#Shoin ginger

[ecargmura]

Astro Note Episode 10 Review - The New Tenant In Room 8

There are twelve episodes, so having Shoin be a new tenant in this episode feels a bit too late. I feel like it should’ve happened a bit earlier, especially with the way they’re giving him a lot more character than he had in previous episodes. Why didn’t the story show off his haughty attitude a bit sooner? Now whether he be a Hubby is going to be hard to predict…

To me, it feels a little too late to start advancing the romance subplot even further. Though, it was cute that Shoin finally got to enjoy the breakfast Mira was raving about and even wanted Takumi to teach him how to cook so that he can make Mira the food she likes when they return to Wid. However, I do think that Shoin is being a bit too pushy regarding Mira’s situation because it doesn’t seem like she wants to go back, and he’s pressuring her to do so. Last episode, she didn’t mind being seen as the landlady of Astro Lodge rather than Princess of Wid. His behavior is rather unusual. Why is he so insistent on making her go back? While there were nice scenes between them, he never really tries to consider how Mira truly feels deep down. It’s always about her duty to find the key and return to her planet. Also, his behavior towards Aoi felt a little weird. I feel like he’s the twist villain in a way?

It’s also quite late to show a Teruko-centric plot too. I feel like she should’ve gotten some spotlight earlier too. However, it is a bit of a tie-in with the converging theme of the episode, which is love once again. Mira is developing love for Takumi, but she doesn’t realize it yet. Shoin’s actions are out of love for Mira. Takumi has his clear likes and dislikes. Teruko, on the other hand, thinks about the what-ifs and whether she should quit her idol job. However, she decides against it as she loves her job too much. She’s way too dedicated that even an ankle injury won’t stop her from performing. Her love for her job gets Mira thinking about love. I do like that the other tenants of Astro Lodge are helping Mira when it comes to love and it’s not just Mira realizing it out of the blue.

The fact that the key was in an obvious spot the entire time, but didn’t realize it due to renovations was quite a twist, but it’s also realistic because I cannot find things even if they’re right in front of me at times. Now that the key has been located, what will happen? Will there be a showdown between Mira and the Hubbies? Will Takumi and Mira have to part ways? I honestly can’t wait to find out what will happen. What are your thoughts on this episode?

[animemakeblog]

“Astro Note” The First Promo

The Astro Note television anime's official website unveiled the first promotional video, the opening theme. The first showing of the original anime is slated for April 2024.

[noaisnoaisnoa]

A guy with blond hair, a ninja in glasses and Silver hair dude are coming in Feburary + Ikemen Election update!

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BIG NEWS GUYS ! Who are the new comers in Feburary?

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First - there is new MS of a blond guy with angelic smile coming to Ikemen Vampire. He will be in the top 20 on the Ikemen Election (my guess). His name is Vincent Van Gogh. Meet the Vincent

What do you think of him? Doesn’t he remind you of Ieyasu + Mitsunari? He is kind and gentle and he will be popular. Take a look at screenshots of his MS PV!

The PV is out today! Click here to watch :)

And a sneak peak of his still ;)

Ive told you that Ikemen Vampire is for grown ups. As far as I know, he is emotionless since he was a child so you can guess how the story goes..? I like sweet guys. Although Mitsunari MS was so heart warming and I loved it so much, I still love Ieyasu. Will Vincent make me want him? Will he paint Sunflowers for me? I’ll find out soon!

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Second - a guy with silver hair - Shoin Yoshida on DtL / Bakumatsu

Who can you think of a guy with silver hair on Cybird? Kenshin from Sengoku or Ewan from Loves, Lies and Heists? Has Leo from MidCin got silver hair? Maybe Leo is a ginger… We gonna have a new dude on DtL! Here is a screenshot of Shoin still from his BD story. (Yes I bought it for his silver hair and beautiful kimono)

If u play DtL, you will be surprised to find out that I (the MC) will travel back again from the Bakumatsu time to 5 year earlier in order to save this man’s life. He wants to destroy the system and Kyoto. I cant be botherd to explain plots of Doran series atm, so pls find out yourself if you are interested! Doran series consist of 4 parts with 4 new character on each story. There are 3 guys on each story and there are 3 ends (only 8 chapters). i.e. the last part of the Doran series will be Shoin, Takasugi and Kyo.

If you wanna have a look at new guys, click here for a short video

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A guy with glasses - Sasuke is around the corner? Prob after Kenshin BD?

You know a kind of character who pops up after reading MS chaper and says “Oh you don’t have enough story tickets, do you wanna buy some?” Or when there is avatar mission, he tries to make you feel like you are missing out if you choose normal avatars. Sasuke has been one of them. But he is given a bigger role this year rather than hosting events and encouraging us to spend money here and there!

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Febrary event and Ikemen Election 2018 update

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What most important to me is that my favourite character KEI from Sleeping Beauty in the Suite Room is having his BD and we are expecting his BD story event.

Kei is extremely tsudere like Ieyasu. He is too shy to tell me (the MC) that he fancies me and 2/3 of the MS is all about Kei ‘trying’ to ask me out lol.

