ends before the ending of the light novels so we still have some unresolved business that we’d have to track down the light novels to find out. One of these days I’m going to find and read them. Still, this is definitely worth it!

3. Zetsuen no Tempest (The Civilization Blaster, Blast of Tempest)

Okay, I’ll admit that this one is a little weird, and completely shifts narratives halfway through (which, now that I think about it, happens in several anime I know) but is still worth the watch. I swear the two main guys are kind of psychopaths, but they’re also very real and their relationship is a very interesting take on friendship and complex relationships. The story is set in a world where everything in civilization starts being devoured and people are dying, but these two guys get roped into helping a witch trapped on an island save the world because she promised to help them get revenge for the one guy’s sister. It’s also full of dialogue and plot references to William Shakespeare’s works (especially “Hamlet” and “The Tempest”) and who doesn’t love a good reference to the bard?

I… really don’t know why this anime isn’t that popular. Other than the narrative being a little confusing at times and some of the characterizations being incredibly unique (i.e. not cliches) It’s a really good anime, and you guys should check it out.

4. Guilty Crown

Okay guys, I’ll be honest with you: the first time I discovered this anime (back when my experience consisted mostly of Inuyasha and Code Geass) I described it as a Code Geass fanfic with a slightly altered preface. Which… really isn’t what it is at all. There are still some similarities though. The actual story is about a world where japan was decimated by an Apocalypse virus and has become entirely dependent on foreign aid, making it into a kind of military state. People are oppressed, so a terrorist group forms and a certain socially awkward boy gets a special power that was intended for the terrorist, and he gets roped into joining them. It has a lot of interesting characters and characterization, since part of the boy’s power is to reveal people’s hearts in physical form.

I’m not sure why this one isn’t very popular, other than having several troupes that are in other shows. If I had to guess, it might be related to how he narrative changes halfway, and how I swear the thing must have been funded by the band Egoist considering how much they are referenced in the show.

5. Seirei no Moribito

Oh man, this one… *deep breath* The main character is a spear wielding woman bodyguard in her 30s. She is tasked with protecting an adolescent prince, who after being infected with a magic egg (more significant than it sounds) is being attacked by his own country. They end up forming a mother/son bond over the course of the story and that is the main relationship focus. Oh, and the woman has a love interest who’s basically a healer with some mystic abilities, and they are so not subtle about the reversed gender roles.

The story is based on a light novel series by the same author as Kemono no Souja Erin. However, it only tells the story of the first book, so we end up with a well put-together story and maybe potential for season 2? someday? *goes and cries in a corner because that would be amazing*

6. Shiki

Kudos to @quasiplatonickarinhina for introducing me to this.

Okay, so you know how Twilight spurred a rise in popularity for vampire stories? Only, instead of being the Anne Rice and Bram Stoker bloodsucking-monster variety, they became excessively romantic good guys? Yeah, this isn’t like those neo-vampire stories.

By any chance, does anyone remember the first season of Supernatural? You know, back before it became a cult-followed soap-opera, and instead was basically a series of rural American horror stories crammed into an hour a week? THAT is what this story is like.

The preface is that a mysterious family moved into a small rural town, and gradually people start dropping dead mysteriously. Things gradually escalate, and the story dives into a lot of heavy psychology with some statements on humanity in desperate situations thrown in. If you like Tokyo Ghoul for the psychological horror, you’ll love this.

The series has a very slow build-up before the climax, so that might be the main reason why it isn’t very popular.

7. Shounen Omnyouji

You know that Abe no Seimei guys that will pop up occasionally in exorcist or historical anime? Well, this is about his grandson, who has resolved to surpass his grandfather as an Omnyouji and finally get out of his shadow.

I should also note that this is probably one of the only shounen protagonists I know of that actually shows respect to his elders and superiors (which probably says a lot more for the general trend of shounen protagonists than anything else, but it’s still refreshing.) Seriously, one of the biggest running gags is that he’s in his room yelling about his grandfather expecting him to do the impossible or having to big of shoes to fill, but he’s still very respectful when he’s actually around the guy.

Also, his love interest is… not annoying? Sorry she’s not really that awesome of a character, but she manages to be a traditional princess and not painful to watch. Which is unusual.

Oh, and there are all these super-powered Shikigami who gradually develop respect for the MC and have their own issues with one another. That’s always cool.

