#but it's not really Tanya the Evil style magic

[akaluan]

The thought of kisuke building wings for himself is stuck in my brain for reasons beyond me or my control. Please take it from me

Kisuke frowns at the mess of mechanical and magical parts scattered across his workbench, trying to make the bits and bobs resolve into something logical; when he’d started this project, he hadn’t expected it to be so… so convoluted, but maybe he should have.

There’s a reason humans rely purely on magic in order to fly, instead of crafting themselves actual wings, after all.

But he’s set himself upon this path and he’s not going to give up just because it’s hard. He’s pretty sure that he can figure it out given enough time — hopefully without resorting to using reiatsu in the process — and then he’ll have actual wings to play with!

And if he can do this then… then…

He doesn’t know.

Maybe he’ll sell bespoke wings to people who want them? The extra funds would be nice, but the idea of having to deal with commissions is a strange thought. Truthfully, the idea that anyone would want anything that he makes is an even stranger thought, but he’s spent more than enough time on the internet to know that there are people out there who will pay absurd amounts for actual working wings. He just has to offer proof of concept in the right places, to the right people, and things will fall into place.

Kisuke sighs and reaches up to tug at a lock of hair, trying to refocus on the present instead of a potential-future. Nothing matters until he can finish up this set for himself, of course, which means he has to actually finish it. Not stare blankly at the pile of parts and hope vaguely that it takes form by itself.

He hums. Leans in.

Gets to work.

\\\

He doesn’t work on just his wing project, of course, so a day turns into a week turns into a month turns into months with no end in sight, but he’s making progress. Slow progress, but progress none-the-less.

It’s actually a pretty rewarding project, if he’s being honest. It’s fun, fun in a way that things haven’t been in decades. Fun in a way that he never thought anything could ever be again.

It’s challenging and intriguing and logical, but it also requires that he dive into research fields that he’s never touched before in his life. There are so many Living World sciences to learn that he’s never quite known where to start, but this project… this project is giving him the opportunity — and the reasons — that he’s never had before.

He researches how birds fly, researches how air moves, researches metallurgy and magical manifestation and robotics and so many other bits and bobs that sometimes it feels like he’s drowning in information. Sometimes he has to set the project aside in order to build something else, just because a thought won’t leave him alone once his brain has put the pieces together.

He never really shows anyone those side-projects — doesn’t think anyone will be interested in them, to be honest — but they’re fun and they do have a use.

The more Kisuke puts together, the more he learns and the better he gets. His first efforts are… crude, to put it mildly, more mess than use, but even his failures are fascinating; Seireitei doesn’t have magic per-se, not to the same extent that the Living World does, so he’s never put any effort into researching it before now. Seeing all the ways it can fail is like discovering kido-crafting all over again, and sometimes he can’t help but shove magic types together just to see what happens.

(Explosions, usually.)

(But sometimes something else, something new, something fascinating occurs instead.)

(He lives for those moments of discovery.)

By now, he’s, ah… renowned in certain circles. He has five mages willing to supply him with both standard elemental crystals — a dime a dozen online, but he’s starting to trust these mages and their abilities — and with rarer, more expensive set-spells. They’re even interested in the results of his experiments, sometimes to the point of offering him extra crystals or new set-spells to experiment with.

(Apparently, not many people are willing to risk explosive experiments.)

(That’s fine.)

(More fun for him!)

It’s not his original project, but Kisuke doesn’t believe any research to be wasted research, so it’s fine.

He’ll find his answer eventually.

\\\

Somewhere along the way, he ends up… accidentally stumbling across his answer while shoving different combinations of set-spells together to see what happens.

It’s a complex, delicate piece of work when spun together into a single spell; its carefully balanced elements make its structure as beautiful as lace and stronger than steel when crafted just right, and it takes weeks for his mages to figure out how to cast it correctly. There’s plenty of explosions in the process, based on the mishmash of notes he finds in the shared research document, and it makes him abruptly cognizant of exactly how lucky he is.

(He would never have been able to reach this moment without his favorite mages supporting him and working together.)

(As talented as Kisuke is, he’s no mage and never can be.)

(Magic is for the living and for the spirits of those who were mages when alive.)

(Kisuke is neither.)

Of course, the just right bit is important, because the slightest disturbance during the initial casting can turn the set-spell into an explosion waiting to happen, as Kisuke learns while experimenting with the first one he’s sent.

It’s fine, though, it’s fine. The mages are worried-apologetic-dismayed when Kisuke reports it, but Kisuke doesn’t care.

They’re working through email and shared notes and the occasional live chat, not side-by-side. Kisuke doesn’t expect perfection in these cases — wouldn’t expect it even if they were working side-by-side, considering how experimental this whole thing is! — so a little unexpected explosion every so often is fine.

(Not that any of the mages seems to agree, considering how much the others chide him about being careful with brand new spells.)

(The concern is… strange, but also… nice?)

(Weird.)

Still, the next several set-spells Kisuke experiments with work out better, and he quickly learns how to tell which ones are viable and which ones aren’t. There’s a sort of… hum… that set-spells have, he’s realized, not so much audible as something felt while holding the crystal, and if he focuses closely enough he can sense which ones are unstable and which aren’t. It’s a useful skill, though apparently a rare one? At least according to his favorite mages, it is— something about it meaning he’s extra sensitive to magical energies, even though he isn’t a mage himself.

(Apparently, if he’d been a mage, he’d have instinctively blocked the sense out when he was young in order to not be constantly overwhelmed by it.)

(He wonders how many mages can’t do that, and are therefore constantly on the edge of over-stimulation because of it.)

(He wonders if he can find a way to help.)

(Hmm… a project for later.)

Regardless, now that Kisuke’s pretty sure he has the set-spell necessary to support flight, things go faster. He builds and tinkers and tears apart and rebuilds, slinging the exo-skeleton on and off with growing ease, the magical connection becoming smoother and cleaner with every iteration. Kisuke doesn’t want there to be a menu or buttons or anything of the sort to control the wings, not when magical prosthetics are already capable of interfacing with the brain and translating intent into action.

He just… needs to adapt it to work with limbs the body’s never had.

Somehow.

Somehow.

Except the brain is an incredible thing on its own, and it ends up being less about teaching the interface to work with extra limbs as teaching his brain to consider the wings part of his body. Which is a bunch of trial and error — lots and lots of error — but eventually the stuttering, twitching mess slung across his back starts to smooth out, starts to flex and shift and spread, and the interface—

The interface does what it was built to do.

Kisuke can feel it as his new wings spread. Can feel it when he accidentally bumps a wing against his workbench. Can feel it when he runs a hand over bare metal struts and magical feathers. Can feel so, so much—

It’s a bit too much, if he’s being honest, especially when he takes the wings off and suddenly loses all that extra input. It doesn’t hurt, at least, but it’s weird and leaves him feeling unbalanced for a while afterward.

(A side-effect he’d never considered, but one his mages are quick to point out is expected if he’s going to use that method of connecting the wings to his mind.)

(Ah well, he’ll adapt.)

(It’s what he does, after all.)

From there, it’s just a matter of refining the wings, both in looks and in function, and then… and then—

And then he can finally fly.

\\\

His first flight is less ‘flight’ and more ‘uncontrolled tumble’, but Kisuke isn’t bothered by that.

(He maybe trying to run (fly) before he can walk.)

(Just maybe.)

He gets up, brushes himself off, and tries again.

And again.

And again.

Until he finally figures out how to coordinate his wings to gain lift, and then it’s almost like everything just clicks into place; not that it becomes easy as such, because it doesn’t, but things start to make sense at last.

(His dreams become weird, tangled messes of extra limbs and feathers and darting flight.)

(Even his normal dreams start to be invaded by wings.)

(It’s weird, but apparently normal?)

(How do brains even work?)

It’s fun though, especially as soon as he stops face-planting as often! Soon he manages to take off, fly for a bit, and then land without falling, and if that’s not an accomplishment he has no idea what is.

(Landings are hard okay?!)

It gets even better when Kisuke has Tessai record one of his short flights and then send it to him, so that he can share it with his favorite mages. Almost instantly he has five very, very interested mages who want their own wings to play with and, well, who is he to deny them when they’ve helped him so much?

They give him suggestions on what to try, too, and while some of them work out terribly, other suggestions actually help. They’re basically writing the whole manual from scratch here, which seems to excite everyone, and Kisuke… Kisuke sometimes can’t help but stare wistfully at his screen, wondering what it would be like to work alongside these five in person.

(He bets it would be incredible, bets it would be like nothing he’s ever done before—)

(But this is still more than he’s ever had before, so he’s going to treasure every moment he gets.)

(He’s learned not to look a gift horse in the mouth these days.)

(Besides, now he has wings!)

(And that’s enough for him.)

[bamfdaddio]

X-Men Abridged: 1969

The X-Men, those dino-obsessed mutants that have sworn to protect a world that hates and fears them, are a cultural juggernaut with a long, tangled history. Want to unravel this tapestry? Then read the Abridged X-Men!

(X-Men 52 - 63) - written by Arnold Drake, Roy Thomas, Linda Fite and Don Heck, drawn by Werner Roth, Barry Smith, Tom Palmer and Neal Adams.

step aside, Wall-E, these Sentinels have nothing on your range of emotions (X-Men 59)

When we last left our X-Men, they were smack-dab in the middle of a big, convoluted plot! Let me refresh your memory:

The X-Men had to beat a hasty retreat;

Polaris had joined her father Magneto

Magneto was injured;

Iceman had quit the team because he still had faith in Polaris;

Eric the Red appeared, making overtures towards Magneto.

And the whirlwind continues! The X-Men (sans Iceman and Cyclops) sneak back into Magneto’s base! Eric the Red reveals himself to be Cyclops! They set a trap for Mesmero! Which is sprung by the wayward Iceman! But he has pertinent information! Lorna is not Magneto’s daughter, she’s just an orphan! Bobby (hilariously) has the papers to prove it!

magneto has now fucked up the relationships he has with all of his children before any of them knew he was their father. mad props (X-Men 52)

Lorna breathes a sigh or relief, glad that she doesn’t have to be evil anymore. (Because obviously, evil is hereditary. And even though she keeps sensing everyone’s ‘evil vibrations’, she stayed with Magneto out of her own volition. SO.) Without Polaris’ power to back them up, Magneto and Mesmero flee.

After this, the X-Men come back to live at the mansion again. No muss, no fuss. Roy Thomas, who’s returning to the book, wastes very little time undoing some stupid decisions made last year. In fact, 1969 has a pretty strong showing, with plotlines flowing almost naturally into one another, a bigger cast and the introduction of one of my favourite villains. It’s pretty palatable.

The one snag is a superfluous issue where the X-Men fight Blastaar and Jean kills someone. (Never comes up again, don’t sweat it.) I wouldn’t even mention it, were it not for this moment where Jean uses some super duper mind machine:

does this remind you of... anything? no? just me then (X-Men 53)

So, anyway, remember Scott’s beloved brother Alex?

i love that jean is all smiles about scotts terrible and all-encompassing ability to repress everything (X-Men 54)

I can sort of understand why that whole third Summers brother was such a huge secret for so long, considering Alex was not even kept a mystery and it still took SIX YEARS for him to be revealed.

