#if you have any questions about black clover without manga spoilers

[awakefor48hours]

Anime friendly text post meme

Part 62/???

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Before going into this, quick note to anyone who may be confused. The movie, Sword of the Wizard King, is a noncanon storyline to Black Clover. It takes place before the Spade Kingdom invasion arc and has nothing to do with the current arc.

Also, if you're wondering about the anime, the anime is coming back and has been observed to come back next year. (Found on WordPress)

Also, one last time, nothing about the Sword of the Wizard King posts until the 23rd.

Now it's meme time, it's meme time

@buddythatsrough

[acacia-may]

What's your favorite ship for each captain & vice captain?

Hi there, Anon! Thank you for your ask! You caught me at a bit of an odd time since I have been branching out into writing a little bit of romance recently, but to be perfectly honest with you, I didn't get into romantic pairings too much in Black Clover and much preferred the platonic relationships between friends and siblings. I've been wracking my brain for a bit, and ultimately decided to answer your question with mostly platonic ships since I'm not sure I have any romantic pairings I have strong feelings about for the majority of these characters. I hope that is okay.

This is a bit lengthy so I've listed my answers under the cut in alphabetical order by squad (Includes some vague manga spoilers):

The Aqua Deer

Captain: Rill Boismortier -- Rill and Charmy is probably one of my favourite dynamics in Black Clover in general. I adore their friendship—how they have so much wild and creative energy they encourage in each other and go along with each other’s chaos. I wish we got to see more of their interactions! I also love Rillmy as a romantic ship as well. Rill would be so devoted to Charmy, and his crush on her without realising she is in fact his “food goddess” is so fun and so funny! He’s a bit of an oblivious dork, but I have hope he’ll sort everything out in the end. I wish him and Charmy all the best! My other favourite relationship for Rill is his almost father and son relationship with Walter. It’s really cute, and Walter is underrated and so good for Rill as a mentor and paternal figure.

The Black Bulls:

Captain: Yami Sukehiro -- Yami has so many great relationships with so many characters that it is honestly really difficult to narrow this down to a favourite in terms of BROTPs for him. My favourite romantic pairing for him is with Charlotte Roselei (which I talked about already in the bingo game), but in terms of platonic relationships, I love his friendship with William, and that very paternal "squad dad" dynamic he has with his Black Bulls. I really like the fatherly role he has taken with Asta especially. He might not always be the best at expressing it, but he believes in Asta when no one else does and welcomes him into his big chaotic family. His friendship is Nacht is also excellent but I was planning on mentioning that below so I think I'll give honorable mention to his friendship with Vanessa which I feel like doesn't get a lot of attention. I've always felt that she's like a little sister to him (recent manga events definitely have me thinking on this a bit more too), and maybe it's just because I love imagining the "Early Black Bulls," but I think it's sweet to imagine how he just let this strange, naive girl he accidentally "rescued" from a tower follow him home and gave her a place to belong in the world. Honestly, he has really given all of his squad members a place to belong in the world and has really made them a family so I think maybe just the Black Bulls with their "Dad" might be my favourite dynamic for him.

Vice Captain: Nacht Faust -- Nacht is going through some difficult stuff right now and he doesn't seem all that interested in having friends let alone a romantic relationship, so I can't say I really, actively romantically ship him with anyone in the canon (I will sometimes throw him in the big list of possible romantic prospects for Vanessa though I wouldn't say I actively "ship" that). Platonically though, Nacht is part of some awesome BROTPs. His relationship with Morgen for instance is lovely and another great example of Black Clover brothers who are foils for each other. (Morgen is just a criminally underrated character in general), but I think my favourite dynamic is really Nacht and Yami's. Getting to see them getting up to all kinds of trouble in their youth was great as was the story of Yami convincing him to join his squad. Though it might not seem like it on the surface, it's clear that they are really good friends for each other and actually do care, no matter how much they pretend that they don't.

The Blue Rose Knights:

Captain: Charlotte Roselei -- I love her and Sol's dynamic as a BROTP and adore her relationship with her whole squad really (especially in those moments where we see them rallying together to support her and help her break out of her shell a little bit). In the future, I would love to see her and Vanessa become friends. I think Charlotte sees her a bit as a rival in the canon (even though she really shouldn't), and their bantering is lots of fun (their drinking contest at the star festival always makes me laugh), but I think they could be really good friends if they tried to get along. Maybe someday. Given a particular moment in the Spade arc, I think they could be on the road to resolution and making friends, but we'll see. If I had to pick a favourite romantic relationship for her, though, I think I'd have to pair her with Yami.

The Coral Peacocks:

Captain: Dorothy Unsworth -- Dorothy's unlikely friendship with Nozel is one of my favourite things--totally unexpected but just wonderful! I don't have a strong preference or opinion about whether it is/should be platonic or romantic, but I just love their dynamic either way. I will say as an honorable mention, I'm really curious about how she gets along with Kirsch--I wish we got to see more them interacting with each other and got more information on their friendship too.

Vice Captain: Kirsch Vermillion -- I'd like to see Kirsch have a bit more character growth before I could really get on board with the idea of him being in a romantic relationship with anyone, but in terms of platonic relationships, however, I'd have to say my favourite is probably his sibling bond with Mimosa. It's funny to me how he brings out this totally different side of his sister, and while their relationship is a bit strained because they don't see eye to eye on most things, I'd love to see them make amends and try to start to see each other's point of view.