This series was originally a light novel series, and to be honest even I wouldn’t know about it if I hadn’t been looking for a different Omnyouji series. I should warn you though, this one has a kind-of-cliffhanger ending, and I don’t see much indication of a season 2. You can always hunt down the light novels though.

8. Arslan Senki

Not sure whether this anime is unknown enough to be here… No, it does. It hasn’t gotten the following it deserves. The light novel series has been going on for decades and that might part of the reason why the fandom has faded, but the most recent manga adaptation is by the Mangaka behind FMA, and apparently she’s done some changes to the original story. Which is cool.

Also, the whole thing clearly has some thematic and stylistic roots in the Crusades, and that’s got to appeal to western audiences right?

9. Tokyo Ravens

You remember those exorcist anime I mentioned a while ago? Well this is one of them. The short explanation of this series that that it’s about a bunch of high school students studying to be Omnyouji. Which makes it sound a lot like a Japanese Harry Potter, which admittedly it kinda is. Only not. There’s a lot of plot derived from the reincarnation thing and some family politics crossing actual politics.

This is another one where the original source material is a light novel series. It also ends in a sorta-cliffhanger, but I have a bit more hope for a season 2 for this one.

10. Rurouni Kenshin

Okay, this one probably doesn’t need to be on this list since it is still popular, just really OLD so the hype has simmered down, but It needs to come back because WE HAVE A NEW MANGA ARC!!!!! (Can you tell how happy I am?)

Now I could go on and on about how much significance this series has for me personally (I literally discovered online scanlations and the dark web for this series guys) but I’ll spare you the hour-long monologue. Elevator pitch: This is a historical fighting manga with a lot of interesting characters and themes and quite honestly a classic. I’ll admit that there are some issues with the story that weren’t as troubling to high-school-aged me, but overall it’s still a wonderful tale. I mean, the manga inspired a long anime series and 3 live action movies, so that should say something (I feel no urge to watch the OVAs, so let’s not mention them)

11. Silver Spoon (Gin no Saji)

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that i usually am not attracted to slice of life stories. But a friend recommended this series to me and mentioned it was one of Arakawa’s mangas, so I decided to check it out. A decision I do not regret. The basic plot has to do with a city boy who decided to go to an agriculture high school. Its chock full of culture shock, interesting characters, and a realistic take on the agricultural industry. I identify with this story on a personal level, both because i grew up in a rural area and know how some of the agriculture stuff works and also because the MC is searching for a direction after loosing his “dream.”

Like I said, this series is a slice of life, which generally doesn’t get as much attention as the action-adventure stories.

Got any other animes you think deserve a larger following than they currently have? Feel free to recommend them to me!

#I'M SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG TO WRITE THIS #I go distracted #and have been getting settled in the new apartement #anime #recommended

[haleigh-sloth]

If you find it difficult finding well written female characters in anime I suggest looking anywhere other than shounen, because you ain't gonna find it there. Magical girl shows like Madoka Magica explore grief, love for friends, coming of age, etc that have a primarily female dominated cast. There's shows like K-On! where there is not a single named male character in the show. Monogatari series even has well explored female characters, Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Kill la Kill (is a shounen lol)

I mean I know this but it’s just the shounen tends to be where the best stories are

I’m not out looking for anything tbh, I’m more just hoping the tide turns after a while and that male writers will get with the times lol

Madoka is actually on my list and has been for a while. I got a decent ways into the Monogatari and honestly, once I dropped it I realized it was just—-not for me. At all. I’ll check out the others because this isn’t the first time they’ve be rec’d to me.

The lack of female cast doesn’t bother me like it does other people. It’s more that I just know it’s an issue and needs to change. But it’s not keeping me up at night and it’s not really one of my own complaints about BNHA or any series. My favorite series all have male dominated casts and I mean, it is what it is. Can’t change it.

#personal #anonymous

[fandanwol]

So I didn’t want to include links in my top 10 anime OPs or EDs list in case they ever break in the future, so I’m making a separate post to do it. Basically just linking to the OP or ED itself on youtube, and a link to the full song as well as a bit of insight as to why I ended up choosing the song to be on my list.