Alex is barely introduced before he gets the old plot-bat to the face, getting mixed up in a fight when some pharaoh claims all mutants are pharaohs, being children of the Sun? Apparently, all of them are powered by cosmic rays i.e. the sunlight. Alex is kidnapped, as is Cyclops, and just as Cyclops ponders how happy he is that Alex is not a mutant despite him having the X-Gene, he is attacked by the pharaoh and Alex saves his brother using newly minted energy powers! Oh, the irony.

when I say that I want Alex to wear his old costume, I obviously mean this sexy Egyptian skirt-ensemble (X-Men 55)

Alex and the pharaoh are apparently two sides of the same coin, being charged by the same cosmic rays: when one waxes, the other wanes. The pharaoh locks Alex away in a tomb, cutting him off from those sweet, sweet sunbeams and taking all the power for himself. Like a Power Ranger villain, he grows in size and becomes… the Living Monolith! The X-Men take him down while Alex accidentally blows up the Living Monolith’s temple.

Alex, afraid of his own power, flees into the desert and is apprehended by… the Sentinels?! Surprise, bitch! Lorna is also abducted by them out of her New York apartment. Their next victim is Iceman, and they deliver him to… Larry Trask! (Son of.)

My favorite thing about Sentinels is that, despite the fact that they are objectively huge, they are still able to sneak up on people. Apparently, these murderous periwinkle toaster ovens are so quiet, you only notice when they rip open a roof to get at you. (X-Men 59)

Larry Trask hates mutants because:

They killed his father;

He’s a racist.

Determined not to repeat the sins of his father, Larry has a helmet with which he can use to take direct control of the sentinels, so hopefully they won’t rise up and rebel this time. Somewhere, Asimov is rolling his eyes.

On live television, Larry Trask baits Iceman into attacking him, trying to smear him and mutantkind in general. In the mean time, the Sentinels strike everywhere, taking Unus, Angel, Banshee, the Living Monolith… Even Wanda and Pietro. It´s a literal who´s who of sixties mutandom! The only exempt ones are the Changeling and Magneto, the latter only because he’s been a robot for a while now. Mesmero is just as shocked by this unnecessary retcon as we are.

Just as Larry orders the Sentinels to kill every mutant in the compound (including Bobby, Lorna and Alex), a family heirloom is ripped off his neck. Apparently, this medallion was some kind of protection: the late Bolivar Trask knew little Larry was a mutant and tried to hide this fact from the Sentinels.

The Sentinels turn on Larry faster than you can say “Is being betrayed by AI a hereditary trait?” The X-Men intervene and, after unleashing the might of Havok, they end up in a debate with the Sentinels, turning their own logic against them:

Protecting humans is more important than killing mutants.

So, to protect humanity, they must destroy the cause of mutation.

The Sentinels promptly launch themselves into the sun. Neat.

On a side note, the relationship between Jean and Scott is shelved for now? It seems like they’re dating, but also not? It’s such weird storytelling, especially because their annoying will they or won’t they has gotten so much focus in the past and the relationship between Lorna and Bobby is crystal clear:

Scott. Jean. Is it really going to take Chris Claremont to DTR you two? Fuck’s sake (X-Men 60)

Because Havok’s powers still threaten to overwhelm him, the X-Men contact a former colleague of Professor X… Professor Lykos.

Let me tell you about the sheer, amazing sixties wonder that is Professor Lykos. Originally, Thomas envisioned him as a vampire, but the Comics Code forbade vampires. So, instead, Lykos ends up a human who was bitten by a magical pterodactyl at a young age and who can only survive by draining other people’s life force. He can also hypnotize people into doing his bidding.

Yes.

Lykos suspects mutants might be the cure to his strange, strange ailment, and begins to drain Alex. But to his (and our) sheer delight, he turns into a pterodactyl!

I just love this damn idiot so much (X-Men 60)

Be like Sauron! Choose evil!

The X-Men barely figure in this plot. Ordinarily, I’d be bothered by the fact that these three issues are more about the villain than the heroes, but given that it’s Sauron, I’ll let it slide.

See, Sauron’s tale is a tragic one. Not only is he a weird pterovampire, he is also in love with a sweet girl whose father forbids him from seeing Dr. Lykos, because he is… poor! Gasp! (Those billionaires, not even a doctor is good enough for their daughters.) Sauron, slightly corrupted by his dino-side, realize that it’s a lot easier to just kill Tanya’s father than to impress him by robbing banks for cash.

When he attacks the man and sees the reaction of his star-crossed lover, Lykos realizes Sauron is far too much in control. Sauron is too evil! Lykos/Sauron promptly flees to a cold, distant region, the same place where he got bitten all those years ago, figuring he’ll stay in isolation and starve himself of the human energy he needs. But, just as he is utterly ravenously out of his mind, Tanya finds him! In order to protect her, Sauron sacrifices himself by throwing himself off the mountain… straight into the Savage Land..

The X-Men (sans Angel) follow him into the Savage Land. (It’s unclear why? To retrieve his corpse? Annoyingly, in the next arc, Sauron is not brought up again.) There, they run into Ka-Zar, who’s embroiled in a fight with… prehistoric mutants?

Angel, meanwhile, follows the X-Men in their footsteps, only to end up on the other side of the fight, with a strange white-haired man named the Creator who claims to be the mentor of these Savage Land mutates. Angel pledges him his wings, gets a snazzy new suit and flies off to fight the X-Men. Only then does the man secretly reveal himself: he’s… Magneto! (The true one, not a robot.) And he wishes to rule the savage land!

Angel and the other X-Men briefly fight, but soon the situation is sorted out and the X-Men go and confront the Creator. Magneto, who is way too hammy to ever hide his true nature for too long, reveals himself and the fact that he created these… mutates, including the creepy Brainchild. (He’ll become important later.) The X-Men defeat Magneto and he seemingly dies again.

Without Magneto there, the mutates revert to just being regular cave(wo)men:

I love that Ka-Zar, WHO HAILS FROM THE SAVAGE LAND HIMSELF, has no scruples othering his own kin. (X-Men 63)

The comic accidentally ends on a sad note: the X-Men confessing that they’d give up on their powers in a heartbeat. Not to nitpick, but while I buy that coming from Beast and Cyclops, this issue is less clear-cut when it comes to Jean and Bobby, who have a much better handle on their powers and, more importantly, present as human. It could potentially be an interesting issue to explore, but instead, it is swept under the rug, presenting the team (once again) as a boring but unified front. It remains one of my critiques of this era: the X-Men barely get fleshed out as individuals, other than the broadest of strokes (Leader; Rich Boy; Joker; Smart Guy; Girl). Pity.

Didn’t you take Art History? One thing that has definitely improved is the overall art-style. Artists experiment with panels and splash pages, stepping out of the traditional 2 by 3-grid that Kirby loved so much. It makes the stories more dynamic and, because the writers get more issues to tell their stories, the artists get more space to do their art.

I mean, check this ish out:

Fuck yeah, mental powers represent. (X-Men 57)

Ugliest Costume: None! I really like Havok’s black bodysuit with white stripes and the Sentinels design looks so much less dorkier than before. A+.

Best new character: Sauron, duh. Does he team-up with Dr. Doom at some point? That would be some ham-to-ham combat.

Most audacious retcon: There’s a second Summers brother?

What to read: 57 to 59, which is the plotline dealing with the much improved Sentinels. 60 and 61 if you have a soft spot for vampiric pterodactyls.

[sapphireshineauthor]

Hamefura, Myth & Roid

In whole honesty, while I know “angela” and “Aoi Shouta” are the ones who sung the Ops and eds respectively for both Hamefura seasons. I think it would be kinda fun if “Myth & Roid��� did a song for the show. Considering the other isekai series they do, I’m not surprised if they’re not on the table until the later arcs, like vol. 8 or vol. 9 content for the LN since that’s where things get a tad more serious. 

I would actually really love it if “Myth & Roid” did an opening theme for a villainess anime. Does anyone know if they did? 

For anyone confused as to who I’m talking about, “Myth & Roid” do a lot of songs for isekai series, their most popular ones being from the series “Overlord”, “Saga of Tanya the Evil”, and “Re:Zero”. They’ve done songs for other isekai series and also did the ending song for “Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul”. 

While hamefura/bakarina doesn’t seem as serious or dramatic to fully utilize “Myth & Roid”’s music style, during the later LNs I definitely think they would fit. Especially given the investigation of dark magic and Katarina’s turmoil.

HOWEVER, I definitely think a “Myth & Roid” song would fit the hamefura’s RPG AU like a glove. 

Okay, I’m done, this is also an excuse to share some songs. I made a “Myth & Roid” playlist and I highly recommend the songs.  

[recentanimenews]

Manga the Week of 10/31/18

It’s Halloween, and the trick is being able to stand under the weight of all this manga.

Ghost Ship has a 7th volume of “porn or not?” series To-Love-Ru Darkness.

J-Novel Club has a trio of ongoing titles, as we get the 8th Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest, the 7th The Magic in This Other World Is Too Far Behind!, and the 2nd Sorcerous Stabber Orphen.

Kodansha’s print debut is Hiro Mashima’s Playground, which as you might guess is a collection of short stories from the creator of Fairy Tail.

Speaking of short story collections, we also get Battle Angel Alita: Holy Night, which collects previously unseen one shots from the Gunnm universe. (What’s Gunnm?, I hear you cry. Well…)

ASH: Oh, I had missed this one being picked up, though I’m not surprised that it was.

SEAN: There’s also the 14th and final volume of Animal Land, a series whose first volume came out in North America sometime in 1643.

MICHELLE: I legitimately forgot this series existed.

MELINDA: Same.

ASH: It really is a shame that this series hasn’t gotten more attention. It’s a little strange, but quite good.

SEAN: The digital debut is a sequel, as we get the first volume of Princess Resurrection: Nightmare, the sequel to… well, Princess Resurrection. It still runs in Shonen Sirius, and seems to be more of a Tokyo Ghoul-style reboot.

Also out digitally: Beware the Kamiki Brothers! 6 and Heaven’s Design Team 2.

MICHELLE: I read the first volume of the latter and it was.. odd. We’ll see if the author varies the already established formula at all with volume two.

SEAN: Seven Seas is hitting us with lots of stuff. The debut is Versailles of the Dead, which does not feature Oscar but does feature Marie Antoinette and zombies. I think it’s currently running in Hibana, though it’s changed magazines a few times.

ANNA: I have to admit I am intrigued by the title, along with historical zombies.

ASH: As am I! It’s by the creator of Afterschool Charisma, too.

SEAN: There’s also The Ancient Magus’ Bride Supplement, yet another in-depth guidebook to the series.

ASH: I’ll be picking this one up!

SEAN: And we have an 8th Dreamin’ Sun, the 8th Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash novel in print, the 2nd manga adaptation of If It’s For My Daughter Etc., the 3rd Mononoke Sharing, the 13th My Monster Secret, the 8th Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary, and 2nd True Tenchi Muyo! novel, and the 4th and final Yokai Rental Shop.

ASH: I wasn’t as enamored with the beginning of Yokai Rental Shop as I was hoping I would be, but I have been meaning to read more of the series.