The Crimson Lion Kings:

Captain: Fuegoleon Vermillion -- My favourite platonic relationships for him are his relationships with his siblings, and his friendship/rivalry with Nozel. It was very moving to get into Nozel's thoughts about Fuegoleon after he was injured, and the fact that he's such a tsundere about how much Fuegoleon really is his best friend is very entertaining to me while also being very sweet.

Temporary Captain: Mereoleona Vermillion -- I love Mereoleona's relationship with her siblings most of all, but I also really love the way she looked up to Acier and considered her a role model. She stepped into a big sister role with Noelle as well, for this reason, and I really liked their friendship too.

Vice Captain: Randall Luftair -- I don't really know much about Randall, but he seems like a nice guy so I wish him the best. He seems very devoted to his squad, and they seem equally devoted to him. I think that's very sweet and worth mentioning.

The Golden Dawn:

Captain: William Vangeance -- I love William and Yami as a BROTP. William and Patry is a great platonic relationship as well (I really see them almost as brothers in my mind) so it's kind of toss-up between those two, I think. William and Alecdora Sandler’s friendship is great too, as is his friendship with Langris. Just really William with the Golden Dawn as a whole is a favourite dynamic of mine—he’s made a squad full of all these perfectionistic, ambitious overachievers, and I just picture him as the kind voice that reminds them it’s okay to make mistakes and to be human. It’s sweet!

(Previous) Vice Captain: Langris Vaude -- Langris's sibling relationship with Finral is by far the most interesting to me, and I am definitely way more invested in it than in any other relationships in Langris's life. That isn't to say that there aren't other dynamics with him in them that I really like. For instance, I think his friendship with Yuno is absolutely fantastic, and I love his friendship with William very much as well. I may have kind of made this one up, but I think Langris and Vanessa becoming friends would be amazing! Second only to his sibling bond with Finral though is definitely his relationship with Finesse. I don't pretend to know what's going on there exactly (i.e. whether it could be romantic or is just strictly platonic), but I do know they care for each other deeply. I absolutely love that she brings out this incredibly soft side of him and think that regardless of how one wants to categorize that relationship, they really are good for each other. I have to admit though my favourite ship for Langris is definitely without a doubt Langris x Therapy!

(Current) Vice Captain: Yuno Grinberryall -- I think I mentioned this in the bingo ask about Yuno and Charmy, but it is very difficult for me to see Yuno wanting a romantic relationship so I wouldn't really say that I actively ship him with anyone in a romantic sense. There are a few I don't mind, but romantically shipping Yuno in general just isn't my cup of tea usually. (In the interest of full honesty, I have been known to make a few (probably bad) jokes about Yuno becoming king of the Spade Kingdom and having to get married for political reasons/to produce an heir so he tries to convince Mimosa (with logic and statistics) to marry him so he won't have to marry a total stranger. I much prefer their friendship though and wouldn't say I "ship" it, but I did read an interesting fanfiction with the pairing in it once). In terms of Yuno's platonic relationships which I like infinitely better than any possible romantic ones for him, I adore his brotherly bond with Asta which was really one of the first things that endeared me to the series. I also love his friendship with Langris, and his friendship with Klaus and Mimosa (They're like the Golden Dawn three musketeers, and it's very sweet to me how much they care about each other).

The Green Mantises:

Captain: Jack the Ripper -- Jack's friendship is Yami is very entertaining! Their rival food stands at the star festival plotline was lots of fun, and they worked really well together when they teamed up in the elf arc.

The Purple Orcas:

(Previous) Captain: Gueldre -- He’s not a likable character in the slightest, but I really enjoyed when Gueldre teamed up with Revchi. I was not expecting it at all, and it was honestly such a strange, random, and chaotic partners in crime relationship, but it was lots of fun all the same.

(Current) Captain: Kaiser -- Kaiser and his wife seem to have a really great relationship. Good for them! I'm glad someone has a functional romantic relationship in this series!

Vice Captain: Xerx Lugner is absolutely terrible and deserves to be forever alone.

The Silver Eagles:

Captain: Nozel Silva -- I think Nozel’s relationships with his family are probably the most interesting—especially his connection to his mother and his sibling bond with Noelle. He needs to apologize to his sister for the horrible way he treated her, but I do have hope that they will eventually be able to reconcile with each other and rebuild their sibling relationship. I also love his friendship with Fuegoleon (and he’s such a tsun about it which is wonderful!), but I think his unlikely friendship with Dorothy might be my favourite dynamic with him in it (whether platonic or romantic).

[uozlulu]

15-20 for the fic writing meme

Thanks for the questions, anon <3!

15. What’s your favorite AU that you’ve written?

I have two.

I wrote a Captain America (MCU) fic called If No One Else Will where Steve joins the Monuments Men in order to do something to help on the European front. Bucky tags along and the fic picks up when Hydra kidnaps Bucky and then Steve has to save the day as a tiny guy without any super serum. It's one of my favorites because I got to put the fact I grew up learning about World War II to good use and it was fun to come up with stuff like giving Steve his shield without him being a beefcake. I also learned a lot about the state of stuff like asthma in the 1940's when it was considered psycho-somatic.

