#but cute the way shimarin is cute?

[moonsinkfoxgirl]

This very much sums up why Yuru Camp stands out as one of the best iyashikei shows. It appreciates loneliness. Not that there is anything wrong with the focus on friendship in all the other cute girl shows (and that’s a huge element in Yuru Camp too for a reason), but a girl who is adorable and has the time of her life while alone is just so damn special, and so relatable to introverts.

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

The Heya Camp Blu-Ray special was up on YouTube for a day in advance of its actual Blu-Ray release, meaning it’s already up on nyaa with some nice fansubs to boot, so I gave it a watch.

Now a 720p upscale of a 480p video with these watermarks plastered all over them isn’t the best way to experience this, but it’s literally our only option for the next month so, I don’t really mind.

Short haired Shimarin is adorable, but mainly in so far as Shimarin herself is inherently adorable, but honestly I think she looks better with long hair.

She looks utterly top tier adorable in these two because you can’t actually tell that she’s got short hair in them. I do think the short haired look is worse and I hope season 2 gives her hair a proper return to form.

Anyway the episode itself was quite nice, fun little 10 minute Shimarin adventure, the only characters being herself, Saitou, and Shimarin’s dad making his grand debut, completing the Shima family at last. And he was voiced by the prolific Takahiro Sakurai to boot, so that’s neat. His presence is used to explain why Shimarin’s moped has been replaced with the reverse trike thing, which is fine, though the product placement for the thing is perhaps a little too on the nose to be as enjoyable as it could be. Oh well. Outside of the product placement it’s Shimarin being cute in a sauna and being cute in a shop and being cute while camping, it’s all pretty chill and I had fun. 7/10.

[italicwatches]

Laid-Back Camp - Episode 02

Good. GOD. How did it take me five bloody hours to get back home. I hate when this shit happens. …Anyways. Let’s get it going. It’s Laid-Back Camp, episode 02. Here we GO!

-School. Rin’s gotten herself a camp-grub cookbook so she’s eating something that isn’t in a styrofoam cup. And then she has a flashback to Nadeshiko…

-Speaking of Nadeshiko, she sprints past on the way to her new club, both of them managing to miss each other. That’s just a little too ridiculous.

-Opening! This is a really bouncy and cheerful song.

-Episode 02: Welcome to the Outdoor Activities Club!

-So Nadeshiko’s gotten the camping bug. And that’s when she…Wow.

-Just…Wow. I didn’t have a chance to comment on it last time, but the club space is…

-How do I put this…

-Nadeshiko compares it to a hallway. I’ve been in hallways. This, sir, is no hallway. This is a god damned maintenance tunnel it’s so narrow. And it’s made even more narrow because they’ve had to go with floor bookshelves instead of overheads. It’s actually almost impressive how well they’ve used this tiny amount of space…

-Also, sidenote, do the pinecones talk every time? …Because I can roll with that.

-Hey it’s the bespectacled bluenette. I think she’s the shy one. The girl who…I mean…They tried to give her a cute fang, but it’s just colored as part of her lip, so it just looks like she has some sort of strange hanging hook as part of her mouth, look the point is she shows up too.

-So backstories are exchanged and…She gets turned away. Because the bluenette doesn’t want to be crammed in here with anyone else. Though, flip side, an actual club would mean an actual club room and not a pity-hallway. And that’s how that decision gets turned right around.

-Anyways names. Girl with the lip thing is Inuyama Aoi. Glasses is Ohgaki Chiaki. You already know Nadeshiko. Oh and it turns out they do some day-to-day stuff, mostly turning safely-burnable debris into mini bonfires for cooking on. Which would be great if the field out behind the school wasn’t perfectly clean.

-So plan B and that’s how Nadeshiko gets shown their magazine collection. Specifically, a magazine on tents, so we can teach the audience about the different kinds. First lesson, freestanding versus non-freestanding. Freestanding use a frame structure. Non-freestanding use pegs and ropes to stay up. Nine times out of ten, any tent you buy in a shop is gonna be freestanding, but if it’s not freestanding, you can get it really compact.