Kei doesn’t unify Japan but he is a supermodel. His trauma with girls go es back to his childhood when he was bullied by girls for being fat and the girls suddenly fancied him as he got skinnier and taller. He is a kind of a guy who stands by wall and becomes an ornament at parties. His drawing is so bad that no one can understand what he draws. Im sorry Ieyasu, you had your BD month and received a lots of my attention last month. Do you want to see how he looks? Fine!

When he is on tsundere mode “What are you smiling for? I don’t get it”

Of course Im voting for him for the Ikemen Election!

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So when is the Ikemen Election and how does it work?

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The election will be happening between 14th and 28th Feb all across Ikemen series. It’s like collection event happening ALL Ikemen Series. You login, raise your grace by doing lessons and read main stories. You get ballots and vote for your favourite guys! 5 guys from each game were chosen last November by Twitter.

I wrote a messy blog about the Ikemen Election back in December. Have a read!

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Special attires you get by using your ballots across 9 titles

From left - Ikemen Kakumei, Loves, Lies and Heists, 100pri and Ooku

From left - Sleeping Beaity in the Suite Room, Ikemen Vampire, Sengoku, DtL, MidCin

You can vote as many guys as you like but chances of getting rank-in bonus for THE guy you love will get greater if you vote for fewer guys.

I will write about the election more in the coming week!

Have a good weekend my fellow otomes ;)

[sscarchiyo]

tenks for le tag rozy, but pick me up in ur motorcycle <3

which of the og gangs (like toman, valhalla, og bd, moebius, etc) would you be in/affiliated with?

honestly? og bd, just cuz - but valhalla only for their jackets then we get toman :)

which of the future gangs (future bd, tenjiku, bonten, kantou manji, etc) would you be in/affiliated with?

brahman ( cuz big bro beneki) bonten or thousand winters 💀

what would your role be/what division would you be a part of in each gang?

for og bd, maybe a vice captain? uh for valhalla idk, for bonten maybe like an executive? but like right below kaku? oh omg no wait, like a recruiter or even like medical personal. yea either those 2. in brahman tho? vice captain 💃🏿 forget takeomi im senju's right hand >:( orrrrr i'll just be part of benkei n waka's division :)

would you have attended school in the past?

i'd try, maybe miss a few days. i'd try to balance. i mean if mitsuya n senju can do it, why can't i? 🤨

would you have a job in the future? if so, what job would you have in the future timeline?

ig it would depend on the timelines and hoping i dont die tbh, but something with kids or even a librarian- don't ask i like books 🧍🏿‍♀️

mode of transport? bike? car? what type?

a motorbike, but i wouldn't use if often. i'm lazy so i'd ride with someone else. in the future tho? most likely a car, an acura cuz thats what we have rn and i think it's pretty. although i'd still make someone drive me around and i'd keep the motorbike

what would your fashion sense be? would you have dyed hair?

sweatpants, sometimes jeans, hoodies, oversized shirts, oh omg cardigans and those cute polo shirts where it looks like ur wearing a sweater on top <33 i don't think i'd dye my hair, but if i did? maybe a green or ginger-red at the bottom

what would your fighting style be? dirty like kisaki? fair like draken? sneaky like baji? what would your signature be?

at first i'd prob fight fair or hide until i find an opening, but i lose my temper easily so i'd prolly fight sneaky n dirty. then when i've cooled down i'll fight fair again XD my signature? nsuend ngl probably kicking people in the balls- or i'll find some sort of long weapon and whack you #kazutoracore

which character/s would be your best friends?

takemichi, peh, pah, shoin, mitsuya or senju - it's the vibes

which character would be your boyfriend or girlfriend?

sanzu, sanzu & sanzu- eunduwed peh, rindou or kazutora. but if i was born during bd times then shinichiro or takeomi, but if we're talking brahman time senju <3

tagging: @tobibam @maniizland @kageyahoe @astheroid @ttatsuu @yuzuh4 @loopyjupi @kallikrein @sanzu-sanzu-sanzu + anyone who'd like to do it <3

lets do a tag game inspired by this get to know me! but make it tokyorev edition!!

which of the og gangs (like toman, valhalla, og bd, moebius, etc) would you be in/affiliated with? og’s tbh as much as I wanna say toman it’s probably actually probably valhalla lmao but like after baji I would def have been loyal to toman

which of the future gangs (future bd, tenjiku, bonten, kantou manji, etc) would you be in/affiliated with? humm def bonten

what would your role be/what division would you be a part of in each gang? in valhalla/toman I’d probably be in the attack division or the special task division (hi sanzu) in bonten I’d prob also be in a similar role to sanzu.

