#it's from a children's anime PriPara

[shinayashipper]

This is how Atem Supports Yugi 😂😂

Kaiba Does Not enjoy it 😂😂

Based on this tiktok video:

[mahoutoons]

i'm really enjoying all the yuri i'm reading so far but i've gotta ask... wheeeeeereeeee is all the masc and butch rep?? don't get me wrong, i have nothing against fem4fem but its all i see in modern yuri. the most masc girl i've seen in a modern yuri is mitsuki koga. for a lot of the others the most "masc" character has short hair but that's it. nothing else about them is masc.

like why was there more butch rep in OLD ANIME than there is in modern yuri?

like, sailor moon isn't even a yuri and it has a canon nonbinary butch lesbian and THREE canon nonbinary characters, one of whom is also a lesbian who's in love with the main character. and speaking of which, why do i see more masc rep in non yuri anime than yuri? akira kenjou from precure, hibiki shikyoin from pripara, and amane sumeragi from primagi are recent examples of canonically masc characters. none of these anime are yuri.

why is it that i can find more masc rep in magical girl and idol anime aimed at children than in yuri aimed at an older audience?

like maybe i'm just not looking hard enough, i'd love recommendations of masc and butch rep in modern yuri.

[anpansidequest]

a pretty traumatic anpanman episode (a review)

before you pull out the spongebob rollercoster meme PLEASE put yourself in the target audience's shoes (wich is that of 3 year olds) ok? then let's go

the episode i wanna talk about is episode 35 part A: anpanman and dodo island (or dodo's island)

the episode starts with uncle jam teling anpanman and butako about the dodo, an extinct fligthless bird

after that we see anpanman patroling(?) with cheese, comenthing with him about how cool it would be to see a dodo.

then baikinman comes in with an invention of his and hits them, making them fall in an unknown island

there they found a dodo chick simply named dodo stuck under a rock, anpanman and cheese are overjoyed because they saw a dodo. anpanman of course helps dodo and offers him a piece of his face.

the boys form a very cute friendship with dodo with the three of them even naping thogether.

eventualy it gets late and dodo needs to go back to his parents, dodo's parents thank anpanman for helping their child, but baikinman then shows up

as usual he starts harrasing anpanman and eventualy cheese

and its around here where the episode takes a turn...

the dodos seeing no other choiçe on how to defend anpanman start screeming, wich activantes the three vulcanos on the island which in turn make the island sink defeating baikinman, however anpanman didnt have time to save dodo and his family

so anpanman and cheese have no other choiçe but to tearfully wach the friend that they just made probably die. we also get a rare moment of seeing anpanman cry, keiko toda's performaçe in this scene and the ones following it is also very good.

when anpanman and cheese return to the bakery its nigth already, they are of course stil sad about the acident and anpanman remains regretfull for not being able to save dodo and his family

however jam and butako ashure him its alrigth and that the dodos must have managed to escape in the last moment and are living somewhere peacefully in an island far away. and as out of character as it seeams for them i feel like jam and butako kinda lied to him so he can feel better. idk that left a bad taste in my mouth this was shurely soehorned in to not traumatize the babys (even more)

so the episode ends with anpanman dreaming of seeing the dodo family once more and flying with them (maybe in heven?)

so that ending bit asides i think this was a great episode! dodo is adorable with his va (wich i dont know who it is) doing a very good job, we get atached to the little guy wich makes this episode all the more sad. the episode is overall bittersweet and very well done typical "sad children's anime episode" from the time probably sticked with many japanese children

i tryed to search up the writer of this episode (aparently a person called jiro nakajima) but i didnt found any info on him

however i did found info in the director!

her name is "makoto moriwaki" and she did numerous projects like working with tatsunonko's pripara series sonic X and urusei yastura! she did a very nice job! also she has a twitter" (X)

overail i give this episode a solid 8.5/10

[86stagram]

Hi! I'm HAM's servant. This post is about the world settings of the future Pripara that I saw at the "Large Pripara exhibition" and my feelings at that time. I've split the long text into several parts. This is the 3rd post in the series!

(However, I'm still tired from the trip and my work, so I might write in Japanese sometimes. It’s totally up to you whether you choose to read it or not)

And if you'd rather experience it on yourself, skip the"#Large PriPara Exhibition" posts.

Right, those are the "Large PriPara TimeLines" (大プリパラ年表).

As you might guess from those pictures interpolated here, they summarized historic events from PriPara anime. Ah the good old days >___<｡

It seems to me that they're using the word "近代" (modern) incorrectly, more like "現代" (modern) in 現代 Japanese society. In Japan, "近代" is typically mean to the period up until the end of WWⅡ, though interpretations vary. I'm sorry if this isn't a good writing style for you. Well, PriPara world may be different from ours, but. . . Ugh?

TBH, I'm a little disappointed because I wanted the history of PriPara arcade, 3DS software, and SwiPara to be written as well. However, I have a doujin-book of useful but a bit old resources written by a geek friend so I'm gonna read it at a later date. And of course I will quote it if I found unexpected discovery!

I got off track, didn't I? My eyes teared up a little when I saw those exhibits. That's because I found myself reminiscing about various anime episodes and my memories of that time one after another.

アニメで好きなのは2期だけどのめり込み始めたのは神アイドル弾、最もやりこんだのはタイム弾……　ハムはまだ我が家にいなかった。私の頭の中もアドパラ並みに時空が歪んでいるので、色々な思い出と照らし合わせる資料が欲しかった……😵

Ah Pleopatra, I completely forgot. There is an idol who calls herself "Pleopatra" in Adpara haha. For those who don't know, she's an OC in the game, not in the anime. I occasionally see her.

I'm later to know her setting but now understand she's a Hanken-MyChara (版権マイキャラ : It means "an OC designed to resemble an existing-character". For example you've probably seen idols who look like Laala, Falulu, Aloma and Mikan occasionally in Adpara). I used to see these Idols from 2014 to 2017 in Japan.

覚えている限り、おそ松さんや刀剣乱舞が人気だった。うちにも結構いた、っていうか厳密に言うとハムもそうだ。「のびはむ SKジャパン ぬいぐるみ」で検索すると仲間がいっぱい出てくると思う

And I feel nostalgic about the PriPass Idol Link , PriTicket official file bag (Laala ver.) and many more things!!😭 I used to love those. . . Sadly, those collapsed due to age related deterioration around 2022 woooooo. . . 🍃

Incidentally, my sweet HAM-chan was transferring her consciousness transferred into my smartphone that day. Sounds a bit PriPass, doesn't it? 📱(´Y｀)💨

BTW, babysitting isn't common in Japan. Traditional childcare here, where mothers quit their jobs to concentrate on raising their children, has started to fall out of use. But I have no idea what year and era the world PriPara Idols live in now, given the distortion of time in anime. What going on with it . . . ???🤔

The bottom-left corner graffiti was drawn by Laalulu!

I think, maybe the lack of change of Japanese characters and how to expression is a little surprising for Japanese. (BTW, I'm gonna write the next post about around that just like the foot of the snake (蛇足 : what I don't have to do), so read on if you're a person who is very curious.)

" ♡ プリパラミュージアムの世紀末大そうじで うっかり歴史のしりょうを すてちゃった！！ クマコンのご先祖さまのヤラカシ

♡ プリパラ1000周年てん かいさいのピンチ！！ らぁるる、がんばるる！！"

Chinese characters (漢字 : kanji) are known as ideograms. It's still difficult for children to memorise. They are in the process of learning things from their life. The minimum required Hiragana and katakana are necessary for conversation for Japanese children those are acquired at an early age. Afterwards they are taught their own name's kanji, next easy kanji and gradually learn more difficult ones.

(This time, kanji are distinguished by pink, hiragana by orange and katakana by light blue. プレビュー上は問題ないように色を変更しているのに、なぜか毎回ちょっとおかしい表示になってしまう。諦めていいか？　いいよ)

Maybe Laalulu isn't older than Laala. I think the fact that she writes in hiragana when she should be writing in kanji, reflects her infant age settings and still lack of academic ability. I'm gonna post a bit of information about the Laalulu attends school and photos of Laala's test papers later. Her disgraceful 黒歴史 (black history) displayed in the booth. . . What a poor Idol😥

Ah I want to know what Laalulu is all about. First, is she a human or a vocal doll like Falulu?? (Ah Um well, I'm gonna write this directly without fear of being misunderstood. And second. Possibly they mean to say, "she is descendand from LaaFalu" ???? TBH, it's the most interesting mystery of her setting for me! help me!!🤓←otaku emoji)

BTW, it's a bit of minority for people to have written in hiragana or katakana like PriPara characters in Japan. Because most parents want their children's names to present a orison, so they often want to include meaningful kanji.

