#but both Sora yori mo Tooi Basho and Yuru Camp i love so much more than any other show

[maranull]

Camping girls made me smile so much. Yuru Camp△ (the series)

Camping women made me smile and cry so much. Yuru Camp△ (the movie)

[zerodeity]

Winter 2018 Thoughts

Overlord Season 2

Tl;dr - Weak Start, Solid Last Arc, Evileye, Princess Renner

The first season of overlord was very good from start to finish. It keep introducing good plot points and had a way of keeping your attention throughout the whole series. The second season was very much welcomed by me as I just fell in love with the series after season 1. The second season started off with a rather weak arc, it was interesting that they showed us a larger portion of the world through other characters eye, but these weren't the characters that drove the first season. The lizard men felt like they had no place after the war on their kind and the only thing that made it out of that was frostpains one appearance in the 2nd arc of this season. The second arc however is where the show really takes off for me. It brings back the interesting characters that we had fallen in love with and introduced a new set of interesting characters. Princess Renner, who stole the show for me and the Blue Rose. Princess Renner kept my attention in every scene she had along with the big reveal they did with her, made her one of the best characters from this season in my opinion. Climb playing a big part in bringing Unglaus back into the world was much needed. Unglaus was one brought up to be one of the stronger humans in the world so it's nice to see him on his feet again. Sebas also had some good scenes in his journey to be a simple gentleman, I'm excited to see where they take him and his development with Tsuare whom I felt for awhile was the princess playing games with the being of Nazarick, however I find that highly doubtful at this point. Overall I'm excited for what is to come for us in Season 3, airing Summer 2018. This anime is definitely one of the top 10 in my book and I would rate this season at 7/10, that first arc was just odd.

Darling in the Franxx

Tl;dr - 002 gain and loss of emotions, Mysterious children

Darling in the Franxx is an anime original plot which can take many turns both good and bad. This being the "hype" anime of the the season makes me a little wary. At the time of writing this episode 17 had just aired however I still have not gotten a chance ot watch it and I will be holding my brain back to only how I felt in the first half. The introduction of 002 in episode one got me hooked as well as the way she developed over the course of the next few episodes. Seeing her character change was really nice but she had reverted to her old self soon after. The scene where Hiro screams at her and they "dance" their way through the compound was gorgeous. My personal best pair would have to be Zorome and Miku, Miku compliments Zormome so well it's almost like they were made for each other. The mystery behind these kids and how they were "born" still tingles my imagination. At this point I don't have much else to say beyond the fact that if someone doesn't die I will be a tad disappointed. 

Sora Yori Mo Tooi Basho (Journey to The Middle of Nowhere)

TL:DR AOTS, Wonderful Story, Good animation in key scenes, close attention to detail in locations, Character growth

Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho, (Journey to The Middle of Nowhere) was an amazing anime and definitely took its spot as anime of the season for me. The story itself is a little far fetched but isn't that what anime is? Four girls journey to Antarctica in search of Shirase's mom's final resting place to bring her closure and over the course of this she finds out many things about herself and those around her. Mari herself created the drive for this anime with her relentless tenacity and energy. Her meeting with Shirase just sealed the whole thing together. Shirase’s determination was incredible.  The anime itself had amazing animation in a lot of the key scenes that needed it. Such as the scene with Shirase, Mari and Hinata running through the streets in an attempt to not get caught, on the same note the scene where the girls are running through the base in a frantic search was also amazing. Another scene that sticks out to me heavily is during the last half of the anime where they open the laptop and you see the flood of emotion on Shirases face. The soundtrack in this scene coupled with the amazing animation sent chills down my spine. Shiraishi brought a certain maturity to the group, while also being very afraid herself. Seeing her learn about friendship and how it evolves is stunning. Hinata definitely stole the show for me with her attitude and many "quotes" which easily solidified her place as my favorite character. The episode with her as the focus "Bang That Drum Can" is still very fresh in mind. Hinata struck my heart with her quotes such as "Never think the stars you see are all the stars there are", "It's a thin line between self-assertion and selfishness" and "When you hit the point of no return, that's the moment it truly becomes a journey". I feel Sora Yori did an amazing job developing the characters and showing us the relationship between them and the struggles they faced in their Journey to The Middle of Nowhere. They also did an amazing job in showing the real world locations in the anime and showing us the beauty that could only be seen in this distant land, sure it probably doesn't compare to the real thing but it was damn good. The soundtrack also worked wonders with the scenes and only stood to build more on the fact that this was a very well rounded and thought out anime. Sora Yori got heavily overshadowed by Yuru Camp being in the same "genre at a glance" of Cute Girls Doing Cute Things and deserved way more attention then what it got. Overall I would give Sora Yori a 9.99/10, I absolutely loved this anime and cannot wait to get it on blu-ray and hopefully get a Hinata figure, however the ending left something to be desired but that's not to say that the ending itself was bad. If you want a very solid anime that touches on a lot of emotional levels than go check out Sora Yori.