would you have attended school in the past? no fucking way lmao

would you have a job in the future? if so, what job would you have in the future timeline? in the future I personally think my entire job would be working under bonten LOL and honestly I’d probably do sw

mode of transport? bike? car? what type? in the past I’d probably have a bike (maybe an indian) and in the future I’d be one of those hot bitches that drives a black audi r8

what would your fashion sense be? would you have dyed hair? shit fashion sense. dyed hair absolutely. I love attention especially in highschool so I would probably dress in the most attention grabbing outfit possible. I was def a tease in hs

what would your fighting style be? dirty like kisaki? fair like draken? sneaky like baji? what would your signature be? dirty and sneaky for sure. In hs I used to carry around a switchblade in my boot which I used pretty liberally. but I also did judo and jiu jitsu and liked to get my hands dirty. I’d probably be known for snapping people’s joints. me n rin would make a good team.

which character/s would be your best friends? baji for sure, also definitely kazutora and sanzu

which character would be your boyfriend or girlfriend? kazutora (shameless selfship), and koko. ran too maybe!

tagging: @wakaslut @skidr0w @draekn @solzu @nanaminshousewife @01-20-1992 @shujiful @smycc @nxtsnw @myeternalyearning @miykui @manjiroscum @chuufuyu and anyone else who wants to do it!

[queengurako]

The Hakuouki fandom tag game !

Thank you to @shenanigumi to create this game and big hug and thanks to @queen-mizera to tag me :3

How and when you got into this glorious fandom:

Two years ago and I ALWAYS remembered it because it was the time when I sold my soul to this fandom. I discovered it by Loki. I explain. I searched some tumblr post about my sweet and marvelous Loki (Marvel you know. Tom Hiddleston you know. *deep deep breathe* I’m not in love.) and I found some posts of Loki Laevatein (he is ginger ! My weakness we’ll be always redhead !). So I watched Kamigami no Asobi and I liked it. So I rediscovered anime and mostly...I discorvered Hakuouki. And now two years after I’m completely love addict to Bakumatsu, my spiritual husband is Sakamoto Ryôma, I’ve got a pearl bracelet with Shinsengumi’s colors, I’ve met so much lovely people (Ritsu, @impracticaldemon, @queen-mizera...), I practice kendo, I imagine AU!Hakuouki e v e r y t i m e...and my dissertation to finalize my 5th year of History University is about the beginning of the relationship between Japan and France (1862 - 1867). Okay it was long but you see : THIS FANDOM IS TOTALLY RUNNING MY LIFE AND I NEVER REGRET IT ! 

Aaaaand my new goal is pushed my friends to join me in this glorious fandom (luv you @kazama-hime and @laerelei-in-the-tardis)( @aramis-du-tardis and @atoutscoeur you will be the next) because this is too fabulous to be ignored. 

Favorite character in terms of development:

If I must choose...My favorite character’s development is...Ryunosuke ! I liked him when I discovered Reimeiroku and moreover after I read Tokio Fujita’s translations (please please translate this game !) and in Hakumyu Reimeiroku. I can explain but I love how he has no life purpose and tries to find a life goal at the end of the game. I just love his evolution and his complexity through the differents routes (and his love story with Kosuzu is too cute). I love his relationship with Serizawa, his drawing passion, his behaviour, his past...This boy need more hug and love in his life !

The character you’d get along with most irl:

Sakamoto Ryôma. I don’t really know. I think it would be baka trio (no kidding !) because they’re very friendly and outgoing and a lot of my friends are like this. And if I was in Chizuru’s situation (or Ryu’s situation) I completely get closer with them because I would feel reassured with them (eeeeh as possible as can be with strong and terrifying samurais. Yes ! They’re terrifying ! I N E V E R want to be their ennemy or their target !). I could totally get along with Chizuru and Sen. Sen who is like one of my big close friend ahaha (she is pretty badass as our marvelous Onihime). But also I think I could get along with Yamazaki Susumu. Just because he reminds me my best friend and my cousin who have the same behaviour as him. So in a nutshell : a lots ?

The character you are most like:

Heisuke ! But also Chizuru. I mean I’m just like Heisuke who is so outgoing, lively, wanted everybody smiling and I’m also confused about what is the best thing to do during troubled times like Heisuke about Shinsengumi and Itou/Bakufu or Sonno Joui. And I’m most like Chizuru because...she is the perfect Hufflepuff in the world and I’m Hufflepuff with all my heart and my soul ? I don’t know. She is sweet, openminded, strong, thoughtful, clumsy and shy but also lively, curious, angry, sad, feared of being abandonned...and moreover tender, teasing, spontaneous, fair and loyal...I can totally relate her ! 

(and I’m Kotsune just because @kazama-hime is the Shinpachi of my life. And I’m also her Heisuke because we are always the ones who eat a lot (like Shinpatsuan and Sunshine) during lunchtime. We finished all seafood platter during New Year’s Eve XD)

Least favorite character:

This is REALLY hard because I don’t hate any character (even Itou and Kodo. Yup). It’s just sometimes I think some caracters are not well developped while they have so much potential (and usually they’re all well developped but not enough for me. I need moooooore about them). I think my least favorite character is Nimii. Just because I’m very indifferent about him. I don’t hate him or despise him. I write about him (when I need it in my fic and my plot) but I’m not interested by him.