Openings

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu [OP] [Full Song] - The newest anime on my OP list, I chose it for two distinct reasons: visuals and music. It has one of the absolute most unique songs I’ve heard in an OP in a long while. It fits the theme of the anime very well and I love the jazzy symphony accompanying the singers’ very breathy voice. As for the visuals, I absolutely adore openings that use film grain, and it fits Rakugo Shinjuu very well. The very vivid colours combined with the black and white create some very striking imagery, as do the still frames that cut up different animated scenes. It does an excellent job and setting the tone for the series and it’s episodes, always giving off a soft eerie feeling that fits in well with the series proper. 

Last Exile [OP] [Full Song] - I love how the song opens up to loud, overwhelming bagpipes and then quickly turns into an almost trance like beat. The visuals are definitely information overload, getting a lot of images and scenes across in a very short period of time. A lot of it is some very well executed foreshadowing and it also does a great job at showcasing the impressive cast of characters Last Exile has. Plus lots of gorgeous shots of ships which I’m always appreciative of. 

Serial Experiments Lain [OP] [Full Song] - Okay right of the bat the show goes all in to make you feel uncomfortable by starting it’s opening with such a creepy voiceclip. ‘Present Day, Present Time’. The song itself however is very soft and comfortable, Duvet by the English band Boa. The animation however, is anything but. With glitchy effect, unsteady ‘camerawork’, extreme closeups, this opening does what ever it can to creep, disturb and make you generally uncomfortable while at the same time encouraging you to really think about what you’re seeing, much like the show itself. It’s a weird opening and it’s a weird show.

Bakemonogatari (Nadeko Snake) [OP] [Full Song] - You’ve heard the meme version of this song. Everyone’s heard the meme version of this song. The meme version of this song is probably has more views than any upload of the original OP at this point. That said, it’s still a really good OP. It’s got a fantastically catchy song and some wonderfully fluffy Shaft animation. It’s fun to watch and listen to your first time going through, and even better for any rewatcher due to certain callbacks in later Monogatari Second Season OP. If there’s one thing the Monogatari series excels at, it’s making good OPs. 

Punch Line [OP] [Full Song] - The song itself is fun and catchy but for my personal taste I think it’s probably the weakest of my Top Ten list. What got the OP itself so high though was just how crazy it is. Honestly, go watch it and then PM me what you think the anime could possibly about. I’d honestly say you have an 50% chance of being bang on and being completely off. And that works for Punch Line, an anime were the plot takes a completely left turn half way through. I mean, it’s written by the creator of the Zero Escape series, what else would you expect. 

Nisemonogatari (Tsukihi Phoenix) [OP] [Full Song] - What Top 10 OP list is complete without Platinum Disco. It’s arguably one of the most well known OPs, and for good reason. The song is even catchier than Renai Circulation, and the way the opening plays with Tsukihi’s constantly changing hair is really fun. Plus it has that good old Monogatari imagery and foreshadowing all throughout. Plus any series with an actual dance associated with it is good in my books. For a song so famous in the anime community, it really earns its place. Also, if you clicked either links have fun trying to get the song out of your head. 

Owarimonogatari (Ougi Formula) [OP] [Full Song] - Okay, so Platinum Disco is undoubtedly the most famous Monogatari OP... However it’s not actually my favourite. That place goes to Owarimonogatari’s Decent Black. I honestly think this song only played for one episode? But it left enough of an impression on me to become my favourite. Credits definitely need to go to best girl Spooky Ougi here though. I really enjoy the song and its visuals, and detective Ougi is super cute. Okay I confess that this song is mostly here cause I adore Ougi. 

Paprika [OP] [Full Song Instrumental] [Full Song] - The song that plays in the beginning is actually Meditation Field, which doesn’t have the vocals you can find in The Girl in Byakkoya. I included them both because I absolutely love Susumu Hirasawa’s music and both are worth listening to. Hirasawa, and his work in P-Model, are huge inspirations for me artistically and Paprika is the first time I’d ever heard anything by him. As for the animation, the late Satoshi Kon was legendary. His movies are beautiful and his exploration of human nature was always so fascinating in his films. The way Paprika breaks the bounds of her world in the opening are so fun to watch. (By the way, I’d also recommend listening to Parade from the film. It’s my personal favourite song.) 

Samurai Champloo [OP] [Full Song] - This is an undeniably perfect OP. Everything about it is perfect. The opening introduced me to Nujabes and also introduced me to an amazing anime. I honestly believe you could show this to just about anyone and by the end they’d want to watch the anime. There are very little openings able to pull of what Samurai Champloo’s does, and it really deserves credit for that.

