#Adachi to Shimamura - Anime Review

[historyhermann]

Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story Season 2 Spoiler-Filled Review [Part 2]

Continued from part 1

Although there, sadly, wasn't a kiss between Eve and Aoi, the series was filled with gay subtext. While some may call it yuri-bait, it is more charitable to describe it as yuri subtext. In any case, the show was a fun ride. It wrapped up far too quickly, with many time jumps. Despite this, the ending of the series makes clear that the game between Aoi and Eve continues forever. There is the implication that they won't be apart and may even play again.

The ending could have been stronger, but I don't detest it. There is enough space and possible storyline, especially during the two aforementioned time skips, that a third season or even an OVA could expand upon. Such a season, or OVA, could focus on Eve and Aoi, or the growing closeness between the two caddies, Amane and Ichina, shown in the final episode. There is fan support for another season, or OVA. It remains to be seen if executives think the same.

There are other praiseworthy elements of Birdie Wing. The music complements the action. It accompanies the strong, flowing animation. The two highly skilled series composers, Kōtarō Nakagawa and Hironori Anazawa, make the series that much better. The former composed music for Gosick and Chivalry of a Failed Knight, while the latter did music for Scarlet Nexus.

Birdie Wing is nothing like any currently airing series produced by Bandai Namco Pictures, or those by Sunrise. Such series are supernatural action, mecha, or military science fiction. Bandai Namco Pictures is known for Gintama, Brave Beats, and Aikatsu!. Another division of the same company, Sunrise (also called Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc.), is recognized for other series. This includes Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, Love Live! Superstar!!, Love Live! Sunshine!!, Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, Tiger & Bunny, Dirty Pair, and Cowboy Bebop.

The series director, Takayuki Inagaki, worked on Fuuka, KanColle, Kokoro Library, Princess Tutu, and R.O.D. the TV. Yōsuke Kuroda, main writer for Birdie Wing, worked on Kokoro Library as well. He served as a head writer for Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid and Madlax.

The voice cast are just as seasoned and have often voiced queer characters. Akari Kito, who voices Eve, voiced magical girl Momo Chiyoda in The Demon Girl Next Door, Kanata Konoe in Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, Touko Usagihara in Akebi's Sailor Uniform, and Sakura Adachi in Adachi and Shimamura. Asami Seto, voice of Aoi, previously voiced Yoshino Takatsuki in Wandering Son, Charlotte Scherzen in Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid, Fena Houtman in Fena: Pirate Princess, and Nene Saionji in Yuri Is My Job!

Seto is scheduled to voice Yori Asanagi in Whisper Me a Love Song in January 2024. M.A.O. (voice of Kaoruko Iijima) will voice Kohaku in Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror. The latter is a Love Live! Sunshine!! spinoff which recently premiered on Crunchyroll. The voice actor of Amane (Ami Koshimizu) voiced Yang Xiao Long in RWBY: Ice Queendom, Elda in Otaku Elf, Maria in Management of a Novice Alchemist, and Sailor Jupiter in Sailor Moon Crystal. All these characters are directly or indirectly queer.

Akira Sekine, voice of Lily, previously voiced Sora/Cure Sky in Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure and Princess Charlotte in Princess Principal. Saki Fujita, who voices Ichina, previously lent her voice to school president Mitsuki Sonoda in Sakura Trick. Sonoda had a huge crush on Haruka Takayama. Other voice actors are known for their roles in Maria Watches Over Us, Yurikuma Arashi, D4DJ, Akebi's Sailor Uniform, YuruYuri, Strawberry Panic!, and Sweet Blue Flowers.

Birdie Wing will likely not be continued. Similar themes were likely added to the video game associated with the series. The connection to Madlax, since it is in the same universe, will remain a topic of ongoing fan speculation. I will always remember this anime fondly. It may be some time before another anime can shoot me right through, as Eve says to her opponents, like this one.

All 25 episodes of Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story can be streamed on Crunchyroll. The second season can also be purchased on Prime Video or on the Microsoft Store.

© 2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[hibiscus02]

Explanations for each one down below. Feel free to defend these in the reblogs/comments

Junji Ito Maniac: I mean, do I have to explain this one? It's not like this is an unpopular opinion. It looks bad and it's boring.

Adachi to Shimamura: There's nuance here. This anime suffers from the unfortunate disease that plagues pretty much every Yuri anime (and a lot of anime in general); the relationship between the characters just doesn't get developed in the first season and, being a wlw anime, it was never gonna get a second one, so the whole show feels pointless by the end when nothing of major significance happens.

Japan Sinks 2020: Not a lot to say about this one, which is exactly the point. I don't remember a single thing about this anime except 'art style pretty', which is usually a bad sign.

Aoi Hana: Suffers from the same disease as the previous Yuri anime, but with the added complication of just. also being boring. And more than half of the anime ends up being about one of the protagonist's relationships with a man, which is not what we came here to see.

Sing "Yesterday" For Me: Pretty sure I'm actually the problem here. Idk, it just didn't click for me, I wasn't invested in the characters at all.

Devilman Crybaby: Listen, listen. I know everyone loves this show. I will say that I haven't seen it since it was released, so maybe my opinion of it would change upon rewatch. But it was?? So uncomfortable and gross and mean-spirited??? I didn't even understand the story, it was just weird shit happening on screen and then most of the characters die and then it was over.

Terror in Resonance: It's been like, idek how many years at this point, so I don't remember why I don't like this show, I just know that I don't. I think I mostly had issues with the ending, but don't quote me on that.

Mirai Nikki: Another nuanced take! This is the only show on this list that I've actually rewatched, and that does count for something. Mirai Nikki is, objectively, a bad show, but it's also so goddamn hilarious when you're not taking any of it seriously. It's trash television, but I think any piece of media can be 'bad', so long as it's still entertaining.

Diabolik Lovers: ...I have no excuse for having watched two seasons (???) of this show, except for the fact I was 12 and repressed, apparently. Guilty of the crime of being cringy, but from what I remember, it's mostly harmless trash.

Hand Shakers: If you were in the same anime circles as I was when this thing came out, you know it's been decimated to hell and back, even having a roast video done by Mother's Basement. So I have no idea what possessed me to watch it in the first place, but I remember it being a guilty pleasure of mine. Not really as bad as everyone said it was, y'know? Then again, I'm known to have pretty mediocre taste for certain things.

Mekaku City Actors: Where's my Kagerou Project fans at? I was obsessed with the (so very convoluted and confusing) story of the music videos, and apart from also reading the manga, this was a natural step to take, despite the reviews. It's...alright? I think? Honestly, nothing about it stuck with me, apart from the banger opening song, so

Izetta: The Last Witch: Thought I would get some great gay subtext out of this, and hey, it does deliver, but said gay subtext comes wrapped in a war story with lots of made-up politics that did not interest me at all.

[doublesama]

Happy Sugar Life takes the shoujo ai genre and ruins it. And yet, I'm not sure if I'd say it's the worst shoujo ai anime I've seen. Adachi and Shimamura was also bad in a very different way.

[pinkarachnia]

Lesbian Anime Review #1 - Adachi & Shimamura

I have a lot of feelings about this show.

This is a story about two gay people. In my brain, one of them is autistic and the other one has ADHD. This makes it more relatable for me, an ADHD lesbian in a relationship with an autistic lesbian. The show opens pretty strong IMO. It takes a few episodes for one of the two protagonists to accept the fact that she’s developed romantic feelings for her friend, but I was happy for her once she did.

The central tension is around one character, Adachi, who is trying to push herself to speak up about her feelings for her friend Shimamura, all the while constantly feeling doubt about whether the other girl likes her at all, while the object of her affections has her own internal struggle about not wanting to get too close with anyone because she finds it suffocating.

I find Adachi relatable in a really sad kind of way. I know what it’s like to be very much into someone and feel like you’re getting mixed messages about whether your feelings are reciprocated.

Shimamura has her own struggles, but it’s more about her reflecting on her attitudes towards relationships. She generally doesn’t like anyone enough to be more than acquaintances with them, but starts feeling like those feelings of suffocation that she gets from most people don’t apply when she spends time with Adachi.

At times the show seems to be implying that Shimamura would never contemplate a romantic relationship with her friend, but I think she’s feeling that more generally, and not specifically thinking about being gay or not. Like I said, I think everyone here is gay.

One issue I have with the plot is that it feels to me like there was a point where Shimamura figures out what Adachi was feeling, but willingly ignores it. I think this happens around the half way point. But instead of moving towards a natural conclusion, the show just keeps going.

I feel like I watched the same loop of “I guess I have real romantic feelings” to “I have to tell her how I feel” and then they have an awkward hug instead of a conversation. Next episode.

It bugs me that Shimamura continues to let her friend suffer like this. Adachi will continue to push the bounds of their relationship into romantic territory, like wanting to hold hands when they're hanging out or going on valentine's dates, but when she wants to broach the topic of where the two of them are at relationship-wise, the response is some brand of, “what are you talking about”. I could forgive it for a while but the anime seems to imply that she's aware of Adachi's feelings to some extent, so it just felt unkind to me.