I wrote a self-indulgent Black Clover/Boruto crossover when the Black Clover movie was first announced. I called it The Land Across the Sea. I started with the concept of Yami visiting his homeland as a potential movie plot, got the final scene pretty much in full immediately, and then chose to make it a Boruto crossover so Naruto and Yami could be somewhat friends from childhood. It was an easy write and I enjoy it. It's a little weak in places but it was fun to imagine how it might go and do some fun things like promoting Noelle and Asta to vice captain for different squads.

16. What’s an AU you would love to read (or have read and loved)?

I want to write a BnHA/MHA AU in which Class A and Aizawa have to go back in time to Yagi's high school days to save him from a villain kind of a la Tenchi in Love. I've written quite a bit of it but when I got to Midoriya and Nana interacting in the past it got a bit difficult so I set it aside and haven't picked it back up yet. Also we now kind of know of Tohru's quirk works and this particular AU hinged on her having a different quirk, but that'll just make it even more AU if I ever write it.

17. What highly specific AU do you want to read or write even though you might be the only person to appreciate it?

The most recent one in this vein I wrote was an Interview with the Vampire (AMC) Armand/Louis/Daniel fic The Mortal and the Vampires based loosely on a dark retelling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast in which potentially canonical events lead to an eventual confrontation between the polycule and one of the penthouse servants who has come to realize they'll never be offered immortality. It was based on a conversation I'd had with another fic author about how Armand having to let Daniel go kind of reminded me of how the Beast has to let Beauty go in the story.

Right now I don't have any highly specific AUs like that rattling through my head. If they're that specific and clear to me, I always end up writing them. Another recent-ish in this vein was my Black Clover AU And There Was Still Hope that explored some manga spoilers about Yuno in a universe in which he didn't receive the Wind grimoire.

18. If you wrote a sequel to [insert fic], what would it involve?

I'm not sure if I have any fics right now that I've got any sequel ideas for. I haven't had any sequel requests either, so I'm not sure.

19. If you wrote a spin-off of [insert fic], what would it involve?

I'm not sure if I'd call it a "spin off," but I do kind of want to take my IwtV (AMC) fic Dream a Memory of Me and retool it and give it a better ending. I don't think I'll ever get around to it, but the more I learn and remember of Vampire Chronicles, the more that first fic of mine makes me cringe a bit. That said, it's not terrible, just could be better.

20. If you wrote a prequel to [insert fic], what would it involve?

I'm not really sure because I don't really have any fics I've got prequel ideas for or requests for.

===

Send me some numbers to my ask box and I'll answer questions about fics

[arkus-rhapsode]

Rhapsode Rambles (I talk my continuing coverage of Eden’s Zero, my place in the FT fandom, and potential future for this blog)

So anyone whose read this review, I ask you to read this.

So guys Eden’s Zero has blasted onto the scene and there’s definitely been an explosion of response to it. I swear I don’t think we’ll ever see a first chapter blow up as fast as this one did. There’s already side blogs being devoted to it, fan art, and panel coloring, it just goes to show how powerful an existing fanbase can boost a series versus someone without one. Hell, I can say the same for my review this is not only I think my highest rated review, but I think its the quickest I’ve seen a review blow up on my blog.

That said we also have a problem with this in a sense. In a sense this is just the highly prone to discourse FT fandom reborn in a different shell. This is not a brand new fandom being built from the ground up, its a continuation a postponed fandom. This means that people already coming into this “new fandom” already have an unshakable simulus of the man behind the work, be it positive or negative. So in short, getting into Eden’s Zero (in the case of fandom) is going back to Fairy Tail.

Look this post is probably not going to be what you thought because I’m going to have to now talk about something I’m sure none of you want to hear, me. Well specifically this blog. Look this blog and my reviews are basically exaggerations of my true feelings like I have no intention of ever not expressing my honest thoughts, but this is just me played up more for the intent of this blog. This post however, no Rhapsode persona, this is my unvarnished true feelings. (I’m putting this under the cut cause this might get a little long and maybe a little hard to read)

So back in the day 4 or so years ago, I started my tumblr out of the sole intent to follow and send asks to a comedy list blog and even intended to do my own. That failed. Or at the least I couldn’t keep producing results because my brand of comedy just wasn’t something all that viable to build a blog on. I was around that time I started FT and it was the first series I ever feel like I chose myself. Most series I got into at the time were the ones people said I should check out, or I had a vague knowledge of before going into it. But this was the first series I picked because I randomly found it and was like, “I can get this.” I eventually met someone through that list blog that ended up being a fan of FT and we quickly bonded over it. It became kinda a crux for the first real friend I made over the internet. And I was happy. I got into the fandom and eventually met more people and that’s basically how I made friends which was through the fandom. It eventually influenced me so much, I ended up at a place that made me have to confront the “true quality of the series.”

This group had kinda been a more negative FT crowd who kinda pointed out how it was kinda dumb (and let me express this was an anime in general group we had, FT was a topic cause it was a weekly series, but just don’t this was a solely salty FT crowd) but at the time I felt I couldn’t articulate my thoughts so I write my first review. It got minimum views with my big break eventually being my review of chapter 515. And I was so happy. I people who validated my opinions, I grew in followers, and I could finally come to the table with a personality to blog for my friends (They were already distinct bloggers so I was always kinda the least successful cause I didn’t do much) But doing this review thing forced me to dive into parts of the fandom I never noticed. The discourse. I was so green to it that I became a stunch defender.