Cowboy Bebop [OP] [Full Song] - That being said though, there’s only one OP that blows all the others away. Cowboy Bebop is legendary. From the amount of shows that take inspiration from it, it’s no wonder than even it’s opening stand above all others. I’ve never seen anything like it before and I doubt I ever will. It really shows you what you can do to set a shows tone and atmosphere. And hey, here’s the one weeb song you can play anytime and people will actually think you’re a classy fellow. If you ever want to impress someone, just throw on the Cowboy Bebop OST and wow them with your stellar taste in jazz and blues. 

#long post #berry ranks

[writetoremainsilent]

2/11-2/15/19 back to the lab again

That’s an Eminem lyric. 

So these posts are all done much after the fact, so I’ll do a gist of the week here: Wally finished the Monogatari series, which has slight relevance to me because his sleep schedule got all outta wack because of staying up late watching it. He also seemed kinda depressed after finishing it because he loved it so much and was glum that it slightly didn’t go the way he wanted it to. As a result, we stopped watching anime on the big T.V. despite us having started Psycho Pass. We also ate a lot of popcorn and microwaveable burritos. 

2/11: Anyway, yeah, school came back after my weekend of bliss and joy. My cell bio class was boring as usual, but fortunately, my lab was really chill.

UNfortunately, we switched lab partners today, and I was chummy with my original lab partners, so it truly was a sad time. But, again, lab didn’t last too long, so who cares.

I went home and goofed around with the guys.

2/12: Tennis, like usual, was pretty fun. I went to the cafeteria after, and got some curly fries for Allen and Wally. I came home and watched Wally play Red Dead Redemption 2 for a solid 5 hours. It was a horrible day. I could feel myself melting. I also had wanted to shadow today and didn’t, so I felt reeeeeeally bad.

My earbuds came in today. I’m so happy I can listen to music on the go again.

2/13: I’m addicted to microwaveable burritos. I don’t know how to treat it. 

Class was alright. Lab, thankfully, was once again chill. It looks like midterms are sneaking up though. I have one next week. 

I’m trying to draw girls more because I suck at it. I still suck at it. 

2/14: Tennis was cancelled today because of the rain. I took a bus to check in for attendance and bussed back immediately. Didn’t even try to work out. I’m a lazy bum.

A part of me wishes that I wish I could want to be with a significant other on this day. As in, I’m not bothered that I’m not. Which I think is fine, but there’s always a big deal made about Valentine’s Day. It’s stupid. All I care about are the cookies. 

Speaking of which, my apartment had a buncha cookies for free in the lobby. I dashed over there with Wally and got at least 15 different sweet things. 

I came back and felt disgusted with myself. The day was spent idly once again, with Wally and I watching Dexter. We were almost done with season 1, but I had to go hang out with Ash and Megan.

Which was fun! We watched a random episode of New Girl (Which I’d never seen, and honestly have no plans to watch), and then an episode of Arrested Development. We got some pizza and talked about random crap. It was a good time.

I came back and finished Dexter S1 with Wally. It was very good. Quite hair-raising. 

2/15: HOME YES THANK GOD. 

As in, I had class. Then I packed my things with Wally while waiting for my brother and his friend to get ready. They did, eventually. I picked them up and we sailed off, with me driving. It looked like pretty decent weather, then halfway through God dumped a bucket of water upon us. 

I’m talking torrential downpours. Biblical deluges. It was really rough. My brother and his friend slept through it all blissfully.

Finally, I ended up making it home safely. Wally had nothing to do at his house, so we made plans to pick up Tye from her rideshare place because she didn’t have a ride.

I watched one episode of Designated Survivor with my family and dipped out because I’m actually a terrible child and don’t treat my parents right.

I grabbed Tye and then Wally and we went to a new burger place, which wasn’t half bad.

Then we idly browsed Safeway as we are wont to do, and picked up these Cheez-It Snap’d thingies Tye had been raving about. It was okay. Pretty tasty. We hung out at Wally’s for a bit and then went home.

And yeah, that’s my working week, wrapped up. 

[rieshon]

Spring 2018 Preview

I can’t believe a new season starts in a week already... heres the shows.

1. Comic Girls: KIRARA ANIME BOIS. Do I even need to say more than that? The girls look absolutely adorable, the animation looks on point, and although the director is a debutante he's being backed up by an impressive quartet of writers including Takahashi Natsuko, Yokote Michiko, Hanada Jukki and Machida Touko. Oh yeah, it's also got a bunch of hot channees in addition to the cute schoolgirls. You can't go wrong with this one.