But this happened over and over until the anime ended, and there was no real conclusion.

This show could have concluded with half as many episodes and it failed to have a conclusion at all with the 12 they had. It reeks of light novel adaption made to promote an ongoing series where they never had the intention of animating the whole thing. Go buy the books if you want to see what happens next, I guess.

(note that English fan translations for the novels are available. At the moment they've translated all 11 that have been released, and volume 12 may be the last one according to the author's afterword in volume 10.)

It’s so sad to me because I feel like this kind of show is so rare. They made a romance show about two girls and it feels genuine for a lot of it. There’s so much gay yearning here, but there’s no payoff. Anyway I’ll be watching more gay anime until I find the best one. Stay tuned for more reviews. I’ve started another one last night and it’s uhhhhh, well, there’s gonna be a review for sure.

Pros:

feels like slice of life without the queerbait

the cast aren't gratuitously sexualised (it's a low bar, I know)

I liked it when the characters got to have different outfits

the side plot with the two friend characters who are also gay was cute

Cons:

high school setting (minor point deduction because this is so common)

plot goes nowhere and stays nowhere

absolute nothing ending

And I'm giving this one a 6/10

[Edit]

Thanks for reading my first review. I don't know if my anime commentary ever improves.

I'm adding to this older review I wrote up months ago because at this point I've read most of the books that have been released to follow up this series, which has changed my overall feelings about it.

As I noted earlier, the novels have almost concluded at this point and right now I'm on the 11th translated volume. The series has been a solid "okay" overall, and I don't think I'd change my 6/10 rating with the knowledge I now have, but there are a few things that I have different thoughts on.

The novels are much slower paced than the anime and the characters both have a constant internal monologue that helps you to see why they do the things that they do. They do this thing where they're always waxing philosophical about the nature of relationships and it makes the characters seem weird and inhuman at times.

Something that wasn't abundantly clear in the anime is that Shimamura is just kind of a dumbass. Like the reason she came across as unkind to me in the show is actually because she takes everything at face value, and all the times it seems like she's clocked her friend as gay she just thinks, "nah probably not", and moves on immediately.

I'm going to get into light spoiler territory here, so consider yourself warned.

They do eventually progress the story to the point where the main characters get to have a romantic relationship but it took way too long in my opinion. They don't get there until around volume 8 of the books, and the anime adapted the first 4.

That said, there are still several novels after 8. In one of the late volume afterwords, the author writes that the story effectively ends at volume 8 and everything else is like and extended epilogue. It's a very "light novel" mindset that the romance story ends the moment the relationship comes into being, but I'm also not opposed to the girls getting a 4 book victory lap. Good for them!

I'm glad I got to experience the rest of the story because I feel like I got more closure than the anime was willing to provide me.

I might come back to this after the 12th book is out. I might not.

[anime-of-the-day]

Anime of the day: Adachi to Shimamura

Alt title: Adachi and Shimamura

Released: 2020

Normally I try to vary the kinds of anime I write about everyday, but that’s made my anime list a bit messy with red. Instead I’m being lazy and will just write about them in the order they are on the list, which is who I could remember first and not watch order.

This anime is a shoujo ai, and it’s an extremely soft one at that. There are these two girls who skip class together and play table tennis. They weren’t friends at first but they got there eventually. They become attached to one another and develop an actual friendship. That is till one catches feelings. Instead of dividing them the feelings strengthen their relationship as they both try to figure out their feelings while also not losing their precious friend.

The story is a little complicated and it focuses on the characters growth and development. It was a really refreshingly light yuri. However, this is also a little bit of a problem for me. While the feelings were confessed it didn’t seem to me like any real romantic progress was clearly made by the last episode. They can come off as just really close friends. Either Way I really enjoyed this anime. The comedic elements were very organic.

[fairylynel]

Adachi to Shimamura - Anime Review

Contains Spoilers

This show is a romance, slice of life anime between two high school girls, Adachi and Shimamura. They met while skipping classes and spending their newly found free time playing games and talking, or sometimes, just sitting together in silence too. However, the longer they stay together, the closer they get and their feelings get more and more complicated.

I would like to first talk about Shimamura Hogetsu (voiced by Miku Itou, who also worked on BanG Dream! and Anitore! EX), one of our main characters. She was, to be quite honest, a real mystery to me, in the beginning. This girl has built a wall around herself, barely allowing others to know her true feelings and thoughts. She prefers to be alone and mentions this quite often too, wishing it until the end of the show. Despite showing a quite extroverted personality, it’s clear that she seems to dread to be needed by others and doesn’t really pursue the company of other people. It’s usually others that come to her. She will seem quite cold throughout the show and she is the main reason why I find it hard to say that this show fits the shoujo ai genre.

She never truly sees Adachi as a possible lover, even comparing herself as her new friend’s big sister and, at some point, even mother. She never truly rejects Adachi, she actually learns to accept her more and more and becomes more open to her affections as time goes by, but she fails to see just how deep Adachi feelings are for her. Adding to this, Shimamura overthinks quite a lot about her relationships, even if she seems to not care about them, but even more about herself as a person, overanalyzing her traits and behaviors, closing herself a bit more and more. She sees relationships as fleeting things and doesn’t see the need to make them last or to strengthen them. As soon as she becomes a second year, for example, she gets a new group of friends that she doesn’t even bother herself to know the names of.

Now, to the second protagonist of this show, Adachi Sakura (voiced by Akari Kitou, who has also worked on Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Umamusume: Pretty Derby). She is the reason why I, finally, considered this show a shoujo ai and why I absolutely adored the series. Adachi is the perfect representation of a young girl slowly, but surely, coming to terms with new romantic feelings, that don’t fit the societal norms, and struggling to understand what they mean and how to express them. I saw myself quite a lot in her, in her good and bad moments, to be honest. Adachi is characterized as very introverted girl who, already, struggles quite a lot to speak her mind and avoids people altogether (that being her reason to skip class). However, she starts seeing Shimamura as someone who is worth and different of others, enjoying the time she spends with her and actually allowing herself to be more open about her feelings with her (even if it’s still… to a minimum).

Adachi is scared of her feelings for Shimamura, being a bit jealous and possessive of her (for example, believing that Shimamura only talked to her on the phone and being sad about it, but never acting angry towards her friend), thinking that wanting to be best friends is as far as they can go, when in reality she clearly wants more, frequently fantasizing about kissing her friend. She is so desperate for her feelings to be validated by Shimamura that she ends up compared as to a puppy that follows her everywhere and would do anything for her. Adachi is so confused with her emotions and identity, not understanding with Shimamura is even aware of her feelings as well. The show is mostly focused on Adachi coming to terms with how she wants her relationship to be with Shimamura, her struggles and attempts to become closer to her crush. Her perspective is so innocent and genuine that I believe that anyone wlw that had romantic feelings for another girl in their teenage years might relate to this character.

There are also a few other characters on the show, two of them are Shimamura’s friends that she actually bothered herself to know, Nagafuji Taeko (voiced by Reina Ueda, who has also worked on 3D Kanojo: Real Girl and Dr. Stone) and Hino Akira (voiced by Manami Numakura, who has also worked on Aikatsu Stars! and Konohana Kitan). These two are a bit of stereotypes and honestly only there to be cute together. And then there’s… Chikama Yashiro (voiced by Iori Saeki, who has also worked on Shoujo☆Conto All Starlight and Lapis Re:LiGHTs). I don’t understand what’s the point of this character at all, they are supposed to be an alien from another planet looking for their brethren on Earth, but they barely add anything to the story and are only there to annoy Shimamura and Adachi from time to time. It makes the story less serious, which I can understand some would like, but for me, it definitely made me pay less attention to what was going on.

Other than what I mentioned before, I think this is a show that, while might not be for everyone and could even frustrate quite a few people since it has an open ending, it is definitely a fun watch! I think this is a quite good representation of a girl struggling with her romantic feelings for another and how that confusion can make you feel flustered and sometimes, quite idiotic too.

Rating: 7/10

[hellionosphere]

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[lotus-reviewer]

Fall 2020 Anime Ranked:

1. Jujutsu Kaisen/Tonikawa

2. Talentless Nana/Moriarty the Patriot

3. Danmachi Season 3

4. I'm Standing on 1,000,000 Lives

5. Our Last Crusade

6. Yashihime

7. Hypnosis Mic

8. Kamisama ni Natta hi

9. Journey of Elaina/Adachi and Shimamura

Overall, this was a decent season. There were a few good ones such as the top anime listed and honorable mention, but most were alright and, to be completely honest, kinda forgettable. Anyways, I'll be working on doing reviews of these in the next few weeks and also keep an eye on what I'll be planning to watch this next season of anime. As always, comment your thoughts and have a great day!