SEAN: Udon has a 3rd volume of Infini-T Force.

Vertical has Onimonogatari, which theoretically is about Shinobu but Mayoi is going to steal the show.

That leaves Yen Press, but that’s still a lot.

ASH: It really is.

SEAN: Starting with Yen’s digital-only manga, we see Corpse Princess 19, Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun 8, and IM: Great Priest Imhotep 9.

JY is Yen’s imprint for younger readers, and we have two titles to point to. The first is Crush, the 3rd in Svetlana Chmakova’s series that began with Awkward and Brave. It is sure to be as awesome as both of those were.

JY also has a Japanese title debuting. Zo-Zo-Zombie is from the kids’ magazine Corocoro, and is the most adorable zombie manga you’ll ever read.

ASH: D’awww.

SEAN: Yen On debuts Mirai, the latest ‘novelization of a popular movie’ title. There’s also Final Fantasy VII: On the Way to a Smile, in which Aerith is, like Francisco Franco, still dead. Though given these are short stories, possibly not in this volume.

Goblin Slayer, now a hit anime, also gets a side story novel, called Year One. I expect goblins.

Yen On also has new volumes of The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria (4), Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (12), Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Sword Oratoria (7), Re: ZERO (8), Spice and Wolf (20), and its sequel Wolf and Parchment (3).

Theoretically there is also the long, long, long delayed 7th volume of No Game No Life, but I won’t believe this without actual evidence.

And then the manga. So much. Only one debut, which is High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World!. Based on an unlicensed light novel, it’s another isekai, as you can see, only the kids finding themselves in another world are all insufferable geniuses. How will they cope? Easily, apparently.

That leaves the ongoing series. Let’s divide it, as I tend to do, in half. First, NOT based on light novels. There’s Anne Happy 8, Aoharu x Machinegun 13, Demonizer Zilch 5, Gabriel Dropout 5, Hakumei & Mikochi 2, Hatsu*Haru 3, Kakegurui: Compulsive Gambler 7, Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl 7, Murcielago 8, Prison School 11, Sacrificial Princes and the King of Beasts 3, the 5th Sekirei omnibus, Shibuya Goldfish 2, Silver Spoon 5, Spirits & Cat Ears 7, Taboo Tattoo 12, Teasing Master Takagi-san 2, Triage X 16, and Val x Love 4. … I’m actually getting a lot of that. Yikes, that’s a lot.

MICHELLE: Hatsu*Haru, Sacrificial Princess, and Silver Spoon for me.

ANNA: You know, if I don’t read any of this, I’m not behind. That’s what I will tell myself. Although somewhere I have first volumes of Sacrificial Princess and Silver Spoon squirreled away.

MELINDA: Obviously Silver Spoon. Always Silver Spoon.

ASH: Silver Spoon is likewise at the top of my list, but I’m reading (and falling behind with) a few others, too.

SEAN: On the light novel adaptation side, we have A Certain Magical Index 15, Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 5, The Devil Is a Part-Timer! 12, Durarara!! re;Dollars 3, the 5th DanMachi: Sword Oratoria manga, Napping Princess 2, The Saga of Tanya the Evil 4, and the 4th So I’m a Spider, So What?.

ANNA: Why are there so many light novels, and no one has released any Library Wars titles, or finished 12 Kingdoms????

MICHELLE: Or Saiunkoku Monogatari???

ANNA: YES! Someone bring out Saiunkoku Monogatari!!!!

ASH: I would love to see those series translated, too! I’d add No. 6 and the rest of Moribito as well, though those might not technically be light novels.

SEAN: Are you gorged on all these treats? What’s in your bag?

ASH: SO MUCH.

By: Sean Gaffney

[karenfordonte]

I just had a dream that heaven walkers are humans promoted to God level powers but low key to the evil muggles

April 10 at 11:46 AM  ·

I just had a dream :

that heaven walkers are humans promoted to God level powers all is allowed to see their face and body morphs but muggles that don't listen to gods in their heads aren't allowed to see their godly other magic lol and that my real sub teacher from seventh grade ms peacock is actually skisst she was in the dream

in awake life:

and one seventh grader in my class was a ciggy in disguise named as a real student named Alex gekk he looked like a tall ass man in his twenties or thirties lmfao tanya was his gf in that class and she said he had a 12 inch cock  in real life yes (ciggy = another me in the sarcastic group paired with roth)

and basically Rihanna is legit but 

How to tell whats truth whats lie:

(added that this = a lie) it wasn't unbreakable curse i wasn't first skyst was they were just teaching me not to be so werewolfie in a certain way

(added that this = truth)   but at least Rihanna as dracula is legit a god Morpher lol and my red scar let fam is legit etc

(added that this = a lie but im almost done)  so my curse is off lol

(added that this = truth)   please listen to god please

added: some info here may have lies i was trying to figure truth out while cursed sorry but almost done with the curse all the way will be this year for sure soon use youre heart to compass the truth and lies with god in your ears lol its called earth (which has the word ear for a reason) ps lies feel tainted when evil intentions are used if even a little 'off' about that info it lies from evil but if you only connect with highest selves youll get truth cause you aint cursed but closed the door on evil humans just in case you just say disconnect then its done  truth feels no need to doubt in vibe like truth feels so purely best that you wont feel the heart urge to hesitate it feels best cause its that valuable as gifts heart compass rocks

if someone morphs their face their god promoted or close to it  google celebs to see proof ill post you 2 pics of same guy right now:

this kurt = skyst is correct enough to be a me:

nose compare to correct proportions aka face ratios to be a me 

eyes too close together in spacing =

(possessd by skisst here probably lol):

not plastic surgery able lol 

too close eyes spacing 

Still editing this post/Rough Draft:

Karen Soon Me peacock had short red red hair an looked like a Kwin face lmfao and she crawled on the table cool she looked like she was seducing ciggy lmfao 1w Karen Soon Ms peacock in my real seventh grade she was the coolest two week sub teacher ever cause she just gave us all the answers from the teacher answer key and let us talk to friends lol 1w Karen Soon You have no idea the godly magic I've seen so far lol btw

1w Karen Soon The internet is off spectrum is a scam btw and I think all the people in my house currently are in the closet sadly 1w Karen Soon Can't wait to see you skisst skyst and dracula mmmmm 1w Karen Soon Lol I woke up with bloody crust in my nose like naruto 1w Karen Soon That happens in that anime when the guys are turned on by women lmfao 1w Karen Soon That pickle tasted like the best shit ever lmfao

1w Karen Soon I kept the wrapper for a couple months now lol 1w Karen Soon Skisst and skyst said since I'm the only all white chart core I could've surpassed them if I was godly to really Alt timelines dumb but they understand I'm just too sweet etc but I already learned to not do that and skyst never self sacrificed even though he looks like Christs it was just me 1w Karen Soon He didn't make chaos but the spell chaos used summoned the best one for him is him as source roahbot style genius to avoid his dumb 1w Karen Soon I'm job from the bible 1w Karen Soon Good luck to all muggles I wish y'all the best when deciding to copy chaos or not cause they hate him 1w Karen Soon At first there was nothing lol 1w Karen Soon Dracula is my real twin flame the rest of the elantes are our cousins 1w Karen Soon Very blessed to have them truly lol 1w Karen Soon I just learned to not alt timeline yesterday even if that dracula was just a Grinch heart so after I learned that I got these answers but they still tested me a bit more just to gain their trust enough to finalize my curse but it wasn't to punish me for my sins it was to save my life and die for all by my vollunteering 1w Karen Soon I'm blessed I get the real Rihanna that is legit they Beverley her have my address yet till last night so yeah lol 1w Karen Soon Not Beverley I meant never 1w Karen Soon Been drawing on my PC yesterday and listening to Rihanna music I had downloaded cause the internet has been consistently that dumb so I prepared lol 1w Karen Soon I think the child called it book about my earth dad in the closet maybe my mom I'd rather not even know but I am the type to volunteer to have the worst earth parents ever but that book is censored believe it or not 1w Karen Soon Closets are funny cause they say something evil then true them takes over right after alit to contradict and Fi what the just said lmfao 1w Karen Soon Like I always thought why do people not make sense lol 1w Karen Soon I love you Rihanna 1w Karen Soon You're vibes are super legit detailed real awesomest person ever 1w Karen Soon Never met her till last night not a robot for sure 1w Karen Soon In vibes for now lol 1w Karen Soon Actually to tell you the truth I was first that was just the proper story to tell earth Rihanna cause the super computer was able to unlock her last for telepathy cause chaos had her true forms but i wish it would've been easier like that but I'm glad she was more white lies for a time just to be more comfortable by skisst and that all elantes are my twin flame legit but they aren't completely unlocked cause chaos still fades their true vibes at times and lies still I wanted closets to not know the truth yet cause they too mean but it's ok I guess 1w Karen Soon I hope my whole house isn't really in closet but I can't tell cause I don't remember 1w Karen Soon I know others can talk to god legit without chaos though cause a lot are true psychic prophets lol how else could they have fairer chances in life 1w Karen Soon Dear I mean lol cell don't let me 3dit comments 1w Karen Soon Saved this pic as deal spectrum dedicated to you they've been over our house to fix this over twenty times already

[awesomerax]

Day 10: The Year of Not Enough Time

Hey! It’s almost Christmas! Two days left, and I can’t wait to spend ‘em with you! Alright, enough of that sappy s***. Let’s get into this b****! So, as I’ve said before, 2017 has been one of my laziest years when it came to anime. Aside from countless group watches with my friends, i’ve only finished about one or two shows per season, three if lucky. However, I don’t necessarily need to finish a series to have a starting opinion or impression of it. So, let’s see what I can come up with for this year in anime!

WINTER Ah, this season. I remember starting so many shows at the start, like at least 10-15, and only finishing like one or two of them. Konosuba’s second season brought the charming cast of idiots back for some more funny and, in some places, poorly animated antics that kept the charm of the first season as well as the witty sarcasm that we all fell in love with, Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid had the world refusing lewds despite the somewhat risqué situations portrayed in the show, Demi-chan finally gave us a monster girl anime we can show to our parents… compared to others, Masamune-kun… f*** that show, Fuuka was a nice show with a main girl I really liked seeing. AKIBA’STRIP addressed the war on clothes, Blue Exorcist came back with an adaptation of the arc fam weren’t sure they were ever going to see animated, Saga of Tanya the Evil exposed us to our hidden love for psychotic grins, Seiren… I don’t remember much of that one, Kemono Friends, as I said before, was a surprise hit filled with charm and dubstep, and One Room showed us that POV anime can be funny as f*** to riff on.