( The text in the balloon following "プリパラ1000周年てん" I could not be read by me because the image low dpi. Umm I should have come a bit closer!!😭)

Now, it's huge impact for me! Look at this pic!? Oh my HAM!!

!? Woooo I didn't know there was a set procedure for "BAKIRU(バキる)"!! It seems a way of punching the person right next to you with the hand holding a PriTicket. What a savage and boisterous way. . . it could suit YamiPri (闇プリ) Idols perfectly (?) 実はアニメにそんな説明されたシーンがあったかどうか記憶がなくてちょっぴり恥ずかしい。 "Yami" has the meaning of "darkness". OK, it suits Aloma a little. . . (?) BTW, 病み(yami : sick) and 闇 are known as the homophone. Maybe "病みかわいい" (sickly cute) also famous in other countries so when you don't know difference, you might tilt their heads.

同じ最年少でも、そふぃは8歳、ショウゴは5歳でデビュー。あとやっぱりプリリズからずっと「女子よりも男子の方がレベルが高い」という設定は続いてるのかな？　実際のフィギュアスケートでもそうだ���たから不思議ではないけど。

Now, were the stage version of DunPri and more works available see to people living abroad? If my memory serves me correctly, I think the Blu-ray wasn't sold after all. I have watched the whole works online in Japan, but I do NOT have the Blu-ray😥 If you had known their stories, you would have loved them even more. BTW, HAM likes ASAHI next to HIBIKI.

There are sooo many foreigners who enjoy the PriPara and Pretty series, so I'm really glad ｡´___`｡ But I wonder why they don't expand internationally more. I'm not entirely sure, majide! (imitating Asahi's voice)

てか、アドパラ公式本当にもったいないよ。舞台やダンプリ単独を見てなかったらダークナイトメアの設定なんかほとんど身にしみてわからなくね？？？　私自身、何も知らなかったらアニメの感想も違ったと思う。舞台の配信とアドパラを一周程度では、まだ彼らのことを明確には好きになれていないのだ。ふわっと程度には好き。近いのは「彼らのことが気になる」だ。だからこそ、もっと好きになれそうなところがあるのか知りたい。温かいスマホがありがたい季節になったら配信されている分を見返すけど、2期は……　いつ

ちなみに我々は配信で観た。私もハムも元々リアイベ全般が苦手。「好きになれるチャンスがあるか試す」ためだけに挑戦するハードルは高かった。それらを塗り替えてくれたのが、コロナ禍で盛んだった配信文化だった！　プリ☆チャンのライブとの親和性も高く、「放送当時はあまり楽しめなかったけど再トライしたいかも」と感じ始めたのもこの頃。感謝の気持ちは大きい！　ありがとう。

I realized that the Fortune Party logo looks like knit or fluffy fabric. I felt the designer's attention to detail!!

The images I saw online had no texture because the image quality was too low. Maybe I don't think we will stare at the logo for very long. Honestly, we usually just take a quick look at it a little bit to get a a sense the brand of coords, don't we. . . ?

ドロシーやレオナに似合いそうな素材感、隠れた手作り感、もこもこかわいい～！　ブランドの印象をより強く伝えてもらった気がする。

Other logos have a smooth texture as if they painted on plastic or resin (OK, just as I imagined) ! They made fantastic designs of adding intricate details but I didn't focus on them long time. I was really grateful to be able to appreciate logo works, even if it may seem exaggerated *´ヮ｀*

Now, large Dorothy is looking at you

If I had held my hand close to Dorothy as if offer her TomoTicket at that time, maybe I could have fantasised that we were really trading it . . . Ugh🤤

I'm allowing myself to freely fantasise about the world settings of the future Pripara now. Give me time, there are so many things I want to talk about~~~

「何年も経ってからならようやく答え合わせできるかも？」なんてあんまりだわよ！　まだまだ解らないことだらけ、アドパラ……。それに、あんなアニメの終わり方じゃやっぱり物足りないよ。いや、たくさん待ったからこそ��闇に期待が上がっていたのかなぁ、なんて。 お気に入りの 10th Anniversary Edition の歌詞だって、いつかは真の意味で頷きたいものだ。今のままだって十分好きだけど。

人はなぜプリパラにしがみつくのか？ 稼働当時は（いくら人気でも！）これほど終わらせてもらえないコンテンツになるとは思わなかった。た、たすけて～～～～

FREEDOM . . .

[pastel-tyranny]

The modern Mobile Gamer crisis: Kim Kardashian's free to play app is going under.

Long post with my thoughts down below.

If you haven't heard the news, the Kim Kardashian Hollywood app is getting shut down. For those who never played it (like me), it was a free to play fashion game where you can customize your avatar in order to become a celebrity. Think PlanetHollywood meets more micro transactions. I myself do not have a horse in this race as I've never played nor had the desire to play this game. However, this got me to thinking about accessibility for Fashion Sim games for other gamers and enjoyers.

I was fortunate enough to have grown up with the Style Savvy series of games, as well as the plethora of flash dress up games made by both fans and official sources. But with the death of flash, where else could someone without any cash get their fix, enter the free to play mobile market. I've played a few of these f2p games on my own time over the years; Beauty Idol, SuitU, Pixie Hollow, etc. But of course, if you wanted the best clothes, you'd have to shill out a few coins.

Now, most fashion games on mobile aren't that appealing. People are skeptical, and they look at a tad bootleg. To most mobile gamers, they might think it would be a waste. But with a brand or Celeberty, they know and trust, they'll feel more comfortable. That's why Kim Kardashian's Hollywood was so successful. People know the Kardashians, so more people would be willing to try a mobile game with their name on it.

But to a mainstream celebrity, they would see this as nothing more than a cash grab product. I think princesspoki on YouTube put it best. "Kim Kardashian made a bag off of this game, talking millions on millions of dollars. And now she's going to Thanos snap, disappear, people's hard earned money, and time, and effort. Just because they like fashion games. ...(mobile gamers) deserve to have a game to come back to." (princesspoki on youtube).

We now turn our attention to game preservation as a whole. This practice shouldn't be just for consoles from 30 years ago, but mobile games as well. A great example, you can't play the original angry birds without an iPod touch from your childhood because it's not compatible with a modern iPhone's IOS. And there's no emulator community for these types of mobile games. When flash went under, many fashion games either got flash emulators or software compatible with modern computers to make the games work. Heck, even defunct children's MMO games like Toon Town or Club Penguin have a thriving community of people dedicated to recreating server codes.

Some people are hopeful for a replacement game of sorts like the short shown above by Louis Laventi. But if I know a thing or two about the world of mobile gaming, this is a very unlikely scenario.

With that, I will give you all some game recommendations that are fashion focused or have an extended custom avatar feature. (The ☆ means that it's only in Japanese)

SuitU (Android / IOS)

CocopaPlay (Android / IOS)

LinePLAY (Android / IOS)

Idol Land Pripara (Android / IOS) ☆

Selfy Collection (Nintendo Switch)

Animal Crossing New Horizons (Nintendo Switch)

Fashion Dreamer (Nintendo Switch)

Pripara: All Idol Perfect Stage (Nintendo Switch) ☆

dolldivine.com (PC, they also have IOS app versions of their games)

Shining Nikki (Android / IOS)

Love Nikki! Dress up game (Android / IOS)

Alice Closet (Android / IOS)

My Universe: Fashion Boutique (Nintendo Switch, Ps4, and Steam)

Bratz: Flaunt your Fashion (PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam)

RuPaul Drag Race Superstar (Android / IOS) [this where the slay button meme comes from]

Gacha [Club/Life]* (Android / IOS)

*ok I know this last one has a problematic community, but the game outside of it is a great avatar maker.

My final thoughts; for my casuals, for my Fashion enthusiasts, for my kawaii gamers, and for the mobile gamers. We deserve to have fashion mobile games archived and emulated. If there are any people in the emulating community who are willing to, please archive them. Maybe there is hope for a new release, I personally doubt it. But for now, it's time to fly home from Hollywood and restart a new game.