So I put all my efforts in my reviews while also popping up in many different places and FT related blogs. As I continued to do reviews  though and the shift of my own friends feelings and me associating with people who were in the negative feeling of FT, my opinions shifted. The series I chose so long ago finally revealed that it wasn’t as good as I thought it be. Every horrible thing I heard trolls yell about FT actually felt like it became true in that. So I was now in the thick of it and I would fight for my opinions. I would take on anybody who felt differently. Defend my opinions with the utmost passion and doing this while trying to build a reputation for myself. For the first time ever I actually had something that was passionate about and felt like I could make a name for myself through a medium that was hard for me to find people in the outside world to talk to with.

I’m sure your asking, “Rhapsode, what does any of this have to do with a revival of the FT fandom?” Well it basically means a revival of the FT fandom would mean I’d have to take this series the same way I took FT and would mean I’d likely have to resort to what I was like back when the FT fandom was active. Now let me give you little insight to writing reviews for an anime series. The key to it is timing. Unlike a movie that was made like 10 years ago and you can make a review of it and still have it attract readers, isn’t the same as Manga reviews which the key is to get it out while this chapter is relevant. In one week everything can change and you gotta keep up with that. Which is why back when I was doing Ft and I wanted to be in that window of releasing it, I would look up spoilers because those would help me formulate opinions and ideas quicker. The problem with that is I basically have those forming opinions bouncing in my head for days, eating up my time and focus till it actually came out. And then it would just repeat.

And then it all ended. The series was over and I had basically went on my own suspension, eventually reviewing other series since I still felt I had obligations to the people who followed me. And the series I choose, One Piece, Black Clover, MHA, I never did the same for them. I released them on the day they came out sure, but I always just ran with them instead premeditating a review like I did for FT. But with Edens Zero that mean’s I’ll have to go back and frankly I can’t do that.

I can’t go back.

When I started writing reviews I was in my last year of high school. I wasn’t fully aware what it be like in a world where I had no planned schedule and I at the time I was working a lax desk job which gave me access to the internet so I always had a way of keeping up with Tumblr. It all just consumed me at the time. FOr a while this discourse was my life, not my hobby. But now things are different. I have a different job that means I can’t use the internet as much as I used to and my new classes this year are all in the morning. There’s no way I’d be able to hit that window sufficiently. The other thing is I’d have to go back to how I acted in the FT fandom.

Now its been years and looking back on it what I did back i the day, I’m kinda ashamed. I’d show up everywhere like an unwanted degree of kevin bacon, I would either have to defend my opinion against backlash that turned into a screaming fit or an insightful conversation with people I would’ve never talked to otherwise, and then that would get shared around and then I’d have to defend myself from that image of those rallying against me. Maybe its just that I’m older now and had time to run this blog as a normal, non discourse inflicted blog, but I discovered it was a lot more easier, a lot more fun and, while I stand by what I said t the time in my reviews, the way I acted just makes me seem like a child.

And yet with EZ first review, in 24 hours I got basically a same taste of that lifestyle after so long and I honestly can’t take it. I fell so much different having to write responses and receive mail, and then venture through stuff and blogs I don’t care about just for other opinions. Fun fact, on the day I wrote my review of EZ, I ended up staying up later than I ever would on a week day to answer peoples questions and then having to defend my opinions and image as not a salt blog. Then went to bed, went to work, then I came home and I passed out. And waking up I found I had to do more of that and for the first time I felt like this had become a chore. And if that’s just me on one day, what’s it going to be like 500 from now?

What makes this worse is I’ve basically made this my personal blog and my professional blog. Because when I started out, I never had the forsight to make a blog solely for reviews and others just for fun. I’m a simple guy and I thought, “ehh easier to have one blog.” So there’s no mincing personality here. You see thegreatrhapsode it all falls under one umbrella.

Another thing to keep in mind is that there is no incentive for me to write reviews. I don’t get any revenue like on youtube which multiple views would get me. I did this solely on the fact I wanted to and I enjoyed spreading my opinion. But nowadays that isn’t enough. Not to sound ungrateful, but I’m not in a position where “sheer fun of it”, is enough to warrant all this time and effort. Because when I do these, I want to put my best into it. I don’t want to let readers down, but I can’t do that if I’m no longer able to enjoy writing and feel like I’m not doing anything.

Because this shit ain’t MHA or OP where we all agree on its quailty, this is FT. If you have an already existing opinion you’re going to stick by it. There’s nothing I can do that would ever convince people who openly call themselves “thrash” in how they eat up Mashima’s content. Like what can I do?

So that’s where we are. Potentially a continuation of FT that will likely swallow up my life the same way it did the first time if I don’t do anything. With a guy who doesn’t to act the way he did years ago, I found way to spend my time not reviewing series and meeting people beyond just a series, no incentive to keep going beyond a feling of duty. But here I know first hand my experience with this fandom and if I complain about this hardship and yet continue, its on me. I know how this’ll end. I can see it. This is the first time I ever felt like there was nothing to gain from what I did.