-For example, this tent here! …Chiaki bought it in the summer and it didn’t arrive until September. It cost ten dollars. Now I’m not about to judge someone for not spending a fortune on tents. Especially for gentler weather, you can really get away with something pretty basic. But I’m gonna be honest, I’m not entirely sure how much I trust a ten dollar tent.

-Of course, on the other hand, you’ve got the ones in that magazine, which, are…

-Oh.

-Oh dear.

-Well they top out at around 80 thousand yen, or 800-odd dollars.

-So the tent-pitching lesson will be conducted with this 980 yen tent out in the courtyard. And as that goes on, Rin spots it all while her friend helps make her giant bun. …In the shape of a bear. So the jokes are coming quick, I see.

-And outside, Chiaki…Manages to break the pole. God damn those are cheap poles. Now, you could salvage this with a fitting and some tape, and Rin’s friend tries to get her to go offer them one…But Rin is far too much of a loner. …Fine, so her friend will do it! And then soon they have the tent assembled and it actually exists and works. Also Rin’s friend points them to Rin as the source of knowledge because she is a meddler of great prowess and skill. Like, seriously, that’s some damn good meddling.

-So a few quick things we need to lay out since they happened in really quick succession.

-Chiaki calls her “Shimarin” like it’s all one word and she’s some mascot animal. Rin’s friend whose name I didn’t catch properly gives her name. Nadeshiko goes to race over to be all super excited and friendly and thankful aaaaaand hits the window.

-…Ow.

-That’s just…

-Ow.

-Oh god the sound design as she slides down against it!

-But then it’s a new day, with Rin pedaling her way up to another…Damn, that’s a hell of a campground. One that even has some other people here in the winter. But what I can’t help but notice, is that Rin’s need to dutifully stretch before she starts setting up her campsite is adorable.

-There’s just one little problem. Despite all her research, she couldn’t find an actual supermarket on the way up, so it’s convenience store cup-noodle again. And then it’s a text conversation with her dear friend, that ends in them feigning their deaths. These two are great.

-Oh, and this is one of those campgrounds that requires use of a stand for your campfires, you can’t do it on the ground. That’s not something I’m super familiar with; here, our campgrounds all have designated pits at campsites and require you to only do any fire-making in the fire pits. Between having to buy the firewood since there’s no good sources of free stuff in this open field, and the stand, her overnighter trip just got 2500 yen tracked onto it…Or, more than doubled her expenses compared to her initial fee.

-…Or she could just squeeze into her sleeping bag if it gets too cold. Yeah that sounds better. But first, a long walk to take in some gorgeous views and snap some photos. This place is very well set up.

-To the main building, where presumably the owners/workers live. A couple of dogs are tied up, and go to get attention…One coming up short of Rin. And the other slamming into her full force with a headbutt because it has another foot or two of rope to work with. Her world is pain.

-But, yeah, this place is set up almost perfectly as a classic tourist campground. Great views, bit pricey, they even have signs in places where you can get particularly great shots, like one at the foot of the pond that gets you that perfect upside-down-mountain reflection shot.

-And all those photos get sent to her friend, who is lazing in bed despite it being the afternoon, for it is the weekend. Truly I understand you. She’s almost up to take her doggo for a walk…But one opening of the balcony door later, girl and dog are both under those fucking covers.

-And Rin’s back at her tent with her book, all bundling up against the chilly breeze. If I didn’t want to use the bear-bun image so much, I’d have totally used that shot of her bike by the tent. Eventually it is late in the day, Mount Fuji is turned pink by the setting son, and Rin thinks back to school…

-To Nadeshiko trying to get her to join the club, and Rin making that disgusted face again. She likes her quiet alone camping time. But even she knows she did a bad thing. Why, she can hear Nadeshiko’s voice now calling to her mournfully…Again…Again…Wait it’s not echoing anymore.

