#there’s romance In shounen isekai but it’s not the main part

[limelocked]

Thinking about the overly political girlisekai brand gayboy romance I want to write which I’ll never be able to because I’m way too invested in worldbuilding

[mnkiss]

A quick list of animes I watched and don't want to forget 2:

Spoiler, duh

OG post here:

Corpse party - similar to Another: I watched it and forgot about it…kids being creepy and killing a lot (i think) (2/10)

Yuri on Ice - loved it for the romance and the soundtrack but couldn’t care less about the skating lol Cute anime tho, I recommend it (8/10)

Kimi no nawa - cute, I cried of course, but i really wish we could have learned about their relationships more. I wanted to see them falling in love slowly and helplessly, not just a montage haha. Maybe a 7/10. Wasn’t thaaaaat great.

Dororo - I’m not as a big fan as others, but it was an interesting journey on the historical side with a much less repetitive story than I expected. It’s an old tale, a myth, told by an old man about demons and humans, and two children’s (well, an adult-ish boy and a kid) fate and character development. The show shows war and all it’s gory, terrible reality so be ready for some depressing episodes… The message of the anime is very clear and heavy. This is a remake, there is supposed to be a much older version of the anime with not 12, but 48 demons and missing body parts, but I’m not really sure if I want to watch it again. (7/10)

Citrus - Yuri, cute, well-done, but 1) Yuzu is sooooooo ugh, she is nice and kind but so easy to influence jesus she really is not the sharpest tool in the shed and that got soo annoying around ep7. >< 2) The story is weirdly written, they introduce characters as they go and as it gets comfortable for the plot, which feels like a rookie mistake but ok. Only 12 eps, two sweet girls and lots of sexual tension between them. Btw some people have misconceptions about the manga/anime. There is no incest as they are both teens and strangers when they happen to become step-sisters, and sexual assault does not get romanticized because if somebody is uncomfortable they struggle and voice that they don’t feel comfortable. That being said “You should consider other people’s feelings” is a fucking stupid answer to “Hey I don’t want to have sex with somebody”. Also the silent treatment? AND always coming with the “I had a bad childhood” shit? I’m treating the kindest, dearest person on earth like shit just because I was rejected once? Really? Fucking Mei lol. Yuzu deserves better. Like Harumi. You know, somebody who actually cares about her. 5/10

Baccano! - Gory mafia stories are always amazing but this one is like… dude. Watch it. It’s beautiful, has an amazing opening, wonderful characters (Naaa Miriyaa!!!! Neee Isaccu!!!!) and weird ties to the supernatural. No tears only happy smiling even during the 13th episode. One of my favourite stories of all time. (Oh and if you're one of those weirdos who love it when animes use weird brand names instead of the real ones [like hollywood becomes woodland, daily mail becomes daily days, hersheys becomes baccano] then you’ll love the small details lol) (11/10)

Tower of God - S1 is only a prologue :/ I usually don’t care about isekai or isekai-like stuff but this story is pretty immersive. I loved that there is only a moderate amount of gore even though people dying is half the anime. All the supporting characters are easy to remember, have enough screen time and we learn their history so we do care about them, the main character has all the characteristics a shounen protagonist needs but the anime itself is not in the shounen category. The soundtrack is phenomenal except the opening (sorry stray kids). Yeah, go watch it and be ready for the webtoon, they say its super long but worth it (8/10)

Wolf’s Rain - i love animals/shapeshifters in animes, but this was boooring. I was hoping for a crazy adventure with ancient legends and animaguses and stuff instead I got bored cuz nothing actually happened. I got to 17 episodes and just stopped watching. The story had potential, the wolfish behavior was fun. Maybe I'll try watching it again...later...some day (5/10)

Cyberpunk Edgerunners - Found family? Check. Cute girl? Check. Worldbuilding, sexy superpowers, neon lights, awesome action, greedy capitalism? Check. But for 10 episodes you’ll have the feeling that something will happen and yes, that thing indeed will happen (8/10)

Jujutsu Kaisen - S1 only yet. I'm - again - more invested in the adult's story and scheming behind the scenes. Character development? It is there, baby, and it is not just thought-provoking/brooding all the time. Competent enemy? There it is, the menacing, cunning, sexy-sexy enemy. Bro time? There is some healthy, masculine bro time! (9/10)

Chainsaw Man - This is a Jujutsu Kaisen 2.0. Teen boy gets adopted to an organization that uses dark superpowers that come with a price and they kill demons but they also are too crazy for the world and die easily. Also 2 boys 1 girl, the girl is nonconvenional but looks cute, the black haired friend of main character is super cold on the outside but has a heart of butter and is like a strong brother for the MC... I'd also really love if they'd STOP FUCKING KILLING ALL THE CHARACTERS. Seriously what's up with that nowadays?? They show you how friendly and happy they are together, and the next episode is just filled with deaths. However the story is fun, I like the pacing, the artstyle, the enemies and the music sooo S2 when? (8/10)

Spy x Family - Superduper cute, feel good anime with some badass characters. Some second hand embarrassement is in order tho lol (9/10)

Sailor Moon (90's series) - It's. So. Good. Such a comfort show. It has it's problems (the combat seems very... repetitive, the girls forget about their new powers, SM doesnt do much except in the movies), but a) this show is gorgeous b) it has characters that you wish they were your friends c) it's long so the story is well paced. It has good humour, super powers, a long and immersive story, surprisingly well made character arcs, ammmmaazing opening (and overall the soundtrack is ICONIC), 90's aesthetics and lots of gay vibes. However, it's extremely romance-centered, so probably not the best choice if you are in search for an action anime (9/10)

Soul Eater - 51 episodes of a surprisingly good story with surprisingly bad characters. The ending was disappointing, and the most powerful or intriguing characters just... weren't used? The monologues made no sense? Guy who can't die literally only fought 2 times? Madness wasn't mad? Brave girl wasn't brave? Like what even happened in this show? (5/10)

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

SPRING SEASONALS PART 1

Jigokuraku was pretty hype and fun to watch, classic good shounen first ep. Will I stay enjoying it? Who knows! But hey looking forward to more.

Heavenly Delusion was my favourite so far! It’s literally just awesome visuals and a good sense of humour and a premise and setting that are exciting to me. Poggers.

My Home Hero was not very good or well produced.

The isekai was utterly atrocious.

Thingy had a really ugly art style but I appreciated the humour actually feeling reflective of the character ages, even if I didn’t find it funny.

Boku no Kokoro whatever was annoying but funny in that the main character is some like “my mind is twisted” edgelord school shooter sort. Whacky stuff.

Yamada-kun to etc etc is a decently entertaining and quite nicely produced shoujo romance thing, and the main character is like kinda pathetic in a way I find endearing, so yeah.

And that’s it for day 1!

[freyalise]

@najbeb1 this is a great question because i can go into a lot of unnecessary detail. my japanese is not amazing so i'm not familiar with teni--and my dictionary just says it means "transfer" 転移 which i'm guessing just means they just end up like that?--but i have thought a lot about tensei/reincarnation and shoukan/summoning (including the translations for everyone else).

i think all of them are fine, but reincarnation allows for the most interesting emotional hooks for an isekai story. here's why:

in terms of japanese isekai, especially those aimed at the shounen demographic, in a lot of cases these are interchangeable. shounen isekai is, for the most part, power fantasy wish fulfillment. it doesn't really matter how the protagonist ends up in the other world because they've cast off all attachments in favor of doing wacky fun adventure times in their new world. that's fine, but when you read enough of them it starts feeling like a cheat code for "i wanted to put this man in a Situation and don't particularly care how it happens." you don't have to figure out a way to force your protagonist to be in an unfamiliar locale when you can just press the isekai button, after all. so it ends up being that the means are irrelevant as long as it happens because the protagonist can happily be op and have a harem or whatever. there are some that play around with it in an interesting way, like how kazuhiro can travel to a fantasy world in his dreams in welcome to japan, ms. elf, but for the most part the how of how they end up in the world could be anything really

reincarnation, however, adds some nuance depending on how attached the protagonist is to their old life. for stories like i spent 300 years killing slimes and accidentally maxed out my level, azusa's death by karoshi at the beginning is more or less irrelevant after the first chapter because she has no real attachment to her previous life and her death via karoshi is mostly an excuse for her to chill out; once that's handled the plot treats her old life as more or less irrelevant. the one i love pointing to as a personal fave is the one within the villainess, when the villainess remilia feels the grief that emi, the japanese girl possessing her body, expresses when she apologizes her family for dying and leaving them alone. that's the good shit right there

if we're thinking of Korean manhwa, reincarnation feels like the most popular approach there. i've seen truck-kun show up more times in manhwa at this point than i have in manga, which is just funny to me. plus, there are some deeply messed up reincarnation scenarios in some of those manhwa, like how you get to see the main character of the golden summoner dying in a fire caused by a car accident (two for one combo!) that manhwa is unfortunately on infinite hiatus, but i recommend reading at least the first few chapters because it is Wild. you do get some decent emotional stake in those ones as well, but the ones i read are by and large "woman gets isekai'd to a book they read" (since isekai manhwa is largely aimed at women)* so the majority of them are focused on untangling the court intrigue of the vaguely european society they've been thrust into.

that being said, it's not completely unheard of that you get some of the other methods in manhwa! the meaning of you is a romance manhwa where the female protagonist gets summoned via saint summoning (just like [insert twenty saint summoning manga]!) but instead of being super cool and awesome she remains a nervous and depressed wreck with extra expectations thrust upon her as a saint. that method just feels less common compared to reincarnation in that country.

that got a bit rambly because it's late and i'm typing this on my phone, but i hope that answered your question adequately

* a lot of fantasy manhwa aimed at young men is more along the tower climbing/dungeon crawling fashion like solo leveling or wuxia manhwa. this might be a bit nitpicky of me, but i don't really consider those, regression stories, or time travel to be "isekai." while there are some that definitely could fit the bill later on such as the frozen player returns, i mostly leave them out just to keep my own sorting system from being overloaded. as for regression, i don't consider that isekai at all because they're not really going to another world but instead returning to their own with more knowledge. sorry, sss rank suicide hunter.

ask me about isekai. the isekai scholar has logged on

[pair-annoyed]

Anime I Watched This Summer

Summer 2020 has officially come to a close. It’s fall in Animal Crossing and the trees are beginning to turn. Much like quarantine, I spent a lot of my free time watching anime when I wasn’t stressing over starting college. Now that the school year has begun, I thought it would be nice to reflect on everything I’ve watched! 

These Anime were seen between 6/14 - 8/31 (my Birthday!) and are listed in chronological order.

They will be rated on a 1-10 scale; 1 meaning complete garbage, 10 meaning masterpiece. I will offer my thoughts on what I did/didn't like about each show!