[yurimother]

LGBTQ Light Novel Review - Adachi and Shimamura Vol. 1

In Yuri, as with most things, what is popular is not always what is good, or rather, the most prolific item is usually successful because of massive marketing and economic power, and rarely because of a work’s merit. That is not to say that just because something is beloved, it is a bad work, far from it. It is nearly impossible to achieve commercial success if the content is terrible, although NTR Netsuzou Trap challenges this statement. However, the vast majority of the most consumed Yuri series like Bloom Into You and Yuru Yuri are good and even great at times, even if they are not the pinnacle of the genre, despite what sales figures and community polls may tell you. Occasionally the (subjective) best can rise to the top, like Kase-san and My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, both of which have lauded appropriate praise from critics and audiences.

Iruma Hitoma’s Adachi and Shimamura is a well-liked and successful series, publishing eight volumes over the past seven years, spawning two manga adaptations, and receiving an anime adaptation, which currently scheduled to premiere later this year. The light novel finally makes its English debut, and I found the first volume, sadly, disappointing. There are some lovely moments, and I understand why this series is so widespread, but far too much of the material felt aimless, unnecessary, or even aggravating. Give me a few hours and an X-Acto knife (or the copy-paste tool, considering this was an early digital release), and I could probably salvage a pretty good short story from the unfortunate drudgery that is this light novel. Still, as a whole, it would rank significantly far beyond other popular and frankly superior titles.

The light novel follows two high school girls, Adachi and Shimamura, who are both delinquents that regularly play hooky. The two meet when they both choose the same hiding spot, a loft in the gymnasium, and the two become friends, spending their classtime avoiding other people and playing ping-pong in the loft. This concept quickly wears thin as the author feels the need to drill it into the readers’ skulls over the first two chapters. Eventually, the actual plot, if you could call it that, takes over, and the rest of the volume follows the two girls on their inconsequential adventures, going to the mall, fishing, and singing karaoke. Now, there is nothing wrong with a relaxing slice of life about girls doing everyday things, but Adachi and Shimamura utterly fails in this endeavor.

There is a semblance of a narrative arc, but meaningless occurrences so muddle it. After almost every scene, I found myself asking why it was included, what the point was, what the consequences were, what effect it had on the overall story, and there was hardly ever an answer. Sure, there were cute moments, like Shimamura riding on the back of Adachi’s bike or the two girls holding hands which one can squeal and throw money at, but it all feels so distracting. These inadequacies are made all the worse because the story underneath all the garbage is actually rather enjoyable.

 Chapter Three, “Adachi, Questioning” is a definite highlight of the story. This section sees Adachi having a salacious dream about Shimamura and struggling to come to terms with it and her feelings. Her inner conflict includes some pleading and self-assurances she is not gay. This assertion quickly begins to shatter as she struggles to control herself. This chapter is realistic, if a bit sensationalized, and captures that awkward teenage lesbian experience perfectly. If one reads only this chapter and a bit of the start of the novel for context, you will find a fantastic story.

Another feather in this series cap is Iruma’s prose, translated by Molly Lee. The light novel reads exceptionally well, with varied and complicated writings, raising it above most other light novels whose composition I struggle to identify alongside my elementary students’ writings. The perspective shifts back and forth between the title characters every chapter or so, providing readers with a nice bit of dramatic irony, as the girls wonder about the other’s actions or thoughts. Such moments are the only time the author shows us any sense of logic or consequence. My only complaint with the prose is the over-reliance on narrating the characters’ thoughts. These comments are usually sarcastic and used for comedic effect but become a bit tiring.

The story may be thin and convoluted, but the characters are at least consistent. Sadly, they are consistently terrible, ranging from unlikable to downright annoying. Both Adachi and Shimamura are incredibly antisocial, with the former being somewhat more anxious and closed off. Neither one has any ability to connect with other people beyond awkward conversations or snark. At more than one point, Adachi actually runs away from an uncomfortable situation. Their introversion does not read well. Both girls come off as cold and unkind, not touching, cute, or relatable. I cannot fathom what they possibly see in friendship with each other, and this is a serious failing on the author’s part. But nothing, no aspect of their character, could possibly make them worse than Chikama Yashiro.

Yashiro is a small time-traveling alien from the future who forces her friendship on Shimamura. If that sounds awkward and out of place here, do not worry, it does in the book too. No other character indicates any level of fantasy. They at least maintain a semblance of reality even if their personalities are unrealistically callous. Yashiro feels like a strange addition from a fanfiction. Not only is she out of place with the rest of the story, but she is aggressively bothersome. On more than one occasion, she forces her company on Shimamura and loudly interrupts the already struggling plot. The worst of these incidents occurs when Adachi finally gets Shimamura to agree to an outing together at the mall, only to have a bratty alien impose her company on them. In the end, the only emotion the girls feel which Iruma manages to convey is anger and annoyance, as readers will be nothing short of fuming after reading chapters about the bothersome creature.

Adachi and Shimamura is a resounding disappointment. There are individual moments of cuteness, none of which have meaning, and one chapter with some actual stakes and engaging story. Other works, like Yuru Yuri, have shown that inconsequential slice of life stories can thrive with engaging characters and fun situations, but Adachi and Shimamura has neither. However, I still have some hope for the upcoming anime adaptation. Crazy and annoying antics like Yashiro’s will likely come across better in a visual medium, where characters can be reactive and exaggerated better than in text. Further, I think the additional dialogue required by television will help the girls feel less distant and more engaging for the viewer. I recommend you skip reading this book and wait to see if the anime has anything more to offer, or if future volumes can improve the shoddy storytelling.

Ratings: Story – 4 Characters – 2 LGBTQ – 6 Sexual Content – 1 Final – 3 

Purchase Adachi and Shimamura Vol. 1 here: https://amzn.to/3alTyLM

Review copy provided by Seven Seas Entertainment

[stuckinakillingjar]

2020 Anime that I’ve watched + my opinion on them

Before I start let’s get some things out of the way:

This may include spoilers, I try to avoid them. Btw don’t expect professional reviews, this is just me ranting

Anime that weren’t finished this year are not included (with that I’m talking about Jujutsu Kaisen, it’ll probably be in my next list if I remember to make one next year)

I took the summaries from My Anime List because I suck at writing coherent summaries myself

This will probably be the longest post ever, so I’ll start with the reviews under the cut

I spent way too much time on this omg...ok here we go...

Fugou Keiji: Balance Unlimited (Spring 2020)

MAL Summary: Daisuke Kanbe, a man of extraordinary wealth, is assigned to the Modern Crime Prevention Headquarters as a detective. It is there that he gets partnered with Haru Katou, a humane detective who values justice above all. The two are polar opposites, and their morals clash time and time again. Haru despises Daisuke for using monetary wealth to solve cases, as he believes that money isn't everything. The two will have to combine their efforts, however, to solve the mysteries that are coming their way.

I love love love this show. This was the first Anime I’ve simulcasted (well just the last 5 or 6 episodes tbh), and I found it through...Tumblr. 

Yep, I started watching a few episodes after I saw the episode of Daisuke sleeping over at Kato’s house on Tumblr (this one totally didn’t become my comfort episode). I find it funny how the entire fandom on here made up the most crazy theories about the show and in the end the entire thing was kinda...disappointing? 

A big thing that makes a good Anime for me is the animation (I mean of course) and we all know how that turned out lmao...the one episode where Kato and Daisuke infiltrated the boat or ship or whatever was a pure shitshow ngl. 

OH MY GOD THE OST FOR THIS IS GOD TIER. The OP slaps sooo hard, and the ED was stuck in my head for like a month straight.

I love the character designs, voice actors (MAMORU MIYANO??? and don’t even get me started on Daisuke’s VA...) and overall it was a sweet, short story that I really enjoyed in the end, even though it had it’s bad traits. 

Final score: 8/10

Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai: The Clouds Gather (Winter 2020)

MAL Summary: Yashiro is the young leader of Shinseikai and the president of the Shinseikai Enterprise, but like so many powerful men, he leads a double life as a deviant and a masochist. Doumeki Chikara comes to work as a bodyguard for him and, although Yashiro had decided that he would never lay a hand on his own men, he finds there's something about Doumeki that he can't resist. Yashiro makes advances toward Doumeki, but Doumeki has mysterious reasons for denying. Yashiro, who abuses his power just to abuse himself, and Doumeki, who faithfully obeys his every command, begin the tumultuous affair of two men with songs in their hearts and no wings to fly.  

So yeah, there’s not much to say about this one, I had to watch it two times because I kinda lost interest the first time and used it as background noise, but yeah let’s not talk about my short attention span-

I liked the animation, the story too, and even though I’m not into Hentai, it was tolerable.