SPRING Ooookay, on to Spring! This season brought the return of a well anticipated sequel to a shounen series that is a personal favorite of mine, My Hero Academia! Screw you, Attack on Titan! HeroAca brought back the action and emotion that left long-time readers and other viewers hyped as fack throughout each episode, Boruto proved that this was truly his show and not his dad’s, whatever his name was, Eromanga-sensei told the world that “ochinchin” should not be said by little girls, also, STOP F***ING YO FAMILY! GOD! Tsukigakirei gave us a cute romance filled with LINE messaging and tracksuits, Love Tyrant gave us the answer to the question, “What if Death Note was a harem anime?” but in the best way possible, Clockwork Planet… we don’t talk about that one, Sakura Quest brought the charm of the rural life with the art of Shirobako, Alice and Zouroku took responsibility for having the best Ojii-san of 2017, Tsugumomo was aight, Hinako Note brought moe and theatre together, Souryou to Majiwhatever had viewers selling their souls to find the uncut version of the uncensored version, and IDOLM@STER Gekijou gave me an ED to dance to. (The first one)

SUMMER Wow, still two seasons left? Maaaan! Okay, let’s go! Now, I had missed out on some great shows from this season and the one after, because of reasons that I will talk about tomorrow, so no Made in Abyss, sadly. Kakegurui had viewers find gambling arousing, Tsuredure Children brought the lovey dovey feel to its peak with an anthology of love stories somehow interweaving in some nice ways, Hajimete no Gal was an adaptation that took the charm out of the “plot” and focussed more on the money makers. I’d recommend just reading the manga. It’s not as bad. Dub’s good I hear, though! Fate/Apocrypha showed a different version of the Holy Grail War with twice the servants than usual, (by the way, Fran is best girl) Aho Girl was stupidly charming (I feel like I use that word a lot) and introduced one of my favorite anime dogs of the year. New Game returned, bringing some more fun times in the office as well as some new characters that I personally really like. Isekai Restaurant was food porn that was out of this world, and Fastest Finger First gave me some nostalgia because of the time I spent in knowledge bowl back in high school.

FALL Uuuuuhuhuuuugh! So tiiiiiired! But, this is the last of ‘em! So, I gotta finish strong! This season was one that I personally enjoyed. It had a variety of shows that felt in my ballpark, if that makes any sense. For one thing, the anticipated premiere of Ancient Magus Bride came and was as amazing as I’d thought it’d be, MMO Junkie took the isekai element out of the picture, thank god, Kekkai Sensen returned with an amazing first episode, (sadly, I’m waiting for the dub to finish airing so I can binge the heck out of it) Blend S brought moe to the work environment as well as other troupes that, in the context of the kind of show it is, work greatly to add some of that magic CHARM that made me fall in love with shows like Working and New Game. A Sister is All You Need proved that a show with said title could work without having what it initially said it needed… as far as you know, Girls’ Last Tour brought the chibi style of Made in Abyss to a war-torn world with seemingly very little humans left alive, Kino’s Journey was exactly what the title said it was, Shobitch seemed good from the one episode I saw, Animegataris broke anime, and Love Live Sunshine brought our babies back shinier and readier than ever to fight!

And those are all the shows I (noot noot) …and those are all the (noot noooot) …and (NOOT) SHUT THE F*** UP!!! (…) Thank you. So, that’s all the anime from this year that I at least started. There were some shows I had to leave out, because I never got around to them, (Re:Creators, Made in Abyss, Koi to Uso) and others I just decided not to watch, (Attack on Titan season 2, Black Clover, etc.) but wow! Can’t believe you’re still reading. Thank you, and I apologize. If you wanna catch a lot of the shows I talked about, Crunchyroll, Funimation, and/or VRV are the places to go!

There are other sites to visit, but let’s talk about them some other time. How ‘bout tomorrow?! Yeah! See you then!

[illeity]

Winter 2017 Anime Awards!

(From the ones I actually watched.)

Best Overall: 3-gatsu no Lion/ March Comes in like a Lion

Into the light.

With consistent quality during the second part despite a shift in focus, perfectly managed tone that never leads to excess sentimentality or overt levity, and a story that ebbs and flows with such grace that it melts metaphor and direct description like an impressionist painting, Chica Umino's March Comes in Like a Lion remains the top spot for two consecutive seasons for the simple reason that it tells a rich story of individuals and making meaning.

In the first part, it introduces shogi professional, sometimes student, and introvert Rei Kiriyama and the facets of his life, particularly his close ties with the Kawamoto siblings. At the beginning of Part 2, Rei hugs the youngest Kawamoto sibling, Momo, and says that he has personal and professional matters to deal. While he sees the Kawamoto family as comfort and healing, he understands that he can't come running to them each time. With a major tournament upcoming he stops visiting them and the narrative shifts to the lives of the Shogi players that he plays against. With their own dreams and regrets, he becomes an observer of their lives as he compares it against his own, not to pass judgement on his failings, but to see the possibilities there is to life and to recognize that in the end, there are no bad guys, just people driven by very different motivations and showing how they cope with the consequences of a lifetime of choices.

With another season later in the year and a two-part live action movie currently showing in Japan, the series deserves all the accolades it gets. And if you're ever in the market for something substantial, with a deep, beating heart, this is your anime.

Best Drama: Youjo Senki, The Saga of Tanya the Evil

What is a god to an non-believer?

Tanya von Degurechaff is the fiercest, deadliest, and most cunning soldier of the Empire (Not-Germany) as they wage the first World War (Until it becomes muddled when they introduce a Panzerkampfwagen IV.). She's also under thirteen years old and is hated by God, or a god.

Why is that?

The god sees Tanya has such little faith in him and has therefore cursed her: Should she die a death that is not natural, she will be taken off the wheel of reincarnation and sent to hell.

But why a kid? And why so much hatred for an individual?

While these questions are answered to an extent, the most important thing to consider is that these driving forces are what sets up Tanya as she is placed in conflict for most of the war as she struggles to survive. She puts in as many legal means as possible to leave the war, only to have her end up on the front lines anyway, whether by her own fault, or by divine intervention.

As she leaves a trail of bodies, her actions reverberate throughout the war as everyone slowly pushes down into a black hole, no matter who is winning. And as with the nature of war, there are no heroes, only murderers.

Best Comedy: Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o!

"This anime is like every insane D&D story I have ever heard." -henlp

The second season of Konosuba! continues the adventures of Satou Kazuma as he is pulled from the real world into a fantasy world where RPG game mechanics exist in reality. He's accompanied by a Goddess who drinks too much and wastes her skill points on party tricks, a Wizard who knows only one spell (and collapses after every use), and a Crusader who can tank, but cannot hit any living thing with her sword (not out of principle, she just can't hit at all). Also, that Crusader is a masochist.

"Insane and crazy" is the proper descriptor for the way the series is plotted, as comedic plot points are introduced and escalated versions of those plot points are put to use later on. The characters are made aware that they are in the mess they are in because of the solution that resolved a previous conflict made ample fuel for another. "It gets worse" is another descriptor as they are battered by bad luck and only somehow manage to escape as even their most competent moments are displays of excellence borne out of their utter stupidity. It's a show that's shameless enough to throw everything at a wall to make you laugh, and most of the time, what they throw in, sticks.

Honorable Mention: Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon

The Lion falls in love with the Mouse.

Miss Kobayashi is a Systems Engineer who, after a night of drunken revelry, somehow saves the life of a dragon, Tohru. Still drunk, she invites the Dragon back to her apartment, and into her life.

Unlike Konosuba! which fills narrative space with ever increasing, crazy humor, Miss Kobayashi's strength is mixing in the fantastical elements with the mundane, to create the comedy or the heart-warming plots, something that Gabriel DropOut only marginally succeeded in doing.

All throughout are discussions on the comfort between partners and the lives of people from vastly different backgrounds. It's about love and growing into it, even though we've largely been on autopilot. It's about the surprise we get when we realize to what degree people can love us for.

Best Cute Girl Anime: Demi-chan wa Kataritai, Interview with Monster Girls

Science, Folklore, and Free Hugs

Almost all Cute Girl Anime narratives occur within a casting closed system, that is, primary and secondary characters are all girls and they play off their antics onto each other and whatever conflict they find themselves in. So this is a very special case where the Primary female characters shine in their characterization with the aid of a Primary male character, Takahashi Tetsuo, Biology teacher, Demi-Human Researcher, and member of the pantheon of the "Greatest Teachers in Fiction".

So for the girls, we have Takanashi Hikari, vampire, Machi Kyouko, dullahan, Elsa, Kusakabi Yuki, a snow woman, and Satou Sakie, succubus and Math teacher.

The daily motions of these monster girls is already interesting enough, but a subtle beauty comes from the setting and the way the plot is crafted with a keen eye for science and human foibles.

The world-building is present but hardly emphasized, and shows how the world accommodates the Demi-Humans and their special needs. Vampires get blood packs subsidized by the government, Succubi get visits from Demi-Human agencies to check up on how well they're adjusting to their environment, and the rest are treated not so much because they're demi-humans, but how they are as people. Kusakabe Yuki, for instance, is seen as cold by a few of her peers, but never attribute her nature as a snow woman to be the cause.

The science part is interesting, because several chapters detail efforts by Takahashi trying to explain the physiology of the Demi-Humans, drawing on folklore for insight and the scientific method to explain "how" they function, without asking "why". In Magical Realism, whys have never been the point anyway.

And so we have a Cute Girl anime that stands above and beyond what is generally expected of the genre. By having the willingness to introduce other characters in the mix, we experience something a bit more different in how humor is constructed and how conflict is resolved. True to its efforts to ground itself through science, the warmth comes off even more genuine and realistic.

Best Sci-Fi/ Fantasy: Little Witch Academia

Better than Harry Potter.

What started off as a crowd-funded film about a young girl aspring to become a great witch, has turned into a full-blown series as it should have from the start. It carries with it all the trademarks of Trigger: Stark and clean character design, slick animation, and a wild ride of a story. Whereas previous works were about killer clothes and literal shared experiences, this one is a straight-forward romp into the realm of fantasy.

Except, while the premise is straight-forward, the execution has all the majesty and scope of an epic tightly-knit inside the trappings of what is essentially a coming-of-age, high school story. Add a pinch of the ever classic industry versus magic trope, excellent characters and well-realized relationships, and you have something that only ever appears plain and overdone.

Best Girl: Tsukinose Vignette April from Gabriel DropOut

No good or evil, only kawaii.

I have reached the conclusion that in the world of Gabriel DropOut, the one reason neither Heaven nor Hell have made any greater stride against the other is not because of balance, but rather because both are equally inept.

That being said, Tsukinose Vignette April, a demon from Hell, is the worst kind of inept but the also the best kind of character to be best girl: Kind, disciplined, being the one person responsible enough to go over to Gabriel's home to wake her up for school, scared of horror movies, and just... angelic. Compound her difficulty with being the only straight man in a comedy quartet gives her the patience of a saint.

Some people, like Gabriel, could never grasp the responsibility of being a divine being. For Vignette, she was just unlucky enough to not have been born to a role she's a natural in: that of a normal human being.

Best OP: "Shadow and Truth" by ONE III NOTES from ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept.

"It's never really what it seems."

In the latest of slice-of-life/ food/ mystery anime is ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept, where Otus tries to do his job as inspector in what is ostensibly a Fascist state that is under rumors of a coup.

Of course, the general goal of any good OP is to draw the viewer into the show and communicate what they'll come to expect from it. And for a show with such style and class it's masterful to pick a song that blends hip-hop and jazz as the vocalists rap about the hazy nature of truth as people play games with relationships and politics into each other.