1. Bakemono no Ko - 8/10

This was such a great way to start out the summer! I love the dynamic between Kumatetsu and Ren. Overall its a little cliche, but it’s also very wholesome. It’s by the same studio that made Wolf Children (which I loved!). so I knew it was going to be good. My favorite aspect of this movie was its backgrounds and world building! 

2. Wan Sheng Jie - 9/10

Oh my gosh! I know that this is technically a donghua, but its on MAL, so it counts. This show quickly became my favorite slice of life of all time. I adore the art style and all of the characters. The comedy, plot, and design blends so well together. Everything in Wan Sheng Jie feels warm and comfy. It’s also confirmed for a second season! After seeing its cliff hanger ending, I’m so anxious for what comes next! 

3. Dororo - 7/10

I’ll be honest, I’m a sucker for studio MAPPA. I really liked the historical aspects of Dororo. From the outfits to the ways characters behave, its grounded in the constraints of feudal Japan. I would have given this show a higher score if it was a little more grounded in science. I feel like more time should’ve been given to the demons and antagonists of the show. Our MC was so over powered, which made the final fights of the series more lack-luster. I think its less of the anime’s fault and more because the original source material is from the 60s. That being said, I loved this show! It was cute and action packed. Though it isn’t perfect, it holds its own.

4. Bungou Stray Dogs - 5/10

The concepts and action are misconstrued in Bungou Stary Dogs. This is one of those shows that I chose to watch because it was all over Tumblr. The powers themselves are cool, but I can’t understand why this series is so praised. At it’s core its predictable and basic. The fights seemed low stakes and low energy. None of the humor really felt like it belonged. It tried too hard to be something it isn’t. I don’t think I’ll watch beyond this first season. 

5. Kami no Tou - 4.5/10

First off, fuck Rachel, me and my homies hate Rachel. I really really had high hopes for Tower of God. It paves the way for Webtoon adaptations in the future. Its such a shame that this adaptation SUCKED. I have not read the source material, I’m going solely based on the anime. It wasn’t good? It was horrible. I hate Bam, I hate Rachel. I think all the characters expect Rak were awful. Please don’t make a season 2. Please. If you’re interesting in Tower of God, just read the webtoon. 

6. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun - 7/10

Shoujo anime is my guilty pleasure. I especially liked the way Gekkan Shoujo tackled Sakura and Nozaki’s relationship. Besides just the main characters, even the side characters were enjoyable! It was a fun and creative show. My only complaint is how dense Nozaki is, but I also absolutely love that part of him.

7. Jojo no Kimyou no Bouken (Parts 1-2) - 6.5/10

Jojo is not the saving grace of shounen anime. It isn’t something super revolutionary and it certainly will never be a 10/10. Part 1 was so slow and boring. Jonathan was just mediocre at best. I definitely liked Joseph a LOT more than Jonathan. Part 2 overall was much easier to watch than part 1. The fights are good, but there’s just something about Jojo that I can’t get behind. Although I’m completely bashing this series, I’m going to keep watching it. At this point, I wanna know what a stand is. 

8. Clannad - 5.5/10

I was expecting Clannad to be sad, but instead I got a cute, slice of life, romance. It wasn’t unenjoyable, but it was also a pretty slow-burning show. I loved watching Nagisa and Okazaki slowly fall in love with each other. It was funny at times and sad at other points. I am currently watching Clannad: After Story (which I’ve heard is heartbreaking), so I’m hoping to get some catharsis out of that. 

9. Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai...  - 6/10

This show is only 12 episodes, and yet it still has filler episodes for some reason? I’m a person who doesn’t typically watch isekai because the genre is so over done. However, when it’s done in a very specific way it’s really fun to watch! This show was definitely a lot of fun, it’s also cute and has so many interesting character-character interactions. The ending is painfully cliche, but I think it adds to this shows charm. 

10. Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen  - 8/10

I loved Love is War so much! I love their weird romantic dynamic. I love the characters, and I love the animation. It’s over the top and executes it humor masterfully. The entire show fills you with anticipation for the two main characters. Kaguya is my favorite character. Although I haven’t seen season two yet, I most certainly will! I’m so upset I hadn’t seen this show sooner.

11. Great Pretender - 8.5/10

This show is so colorful and bubbly. The animation is so smooth and they are able to tackle so many different kinds of things given its plot. The whole show itself just feels like summertime. It came out not to long ago, so some people may not be familiar with it. On top of the show itself, the music is great, with a Jazzy OP and and ED that features Freddie Mercury

12. Steins;Gate 0 - 8/10

 I loved the original Stein;Gate so much! So it’s no surprise how much I liked the second season. It builds significantly off the first season in a sort of “off shot” OVA kind of way. The events of Steins;Gate 0 don’t actually happen, but that doesn’t stop it from being meaningful. The big “twist” was predictable and a bit of a let down, but I still enjoyed this. Granted, I’m bias. 

13. Seishun Buta Yarou wa Yumemiru Shoujo no Yume wo Minai - 9.5/10

I sobbed. So much. This movie was phenomenal, it was such a trip. Having watched the original series, this tore my heart apart. It gets a high score for being able to take the characters I love and creating a wonderfully emotional experience. If you haven’t seen Bunny Girl Senpai, please watch it, and then watch this movie. You won’t regret it! 

14. Hotaru no Haka - 6/10

Grave of the Fireflies made me stop watching anime for a while. Studio Ghibli created something grim, something that leaves the viewers feeling hollow. Its a movie about WWII from Japan’s perspective. As an American, all I could feel while watching this was immense guilt. I will say though, that some of the movies main plot could have easily been prevented if the main character had swallowed his pride. His younger sister was also my least favorite character. I get that she’s a kid and that kids are fussy, but you would think that during wartime, she’d be more understanding and at least try to eat the things she dislikes. 

15. Yagate Kimi ni Naru - 9/10

This was a great way to end the summer. This is more that just GL romance, its a love story. Its about growing up and learning to understand your feelings. I related to Yuu so much, which made this more emotional than I expected. It’s really unlike another romance anime I’ve seen. I hope it gets confirmed for a second season. If not, I’ll be reading the manga. 

Seasonal Shows: (Things that are still airing as of 9/5/2020)

1. The God of High School  7.5/10

Another thing done by studio MAPPA. Are you surprised? I absolutely love the action in GoH. The plot however, is all over the place. The story seems fragmented and hard to follow. Like Tower of God, it was poorly adapted. I’m giving it such a high score, because it’s SO much more enjoyable then Tower of God. 

2. Enen no Shouboutai: Ni no Shou - 4/10

My thoughts on season 2 are about the same as my thoughts on season 1. The only difference is that this season has more Jojo references. I’ve rated it lower because its so repetitive. I’m so sick of watching it, but I’ve got to see it through the bitter end.   

3. Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu 2nd Season - 8.5/10 

All I’m going to say about Re:Zero is that I love it. I can’t give an accurate review of it because I’ve been hyping this season since it was announced. If you’re into non-typical isekai, watch Re:Zero, its so enjoyable!

[natsspammityspamspamham]

Anime That Deserve Another Season

Category One: Anime That Supposedly Deserve Another Season Even though the title says “deserve”,  I will be listing some anime that I do not think deserve another season. They’re just here because people are loud about not getting another season. These are mostly series I just didn’t enjoy watching. 

Category Two: Anime That Can Get Another Season They’re fine without another season as there are no cliffhangers to close and no questions that are really unanswered. These anime will not keep you up at night asking for an answer. 

Category Three: Anime That Need Another Season While it’s not mandatory that these anime have another season to be enjoyed, they’d sure benefit immensely with it. Whether it’s because there’s too many cliffhangers, things end abruptly, or there is just too much good source material that was left untouched, they’ll end up here. Even if I didn’t really enjoy the anime, some anime may end up here anyway.

Bonus Category: Anime Need a Reboot Not all adaptations are created equal, and even if the anime can be enjoyed on its own, sometimes it’d benefit from actually looking at the source material and going, “Oh, it was written that way for a reason!” Some anime just need the Brotherhood treatment. From pacing to anime-exclusive storylines, anime in this category stray so much that you might as well just start from the ground up.

*Please note that if an anime isn’t here, it might be because I haven’t watched it (or I bypassed it in my listing journey)

*Categories Two and One are listed from “Bottom Tier” to “Top Tier” in terms of how much I think it needs a sequel/continuation

*I almost never read the manga. These are mostly speculations/me spoiling the series for myself by reading the last chapter of the manga after finishing the anime.

*The bottom half of category three really rips my soul out when people say that there’s no chance of another season.

Category One: Anime That Supposedly Deserve Another Season

Aoharu x Machinegun

The manga is still on-going, but I wasn’t interested enough to really pay any mind. It would benefit from another season due to it ending on a point that made sense, but you could tell there was way more behind the curtain.

Btooom

Remember when they joked about this gross anime getting another season? Hahaha! There’s a story behind it, apparently. Anyway, it leaves off unfinished, but I don’t need any more of whatever this show was. This show is garbage, questionable garbage at that.

Ao Haru Ride

This anime made me kinda bored. The characters were kind of bland. The world was kind of bland. This anime left as much of an impression on me as white-coloured pencils did in grade school. I’m sure it’d benefit from another season, but whether that’d actually make me like the series is another question.

Code: Breaker

This series was pretty bad. I enjoyed it at the time, but it was pretty bad. I don’t recommend this show to anyone. It technically has a ton of manga material left (I think it was a 100+ chapters?)

Classroom of the Elite

I actually strongly disliked this show and wanted it to be over, but people said it got good. I stuck it out. I didn’t like any of the characters. I couldn’t find a reason to enjoy this show, and maybe it’d benefit by having some more story content to it, but if you can’t make me enjoy any of the cast after 12 episodes, you’re not getting any more of my time.

No Game No Life

Admit it, 90% of the people who want another season of this just want to see more fanservice.

Category Two: Anime That Can Get Another Season

Kyoukai no Rinne

This series is very repetitive. I’m surprised it survived three seasons. I still really liked it, but it is counted as one of Takahashi’s weakest works (not sure why though). I would mind seeing it receiving the rest of its adaptation.

Hai to Gensou no Grimgar

While it ended well, it probably has a lot more story to tell. This is an earlier isekai, and it’s hard to say whether it’d do better in today’s isekai market. This anime is what Sword Art Online should’ve been. This show takes it slow. Its action isn’t as over-the-top, and while it has fanservice, the show still feels far more real than SAO markets itself to be (but it does it on purpose)

Hinamatsuri

This anime made me laugh too hard for me not to want a continuation. They also had a character they didn’t have time to touch base on.

Runway de Waratte

There’s quite a lot of manga material to go on. I feel like we haven’t seen the characters develop to their max, and the protagonist hasn’t even gotten his full shot yet. This anime is an underdog, no matter how you look at it, it’s a shounen series about runway fashion, but I’m rooting for it!

Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo

I hear the manga goes downhill, and honestly, you could’ve just let it end right where season one ended, and I would’ve gone, “Wow, that was pretty good!” It did come back and “overstay its welcome” according to manga readers, but those final chapters make up for that.