-Because Nadeshiko’s just here. Rin’s friend Saitou-san meddled again. And Nadeshiko brought ingredients for grub! Specifically, hot pot! Shit that sounds really good, actually. I mean, I just ate a Mexican food platter so I’m not super hungry, but if you put it in front of me, I might do things I’d regret, is all I’m saying.

-Credits play as the night goes on. Nadeshiko’s out cold. Off camping themselves, Chiaki and Aoi are out cold with was that Saitou-san? And Rin is up early enough to catch the golden rays of the sunrise peaking over the horizon…I suspect this is a more future scene than a right now one, when they all come together to take it in…Or possibly even the actual credits animation. I guess we’ll know next time, won’t we.

-Aftercredits, to the Outdoors Activities club! Chiaki has tasty mochi treats that don’t last very long at all, especially because Nadeshiko goes to town on them a bit…intensely.

The magic question you always ask yourself in a show like this, is which archetype do you most connect to? And as much as I’d like to think I’m a strong, cool loner like Rin…I think we all know I’m closer to Saitou-san, endlessly meddling and easily beaten by weather.

But we shall see more of these characters and their plucky adventures next time, in episode THREE of Laid-Back Camp! Wait for it!

[rieshon]

Best of 2018

Holy shit was this a hard year to write this. There were a few standouts that were always going to be at the top of this list, but that second tier of "really good" shows was really dense this year, and some series I absolutely loved weren't able to make the cut. Here are the ones that did.

10: Mitsuboshi Colors ∥ Silver Link. ∥ Dir. Kawamura Tomoyuki: Even as someone who watches children's anime, I have to say Mitsuboshi Colors was the purest celebration of childhood this year. Not only does this series let you see some of the most adorable girls this side of Ichigo Mashimaro, it really invites you to see their world through their eyes, creating a nostalgic and genuinely wholesome experience not common for anime series featuring little girls. Of course, there is still plenty on offer for the lolicons in the audience: Yui is too pure angel, and Sacchan is one of the best bokes of the year. Just remember: in the end, we're all poop.

9: Zombie Land Saga ∥ MAPPA ∥ Dir. Sakai Munehisa: If you told me a year ago one of the best shows of the year would be about moe zombies, even an anime veteran like myself would have been surprised. Yet here we are, where a show about moe zombie idols is not only one of the best shows of the year, but one of the best idol anime I can remember seeing. For what seems like it is going to be a one trick pony of a gag anime, the character development in Zombie Land Saga is shockingly good, from Junko's discovery of her own aidoru-do to Lily's whole thing with being transgender... This show really throws its weight behind its characters and that's what makes the completely-in-earnest idol anime aspects of it work so well. Moe zombies made me cry real tears, and I love anime.

8: Darling in the Franxx ∥ A-1 Pictures & Trigger ∥ Dir. Nishigori Atsushi: This is probably the biggest 'event anime' of the year on this list and it certainly was an adventure. Darling in the Franxx is an epic robot anime very much in the vein of its great predecessors: genuine sci-fi, attempts to be deep, and of course the always relevant themes of "parents just don't understand" and "puberty is hard." The heroines are wonderful, of course, and the characters' rather significant growth over the course of the series is compelling. It's the kind of show you'd expect from someone who had their hands deep in Gurren Lagann. It also features some great hand-drawn(!) robot action--visually, it's overall one of the best shows of the year. But sorry 57th prime minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, this will not increase Japan's birth rate.

7: SSSS.GRIDMAN ∥ Trigger ∥ Dir. Amemiya Akira: I'm honestly not sure which of the Trigger robot shows I enjoyed more; Gridman might just be higher because it's more recent, but it's probably fair to say it's the more "fun" show, what with it being an Ultra series spinoff and everything. Even though it gets pretty dark and deep towards the end, the series is definitely imbued with the playful spirit of tokusatsu. Hiding behind that, though, is a thematically solid series boasting a couple of fantastic female leads in Akane and Rikka. You're never going to be able to get me to stop shipping it.