The striking visuals complement the song nicely, with shots of the various characters shifting in and out of blur and limiting visuals to white, black, and one more color for every scene to evoke a unique feel for every single character and teasing the role they'll play in the show.

Best ED: "Los! Los! Los!" by Aoi Yūki from Youjo Senki, Saga of Tanya the Evil

Bedenke, dass du sterben musst.

An ode to madness and bloodlust, Los! Los! Los! (German for "Come on! Come on! Come on!") is a war speech in song form with very simple visuals: Shots of Tanya's face in various states of anger/ madness, a battlefield, and a few illustrations by the Light Novel's artist, Neichiru. How and when they're shown is where the song melds and gains greater power.

The angry/ mad face and the battlefield are shown and interchange with each other to follow the beat of the song during the chorus, which are commands in German to attack, take cover, or stand in attention.

Neichiru's illustrations take over during the verses, which celebrates war, the joys of taking away life, and surrendering your own life to your country, which the song sees as a great achievement, good enough to reach heaven for by building dead bodies one atop another.

Listening to the full song is recommended , as it expands on the nihilism even further, calling for those who advocate peace as weaklings and calling for ceaseless violence and depravity akin more to Heaven rather than Hell.

For its dark and horrifying thesis (sung with the voice of a young girl), the song would not be out of place in a battlefield setting where you know there is no way out, so you might as well go and fight and relish every drop of blood spilled, whether your own, or your opponents.

[hawk-in-a-jazzy-hat]

Anime Review: Saga of Tanya the Evil

Tanya Degurechaff. She’s slight, frail-looking and frankly adorable, with pure white skin and piercing blue eyes. She is also the most powerful and most feared mage on the battlefield, serving the Empire’s forces with an iron fist and a heartless streak. One look and you wouldn’t believe she was just a little girl...

And you’d be right, for behind the innocent-looking face is the spirit of a salaryman, plucked from his world after his untimely death after insulting the self-proclaimed god, or Being X. Now, as Tanya, he has been put into a time and a place other than his own, where his deeply Darwinist views are put to the test. All Tanya wants is a quiet, peaceful life, but with war brewing around her, the Empire lauding her every move and, the enemy states out for her blood and Being X out for retribution, that’s going to be difficult...

Okay, so...I know what this sounds like. This sounds like the most tasteless, schlocky thing you can ever imagine and why on earth am I reviewing something like this, why would I do this to myself?

Well honestly, it’s kind of fascinating. I couldn’t quite get a handle on what Tanya the Evil was supposed to be, even deep into the series. Is it propaganda, or a Greek-style tragedy, or a cautionary tale, or just a military show with war is hell emblazoned over every scene. In a good episode, it could even be all of them. But I’m getting ahead of myself; let’s dive in.

The production is by a newbie studio this time, Studio NUT (yeah, I know, get your laughing out the way now). Honestly for a first time out, they do a pretty dang good job. It’s a bit more rough and scratchy than most shows nowadays, with an art style that looks nothing like the manga artwork put which fits quite nicely. The show budgets itself well with great expression work and well-integrated CG, allowing for some properly epic fight scenes, as well as some genuinely interesting talking-heads moments. The one main issue is with some of the character design; the men generally look alright, and all of them look unique, but the ladies tend to err on the side of melted-Barbie doll in some areas. Tanya gets better in this regard, probably due to her constantly pulling insanely fun expressions, but the real WHAT design comes from her second-in-command, Viktoriya Serebryakov, who I have seen affectionately referred to as Droopy the War Crime Enthusiast. I mean...look...

It’s not show-ruining, but it is occasionally a little hard to take some scenes seriously with that kind of cute fluffy mascot popping up every other scene. But then I’m not entirely sure I’m supposed to take this show seriously.

The music is pretty much what you’d expect for a show like this; great, booming Dies-Irae level choirs going ah-ah-ah and spouting faux-Latin over every action scene; it’s bloody glorious. While there’s no real standout tracks throughout the show the opening and ending more than make up for it; the opening is by Myth & Roid; a harsh, kinda synth-metal track that sounds so similar to the Black Lagoon opening that I can’t believe it’s not actually the same band. The ending is even better; a driving, aggressive tune sung by Tanya herself Aoi Yuki, all set over gorgeous stills from the manga.

So when the first episode of the show came out, I and many other people were rightly a little concerned given how utterly brutal and...honestly exploitative the show looked. People dying left, right and centre, Tanya being thrown up on a pedestal despite doing some very dodgy things; it looked ready to turn into some of the most tasteless Nazi-lauding propaganda ever. But when the second episode came round, that was quickly thrown out the window as we actually learnt the origins for Tanya and are given the main driving force. The show wasn’t trying to congratulate Tanya’s exploits, as seen when she was given a rival in Being X; a character who is portrayed in the remarkably creative way of speaking through other people’s mouths, both dead or alive, in scenes which are both fun to watch and extremely creepy.

Tanya is undergoing punishment for her actions in the previous life, and her fascist outlook. Being X’s only real action was to take that outlook and put it in an alternate world where it honestly fits right in, to try and show her how much her actions were hurting people. The problem is that Tanya doesn’t give a crap about other people and immediately gets round to taking advantage of her situation, not to try and gain glory or laud her views over anyone else (at least not overtly) but just to get to a comfortable position. She is, without question, the villain of the piece, but we get a good insight into her thought process and how her actions are harmful both to the world around her and honestly to her own life. While the show doesn’t ‘end’ as such, it stops at a turning point where the show could have been over, but isn’t, largely down to Tanya’s own paranoid actions. She’s egotistical, ruthless, has no qualms over mass murder or manipulation and frankly lives up to the show’s name. But she is still undeniably human.

So does that make Being X the good guy? Uh...not really. I hesitate to call him god, or the devil, partially for obvious reasons of my own faith, but also because he seems like somebody far out of his depth. Let’s be honest; if he was a true deity there would be no contest between him and Tanya, but instead of passing judgement he instead buys into her utter rejection of him and puts her in a situation where she has the advantage. He doesn’t want her to change her ways; he just wants her acknowledgement of him as a god. It’s honestly petty, and it soon becomes clear he’s panicking when he starts forming other pawns to try and take Tanya down, to little success. Although by the end of the series he too has progressed, as Tanya finally acknowledges him...and properly condemns him. From a story perspective, Being X has won. And given his victory, everything else that happens will fall upon Tanya. She’s risen, and has reached the turning point.

So the central point of the show is a nice little battle of wits between a self-serving person and an indifferent entity, forming a nice little Death-Note-esque undercurrent of paranoia and intrigue, which neither supports nor condemns either side. It’s certainly interesting, but it does leave the problem of having no relatable characters. Tanya’s squadron, Droopy included, do help this somewhat by being the most likeable characters by far; while none of them really develop with the exception of Grantz, they each have defined personalities and add a much needed human element to many scenes which would otherwise just be horrible to sit through. They also set up potential conflicts for the future; now that we know these guys, and we know where Tanya’s character is heading, they’re most likely going to be the ones who stand in her way the most.

The rest of the characters really don’t have much going for them, and that’s the big problem with the show; while the central intrigue and human element are all well and good, a large chunk of the show revolves around military operations, long talks in boardrooms, stuffy suits smoking cigars and trying to come up with tactics, and a lot of time devoted to seeing how this NOT!WW1 is going to develop, as the Empire and the Alliance Entente (pause while I stare into the camera) make their moves. If you’re into that kind of stuff, great. I’m not. It drags, it’s boring, and the constant scenes of trench warfare are borderline exploitative.

So is there anything else of note? Well honestly, the tech is pretty cool. Obviously this doesn’t take place in our world, with the use of magic, but magic here is more an enhancement tool than anything else, being used in tandem with machines to allow flight packs and magical explosions (EXPEROSHON!), amongst other things.

Also despite being, you know, a horrible show about horrible people doing horrible things, the show can actually be pretty damn funny at times. From nearly blowing up a submarine in your sleep to Tanya struggling to reach a map to Tanya using her ‘cute voice’ to demand a complete surrender, it shows that the show is far more self-aware and willing to poke fun at itself than even Death Note was. The humorous moments help break up some of the more dour scenes, and with the help of some snappy editing, it makes the show remarkably entertaining.

Then there’s the series ending, which I honestly feel is about the halfway point of the series. The main ‘war’ is over, but another one is about to begin that is going to change this world. Tanya has already reached her prime, having achieved her goal, but with that comes the realisation that nothing is going to change. Whatever happens in future, she is on the wrong side of history, unless she changes it herself. As the title says, this is a saga, showing the rise of one of the most notorious evils of this world. If they ever make a season 2, that will need to be her fall. I know exactly how the show should end, even down to who should be the one to end Tanya. Of course, the whole unfinished thing does put a damper on the fun slightly once you realise that, for all its playing around the subject, the show has never outright condemned Tanya’s actions. That...is a genuine problem, and if that is not followed up on, that has the potential to ruin the series. But we’ll see; with any luck there’ll be a second season to give us the ending we need.

The best way to watch Saga of Tanya the Evil is to remember one core thing; she’s evil. There’s no dancing around the subject, no moral complexity, and no holding back with the evil deeds. She’s evil. She’s a villain. And honestly, the show does a good job of portraying that while still giving her a few layers and not being exploitative with it...too much. Once you can get past the moral ickyness, the rest of the show is pretty dang good, with a strong central conflict, likeable supporting characters, a lot of fun action set-pieces and a wicked sense of humour. The constant exposition and war fetish stuff does both drag down the excitement and make the whole thing more than a little tasteless, to the point where I can completely understand any hate for the series. But honestly, I like it. It’s different, and for what it is, it’s harmless.

My score: 7/10

Next time; from not!history to more not!history, as I catch up with some wacky composers doing really weird things. Next review is Classicaloid.

[sassyhazelowl]

kuzu no honkai/scum’s wish rating: 9/10 recommend: yes with caveats (it has a lot of sex scenes and some squicks) plot: everyone sleeps with everyone for all the wrong reasons

Funny the last one I picked up this season is the first one I finished. I surprisingly, really enjoyed this show. I was suckered in by the pretty gifsets and a promise of a gay subplot, and it did not disappoint on either one. The art is gorgeous and the expression are hyper-realistic. The gay subplot is treated with the same gravity and standards as all the other ones are. I went in with no expectations beyond those two, yet it ended up being a solid show with mature material that was handled seriously and complexly. And most importantly, and the reason I rated it lower before but promised to revise, it had an extremely satisfactory ending, which is one of my highest point earners. The characters definitely grow on you, there’s marked and substantial character growth in most of the characters, all the relationship are addressed and resolved, some in unexpected ways. There’s no magic ‘love will change you’ in this series and is is not a shoujo, so if you get your heart set on ships and get angry about them not being canon this is not your show. 