Followers, mutuals, casuals, I love you guys, but I let you down. No matter what option I pick I let you all down. If I keep going with EZ I potentially burn myself out and have potentially wasted all of your time or I stop and as a content producer I’ve failed to deliver which is the basic purpose of a blog like this. I still promised I’d review up to chapter 3 and I’m a man of my word, but as t stands I think I’m finally going to do what so many people who don’t agree with my opinions have told me, “don’t like it, don’t read it.” Well lets be clear I’m stopping not cause I don’t like it, I’m not going to read it because my life is better off without it. There’s noting I can do to shift your already existent opinions and there’s nothing Hiro Mashima can write that can hurt me more than I hurt myself running a blog in this manner.

So sorry guys. I’m sorry.

[persephone-damnedqueen]

Beginning Thoughts of the Fall Anime Season 2017 . . .

Welp, fall is here, and as usual, it is time for me to do my annual first impressions of the season’s anime titles.  My gods if you thought the amount of shows I checked out last season was a lot, this season’s amount is insane.  This season, so far, I have checked out 22 shows thus far and plan for at least 7 more to pick up.  Insane, right?  So how do they stack up so far?   Let’s see.  Also, please keep in mind, that these are solely based off of the first one or two episodes, and are purely my opinion, so if my opinion is different than yours, then I’d love to here it.   Also, I will try to remain as spoiler free as possible.  

Netojuu no Susume:  Studio Signal.MD

Dropped.  Alright, so I feel like I have to mention this.   I’m a serious gamer.  More specifically, I love me some MMOs.  How much you ask?   Well, so much so that I actually met my husband on World of Warcraft.  Insane right?  I mean my god you do not want to see our /played time on that game.  So, needless to say, I am a bit critical on gaming anime because of this, because I know what it’s like.   This anime was just. . . . cringey.  I found myself sighing every chance I got and by the 20 minute mark, completely turning it off.  Everything about the first episode was just  . . . bad.  There’s really just no redeeming qualities. . . well, one line said by the Guild Master which was something along the lines of “you have no idea what her irl gender is.”  I laughed.  It’s accurate.  85% of female toons you see on wow are actually guys. Anyways, moving on.   

Evil or Live:  Haoliners Animation

Dropped.  Mmmm  I had such high hopes.  After reading the summary, I will admit, I was hyped for this show.  On Paper, this show sounds wonderful.  I thought it was going to be some horror psychological thriller that at the end of it left you questioning the very meaning of the world around you or something.  Instead, what happened?   I . . .don’t even know.  The series starts off with massive amounts of Live Action, which, while being completely unexpected, I didn’t mind so much; the series became an instant drop for me when the MC and Co were clearly showing a break from reality and needed actual mental help, was beaten instead.   It wasn’t “horror” or “edgy” it was just poor writing.  Needless to say, I have dropped it.

Just Because!: Studio Pine Jam

Dropped.  For no other reason that fuck it’s boring.  I fell asleep watching it not once, but twice.  It was that boring.  This series proves that even the prettiest of shows can bore you to death.  

Omiai Aite wa Oshiego Tsuyoki na, Mondaiji:  Studio Seven

Porn.  With Plot.  Alright, so this is an actual hentai series.  Not like Soft-Core either like Hajimete no Gal was last season.  This is an actual hentai series, and if you could believe it, it’s actually more plot focused and semi-interesting than 95% of hentai out there.. . . Well, as interesting as a hentai series about a female teacher and a student banging and “engaged” can be.  Don’t get me wrong here, it’s totally trash, but hey, each episode is only four minutes, so I’m going to keep watching this trash just a bit longer to see where it goes.  

Sengoku Night Blood:  Typhoon Graphics

Mmmm Still waiting for the day with they make a good anime based off of an Otome Game.  Alright, so here’s the story.  Girl gets sent back into another world and gains a harem.  A vampire harem.  That’s it.  I’ve saved you the trouble of checking this series out.  You’re welcome.  

Urahara:  Studios Emt^2 and Shirogumi

Dropped.  Instant Drop.  Jesus Christ that animation is fucking trash.  You have two studios working on this series, and the animation still looks that garbagey?!?!  How?!?!?!  I can’t even with this. . . Ugh, nope, moving on.  

Osake wa Fuufu ni Natte kara:  Creators in Pack

Yet another series that will probably be dropped halfway through.  Honestly, there’s just nothing that really happens in this series, and I know it’s really hard for anything to happen in a four minute long series, but literally nothing happens.   Wife comes home.  Husband makes her drink.  Wife gets tipsy.  Thank you husband.  I mean the main reason why I’m going to be sticking it out just a bit longer is to keep getting cocktail recipes haha.   

Imouto Sae Ireba Ii:  Sliver Link Studios

Will probably be dropped.  Is it just me or is this series like Silver Link’s answer to A-1′s EroManga Sensei?  Honestly, this show is meh at best so far.  The art is nothing too great, and the story screams EroManga, and since I wasn’t a fan, I really don’t see myself watching more than three episodes.  

Boku no Kanojo ga Majimesugiru Sho-Bitch na Ken:  Studio Diomedea

I started watching it with hopes of it doing two things.  One, fill the hole in my heart that was left when Hajimete no Gal ended; and two, explain what the hell a Sho-Bitch is.  In all honestly though, this show is probably going to be dropped.  While the art is generic, the characters are bland and too common; I also the comedy too forced at time and repeatable.  Yes, we understand main waifu really just wants to figure out what Haruka likes, and obviously misinterprets everything, but does that really have to be the joke every single time?