6: Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight ∥ Kinema Citrus ∥ Dir. Furukawa Tomohiro: If I was rating series on style alone, Revue Starlight would probably be my anime of the year on the basis of the digital stage lighting effects alone. This show is both a sharp-edged satire of the cut-throat world of Japanese womens' theater and a love letter to the spectacle of the stage. It seems fitting that it would be a protege of Ikuhara Kunihiko's who would take on this project; the show's style is certainly evocative of Ikuhara, and that sort of ostentatious presentation is also perfectly evocative of theater, which is itself an inherently larger-than-life endeavor. Yeah, it's pretentious as hell, but that just makes me like it more. Style aside, there is also a good yuri anime lurking in the background (Japanese womens' theater is gay as fuck so there had to be) and Hikari definitely earns the right to be called "this show's Homura." Lots of good lesbians in this show.

5: Hanebado! ∥ Lidenfilms ∥ Dir. Ezaki Shinpei: Sports anime are not really my thing--I have no interest in watching Slam Dunk, Tennis no Oujisama, or 'the basketball which Kuroko plays,' but even so, is Hanebado! one of the best sports anime ever made? It's hard for me to imagine a better-executed tale of self-discovery through athletic competition. This is certainly the only sports anime I've seen where the audience is made to root against the protagonist in the sport because we're rooting for her outside of it. It also features stellar animation for the badminton parts that really sells the idea of badminton being 'the world's fastest racquet sport." Erena was the best girl though, and she doesn't even play badminton.

4: Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho ∥ Madhouse ∥ Dir. Ishizuka Atsuko: When the end credits finally rolled on Yorimoi, the first words that came to mind were "what a journey." I don't know if I've watched another show that made me feel so much like I had truly gone 'there and back again' with the heroes. The treasure really is the friends we found along the way, and you accompany these friends from the very beginning to the very end of their journey to and from Antarctica, watching them mature and learn things about each other and themselves... The result is a series that is immensely satisfying in a way few others are. Hanada Jukki's usual brand of sentimental melodrama is pitch perfect for a show like this, and I'd be lying if I said this show didn't make me cry on like four or five completely seperate occasions. Please let Ishizuka Atsuko direct more anime.

3: Yagate Kimi ni Naru ∥ Troyca ∥ Dir. Katou Makoto: I went into detail about what makes Yagakimi so great just a couple months ago, but suffice it to say this show is my favorite yuri anime of all time. The characters' relationships are just so genuinely fascinating, especially in a genre where 'will they or won't they' is often as far as the dramatic tension goes. It is really a show about two girls discovering themselves through each other, and it's just so beautifully done, especially when accompanied by Ooshima Michiru's soundtrack. I liked this story so much that I downloaded the manga to read through, and I don't even read manga.

2: Violet Evergarden ∥ Kyoto Animation ∥ Dir. Ishidate Taichi: Figures that a show I was so certain would suck would end up here. Violet is the only show this year that made me cry even more than Yorimoi, and although it's a little hamfisted about it at times, I love the earnestness with which it pursues its themes about loss and love. Violet is not just the interloper who allows us to experience the various stories happening around this world, but also a fascinating character to watch in her own right as she tries to learn what exactly it means to love someone. It's sappy and sentimental as hell, which is why I love it. It also has probably my favorite soundtrack of the year, courtesy of Evan Call, which I've probably listened to over a dozen times.

1: Yurucamp ∥ C-Station ∥ Dir. Kyougoku Yoshiaki: Cute girls taking it easy? Hell yeah. There's nothing on this Earth more comfy than watching these girls go camping in the gorgeous Japanese countryside and just being the best of friends. Shimarin is the best loner who absolutely knows how to live life, and all I want is to ride scooters and eat instant noodles with her. It's a cute girl anime of the utmost quality, and the only reason I still have a will to live is because a second season has already been confirmed.