Interviews with Monster Girls rating: 7.5/10 recommend: yes but may be boring to those outside the intended audience (slice of life/high school setting) plot: 3 high school girls and their 2 teachers navigate being physically different from everyone else

I watched this while bored because I thought it sounded cute and on a MLP level of understanding. At first I was seriously concerned it would get squicky on the teacher-student level fortunately we’ll save that sort of thing for Scum’s Wish haha. The girls are very charming (including the teacher Sakki!) and the protag is quite likable if a bit bland. The animation is bright and cute but not particularly high quality but it doesn’t really need to be because the plot is slooooooooow. This show is very clearly intended for a specific audience and will not appeal outside of it. I found it adorable simply because I was a teacher for 3 years in Asia and it reminded me of my beloved (and naughty) students as well as the hilarious school hijinks. The humor is [mostly] clean, the shipping is very low and some fairly deep thoughts about the ethos of science and discrimination are tossed in there. I’ve seen a few people comment that the dude teacher is too involved with high school girls but it honestly didn’t seem too out of line from how teachers are/what school culture is like in my experience? I think that’s a mileage may vary thing.

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid rating: 8/10 recommend: yes but with warnings plot: Japanese office worker gets drunk and acquires a dragon who becomes her maid and brings along other dragon friends

I fully expect to be bitched out for this rating, since most people adore this series and praise it to the skies. I’m going to say right off the bat that the main plot for this show is extremely wonderful, endearing and heartwarming. It is suffocatingly cute and I loved it enough to watch the show to the ending. And it makes up the bulk of the show, as it should. Also, the most of the humor is pretty funny, especially the satirical bits making fun of fanservice and the every day occurrence gags never get old to me. The cast is very colorful and likable and the animation is on point. The things I thought I might have problems with are fine (Tohru’s enthusiasm could have swerved off too far) but... there are some serious pedo vibes in the subplots. The anime does a fairly good job downplaying them around Kanna the kinder child-dragon in the loli outfit but it doesn’t even try to cover up Shouta (shota haha get it?? eww), who is an elementary schooler that is constantly assaulted by an adult to the point where he has nightmares. There are some other things that you’ll either pick up on or you won’t (apparently they’re blatant in the manga but edited out of the anime thankfully), but that’s my personal squick issue with the series and it is bad enough to knock the series down a rating. It you take it purely at face-value and don’t think into it hard, it’s worth a watch. If you tend to get upset about badly misplaced humor about things that shouldn’t be jokes you are probably not going to enjoy this series as much as you could.

Bonus series!

Tanya: The Saga of Evil rating: 8/10 recommend: no - you will either really enjoy this a lot or hate it plot: arrogant human pisses off a god and the god goes to elaborate lengths to teach humility  

Very heavy on military stuff, and there’s a big focus on psychology and philosophy. The art style is rather unique and the main character is not remotely lovable. Niche anime. Just my style. But not light or fun watching.

[millennialdemon]

Alright, so... a summary of my experience watching Saga of Tanya the Evil:

It’s well made, speaking to themeing and imagery and irony and all that shit, and the direction was very good in facilitating those things, and I Guess the topics it covered are interesting to other people but... they aren’t topics I’m interested in covering. 

The cynicism re: religion and “God”, the commentary (?) on capitalism and apathy and war morality bullshit (which I really sincerely hope no one is nodding along with like Tanya has a point, she’s Tanya the Evil for a reason and I got so tired writing about how wrong she was about the “people are driven by emotion and they will revolt if we leave any survivors” shit that I abandoned the post)... isn’t me. I feel like I’ve had my fair share of those discussions on awful forum boards in 2012, honestly. It doesn’t help that because we’re following Tanya as the...? Charming? Protagonist a lot of the conclusions to those thoughts are muddled. 

There’s also the issues of all the Quirky things dragging it down, tbh. I hate that Tanya is a little girl and there’s no reason for it, it doesn’t affect her character, she isn’t a tortured soul in a child’s body and she’s treated with respect and like an adult by like 60 year old military commanders. I hate that all of these themes and topics are being presented alongside a Not At All Alternate Universe of Wartime Germany as if that doesn’t automatically introduce huge blockades to exploring those themes as fiction... because it’s not fictional enough to avoid comparison. It’s being told in a historical context in real life locations. I don’t care about the magic aspects and it’s really transparent to me that they’re there to let Tanya join the army - she can “reasonably” be a little girl soldier that way! It’s also there to be sort of a vehicle for “God’s Blessings” like with the Revenge Man I guess, but yeah... inserting mage factions into the German army doesn’t make it an AU when literally everything else is the exact same as real life. 

(Oh, and I also hate the drastic style differences between Tanya and the blue-eyed melting face girl compared to literally everyone else, who are adult males with varied, detailed, proportionate faces.)

Maybe if this were a show that covered the same topics and themes, but in an actual AU world, and following a character that isn’t a literal f*scist little girl, we’d have had something pretty compelling. But as it is, I can only describe it as messy. 

[neetcave]

Youjo Senki | First Impressions...?

Binge watching ongoing anime this week as I was not too busy (or at least I’m deluding myself into thinking that...) I watched the first five episodes of Youjo Senki: Saga of Tanya the Evil, and I’m here to give you my first impressions on it! I’m keeping this spoiler-free.

...Well, I can’t really say it’s my “first impression” if I’ve already watched almost half of the series, but let’s do this anyway!

Youjo Senki is about a child prodigy named Tanya Degurechaff who is a mage-slash-soldier during the early 1900s in an alternate universe. She was a Japanese salaryman in her past life but was reborn as such as a challenge by God after she pissed him off.

Story (10/10)

I think the story is quite unique. I really like the religious tones Youjo Senki set up. The setting is also unusual but great for history nerds like me. The names of the countries are changed but you can definitely tell what time period it’s supposed to be. It’s got magic mixed in as well although I think that’s not really the focal point of the story. All in all, I think this is a breath of fresh air from the usual shows we have.

Art (7/10)

It has its weird moments. Initially, I was reluctant to pick this anime up because people kept on saying that the plot was good but the animation sucked, but it’s actually not that bad. It gets sloppy from time to time, but it’s tolerable. 

The art style is definitely unique and they don’t suffer from same-face syndrome. Tanya looks especially evil in a maniacally childish way with her grin and huge eyes. They made her very expressive which was a good way to reflect her character, but sadly, I think most of the animation budget went into her facial expressions. I’m half-kidding, by the way.

I don’t want to be too hard on them though; NUT is a new studio so they might still be easing into things or cutting costs.

Characters (7/10)

Tanya is a well-written character, and her reactions are amusing to watch. Anti-hero protagonists are a bit uncommon and this is one that’s done well. The show’s subtitle is Saga of Tanya the Evil and boy is she really evil. Her motivations and reasons for her attitude are made clear in the beginning.

I think Being X’s role is also well-executed as it really makes you feel like he is ominous. He’s one of my favorites. Unfortunately, that’s pretty much it. The other characters are glaringly made for the sidelines. I don’t know whether or not them being military men had anything to do with it, but a lot of them feel dry. Thankfully Tanya makes up for that.

Sound (10/10)

The theme songs are lit, fam. They’re so good I don’t skip them every time a new episode starts. I was blown away by how good they were. I’m not particularly good at music genres, but this is probably something you would love playing at a rhythm game. 

The voice acting is also good. It takes a while to ease into Tanya’s voice but you’ll get used to it eventually. 

Enjoyment (8/10)

There were times where I would zone out due to the number of terms they would spit out that would make no sense, but the banter between the characters make it interesting. The battle scenes are also fun to watch.

Overall (8/10)

I think this is a very good anime with a high potential but I feel that it relies heavily on Tanya’s character. Of course, she’s kind of the titular character but it probably wouldn’t hurt to develop the other characters more. If you haven’t noticed, most of my praises were directed to her role in this anime. It’s still a great watch though, and I am definitely looking forward to the next episode.

If you’re looking for a different kind of anime to watch, give this a try!

-- Aria

[stacks-reviews]

New Releases 11/28/17

Happy New Release Day!

In Books --ACCA 13-Territory Inspection Department Volume 1 by Natsume Ono “When political conspiracies abound, preserving the peace is no piece of cake. It's up to one deceptively aloof hero to sniff out corruption in this atmospheric thriller.”

The manga that inspired the anime of the same name. I never did get a chance to start ACCA 13 during its streaming season but I do have it on my queue. It looked like a pretty good series. It is six volumes long so I think the anime should have followed the manga during its 12 episode run. But I’m not positive.

--Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka by Makoto Fukami and art by Seigo Tokiya. “Magical Girls with Big Guns! Three years ago, alien invaders ravaged the Earth–until they were defeated by a group of young women blessed with powers from a mysterious source. The girls went back to their normal lives after vanquishing the ghastly monsters, but that time of peace is about to end. The same malevolent creatures have resurfaced, which means it’s time for the Magical Girl Special Ops force to head back to the battlefront and defend mankind!”

This caught my eye because I’ve seen few magical girl series that have a more military style. Saga of Tanya the Evil for example and what little I know of Izetta: The Last Witch. Based on a review I saw on Anime News Network it follows the line of dark magical girl stories. Our heroine even suffers from PTSD. It could have potential.

--Tales of Zestiria Volume 3 by Shiramine “Sorey has come face to face with the Lord of Calamity. With his spiritual abilities suppressed, the young Shepherd can no longer sense his Seraphim companions–leaving him powerless against the Lord’s overwhelming malevolence. Could an assassin from the deadly Scattered Bones be his unlikely savior?”

The manga is starting to get close to where I left off on the game. Although I have yet to read the manga (and I won’t until I beat the game) I know that in this volume we will get to have a longer interaction with one of my favorite characters; the assassin Rose.

In Movies/TV Shows --Marmalade Boy P2 “Miki is with Yuu, Ginta got with Arimi, but that doesn't mean love is any less confusing! Yuu's spending time with his first love Anju, and though he says they're just old friends, how can Miki not be concerned? Particularly when Anju goes and confesses she still has feelings for Yuu! To make matters worse, Miki's co-worker Kei is lurking in the wings, waiting to scoop the jealous Miki up. Meanwhile, Ginta may have confessed to Arimi, and she might've returned his feelings, but that doesn't mean Ginta's cousin Tsutomu is out of the competition yet! Won't there ever be a happily ever after? The love triangles turn and the passion burns in this second collection of the classic shoujo anime Marmalade Boy!”

The second half of the re-release of this classic series. It contains episodes 39-76 and the movie.

--Rememory “A brilliant scientist is killed right after he invents a device that's able to record and replay people's memories. Later, a man claiming to be a colleague of his probes his murder with the help of the machine, which he uses to investigate the potential suspects.”

This movie looks like it could be pretty good. Plus Peter Dinklage stars in it. Other than that I don’t know much about it. It never showed at my local theater and most of my friends had never heard of it when I mentioned it. I’d like to catch it sometime.

--The Squid Girl complete series “Angered by mankind's pollution of her beloved ocean, Squid Girl rises from the dark and mysterious depths in order to punish the loathsome human race! Unfortunately, that plan immediately hits more snags than a dozen fishing lines in a washing machine. Not only does her small stature not intimidate humans, but instead of unleashing a tsunami of destruction, her attempts only cause minor damage to a pleasant little beachside restaurant. And then, the unexpectedly aggressive Aizawa sisters, who run the Lemon Beach House, force her to work there to pay it off! They even make her provide her own squid ink for a tasty squid ink spaghetti!”