2. Amanchu! ~Advance~: Satojun is back at it again with the silly hiragana subtitles for sequels. The masters of healing are back again for a sequel to what was one of my favorite shows of 2016. More Teko, more of that sexy Itou Shizuka-voiced teacher, and more relaxing feels. This is exactly what we need to fill the Yurucamp-shaped holes in our hearts.

3. Alice or Alice: There are a lot of things that make me excited about this show. Obviously the cast is one: Ayaneru plays the main character, and we got Natsunee and Oonishi in there too. The director is Kobayashi Kousuke, an alumnus of the Pretty Rhythm series who was very heavily involved in Pripara, which you may know is the best anime ever made. And then there's the aesthetic: everything from the character designs to the title logo make this look and feel like a harem anime from 15 or so years ago, which is absolutely my jam. Pretty hyped for this one.

4. Sword Art Online Alternative Gungale Online: One of the weirder things to happen over the past year-ish is that I've become an unabashed SAO fanboy. The shows are just good, y'all. So you can imagine how I feel about a new show set in the SAO universe written by the author of Kino no Tabi, a show I just put in my top five of the last year, and with characters by Kuroboshi Kouhaku (also of Kino) who is the utmost hotness right now. Hopefully this will be more than enough to tide us over while we wait for SAO3 to arrive.

5. Waka-Okami wa Shougakusei: This looks like a kids anime at first glance, and, well, it is. It's based on a series of popular children's books, but they've really gone all out with the production values based on the PVs (Madhouse producing) and it looks immensely charming. Some of the best anime are childrens' stories, so I'm quietly excited about this one.

6. Hinamatsuri: This is shaping up to be one of the weirder shows of the coming season, and it looks great. From the look of the PVs, feel. are going even more all-out than they usually do with the visuals, and it also looks genuinely funny. Plus it's got a cute loli. Should be good.

7. Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu Die Neue These: It's finally here. Obviously I've heard nothing but good things about the original series, but I'm never going to have the motivation to go back and watch something so old, long and difficult, so hopefully this new anime has got me covered. I'm sure there will be plenty of discourse about it; I just hope it's decent.

8. Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai: Somehow, we've still never gotten a sequel to the wonderful Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, but this show brings together the chief staff of that show for a new romantic comedy anime at Douga Koubou. With that pedigree (they even got the same guy who did the OP song for Nozaki) there's definitely reason to be optimistic about this one. Not to mention it's got cute gaijin girls and an imouto voiced by Inosuke.

9. PERSONA5 the Animation: I think I'm going to give up any ridiculous illusions I have of actually playing the game any time soon and just watch this. It's the only realistic way I'll get to see dat Kawakami-sensei and Takemi-sensei. You know I'm all about the channees right now, and man, does P5 have some good ass channees. The anime is actually being directed by Ishihama Masashi, the man who did Shinsekai Yori and literally hasn't done another TV anime since, so that's pretty exciting. Obviously, a lot Shinsekai Yori's success is because of the material adapted, but if you can make a masterpiece like that you've got to have some kind of talent.

10. Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii: CUTE CHANNEE ALERT WEEWOO WEEWOO WEEWOO. I'm all up ons this. Is there anything better than cute OLs? ...Man, things sure have changed around here. Also, that title is just mean when it's literally an anime about otaku having romances. SOME OF US OUT HERE ARE LONELY

11. Last Period -Owarinaki Rasen no Monogatari-: Has there been a good social game anime yet? I guess Schoolgirl Strikers was alright, in that I actually managed to finish that one, but most of these turn out to be bad. I hope Last Period can be the one to buck the trend and be truly good, because I love the silly light-fantasy tone that it looks like it's going for. Wisemen for best girls. There's tons of cute girls with great designs (the one thing you can always count on social games for) and it'd be a shame for them to go to waste like so many before them.

12. Hisone to Masotan: I got really excited when I saw this because it looked like a cute anime about fighter planes. Instead it looks like it's a cute anime about fighter... dragons. What a ripoff. I wanted the planes. My aviation-nerd pouting aside I'm sure it will still be adorable JSDF propaganda. I just really wanted the planes.