Final score: 7/10

number24 (Winter 2020)

MAL Summary: Natsuza Yuzuki has been playing rugby as a left-winger ever since he was a child. After enrolling in Doushisha University, he quickly becomes a rising star in the Kansai University League. His dreams are shattered, however, when a nasty motorbike accident leaves him with a spinal hernia—making him unable to be able to play rugby ever again. With no role available other than the position of manager, he accepts his new post and hopes his squad can obtain a league title. Yuzuki's team is an unlikely group, including his stoic best friend and full-back Seiichirou Jingyouji; hot-headed first-year Yasunari Tsuru, who harbors a strong dislike for Natsuza, filling his senior's old position as left wing; and Yuu Mashiro, who is struggling to hold his ground as a scrum half. Despite Natsuza putting his all into training his team for a league title, their squad still feels incomplete. A year ago, Ibuki Ueka, the genius fly-half that was once Doushisha's ace, suddenly quit rugby—and now Natsuza is determined to get him back.

Yeah I dropped this one after the 6th episode because it was so. fucking. boring. And OH MY GOD I hate the animation so much, it’s awful. This is a rugby Anime, isn’t it supposed to look like...dirty? Rough? It was the exact opposite lmfao

The MC was annoying as shit, and for some reason this dude had a fucking harem running after him? Like idk why, he’s so awful. 

The actual rugby scenes were just boring, they went on for like five minutes and the rest of the episode was the MC getting wooed by those guys.

I don’t even know how I found that shit i the first place, and yeah I dropped it...

Final score: 2/10

Ikebukuro West Gate Park (Fall 2020)

MAL Summary: Crime-ridden Ikebukuro is a haven for violent gangs, the Yakuza, and home to Makoto Majima. To protect his friends, this charismatic troubleshooter mediates disputes among the warring factions—even fixing problems the police can't. But when a rising tide of violence results in Makoto losing a loved one, can he ride out the storm, or will he drown in all the spilled blood that floods his streets?

First of all: I hate the artstyle so much. The only thing that I like in this series concerning the art is the food. Thats literally it.

It’s an episodic series, and I just think that this one wasn’t really it for me. The last few episodes were kind of connected but they killed off my favorite character so that’s a big minus.

OK COMING BACK AFTER WATCHING THE FINAL EPISODE: That was fucking fire I loved it oh my god. Turns out that they actually didn’t kill off my favorite character, and I was really surprised by the plot twist of who was behind all of the shit that made the G-Boys and the Red Angels have a gang war. Ok back to the review...

The stories were kinda boring most of the time, but each and every one of them discussed a problem in our society nowdays, which I really liked.

There was always something off about how the characters acted, I can’t really put my finger on it, but it just made the whole thing kinda...unrealistic??

Final score: 6/10

Haikyuu!!: To the Top (Winter 2020)

MAL Summary: After their triumphant victory over Shiratorizawa Academy, the Karasuno High School volleyball team has earned their long-awaited ticket to nationals. As preparations begin, genius setter Tobio Kageyama is invited to the All-Japan Youth Training Camp to play alongside fellow nationally recognized players. Meanwhile, Kei Tsukishima is invited to a special rookie training camp for first-years within the Miyagi Prefecture. Not receiving any invitations himself, the enthusiastic Shouyou Hinata feels left behind. However, Hinata does not back down. Transforming his frustration into self-motivation, he boldly decides to sneak himself into the same rookie training camp as Tsukishima. Even though Hinata only lands himself a job as the ball boy, he comes to see this as a golden opportunity. He begins to not only reflect on his skills as a volleyball player but also analyze the plethora of information available on the court and how he can apply it. As the much-anticipated national tournament approaches, the members of Karasuno's volleyball team attempt to overcome their weak points and refine their skills, all while aiming for the top!

This is gonna be a long one, brace yourselves.

Look I love Haikyuu!! with all of my heart. But this just wasn’t it. 

Let’s just start with the artstyle since that’s literally the main thing that ruined this season for me.

Some characters had a really nice glow up: Yaku, Yamaguchi, Ennoshita or Tendou for example. They somehow managed to make all of the girls look 100-times better even after they already looked amazing in the first three seasons (Kiyoko-senpai pls notice me). 

But seriously. How do you manage making almost all of the main cast look like shit? Like wtf? What the hell happened to Asahi’s and Hinata’s hair? Why does Takeda-sensei look like a baby? Why does Kageyama look like he’s completely uninterested and half asleep, and NOT intimidating at all. Why is Tsukishima’s face so small? Why are all of their eyes so big all of the sudden? And has Suga always been this fucking annoying? 

Someone on Reddit said something like: ‘now you just have to look and Haikyuu and go: “Yeah that’s definitely an Anime”’.  Everything’s just so poppy and shiny?? It’s hard for me to actually explain it, but it just doesn’t feel like Haikyuu to me without the ‘dirty’ looking artstyle. It took me like 9 episodes to get used to it, but I still don’t like it at all.

(I actually found someone on Youtube who describes the change perfectly)

Considering the story there’s nothing much to say, I definitely liked the last 5 episodes more than the first few ones, because those were basically just practising and Hinata being so fucking annoying. I got invested when they finally went to Nationals though, that made me really happy.

It’s really nice to see Bokuaka again, although Akaashi looked 10 times prettier in Season 2. Bokuto had a glow-up though. Now that I’m mentioning them I also have to say that I liked Kenma in the  old artstyle more. Kuroo’s smile still looks like ‘creepy-pedo’ to me. I still love them all though.

The OP is fire btw

Final score: 6/10

Haikyuu!! To the Top 2nd Season (Fall 2020)

MAL Summary:  Karasuno enters into the second half of Nationals with brand-new opponents: Inarizaki High. The long-standing powerhouse team includes a few familiar faces, namely Miya Atsumu. Named Japan's "best high school setter," Miya previously rubbed elbows with Kageyama at the All-Japan Youth Intensive Training Camp. Karasuno will have to overcome a setter that outranks their own, and Atsumu's twin brother is on the team, too.

Ok, I finished this like two minutes ago, so everything is still fresh in my memories: THAT WAS AWESOME. The last 2-3 episodes had me on the edge of my seat that was fucking amazing aaaahhhhh

I’m so proud and really fuckin hyped for the match against Nekoma, I’ve been waiting for that shit forever, I wanna cry omfg

So, now that this is out of the way, let’s get to the other stuff: The OST was incredible, as always. I liked the Miya Twins Theme with the saxophones (?). I called it “Kakegurui Trap Remix” in my notes lmfao. BTW: the Inarizaki cheer sounds like that one song from Naruto that my brother can’t stop listening to.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but damn I can’t stand Suna and that Atsumu guy. This dude just looks like a character Mamoru Miyano would voice for (nothing against Mamoru though, I love this man). 

JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT EVERY TIME I SEE ATSUMU I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT BEE MOVIE MEME SOMEONE MADE

Now let’s talk about the only thing about this season that made my blood boil: The animation of course. Those two outsourced episodes 2 and 6 physically pained me, damn. I wanna smack the shit out of everyone who looked at the final product of the animation in those episodes and thought “Oh don’t worry they’re not gonna notice”. Like, who the fuck was responsible for the in-between animation, I just wanna talk, seriously how can you fuck up that bad. (Ok damn, after proof-reading the entire post this sounds a little harsh, but I’m just gonna let it stay like that lol)

Final score: 8/10

Jibaku Shonen Hanako-kun (Winter 2020)

MAL Summary: The famous "Seven Wonders" that every school seems to have are a staple of Japanese urban legends. One of the most well-known of these tales is that of Hanako-san: the ghost of a young girl who haunts the school's bathrooms. Kamome Academy has its own version of Hanako-san's legend. Rumors claim that if one successfully manages to summon Hanako-san, she will grant her summoner any wish. Lured by the gossip, many people have tried to call upon her, yet every attempt has failed. However, when Nene Yashiro, a girl hoping for romantic fortune, dares to summon Hanako-san, she discovers that the rumored "girl" is actually a boy! After a series of unfortunate events involving Nene's romantic desires, she is unwillingly entangled in the world of the supernatural, becoming Hanako-kun's assistant. Soon, she finds out about Hanako-kun's lesser-known duty: maintaining the fragile balance between mortals and apparitions.

!THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS!

First of all: What’s with main characters eating cursed objects this year?

The artstyle was the thing that I liked the most about this Anime. It makes everyone look really cute, it’s very detailed and colorful. Hanako is the cutest little shit ever, and Tsuchigomori looks like a TikTok E-Boy lmfao (btw why does it feel like Kenjirou Tsuda is in every Anime I’m watching? No hate tho, he’s one of my favorites)

And oh my god, the OP really didn’t have to slap that hard, damn it sounds awesome, and the ED too.

There were some kind of technical difficulties considering the sound, I don’t know if it’s because of the site I watched it on, but sometimes when the characters speak there’s some sort of rustle in the background that just annoyed me. And I don’t know if someone else noticed this but sometimes Hanako’s mouth movements go on after he’s not speaking anymore, that kinda confused me. 