I have never seen this series before though I would really like to. There is a standard DVD and a standard Blu-ray release that has all 27 episodes. A Premium Edition will be available on 12/16/17. The PE has a clipboard box, a booklet, art cards, a keychain, lenticular card, card of authenticity, button pack, and a CCA donation card. The donation card is given because if you purchase the PE a $1.00 is donated to a oceanic conservatory.

[trainsinanime]

Animes I watched recently

After „Saga of Tanya the Evil“ (short version: A brutal and fascinating look not just at the horrors of war, but also at the people who happily make it horrible), I also watched some other anime that I wanted to talk about. These were all on the front page of Crunchyroll, so if you know more about anime than about trains, then you may not find anything all that new here.

By the way: There will not be a Trains In Anime review for any of them. Almost all of them feature trains in minor roles, but all of them are set in modern-day Japan (often with more or less magic stuff added). The problem with that is that animators generally get modern-day japanese trains right, or at least so right that I can’t tell the difference, and there’s really not much to say on that front. So here just some general notes:

Interviews with Monster Girls

I strongly think the english title carries completely wrong connotations. It’s a slice-of-life school anime where some of the kids are various kinds of demons that used to be feared and hated, but are now accepted in normal schools. It’s a nice and sweet look at minority issues, with a focus on disability, including things like endonyms and exonyms for groups, accessibility, prejudice and so on.

Like all these stories (see also: X-Men, Star Trek) it suffers from the problem where it’s talking about minorities and the problems they face without actually having any minorities of any kind in it. That doesn’t undercut its point, but it’s a waste of potential.

What does actually undercut its point are all the jokes about inappropriate teacher-student relationships, since one of the main characters is a teacher for the other main characters. It always stays at a level where it’s all just jokes, but it’s there with an intensity where I’m always expecting something really uncomfortable to happen (though it hasn’t yet), and that expectation is making me uncomfortable. So overall a big maybe on the recommendation side.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

Well… this does feature several characters who could be shortened to JoJo, and it is certainly bizarre, so the title isn’t lying. It seems to be an action anime with a very stylised visual language, featuring the guy with the worst hair cut in the world on his mission to convince everyone that it isn’t actually all that bad, or something. Truth to be told, I didn’t like any of the characters, I found nothing interesting in the premise, and I stopped watching after the first episode. I know it’s really popular, so maybe things will improve later. Or maybe it just isn’t for me.

Twin Star Exorcists

Fundamentally a standard anime of the type „giant faceless monsters threaten mankind; the only protection are weirdly-dressed wizard-types using overly flashy fight moves; we follow a young badass and his team on his way to become the most badass of all time“ (sub-type: Modern-day Japan, monsters are invisible to everyone but mages). Its unique selling point is that it is also a love story: The youngest most badass is actually two people, a boy and a girl, and destiny has foretold that they’ll fall in love, get married, and have a child that will end the war and put them and all of their friends out of a job. (Weirdly, despite that, most of them never try to develop a backup career path).

The story is straightforward except for a filler arc that is nice but not well integrated with character development, meaning the power level of the two heroes and how much respect they get from their peers fluctuates widely. Either way, the show works really well when it is about the two main characters and how they first become a team, then friends, then maybe something more. It works considerably less well when it’s about its own mythology, its Big Bad and so on. This is partly because it has nothing new and interesting to offer there. But the biggest problem is that this is always focused on the boy, even though the girl is just as deeply involved in the whole thing as he is.

Sadly, we seem to be heading for the end now, and here they screwed it all up. The guy main hero pulled an „I’ll be an asshole to you now so you’ll stay away while I sacrifice myself so you can be safe“. It works in no small part because she’s currently in a wheelchair, still recovering from a previous fight, and physically can’t stop him. I hate him for that. Of course it’s very clear that in the next few episodes, she will come to his side and her love for him will save him. Still, he totally took away her choice in the matter and did not respect either her skill or her involvement in the matter. That bothers me to no end. It also doesn’t help that the show is now all about the relationship of the male hero and the main villain, and the backstory of the main hero, all of which are things we’ve seen in every other anime of this type before as well.

In the end, live’s too short for average TV, and so I’m not going to recommend this. Sure, if you’re bored, you could do a lot worse than watch this. Maybe stop after the end of the arc where they put the city in the air. But you could also watch something so much better (e.g. the two right after this), so why bother?

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

Easily my favourite of the bunch, despite the weirdest premise: A normal woman got so drunk that she apparently ended up finding an actual real-life dragon, saved it from some unspecified harm, and offered it to move in with her. The dragon (who can magically transform into more or less a human woman) agrees and moves in to become her maid. From there follows a story with quite a bit of fan service, lots of humorous „fish out of water“ moments, but mostly just a really nice and sweet story about these people connecting, becoming friends, and becoming better people as a result. It’s adorable, funny, well-paced and animated, and really worth a watch. The opening also has great ear-worm qualities.

Food Wars

The most epic battle anime ever… and it’s about cook-offs. This entire thing feels like a Gintama sketch that has gotten way too big, but they’re doing it entirely straight-faced, and it’s glorious. The premise is that a bunch of kids with unique dress and cooking styles (i.e. standard anime heroes) are at an elite cooking academy to become the bests chefs ever. And the way they do is through intense crowd-drawing cooking competitions that are portrayed as classic Shounen anime fights.

The novelty value is one thing, but this also really nails the execution. Between opponents, judges and an adoring public, every move on the stage gets commented on as if it meant the difference between life and death. „Oh no, he added apples. Could it be-?“ A simple „but there’s also soup!“ is delivered with more impact than someone in Bleach learning a new form of their sword. The visual metaphors for the battles and especially the verdicts by the judges are ridiculously over-the-top and amazing.

Of course it has all the standard tropes. You better believe that defeat means friendship, that characters question their entire life choices when faced with a superior meal, and that you totally can win by remembering how important your friends and family are. There’s also a great roster of characters that seem stock, but are really well executed, like „evil spying bad guy chef“, „fan service chef“, „cute girl with self-esteem issues chef“, „working class hero chef“ (our protagonist), „scary rocker chef“ (specialty: sea food) or, my personal favourite, „mad scientist chef“. She’s just so delightfully bratty.

When I watch an episode, at some point I always just start giggling uncontrollably and never ever stop. This is the yardstick by which I will measure all other battle animes from now on. Thanks to weird web design, Crunchyroll may decide to start you on season two, and having watched it like that, I think this may be the best way to experience the show. Just the barest of character introductions and then right into the madness. Either way, if you like anime where people battle each other and want to become stronger for their friends and family interest you at all, then you have to watch this.

Chaos;Child

I wanted to write something flippant here about how it seems to be trying to be weird just for weirdness’s sake, or how none of the characters are interesting or likeable, or the zeroth episode that seems to be there just to fool you into thinking that this whole thing is deeper than it really is… but that would all be dishonest.

This is an anime about truly bizarre murders, committed (it is hinted) through mind control, with lots of weird and seemingly disjointed elements and characters and events that don’t seem physically possible, and it’s really, really good. After watching the zeroth and first episode, I do actually think all the things I mentioned above, but those are all irrelevant: The murders really are horrific, the tense scenes really are tense, and I’m genuinely getting scared. In fact, I got so scared that I decided to stop watching.

If you’re into that kind of show, then this may be a very good example of that kind of show. But remember: Do you want nightmares? Because this is how you get nightmares.

[recentanimenews]

Manga the Week of 9/23/20

SEAN: Manga is here and nothing can stop it!

Except perhaps fire. Pacific Northwest-based Dark Horse has two manga releases currently scheduled for next week, but has already said the wildfires might delay releases. But we will note them anyway: Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls 2 and Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles 2.

ASH: Yikes, that is a completely understandable reason for possible delays.

SEAN: J-Novel Club once again has two debuts, one which I care about and one which I do not. The “do not” is My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! (Sokushi Cheat ga Saikyou Sugite, Isekai no Yatsura ga Marude Aite ni Naranai n Desu ga). Leaving aside the fact that no light novel with the word ‘Cheat’ in the title should ever be licensed, this is by the author of My Big Sister Lives in a Fantasy World, and apparently ties into that story, but I’m still not interested enough to look at it. But it should appeal to those who like this sort of thing.

Far more to my taste is The Sorcerer’s Receptionist (Mahousekai no Uketsukejou ni Naritaidesu), a J-Novel Heart series about a commoner woman whose goal is to become a guild receptionist, and the duke’s son who she keeps running into while she achieves this.

ASH: That one’s more to my taste as well.

SEAN: Also coming out next week: I Refuse to Be Your Enemy! 3, Lazy Dungeon Master 12, My Next Life As a Villainess! 7, and Sorcerous Stabber Orphen 8.

Kodansha has a very light week next week. No print books, and the digital side is light as well. The debut there is Maid in Honey, a Dessert title whose synopsis and cover art makes me cringe, but I know there’s a big audience for series like these.

MICHELLE: Yeah, this is another of the “girl with a service job” titles I mentioned last week. The style of the cover looked familiar so I did a search on the mangaka and, yep, she’s the one who did Beauty Bunny also. I think I’ll be passing on this one.

SEAN: We also see Abe-kun’s Got Me Now! 4, Altair: A Record of Battles 22, DAYS 20, and the 20th and final Elegant Yokai Apartment Life, which I’m not sure if it completed or if it was simply cancelled.

MICHELLE: I’m hoping for the former! I have been meaning to read it for ages.

SEAN: KUMA has a print release of Canis: Dear Mr. Rain (which I thought we’d had before, but…)

MICHELLE: I am pretty sure it was supposed to come out earlier but got pushed back.

ASH: Yup, I think that’s the case. I’ll probably check it out at some point now that it’ll be available.

SEAN: Seven Seas has two debuts, one print and one early digital, but both yuri. The print is Our Teachers Are Dating! (Hayama-sensei to Terano-sensei wa Tsukiatte iru), a Comic Yuri Hime title about a gym teacher and nurse who are in a relationship… and the school is rooting for them! This looks cute, though future covers suggest it will also be ecchi.

ASH: I’m more in the mood for cute than ecchi at the moment, but I’ll admit to being curious.

SEAN: The digital debut, from GL Novels (you can guess what GL stands for), is I’m in Love with the Villainess! (Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou). As with many light novels recently, an OL dies and is reincarnated in an otome game. However, she’s the heroine. But she’s not interested in the guys… This looks fun, and I’ve been reliably informed is very well written.

Also out next week: Cosmo Familia 2, Gal Gohan 4, the 7th print volume of How a Realist Hero Rebuilds the Kingdom, the 2nd print volume of Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, My Androgynous Boyfriend 2, My Senpai Is Annoying! 2, Peter Grill and the Philosopher’s Time 2, the 6th print volume of Reincarnated As a Sword, and the 8th and final volume of Tomo-chan Is a Girl!, which I have really loved from day one.

MICHELLE: Hooray for more My Androgynous Boyfriend!

ASH: I’m looking forward to reading more of that series, too!

SEAN: Tokyopop has a 2nd volume of Koimonogatari: Love Stories.

Vertical has the 1st volume of Weathering with You in print. Which I know I said 3 weeks ago, but this year has just been VERY BAD for release dates slipping.