Personal favorite husband:

Sakamoto Ryôma. NOW I CAN SAY IT ! AHAHAHAHAHHA ! BLESS YOU HAKUOUKI SHINKAI ! NOW I CAN BANG AND MARRY MY FAVORITE BAKUMATSU AND HISTORICAL CHARACTER <33333 ! Okay but without Shinkai my personal favorite husband is Harada Sanosuke. 

I mean...

Why

are you

SO PERFECT ?! 

I hate him to ruine my life and my ovaries ! Moreover now Higashi Keisuke (fucking gorgeous photoshop man) plays him in Hakumyu. Honestly THE only man who can me forget Sano...is Sakamoto Ryôma (my sun my stars...my everything *deep deep breathe*). 

Favorite route:

Sakamoto Ryôma (télémagouilles running gag). More seriously I’ve not finish the game (I am always on Harada route ohhoho. I’m too slow) so it’s really hard to choose. Maybe Okita’s route. Or Harada. When I’ll play all the game I’ll know. (butSakamoto’sroutealwaysbethebest)

Who you wish had a route:

S H I R A N U I ! I think you don’t undersand dear Hakuouki’s creators why I need this route. He is the best friend of Takasugi fucking Shinsaku. And he is friend with Sakamoto Ryôma (bless you Shinkai for this). Which means he knows Kusaka Genzui, Katsura Kogoro, Kawakami Gensai, Yoshida Shoin, maybe also Otose-san...We could have more historic characters of Satchô Alliance and Chôshû and more Onis background. He has SO MUCH potential ! 

Least favorite route: 

I DON’t know ! It is really hard and moreover because I don’t finish the game. So maybe Kazama’s route. Because I think Kazama has too many problems to be a good lover for Chizuru. Maybe when I’ll finish the game I’ll change my mind.

Favorite Chizuru ship:

Erh...I don’t know. Seriously I don’t know. 

Top 3 ships overall:

Suki (Kikuzuki/Sen). Seriously I’m the only one who ship them ? They’re perfect together ! And more canon than any ship with Sen (just my opinion of course but come on ! They’re so perfect together). Yeah Sen/Chizu is pretty cute but my gosh Kimigiku/Kikuzuki and Sen are married for me ! Definitely !

Haraji (Harada/Hijikata). It all began with Hakuouki SSL drama because the interactions between Harada and Hijikata were pretty cool...And one day, @kazama-hime said “I ship them” and I replied “Me too” and I jumped with her. Now I’m more and more addicted to them. I need more of their bromance (like a lot of bromance in Hakuouki which are underexploited. I NEED MORE ABOUT MY BABIES) but I will always smile and giggle when I see interactions between them...where I can interpret many things *wink wink*. So you’ll be warned : when I read your fanfics and there are Hijikata and Harada...My imagination can go far far away.

Birdjime (Saito/Peacock). YES ! It’s a crackship ! But you know what ? I like it ! Okay I got many private jokes on it with kazama-hime but I just loooooove the symbolism of the peacock (immortality, a guardian to royalty...). I blame also I Origins and this music. In this movie we discover that the white peacock symbolize the souls scattered in the world. So maybe I just imagine something more deep and more spiritual in this crackship. It’s a crackship but like Hijikata/Cherryblossom it’s an inspiringship :P 

But more seriously I ship a lot of historical ships like : Akenan (Akesato/Sannan), Kochi (Shinpachi/Kotsune), Mano (Harada/Masa), Ryôryô (Oryô/Ryôma), Ikutsura (Ikumatsu/Katsura), Tokito (Tokio/Saito)...And some ships which are not historic but are between Shinsengumi Captains and Historical Characters like : Yaeda (Harada/Yae), Yukita (Nakano Yuko/Okita) and Hijimitsu (Hijikata/Okita Mitsu)(I will ship them to the death !). And also ship a little bit Takasugi/Shiranui (best bromance in the world !). And honestly I got PLENTY ships in Bakumatsu (this is shipland this period !) but these ones are my main ships and the ones which I can put in Hakuouki (I’ve got also otp and ships with my OCs (and OCs friends) but shhhht).

Do you write/draw/contribute to the fandom in some way? If not, do you have any recommendations? Link us to them: 

Okay so I write A LOT OF things about Hakuouki...but it is in French. And moreover I’ve got a lot fanfictions and projects on this fandom but for the moment I don’t finish it.  I got a big fanfic on Hakuouki (La Grue millénaire/The Millennium Crane) but I need to go back over my plot. SO NOW I’m writing an AU!Police/Au!modern (Lapis Philosophorum). I have already written eleven chapters ! I’ll hope I could publish it on ffnet this september :3 And I’ve also a freaking amazing AU!Star Wars but I’ll wait to lead more Lapis Philosophorum to continue and write more about it. So I polish my plot and my AU for the moment :P (but I promess it will be awesome !!)(and in French. Sorry)

Otherwise I have a four hands project with @kazama-hime about AU!Fairytales (with two Bikkhuni who are in fact two of the Seven Lucky Gods). I’ve got also an AU with one of my friend (Harritsu) about World War II. AND I GOT PLENTY AU AND CRACKS!AU ABOUT HAKUOUKI ! HAKUOUKI IS PERFECT FOR EVERY FUKCING AU !!