Gakkougurashi

I respect the way that this anime decided to end, but there’s a lot of potential to take it elsewhere. It has a lot of material too. I feel like not a lot of the backstories of even the main cast were revealed.

Category Three: Anime That Need Another Season

Kimi to Boku

I had a hard time determining which category this anime should go under, but I think this category fits it best. The manga does pause sometimes. There are a lot of loose ends romance-wise, but it could’ve easily gone into the previous category.

D-Frag

This is a romance anime that didn’t really get to any of its romance. It hinted, it tried, but it stuck to the comedy route (which I respect). However, there is a lot of potential if this anime ever did want to return.

Hataraku Maou-Sama

This series really needs a season two. It was an isekai before its time, and it has a lot of comedy that made me laugh. There are romance ends that are left up, and the underlying background plot went virtually nowhere. It ended, and it makes the audience go, “That was good and enjoyable”, but it leaves nothing else.

Mob Psycho 100

I’m pretty sure this anime will get another season, but it will take some time. This series does have the popularity, and since it was quite recent, I think it’s just a matter of time. Studio Bones is far too thirsty to leave their man alone. Let’s be real.

Ranma ½

I think what bothers me the most about this one is the fact that they had the right number of episodes to finish the series, but because the manga was still publishing at the time, they had to use a lot of filler which ultimately took away from a lot of the series. The Ranma manga ending had about as closed of an ending that you can have for a series like Ranma. There are some arcs in there that I think would boost the story after a lot of those OVAs left an unsatisfied taste in people’s mouths. I didn’t even bother watching those.

Nisekoi

I’m not sure if I would want an adaptation if it were to happen because I don’t like the ending anyway. There is material there though if they wanted to, and I do think it’s a bit annoying if you focus so heavily on romance and harem then just don’t end it conclusively.

Grand Blue

According to someone I know, the manga gets good. This anime was really funny during some of the parts, so I really wouldn’t mind a continuation.

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun

This manga actually did end, and I feel like it’s really missing out by not finishing itself. Shoujo manga and other romance manga do rely on having the characters graduate, get together, etc. Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun didn’t get that chance, and since the manga has a more conclusive ending, I think the anime should too.

Tsurezure Children

This anime focuses on everything so ends up with little progression in the long run. A lot of this is puppy love, but we never really move beyond that stage with the countless couples. I think this anime would greatly benefit with a continuation because it got so little done than series that focused on one couple. Focusing on multiple couples is part of this series’ charms though.

Yuri on Ice

I personally don’t feel a strong need for a season two, but I’m sure a lot of people would enjoy it because it has a large audience that are attached to these characters. They weren’t at their final stage yet.

Edit: They just announced a continuation called “Yuri!!! on Ice The Movie: Ice Adolescence”

Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun

The manga just hit a really pivotal point at the time that I’m writing this post, but the manga usually publishes monthly leaving it little room for successive seasons. Regardless, I feel that the series has more than enough popularity to carry it, and despite some of the real big corners that were cut during the making of the first season, people are still invested. I actually read the manga and can say that it has enough material for a second season.

Wotakoi

I actually read the manga for this series sometimes, and let me tell you, this series REALLY SHOULD GET a continuation. Sure, it’s sweet that you know who ends up with who, but this series is about “mature romance” (i.e. beyond high school). 12 episodes isn’t enough for this series. There’s so much awesome stuff that’s happened and is happening in the manga. 

Deadman Wonderland

This anime isn’t great by any means. It’s a gore fest. However, a lot of its plot holes and questions could’ve been answered if it went further in its source material. I’m not sure how much it would’ve made it make sense, but this anime is one of the ones here that really suffered from their lack of time to adapt the manga. Without some of the explanations, this series may little sense. I don’t really want another season simply because I didn’t really enjoy this anime, but I think I put it up here just because of how much it would benefit from a continuation. 

Ouran High School Host Club

Legend has it that every April Fool’s Day, someone goes on Twitter and announces season two. As much as we’d want that, Studio Bones is busy doing something to do with Bungou Stray Dogs or My Hero Academia. I already had to debunk a fake Ouran Season Two post for someone on Discord. I didn’t really enjoy the romance in Ouran (stayed for the comedy), so it would probably benefit from a continuation, even if it is a reboot. I mostly put this one here because of how much fans want it. Personally, I’d still be able to rest in peace either way. Regardless, it woudl still benefit immensely if they were to continue what they started.

Kekkaishi

This anime actually left 200+ chapters of manga untouched when it was adapting. I’m not sure of timelines and whether it was because of the manga publishing at the time that the anime was airing. Now that it’s a finished series in terms of manga, it can always get a reboot. It’s definitely worth it since it just finished on one arc.

Akatsuki no Yona

To me, Akatsuki no Yona was okay, but it could’ve been great... if they didn’t end on literally what the entire series was building up to. As a result of that, the anime really feels like a long manga advertisement going, “Wow, you sure are stupid for not reading the manga like the rest of us nerds!” The only reason why this series isn’t even higher on the list is because the other series did a better job cementing itself into a place in my heart. Akatsuki no Yona could’ve done that if they were given enough time, but alas, this series really suffers from a lack of anime adaptation.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun

It is such a shame that this anime doesn’t have another season. The OVAs are great, but if this had another season or two, they would be legendary. The voice actors really added to the comedy (the manga is still funny, but it’s didn’t make me laugh as much as the anime). The quirky soundtrack really adds to the atmosphere, and there’s so much development that’s gone down since its first season run. I really, really, really want another season. But this anime can be enjoyed even if it doesn’t.

Gin no Saji

This anime is incredibly enjoyable even if it doesn’t have a third season, but with the manga tying up all the loose ends with Hiromu Arakawa’s incredible storytelling, I find it really disappointing that they couldn’t get another season for this. Its characters were so likeable. I watched this anime with my mom who keeps nattering about a season three. If only such a thing were to exist.

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

As with a lot of shounen anime, this ended on one arc. However, this still had well over 100+ chapters that could’ve been adapted in series to come. The seiyuu events were hilarious, and this anime really hit its stride, but it left us all hanging. Now that the manga’s finished, I feel that it would be really great if we were to get another season. There were some arcs that I read that were so good. This was the first anime I watched, and it always holds a special place in my soul. I do hear the manga goes downhill majorly towards the end, but I’m sure that even that stuff would still be watched by people like me (heck, people waited for Black Clover to get good, come on!)

This also includes the Sinbad spinoff that felt more like a trailer rather than a full series. It wasn’t given nearly enough time.

Noragami

Noragami is extremely popular, and I think one of the reasons that it didn’t get the rest adapted is because the manga went on hiatus for about a year. However, I feel that it still had more than enough material to make some more way. Studio Bones is still busy with Bungou Stray Dogs and My Hero Academia, but Noragami would benefit by cleaning up some of the cliffhangers left behind. The future arcs are also really good, so the source material at least maintains some quality.

SKET Dance

I finished this series (both anime and manga) a couple of days ago, and I want to write a post about it. It was so good. It made me read 100 chapters in two days or something. But if this were to get adapted, this would give the series a MAJOR CHANCE to fix up the ending. Unfortunately, the manga ending disappointed a lot of people (including me), so being able to maybe just give the people what they want (I don’t care if it’s cheesy). They left a good chunk of great, hilarious, and touching arcs that would be able to keep toe-to-toe with the fantastic series they’ve done up to this point. I think it might’ve stopped due to the anime catching up, but come on, I just want this anime to get equal treatment to Gintama!!! It gets compared so often anyway!!! Series like these make me think, “If I was Jeff Bezos, I would just throw my money into making another season of this.” The seiyuu of this anime made the lines so funny too. I will be thinking and talking about this series for a while. 

Anime that Deserve a Reboot

Soul Eater

They really just dropped the source material in the last half. 

No. 6

The pacing kind of sucked in comparison to other materials, apparently.

Kids on the Slope

The pacing for this also really sucked and didn’t give a conclusive ending either way.

[deltaengineering]

Summer Anime 2019 Part 3: comic relief

7seeds

❓ Some terrible people wake up in the post-apocalypse, having been apparently selected for the survivor job without being told so. They do stupid things and are mean to each other for no reason.

❌❌ This is apparently based on a respected manga. I’ll guess the adaptation is not doing it right because nothing makes sense and every character is either a jerk or a blob that keeps getting picked on by jerks. Character drama, you see.

❌❌ The pacing is completely shot both ways, because this rushes through all explanations for anything and still barely has anything happening. I am informed this has to do with cramming ~18 volumes of manga in 12 episodes, which would explain it.

❌❌ Netflix sure knows how to pick ‘em, because apart from being nonsense, this also looks like a moderate production disaster right at episode 1. If you want more, you can watch the rest right now. Well apart from the other half of the manga, which they’re apparently banking on a sequel for. Now that’s comedy.

❌ Apparently this only gets worse as it goes along, which may be at least a bit more funny. I doubt it’s worth it.

Bem

❓ A tough cop starts getting into supernatural troubles. Meanwhile some supernaturals get into cop troubles.

✅ This actually does mostly fine as far as the cop procedural end of it is concerned. It has a nice, moody atmosphere and particularly good music.

❌❌ However, the rest of it is a remake of a 60s supernatural shounen and boy is that obvious. It’s like someone crammed a (bad) episode of Gegege no Kitarou into the middle of an episode of The Wire, and it shouldn’t be a shock that this does no positive things to the tonal consistency. 

❌ Not to mention that I don’t want to watch a (bad) episode of Gegege no Kitarou to begin with.

♎ It doesn’t look very good either, though that doesn’t really matter. It would be fine if the rest was fine, and as it is it barely registers as a problem compared to the other ones.

❌ Even if you’re interested in a moody cop procedural just for the rarity of it, you can just watch Cop Craft this season instead.

Given

❓ A rock band meets a creepy stalker that can’t play guitar. Naturally, he joins in short order.

♎ This is very much a BL show, so it’s pretty neat to see that nobody’s raping anyone in the first episode. Lack of being terrible is not exactly a positive, but hey. I’ll take it.

 ❌ The problem is just that this is a romance and I don’t like Mafuyu, the spectrum-tastic creepy stalker who’s described as  a “puppy”, which seems somewhat charitable. The rest of the characters are honestly fine, but that’s a big minus.

❌ It also already has a tendency to oversell its big emotional moments and impending backstory drama.

♎ So yeah, it’s the rare BL TV show that’s only on the level of a regularly bad anime romance. Knock yourself out if you must.

💩 Cheat Magician

❓ 💩

♎ For something that is textbook 💩, I’ll admit that this at least has a somewhat agreeable tone. Not that “everyone is super nice” is a selling point, but it lacks the sour whining of an Arifureta or Shield Hero. Dude also brings his osananajimi along for the ride, which is ultra lame but preferable to quite a few of the alternatives.