Inuyashiki:  Studio MAPPA

Ah, the latest from Studio MAPPA.  I have one question:  MAPPA, what the fuck?  Let me clarify.  The opening few minutes of the first episode made me feel.  Fuck, I almost started crying.  It was depressing and yet the story was just relatable and beautiful all at the same time.  I was feeling feels I didn’t want to feel.  It really kept true to the Drama tag, which I love.  I’m a sucker for some hardcore drama filled series.  Then. . . .it got weird.  Some weird like mecha space alien thing weird.  So, again, MAPPA, what the fuck?  Don’t get me wrong here.  I will be continuing to watch this solely because despite the series taking that weird turn, in no way did that make the actual tone any less enjoyable.  Plus, the art style is so unique to the show, I’m curious as to where it can go from here.  

Mahoutsukai no Yome:  Wit Studio

Alright, I’m a fan.  This has to be a contender for Anime of the Season, and we aren’t even three episodes into it yet.  It’s wonderful, and not only one of my favorites from this season so far, but my favorite thing Wit Studio has ever done, (and yes, that just brought me a ton of hate from SnK fans haha).   I can see and agree with the hype this series has had.   Honestly, check it out.  It’s good  and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.  

Blend S:  A-1 Pictures

I found my Moe-Blob for the season, and I’m so happy.  I actually really like this series so far.  It was adorable, and literally just what I want in my seasonal moe-blob.  It’s nothing too driven plot wise, and definitely won’t be anime of the season or anything like that; it’s literally just Cute Girls waitressing in this cute cafe.  Regardless, I’m definitely going to continue to watch it for a bit longer at least.  

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou:  Studio White Fox

Keep your eye on this one this season.  It’s probably going to be the Dark Horse of this season.  In all honestly, I became instantly hooked watching the first episode.  The tone at the start was so eerie and grim that I found myself getting literal goosebumps.   Maybe it’s the high I’m on after the Made in Abyss ending, or just wanting to find something to fill the void that series has left me with, but I’m getting serious MiA vibes.  I’m hoping this series is even half as good as MiA was.  Also, I’m a major fan already of how unique the art is for this show.  

Ousama Game The Animation:  Studio Seven

I’m biased.  Period.  I will be watching this show no matter how terrible it could ever get solely because my favorite Seiyuu is the lead.  Mamoru is a God, and I will watch it religiously every week.  That being said, I can tell you that this show is edgy as fuck, and with it being one of two survival game anime out right now this season, this one is definitely the weaker, edgier of the two.  It is a pretty cool concept though, and I’m already a fan of the survival game concept, that I don’t mind watching this one until the end.  I would also like to warn that this one is definitely gory so if you don’t like that than this isn’t for you.    

Konohana Kitan:  Studio Lerche

CUTE LITTLE FOX GIRLS.  I REPEAT, CUTE LITTLE FOX GIRLS.  Having read the summary for the series prior,and seeing both the Seinen and Shoujo Ai tag on it and that it would be done by Lerche, it became an instant check out at least, and I’m glad I did.  This series is the calming pallet cleanser.  It’s the show where you can turn off your mind and just watch the cuteness.  Plus, did I mention cute little fox girls?  What more do you need?   

Black Clover:  Studio Pierrot

Alright, I’m split in two for this.  Part of me wants me to look at this show for what it is:  a stereotypical shounen series, with decent animation, predictable plot and bad voice acting, if you saw the first episode you’d know what I’m talking about.   This show screams Naruto, Fairy Tail and Bleach rip off; and hell, since I hate Naruto, never got into Bleach, and am still VERY pissed at Fairy Tail, combining the three into one really just makes me both cringe and glare at the screen.   Evil Glare.  A glare that if I could, would totally shoot lasers out and everything.  I mean hell, it’s even done by the same studio as Naruto.  Regardless, the tons and tons of shounen I’ve seen makes me just feel like this is repeating it all.   That’s one part of me.  The other part of me enjoys this show, solely for the fact that my husband LOVES the Black Clover manga, so watching it with him makes me at least want to give it a chance.   I do however doubt it will be as big as people hype it up to be, and if it does get big it will be nowhere near as good quality wise as a lot of other shounens, and will take a lot for me to become a fan.  

Juuni Taisen:  Graphinica

Without a doubt, my favorite from this season.  I’m hooked.  This series has it all:  unique character designs, well executed art, and a killer story line, (pun intended).  Mmmmm this story is wonderful.  It hooks you from the start, which is to be expected since the original source is written by the same original writer for the Monogatari Series.  There’s plot twists and betrayals and just epicness.  It also has one of the best openings and closings of the season.  Side Note:  THE PSYCHOTIC LITTLE USAGI BOY IS BEST BOY AND I WILL FIGHT ANYONE WHO SAYS OTHERWISE, AND IF HE DOESN’T WIN I WILL RIOT.  

Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru:  Washio Sumi no Shou:  Studio Gokumi

When I first saw that Yuki Yuno was getting another season, I was fucking thrilled.  Yuki Yuno was a magical girl series that I fell in love with not only because of the Madoka Magica vibes it had, but because of the beautiful art and animation and vibrant colors it used.  It’s visually stunning.  So, how is the prequel turning out?  Still just as stunning.  In all honestly, I’m going to love this series provided it stays true to the themes and tones of the first season, and if the opening episodes are anything to say about the rest of the series, then I know it will.  Plus, who isn’t up for Magical Girls this season?

Osomatsu-san 2nd Season:  Studio Pierrot

I actually genuinely missed this show.  My gods this show is a gift.  This has to be one of the underapprieciated comedy gems to come out in the recent years, and it fills me with joy knowing that it still shines just like the first season did.  I enjoy watching the episodic skits of everyone’s favorite sextuplets.  Seriously, why have you not started this show?  

Shokugeki no Soma:  J.C.Staff

DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I’VE WAITED TO SEE MY SON KUGA ANIMATED?!!??!  TOO LONG.  This is hands down the best season of Food Wars yet, and we are barely a couple episodes into it.   I love the pacing of this season, and having being a manga reader, I can confirm for you that it’s completely accurate with the manga thus far.  J.C Staff is clearly showing that they still care about Food Wars and aren’t rushing with the season.  Also, thank the gods for the 24 episode season.  THAT’S MORE EPISODES OF MY PRECIOUS KUGA.  

3-Gatsu no Lion 2nd Season:  Studio Shaft

I cried.  I fucking cried.  Hard.  My god I missed this series.  Everything about the first episode was fantastic.  The music and animation were spot on, but of course nothing out of the ordinary for the phenomenal Studio Shaft, but what did I love most you ask?  Character Development.  MY FUCKING GOD.  Compare Rei to the start of Season one, and you’d never think it’s the same person.  I can’t stress that enough.  If this first episode is a sign on how amazing the rest of this season is going to be then I’m beyond fucking happy.  This is the series I’ve been waiting for since the start of the year.  

Gintama.  Porori-hen:  Bandai Namco Pictures

Has there ever been like a bad season of Gintama?   Like Ever?  All this season has proved to me is: one, life is boring and dull without Gintama.  Two, Gintama is the king of comedy series.  Three, Gintama is without a doubt one of the greatest series of all time.   This season is hilarious and easily makes me burst out laughing from start to finish.  Thank you Gintama, I’ve truly missed you.  

Ballroom e Youkoso:  Production I.G.

How is the second half of the season you ask?  *Insert Pouting Face Here*  Fuck you, Chi-chan.  Worst Girl 2017.  THERE I SAID IT.  YEAH, I SAID IT.  WHAT YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT?  #BRINGBACKBESTGIRL2017  Like, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad Tartara has a partner now, but like seriously why her? -.-  Why couldn’t Mako just be his partner forever and they could live happily ever after?  

 So, yeah, those are my thoughts so far on the Fall Anime 2017 season.   Let me know yours, and if there is anything I’m not watching, and should be, then please tell me!  I love recommendations, and I already know of a few that I need to pick up. . . .

[professor-speedweeb-blog]

A manga you should give a chance: “BLACK CLOVER”

- everything BUT a ripp-off! (This text is as low on spoilers as it was possible)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySZeQBhz71E&t=1s

(link to video I made in connection with this entry)

Usually I tell people to “try out” a manga or “pick one up”, but with this specific case I think another choice of words is necessary.  From what I have seen on MyAnimeList, this manga suffers from a fascinating polarization in the reviews, going from catastrophically bad to astoundingly good.

And I think I know why. One of the biggest points of criticism was the point of ripping of other series like Naruto, Fairy Tail, or even Bleach. So we have a shonen series having shonen tropes. In other news: water is wet, fire is hot, and people die when they are killed.

Given how limited yet binding the tropes of the shonen-genre are, it's not exactly surprising to see the same elements resurface at times. And the series it is accused to have ripped off are the ones that have literally re-shaped and dominated the genre in the last decade, so not much of a surprise or scandal here either.

To be truly original as an author in such a genre there are three possibilities, all being equally legit and not exclusive:

total ignorance of the tropes and avoiding them like the plague

Subversion and then breaking with the tropes, especially where it is not expected

Accepting the tropes and expanding from there

Tabata Yuuki goes for the third approach here. However, for something to expand from you have to establish it first, if you want a work that stands up on itself and doesn't just lean on the genre for a proper understanding. You have to set the base first before you start building upwards, that's common sense.

And this is why in the first few chapters you get flooded by a bunch of tropes and scenes that appear like you have kind of seen them before – and this is why most people who only read the early bits gave it such a horrible score: they flunked out before the author was done setting down the baseline for his own work.

So we have a young naive protagonist, Aster, who is untalented (can't use any magic in this case), but has a big dream of becoming the next Emperor, Heavenly Superperson, Hokage, or whatever. At the same time he has a talented stoic rival that he competes with. And here people accuse the author of ripping of Naruto – however, they couldn't be more wrong.

For one, where Sasuke was an emotionless emo-placefiller, Yuno is way more of a likeable character – and their rivalry is NOTHING like the ones usually seen in shonen stories, where the rivals in question at first hate or at least don't respect each other. For those two it is different: they are literally brothers. They respect and love each other like family and keep looking out for each other. Unlike how most rival constellations start, this is a healthy relationship build around friendly competition.