[millepara]

waccha primagi ep 1!!!!!!!! spoilers (this is so long it took me multiple days to finish writing. what else do you expect from me though)

god I really should have waited for the official youtube upload before watching this for the first time... as it was I kept mentally editing/getting irritated by/making alternate translations for the subs and though I did enjoy it despite that it wasn’t nearly as much as I would have otherwise... but now I’m going to fix that!!

zamasu.... it’s not pretty series without gobi.

is Myamu a student or just there bc her grandfather works there? she could just be skipping the assembly to pull off her heist, but she does seem younger than the other students and is obviously not in the same uniform. anyway before I get any further

I!! LOVE!! MYAMU!!

wtf she’s sooooooo cute and a huge pain in the ass... one of my favorite types of character...... I feel like there will be a lot of Myamu hate out there bc I know how fandom can get abt characters that show characteristics that could be interpreted as neurodiversity, or children acting like children, or basically anything that could be applied to Myam. but I think she’s neat :) I will defend her to the death

when I first saw Jennifer’s design, I thought her coord was p plain compared to the other idols? I guess I still think that but I’m more ok with it. I love her lady lovely locks hair a lot. can’t wait to hear more of her song!!

I like Matsuri’s voice a lot too! here, and in the other songs.

(unrelated) I just remembered another reason I like Myamu which is that it’s easy to tell from her twitter presence/appearance in the Primagi special/ciaofes that Myamu’s VA Koike Riko loves Myamu as well. I’m a total sucker for that (also really enjoy how this messy sentence I wrote makes it seem like I’m talking abt Myamu’s twitter presence at first)

LMAO Amane’s fucking pose near the end of the op

I like the pink/brown Valentine’s combo of Matsuri’s uniform but the silhouette looks really frumpy :( in the animation at least, it’d be cute irl...

so... everyone in this world knows what primagi is, but not that it’s actually magic, as stated in the primagi tagline. still, it’s weird that Matsuri doesn’t follow what Myamu’s saying at all? I think it’s implied that once you become a primagi star, you’re in the know about magic and whatever (Myamu: “Once you try Primagi, you’ll understand!”), so it’s hard to believe that no one like... leaked it or whatever. like if irl idols were secretly using magic to perform there would at least be rumors about it

the way that magic users have to collect waccha in the human world via primagi performances using normal humans really reminds me of sugar sugar rune’s heart crystal system! (not in a bad way, nothing is new etc etc, it’s just very magical girl of them in a series that I’m not used to thinking of as a magical girl series)

that ‘snow, moon, cosmo, flower, star’ on the cover of the Jennifer magazine is clearly referring to 5 of 6 symbols on the primagi magic circle, right? it’s a relief to get names for something in the Lore this early haha. I wonder if that also corresponds to the different colors of the coord mates (like how the one Matsuri gets her card from in this ep is pink)

I’d assumed that primagi was a place like pripara or an activity like prichan, but the fact that primagi has an entry deadline means that it’s a competition? that’s more in line with the pretty rhythms. also in that it means that not everyone is able to participate in it anytime like in pripara/chan... kind of an odd step back (?) if so imo

clearly there’s some sort of romance subplot (more PR similarity!) on the horizon with this childhood friend here, but tbh I don’t mind because Matsuri looks and acts older (/more like a real teen) than everyone in prichan/para. don’t get me wrong, I’m not looking forward to it either, it just seems less forced than say the aikatsu ones. I know it’s just the first ep, but primagi feels more like a traditional shoujo story to me than the past two series. except for every time Myamu is there lmao

the first time I watched this ep I didn’t have much of a grasp of Matsuri’s character and her sudden embrace of primagi felt so melodramatic, but I’m more ok w it the second time, and it feels like that is what’s characterizing her. is it bc I’m in the shoujo mindset after watching it once already? am I just in a better mood?

huah! hweh! (tantochan noises)

the Magical Gate seems like it’s just a magical fitting room to go to change your appearance and coord, as opposed to a portal to another place. more pretty rhythm similarity! and unlike pripara it seems not to age them up at all based on what I’ve seen in the anime so far... they just think 13-15 year olds look like that huh :I also how do they hide the secret of primagi being actually magic when their hair color and stuff changes...

they’re presenting this Omega corp meeting like it’s something shady but they don’t actually say anything suspicious... also Jennifer's Oh No makes no sense here. love it when they insert pidgin English for foreign characters in a way that makes it obvious no one near the writer’s room speaks a word of English

I was actually really surprised by the declaration that Myamu is rumored to be a powerful magic user. I thought she was going to be like a screw-up who has to work extra hard as is the usual protag trope, so I found that pretty interesting!

Matsuri’s friends who were all excited abt getting her to enter are, now that she has entered, all like wow I hope she’s ok :/ .... make up your minds lmao

at no point is it explained why everyone is in Lovely Melody tshirts

big kinpri vibes from this magic guy. no one in particular that he reminds me of, just the weird pervert expression and ominous aura. also def the wolf in human form, right? but it seems like he’s courting Childhood Friend as his chuppi partner, right? but the way he was talking to Myam earlier implied he already had a partner, right???

is this fairy tone thing with cat ears what Myamu turned into, or is she inside of it??

I really like Matsuri’s song! it feels quite modern for priseries, but not in the kpop way that aikatsu did for a while in friends. I think the dance is pretty stupid and basic, but... that actually does make sense for a girl who’s just starting out as an idol, so I also begrudgingly respect what might be an attempt at realism... but I’ve literally never cared about realism in kids idol shows before, and would actually prefer LESS realism, so I’d rather see a dance that I like better imo haha (also update as of my billionth or so repeat of Ma(g/j)i Waccha Parade: I still don’t like the dance, but it has grown on me some for sure)

it would be really cute if all of the solo songs had the idols’ magic user partners being their hype man in the bg like Myamu is here.

pretty series always has the best cg and it’s true here too except for the way her hands move. or don’t move, rather

this primagi illusion is so cute!! so many rainbows!!! I’m a fan 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

I’m still unclear where this coord mate thing is Myamu or not. like I was 100% entirely sure it wasn’t and then Myamu spoke... from inside it?? more Lore to learn about later I guess

so... everyone’s coord book holds every coord ever inside it?? seems OP. wish the irl one did that

...except for Matsuri’s?? it seems to only have the one card she just got in it. maybe it’s every coord after you get the book?

and that’s the ep! wow, it really was better the second time.

it’s just the first ep so I don’t wanna get into thoughts abt the magical girl-ness of it or anything deep or w/e but I will say... I like it! I’m really excited for the next one!! and I didn’t feel this way about prichan ever except for a little while in the second season. I know this is 90% bc I still dislike the premise of prichan and the premise of primagi is what would happen if the creators were like ‘how can we create a pretty series show SPECIFICALLY for Biscuit only’.... but that’s fine with me!! more shows like that, please, haha

for now I’m excited to see Matsuri interact w other non-main characters, which is good bc it seems the next ep’s about meeting Hina. I wonder if her getting introduced first means she’ll be Matsuri’s bff? (aside from Myam, I guess) she’s not at all the typical best friend archetype, so that would be pretty neat....

[jewlwpet]

I don’t even know what to do with the knowledge that anyone within PriPara who poses a big enough treat to The System can be permanently erased from existence.

The thing is... how many times has this happened? There’s no way to know. No one would ever realize, even if the world was changed drastically.

[tsunflowers]

Do you have any idol animes you’d recommend?

of course I do!

pripara: pripara is an idol anime and an experience. has probably THE weirdest characters and plotlines of any idol anime I’ve seen but it has a lot of genuinely heartfelt moments as well. if you can accept what pripara is bringing to the table I think you can have a lot of fun with it. this is one with a ludicrous number of episodes but all you have to do is start at the beginning and keep going. cgi dance performance in every episode, guaranteed. actually there are probably a couple without

aikatsu!: my number two. aikatsu is probably easier to get into than pripara bc the premise is much simpler: the characters go to a school for idols. I love the original series and its characters but it does have 178 episodes and the cgi is REALLY BAD at first and every episode has a cgi dance number. another aikatsu series that’s a little shorter (76 eps) with consistent cgi is aikatsu friends! they go to a different idol school in this one and it’s more focused around duo units which have romantic shippy moments if you love that aspect of idol anime

ensemble stars!: I really enjoyed the enstars anime and it got me into the series as a whole but it felt a little clumsy bc it’s adapting a phone game into an anime. characters who aren’t involved in the initial main plot of the game don’t get a lot of attention. but it’s fun and if you want to see male idols who go to school for idols and it’s insane I recommend it. does NOT have cgi dance performances every episode

the idolmaster: sidem: another male idol series, also adapted from a game. I think this one accomplishes that better bc fewer characters are featured and each unit basically gets an episode to themselves. the characters are a range of ages, from children to adults, and are joined by being in the same agency. performances are mostly 2d and I think less than once per episode. it’s only like 13 eps though so you can watch this one quick

the idolmaster: cinderella girls: this and sidem are the most “realistic” of the idol anime I would rec, with characters who are signed with an idol agency. the main characters are all in high school but there are a variety of other adults, children, and teens in the agency. the premise of the “cinderella girls” agency is “everyone can be an idol” and I don’t think they delivered on that as much as they could have but there are some good characters. I feel like it’s a pretty solid anime in addition to being a solid idol anime. I think performances are like every other episode

pretty rhythm rainbow live: pretty rhythm is like the precursor to pripara and I think in terms of enjoyable nonsense+genuine engagement they peaked with pripara but rainbow live as the last pretty rhythm before they switched to pripara is pretty well smoothed out. in this one the only ones who go to idol school are the rival characters, and the main group just want to be idols without getting that fancy-pants education. there is a talking penguin in this one. the rivalry drama is pretty excellent and despite being a girl idol anime there are some guy idol characters who get to perform. you know theres a cgi performance every ep in this one and it looks pretty good for 2013 or whenever it came out

[kurosaki]

10 Characters Tag

Tagged by: @dialovers-translations Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! 💜

Rules: make a new post, name 10 of your favorite characters from 10 different fandoms that you like, and then tag 10 people.