💩💩 Well, given the extremely clumsy writing that makes up this first episode, I’ll just assume that this is due the author being too amateurish to suck properly. There is no flair to anything and every sentence is a flat statement of exposition. The pacing is awful too.

💩💩 Fundamentally still of its genre, which means it’s a pure power fantasy with tons of lampshading of its own terrible nature. Hax powers and lots of barely clothed natives confirmed.

💩 Looks are as thoroughly uninspired as everything else.

Machikado Mazoku

❓ Poor (as in not wealthy) and dim (as in not bright) demon girl gets tasked to defeat a magical girl. Local magical girl would rather be friends.

✅ Hey, this is a pretty funny concept and it gets a lot of mileage out of this odd-couple pairing too. It has snappy pacing and while a lot of the jokes don’t land, the majority do.

♎ Leans a bit too hard into repetitive jokes, in particular the ones about not having any money. That’s just not where the funny is in this setup. Overall it just shows its 4koma nature a little bit too much.

✅ The main character is voiced by Kaguya-sama’s Chika and this show can get quite a lot of second-hand awesome from that. She does it less in episode 2, though.

♎ It’s probably the best purely cute&comfy blob show of the season, because Dumbbells didn’t manage to stand the 3-ep test for me (short version: it didn’t actually develop a story and is just a series of fundamentally boring tutorials)

Your Mom Online

❓ 💩

✅ I can’t pretend that a 💩 is not a 💩, but as far as clowning on the genre goes, this is pretty good. The idea that your overbearing mom came along for your ride and is hogging all the glory is properly terrifying, especially for the target audience.

✅ This is probably the funniest isekai spoof, which just means it’s better than Konosuba (which seemed to do very little to question its subject and basically just was a standard isekai where everyone is really stupid). In particular it shows a healthy disregard for worldbuilding and logic, which is a godsend (in a comedy).

💩 Still, it’s an anime comedy which means that a lot of the jokes just don’t land. Especially the fanservice-based ones are more cringeworthy than hilarious.

💩 This seems to have some designs on being more profound in the long run, which i find questionable on principle.

♎ What can I say, it’s the first isekai-related thing in a long time I didn’t completely hate and I’ll give it a chance based on that alone.

a certain edgy meme

❓ I’M ACCELERATOR / NICE TO MEET YA

❌ So the Raildex universe’s premier edgelord got himself his own show, and it’s quite shocking to see that he’s only the second most annoying thing in it.

❌❌ That crown would go to Misaka Misaka or Last Order or whatever the fuck, a tiny Misaka that narrates her own lines. Please.

❌ Apart from that it seems to be Railgun, which means it’s a lot of wacky goings-on, a lot of bizarre characters of very uneven quality, a lot of desperate sciencebabble, and a lot of action that’s not quite as cool as it wants to be.

❌ If I ever wanted to get into Raildex, I’d start with Railgun. If you already like Railgun, I suppose you’d like this too.

[3w-writer-with-wings]

asks6,5

5. List all anime you have ever watched

This one is sort of impossible to do, because I sort of stopped counting about five years ago when I started watching seasonal anime. From what I remember I grew up with Kimba the White Lion, Moomins, Pokemon, Beyblade, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Digimon and sometimes I would catch glimpses of Sailor Moon. The “real” anime that really got me in anime was D. Gray Man and from that point on I got into Fullmetal Alchemist, Soul Eater, Black Butler, Bleach, Wolf’s Rain, Ouran High School Host Club and Ao no Exorcist. I think I never really got into long series like Naruto (I had a friend who watched all episodes several times and pretty much just told me the whole plot after I gave up somewhere in the middle of Shippuden) and Fairy Tail (my other friend really liked it and tried to get me into it, but I don’t think I watched more than 50 episodes). I also watched Death Note and I found it pretty interesting (though I needed subtitles in my native language cuz I was still 13 at the time and didn’t know a lot of difficult English words).  Yu-Gi-Oh! was that one anime for which I didn’t lost interest and it also convinced me to start watching anime in Japanese (5Ds was still ongoing at the time, right somewhere in the middle of Dark Signers arc). I was slowly getting into cosplay at the time and I met a very good friend at one of the local anime conventions who introduced me to a lot of good anime like Shiki, Mirai Nikki, Attack on Titan and Code Geass. I guess that’s when I figured out I like certain genres, especially supernatural and mystery, though there were several anime whose genres I didn’t like that much, but I still loved the anime. Sometime in 2015 I started watching seasonal anime aka. I would read all descriptions for upcoming anime, pick up to eight of them and pick one that was “old classic” alongside it. This hasn’t changed much ever since and it is a pretty good way to stay in touch in anime. I tend to drop a few of them after 3-4 episode rule, but I try to be patient if the story, characters or setting are especially good. The current anime I’m watching right now are: Pokemon 2019, Pet (anime version of Inception basically), Breakers (anime shorts about para-athletes), Somali to Mori no Kamisama (cute story about a golem and a little girl that he adopts), Uchi Tama?! Uchi no Tama Shirimasenka? (hilarious show about daily lives of cats and dogs), Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun (supernatural mystery about urban legends in school aka. Seven Wonders), 4th season of My Hero Academia and Mairimashita! Iruma-kun (My Hero Academia basically, but with blue Deku and demons). Out of “old classics” I’m watching Fafner in the Azure (mecha, post-apocalyptic anime) and Kyou Kara Maou (probably the funniest Isekai anime I ever watched and it is just getting funnier ever after 50 episodes).

So yeah it would be better to just ask me if I know a certain anime or not, rather than asking me to list down everything I’ve watched so far.

 6. Popular anime you didn’t like

The thing with me is that I’m sort of following the rule “First watch, then judge” and that I tend to avoid popular anime because I enjoy rare gems more. Like I needed a while to get into Attack on Titan and My Hero Academia because it was everywhere and so talked about it was annoying, but it is still among my favourite action series due to incredible story writing, memorable characters and unique setting. It was easier with Yuri on Ice! and Kimetsu no Yaiba because I got to watch it before they became so popular and that’s one of the many reasons why I started following seasonal anime.

If I have to point at one or few popular anime I don’t like, then that’s probably long shounen series like One Piece and Dragon Ball. I don’t think I saw more than twenty episodes for both and I guess the reason was that I just didn’t find it interesting enough to continue or I didn’t like the humour. The main issue I have with long shounen series is that they follow the same cookie-cutter recipe where you have a hero who goes through a long training arc and then goes through a long villain fighting arc which just gets tiresome after a while. There are long shounen series like My Hero Academia and Kimetsu no Yaiba that put more emphasis on the well-paced story and don’t drag on as much.

I’m also not that fond of popular romance, drama and slice-of-life anime like Toradora and Clannad. I understand why people like it, but I’m very picky when it comes to such genres in anime. That doesn’t mean I don’t watch such genres at all, it is just that I prefer them in a certain way. For example, I really love Charlotte, anime that is considered bad due to a plot twist somewhere in the middle and rushed ending, but I actually really like those parts and find them really emotional. The story was just so well put together. But for anime movies like Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms and Silent Voice… I didn’t find it emotional at all due to how forced it felt and the story was very clumsy when exploring such difficult themes. In this case, it wasn’t that I didn’t like them but more like I saw potential in them and was disappointed when it wasn’t properly developed.

[sapphire-swan3536]

Isekai Manga

(An overview of the genre, with a few manga recommendations sprinkled throughout)

Ok, let’s talk about isekais. 

You probably know the term by now; it’s been thrown around a bunch in the anime community, especially with the Shield Hero’s huge burst in popularity (proud to say that I followed the manga way before the anime released). 

What Does It Mean?

Simply put, “isekai” is a shortened version of the Japanese word for “another world”. Usual characteristics of isekais include the main character getting transported to a different world, whether by being summoned as “the chosen one”, or dying and being reincarnated. 

There’s been a sudden increase of interest in the genre of isekai recently, so Japan, along with China and Korea, is serializing manga/manhwa/manhua like crazy. Of course, there’s a marketing aspect involved too, which usually just makes it clear that certain aspects of the story (*cough* or all, if you’re talking about “In Another World With My Smartphone”) are specifically catered to the interests/fetishes of the masses.

That means nowadays most (Shounen) isekai stories usually include:

- Catgirls

- Harems

- OP protagonist

- Hot girl sidekick of the protagonist

- Girl who is amazed by OPness of the protagonist, but stays for his “personality”

- Romance, but not really (as in it reads like it’s written by a 4-year-old who knows exactly 3 copy-and-paste anime girl tropes)

-Used to be useless protagonist (jobless, otaku) becomes “the chosen one” and is summoned/reincarnated into a different world where he is the most powerful/smart

Honestly, some are cliche but entertaining somehow nonetheless (Shikkaku Mon no Saikyou Kenja (very, very OP and cliche), and Tenseishichatta yo (focuses more on family; better characters and plot than Saikyou))

Quick Recommendation Overview of Shounen Isekais:

(most of these are pretty unique, for isekais)

- Isekai Yakkyoku (A doctor gets reincarnated and uses his medical knowledge to help the world he reincarnates into, slowly becoming a renowned physician.)

- Tenseishichatta yo (Iya, Gomen) (Pretty textbook isekai, except the boy who reincarnates had a bad relationship with his family, and gets a great family in his second life, which is rather sweet)

- Tondemo Skill de Isekai Hourou Meshi (Guy basically roams around the world freely with an OP wolf-friend, an adorable slime companion, and cooking skill. Chill, laid-back manga)

- Isekai Yururi Kikou: Raising Children While Being an Adventurer (Exactly what it sounds like; MC spawns in a new world, sees children, Dad instincts kick in, and they’re traveling and hunting together. Pure, wholesome, family manga.)

- Saikyou Juzoku Tensei: Cheat Majutsushi no Slow Life (Eh, if you’re bored, it’ll do; no interesting plot to really speak of)

- Moto Sekai Ichi’i Subchara Ikusei Nikki: Hai Player, Isekai wo Kouryakuchuu! (Pretty standard isekai, but it’s entertaining, and there aren’t enough chapters to judge the plot yet since it’s relatively new. MC commits suicide and is reincarnated as one of his sub characters in a game he played before death.)

- My Status as An Assassin Obviously Exceeds The Brave’s (OP, calculating MC with the assassin title; relatively new, but has a lot of potential)

- The World’s Best Assasin, Reincarnated (Exactly what it sounds like. Cold MC, scanlation’s on the 2nd chapter, so it’s much too early to judge anything, but yunno, assassins)

- Isekai Shokudou (a seinen; very relaxing, uplifting manga about a magical cafe that opens its doors to another world every Saturday, focusing on the way food is a part of culture, life, and how it can bring great happiness)

(Not an Isekai, but if you like Isekais, you’ll probably like Solo Leveling. Legitimately the best manhwa I’ve ever read. Incredible story, amazing fight scenes, art is <3, and character development is through the roof.)

...