(THE SPOILERS BEGIN NOW)

I was just getting ready for having a new ship, and then suddenly it goes from 0-100 in episode 8 and then Mitsuba’s just fucking dead, and then alive again in episode 10, like what? And then there’s Hanako’s fucking twin brother who kinda scared me and turned the relatively tame show into a fucking bloodbath. 

Idk man, I hope we get a second season so I can see Minamoto save Mitsuba from Tsukasa.

#letmitsubabehappy2021

Final score: 9/10

Adachi to Shimamura (Fall 2020)

MAL Summary: The second floor of the gym―this was where we always met. It was class time, but of course, there weren't any classes going on in a place like this. This was where Shimamura and I became friends. We hung out here―talking about TV shows and cooking, playing some ping pong... This is where we fostered our friendship. Keeping my head propped against the wall, I let out a small sigh. What was this feeling? Yesterday, I'd dreamt of me and Shimamura kissing. Not that I'm like that. I'm sure Shimamura isn't either. It's not even something worth repeating myself about, but really, it's not like that. It's just that when she hears the word "friend," I want her to think of me first. That's all.

I dropped this one because it got really boring, and I just didn’t have the motivation to finish the series after the 6th episode.

There’s not much to say about this one, the OP is nice, but nothing I wouldn’t skip or listen to on my own. The artstyle looks good, but for some reason there just wasn’t anything mind-blowing for me.

Adachi was relatable in some aspects, but that alone just wasn’t reason enough for me to ‘suffer’ through the last half of the Anime.

5/10

Great Pretender (Spring 2020)

MAL Summary: A series of unfortunate events has led Makoto "Edamame" Edamura to adopt the life of crime—pickpocketing and scamming others for a living. However, after swindling a seemingly clueless tourist, Makoto discovers that he was the one tricked and, to make matters worse, the police are now after him. While making his escape, he runs into the tourist once again, who turns out to be a fellow con man named Laurent Thierry, and ends up following him to Los Angeles. In an attempt to defend his self-proclaimed title of "Japan's Greatest Swindler," Makoto challenges his rival to determine the better scammer. Accepting the competition, Laurent drops them off outside a huge mansion and claims that their target will be the biggest mafia boss on the West Coast. Jumping from city to city, Great Pretender follows the endeavors of Makoto alongside the cunning Laurent and his colorful associates in the world of international high-stakes fraud. Soon, Makoto realizes that he got more than what he bargained for as his self-declared skills are continually put to the test.

This ending was,,, something,,,

Many people didn’t like it for whatever reason, but I’m actually kinda excited about how it’s going to continue.

The show is divided into four ‘cases’, so it’s kind of episodic but not really? I really liked it, the ‘Team Confidence' comes up with the most surreal shit  to go through with their plans, and it’s so exciting. 

I lowkey don’t understand how Makoto can still take Laurents shit after being literally traumatized (Looking at u Case 4) by this dude a million times.

This Anime get’s an extra point just for the music, I mean, Freddie Mercury as the ED??? I love it 

Ooooooh and the artstyle I can’t- it’s too beautiful. Someone said that you could pause at any frame and it would make wallpaper-material, and it’s true! Btw my favorite ships in this are Laurent x Therapy and Makoto x Happiness (seriously, let that man live a normal life fgs).

Another thing, and probably my biggest reason for liking this show, is the diversity. We get to see so many people, cultures, countries, languages, it’s truly amazing. We have cases in London, Singapore, Shanghai, Paris, and of course Tokyo too. I’ve never seen something like this in an Anime and it really makes Great Pretender special.

Final score: 9/10

So uhm yeah, that’s it, I spent so much time on this, it’s ridiculous.

If there are any major language mistakes in this, please let me know, I’m not a native speaker, and I always try to get better in speaking English

(now let’s just sit back, relax, and wait until the Haikyuu!! fandom comes to kill me in my sleep)

[historyhermann]

Skip and Loafer Spoiler-Filled Review

Skip and Loafer is romantic comedy and slice-of-life anime, written and directed by Kotomi Deai. It is based on an ongoing manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Misaki Takamatsu. This animated series was produced by P.A. Works, known for series such as Canaan, Kuromukuro, Akiba Maid War, and Aquatope on the White Sand.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the fortieth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on July 16, 2023.

This series has a simple storyline. A girl named Mitsumi Iwakura (voiced by Tomoyo Kurosawa) goes to Tsubame West High School, a school in Tokyo, with the goal of becoming a rural planner in her hometown. She leaves her friends, such as Fumino "Fumi" Toyama (voiced by Sumire Morohoshi), behind. While walking to school, Mitsumi believes everything is going her way, but gets lost. She is helped by another student, Sōsuke Shima (voiced by Akinori Egoshi). Somehow, they both get to the opening ceremony just in time, allowing her to give a speech to the incoming class. However, thanks to their fast running, she throws up onto her teacher, earning her the nickname of "barf girl". And that's only the first episode.

Admittedly, I had not originally planned to watch Skip and Loafer. Reading Alex Henderson's review of the first episode for Anime Feminist, convinced me otherwise. This view was reinforced by the spring premiere digest on the same site. It described the series as a "sweet coming-of-age story" with an anxious, driven, and endearing female protagonist. The review also said the series had a "positively depicted trans guardian" named Nao (voiced by Mitsuki Saiga). After watching all twelve episodes of the first season, I have to agree with their assessment. However, there is a lot more to the show than the assessment by these reviewers.

There are hilarious moments in each episode. This is especially the case when it comes to Mitsumi's antics, or when the reality of people is hidden. This humor is not based off any tropes or common stereotypes. Even so, it makes you empathize with the characters, endear them you, and make you interested in learning more about them as people.

Unlike other anime I've reviewed this year, Skip and Loafer gives its characters depth. In the fourth episode, Mitsumi is told by slacker teacher Hanazono that student council treasurer Tokiko Takamine (voiced by Minami Tsuda) is an organized person. She is impressed and connects with her almost instantly, seeing her as a senpai. Takamine even tells her how to use her time more efficiently.

However, Takamine has anxiety hidden below the surface. She is barely holding it together and even has nightmares about missing the bus or train. I liked that Takamine learns from Mitsumi to not panic if things don't go her way, to accept what is around her, and not be tense all the time. This is something which many people can resonate with.

Somehow, Mitsumi inadvertently causes Takamine's nightmares to disappear. She even influences her to admit that everyone should have their own path and way to use their time. Overall, Takamine is very relatable, as she is generally very organized. In some ways, she reminds me of my own personal organizational habits.

The interactions between Mitsumi and Sōsuke are at the center of Skip and Loafer. They learn more about each other and cheer up one another, if one of them feels down. While there are some romantic feelings between them, they are undoubtedly good friends who support each other, even if times get tough. That is part of the great storytelling in this anime.

I further liked the series because it isn't as dramatic like Kaguya-sama: Love Is War or Yuri is My Job!. Nor is it idolish like Alice Gear Aegis Expansion and Kizuna no Allele. Instead, it has a similar same pace, and feel, to Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear or iyashikei series like Adachi and Shimamura and Laid-Back Camp. It reminds me a bit of K-On! and My Roommate Is a Cat for the same reason. However, it isn't an iyashikei series. There is a focus on the plot, characters, and worldbuilding. But there isn't an immersive visual setting, meaning that it does not fit the definition of this anime sub-genre.

Slice-of-life series are some of my favorite anime. I still remember fondly watching, apart from those already named, Azumanga Daioh, Squid Girl, YuruYuri, Kin-iro Mosaic, and Teasing Master Takagi-san. However, Skip and Loafer isn't exactly like those anime. Not is it like Let's Make a Mug Too, Akebi's Sailor Uniform, Sasaki and Miyano, Gabriel DropOut, or Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop. In some ways, this series gives me the same vibes as the first cour of The Aquatope on White Sand, a series also produced by P.A. Works. The second cour of that series had a different tone, as it showed the brutal reality of the workplace and how it can wear you down to nothing.

Skip and Loafer stands out because of the casual queerness shown in the series. This is especially exemplified by Mitsumi's aunt, Nao. I hadn't picked up that she was trans, because it is relatively subtle, until reading some articles about it. After that, I could recognize it being mentioned throughout the series. Nao appears to be accepted and no one bats an eye about it.

The fact that Nao is trans is as subtle, in some ways, as May Marigold stating openly that she is trans in a Volume 8 episode of RWBY, without specifically using the word "trans". There is some danger in subtlety, as everyone may not recognize it. Some series have done it better than others. I would say that Skip and Loafer does a good job of this, although it would be great to have additional LGBTQ characters.

There is more than casual queerness in Skip and Loafer. It is represented by characters that lean into "common archetypes." Nao experiences transmisogyny and Mitsumi supports her. She cares for Mitsumi deeply. She goes undercover as an "uncle", and is joined by Egashira (voiced by Yuka Terasaki). The latter thinks Sosuke is a "clout-chaser," during Mitsumi's date with Sosuke in the eighth episode. The reality is that Egashira has a crush on him and is jealous.