1. Ruki Mukami — Diabolik Lovers

I will say this now, I love Ruki, Subaru, Shu, Carla and Yuma equally. I genuinely cannot chose between them because I love them so dearly and bring me so much comfort during a lot of stressful situations. I decided Ruki since we both share a similar tragic backstory of being abandoned by their parents and I feel he would understand me the most. I'm also attached to Ruki because of our shared passion for literature. I also really love the way Ruki presents and carries himself, he's so... regal? elegant? The Mukami brothers have such an emphasis on found family and strong bond, I'm a sucker for that as well especially for all the advice Ruki gives his brothers not only in his own, but all his brothers' routes.

2. Shin — Amnesia

Admittedly when I first played Amnesia, I picked Shin because I'm a sucker for goths. After playing his route I fell absolutely in love, I actually cried multiple times during his route. The only other time that happens is when I play DL. *sobs* I didn't expect Shin to have such real struggles and such love for the player (despite him being so grumpy, but honestly it's adorable). I cannot stress how well written his character is. I love him so much, it's late at night and I shouldn't get emotional over otome games, but Shin just gets me.

3. Mitsuri Kanroji — Kimetsu no Yaiba

MITSURI IS MY BI GIRLFRIEND I ADORE HER SO MUCH. Thank you KNY for allowing my love to have a boyfriend AND girlfriend who love her so very much. (Shoutout Shinobu and Obanai) Mitsuri's design is what immediately drew me to her. She is so bright and warm and personally I think braids are the absolute cutest (ESPECIALLY WITH DUAL TONED HAIR)

4. Ishtar — Fate/GO

There are a lot of FGO ladies (and Merlin) that I adore, but Ishtar will always be my favorite. I first got introduced to her through FGO's summer event years ago and I absolutely adored the chaotic energy she had in the story. After that I decided I would continue playing FGO and I've been stuck here ever since :•) The FGO Babylonia anime also portrayed her so well, I loved seeing how animated and vibrant she is!

5. Ares — Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

Mutuals know I am a big FE4/5 elitist, I'm sorry for my hubris, but Ares Hezul Nordion Fire Emblem, please sir... your hand in marriage. I absolutely loved this man in my FE4 play throughs. He is a killing machine, when he got into FEH I was so happy, his new art? Stunning. I hate the app and what it did to the Jugdral series, but the Nordion Family art is superb. I loved his story in FE4 and the growth and healing he goes through after meeting Seliph, the narrative genuinely touched my heart. I want to put the entire FE4/5 cast on this list.

6. Asbel — Fire Emblem: Thracia 776

I. Love. My. Son. So. Much. Just like Ares, Asbel is an absolute killing machine. He genuinely saved my life in FE5 so many times, even after many sleepless nights and strategizing. I genuinely feel like I owe my B ranking in Thracia to Asbel. His love for Leif makes me want to cry, I'll never forget “We swore to each other that we would live and die together, Lord Leif ... Let's reclaim Thracia. I'm willing to go through anything for that cause!”

7. Lillie — Pokemon Sun/Moon

Lillie is the best daughter I swear! I adore her and the entire Sun/Moon anime and cast! Although Hoenn is my favorite because of nostalgia, Alola is a close second and I will genuinely say it was the best anipoke. It featured so much growth, not only for Ash, but for Lillie and the rest of the Alola gang as well. I relate to Lillie's relationship with her mother as well, you have no idea how happy it made me seeing the “I hate you mother!” scene animated. I'm Lillie's mom now. That's final.

8. Pripara — Sophie Hojo

If I had to recommend an anime to anyone, it would be Pripara. It's the most silliest idol anime I've ever watched and definitely directed to children, but I love how inspirational it is to kids. It's the kind of show I wish was there for me as a child, but I'm so happy younger kids get to have these positive messages and life lessons. Sophie is very dear to me, she showcases that self growth can be taken at a steady pace and there's absolutely no rush to growing and being able to learn how to take care of yourself.

9. Rem — Re:Zero

It has honestly been years since I've read Re:Zero and couldn't tell you anything besides the basic plot, but I absolutely adore Rem. I was drawn to both Rem and Ram based on their designs, but the more I watched the show, the more I got attached to Rem. Her smile is such a blessing, every time I see it, just an immediate dose of serotonin.

10. Cloud Strife — Final Fantasy VII

This guy... this guy right here... I just think he's really neat! Admittedly, all my FFVII lore information comes from my girlfriend. I want to play FFVIIR once I'm able to visit my little brothers and borrow their PlayStation (they got the PlayStation, I got the Switch) SO HOPEFULLY I GET TO MEET HIM SOON! I've heard a lot about him from friends and mutuals I just got attached. He's pretty cool :)

Tagging: I physically cannot tag other people because of anxiety, but if you want an excuse to talk about your favorite characters please feel free to say I tagged you :3

[magicalgirlagency]

Hey, So I was on DA and apparently some user made a post called "What Standard Magical Girl shows are like" and I'm curious to here your thoughts on it. (Just a warning, the person who made that post is a Madoka stan.)

And holy cow, that post was a wild ride from start to finish…

It’s just some dude complaining about how people have a “erroneous understanding” of how a Standard Magical Girl Show™ works out, and they proceed to talk about how clichéd, shallow and empty they are, and how the thing that saves the day for magical girls isn’t friendship and teamwork, it is “Stock Footage” that does the job.

They also blab about how a Standard MG Show™ is basically Power Rangers without the action scenes with a dash of Disney Channel Teen Sitcom/Valley Girl. And with that statement, I can evidently see that they have never ever ever heard of Pretty Cure (or any other MG show before Sailor Moon, for that matter).

Then they proceed to blab about how clichéd, shallow and empty a SMGS™ actually is, by using teen sitcoms as the base for their (useless) argument.

It’s funny how they say that all that the girls think about are boys, make-up, shopping and other “traditionally feminine stuff”…

…oh, yeah… apparently, Pretty Cure doesn’t really exist. It’s just some wild fantasy that I came up with so I could feel better about myself and disconect myself from reality.

As for the “stock footage” thing, it’s only there for two things:

To save time and money;

To entertain little children (because they are the genre’s FREAKING DEMOGRAPHIC?!)

Look, I’m not an animation expert or something, but I try my best to not be bothered by such details…

And as for this whole Standard thing, there is NO Standard. The MG genre wasn’t born already on fighting and action scenes; it went through lots of phases and themes:

Majokko/Little Witch (Mahoutsukai Sally, Majokko Megu-chan, Ojamajo Doremi, Sugar Sugar Rune);

Magical & Mundane (Himitsu no Akko-chan, Sarutobi Ecchan, Pastel Yumi);

Sci-Fi (Cutey Honey, ESPer Mami, Moldiver, Musumet, Corrector Yui);

Magical Idol /Performer (Creamy Mami, Magical Emi, PriPara, Aikatsu);

Magic Academy (Winx Club seasons 1-3, Little Witch Academia);

Phantom Theives (Saint Tail, Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne);

Magical Animals/Partners/Non-human Creatures (JewelPet, Onegai! MyMelody, RiluRilu Fairilu);

Live Action (Himitsu Senshi series. Poitrine);

Isekai/Other World (Flip Flappers, Star Vs. during season three);

Tragical Girl (Madoka Magica, Raising Project, Yuki Yuna);

Parody/Meta (Tonde Buurin, Machikado Mazoku);

Magical Warrior (Sailor Moon, Pretty Cure);

Any combination of those themes above;

…and so on…

I won’t even bother to check out the rest of that post, because WOW, What A Load Of Bullshit™.