Of course, I’m not only coming after the Shounen Isekais. There are shoujo isekais as well, and just like the shounen ones, there are godly ones that leave you hanging on every word, and there are... not as good ones.

One main shoujo isekai trope that’s been really standing out recently is a trope featuring the main female protagonist being reincarnated into the world of an “otome game”, or a dating simulation for girls, but as the villain, or a mob character. Alternate tropes include being reincarnated into a novel’s world, etc.

The main focus is that the MC knows what is going to happen (often a “bad ending” for the character they’ve reincarnated to), and the story is the development of how they try to avoid their bad end. (Most feature romance) Some are a bit cheap, with their MCs being bland Mary-Sues, but others really dive into the fantasy world, often featuring a sharp, witty protagonist. I’ll recommend both though, as they are all quite enjoyable.

Shoujo Isekai Manga Recommendation Overview:

Manga with the above-mentioned trope will be marked with a !

- ! Otome Game no Hametsu Flag Shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei Shite Shimatta... (The OG of the Otome Game trope: Bakarina. Although it’s the OG, it’s not the best in its trope. Still worth a read; not much re-read value though)

- ! I’m a Villainous Daughter, so I’m Going to Keep the Last Boss (Unlike Bakarina, you feel a lot more pity for this protag; nicely written MC and stoic but softy on the inside love interest (who, as the title implies) is the Demon King)

- ! The Villainess is Adored by the Crown Prince of the Neighboring Kingdom

- ! I Swear I won’t Bother You Again! (Technically not a reincarnation, as Violette, the MC, gets rewound in time by one year, and this time, swears to not make the same mistakes again)

- ! Of Course, I’ll Claim Palimony! (Smart MC; relatively new)

- ! The Banished Villainess! Living the Leisurely Life of a Nun Making Revolutionary Church Food (legit the title is the summary)

- I’m a Spider, So What? (kinda slow-pace seinen type; MC gets reincarnated into a spider, and levels up, gaining skills and experiences (starting to pick up a good plot in recent chapters, though))

- Mata, Kataomou (The tear-jerker; Wishing for her love to come back to life, the MC is transported to an alternate universe where he never died, only to find that he didn’t remember her. She rebuilds their relationship from scratch.)

- ! Fiancee’s Observation Log of the Self-Proclaimed Villainess (unique isekai, told in the POV of the fiance of the reincarnator. Reincarnator is well-meaning girl, who’s a bit dense, while our MC is a cold genius, slowly warming up to the good-willed reincarnator)

- ! Lady Rose Wants to be a Commoner

****The GOLDEN SHOUJO MANHWAS: BEST OF THE BEST****

- ! The Reason Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke’s Mansion (Intelligent MC, well-written storyline, romantic witty banter between MC and the duke; my personal favorite)

- ! Who Made Me a Princess (Focus on family; father-daughter relationship, some nice potential romance brewing in recent chapters, a clever MC)

- ! Doctor Elise (Mary-Sue MC; Basically Isekai Yakkyoku’s plot with a female MC and romance)

Manhuas in isekai don’t really match up, unfortunately, so they didn’t make it on the list, despite there being quite a few in my bookmark list.

And that’s the overview, folks! 

There’s quite a lot I skipped over, so feel free to message me, or reblog with your own recommendations! 

[thecrazyanimegirl]

Fall Anime ‘18

We ended up watching a little less this season, we had to drop some because we just had no time, but it was a good season ^^ finally the golden kamuy second season and even space battleship tiramisu! 

Since we often have similar opinions about the anime we watch, so we will make our review this time a little bit different, we’ll just put our general opinion on it, something all three mods agree on.

{ Winter ‘17/’18 }  { Spring ‘18 } { Summer ‘18 }

Akanesasu Shoujo 

It got a little better as episodes when on and it was interesting in some ways when you power through all those cliche scenes of getting power by accepting yourself stuff.

Armor Shop For Ladies And Gentleman 

Short and funny, if you can handle the boob jokes xD It would be more entertaining if the story progressed a little bit faster rather than showing how the three coworkers live together. Also had some much too much prolonged meaningless scenes that ate away the already short duration of the 4 minute episodes.

Ass Miss Beelzebub Likes 

Hell as you’ve never seen it before, all cute and fluffy, with fallen angels and demons being normal desk workers and falling in love ^^ A really cute romance story, the characters are adorable and lovable! It was amazing if you like the genre!

Bakumatsu

Not sure why this is getting a second season, I was really tempted to drop it, it just didn’t keep me interested in the story and had too many characters that are just there and idk what they all wanted. (Only neko finished the season, the rest dropped it lol)

Bloom Into You 

A really sweet yuri anime ^^ It really focuses on their relationship, on the deepening of their feelings for each other and their problems and growth as individuals. It’s soft, easygoing and filled with happy feelings, but at the same time tackles some harder themes, like the feeling of inability too love, unrequited love, losing a loved one and learning to live without them, the different “faces” people have etc.

Dakaretai Otoko 1-i ni Odosarete Imasu

Our dream has come true! A classical BL manga turned anime with no shame with showing the juicy stuff and centered on the relationship of these two hot guys. The angst is mostly unnecessary, but we’ll take what we can get!  

Double Decker! Doug and Kirill

A detective story with a lot of action, humor and lovable characters! Yes, it’s not plot heavy and isn’t an anime that will swipe you off your feet, but it’s different, completely acceptant of diversity, has great humor and, overall, loved it! It has some charm to it that is undeniable!

Gakuen Basara 

Funny AU adaptation of the original series, Sengoku Basara. For those who are thirsty for more content and want to see their favorite characters in a new art style, this is definitely a must watch.

Goblin Slayer

Amazing! Loved loved it! Although, it has violence and rape, so it isn’t for everyone, but it has depth and it’s really interesting. The action is cool and Goblin Slayer-san is even cooler! Loved the other characters too. Totally looked forward to each episode each week, it was definite that the next episode will be great too ^^

Hey, your cat ears are showing!

A really cute shounen ai story (which I didn’t even know, so I was quite surprised when some feelings started to show up xD) about a guy who finds a stray cat who turns out to be a boy! Pure and short.

I’m glad I could keep running

A four-episode story about a guy who tries to become a voice actor. A great story, it’s well paced and worth the watch! And the actual voice actors are also popular and great too!

Jingai-san no Yome

Changing between creepy and cute, it’s a short anime about teenagers being married off to supernatural creatures. Since it’s only 3 minutes per ep, we finished watching it, and it had its cute and funny moments

Karakuri Circus

It’s a bit different, has a unique art style and story, but it’s really good! Kinda expected more of the circus part and less puppets haha, but nevertheless, the main characters are interesting, there are great battle scenes and the story is intriguing. It sometimes had unnecessary angsty scenes with no actual plot, but other than that, a really underrated anime this season that deserves more attention! ~

Kishuku Gakkou no Juliet

It’s a typical romeo and juliet story. Didn’t hate it, but didn’t love it either. 

Merc Storia: Mukiryoku no Shounen to Bin no Naka no Shoujo  

It’s cute and soft and the fact it has many stories makes it less boring, but it’s still a childish anime so you’ll only like it if you are a child like me (in heart).

Radiant

Yes, another overly ecstatic kid who wants to save the world and has mysterious powers, but! It kinda works with this one, it’s actually really good ^^ The characters are cute and funny, it’s easy to watch and if you’re still not on board, there is Dragunov, a really hot guy with amazing hair and cooking skills ;) 

RErideD: Derrida, who leaps through time

The first five episodes are extremely promising, but the rest is not so fulfilling. It’s interesting enough to keep watching, the whole idea is pretty good, but somehow it’s lacking in depth and explanations. Much better binge watched then watched one ep a week.

Run with the Wind

If you ever tried running in your life, you will sympathize with the characters BECAUSE. IT. IS. REALLY. HARD. This anime will warm up your heart seeing how each of the boys try to do fight for their life goals and at the same time, the running helps each of them them in a unique way.

Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai 

Even if the title screams ecchi, it really is not. And it’s really good! The plot is interesting, unique and compelling to watch, loved the characters and their interactions. 

Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san

Since this anime depicts how japanese bookstores work, there are quite some interesting things few would think of. It’s comedic way of showing the everyday life of a bookseller and short episodes is perfect if you are interested in knowing more about the japanese culture. 

So Many Colors in the Future What a Wonderful World

A really beautiful, magical and aesthetic anime! The animation is wonderful and the story is sweet and interesting. It’s a warm story about a girl that is unable to see color and is sent back to the past by her grandma. It’s mostly about friendship and bonds that you make with people that will never disappear. 

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Didn’t really expect much from the title, it sounded like there will be a lot of clothes melting and girls screaming haha But it ended up amazing! Love the plot, the characters, the battle scenes and it’s really a sure thing that each episode is going to be great ^^ It’s easygoing yet interesting. An isekai anime done right!

Tsurune: Kazemai Koukou Kyuudoubu

Love it! The characters have really touched our hearts! It is not as good as novel, but the anime is still beautiful so we can forget that (not forgive though). The novel has a completely different feel to it. (Not saying the anime is bad, it’s actually really good and the characters and plot are still amazing, but it’s just different)

Voice of Fox

I liked the anime, but the ending didn’t really solve anything. It felt like like they were just glossing over the bad stuff with singing? It is mostly angst in the later episodes and after the so promising first couple of eps it’s kinda disappointing, but overall, it still keeps the viewer interested and has a lot of potential if they fill the plot holes.

Zombieland Saga

Miyano Mamoru having a blast being a manager for seven zombie girls who he trains to be idols. Extremely hilarious, good music and actually has some real feels! Loved it! ^^

Hero Mask

Doesn’t really fit in the season time frames, but Netflix released another anime! (and I think that it needs a bigger fandom so I’m putting it here hehe) It is a bit more slow-paced than most anime, but if you like a good crime story, you’ll probably like this ^^ Great animation, loved the fight scenes, the story is also really good and has some powerful girl characters! 

Dropped: Ms. vampire who lives in my neighborhood., Release the Spyce, Ulysses: Jeanne d'Arc to Renkin no Kishi

[natsthinkitythinkthinkthonk]

Underrated Anime Series (Part One)

I can’t say that this will be the only part, but I don’t know when the next part will come! “Underrated” is a little broad. 

My definition means that I haven’t met a whole lot of people that have watched it, and I haven’t seen a whole lot of content or it on this website. Of course, you might not agree with this list. If there’s one missing, it’s probably because I haven’t watched it (Mushishi, 3-Gatsu no Lion, etc.). 

In order to qualify, I watched 12+ episodes or the complete series (only Honey and Clover remains uncompleted for now). 

NO ANIME MOVIES! That’s over here “Underrated Anime Movies (Take One)”

The descriptions, general information, and recommendations are generally provided by MyAnimeList with some editing done.

This list started off small then swelled out of control. It took me a long time. Hopefully, you can find a new anime to like on this list! Prepare for a long post!