13. Golden Kamuy: It's some kind of weird serendipity that I'm studying the Ainu for school this semester and now we get an anime explicitly about the Ainu. Period anime are pretty cool (the Russo-Japanese War isn't a setting explored in much visual media at all), the premise sounds cool, and I really like the look of the Ainu girl. Plus, how often do we get Ainu culture actually presented in anime? Remains to be seen how well it's done, but it's pretty neat.

14. Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Aw yeah. If only Jug was around to see the horse girls. I have no reason to doubt that this will be great fun, especially since it has the financial backing of Cygames, who have more money than God. Just hopefully we don’t have to see any of the cute girls get put down after breaking a leg.

15. Lostorage conflated WIXOSS: Somehow the WIXOSS anime series is still going. selector is still one of my favorite shows in recent memory, but Lostorage was complete spaghetti compared to it, so there's nowhere to go from here but up, right? This new series promises to bring back the characters from selector, which gives me mixed feelings. I don't want them to just play off nostalgia for the old show, but I'm also kinda excited to see Yuzuki and Tama again. I guess we'll see what happens. Maybe a new director will shake things up for the better.

16. 3D Kanojo Real Girl: Man, who wants a 3D girlfriend? Can your real life girlfriend be considered 3D if you're living in a 2D world? This stuff always leaves me conflicted. I'm down for some Serizawa Yuu-voiced heroine, and the always-capable Akao Deko is writing the screen adaptation, so it might be good.

17. Mahou Shoujo Ore: Oh god. I'm pretty sure I saw clippings from the manga of this a while back. It's a mahou shoujo where the girls transform into buff dudes in magical girl outfits for some reason. It can't be a coincidence that the protagonist is named "Uno" and is voiced by Oohashi Ayaka. If this show is even half as amazing as Fantasista Doll it'll be a great success.

18. A.I.C.O. Incarnation: There are a few Netflix-funded series this season but most of them don't look especially interesting. This one looks alright, but it's using the stupid Netflix bulk release model so I guess I'm waiting until April to start it despite all the episodes being out already. It looks like it could be a cool science fiction show, and I like the Naruko Hanaharu character designs.

19. LOST SONG: So this is that Suzuki Konomi promotional vehicle... From the PV, it doesn't look great, but I am a big fan of Konomin's singing so I guess I'll have to check out at least an episode. I just doubt her ability to act as well as she can sing.

20. Caligula: Strangely, this show does not seem to be about the son of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder who ruled as Roman emperor from 37 to 41. I actually have no idea what it's about. Something about idols. But some of the character designs look pretty good, especially that blonde channee, so it's a maybe from me.

21. High School DxD HERO: It's baaaack. The show I watched three seasons of for Ayaneru that gave me almost no Ayaneru is back to continue to refuse to give me Ayaneru, probably. But hey, I like channees now anyway, so I may as well keep watching out of tradition if nothing else. I just hope Gaspar is like, actually in it this time...

22. Omae wa Mada Gunma wo Shiranai: This is an anime to promote Gunma... I guess? It definitely doesn't look like your typical local promotion anime... Apparently Gunma is a totalitarian state in this world. The green-haired girl played by Ucchii looks pretty good so I'll check it out.

23. Akkun to Kanojo: SUPER tsundere love comedy? Even regular tsundere is good. Unfortunately it's the dude who is tsundere in this one which isn't the thing I want. But the girls still look pretty cute so I'll definitely be giving it a look.

24. Mahou Shoujo Site: Uh oh, it's dark magical girls. There's nothing wrong with the concept per se but works like this often end up being grimdark for grimdark's sake (see: Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku) so it makes me worried. This one looks like someone tried to mix Madoka and Jigoku Shoujo. It should be good for a laugh if nothing else.

25. Kiratto Puri Chan: Well, here we are. This is what they killed Pripara for. So who did they get to succeed the comedic savant Moriwaki Makoto? Well, it's a guy without a whole lot of directorial experience: Hiroshi Ikehata. What he has directed have been some incredibly charming shows, including the underrated Akiba's Trip anime and Sore ga Seiyuu. The main writing credit goes to Hyoudou Kazuho, who has worked with Hiroshi on all of his directorial projects but doesn't have any especially interesting work to his name. The biggest chance this has to be even marginally worthy as a successor to Pripara is if they continue to draw on the extended family of Pretty series creators, like Pripara did to a large extent. With Moriwaki's steady hand removed, I don't have high hopes, but if they killed Pripara for a show that's not even decent I am going to be upset.