In that same episode, Mitsumi and her friends come over for a summer outing, a sleepover, allowing them to get even closer than they had before. She tells her friends that Nao is "biologically male" (i.e., trans), to not cause a panic. Thanks to Nao, she knows some make-up language, which gives her a leg up in their conversations. Later, when Egoshira tries to leave, Nao convinces her to stay, again showing her role in keeping Mitsumi's friends together.

The bond between Egashira and Nao is strong. In one Skip and Loafer episode, Egashira is sad that she can't talk to her at the school festival. This is after both, as noted earlier, bonded when they were spying on Sosuke and Mitsumi, during their date. Hopefully, a second season will expand on their friendship.

One of the most popular ships among fans is between Mitsumi's two schoolmates, Yuzuki Murashige (voiced by Maaya Uchida) and Makoto Kurume (voiced by Megumi Han), who are opposites from one another. Mitsumi brings them closer together, with fans praising their romantic "chemistry", including cute interactions.

The implied romantic feelings between Makoto and Yuzuki reaches a high point in the show's 11th episode. Yuzuki puts off a guy who is hitting on her and says that she dislikes it when people praise her art without looking at it deeply. Of course, Makoto does the opposite, praising the art, and makes Yuzuki blush in response.

While some may say their interactions are  "yuri-baiting", referring to series which show romantic relationships between girls/women without having that "relationship come to fruition," it is more fair to call it yuri subtext. For one, Makoto and Yuzuki have unresolved feelings for one another and aren't a couple. Their feelings have not been realized. Yuri subtext is all over the place in anime, from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha to Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. It differs from more directly-shown love like that between Anis and Euphie in MagiRevo or one-sided love shown in Alice Gear Aegis Expansion.

Mitsumi is a sympathetic character because she isn't good at athletics, similar to Mako's worries about athletic events. This serves as a way for Mitsumi to bond deeper with Sosuke, who accepts her for who she is. Sports, and their emphasis, are a major part of Japanese culture, like it is in the U.S. Those who don't conform to the "norm" to be ridiculed. In this series, the difference from the norm is portrayed as acceptable. It is fine to be less social, quiet, and not like sports.

One of the best parts of Skip and Loafer is how Mitsumi connects with her classmates, either Sosuke, Yuzuki, Makoto, or Mika Egashira. The latter is nervous, at first, at interactions with nasty male classmates. She even has a mental list of those who are mean to her and vows revenge on them for what they did to her.

As a result of their friendship, Egashira's attitudes change. Her crush on Sosuke strengthens, even as she feels left behind as Sosuke appears closer to Mitsumi than her. She is hiding inner conflicts and trauma, implying she has low self-worth.

Her desire to go through schooling, to help her hometown of Ikajima, is admirable. Throughout the series, she has a connection to Ikajima since her childhood friend, Fumi still lives in the town. She doesn't have many lines in the series and so few, that no one even bothered to add her to the show's Wikipedia page. She is someone that Mitsumi can vent and talk to. This all comes to a head in the ninth episode when she visits Ikajima and has a fun time with her middle school friends.

The romantic comedy themes of Skip and Loafer shine through in the show's sixth episode. Mitsumi begins believing rumors about Sosuke, thinking he is a "bad boy" who skipped school and faked being sick. After he tells her to not believe the rumors, she realizes that she is in love with him, and tells Fumi she feels the same way about Sosuke as Fumi did about her friend as well.

This plot is interlaced with Mitsumi's work in the school's student council. She becomes the student council secretary alongside Takamine. She encourages the latter to work with the new president-elect, Hiroto Kazakami (voiced by Junya Enoki), telling her that all we can do is hope it pays off some day. This is diametrically opposed to what is shown in Ippon Again!, that hard work can lead to success. This idea has been questioned in recent years.

Not everything is puppies and roses in this series. This is made clear when Ririka Saijou (voiced by Minako Kotobuki) comes out of nowhere at the end of the seventh episode. She is said to be a "childhood friend" of Sosuke. Ririka is more than that. She is a model who sneers at Mitsumi, calling her a "circus act". She even declares that he can't have a high school life because of an incident four years before in which he, apparently, showed bad judgment. In essence, she blackmails him.

This doesn't stop the growing romance between Mitsumi and Sosuke, however. In fact, in the ninth episode, she expresses her enthusiasm, and gives him three squid crackers from her hometown, because she feels bad for him. Although he feels he doesn't "deserve anything", their interaction brings a smile to his face. As such, Skip and Loafer is saying that rather than beating ourselves up over our mistakes, we should take chances instead.

The last three episodes are some of the strongest in the entire series. While the preparation for a school festival is not a new plot in anime, the play is pertinent in today's world that reactionaries are stronger than ever. It is about a person who falls in love with fascists and joins them because of romance, even turning on his own family!

Some Jewish fans have even stated that anime has a "Nazi problem" and is anti-Semitic due to Attack on Titan, Angel Cop, Fullmetal Alchemist, Hellsing, and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, and Hetalia: Axis Powers characters. These views remain controversial, with the argument that Western viewers are misinterpreting plotlines through a distorted lens.

Back to Skip and Loafer, Sosuke's role as a friend shines through. He cheers up Mitsumi, thinking back to his bad childhood, and tries to make sure Mitsumi doesn't hurt herself. They end up talking and having a fun time together. Understandably, Mitsumi feels bad that she allowed Sosuke to be picked for the play. After all, he didn't want an acting role. Again, this shows the power of peer pressure and "need" to be socially accepted. In fact, Sosuke worries that people only see him one way and he can't do anything to "ruin" that perception.

Sosuke ends up shining through, in the 11th episode. He does an amazing performance, impressing his half-brother Keiri and his mother. He ends up enjoying himself. The series says that he should be grateful to his brother, who has been considerate of him, rather than dismissive. However, Ririka's arrival threatens to destroy it all!

The Skip and Loafer series finale brings this to a head. In an act of intimidation, Ririka falsely accuses Sosuke's mother of making Sosuke act for her again. This causes Sosuke's mother, and Keiri, to leave. Even so, Mitsumi bravely defends Sosuke from Ririke, standing between them both, like an anteater. As a result, Sosuke realizes he can act for himself, rather than doing it for others. He is comforted when he forgets his lines at the end of the school play.

In one of the most powerful scenes in the entire series, Sosuke stands up for himself. He says that he can't make up for what he did to Ririka. Even so, he refuses to follow the same self-destructive path as her, noting that he is enjoying school life. As an olive branch, he offers to do anything to help her move on. Predictably, Ririka is infuriated.

She lashes out, declaring that Sosuke is selfish and narcissistic, and says the same about his mother. She doesn't want him to get his life back and wants to continue manipulating him. As a result, she pushes him away, arguing that Sosuke and his mother can do what they want, but to not show his face to her again. After he thanks her, this shocks her to the core.

Although the series finale might be beginning the "redemption" of Ririka, she is not a sympathetic character. Her pity crying and admission that the scandal, and losing her job, was partially her fault (rather than Sosuke), makes her toxicity that much worse. She is an awful character who treats others poorly. Even her friend, Chris Fukunaga (voiced by Yuusuke Nagano), tells her to not guilt-trip Sosuke. He adds that it is her sole fault her grades sucked. Whether she reforms herself, takes responsibility for her actions, understands her harm, and doesn't cause any further harm, or not, hopefully she is out of Sosuke's life for good.

The Skip and Loafer series finale wraps up loose ends. President Hiroto gets more depth. He tells Takamine that he was expected to be the best from an early age. His family had high standards for success. This causes Takamine to develop a crush. As the school festival ends, there is a touching scene in which Sosuke and Mitsumi realize how much they mean to one another. Mitsumi is undoubtedly more in love with him than ever. She closes out the episode, encapsulating her story of wanting to become a government official in her hometown, and how she got there.

The show's colorful and vibrant animation really sticks with you. Some series are flat and don't have expressive animation. Skip and Loafer is the exact opposite of that and has a distinct art style. As such, the series is that much more appealing.

The same can be said for the series' voice actors. The voices of Mitsumi, Sumi, Sosuke, and Nao, who are Tomoyo Kurosawa, Sumire Morohoshi, Akinori Egoshi, and Mitsuki Saiga respectfully, are talented. Kurosawa is known for her roles in Cutie Honey Universe, Astra Lost in Space, BanG Dream!, and Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina. 

Murohoshi lent her voice to characters in series such as Princess Jellyfish, Little Witch Academia, and Violet Evergarden. Egoshi has voiced characters in Shirobako, Kino's Journey: The Beautiful World, Fruits Basket, and many others. Saiga is known for roles in Cowboy Bebop, R.O.D the TV, Maria Watches Over Us, Ouran High School Host Club, and Yurikuma Arashi.

Minami Tsuda, Yuka Terasaki, Maaya Uchida, and Megumi Han, who voice Takamine, Egashira, Yuzuki, and Makoto, have done many recognizable roles. Tsuda voiced Mei Aihara in the ever-controversial Citrus, Terasaki voiced Babel in Gargantia and Akari Hyūga in Bloom Into You, and Uchida lent her voice to Sharo Kirima in Is the Order a Rabbit?, Catarina Claes in My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, and countless others.