Citrus

Tl;dr Character Growth only to be put back to step one, Good yuri, drama the anime

Citrus was the Yuri anime we wanted but definitely didn't need. It offered wonderful Yuri scenes and played on that to no end. Mei and Yuzu were a wonderful pairing that served to compliment each other in what the other lacked. Their relationship, being the sole focus of the show, felt like it make some major progress only to be set back many times by the characters actions. The heavy amount of drama this anime pulled felt forced at times but made it that much easier to get emotionally attached to the characters. I really don't have much to say about Citrus, it's your typical Yuri anime and has good animation where it is needed. It is most likely not going to be the anime that revives the Yuri genre as nothing to me can hold a candle to Strawberry Panic (10/10 by the way). I would give Citrus a 6/10, is was your typical Yuri anime with quite a bit of drama.

Yuru-Camp

CGDCT (Cute Girls Doing Cute Things)

Yuru-camp was that no-nonsense anime where you learn about the girls in it and just watch their adventures. It's that simple anime about camping told in a very relaxing way. Rin made the anime for me, her character and the attitude she had was fantastic for me. The soundtrack and scenery are really where this anime shines. Where-as other anime will give you a glimpse of the beautiful scenery and snap back to the characters having a conversation with each other, Yuru-camp will focus on that mountain and have the characters talk over the scenery. The soundtrack was very mellow and relaxing which just added to the mood of every seen. I would give Yuru-camp a solid 7/10, it was a very comfy and relaxing anime which I need every once in a while.

The Ancient Magus Bride

Tl;dr - Solid world, Good magecraft and lore, 1 season fling?

The Second half of The Ancient Magus Bride builds on the world that first half set up in a nice way. Seeing Chise explore this world as a newcomer with no knowledge allows the anime to explain things in a way that makes sense. Witnessing Chise learn more about herself and this world as the story went on was shown very well. The Ancient Magus Bride explores magic and lore in a way that I thoroughly enjoy. Utilizing ingredients for magecraft and the fairy world lore are part of this anime that just drew me in. Oberon and Titania themselves being part of the anime lead my imagination in such a very nice way, this is nice way to draw this anime more towards the realm of realism. The majority of the second half is spent looking into the main villain Cartaphilus, which isn't bad but feels very drug out. Most of what the first season does well the second season keeps up, the pacing gets a little odd however. At the end of this anime I would rate it a 7/10, the ending left much to be desired and honestly felt like it came out of nowhere, I hope that this won't be just a one season wonder but with the ending they pulled it just may be.

[kansetsukiss]

Winter 2018: First Impressions

The new year always comes with a bout of unwarranted confidence and energy, and what better way to spend it, I thought, than by keeping entirely up to date with the new anime season. (I say “entirely,” though I have clearly omitted several shounen / fantasy shows out of respectful disinterest, and Citrus, for reasons that may evolve into their own post.) Here are the first impressions of the season’s first episodes. I’ll be checking back in halfway through and at the end of the season to chart each show’s progress. Saa, hajimaruzamasu yo!

Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san

Though they’ve since been deleted, the first episode of Koizumi-san encouraged two extremely negative reviews to surface on MAL. Why anyone would submit a formal review after one episode is beyond me (get a tumblr blog, you herbs), but why this of all shows should warrant such backlash also confounds me. Yes, it’s silly - it follows goofy lesbian Oosawa Yuu as she follows her crush, the enigmatic Koizumi, from one ramen eatery to another, while Koizumi rebuffs her flirtations and educates her on various ramen cooking styles. It should be pretty fucking clear from this set-up that we’re not in for a thematically dense thrill-ride - why is this Cute Girls Doing Cute Things show apparently that much worse than others with equally pointless premises? All this said, I’m certainly wondering if the show can expand on its small roster of characters and settings to fill a full cour. Stranger things have happened. I’ll be following along, if only to hear more of Ayaneru’s darling voice acting, dreamy sigh.