26. Aikatsu Friends!: So Stars is ending and a new generation of Aikatsu is here as well. I can't let this pass unnoticed because Kido-chan is pegged to be one of the new Aikatsu leads and I'm always thirsty for new Kido-chan anime. I didn't really like Stars, so I hope this new one is more on the silly side, like joji anime really should be.

27. Cutie Honey Universe: Rember Cutie Honey? I mean, I don't, but a lot of people do. Apparently it's the 50th anniversary of Nagai Gou's venerable battle girl series, so they're doing a revival of it. I really dig the neo-retro art style going on here, and the cast is absolutely star-studded (our current darling, Kurosawa Tomoyo, is included among the likes of Hanazawa Kana, Tamura Yukari, Horie Yui and Kugimiya Rie) so I just might check it out.

28. Steins;Gate Zero: I really don't know if I want to watch this. Steins;Gate wasn't the worst of the semicolon anime; in fact, the first half of the series was greatly enjoyable, but I don't think I need to retread the infamous "shooting of the moeblob" that led to the godawful second half. It's got Christina, I guess. I just really don't know if I can subject myself to Okabe again.

29. Megalobox: This looks technically amazing, I just don't know if I'm interested in it. Will probably wait to hear other people's opinions before I check it out, if I ever do.

30. Gegege no Kitarou: I don't think I'll actually watch this, but the latest version of the classic children's anime has been getting some attention because the character designs for the female characters are, how you say, Extremely Good. They're definitely good enough that I'm tempted to check it out. Dat Nekomusume...

31. Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory: It really happened. I'm including this as the highest-profile show I definitely won't be watching. I haven't seen any of the other FMP anime, so it would be stupid to try and jump in here. The subtitle being abbreviated "IV" (for season 4) is very cute though.

I don’t know how to rank shorts so heres those:

Tachibanakan To Lie Anguru: It's time for another Yuri Hime anime! All you need to know about how hype I am for this show is the tagline: 'The harem manga protagonist is a girl!?' Tsuda Minami is once again going to have to be hard gay, this time with five different girls apparently. I'm especially looking forward to the Mikakoshi-voiced blonde. Unfortunately, being a Creators in Pack anime, it's a short...

Fumikiri Jikan: This is a five minute anime but I absolutely love the premise: girls wait at a train crossing. That's it. You gotta love manga and anime sometimes.

#season preview

[tycorbinian]

So when I first started watching Kill la Kill early last year (yeah I’m a little late to the party) I was really loving it but I only made it to episode 16. This is largely due to the fact that I struggle to commit myself to longer shows, not counting multiple seasons. So as I often do in these situations I got distracted and ended up moving on to something else, though I can’t for the life of me remember what it was. It’s always been there nagging in the back of my mind that I need to finish it, after all I did like the show I just got distracted.

Anyways to get on to the point, I regret not having gotten back to this show sooner. Admittedly I have started over from episode one (since it’s been so long), but I’m a changed man from back then and I’m more than capable of staying (relatively) focused now. I’m glad that I am too since I absolutely love this show.

I’ve watched a decent amount of anime, it’s not a particularly large sum, but it is a fairly broad and varied one. The amount of actual fun I’m having watching Kill la Kill is something that few shows are able to match. As much as I love the Monogatari series (I gave bake and SS 10′s and the two kizu movie’s 9′s) I have to admit that while I definitely enjoy it as much as Kill la Kill, it’s not as fun to watch as Kill la Kill.

Granted that’s not really a negative on Monogatari’s part, it is a slower more dialogue heavy narrative, I do want to praise Kill la Kill for being able to achieve this degree of fun. I’ve seen plenty of what would be categorized to some as action or adventure anime, after all I am a die hard shounen fan, but few things can come close to being as fun to watch for me as Kill la Kill. Most of the shows that do come close happen to be made by a lot the same staff of the team behind Kill la Kill (Trigger/Gainax).

It may seem odd to say, and when I say it I don’t necessarily mean it in a negative way, but this is probably the most fun I’ve had watching a show in a very long time. It’s a feeling that I desperately crave and the kind of feeling that truly makes me want to keep watching anime. It’s one of those shows that looks at the bar that you set, and says “Hold my beer, watch this!” as it vaults over it. 

#klk #kill la kill #I'm just having such a fucking good time with this show #I haven't seen something that's made me feel like this in a while