I’ve also an idea about Kimi no na wa...maybe with Ryunusuke/Chizuru. Maybe I should make a challenge "AU! Animated film" with Hakuouki. (Like Summer War, Millennium Actress (Hijizu motherfuckers!), Tokyo Godfathers, Spirited Away (Saichi bang!), The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, The Boy and The Beast ...)(THAT WOULD BE FREAKING AWESOME !!!)...Why me ? 

FINALLY ! I’ve got some recommendations ! 

If you can read French....Please read :

Le vent venu de l’ouest by Harritsu

Les Profs by Elenwe/Kazama-hime

If you cand read English...Please read : 

The end by Harritsu

Teachers by Elenwe/Kazama-hime

Kitchen Nightmares by Elenwe/Kazama-hime

The Teachings of Demons by ImpracticalDemon

Unifying by lightningwaltz

I’m tagging: @fionnuala-hime, @kanzakiyume-blog, @once-a-turncoat, @kitsuraki, @hokagecosplay coand @nanashi1869. I don’t know if you have been already tag in this game but anyway ! I tag you ♥♥♥. And if someone in my followers (or not) see this and is in Hakuouki fandom...do it ♥. 

[ecargmura]

Astro Note Episode 12 Review + Final Thoughts - Happy Endings For All

The ending, while happy, was something I did not expect and that’s a good thing. I mean, I didn’t predict that this show would turn into a mech one and that the mecha robot would be participating in a final battle Astro Lodge and fish aliens. I like the unpredictability this show gives!

I didn’t expect that the reason the Hubby king was after Mira was so he could marry and have babies with her. He failed with Adara, so he was settling for Mira. The reason why he wanted to marry a Wido was because he wanted to have beautiful and talented children. That’s a very dumb reason, but I didn’t see that coming. I’m guessing Widos are objectified and glamorized like how Asians are objectified and glorified by Western countries. I also didn’t expect that Shoin’s house was a spaceship and that it cannot transform into a mech like Mira’s. He was promised marriage with Mira if he abided to the Hubby king’s order, but it was all a lie. Geez, all these people are trying to court Mira, but Takumi comes out the victor because she professes her love for him to the aliens.

I also didn’t predict that the Astro Lodge tenants would be chilling and eating food. They’re so free-spirited! Though, if I was in my house that turned into a spaceship and I wasn’t the one piloting it, I too would be chilling and waiting until the pilot finishes their task. Freaking out over alien attacks would only last a moment.

Mira decides to renounce her right to the throne and decide to stay on Earth and on Astro Lodge as its landlady. I honestly did not predict this. Usually, these types of stories have it to where someone from another planet would go back and leave Earth. Astro Note breaks all of those cliche tropes. She says that she doesn’t want to be tied down by duties she doesn’t want and rule a place she had no attachment towards. Honestly, go Mira for chasing after what she wants! I’m glad that she actually decides to stay!

Mira’s decision of not wanting to be tied down actually inspires the tenants. They all get happy endings, surprisingly! Ren decides to wear skirts to school and it seems that his friend Haruto and the girl with the frilly dress are okay with it! Tomihiro feels proud that Ren is becoming confident and it seems that he got a job of his own too! Aoi finally gets a job as a legal assistant to Tasuke’s lawyer, the lady who helped her out with Tasuke when she was homeless. She even grew to like dogs as she is seen petting her boss’s Cavalier Spaniel at the same bench Shokichi sat on. While the Naosuke and Aoi romance didn’t happen, I’m glad that it stayed a platonic relationship. He’s the reason why she became more assertive now. She even gave Naosuke a radio so he can remember her with it; she even submitted an entry so that Naosuke can listen to the song she requested on the radio. Aw, it’s like what he did for her in the previous episode. Teruko is finally seeing some success as an idol as she’s on the front cover of a magazine! I seriously thought Shokichi died, but it was a fake out. It turns out that he wants to go to space with Naosuke and visit Planet Wid so that he can write a book about it; he’s trying to finish writing a sci-fi novel that revolves around a man meeting a space alien girl—sort of like Adara and Mira’s situations. Takumi gets a job in a restaurant where he works lunch shift. I didn’t expect Shoin to end up being a tenant for good and returns to being Takumi’s apprentice. He is last seen working at a bakery where he’s a hit with the female customers. The only one who didn’t get a happy end was the Hubby king and he deserves a bad end for all the trouble he caused.  I actually like that everyone got happy endings and that there’s no need for a Season 2! Everything concluded satisfactorily. 

However, Naosuke is going to go back because he wants to. Mira revokes his duty of protecting her for life, so he decides that he’s going to protect the key. I guess that’s his version of a happy ending? At least Shokichi will come along with him, so he has a remnant of Earth with him.

This is probably one of the happiest endings I’ve seen in anime. While some things did get rushed, it was a nice blend of comedy, romcom and sci-fi.