Han has voiced characters in series such as Komi Can't Communicate, RWBY: Ice Queendom, The Dangers in My Heart, and Oshi no Ko. Junya Enoki and Minako Kotobuki, the voices of Hiroto and Ririka, are known for roles in anime such as Heroines Run the Show, Wandering Son, and Your Lie in April.

The last frame of the final Skip and Loafer episode says, "see you tomorrow", implying a possible continuation. If a second season for the series was ordered, which is unlikely, romance between Sosuke and Mitsumi will blossom. The same may be the case for the bond between Makoto and Yuzuki, possible growing feelings that Takamine has for Hiroto, and other relationships between characters. In the process, Mitsumi's trans aunt, Nao, will likely have a significant role.

Skip and Loafer can be streamed on Crunchyroll and is available for purchase on Prime Video.

© 2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[deltaengineering]

What remains of Fall Anime 2020

You might have noticed that I haven’t been keeping up with my season impressions, mostly (but not exclusively) because it’s really boring to come up with new ways to say “it’s isekai, which means it’s garbage for stupids”. So here’s what I ended up finishing, in ascending order of goodinosity.

Hypnosis Mic -Division Rap Battle- Rhyme Anima

Ostentatious rap battles in an insanely stupid universe are very fun. The thing is that this doesn’t want to be a good anime, it wants to sell us on these characters, and the characters are pretty terrible on account of all of them being one-word gimmicks. So, let’s give them three rounds of introductions and have them solve lame, generic crimes for 8 episodes instead of setting up the rivalries that everyone suddenly has later, when the show gets good - because it does start delivering towards the end, and becomes really all I wanted. So I can’t even say I’m disappointed, but the first half of the show is almost entirely worthless. 4/10

Assault Lily Bouquet

I don’t want to be the guy that’s all “I’m mad at this show not catering to what I want”, but I do have to say that Salt Bucket is much better at being a goofy, lighthearted yuri comedy than it is at action (though there are a few choice cuts) and at having an engaging storyline. This is again just an ad for some game or other, so it’s no surprise it has about two dozen characters too many, but it also has quite a lot of superfluous plot - so much so that I suspect it was initially planned to be twice as long. Apart from that, it’s cool and all that some Gainax old hand got to make his own Gunbuster-like, but it’s just not very good at that and all I wanted was Kaede antics and bath scenes, of which 1 per episode is clearly too few. 5/10

The King's Avatar 2

King’s Avatar got a sequel and overall I have to say, I kinda like it more than the first season even though it looks much less ambitious and even the character designs were changed towards the bland. But I honestly don’t care much about the esports aspect of this and much of S2, especially in the back half, is more about schemes and social engineering - as close to an Eve Online anime as we’re ever going to get, I guess. It’s still very chinajank (why the hell does every episode come with a redundant chibi summary of itself, etc), and while I can’t call that “good” it does remind me of a time when I wasn’t filled with useless knowledge of anime tropes and was just enjoying the weirdness. Also, Ye God’s antics is as close to “looking for anime with OP MC” as I’m comfortable with getting. 6/10

Heaven Official's Blessing

Now how about some Chinimation that isn’t very janky? I only became aware of Heaven Official’s Blessing when it suddenly rocketed to the top of the MAL charts, so I gave it a looksie and oh boy. The first few episodes of this show are flat out gorgeous, quite funny and very very gay. So I was ready to agree with MAL for once, except it then launches into an arc that mostly consists of our dudes sitting in a dark pit telling each other stories that aren’t very interesting and seem barely related to the setup. Yeah, the back half of this just isn’t very good at all. And the subs are hot garbage. Still, the beginning is so impressive that I would recommend this show despite the middling rating it’s about to get. 6/10

Ochikobore Fruit Tart

You know the problem that these 5girls4koma stories have, where one of the characters is an annoying pervert, yeah? Well, in Fruit Tart every character is that character, and they’re rather cultured as well. Yes, it’s often of questionable taste and it has a terminal case of 4koma storytelling but dammit if I didn’t enjoy it. It certainly helps that this show’s greatest asset by far is Broko and it seems to be aware of this, because there’s a lot of Broko material. It would have probably have gotten a 6 but the last episode is just so... maximum Fruit Tart. I’m down for some trash if it’s as well made as this, and I do like my kiraralikes spicy, so thumbs up over here. YMM definitely V on this one. 7/10

Majo no Tabitabi

Speaking of things that are hard to recommend despite me liking them a lot, Elaina here challenges the very notion of what a TV show even is supposed to be. I assume most people tune in every week expecting to get something roughly similar. Not so with this one, you could get everything from slice of life antics to Higurashi-style gore, or reasonably deep character study to pervert comedy. I would say that the only unifying thread is the presence of Elaina, who is a very fun character, but there’s an episode she’s not in, so there you go. But I’m a connoisseur of the weird and I also have to say that I enjoyed every episode in its own way. Also, each episode stays remarkably consistent by itself, and in the end it wraps it all up with a sort of neat “life is like a box of chocolates” thematic bow, which isn’t earthshatteringly profound but hey, it’s there. Just don’t go in with expectations, especially not expectations based on the first episode. 7/10

Love Live! Nijigasaki

It’s Love Live. Good old reliable Love Live. Really not much to say about this one, any discussion of what makes this different from previous iterations is going to end up in minutiae only people who already watched this could possibly care about. I do have to say that while the musical numbers are as good as Sunshine’s were towards the end and there’s also a lot more of them, “looking budget deficient outside the CG” is the one thing I didn’t expect from something that’s ostensibly a Sunrise premium product. So boo on that one, apart from that it’s idols (an anagram of solid). 7/10

Garupa Pico Oomori

The chibi SD shorts based off Bang Dream are still better than the main show. Even if S3 was actually quite good, this is just the best thing you can do with 30+ characters that aren’t that deep. Garupa Pico specializes in absurd humor setpieces that at points is better at being Pop Team Epic than Pop Team Epic itself was. Take that, memelords. 7/10

Fire Force S2

Fire Force is just weird, man, and it’s sort of great. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a property of this magnitude show this much of the ol idgaf spirit. How about an episode where the A plot is the most evenhanded exploration of religion i’ve seen in anime, and the B plot is about blowing up a tryhard edgelord by exposing him to panties? How about a subplot where Batman and Thor infiltrate the vatican to kill the pope, only for that to lead into a gay rape backstory, only for that to be resolved by dank weed and dismemberment? It really is quite a thing, as they say. Now, Fire Force certainly delivers hard at points, but it’s also very scattershot, even if S2 is somewhat more consistent than S1. The weakest parts are unsurprisingly still the ones where it’s remembering its fighting shounen template, and that’s not only because I don’t like that, it’s also because it’s particularly and consistently bad at scheduling these huge, simultaneous multifight setpieces it often crescendoes with. But hey, at least these tend to look super cool. In short, Fire Force is a land of contrasts and still the only fighting shounen I give a damn about. 7/10

IDOLiSH7 Second Beat

Did you know that I think Idolshi7 is the best one of all of these huge-ass commercial idol franchises? Yeah, I think it’s better than Love Live, and as of Fall 2020 also the better looking one because Troyca still delivers where Sunrise apparently can’t. I guess still don’t like the music much, thankfully there isn’t a lot of that. It also still specializes in gigantic drama, and to its credit S2 is now much better at either getting to the point or at least making it silly and fun. You show that door who’s boss, Sou. Still fantastic Tsumugis all over the place as well, in fact I think I like all the characters now. Even Banri gets his big moment in this season! Yeah, this stuff is pretty cool. 8/10

Adachi and Shimamura

So here’s the AOTS, and it’s the lovechild of Bloom Into You and Tsuki ga Kirei. While it definitely isn’t as good as either of these two, because it lacks the “about more than just teenagers being hyperbolic about a crush” part from Bloom and the part where it has an actual ending from TgK, it carves out its own niche with its loopy, almost stoned tone that’s full of side weirdos and yuri hyperspace. It’s also uniquely focused, with a tiny core cast and even Shimamura doesn’t really matter all that much. This is all about Adachi, and thankfully Adachi is amazing. Amazingly awkward, that is. It’s very cute. So yeah, this is a bit too lacking in substance to aspire to classic status, but it’s a great time nonetheless. 8/10

[curestardust]

if you want: shoujo ai BUT / kind of weirdo MCs with not the best or most interesting personalities / very slow storyline that goes nowhere / mediocre art

Ah... fuck.

Here’s another Shoujo Ai anime that was less than mediocre. I’m seriously getting a bit tired at this point. No, you know what, I’m pissed! What is up with no one being able to write an interesting and coherent wlw story?