Hachimitsu to Clover / Honey and Clover

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Josei, Romance, Slice of Life Studios: J.C.Staff Length: 24 episodes (23 min per ep)

Three poor college guys live in a rundown apartment building. Shinobu is a mysterious, quirky person, who does things on a whim. Takumi is passionate both in work and love, and Yuuta is a simple person with simple dreams and desires. They meet a girl named Hagumi who is friends with Ayumi. Hagumi is a petite young-looking girl (basically, what the internet calls a loli). Ayumi is a beautiful and talented young lady. Together, they all try to get through college life and romance.

Similar Anime: - Nodame Cantabile: College students from artistic faculties both overcome personal hardship while finding their own personal romance. - 3-Gatsu no Lion: From the same creator and mangaka, the slice of life way of telling the stories of these dynamic characters and the differences and contrasts between the two stories definitely make them unique in their own right.

This is a great anime with a light palette, a simple yet stunning soundtrack, and a great story that brings realism and charming characters together. With strong performances from the voice actors, you will notice notable names like Tomokazu Sugita and Hiroshi Kamiya. To me, this was one of Sugita’s best roles. It showed me a more dramatic, vulnerable, and emotional side of his acting which was probably shown in Gintama a few hundred episodes in.

My complaints are that the pacing is a little slow sometimes (as expected with a slice-of-life series), and I didn’t like Hagu much because the internet poisons those types of characters (lolis). It makes her romances very shady and uncomfortable for me. You also might be deterred if you don’t like the genre.

Death Parade

Studios: Madhouse Genres: Game, Mystery, Psychological, Drama, Thriller Length: 12 episodes (23 min per ep)

This originally came from a short film called Death Billiards which was part of the Young Animator Training Project's Anime Mirai 2013. This series is basically a young animator’s film being made into a series, and I think that’s awesome. It has the same director as Mob Psycho 100 despite being a dramatic series with no comedy.

After death, you arrive at a bar with no memory of how you died. Without heaven or hell, there stand two options: reincarnation or the void. To decide, you play a game like bowling, darts, or pool. Winner gets reincarnation while the loser is sent into the void. Welcome to death! Don’t be fooled by the opening, this anime is not happy.

Similar Anime: - Jigoku Shoujo: Divine punishment is delivered by emotionless beings. Each episode seems to have its own cast with an overarching storyline even though Jigoku Shoujo is a lot longer. - Psycho-Pass: Even though I haven’t watched this one, both touch on very philosophical subjects that contain the idea of the difference between right and wrong and the lines in between. They are both psychological thrillers.

This anime was one that introduces a new story every episode but has an overarching plot that wraps it together. Its development is done well. The characters may seem blank, but that’s for the sake of the new characters that come with each episode. It can be felt to be very emotional so have your tissues at hand for the finale (I didn’t cry, but I hear it was really sad?)

The art fits the plotline perfectly. The voice acting is strong with a cast that is filled with notable names like Tomoaki Maeno and Asami Seto, but there are many names in the supporting cast as well.

The side plot seems poorly done at times, and there are plot elements that are introduced that indicate another season, but we won’t be having one. There is pretty much no happiness to be found here.

Barakamon

Studios: Kinema Citrus Genres: Slice of life, comedy Length: 12 episodes (23 min per ep)

Handa is a calligraphy prodigy who is sent to the Goto Islands as punishment for punching a veteran judge who called his work “unoriginal”. He must find inspiration and learn the ways of his new life.

Similar Anime: - Poco Udon World/Sweetness and Lightning: I’m not including Usagi Drop because of the manga. SCARRED ME FOR LIFE. These are all about people who fall into a single-parent situation. - Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso: Both are about child prodigies who have to explore life beyond the book, but Shigatsu takes a more romantic drama kind of approach. *Gin no Saji: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!]

This is one of my favourite anime out there! Its story is relatable to many people who grew up with expectations. It’s about a guy who gets wisped into a life he never asked for and experiences a taste of the childhood he never had. This is one of the first anime I recommend to anyone of any age especially if they’ve never watched anime before. I think this was the first anime I showed to my own mom, and she enjoyed it.

Gakkou Gurashi!

Studios: Lerche Genres: Psychological, Slice of Life, School, Horror, Mystery Length: 12 episodes (24 min per ep)

Yuki loves school so much that she never wants to leave! But it’s not as if she can. She’s part of the School Living Club which consists of the president Yuuri, Kurumi, Miki, Sakura-sensei, and the club dog Taroumaru all live at school. Despite the illusions of Yuki’s imagination, the real purpose of the School Living Club is to escape from the shocking and disturbing truth: the girls are in the middle of a zombie apocalypse and have barricaded themselves inside the school as the sole survivors.

Similar Anime: - Madoka Magica/Higurashi: I haven’t watched Madoka and Higurashi, but they both use cute as a facade to hide the darker themes and horrors behind everything. “Moe moe kyun”? More like “moe moe kill”. (I’m going to be kicked in the balls for that) - Girls’ Last Tour: I haven’t watched Girls’ Last Tour, but I know they have post-apocalyptic cute girls doing normal things. They all only have each other and try to enjoy each day peacefully. - Angel Beats: Both shows present normal high school students who live in excruciating circumstances that all hide a deeper meaning. This show has less cutesy moe stuff though.

It delivers on the promised cute elements. I even tried recommending it to a friend who likes Love Live! Let’s just say, there are some differences. The voice actresses do a great job, and I actually found this anime kind of scary (although I get scared too easily).

Gin no Saji / Silver Spoon

Studios: A-1 Pictures Genres: Comedy, Slice of Life, School, Shounen Length: 11 episodes (23 min per ep)

Hachiken is a studious and diligent student who found it unbearable to live with the expectations of his parents and society. With his entry into high school, he decides to attend a unique boarding school in the countryside. The new environment isn’t what he expects, and along with meeting his new classmates and surroundings, he tries to adjust while trying to survive his new life.

Similar Anime: - Fullmetal Alchemist: This is an unexpected entry, but they have the same creator! Both are beautifully developed stories with lovable characters that you get attached to. Hiromu Arakawa is a genius in her own right, and this story has her art and her brilliant storytelling. *Barakamon: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!]

The voice acting here is great too, and the animation does its job well, but the real magic here is in the storytelling and the characters. I love the entire cast so much. Each of them are realistic and hardworking despite having their own quirky attributes. The setting and the meaning of every line of dialogue really sticks with me. The morals in both Barakamon and Gin no Saji are ones that I will never forget. The only reason why I don’t actively recommend this is because it is a farm, and those with weak stomaches might not like the idea of dealing with farm animals that get eaten, but if that’s the case, why eat meat at all? No animals are killed on-screen.

Hai to Gensou no Grimgar

Studios: A-1 Pictures Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Isekai Length: 12 episodes (24 min per ep)

*Isekai = Term used for fictional stories where characters are thrown into a new (usually fantasy RPG-style) world

Thrown into a foreign land with nothing but hazy memories and the knowledge of their name, a group of strangers is given no other choice than fight and eliminate anything that threatens the peace in their new world, Grimgar. This is no game—there are no redos or respawns; it is kill or be killed. It is now up to this ragtag group of unlikely fighters to survive together.

Similar Anime: - Sword Art Online/Goblin Slayer: They are of the same genre, but Grimgar does a better job than both combined (but I dislike SAO and Goblin Slayer). - Tate no Yuusha: Another Isekai anime (like SAO and Goblin) except unlike the two other similar anime, these ones are both done well. Tate no Yuusha already has a following.

The voice acting here is great, and we see Hosoya playing the main role for once! The art and animation are done well. This anime takes a far slower approach comparing to other Isekai anime. They spend more time on the emotional burdens of each of the characters and their slower adjustments. While that’s a turnoff to some, they make you view the lives of these former normal citizens and make you wonder whether you’d be able to survive these circumstances, and if you don’t like that... well... there is the fan-service I guess.

Hinamatsuri

Studios: feel. Genres: Comedy, Seinen, Slice of LIfe, Supernatural Length: 12 episodes (23 min per ep)

Yakuza member Nitta is rudely interrupted when a young female esper barges into his life. He quickly finds himself being a caregiver and parental figure to the girl. The unlikely duo lives life unconventionally as circumstances change and everyday chaos ensues.

Similar Anime: - Mob Psycho 100: The number of similarities often go unnoticed, but they are both about shady adults (a conman and a yakuza) taking in a young esper (Mob and Hina) with hilarious stories. YOU MUST WATCH BOTH. - Gintama: Odd choice, I know. Both are quite similar in terms of humour. Gintama takes the shounen route while Hinamatsuri is a seinen series.

The majority of this voice cast are newbies (meaning people I’ve never heard of before), and honestly, they do such a great job that I genuinely thought that these people were seasoned veterans. Same with the studio. I don’t usually see them take on these kinds of projects (with most of their things being basic Slice of Life). The faces are hilarious. The characters are hilarious (thanks to brilliant writing and voice casts). It was so much fun to watch. I had to conceal my laughter at 2am because I was secretly binge-watching this. I failed multiple times. 

Net-juu no Susume

Studios: Signal.MD Genres: Game, Comedy, Romance Length: 10 episodes (23 min per ep)

30-year-old Moriko Morioka is unemployed—and she couldn't be happier. Having quit her job of over 11 years, Moriko quickly turns to online games. With the pesky societal obligations of the real world out of the way, she dives into the realm of an MMO. Life online and in the real world intertwine.

Similar Anime: *Wotakoi: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!] *ReLIFE: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!]

This oddly relatable and adorable (don’t know what other words to use) romance between two people who meet online is honestly so pure, but let’s not forget that one of the high-ranking staff members of this anime is... uh... less than wholesome. 

Kazuyoshi Yaginumi (director) is a Holocaust denier and a supremacist who has radical political views. But hey, if you’ve watched the third season of Natsume’s Book of Friends, Naruto, No. 6, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, Hotarubi no Mori e, Black Bullet, Beck, or Akira, I hate to break it to you, but he was a part of all of them. I found this out after I watched the anime. I probably would not have watched this if I knew. But if you dismiss the anime that this man has worked on, you are truly missing out. Let’s not forget that he wasn’t the only person working on these projects, and he isn’t the creator, but let’s pray that he isn’t hired to do anything else!!! I don’t know of any other major work he got after this one (aired in 2017)

Wotakoi

Studios: A-1 Pictures Genres: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life Length: 11 episodes (22 min per ep)

Narumi Momose finds herself running late for her first day of work at a new office. She makes a promise to herself that none of her coworkers will find out about her dark secret: that she is an otaku and a fujoshi. This goes wrong when she runs into Hirotaka Nifuji, a friend from middle school. Luckily for her, the only witnesses to this slip-up are Hanako Koyanagi and Tarou Kabakura who are otaku as well. But what happens when otaku date each other?