Final Thoughts

I just decided to watch Astro Note because it looked like a weird anime and I figured out I was a weird anime enjoyer. Yes, it was weird, but it was surprisingly entertaining! I do like that the writing makes it in a way that some predictable things aren’t as predictable as I would assume like with the whole ordeal with Ren liking skirts or the whole finale.

It’s not a perfect anime, but I did enjoy the characters and gags a lot. However, if I were to be a critic, I’d say that not all characters got fleshed out in this 12-episode run. There’s a lot I don’t know about Shokichi. Heck, even Takumi doesn’t get fleshed out a lot. All we know about him was that he lost his job at a hotel due to bankruptcy and is working at Astro Lodge now. I’d like to learn a little bit more about him like where he’s from or his background before getting into cooking. Heck, I would’ve liked to learn a bit more about Shoin too! I feel like characterization got shoved to move the plot forward. It’s also a crime that we didn’t see what Planet Wid looks like. Despite that, the anime does do a great job showing that Astro Lodge is a share house full of kooky tenants; the supporting cast are all kooky and it’s presented well.

The voice cast was stacked, surprisingly. A lot of A-list actors and actresses are casted here! We have Soma Saito and Maaya Uchida as the leads and the supporting cast consists of names such as Shinichiro Miki, Junichi Suwabe, Tomokazu Sugita, Rie Kugimiya and more. This anime is perfect for anyone who’s a fan of any of these actors. The only voice actress I’m not familiar with is Ai Furihata, who voices Teruko, but that’s because I’m not into Love Live. She does do a good performance, though!

The soundtrack fits the whimsical atmosphere, but I did like the opening and ending songs a lot. The opening sound is sung by Ai Furihata and the ending song is sung by Soma Saito and Maaya Uchida. I really like it when anime voice actors participate in the opening or ending songs. It makes them feel rather involved, you know?

I think that this is a good anime to just kick back, relax and laugh at the craziness transpiring. It’s nothing too serious to think about. If you like animes like that, I suggest you try watching this!

[ecargmura]

Astro Note Episode 11 Review - The Key Was There All Along

That was quite a genre change at the end there. This is a romcom mixed with sci-fi but I didn’t expect the sci-fi to go all out at the end. Other than the ending, it was quite an episode with the twists and what not. However, it did feel like it was going a bit too fast.

It turns out that the key they’ve been looking for all this time…had been the mailbox stand all along. It was abrupt, but hey, at least they found it now. And because of that, Mira, Naosuke and Shoin plan on returning to Planet Wid in a week. That was really abrupt and the other tenants feel the same way too. They decide to hold a farewell party for Mira and Shoin because of that. The other tenants are upset that they’re leaving so soon. Ren doesn’t want Mira to go while Aoi is upset that Shoin, who she thinks is Octo for now, is leaving. Takumi and Mira also spend some quality time together as he teaches her how to cook a proper meal and succeeds. They also make umeshu and plan on going on that delayed aquarium date. Their good-bye seems fairly normal, surprisingly. I’m surprised that there wasn’t any comedy implemented in this rather normal good-bye other than Shokichi panicking over breakfast that Mira made.

However, the good-bye comes with a twist. Those plans aren’t exactly kept as it turns out Shoin is actually a Hubby spy. Ha, I knew it! There was something fishy about him with the way he looks down on humans and how he keeps rushing her to find the key. It turns out that all those Hubby spies were working for him and that his gallant efforts of beating them turns out to be an act as he is actually a spineless coward underneath his cool mask. Now it makes me wonder if he had been a spy all along or has joined up with them recently, because Mira knew him for a long time. I didn’t expect that the Hubby ruler is actually a fish. Yes, Sho Hayami voices a FISH alien. His repertoire is expanding in the craziest way possible.

There’s also the Aoi and Naosuke subplot where Aoi is upset that “Octo” is leaving. She initially believes it to be Shoin but when Naosuke rescues her, she instantly recognizes his voice. Now that Naosuke’s identity as an alien is revealed to the other tenants, I do wonder where this Aoi and Naosuke subplot will go because Aoi really seems to care a lot about Octo and Naosuke seems to care about her a lot too as he even posted an entry on her favorite radio show where the DJ plays her favorite song. I just hope it ends well.

The fact that the massive key’s secret is that it’s the key to unlocking Astro Lodge’s biggest secret—it’s Adara’s spaceship and it can change into a giant mecha. Talk about a crazy twist! And the only way get the key to activate is for Mira to finally reciprocate Takumi’s feelings! Talk about the power of love! Now the story transitions from sci-fi rom-com to a full out mecha anime next week. I can’t wait to see how that’ll turn out.

In other news, Ren’s friend Haruto finds out about his skirt-wearing secret. Uh-oh. How is this going to turn out? This anime is so weird in all the good ways. I can’t wait to see how the finale will turn out.

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Astro Note Episode 9 Review - Moving On From Love

I was thinking of doing two episodes in one review, but I don’t have the time so here’s Episode 9 review of Astro Note. Episode 10 review might be out in the weekend. 