“Adachi and Shimamura” had some potential with its beginning. The 2 main characters meet in a small space on the second floor of the gym as they’re skipping class. The first episode constantly talks about how the girls are “delinquents” and because neither of them were responsible they just “dragged each other deeper”. Except that’s a fat LIE because in the next episode one of them is like “hey lol if we keep skipping class we will fail” and from then on this whole introduction is basically forgotten and the anime turns into your every day school life SoL anime.

Now at first I wasn’t sure if it was because I don’t even really like SoL romances but the anime felt insaneeeely slow. Like, nothing happened in this entire anime. Storywise, maybe that’d be acceptable. Why? Because SoL very heavily relies on its cast, their character progression and their relationships with each other. However, that’s the most lacking part of this anime.

Let’s start with Adachi, as most people have exclusively been shitting on her because she is a more obvious character than Shimamura. Adachi is a loner; not really by choice, she is just really shy and has no social skills. When Adachi meets Shimamura in the gym, she instantly gravitates towards her, thinking that the only people who’d waste their school lives skipping class are friendless loners like her. But it turns out that that’s not the case. Shimamura has friends and is liked by quite a few people. This is where Adachi’s first personality flaw comes in: obsessive possessiveness. This doesn’t manifest in aggressive ways, more passive aggressively. Adachi doesn’t want Shimamura to hang out with anyone else but her. She doesn’t want anyone else to talk with her on the phone but her. She doesn’t want her to *smile* at anyone but her. She tells this to the viewer in inner monologues but instead of talking things out with Shimamura she just starts avoiding her. Her behaviour is further worsened by the fact that because she never really had any kind of a relationship with anyone before, she doesn’t know what’s normal and what’s not. This includes her definitely more than friendly feelings towards Shimamura which she thinks are just “normal” and nothing to think much about. I was kind of dismayed that Adachi’s character actually gets worse as the anime goes on. 

Now, Shimamura is doesn’t get much thrown at her as next to the very,,, strong personality of Adachi, hers is much more subtle to understand. Shimamura isn’t actually a social person. She doesn’t care about people or maintining a relationship with them. But she still kind of forces herself to act like she cares. Because one can actually make conversation with her though, she seems more approachable and in the sequences where we follow Shimamura and what she is doing, she meets some of the side characters to hang out or meets the weird alien girl (no, I don’t know what she is about). Even if she believes that all relationships are fleeting in life and working towards maintining them is too troublesome, she still obviously has a life while Adachi’s whole life is Shimamura herself (very unhealthy, y’all). Much more low-key is Shimamura’s lack of belief in herself. She doesn’t think that she is pretty or nice which is probably half of why she remains completely oblivious to Adachi’s behaviour. The other half is probably that holding hands and cuddling is kinda normal among female friends. 

Their relationship is messy. Neither of them understand the other, not really. Shimamura’s nonchalant behaviour and inability to say no to things she might not want to do just fuels Adachi’s obsessive behaviour. You can see where their relationship will fall apart before they even got together!

The supporting cast doesn”t offer much interest either. There’s some weird alien girl whose existence is not explained and 2 of Shimamura’s friends who seriously have more chemistry in the 5 minutes of airtime they got throughout the whole anime.

There’s also the unnecessary fanservice (who knew thighs could glow so much!) and the lackluster art. The anime tried to use the typical Shoujo Ai sympolisms with the flowers, galaxies, fireworks, sskura petals, but because the art is so basic, these scenes came off more distracting or downright comical in most instances.

I really wanted to like this, I really did. The whole time I was blaming myself that *I’m* at fault for not enjoying it because I don’t really dabble in SoL romance. But I realized that no, this anime was actually pretty mediocre. Sad times.

[4/10] (x)

Recommend: HELL Yeah! | Yes | Eh??? | Nope | There was actual money spent on this

[y0uc4n7kn0w]

Day 7 of Niji Nights: 5 Girls Love Anime to Watch

For Niji Nights day 7, here are 5 Girls Anime to Watch!!! #anime #nijinights #girlslove #anitwt

Hello, hello and welcome back to day seven of Niji Nights! Can you believe we’re almost done? This week has flown by so fast but it has been a blast for Star and I! Tomorrow, Star will be wrapping up our week long blog celebration, but today we’re going to be bringing you the complimentary post to day five. That’s right, whereas before we gave you five Boys Love anime to watch, today we’re going…

[galvanicteam]

Swept Up in the Flow of Life | Adachi to Shimamura

Follow the Link to check our our new post! We had fun talking about my fav #anime of last Fall~ Stay Toon'd~ Swept Up in the Flow of Life | #AdachitoShimamura

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[anime-of-the-day]

I posted 302 times in 2021

300 posts created (99%)

I added 1,431 tags in 2021

#0 - 29 posts

#1 - 22 posts

#anime recommendation - 290 posts

#anime review - 289 posts

#anime - 288 posts

#anime of the day - 287 posts

#anime rec list - 111 posts

#anime rec - 68 posts

#yuri - 27 posts

#shoujo ai - 20 posts

Longest Tag: 104 characters

#shin no nakama ja nai to yuusha no party wo oidasareta node henkyou de slow life suru koto ni shimashita

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Anime of the day: Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu Love!

Alt Title: Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!

Released: 2015

Please stop here. You need this anime in your life.

Magic girls can go shove off, because we have magical boys! And it’s not like the boys turn into girls, no they wear their adorable magic with pride! A magical pink wombat gives a group of five boys magic powers and now they must defend the world from lovelessness. They fight against a green hedgehog and his cronies. And they fight some super strange enemies. If you’re looking for something serious you should do it elsewhere because this anime is nothing but a fun blast of 12 episodes. BUT WAIT there's more. The sequel includes 12 more episodes of these defenders, defending the world with love. I really liked this show. It’s sad that I didn’t find it till after it aired. The characters would also make an adorable cosplay so like there is that. To find all the music from this anime is super easy, just look up “Earth Defence Club” on Spotify. The opening, “絶対無敵☆Fallin' LOVE☆” is on my playlist. It’s a bop. Everything is a bop with this anime.

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48 notes • Posted 2021-05-26 00:30:48 GMT

#4

Anime of the day: Random Pull List

Did you know I’ve been doing this for 280 days? In honor of these many days that I’ve posted anime nonsense, here is a random pull list of 10. Remember I put the whole, extremely long, list into a randomizer and take the top 10 from it.

Tonari no Kyuuketsuki-san

This is a cute yuri like anime about a girl obsessed with dolls who bumps into a vampire and essentially moves into her house and is now obsessed with her. 

Megalobox:

This anime is a boxing anime. It’s second season is wonderful; however, it was quite different from the first. Nevertheless it was a great anime.

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50 notes • Posted 2021-09-24 23:30:59 GMT

#3

Anime of the day: Adachi to Shimamura

Alt title: Adachi and Shimamura

Released: 2020

Normally I try to vary the kinds of anime I write about everyday, but that’s made my anime list a bit messy with red. Instead I’m being lazy and will just write about them in the order they are on the list, which is who I could remember first and not watch order.

This anime is a shoujo ai, and it’s an extremely soft one at that. There are these two girls who skip class together and play table tennis. They weren’t friends at first but they got there eventually. They become attached to one another and develop an actual friendship. That is till one catches feelings. Instead of dividing them the feelings strengthen their relationship as they both try to figure out their feelings while also not losing their precious friend.

The story is a little complicated and it focuses on the characters growth and development. It was a really refreshingly light yuri. However, this is also a little bit of a problem for me. While the feelings were confessed it didn’t seem to me like any real romantic progress was clearly made by the last episode. They can come off as just really close friends. Either Way I really enjoyed this anime. The comedic elements were very organic.

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65 notes • Posted 2021-04-28 00:30:41 GMT

#2

Anime of the day: The Cat Returns

Alt Title: Neko no Ongaeshi

Released: 2002

I’m just going to open myself to the firing squad. I’ve already mentioned this before but this is my favorite Ghibli. This was also my first Ghibli. It’s super special to me and I love watching it. It’s about Haru who accidentally saves a cat prince and then is kidnapped to become his bride. With the help of her friends Muta and Baron, Haru must escape the Cat Kingdom or she will stay a cat forever. The sound track for this anime is perfect. I have no negatives when it comes to this anime. Weirdly enough it’s one of the few anime I’ve ever watched and enjoyed in English. Plus everyone has a crush on Baron by the end of the movie. Its perfect. 

Plus the memes are priceless. 

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68 notes • Posted 2021-05-14 00:30:56 GMT

#1

Anime of the day: Josee to Tora to Sakana-tachi

Alt Title: Josee, the Tiger and the Fish

Released: 2020

Tsuneo is focused on college. He works multiple jobs to help him towards his dream. So when a nicely paying job watching over a girl comes up, he takes it. This girl is Josee. She lives confined to her house. Her grandmother doesn’t trust the world with Josee because she is in a wheelchair. Now these two are stuck together and figuring it out along the way.

83 notes • Posted 2021-10-16 00:00:45 GMT

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