Yuru Camp∆

(Don’t forget that delta!) This season’s iyashikei delivers exactly what was promised on the package, resulting in not much to say about it at all. I’m not sure the ambience here is quite luscious enough to warrant this many slow shots (cf. Studio Ghibli, Mushishi), but I was never bored, and it looks like we’ll be heading to more slice-of-life settings soon enough anyways. It’s quiet, thoroughly nice, even somewhat educational. Healing as it may be, it’s also definitely a Cute Girls show, and yes, the girls so far are very good. Fingers crossed we get some yuri with that yuru…

Sanrio Danshi

Ahh, a familiar conflict: a mega-corporation creates / sponsors art that supports progressive politics, but is also using the medium to shamelessly promote their products - cf. Pepsi, Heineken, etc. This time it’s Sanrio fighting restrictive gender stereotypes: why can’t boys be into cute animal mascots too? It’s a sweet message, but the irony of it coming directly from the merchandiser is hefty. Sanrio Boys makes an inoffensive first impression - the titular boys are entirely generic in design and expression, distinguished mostly by their mascot kyara of choice (disappointingly, my lovely Cinnamaroll has been claimed by a boofy-looking doofus). It’s shallow and ironically enjoyable, as most teen-girl-oriented media inevitably is, alas. Here lies another mystifying contradiction: a clearly low-effort show featuring an ensemble cast of five handsome but emotionally vulnerable boys is so clearly aimed at girls, so how is their boys-can-have-feelings-too message even going to land with its supposed target audience? Are the boys themselves just another marketable Sanrio product for girls?? Christ.

Violet Evergarden

Speaking of mega-corporations, Netflix is still on track to subsume all art and artists by 2020 - but hey, they’re putting out some good stuff. Violet Evergarden is a decisive question mark. I’m partial to both its main tropes of “post-war melancholy” and “emotionless person learns to feel again,” but they can intersect respectively with “leaning heavy on the Feels” and “literal objectification of women.” Violet’s emptiness doesn’t make for a compelling main character - it’s strange to see KyoAni’s unparalleled expressivity lavished upon an unexpressive character - and it’s hard to say whether her traumatic past will justify this, or just fall flat. I’m cautiously optimistic for now, and if it all does go south, I’ll always have Sora no Woto to give me the good stuff. (Special shout-out to both all-too-brief timelapse shots. KyoAni, you magnificent bastards.)

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho

I think it’s understandable that I would enter into this with trepidation - it seemed somewhere between a sports anime and a Cute Girls Etc., both of which can stretch to ridiculous settings. But it seems, in a weird way, fairly grounded. Well, I mean, for a show about high school girls travelling to Antarctica. I’m really hoping they’re not just on their way by episode 2 - Shirase’s struggle with the depressive realism of her ludicrous dream is ripe for exploring in itself. Both the main characters are wonderful; Shirase’s design indicated another taciturn raven-haired maiden (cf. Kousaka Reina), but she’s wonderfully expressive, and I’m always happy to hear Kana Hanazawa doing any voice other than Default Kana Hanazawa. Overall, it’s very nicely animated and paced, quietly comic, and almost definitely going to trip over its absurd premise by the time I next check up on it, but I suspect it will still be a fun, if silly, ride.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card

OH MY GOD. I’ve only been living in a post-Sakura world for about 2 years, and this was still a quasi-religious experience; I can’t imagine how this would feel to the fans who grew up on the show. Everything about this is fucking fantastic. I’m losing the ability to criticise. I’m dangerously close to “I can’t even”-ing. The production is perfect, the sakura petals are abundant, there’s a fucking oboe solo stripped-back rendition of Platinum when Syaoran appears, the fucking ED is so beautifully animated. I’m sorry, I’m doki-doki-ing all over the place. This is the by far my favourite of the season so far. Not even Meilin’s absence can sour this for me. (Okay, maybe a little, if I really think about it :c)

Pop Team Epic

Hmmm. This was preceded by its reputation, evenly regarded by my Twitter feed as “a shitpost in anime form” and “excellent lesbian representation.” Given how dense my watchlist already is, I’m pleased to say I absolutely don’t care about this. It conveys the same humour as short-form absurdities like Teekyuu or Plastic Nee-san, but mostly leans on shallow pop-culture references and crudeness. The face that it’s a full-length show - let alone the fact that the first episode is the same half-length episode played twice - is exasperating. As a fan of Wonder Showzen and the Eric Andre Show, I see the appeal of the style, but it definitely falls short of both such marks. (And though I know this is unfair, it’s a little hard to get into something so well-received by 4chan dipshits.)