There are two plot points converging in this episode. The first is the conclusion of the Takumi and Aoi unrequited love and the second is Ren and his dad’s argument about parent visitation day. Surprisingly, these two plot lines actually tie into each other as they both talk about love in a way.

For the Takumi and Aoi part, people in-universe always seem to say that Takumi’s a jerk or a scumbag for playing around a girl’s feelings, but I don’t really get why people in the story perceive him to be bad when he’s anything but. Sure, he’s a little clumsy when it comes to love and feelings, but he’s actually a really decent guy. He never wandered about when it came to his love for Mira and doesn’t give Aoi a flicker of hope that they could be together. He flat out rejects Aoi but does it in the nicest way possible. I also like how he feels bad about not realizing who Aoi was at first and I liked that he owns up to it by taking her out for a picnic and then realizing that she was Onigiri-chan from back when they were working at the hotel together. Aoi actually takes the rejection like a champ as she’s happy that Takumi finally remembers her, but knows that her love will never come true. It’s finally time for her to move on.

For the Wakabayashis, their issue revolves around Ren not telling Tomihiro about the parent visitation day as he flubbed previous ones. Despite Ren’s insistence on not wanting him to come, Tomihiro still insists on coming because of one simple reason: he loves Ren. It turns out that Ren isn’t his biological son, but his mother was his lover who died. He decided to take care of Ren since it was better than him going to the orphanage. Even if they aren’t related by blood, Tomihiro considers Ren to be his son and that he wants to be present in his life. I do like that despite Tomihiro being a deadbeat dad, he does everything he can to make Ren happy from holding back on the beer and even getting day jobs so that Ren doesn’t always see him as jobless. Even Aoi tells Ren that he’s fortunate to have Tomihiro as a father.

The ending was pretty shocking. Why is Shoin in Room 8? We all know Octo is Naosuke, but him not being an actual dog is a secret only a few know. Ren thinks he’s a cat, however. While Aoi found comfort in Naosuke, she doesn’t like him because she’s afraid of dogs, which shocks him even more. I just hope that Aoi doesn’t get herself involved in another love triangle because the love triangle with Shoin, Mira and Takumi have yet to be resolved. I wonder what’s going to happen…

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Astro Note Episode 7 Review - A Very Buggy Episode

I’m sad. I was rooting for Aoi but it all crashed down towards the end of the episode. It sucks that she accidentally played matchmaker for Takumi and Mira while having a huge crush on him. It also sucks that Takumi doesn’t remember her. Then again, nobody would remember a brief encounter afterwards and she looks different than she did in the past. I feel like that, despite this being an episode centered around Aoi, she becomes an afterthought in the latter half of the episode in favor of Takumi and Mira having a moment together. It feels unfair to those rooting for Aoi, like me.

Aoi’s past is revealed. She’s an orphan and moved to Tokyo when she was 18. She worked at the hotel Takumi used to work at before it closed for bankruptcy. She couldn’t fit in at her job, but Takumi, who liked the same radio show and gave her snacks, made her work life a bit better. She was able to become a better waitress thanks to him. However, when the hotel became bankrupt, she lived homeless for a while until Tasuke came and helped her. That’s how she stayed in the Astro Lodge until she saw Takumi coming in one day and accidentally made him fall for her. Tough luck, Aoi. I just feel like this entire show just wants to shit on Aoi so bad. Like, I bet the writers are thinking of ways to make her even more miserable.

While Mira and Takumi are confirmed to have mutual feelings for each other, it just sucks that Mira didn’t show off her feelings until this episode. Sure, she was a bit concerned with Takumi holding Aoi’s hand in a previous episode, but hasn’t she considered that maybe hanging out with Shoin is also affecting Takumi? For someone who’s not your fiancé, you sure hang out with him a lot. Shoin seems to have feelings for her too. My only issue is that it’s been seven episodes and only now is when Mira starts growing an interest in Takumi outside of the food he makes. When’s the confession gonna happen? The finale? Why is it so…slow-paced?

The bug festival in itself was a pretty kooky festival at that. As someone who likes eating, eating bugs is a bit too much for me. Chocolate mealworms? No thanks. Cricket curry? Gonna ruin curry for me. I have nothing against those who eat bugs, but it’s just not for me. I heard that pupae is good for you, but eating 101 bowls of them is a bit too much.

The fake out with the key confuses me a bit. I thought Mira and Shoin already knew that wasn’t the real key, yet Mira insisted on participating, only to find out that the key is made of cardboard. Regarding the key, I have this feeling that it might be Aoi’s room key as Tasuke said that he helped her because she reminded him of the woman she loved. That’s gotta to have some leads, right? Also, aren’t their rooms locked when they go out? How is Naosuke able to barge in? I guess Mira being the landlady makes it possible as she has the master key?

With the Hubbies lurking about at the Astro Lodge, next week feels like it’ll be lore behind these aliens? They keep showing up, but we don’t know why. They’re looking for the key too, but why? I just hope that the person behind the squid and the pelican will show up. Maybe it’s someone at the Astro Lodge? What are your thoughts?