…at least they were smart enough to know that Sailor Moon wasn’t always pretty and elegant…

…but they forget that Sailor Moon wasn’t the only MG show to present intense moments…

Minky Momo had their main girl lose their transformation trinket and be ran over by a car (or was it a truck? Can’t remember very well…); Fushigi na Melmo had their main girl lose her mother at a early age and finding herself on her own to grow up and take care of her younger brothers (literally and figuratively speaking); Mahoutsukai Chappy had their main girl hiding her magical powers from others or else she’d be burned at the stake; HeartCatch PreCure had a magical girl almost giving in to hatred and revenge because she has seen her father and mascot die; Ojamajo Doremi has dealt with themes of depression, miscarriage, racism, cancer and divorce; Star Vs. The Forces of Evil had this subplot about discrimination and heart-shattering family secrets (despite the fact that it had a shitty ending…)

Like, come ON, man! You didn’t gave a solid argument about the MG genre! Like, zero! Zilch! Nada!

If you were a tad bit more knowegdable on the genre, you’d know that there is no standard, and that not every MG show follows the Monster Of The Week/Day formula.

And it’s funny how OP is a MadoMagi stan, and yet I’ve seen NO mention of MadoMagi on their post!

[vanilla-blessing]

The Garuru-shaped hole in Kiratto Pri⭐Chan

Kiratto Pri⭐Chan is the newest iteration in what's suddenly being called the Pretty Series collective franchise of idol animes based on a long-running idol arcade game series targeted at gamer tweens. It has a console game on the Nintendo Switch along with PriPara, and although the anime is not conventionally popular it has amassed a strangely sizable following of Japanese artists and musicians. The modern innovation that Pri⭐Chan brings to the table is that now they run a youtube channel I guess. However, in my opinion the show is so far missing the spark of madness that had colored the Pretty Rhythm and PriPara seasons of the past, and this void is reflected in the memetic response to Pri⭐Chan on social media. 

I've tried to express what's appealing about the PriPara and Pretty Rhythm series in the past, to limited success, but I'm going to attempt to expound on that again because I don't learn from experience. My enjoyment of the Pretty Series hinges on three things: the pseudomagical setting that borders on something you’d see in a magical girl, the oddball sometimes-progressive characters that you wouldn't normally expect from an anime, and the underlying feeling that all of this is tenuously messed up in a way that's difficult to describe in words. A microcosm of these aspects is PriPara and Idol Time PriPara’s Garuru, an aggressively bitey and completely tone deaf golem born out of the suffering of children. 

Garuru was the prime example of something that you would never normally include in a similar idol anime like the Aikatsu series, since she’s an anomaly with no business existing who can't even sing right, but PriPara lets her on stage to do her thing anyway with no expectation that she would improve or change, but instead insisting that she only needed to find out where she belonged. This embracing of themes that were unconventional or even diametrically opposed to how anime usually treats girl idols endeared me to Pretty Rhythm and PriPara over anything else in that wheelhouse. 

(source)

Perhaps unfortunately, Pri⭐Chan hasn't yet reached the same levels of weird, or had any really unconventional characters so far. It's only six episodes in, but although the faces by the new series director Ikehata are top notch funny, it doesn't feel as low-key messed up as the Moriwaki-directed windows to the Pretty Series multiverse, and fans of PriPara have subconsciously started to take matters into their own hands to fill this Garuru-shaped hole. Screenshots of a glitch in the previously mentioned Nintendo Switch game that caused Mirai Momoyama to appear to be in grey, black, and blue, missing an eye and most of her right hand, were retweeted thousands of times and inspired hundreds of drawings of "Glitch Mirai" (バグみらいちゃん), flooding twitter and other social media with an idol who was never supposed to exist. 

(source)

(source)

This inexplicable surge of popularity over a visual error for a frankly very buggy game over any other part of the show represents how important this missing aspect was to the fanbase of this otherwise unremarkable idol anime for tweens. It's slightly reminiscent to the more subversive aspects of some american cartoons, like Star vs the Forces of Evil, or Adventure Time, that occasionally dip into existential horror, and although it may not have been intentional in the past, its absence here is unmistakable. Although Kiratto Pri⭐Chan is perfectly serviceable as an idol anime, and as an arcade game advertisement, to me it distinctly lacks the spark of madness that would make it truly different.

(source)

-qb @queuebae on twitter ~ We Tried Starting an Anime Blog! 600 Words of Content ~

[someawesomeamvs]

Warning: Potential spoilers, violence

Title: Animegraphy 2017

Editor: Verathin

Music: “Help” by Hurts, “Show Me What I’m Looking For” by Carolina Liar, “The Nights” by Avicii

Anime: Akiba no Trip the Animation, Nanbaka, Ai Mai Mii, SpiritPact, Schoolgirl Strikers: Animation Channel, Minami Kamakura Koukou oshi Jitensha-bu, Urara Meirochou, Youjo Senki, Seiren, Fuuka, Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, Masamune-kun no Revenge, Ao no Exorcist 2, Strike the Blood II, Koro-sensei Quest!, San-gatsu no Lion, Sousei no Onmyouji, All Out!!, ClassicaLoid, Nobunaga no Shinobi, PriPara, Monster Hunter Stories: Ride On, Demi-chan wa Kataritai, Chain Chronicle: Haecceitas no Hikari, Tales of Zestria the X, elDLIVE, Idol Jihen, Nyanko Days, KonoSuba, One Room, Hand Shakers, Gintama (2017), Gabriel DropOut, ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka, Yowamushi Pedal: New Generation, Onihei, Piace: Watashi no Italian, Chiruran: Nibun no Ichi, Kemono Friends, Kuzu no Honkai, Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon, Marginal#4: Kiss kara Tsukuru Big Bang, Aikatsu Stars!, Super Lovers , Cardfight!! Vanguard G: Next, Little Witch Academia, Rewrite: Moon and Terra, Nekopara OVA PV, banG Dream!, Reikenzan: Eichi e no Shikaku, ChäoS:Child, Granblue Fantasy the Animation, Shingeki no Kyojin, Boku no Hero Academia, Alice to Zouroku, Gin no Guardian, Future Card Buddyfight Battsu, Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Sakurada Reset, Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism, Souryo to Majiwaru Shikiyoku no Yoru ni…, Oushitsu Kyoushi Haine, Frame Arms Girl, Starmyu, Cinderella Girls Gekijou, Detective Conan, Seikaisuru Kado, Tsuki ga Kirei, Renai Boukun, Clockwork Planet, Saekano b, Re:Creators, Shingeki no Bahamut: Virgin Soul, Eromanga Sensei, Berserk (2017), Hinako Note, Kabukibu!, Kyoukai no Rinne, Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel (TV), Love Kome: We Love Rice, Zero Kara Hajimeru Mahou no Shou, SukaSuka, Shuumatsu no Izetta, Natsume Yuujinchou Roku, Fukumenkei Noise, DanMachi Gaiden: Sword Oratoria, Sin: Nanatsu no Taizai, Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale, Idol Time Pripara, Uchoten Kazoku 2, Kenka Banchou Otome: Girl Beats Boys, Sakura Quest, Kakegurui, Fate/Apocrypha, Katsugeki/ Touken Ranbu, Knight’s & Magic, Hina Logi: From Luck & Logic, Senki Zesshou Symphogear AXZ, Koi to Uso, New Game!!, Tsurezure Children, Isekai Shokudou, Aho Girl, Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun, Nana maru San Batsu, Skirt no Naka wa Kedamono Deshita, Youkai Apartment no Yuuga na Nichijou, Battle Girl High School: Battle Girl Project, Netsuzou TRap, Saikyuuki Reload blast, Dive!!, Konbini Kareshi, Made in Abyss, Shoukoku no Altair, Vatican Kiseki Chousakan, 18if, Welcome to the Ballroom, Princess Principal, Centaur no Nayami, Hitorijime My Hero, Action Heroine Cheer Fruits, Tenshi ni 3P, Gamers!, Hajimete no Gal, Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni, Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e, Nora to Oujo to Noraneko Heart, Clione no Akari, Blame!, Yuuki Yuna is a Hero! Washio Sumi no Shou- Tamashii, Kizumonogatari 3: Reiketsu, Jigoku Shoujo: Yoi no Togi, No Game No Life: Zero (film), Violet Evergarden, Jikan no Shihaisha, Time Bokan 24, Trickster, Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, Long Riders!, Henkei Shoujo, Sakura Internet, Trinity Seven: Eternity Library to Alchemic Girl, Welcome to the Madness, Haifuri OVA, Ryuu no Haisha, 91 Days Special, Saikonna Soushin Shoujo Matoi Special, The King’s Avatar, Monster Strike 2, Tsugumomo, Uchiage Hanabi, Sand Planet (Hatsune Miku PV), Hungry Days, Kase-san and Morning Glories, Magia Record, Sakura to Futatsu no Kuma, Pokemon Sun & Moon, Kuroko no Basuke: Last Game, Tokyo Ghoul :re, Black Clover (TV), Juuni Taisen, Ousama Game, UQ Holder! Mahou Sensei Negima! 2, Osake wa Fuufu ni Natte Kara,167. Konohana Kitan, “Omiai Aite wa Oshiego, Tsuyokina, Mondaiji”, Osomatsu-san 2, Urahara, Sengoku Night Blood, Tsukipro The Animation, Just Because!, Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou, Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World, Net-juu no Susume, Taishou Chicchai-san, The iDOLM@STER Side M, Code:Realize: Sousei no Himegimi, Love Live! Sunshine!!, Garo: Vanishing Line, ClassicaLoid, Mahoutsukai no Yome,. Kekkai Sensen & Beyond, Imouto sae Ireba Ii, Houseki no Kuni, Blend S, Animegataris, Hoozuki no Reitetsu, Two Car, Himouto! Umaru-Chan, Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau, “Wake Up, Girls! Shin Sou”, Boku no Kanojo ga Majimesugiru Sho-bitch na Ken,. Dies Irae, Inuyashiki, Kuroshitsuji: Book of the Atlantic, My Cultivator Girlfriend, Evil or Live, Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry, Dynamic Chord, San-Gatsu no Lion, Gintama: Porori-hen, Shokugeki no Soma: San no Sara, Free! Take Your Marks, Irregular at Magic High: The Girl Who Summons the Stars, Brave Witches Petersburg Daisenryaku, Kimi no Koe wo Todoketai, Mary to Majou no Hana (film), Hibike! Euphonium, Todoketai Melody, Eureka Seven - Hi-Evolution, Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha: Reflection, Fate/Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel - Presage Flower, Is the Order A Rabbit??: Dear My Sister, Dance with Devils: Fortuna, Yume ga Sameru Made, Boku wa Robot Goshi no Kimi ni Koi Suru, Hataraku Saibou, Bibury, Raramaji