Similar Anime: *Net-juu no Susume: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!] *Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun: I constantly swear on this anime because I like both of these anime a lot.

I liked this one better than Net-juu no Susume, but that isn’t because of the director of the other one. I like this one for its cast of characters, its use of references that go beyond the gaming world (although this anime touches on it too), and the fact that there are different type of otaku out there. I seriously understood more references than I would’ve liked. 

No. 6

Studios: Bones Genres: Action, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Drama Length: 11 episodes (23 min per ep)

Many years ago, after the end of a bloody world war, mankind took shelter in six city-states that were peaceful and perfect... at least on the surface. However, Shion—an elite resident of the city-state No. 6—has an encounter with a mysterious boy, Nezumi who lived in the desolate wasteland beyond the walls of the supposed utopia. Despite knowing that the other boy was a fugitive, Shion decided to take him in for the night and protect him, which resulted in drastic consequences. Now, a long time after their life-altering first meeting, Shion and Nezumi are finally brought together once again—the former elite and the boy on the run are about to embark on an adventure that will, in time, reveal the shattering secrets of No. 6.

Similar Anime: - Banana Fish: I haven’t completely watched Banana Fish, but it features the darker sides of society with loads of casualties.  *Zankyou no Terror: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!]

Hosoya and Kaji are both amazing in this anime. This anime meant a lot to both of them. Hosoya wanted to give up voice acting while Kaji was a fan of the original series and was hyped to hear its news for adaptation. This heartwrenching story suffers from the whole “rush this bad adaptation”, but as someone who doesn’t read manga/novels, this anime is a great look into the inside of this intricate universe. Again, most of the shortcomings have to do with poor pacing and toned down storytelling (and toned down violence) which come from being badly adapted from the source material, but even after taking away all that good stuff, we’re still left with a pretty good anime. Just don’t cry... too hard... yeah.

Kimi to Boku 

Studios: J.C. Staff Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School, Shounen, Slice of Life Length: 13 episodes (24 min per ep)

Four high school boys, who have known each other since childhood, hang out together in school every day in their mundane lives. There's the handsome twins Yuuki and Yuuta Asaba, the gentle Shun Matsuoka, and the calm class head Kaname Tsukahara. Although they have become used to a lack of excitement in their lives, the addition of a new transfer student, Chizuru Tachibana, may add a little more adventure to their routine.

Similar Anime: *Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!] *Hachimitsu to Clover: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!]

While I wouldn’t classify this as a complete shounen nor would I call it a shoujo, it achieves a happy medium with enough anime cliches to call it an anime and enough ordinary elements for me to truly feel that it can be relatable. It has a really nice OST that’s sung by Aoi Shouta at times. We have a stacked and entertaining voice cast, and the story is slow but nice. It pulls more at the slice of life side rather than romance.

Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou / Daily Life of High School Boys

Studios: Sunrise Genres: Comedy, School, Shounen, Slice of Life Length: 12 episodes (24 min per ep)

Hidenori, Yoshitake, and Tadakuni are just an everyday trio of ordinary guys trying to pass the time, but who said everyday life couldn't be interesting? 

Similar Anime: *Nichijou: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!] *Kimi to Boku: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!] *Gintama: The shows do share a number of voice actors, the humour is similar, and the general nonsensical writing will draw audiences from both sides.

Here’s the more comedic and strictly non-romantic side of Kimi to Boku. This one is probably relatable in way that shouldn’t be shared with the general public. Unlike the other Nichijou (with girls and by Kyoto Animation), this one doesn’t rely on the animation. It relies on humour in its writing. There aren’t any really good female characters in this anime. It does focus on three guys and their antics though. And I mean, is anyone in this anime really a winner?

Natsume Yuujinchou / Natsume’s Book of Friends

Studios: Brain's Base Genres: Slice of Life, Supernatural, Drama, Fantasy, Shoujo Length: 12 episodes (24 min per ep)

Takashi Natsume has had a connection with youkai all his life and soon discovers that his deceased grandmother Reiko had passed on to him the Yuujinchou, or "Book of Friends," which contains the names of the spirits whom she brought under her control. This makes him a target of enraged youkai that want their names back. His only companion is a self-proclaimed bodyguard named Madara. Fondly referred to as Nyanko-sensei, Madara is a mysterious, pint-sized feline spirit who has his own reasons for sticking with the boy.

Similar Anime: *Mushishi: I haven’t watched Mushishi (even though it’s on my watch later list). It contains similar ideas and concepts. *Hotarubi no Mori e: Same creator/mangaka! Yuki Midorikawa has taken her masterful storytelling to other stories, and Hotarubi has a wonderful anime movie that manages to get you with the feels in less than an hour.

I know this anime gets a lot of attention already, but I feel like I haven’t met a whole lot of people who’ve watched it. A shoujo without romance? It’s unusual, but this definitely works out. The simple art works in its favour, and its music is beautiful. This anime has a way of making all of its stories resonate, and if you aren’t going to watch it for the youkais’ stories, watch it for Nyanko-sensei. He’s honestly the best.

Sakamichi no Apollon / Kids on the Slope

Studios: Tezuka Productions, MAPPA Genres: Drama, Josei, Music, Romance, School Length: 12 episodes (22 min per ep)

Introverted classical pianist Kaoru Nishimi has just arrived in Kyushu for his first year of high school. Having constantly moved from place to place since his childhood, he abandons all hope of fitting in, preparing himself for another lonely, meaningless year until he encounters the notorious delinquent Sentarou Kawabuchi. Kaoru begins playing the piano at after-school jazz sessions, located in the basement of fellow student Ritsuko Mukae's family-owned record shop.

Similar Anime: - Your Lie in April/Shigatsu no Kimi no Uso: Both anime are about classical musicians breaking out of their shells in beautifully written stories. Sakamichi no Apollon is arguably more serious and take on a bit of a darker and more mature tone since Shigatsu is a shounen anime while Sakamichi is a josei. *Kimi to Boku: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!]

This anime suffers the same thing that No. 6 does. The story gets watered down and condensed to fit the short-episode format, and so much is left out in terms of pacing. The voice acting in this is phenomenal. Ryohei Kimura and Yoshimasa Hosoya do not disappoint. Yuuka Nanri barely has any other lead roles, but she does an okay job here too. Yoko Kanno on score composition is one of the best decisions to be made for this anime even if jazz isn’t her main genre of choice. She composed everything masterfully. I wouldn’t have thought that she did it if I didn’t see it on the staff list. Those things are the reasons why I liked this anime so much. The OST and voice acting are good enough for me to recommend this anime despite (like No. 6), the adaptation quality not being that great. Even taking that stuff away, we are still left with a great anime.

ReLIFE

Studios: TMS Entertainment Genres: Slice of Life, Romance, School Length: 13 episodes (23 min per ep)

Hopeless 27-year-old loser Arata Kaizaki bounces around from one job to another after quitting his first company. He meets Ryou Yoake who offers Arata the opportunity to change his life for the better with the help of a mysterious pill. Arata takes it and awakens to find that his appearance has reverted to that of a 17-year-old. He takes part in a unique experiment and must attend high school as a transfer student for one year. Arata struggles to adjust to his hectic new lifestyle and avoid repeating his past mistakes, all while slowly discovering more about his fellow classmates and himself.

Similar Anime: - Erased: Both anime are about adults reliving their past and trying to make amends for past mistakes that they’ve made. Erased takes more of the murder mystery route while ReLIFE stays in a simpler slice of life style. *Net-juu no Susume: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!]

This anime suffers the same thing that No. 6 and Sakamichi no Apollon does. The story gets watered down and condensed to fit the short-episode format, and so much is left out in terms of pacing that they had to fit hundreds of chapters into the second season which had FOUR episodes. This one has an awesome casts which mixes experienced voice actors with newer ones. This was one of Yuuma Uchida’s first major roles, and we see new(er) people like Reina Ueda and Himika Akaneya mixed in too. In terms of experienced voice actors, we can look forward to Kensho Ono and Ai Kayano playing the main characters along with Haruka Tomatsu and Ryohei Kimura also playing major characters along with appearances from Noriaki Sugiyama, Daisuke Namikawa, and Miyuki Sawashiro. With a bunch of new EDs with practically every episode and an OST that people seem to love or hate (jazz piano riffs have to be your thing, and I liked it), the music is hit and miss. For me, it was a hit. The jazz soundtrack is out-of-place but unique. It takes a sharp contrast, and it isn’t bad music. 

Senyuu

[This anime is on the “Anime with Short Episodes” list]

Studios: Ordet, LIDENFILMS Genres: Action, Comedy, Parody, Fantasy, Shounen Length: 13 episodes (4 min per ep)

In a story we’ve all heard before, the demon lord is sealed until things go amiss! Amateur adventurer Alba Frühling and sadistic talented soldier Ross must go defeat monsters and seal the demons away.

Similar Anime: - Saiki: Both episodes have short run-time and derive their humour from parodying genres. Senyuu takes the RPG adventure genre and flips it on its head while Saiki takes overpowered espers and pulls it like Hinamatsuri and Mob Psycho 100. - Konosuba: I know this is strange coming from someone who actually detests Konosuba. I couldn’t stand the characters that were flawed to the point where I couldn’t like them no matter how hard I tried. Both take the RPG adventure world and parody it to the point where you wonder why these flawed buffoons are trusted with anything.

This anime is one of my favourite short anime out there. With a short run-time of four minutes, it quickly got me invested in the story and the characters. It was so funny that I found myself binge-watching both seasons and the OVAs within the same day. Yuuichi Nakamura and Hiro Shimono provide their perfect performances for this anime. The other cast members contribute a lot as well with other names like Ai Kayano, Yumi Uchiyama, Takahiro Sakurai, Kenichi Suzumura, and others. Hiroshi Kamiya also takes the lead role in the OVAs. Overall, it’s a great watch when you have no patience for 24-minute episodes.

Honobono Log

[This anime is on the “Anime with Short Episodes” list]

Studios: Fanworks Genres: Romance, Slice of life Length: 10 episodes (2 min per ep)

Insights into couples, why they’re better than being single, and why you’re just a sad loner.

This is actually based off a picture book.

Similar Anime: NONE!  I truly haven’t seen an anime like this around. While Tsurezure has its similarities in short-run time and romance, this one is vastly different. Dareka no Manazashi is too different to say it’s similar. Both are short (although Dareka no Manazashi is a short film) and about life, but Dareka no Manazashi is different because it focuses on one person doesn’t have romance and relies on more of the “growing up” part whereas Honobono relies on each specific situation.

This anime is another one of my favourite short anime out there. With a short run-time of two minutes, they manage to guilt-trip you for being alone and single. Of course, not all of them are about cute couple stuff, but some are about family and growing up. Miyu Irino and Asami Seto do an amazing job, and the OP is really nice and adds to the heartwarming factor of this anime.