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Astro Note Episode 3 Review - Alien Shenanigans

What’s with recent media having evil pelicans? First there’s The Boy and The Heron with man-eating pelicans and now Astro Note got itself a robot pelican that can punch people! Yeesh. On top of that, this episode also has more conflict in terms of Shoin being a potential love rival for Takumi and the disappearance of breakfast.

The fiancé part of Mira and Shoin’s relationship is a misunderstanding, but it doesn’t seem to be in Shoin’s part. He hangs out with her a lot and he also was the one to emphasize the childhood marriage promise which Mira didn’t take too seriously. He probably likes her that way, but Mira only sees him as a friend. Shoin also seems open to reveal his identity as an alien, while Mira still wants to keep it a secret as she keeps lying to her tenants like saying Shoin is from the UK and that he runs a natural energy business and what not. While Mira is trying to keep is a secret, the fact that she pulls out a machine gun and Takumi doesn’t question it or the evil robot pelican is rather something… He also doesn’t question why Shoin’s car can fly. Fortunately for Takumi, there could be a chance for him as Mira finds him fun.

There’s a subplot with Ren. First, he seems to know about Naosuke’s secret of not being a dog, but it gets glossed over as the main focus becomes him wanting to bring his own lunch, but since his father is jobless, he cannot. Fortunately, Takumi, being the chef of the lodge, whips up a very nice bento that Ren can enjoy, but the first one disappears! The second one is when the crazy shenanigans happen with the robot pelican and alien stuff as Mira and Takumi try to deliver his lunch to Enoshima, where his class went on a field trip. I think that it’s bittersweet that all Ren wants is to bring a bento for a field trip. It’s something so trivial, yet it can be so meaningful to someone. I wonder if his crush on the cute girl in the dress or his knowledge of Naosuke’s identity will be brought up again.

What I find interesting is that while the people at the lodge are quirky, they’re rather nice. Mr. Wakabayashi ships Takumi and Mira and even tries to get them to have some time together by delivering the lunchbox. They don’t seem too mean over the competition Takumi has regarding Mira. It’s nice to see that.

Naosuke built a security camera so that he can attest his innocence regarding the missing breakfast cases. It seems that there’s a ghost lurking in the lodge. Who could it be? Find out next week! What are your thoughts on this episode?

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Astro Note Episode 2 Review - Somewhere In The Astro Lodge

More of Mira’s backstory is revealed. Not only is she from the Planet Wid, but she is also the princess of the planet. The only way to succeed the throne and to become Queen is to find a key that’s been hidden in a faraway planet, which is Earth. Mira hiding her spaceship in a field of Maneki Neko and disguising it as a huge one is actually brilliant in detail. I also love how the Maison Ikkoku similarities are actually mentioned in-story as Mira models her Earth disguise as the main character of the in-universe version “Melon Igyoku”. Naosuke’s disguise is to be an actual dog, but he’s actually a walking, talking alien that just happens to look like a poodle. He even has his own spacesuit!

While Mira’s main goal is to find a key, she seems to enjoy her life on Earth and doesn’t seem too keen on returning and is sending video diaries to her mother just to let her know she’s doing fine. I do feel like coming to Earth to find the key and it happens to be somewhere in Astro Lodge feels a bit too convenient, but hey, the plot has to move somehow. There’s also a possible plot point with the previous proprietor being a Wid, but that’s an assumption for now.

There are enemy aliens targeting Mira and Naosuke called Hubs. They can transform into mechanical objects like roombas and mechanical pelicans. I thought Teruko was scheming something since the roomba bot had pink hair and pigtails, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.

Takumi, on the other hand, feels devastated that Mira could be a widow, but he doesn’t seem to keen on giving up just yet. While he looks for a job, he meets a rather gossipy lady who’s practically the star of the episode. I forgot her name, but she’s voiced by Kujira. She saw Takumi and Mira walking and shopping together before, so she sort of ships them? Takumi’s main goal in this story is to find a job and to be Mira’s boyfriend, so I do wonder how long it’ll take for both to happen. He’s 25 but he sort of behaves a bit immaturely. Despite that, the comedy was pretty hilarious as he has so many vivid expressions.

The scene where they get trapped in the basement with no light was rather abruptly scary, but it was a nice moment for the two. Mira, in a drunken state due to umeshu, tells Takumi she’s been anticipating breakfast ever since he came to the lodge and then she lies on his lap. It’s interesting to see a reverse trope situation as it’s the girl lying on the guy’s lap and not the other way around. It was a nice scene overall.

However, it is only a small step in progression as Takumi’s path to winning Mira’s heart already has a roadblock in the form of Shoin Ginger, Mira’s supposed fiancé. Since Widow means something completely different in Mira’s alien world, I suppose fiancé means something else too. I do wonder if next episode will be the big alien reveal to Takumi or if it’ll keep dragging on. In fact, how long will this take until they start dating? Half-way point? End? Regardless, I do think the ending song sung by Soma Saito and Maaya Uchida is adorable as heck. What are your thoughts on the episode?