Category: Freestyle

[translationandbetrayals]

Milky Holmes' Rise to Fall, or How to Find Hope in Troubled Times

Milky Holmes reminds me of Žižek. And while it might seem quite nonsensical to tie this sentence together, it’s also something that gives us light about the times we’re facing.

Milky GODS

Always controversial, the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek does have some interesting things to say. But even though he’s mostly known for his approach of leftist politics, the analysis of his that has stuck with me the most doesn’t relate to politics, or at least not directly. It’s his commentary about the animated film Kung Fu Panda, produced by Dreamworks. He has referred to the film a couple of times while highlighting something that has now become sort of a recurrent topic of his mythos. The idea of faith. This idea, also explained by him in the form of an anecdote about a scientist (Niels Bohr) who didn’t believe in charms, yet used to put one in his house just because he was told “it would work, even if he didn’t believe in it”, is essential to Kung Fu Panda and to Dreamworks as a whole (even if Žižek doesn’t directly acknowledge it). While the film works as a parody of Chinese martial arts films, and spends part of its runtime satirizing Chinese philosophy, in the end these principles are embraced, as Po’s wu wei defeats Tai Lung’s ambition (and we can say the same about the way Shrek and Megamind relate to fairy tales and superhero fantasy, just to cite other examples). 

But what does any of this have to do with Milky Holmes? What is this Milky Holmes, even? And as many of you might not be familiar with this long running multimedia franchise, it wouldn’t do harm to recapitulate its history. To understand Milky Holmes, we must first understand its seeds, which are in Broccoli and Bushiroad, two Japanese companies which were both founded by a single man, named Takaaki Kidani. Kidani started Broccoli in the late ‘90s, which first worked as a doujin management company for events, then expanding itself through Gamers, a goods store directed towards the otaku market. Gamers was immortalized and popularized through the Di Gi Charat franchise, produced by Broccoli and extremely massive through the late 90s and early 2000s. Spanning various anime adaptations, numerous manga, and lots of merchandise, the now classic characters were a boom within this same otaku market, and part of this success even crossed overseas, as you might see if you venture into old anime archives.

This really handsome dude is Takaaki Kidani

Now the success of Di Gi Charat probably wasn’t just because of the mascot made designs, though of course that had a part in its popularity. Aside from the already obvious fact, the Di Gi Charat franchise, at least in its first animated adaptation, had a pretty good sense of humor and irony. In a way, it was mocking the very own otaku it was targeted towards, and while it sure wasn’t the first to do so, this style of self-deprecating and sometimes grotesque or even infantile humor the series subjected its viewers to was something special. And while Di Gi Charat had quite the acid tone, it wasn’t without its share of tame and even heartwarming moments. It was moe, marketable of course, but there was something else as well. This series had a heart.

The heart of the show has a name and it’s Puchiko

It’s this spirit that Milky Holmes, more than 10 years after the creation of Di Gi Charat, held as its foundation as one of the star projects of the then recently started Bushiroad, founded after Kidani left Broccoli. Learning from his success in Broccoli’s projects such as the aforementioned Di Gi Charat, and also the media franchise Galaxy Angel, Milky Holmes was thought of as a multimedia project from the start. In the case of Milky Holmes, radio dramas, a manga, a PSP video game, an anime adaptation, and, perhaps most importantly, a seiyuu/idol unit were launched. I say most importantly because it was the disbandment of this unit that signaled the end of the franchise as a whole. In January’s 28th of 2019, Milky Holmes gave their final live performance at the Budokan, in fact ending the decade old franchise.

The end of Milky Holmes

On the anime side of things, the last installment was Psycho no Aisatsu, a crossover special episode featuring the main character of the Cardfight!! Vanguard franchise, a trading card game series for kids that was also created by Bushiroad. It was the symbolic pass on the torch to a younger, still profitable franchise in Bushi, that hopefully might keep the spirit of the Milkies alive. But we must not be sad for what has ended, as this franchise will always stay there to be revisited, even for people who never got to experience it when it was still active.

And it’s because of this that I have not forgotten about Milky Holmes, even though it has been years since it ended. I feel especially partial to the anime, particularly its first two seasons, and the 2016 movie: Milky Holmes' Counterattack (and what a movie is that one). One common thing about these three is that all of them feature Makoto Moriwaki as a director. And I feel she’s the one who better captures the spirit I mentioned above when talking about Di Gi Charat. It isn’t the only way to understand the series: there’s the video games, that might be seen as the source material; the Alternative OVAs, that are a closer adaptation of the games; and the two other anime seasons, which are completely different to anything else (and most people don’t seem to like); but Morikawi’s interpretation is the most interesting one, at least to me.

Now, you might be tired of so much anticipation and context, but it’s important to understand the background of this director to realize what she brought to the franchise (because yes, it’s a she) to, as I believe, perfect it. Makoto Moriwaki has mostly made a career out of directing children’s anime, more specifically anime for girls. Series such as the Sanrio based My Melody and PriPara have been directed by her, along with some Jewelpet seasons and even some Doraemon episodes. But a sort of black sheep among all that family friendly content is the raunchy adult comedy Ebichu, which, in spite of its cutesy visuals reminiscent of Hamtaro, is a series mostly targeted towards older women, full of jokes about adult life that, of course, involve a lot of sex.

it means a dirty word, if you didn’t realize

The Milky Holmes directed by Moriwaki is a middle ground between those two poles. On one hand, the cynicism, irony, and hidden sexual references in an outwardly kids friendly series, and on the other, the fantasy and the hopeful nature of magical girls and idol anime. And this dichotomy is also highlighted when we understand the target of this series. Despite its looks, Milky Holmes is not directed towards children. It’s not a kids show, but rather, a completely otaku business. It was broadcasted as shinya anime at 11 pm, it has its share of adult humor, and of course, the moe characters are exactly that, there’s no ambiguity there. It’s made to sell merchandise, discs and BDs to fat weirdos. But it’s quite interesting how the show treats its own audience, because if we’re to take Milky Holmes as an otaku product, it isn’t simply cynical.

Yes, that there is a ****plug

We have talked about Milky Holmes as a product and as a media franchise, but let’s review the series itself. To those who don’t know, Milky Holmes is set in a fantastical time and space called the Age of Great Detectives. In this world, Great Detectives and their eternal rivals, Gentlemen Thieves, are in constant struggle. They’re aided by their Toys, special powers whose name might be an irony on Bushiroad’s own status as a company.