There are a LOT of light novels from Yen due out next week. Including one debut, Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside (Shin no Nakama ja Nai to Yuusha no Party wo Oidasareta node, Henkyou de Slow Life suru Koto ni Shimashita). “Slow Life” in Japanese loan word has become “Quiet Life” in English for these sorts of books, but the intent is the same: the heroes shun him, so he goes off to do basic boring tasks. I’ve heard good things about this.

Technically there is another debut, but it’s a sequel to a spinoff. Konosuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World! Bonus Story moves the timeline forward a bit, but still has the premise of “Megumin and Yunyun have side adventures”, this time with Princess Iris along for the ride.

Other light novels: The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life 4, Baccano! 14, Combatants Will Be Dispatched! 4, The Devil Is a Part-Timer! 17, The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Hey, How About Treason?) 4, A Mysterious Job Called Oda Nobunaga 2, Re: Zero EX 4, Suppose a Kid From the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town 3, and Torture Princess 5.

ASH: Wow, it really is a full week for the Yen ON imprint!

SEAN: Yen Press has three manga debuts. If Witch, Then Witch? (Majo Raba Majo Reba) is a Shonen Gangan title about a boy whose life is saved by a girl donating her blood. He wants to repay her anyway he can… and finds to do this, he has to dress as a witch and help her pass the magic exams. My expectations are low but not zero.

ASH: Hmmm.

SEAN: The second debut is King of Eden, a Korean horror manga that got a limited release a few years ago but is now out in a two-in one omnibus (it’s 4 volumes total, so the 2nd should finish it). Given it’s horror, it’s not my thing, but… Ash?

ASH: Well, now that it’s made its way to print, I may very well take a look!

SEAN: Lastly, we see the manga version of Last Round Arthurs, which I have described as “King Arthur meets Haruhi Suzumiya”.

We also see A Bride’s Story 12, The Elder Sister-Like One 4, Kakegurui Twin 7, My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected 14 (manga version), Plunderer 5, The Saga of Tanya the Evil 11 (manga version), the 15th and final volume of Silver Spoon, Trinity Seven 21, and Yowamushi Pedal 15.

MICHELLE: Hooray for more YowaPeda!

ASH: Oh yes, and A Bride’s Story, too! And of course, Silver Spoon. Yen manga is where it’s at for me this week.

SEAN: Leaving aside Melinda (SILVER SPOOOOOOOOOOOOON!), what are you all getting next week?

ANNA: I’m going to use this week as a breather to catch up on all my unread manga!

MELINDA: Hey, I think I missed my cue. SILVER SPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!

By: Sean Gaffney

[yaliteraturebookshelf]

Social Media Stars 2017 Book Releases

My Life as Eva: The Struggle is Real by Eva Gutowski (14th February 2017) From the popular YouTube personality Eva Gutowski comes an amazing book on all the ups and downs of life that everyone goes through, but no one is able to easily push through.

How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life by Lilly Singh (28th March 2017) From actress, comedian and YouTube sensation Lilly Singh (aka Superwoman) comes the definitive guide to being a BAWSE - a person who exudes confidence, reaches goals, gets hurt efficiently, and smiles genuinely because they've fought through it all and made it out the other side.

Matthew Espinosa: More Than Me by Matthew Espinosa (4th April 2017) You may think you know everything about multiplatform entertainer Matthew Espinosa—but he’s here to tell you so much more in his debut book, full of hundreds of brand-new pictures from a series of exclusive photo shoots.

Generation Next: The Takeover by Oli White (6th April 2017) The thrilling sequel to YouTube sensation Oli White's bestselling, smash-hit debut GENERATION NEXT. School has finished for good, and Jack and his friends - Ella, Austin, Ava and Sai - are giving their online social media platform, Generation Next, the ultimate relaunch: a stage takeover at the world's biggest music festival.

Doing It by Hannah Witton (6th April 2017) Figuring out how to build and maintain healthy relationships - with your family, friends, romantically and with yourself - is a crucial part of being a teen. It's not easy though, particularly in a digital age where information and advice are so forthcoming it can be hard to know who or what to believe or trust.

Note To Self by Connor Franta (18th April 2017) Now, two years later, Connor is ready to bring to light a side of himself he’s rarely shown on or off camera. In this diary-like look at his life since A Work In Progress, Connor talks about his battles with clinical depression, social anxiety, self-love, and acceptance.

How to Write Good by Ryan Higa (30th May 2017) An unconventional, irreverent, yet heartfelt memoir by Ryan Higa, one of the top creators on YouTube. With pictures! And illustrations! And, y'know, words.

Make Your Mind Up by Bethany Mota (15th June 2017) When Bethany first propped her camera on a stack of books and pressed record in 2009, she didn't realise her life was about to change—forever. After uploading her first video to YouTube at just thirteen years old, Bethany quickly became one of the Internet's go-to beauty, style, and lifestyle vlogger.

Wilde Like Me by Louise Pentland (29th June 2017) '4 years, 2 months and 15 days of single-mum-dom. Isn't this supposed to get easier?' It's time for Robin Wilde to Change. Her. Life. Robin Wilde has a beautiful six-year-old daughter, a job she's really rather good at, a wonderful best friend and an auntie who is bonkers, yes, but loves her to the moon and back.

All That She Can See by Carrie Hope Fletcher (13th July 2017) Feelings are part of life - feelings are life. If you take away what people feel, you take away anything meaningful. Wanting to diminish the evil in this world is a good cause, one I have fought for the majority of my life, but not like this . . .

The Pointless Book 3 by Alfie Deyes (13th July 2017) Just when you thought it was safe to put down your pens, Alfie Deyes is back with everyone's favourite journal!

Feel Good 101 by Emma Blackery (7th September 2017) YouTube's most outspoken star Emma Blackery is finally putting pen to paper to (over)share all her hard-learned life lessons.

Adultolescence by Gabbie Hanna (19th September 2017) From Teen Choice Award-nominated comedian and vlogger Gabbie Hanna, known on YouTube as The Gabbie Show, an astounding debut poetry collection that captures the essence of what it means to come of age in today’s world.

Username: Uprising by Joe Sugg (21st September 2017) Evie and the gang return to face new challenges and resolve the rift between the online and offline world.

Zach King: My Magical Life by Zach King (26th September 2017) Award-winning digital media star Zach King brings his unique brand of magic to the first installment of a lively, fun-filled trilogy about Zach, a middle schooler in search of his magical powers while navigating the crazy, confusing world of public school.

The Rosewood Chronicles by Connie Glynn (27th September 2017) When fairy tale obsessed Lottie Pumpkin starts at the infamous Rosewood Hall, she is not expecting to share a room with the Crown Princess of Maradova, Ellie Wolf. Due to a series of lies and coincidences, 14-year-old Lottie finds herself pretending to be the princess so that Ellie can live a more normal teenage life.

Elites of Eden by Joey Graceffa (3rd October 2017) Yarrow is an elite: rich, regal, destined for greatness. She’s the daughter of one of the most powerful women in Eden. At the exclusive Oaks boarding school, she makes life miserable for anyone foolish enough to cross her. Her life is one wild party after another…until she meets a fascinating, lilac-haired girl named Lark.

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green (10th October 2017) Turtles All the Way Down is about lifelong friendship, the intimacy of an unexpected reunion, Star Wars fan fiction, and tuatara. But at its heart is Aza Holmes, a young woman navigating daily existence within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

Rhett & Link's Book of Mythicality: A Field Guide to Curiosity, Creativity, and Tomfoolery by Rhett McLaughlin & Link Neal (10th October 2017) “Internetainers” Rhett & Link met in first grade when their teacher made them miss recess for writing profanity on their desks, and they have been best friends ever since.

Tanya's Christmas by Tanya Burr (19th October 2017) Tanya definitely hasn't let getting older spoil the magic of Christmas - for her, it brings with it a unique, magical feeling like no other time of year. So in Tanya's Christmas, she is excited to share all of her tips and suggestions for creating THE perfect Christmas.

Max and Harvey (In a Book) by Max and Harvey Mills (19th October 2017) In their diary, the boys tell us exactly what they've been up to. From hanging out backstage at VidCon to starring in a school play, this is Max and Harvey's year - in their own words.

Secrets for the Mad: Obsessions, Confessions and Life Lessons by Dodie Clark (2nd November 2017) When I feel like I'm going mad I write. A lot of my worst fears have come true; fears that felt so big I could barely hold them in my head. I was convinced that when they'd happen, the world would end.

Fully Functioning Human (Almost): Living in an Online/Offline World by Melanie Murphy (7th November 2017) In her first book, Irish YouTuber Melanie Murphy shares a series of experiences from the struggle that is growing up in the digital age: cyberbullying, dumping by text, gaining (and then losing) too much weight, having acne in a world of Instagram filters, and, most of all, finding the strength to tackle poor mental health.

I’ll be updating throughout the year, so let me know if I miss any!

[2am-waifu]

Winter Anime First Impressions

Ahh… a new year, a new anime season.. Since the winter season is well underway here are my first impressions.

So a while back a wrote a “most anticipated anime” of winter post with 5 of the most anticipated anime and then some more to fill out the list (and i couldn’t even find a round 10 anime this season ໒( ⇀ ‸ ↼ )७.) DISREGARD THE LIST! While I am super loving Kuzu no Honkai and Super lovers 2 (obvi) some of the anime I thought I was going to like turned out not, and others caught me by surprise… in a good way!

Kuzu no Honkai i’ll touch on for a sec because this will NOT be the last I post about it buuut I am really loving the mature/ realistic side of romance and adolescence that it is portraying.

Masamune-kun no Revenge is actually catching my attention with the bullied becoming the bully. (what I like to call the classic “mean girls story”)

Seiren is keeping my attention with all the teenage sexual tension but because it’s telling three different stories i’m unsure about how it will turn out.

Hand Shakers is really good at being the action anime (for me) of the season. The plot/ premise is so so but because of the stunning animation that makes my eyes want to melt out of their sockets I will def keep watching

BangDream! is okay. Whenever I have high expectations I always get let down. The main characters is a more annoying version of Yui from K-On! but I’ll see where it goes.

Little Witch Academia is one of those anime in which if you watched the other OVAs and loved them you’ll love the tv version. BUUUTTT i’m not too big a fan of the style, like I don’t hate it, but it doesn’t catch my attention. But a non magical girl trying to go to magic school is enough for me to keep watching.

Now I’m not going to talk tooo much about second seasons because of obvious reasons BUT I am watching Chaos;Child and it’s okay. Chaos;Head wasn’t a masterpiece or anything so I’m watching at face value.

AND unfortunately I’ve already stopped watching Akiba’s Trip because well, too much fan service for characters that I don’t care about. Also maybe it should have been kept a game…. And since I dropped one pretty early on I figured I’d pick one up for Saga of Tanya the Evil was not the one I should have picked up. I’m just not a fan of war stories or tiny angry girls.

So since I’m not watching too many anime this season instead I will catch up on my long growing list of PTW animu like Suzuka, Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi, and Ajin probably.

Do you have a suggestion of a winter anime I should watch? Maybe Fuuka?

Anyways Fam, thanks for reading and stay otaku!

Ame OUUUTTT ☞￣ᴥ￣☞  peace peace!