Also, unlike Naruto, our main protagonist is all but lacking. He may be untalented in what the world considers the most important, but then again he might be one of the physically strongest and fastest characters in the cast, save maybe for some adult characters like Yami. And actually, he's not “untalented” either. A lack of talent implies that it could be compensated with hard work for the same results, which is totally wrong: Aster is unable to ever use magic on a genetic level. At some point in the manga he's also called a “defect”. No matter how hard he works, he will never achieve what everyone else has, that's why he has to work his way up in his own way – raw physical power and his personal gimmick. But primarily physical power.

So even without his anti-magic sword he's a force to be reckoned with. Which brings me to point two of the accusations of stealing ideas: “having a power that is connected to the evil demons”, which can be said to be trope Bleach has made popular. But: I'd claim that the concept of the personal “inner devil” is something so elemental to human storytelling that you can barely fixate it somewhere, on the other hand we don't exactly know if demons in that world are actually evil.

In Bleach it is simple: Hollows are soul eating beasts that need to be exterminated, and Ichigo using Hollow-Power makes him a freakish outcast, always in danger of getting consumed by his own power. But in Black Clover we know almost nothing about demons or devils, or if they are even truly “evil”, and anti-magic is not automatically brought into relation with them either. Aster is just the “odd one out” for not using normal magic.

Which brings me to the next point: people claiming it's a Fairy Tail knock-off because it uses magic and magic battles. First of all that alone sounds stupid, mostly because the concept of magic in fiction predates the creation of Fairy Tail by several thousand years. But even if Black Clover legitimately stole it, I'm happy with it:

Fairy Tail totally failed on delivering an authentic world AND at interesting designs of magic - so Black Clover taking over and actually getting both aspects right might be for the best.

With Fairy Tail it is always the same uninspired elemental powers or the typical gimmicks of the main cast that barely get elaborated on, and just strapping the name “Dragon Slayer” or “God Slayer” on something doesn't exactly change its mundane nature.

And everything else kind of exists at the sidelines but barely gets any relevance. Remember the Fairy Tail guy with the smoke magic? Well even I forgot that he exists. Meanwhile one of the early villains we meet in Black Clover has “Smoke” as a theme and uses it to a fascinating extent, and he's just one of many examples of a creative use of magic.

So now that we have the accusations of specific series out of the picture, let's clean up with the rest of it: the accusation that it is generic in the typical “friendship wins everything” part that shonen often has.

The fascinating part here: countless manga series have “the power of friendship” as a theme. However, those very same manga end every arc with a dramatic and climatic one-vs-one battle between hero and villain, a fight where friends were never needed apart from moral support or maybe for keeping the low-level-enemies busy.

However, in Black Clover things are slightly different: Given the nature of his powers, Aster NEEDS his friends in combat.

He's extremely close ranged with almost zero means of ranged attacks – and that in a world where absolutely everyone with even a speck of magical power can ride on a broom and get the height advantage on him. He lacks defensive skills apart from simple blocking, as well as healing powers. At the same time he cannot keep up with an enemy that has magic that makes them faster than what Aster can physically achieve. And on top of that his offensive powers are limited to one-vs-one combat.

It's not so weird that the magicians-group he's in has a teleportation mage, as well as someone specializing in long range artillery, and someone specialized in water magic AoE that can also be used for shielding – and that's not even accounting for all of the members. Without his friends, Aster wouldn't even have a chance in most fights.

Also under criticism: the “stupid protagonist” as he is common in shonen manga. Well, while Aster's lack of intelligence is certainly undeniable, he's one of the few characters who's actually aware of how stupid he actually is – what doesn't stop him from trying his best anyways, obviously.

There was a line in a recent fighting-chapter that I really liked: “I'm stupid so I can't afford myself to make any mistakes to begin with!” - when I look at the row of overconfident stupid-yet-likeable protagonists we have had in the last years, such self-awareness is really refreshing.

And another point would be the “power-up-through-emotions-and-dedication” trope.  The author actually goes the smart way with that one: he builds such power-ups directly into the empowerment system. Such plot-developments always appear kind of cheesy, but now it feels less like the author is cheating, especially as it is part of the general system it is available to ALL characters, not just the protagonists. Imagine a villain who is so evil, that when pressured, his hatred and greed create new magic mid-fight, a polar opposite to the “hero-powerup”.

This and several other things make me see a lot of potential in this series, maybe even so much that this will one day be part of what the Big Three were in the past.

Now that I have been countering some negative points for the last pages, let me finish this essay with the positive aspects: the characters are refreshing, the world feels authentic, and I personally really like the art-style. As a writer I'm not exactly good at describing art, but I think you could say it is more a “depiction of aesthetics” than a “portrayal of reality in a certain style”.

How do I explain it...  say you want to draw a character. Now in the style of Fairy Tail you'd have a focus on the body, the muscles and/or curves (also explaining why the two main protagonists of that series, Gray and Natsu, are always half-naked when fighting). In Black Clover the focus is instead on the clothing and the whole appearance, resulting in an entirely different style.

The fact that the style of this manga is less suitable for the primitive variant of fan service also is a bonus point for me, albeit a very subjective one. Don't get me wrong, everything has its time and place, but recently things have gotten slightly out of hand in certain series.