A fascinating part of the Milky Holmes franchise for any crime or detective fiction freak is that most of the character names are taken from legendary detectives and criminals. There’s the 4 Milky Holmes members, which are respectively: Sherlock “Sheryl” Shellingford, the always energetic and optimistic leader (named after the most famous detective of all); Nero Yurizaki, a greedy, egotistical bokukko (named after the gluttonous Nero Wolfe); Hercule “Elly” Burton, a shy girl who has the most awareness inside the Milkies (named after Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot); and Cordelia Glauca, the shoujo-esque dramatic and delusional member of the crew (named after Cordelia Gray, the only character of the four that is originally female).

From left to right, unlike your Japanese mangos

They battle constantly against the Gentlemen Thief Empire, led by the intense and prideful Arsene (after Arsène Lupin, the French gentleman thief also recalled by the Monkey Punch character); and completed with Twenty, a narcissistic nudist that weaponizes his erect nipples (based on Menso Nijuu, a villain from the Ranpo Edogawa canon); Stone River, a prude warrior with a samurai pride (based on Goemon Ishikawa, the outlaw hero from Japanese folklore, also referenced by Lupin III); and Rat, who’s victim of everyone’s forgetfulness (based on Kozo Nezumi, a folk hero from the Edo period).

Twenty, Arsene, Stone River, and Rat

There’s also a third party in discord, that can either work as ally or enemy depending on circumstance (much like in your typical detective story) which is of course formed by the cops. The G4 is the “elite” patrol of law enforcement whose effectiveness also depends on plot convenience, and their leader (and child genius with infinite amounts of IQ) Kokoro-chan’s (named after Kogoro Akechi, the famous Ranpo Edogawa detective) mood. The other members are Tsugiko Zenigata (after Heiji Zenigata, a Japanese legend), a somewhat tomboyish girl voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro; Hirano Hasegawa (after Heizo Hasegawa, from the Onihei Hankacho novels), a traditional Japanese girl who is a master of combat; and Saku Toyama (after Kagemoto Toyama, a historic character made legend), the technological expert of the gang.

She just keeps it going up

Don’t call her Kokoro-chan, she’ll get angry

However, the main source of conflict (and comedy) in the series is that, despite being quite powerful and capable as detectives with the aid of their toys, the Milkies are pretty much nothing without them. Dame dame (useless), is something they’ll often have to hear, as they constantly struggle with the loss of their toys at the start of almost every new installment (save for Futari wa and TD, in which they weren’t the main characters because of this exact reason). Nonetheless, in spite of how hard they might fall, how much they can be humiliated and degraded (and they sure will), and basically turn into dumb slapstick cartoons, they will always stand up again, never losing hope even when taking a detour, or when they’re becoming farmers instead.

Milky farmers

In this acknowledgment of the cyclical and absurd nature of their misfortunes, made explicit in the movie by the (unintentional) use of words by Sheryl: “it’s rise to fall”, the philosophical implications of the series are unlocked, at least from the Moriwaki iteration of it. It’s an absurd reality, in which no matter how high one can be, one can always fall to the lowest of the low. Yet, when you have fallen, there’s nothing else you can do but go up, try and hope for the best, never giving in to life no matter how discouraging or absurd it might become.

It’s existential philosophy, right inside a moe anime, and one can’t be anything but thankful of someone who is giving such messages inside a work that could conform to just offering a product for profit. Instead, what Milky Holmes is doing is to tell its audience that no matter how hard their lives might get, no matter how repeatedly they might hear that they’re useless, that they’re dumb or hopeless, they must never give up. It’s quite beautiful, even more so when you’re aware of the darker sides of the otaku and the stigma and social alienation a lot of these people face in their country. And so, Milky Holmes might be a ray of light amidst a rabbit hole of isolation, which can be relatable to most of us as we face the current pandemic. A sign that even if we can’t see it, there’s hope at the end of the tunnel.

Yes, she’s saying that when they’re in prison

Closing on a hopeful note, I’ll let you in on a cool fact. Do you know who directed the Milky Holmes movie alongside Moriwaki? I will give you some lines to guess, if you think you’re smart detectives.

… 

… 

… 

… 

… 

… 

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… 

Yes! It was Hiroaki Sakurai, who, coincidentally (or not), was the series director for most of the Di Gi Charat anime versions since its first installment in 1999. It’s really cool how everything circles back to a now almost prehistoric franchise, but it also circles back in a less symbolic way. 2021 seems to be a new year for Di Gi Charat, as the franchise is getting a revival as “Di Gi Charat Reiwa”, a new generation of the series which contemplates lots of merchandise and, most importantly, a new anime series, helmed by no other than the same Hiroaki Sakurai. Here’s hoping for a revitalization of this lively spirit, a hopeful affirmation of the disgusting manchildren we all have inside.

Promotional image for this era’s own Charat

Salvador González Turrientes

Links and additional sources of information:

Žižek on Kung Fu Panda 

The Milky Holmes article from the English Wikipedia 

Wikipedia list of the Milky Holmes characters (in English)

Takaaki Kidani's article (in English)

Takaaki Kidani’s article (in Japanese)

Di Gi Charat's Wikipedia (in English)  

Hiroaki Sakurai's (in English) 

Makoto Moriwaki's article (in English as well) 

The news of the Di Gi Charat Reiwa anime (from ANN) 

[recentanimenews]

The Pretty Series 10th Anniversary Project Includes Rice Farming by "Idol Time Pripara" Yui Yumekawa

    As part of the 10th-anniversary project for the Pretty Series, a Tokyo-based company Mashup has launched the "Minna no Furusato Ouen Project" (A project to support everyone's hometown), a local development promotion to support specialties and famous places.

  In the first phase of the project, Yui Yumekawa, a rice-loving idol from Idol Time Pripara, will serve as a tourism ambassador for the town of Ugo in Akita Prefecture, and experience rice farming, from planting to harvesting, together with local children, in order to spread the deliciousness and appeal of Akitakomachi, a premium short-grain rice originally from the prefecture. The harvested rice will be sold as "Pretty Rice." 

  When the TV anime Idol Time Pripara started airing in Japan in 2017, Yui Yumekawa was appointed as the "Rice Support Ambassador" by the National Federation of Agricultural Co-operative Associations. And Yui Gekikawa, a character who is very similar to Yui Yumekawa (and voiced by the same voice actress, Arisa Date), has also appeared in the series' latest installment Kiratto☆PriChan and has been busy in making rice in the Pri☆chan Land.

      Yui Yumekawa as the "Rice Support Ambassador" for National Federation of Agricultural Co-operative Associations:

    "Minnna no Furusato Ouen Project" key visual & logo:

    プリティーシリーズ10周年を記念して、日本各地の名産や名所を応援する「プリティーシリーズ み～んなのふるさとおうえんプロジェクト」がスタート♪キービジュアルとロゴを公開しちゃいます！ 第1弾は秋田県羽後町のあきたこまちを応援します♪ 詳しくは＞https://t.co/ErFsCuZ51Z#プリティー10周年 pic.twitter.com/c9lsR6rI12

— アニメ「キラッとプリ☆チャン」公式アカウント (@prichan_PR) March 25, 2021

        "Idol Time Pripara" key visual:

    Source: Mashup press release

  ©T-ARTS/syn Sophia/TV TOKYO/IPP Project

  By: Mikikazu Komatsu

[86stagram]

Get well soon. お大事になさってくださいね🙏 I'm replying a bit late because writing in English still takes me a long time🙇‍♀️

そうそう, Yes, Irl = ほんもの! (I remembered that abbreviation. Thank you!🙏 Sometimes, the meanings to imagine are hard for Japanese🤯) We are different beings so I call myself "HAM's servant" (ハムの召使い). She usually commands me create pic collages or posts. Ham & Takki are glad with your comments! (Because Ham is a really narcissistic character🥀(´Y｀)あぁん？) This is Yui! (ユメ目🌟)

(失礼が言いたいのではなく, 事実として) In Japan, there's little need for foreign languages, so it’s often seen as a forced study for children, and it’s often seen as a strange hobby etc for adults😥 There’re a lot of English-speakers here, so I sometimes feel hesitant when posting in Japanese🥴💦 But I often struggle with English and feel overwhelmed when trying to post in English haha😂 少し世知辛いけど I always enjoy it🙋‍♀️✨

Thank you Internet, libraries, and you😭 Wooo I didn't know the sad truth about AD😨💦 I have really good memories including Hamtaro and lots of anime🐹♬