Darling in the FranXX

There’s a sexual harassment joke roughly 4 minutes into the first episode - nowhere near Bakemonogatari’s record, and not damning in and of itself, but it unfortunately does reflect the overall tone. This feels like a weird teenage rebellion by Studio Trigger, defying their parent by making their own Evangelion, with blackjack!, and hookers!, and absolutely none of the subtlety or character exploration that made Eva great. Zero Two is a deafening klaxon of fanservice masquerading as a sexually autonomous character - I wanted to believe otherwise, but her fucking robot has nice boobs, and even gets its own panty shot. The robot, which is powered by making out, mind you. I’m not one to hold low-brow shows to higher standards - I will call a fanservice-y spade a spade - but I expected more out of Trigger at this point, especially on the heels of extremely wholesome Little Witch Academia series. Even the mediocre Kiznaiver had loftier goals. I’ll keep tabs on this one - if nothing else, Trigger’s animation style and an excellent OST will sweeten a bitter pill. 

Mitchiri Neko

Hard pass. If you’re gonna watch a banal, cutesy, 3-minute runtime cat show - like, if you really need that - watch Bananya.

[akasen-the-red]

Winter 2018 Anime Season (or “How I continue to overwhelm myself with series”)

While I don’t often write on tumblr about it, there is a consistent theme with me and anime lately where I question if I’m becoming burnt out on anime or finding it difficult to enjoy it.

Well last season found me with a large list of series I was planning to watch or had on a backburner. I often count out at least 10 series to most people, but I’m honestly gonna say 9.

That’s still a hefty number though, make no mistake. That’s probably the most anime I’ve ever had interest in, and attempted to watch, in a single season. The question is, “What were these series and what’s their status?”. This is a good question to ask cause it helps to know whether that number is legitimate or not

Good question, let’s get to it

Overlord 2 - Finished yesterday

Yuru Camp - Saw the first episode, preparing to binge the series since the seasons over

Violet Evergarden -  Up to episode 6, want to binge

Pop Team Epic - Episode 1 (I’ve basically been wanting to binge it since the first episode was 12 minutes in length and I expected the rest of the series to follow suit)

Darling in the FranXX - Episode 11 right now. My thoughts? It’s super mediocre as fuck, but not exactly terrible

Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho - Haven’t even started. From what I’ve seen though, I love it already. Hetare would speak a lot of praise of it.

Koi wa Ameagari no You ni - Not started. Might not start. Don’t know much about it. Nobody talked about it. Don’t know how it got on a list. Might have to watch an episode

Junji Ito Collection - Didn’t start. Dropped off list due to talk of animation not being the best. Disappointing

Mitsuboshi Colors - My MAL says 1 episode, but I think I saw 2. Will probably binge

Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san - Episode 1, wanting to read the manga for this as well. was pretty cute

Card Captor Sakura: Clear Card - On hold til I watch the whole of the original CCS (Also somewhat surprised not a lot of people are talking about this it seems)

And that’s the list, and indeed ten series are there, eleven by all means, though I’d say it’s more accurately nine.

Technically though, I did binge one series from last season, Juuni Taisen, which I was entertained by. I wouldn’t heavily recommend it, but I liked it quite well enough.

I think this season is full of some generally quality anime though. Not all of it is sensational mind you, but it’s good stuff. I could drop a couple series to allow for binging of others, or rather to allow me to do other things (like reading a book), but I feel like if I do, i’d miss out on something. But maybe forcing myself to watch something when I realize I don’t fully enjoy it isn’t the best idea.

What’s the true takeaway from this though? Probably to get out of crap fast. Probably that it’s better to binge watch a series. Sure, I miss out on the conversation going on when the series is airing, but then I haven’t really discussed anime in depth with anyone for years now, and the people I would talk anime to are very busy (or terrible at checking messages. Probably both)

I’ve got a backlog from last season as well on my MAL, so it might be wise to start cutting through that altogether before the bulk of this season starts. Because this season has started