1. Yurucamp 2. Violet Evergarden 3. Yagate Kimi ni Naru 4. Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho 5. Hanebado! 6. Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight 7. SSSS.GRIDMAN 8. Darling in the Franxx 9. Zombie Land Saga 10. Mitsuboshi Colors

Honorable mentions... Hinamatsuri is probably the show I feel worst about not including, given its hilarity and its surprisingly well-done themes on poverty and homelessness, but someone had to be 11th. Asobi Asobase was another comedy I wanted to include, another one which was riotously hilarious at times and also included one of the cutest girls of the year, Olivia. As far as joji anime this year go, Aikatsu Friends exceeded all my expectations to finally be the Aikatsu series I stuck with, and Aine and Mio are the ultimate lesbian idols. I also have to give a shoutout to the Seishun Butayarou show, which is exactly the kind of 'snappy dialogue and adolescence problems' show that makes me love series like Oregairu and ef.

The awards go to...

Best Actress: Ueda Reina as Shinjou Akane, SSSS.GRIDMAN. I've been a big fan of Ueshama's since she turned up as the ridiculous Ajimi-sensei in Pripara. She can do some vocal gymnastics and has a great comedic delivery, but it was fantastic to hear her dramatic chops really leveraged to their full potential in Gridman. I think Ueda has one of the sexiest voices going in the business today, and some of the segments in Gridman where her character tries to seduce the male lead were truly yabai... And of course the more emotional segments with Rikka were also immensely impactful. (Credit to Miyamoto Yume for also doing some great work as Rikka in that series.)

(Honorable mention: Touyama Nao as Shima Rin in Yurucamp. Naobou has been one of my favorites for a long time now but her work as Rin is probably my top role of her's. Her aloof delivery is just so perfect for the character and her voice makes the show even more comfy than it already was. It's like a voice you want to hug.)

Best Actor: Miyano Mamoru as the manager from the moe zombie show I guess. I give up on doing the men every year. Kono baka zombi.

Newcomer Seiyuu of the Year: Shiraishi Haruka. Behind pure acting ability, versatility must be the most desirous trait in a voice actor, and it really feels like Shiraishi can do it all. She's had a couple major roles before this year: Motoba Kirie in the Umaru series, and Ruri in Anhapi, but her three main roles this past year really highlight the breadth of her abilities. She was the cool and collected Asirpa in Golden Kamuy, the impudent loli Misha in Uchi no Meido ga Uzasugiru, and the sexy tsundere Kana in Animayell... Yeah, that's some diversity in performances. It seems like I'm seeing this girl's name pop up everywhere recently and it's easy to see why: she seems to be able to excel in almost any role. She has two more major parts lined up for later this year, and I'm excited to see what she can do yet.

(Honorable mention: Hondo Kaede. Man, it felt like this girl was everywhere this year. Wikipedia counts her as having had no less than eight major roles, and that's following on from a 2017 where she had three leading roles. She certainly has a flair for the dramatic: probably my favorite role of hers was as Kanami in Toji no Miko; in a show where the animation didn't often keep up with the demands of the story, strong voice acting from Hondo and her leading partner Oonishi Saori really helped carry the show. I also really enjoyed her as Kohaku in Irozuku Sekai no Ashita Kara... She doesn't get the award, though, because most of her major roles so far have tended to sound the same. I'd really like to hear her branch out beyond her standard voice.)

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

Live action Yuru Camp episode 12 was shit cause it didn’t end the way the show started like with the anime and that cute solo camping thing and Nadeshiko doing Shimarin stuff but worse. Actually nah it was still fine and cute. And that’s the live action show done, as well. It was fine, I’d call it worse than the anime - I think the sense of humour wasn’t quite as there and for having the live action advantage that should let them capture the real beauty these places have as opposed to the anime’s mere drawings, you’d expect them to use a better camera, but then maybe that’s just my raws. But still, it’s Yuru Camp, it’s relaxing, I’d say it’s very well cast though it suffers a tad from “adults playing teenagers” but that’s hardly an issue, etc etc. Mostly I just can’t wait for Yuru Camp the anime to air its second season.