I'm glad that I got to see your memories✨ I was amazed we are close in age hehe (28) I watched those live when those were broadcast📺️ Especially, Hamtaro & Precure were incredibly popular at the time🔥 My friends and I had hamsters and card communes that time😭ah~ However, the ocean is even now like a big mountain or a hamster cage for Japanese (人にとっても言語にとっても🧗‍♀️) I felt a time lag in the popularity of anime before⏰💭

I have the utmost respect for you for being ahead of your time! I want to learn from you💪ò_ò In Japan, it's casually has been likened as "英才教育 (gifted education)" to become familiar with specific contents (including anime etc) from a young age hehe. That's you!🕊✨

I also mainly watched a lot of Japanese anime before 2011. But I stopped being familiar it from about 2011~2015. I've really loved PriPara since about 2015. Thank you PriPara, I've so incredibly expanded my world! I'm glad I got to know you all🌻

This is a bit of a difficult topic, so I write it in Japanese like a code. 日韓やプリパラに自信がなかったからではないんです。少し言いにくいのですが、神アイドルや女神が他国でどう受け取られるか、そこがよくわかりませんでした。日本は変な国なのは解っているので、いやなふうに感じられないかがすごく心配で😥　私の中ではいまだに海外人気の深い理由が謎のままなんです。(もちろん��可愛いアイドルは可愛い」という理由がでかいことはわかる!😂)

I'm happy that Japanese and Italian pronunciations are pretty similar. (ちなみに日本では教育が終わり次第 pretty に「かわいい」以外の意味があることを忘れる人も多いので、使うたびなんとなくドキドキしちゃう🤭💦)

Since I was a child, I've known Italy as a country with a lot of delicious foods! I love pasta🍝 And thanks to the Amazon Prime videos "ジェームズ・メイの世界探訪 イタリア編" (Titolo italiano : James May - Il nostro agente in Italia) so I have a good impression of Italy. However, I hope my feeling of Italy isn't completely different from the real thing . . . (such as Japanese katana, ninja, and sushi every day, etc🤔) I think it would be more fun if I knew more about Italian culture💞

お体に負担をかけないよう、お返事はしてもしなくても大丈夫です。良い日をお過ごしください🎀✨

あん☆ちゃんとはじめていっしょに遊べた！　あろまくるくるロングも似合ってるね、かわいい🎀

トモダチみんなでドリームシアターライブ、すごくたのしかった～～(´Y｀)🌟

ぜひまたいっしょにライブしよう💃✨

くろもんちゃん・とんかつちゃん・ぐぉちゃんもありがとう～！

（ときどきバルーントークでやりとりしているので、「日本語がわかるアイドルさんかな？」と思っています。

サブブログ @mirukiamauri から、サンリオコラボのポストにかわいいコメントをもらったことを覚えています！ それが理由でマイキャラちゃんのお顔とお名前を覚えていました。 フレンド申請してくれた時、すぐにあなただと気がつきました。 長い間メインブログでフォローしてくれていたのに、同じ人だと気づくのがとても遅くなりました。ごめんなさい。 フレンドになれてうれしかったです！）

[millepara]

I’ve eaten and slept and stuff since last night’s news so I have my thoughts in order some now. really my opinion boils down to: the concept of aikatsu planet is genuinely cool, even if it’s not my personal thing! and I can follow the logic of why they decided to go this route, but I don’t see why they decided to brand it as aikatsu rather than something totally new. everything else past here is just me saying that again but MUCH longer, so you can stop reading haha

really, my feelings about the new series are being pulled in a lot of directions at once. the more I look at the character designs the more I LOVE them, they’re so pretty and creative and colorful, and I think the art style itself is so cute!! like,

look at her little face! look at those bumpy eyelashes! so cute!! the dress is very pretty too, reminiscent of some My Little Heart coords or Akari’s Swan Lake PR. Hana’s look in particular strongly reminds me of my fav 80s cartoon girl,

Lady Lovely Locks (also all of her critters are reminding me of Dressiers, now that I’m looking at them). she predated my childhood by some years so I still don’t 100% know what she’s about, but when I was v little I somehow ended up with some toys and other branded stuff that I was absolutely obsessed with. at the time the fluffiest, princessiest media available to me were Barbie and Disney princesses, which were practically sensible compared to the rainbow colors and absurd ballgowns of these girls... I think not knowing anything about it and being consumed with imagining what these fancy, fancy princesses were doing with their magical hair was the foundation for me still liking things like precure and aikatsu even now that I’m a grown-ass adult (as well as the entire character and aesthetic of mychara Milk). so yeah! I love the new idols. I can’t think of a single complaint about them. they’re fantastic.

(and then the less-than-positive part)

I’m ok with the idea that these idols are just avatars that the real girls inhabit from time to time, too. they couldn’t make character designs like that for just some normal girls who decide to go to idol school, and then have anyone believe that. they could only do it with this premise. but it also means we won’t see those good character designs so much, as pointed out in that last reblog--possibly as little as only during the performances themselves? though it’s way too early to say for sure.

also... that’s just like pripara. there’s an awful lot about aipura that’s just like pripara, or just like pretty rhythm... which is its own bad aftertaste to deal with, even if I’m on board with the concepts themselves. obviously crossover and copying happens all the time with these shows, but the appeal of aikatsu for me has always been the parts that aren’t pripara, because... I can just watch pripara for that (but better-executed)....

but then that brings up the obvious difference and my personal sticking point with aipura, the live action. it’s not the first time an anime has turned into a live action show, so there’s precedent (mostly from 10+ years ago, though). there's literally no better plot than “girls that turn into idol avatars” to use this gimmick with, so that’s neat. but it’s not accessible to nearly as wide an audience as an aikatsu anime. I’m sure little kids won’t care much if at all (maybe they’ll like it a lot, even!), and obv they thought about this when they decided to switch to live action, so I don’t exactly fault them for it. but despite being a children’s show, aikatsu does cater directly to adults as well, with their for Lady merch and so on... so it seems like a confusing decision to purposefully cast off those fans they previously courted.

personally speaking, my interest as an adult in watching live action children on tv is nonexistent. I like art including specifically anime art, I like how utterly brainless watching anime is, I like voice acting, I get none of this from live action. I tried to watch phantomirage once and imo....... it sucked. I also have face blindness so there’s an added dimension of finding live action characters wholly unrelatable when I can only identify them by hairstyle and clothing (assuming they never change their hair or clothes)... I can’t imagine the characters’ personalities or plots of individual eps will be as fun and ridiculous as in anime aikatsu either, not when they have to do everything irl.

again, that’s all my personal view, so if you disagree, great!! I do sincerely hope there are people that like aikatsu planet, because.... ?? actually I don’t know why, but it doesn’t need to fail just bc I personally am not excited about live action, haha. I guess I just hope the idol group itself does well, at least. they don’t deserve any backlash from this weird decision some exec made. I haven’t seen anyone taking out their disappointment with the news on them, thankfully.

and it’s not like I think the actors are talentless or anything! heck, I enjoyed the youtuber-style vid of main actor Date Kaya they uploaded last night. it was fun. they’re all cute, their personalities are fine, I’m sure their acting is fine (...for j-dramas.......), and they probably sing well too (I didn’t get much of an impression from the live songs, so no opinion there yet). I can see how the youtube stuff would appeal to a lot of people, and it’s clever how they can frame it as the real-life aikatsu of the actors. I’m not even remotely into youtubers but I still can theoretically see myself checking it out on occasion. but that doesn’t have any link to what I understand the show aikatsu to be? where’d all that go?

the most basic solution to everything here, as others have said, is to have made this its own new series--even at the expense of cancelling aikatsu altogether. they wouldn’t have this situation where everyone’s making this impossible comparison of a well-loved anime to a drama that no one knows anything about. the fact that there’s no apparent continuation (yet) between the anime and drama wouldn’t even be an issue. we’d be able to remember aikatsu as this past thing we all enjoyed, instead of this thing that made the wildest u-turn in order to cling to relevancy.

and then even though I can form opinions on (gestures above), there’s still so much that we don’t know. obviously we’ve got till january to wait, so it makes sense. but the more unique and exciting things they share about it, the more good anticipation they’d generate, right...? right now all long-time aikatsu fans and especially players are so full of nerves that it’s hard to be optimistic about what’s not yet known. a simple assurance that I can either transfer my mycharas and use old coords in planet, or will be able to continue playing parade, would go a long way toward making me ok with any and all aikatsu planet news. I’m sure there’s other players who feel the same. but based on past years, we probably won’t know anything about that till v late this year...

so in summary: 1) please bandai tell me the fate of my wretched mycharas I beg of you

and

2) boy am I a loser for caring so much about aikatsu....... lmao.....!!!