Zankyou no Terror

Studios: MAPPA Genres: Thriller, Psychological, Drama Length: 11 episodes (22 min per ep)

Six months after a mysterious unsolved terror attack, a strange video makes its way onto the internet. In it, two teenage boys who identify themselves only as "Sphinx" challenge the police, threatening to cause destruction and mayhem across Tokyo. The police struggle to act effectively against these terrorists, with Detective Kenjirou Shibazaki caught in the middle of it all. The two boys behind the masked figures of Sphinx are known as Nine and Twelve, and they stand strong in a world of deception and secrets while they make the city fall around them, all in the hopes of burying their own tragic truth.

Similar Anime: - Death Note: I haven’t actually watched Death Note (haha), but they are both similar. I know that much. Both are about the police lagging behind some teenager as they wreak havoc, but while Light Yagami has a god-complex, Sphinx has its own secrets. - Psycho-Pass: I haven’t watched this one either, but both take on philosophical ideas that make you wonder whether society should be run one way or another. They are both centred around law enforcement and the detainment of those who step out of line.

Yoko Kanno provides yet another stunning masterpiece for this anime’s score which really drives the anime further. Along with extremely strong art style from Studio MAPPA, it creates for a very mysterious and eerie tone that fit the anime so well. The voice acting from the two leads and the detective are amazing, but I can’t say they have good female characters in this anime, and without good characters, I can’t say there was good voice acting on their parts, although, Megumi Han did sound pretty good in her given role. Soma Saito and Kaito Ishikawa are both close in real life, and it almost transcends onto the screen in this anime.

The story is riveting even if it’s been done before. It’s not the most unique in that right, but I still found myself finding these characters to be human. It was well-paced too and didn’t feel dragged or rushed for the most part. Shinichiro Watanabe directed and created this, and you might know him for Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Kids on the Slope, Space Dandy, and more, and he certainly does not disappoint with this anime.

[dewbond-blog]

Fatevember: Fate Stay Night’s Shirou Emiya: The Dreams of Youth.

He is not the most popular character in the franchise, nor is he the reason it is popular. If you were to have a list of the top characters among every installment of Fate, I don’t think he would even make the top 10. Hell, if you were to just have a poll using the characters from the Fate Stay Night visual itself, he might not even make the top 5. The franchise has already proven multiple times that it can create a successful anime without him in it at all.

However, despite all of that, the main lead of Fate Stay Night is an integral part of the series and serves as the vessel in which many of the themes and ideas of Fate are explored, and the dream he holds and believes in is something that is fun to discuss and explore in depth, especially because of Fate’s separate route storytelling. So after the cut let’s take a character dive into the main male lead of Fate Stay Night, Shirou Emiya.

(SPOILERS FOR FATE ZERO, HEAVENS’ FEEL, AND UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS)

Shirou Emiya feels very much like a prototype of ReZero‘s Natsuki Suburu, in that both of the characters are in some ways, cut from the same cloth. Yet while ReZero uses Suburu to tear down the ideal of the shounen and Isekai hero, Fate Stay Night opts to use Shirou Emiya to explore something more abstract: the naive dreams of youth.

Emiya’s dream to become a hero of justice, saving everyone and anything from danger or trouble, even at the cost of his own happiness is simply put, a dream from the mind of a child. Forged out of his immense survivor’s guilt at being the only one who survived the Fuguki fire, and his idolizing of his adopted father Kiritsugu. It is an idea that has no real awareness of how the world and humanity functions. Like a child wishing to be an astronaut, or a princess, or a famous movie star, they are the raw hopeful aspirations of children not yet touched by the harsh truths of the world. While some may achieve these dreams, the majority often abandon them either due to the march of time, or when faced with the onset of reality, where such childhood fantasies have no place.

The Fate Franchise knows this, as both Kiritsugu from Fate/Zero, and Archer in the Unlimited Blade Works serve as examples and refutations of what such a dream can bring. For Kiritsugu, we see a man who had the same aspiration being forced to compromise his ideals with the paths and choices life has made for him. A man who once dreamed of being that great hero who could save anyone is instead a depressed and hopeless man who realizes that to achieve his dream, he would have to kill everyone in the world, and the refusal to do that is what ends up taking away his wife, his daughter and eventually his life.

For Archer, the dark twisted alternative ego of Shirou, we see a man who tried his best to become a hero of justice, only to realize that such a dream is impossible to achieve and that closing your eyes to the realities of humanity is foolish, selfish and even arrogant. It is why in Blade Works, Archer loathes his younger self for his foolish idealism, his naivety, and his beliefs. He lambasts Shirou for not having his own ideas, but instead taking them from someone else and passing them off as his own and would rather kill his younger self than see him go down the road of anger and disappointment that consumed him.

So it is through the three separate routes of Fate Stay Night that we see Shirou confront and come to terms with his naive dream, his foolish idealism born from his childhood. In the Fate Route, we see his drive to become a hero almost cost him his life multiple times, and strain the delicate relationship he has with Saber. In Unlimited Blade Works we see Shirou come to terms that his ideas are foolish, hypocritical, and not his own, but ultimately something worth striving for, despite the futility of it. And in Heaven’s Feel, we see Shirou come to the conclusion that the life of the one he loves, one he can save right now, is more important than the oath he made as a child, and he abandons it in favor of saving Sakura from her madness. It is here where Shirou leaves behind his childhood self and steps into the role of an adult, one who embraces the future in front of him, and not the one in his dreams. In fact, the endings of each of the routes in Fate Stay Night can be seen as Shirou completing his journey from a boy to a man, and the reconciliation of his naive childish idealism with the reality of what adulthood and life actually are.

It is this journey that is the heart of what Fate Stay Night is. Take away all the battles, the masters, the servants, and even the romance and it is simply a story about the wonderful naive dreams of a boy. The dreams of youth and how they are often incompatible against the often cruel and unforgiving truth that is ‘real life’. That is at heart, who Shirou Emiya is, and while the Fate Franchise has found great success without him in it, you cannot deny that his presence brings just as much success when he is in it.

At least that’s what I got out of it.

[unnaturalsolace]

Anime

Just wanted to discuss again what shows I’m watching this fall season!

Last season I ended up finishing: Asobi Asobase Free! S3 Hanebado! Hataraku Saibou Satsuriku no Tenshi Shingeki no Kyojin S3 I kinda lagged on Banana Fish and I’m only on episode 5, but I really hated the ending so I’m hesitant to continue. But I probably will. Eventually.

This season, I’m watching:

Akanesasu Shoujo: Magical girl anime but with mecha outfits, guns, and swords Never heard anything about this before, I guess it’s based on a mobile game? Honestly it’s kinda fun so far. Characters have fun interactions, the CGI fights look pretty cool.

Dakaretai Otoko 1-i ni Odosarete Imasu.: BL anime about two actors It’s trash, but it’s fun trash. And I think it’s a huge improvement on the manga, which was dubious at best. Anime is pretty starved for BL so I’ll take what I can get.

Goblin Slayer: Guy who really hates goblins goes around killing goblins I like the manga, this is an okay adaptation so far. CGI Goblin Slayer puts me off a little but I still enjoy watching him kick ass. Kind of a lackluster adaptation.

Golden Kamuy S2: Lots of people in Japan competing with each other to find gold, but it’s actually a food network show I’ve found the GK adaptation to also be kinda lackluster, but compared to S1, S2 probably has a lot more exciting stuff going on that’ll make up for it.

Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara: Girl gets sent back into the past by her grandma to live a more exciting life, also there’s magic A very pretty anime! The story isn’t super interesting, but it kinda reminds me of Tsuki ga Kirei with the romance part. Mostly watching this because of the animation. But I really hope there’s no annoying love triangles.

Jingai-san no  Yome: High school boys get married to monsters This anime doesn’t make much sense but I’m watching it because it’s cute, I guess?

Karakuri Circus: Fighting puppets Watching this mostly because I watched Ushio to Tora and they’re by the same authors. It’s okay so far, nothing really hooking me in or anything. I have heard it gets a lot darker than Ushio to Tora, so we’ll see.

Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru: People living in a dorm are indentured into running hundreds of kilometers I’m mostly watching this because I used to do track, although not long distance. Character designs are kinda meh, but I like sports and it’s by the same studio who did Haikyuu. I do find it unbelievable that they’re trying to put together a team with barely any practice compared to people who’ve been practicing for years, but I guess it’s about the journey and not the results.

Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai: Chuunibyou but actually real(?) I’ll admit that the name and summary put me off at first, and I thought it was going to be something stupid. But I heard people praising it so I decided to give it a go. And it’s actually pretty good! I love how the characters interact, and there’s no outlandish overreactions by the mains. Plus the mystery is pretty exciting.

Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken: Salaryman gets isekai’d into being a slime I’ve heard this was a pretty good isekai so I started watching it. I’m mostly keeping up with it because I really want to see the hot oni guys, but I can see that the studio has poured a lot of love into this anime.

Tsurune: Free! but with archery instead Very pretty animation since it’s Kyoani. Story is kinda meh so far. MC is cute but the other boys are just okay. I can see the shipping wars on the horizon...

Stuff I’ve dropped:

Gaikotsu Shotenin Honda-san: Skeleton works at a bookstore I thought the first episode was pretty funny, but I started feeling like it was a drag after more episodes. I guess I’m not super interested in working in a bookstore.

Sword Art Online: Alicization: Something to do with SAO I never got into SAO except for GGO, but I heard this was pretty good compared to the rest of SAO. I just can’t stand watching 45 minute episodes, sorry. Last time I did was with Katanagatari and that was really boring and long-winded. 

Radiant: Boy is training to become a witch I mostly dropped this because it felt a little too young for me. Too much shounen.

[anireflect]

Top 10 Anime in 2018

Find this on my blog at https://anireflect.blogspot.com/2019/02/my-top-13-anime-2018.html. This will be the list of my top anime that have aired or started airing in 2018. There is no order as most of these are just what stood out to me and been worth watching. 

1. Violet Evergarden

Genres: Fantasy, Drama, Slice of Life

Episodes: 13

For sure the most beautiful animation I've seen in 2018. The story follows Violet, an "auto memory doll" that writes letters for others, as she learns how to understand and express emotions throughout her journey as a doll. Violet and her interaction with clients and other characters teaches Violet more about herself and changes the lives of those she meets. The art is amazing, with the attention to detail and colourful art style makes the animation truly captivating. For sure the most pleasant eye candy 2018.

2. Gakuen Babysitters

Genres: Comedy, School, Shoujo, Slice of Life

Episodes: 12

Anyone who loves adorable kids will die watching this. The Protagonist Ryuuichi Kashima has to take care of his little brother Kotarou by himself ends up becoming part of the school's babysitter club. These two and their daily lives are both very entertaining and heartwarming to watch. To anyone that enjoys similar anime where the main character also has to take care of or spends time with kid characters, I would recommend "Amaama to Inazuma", "Barakamon" or " Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari".

3. Miira no Kaikata

Genres: Comedy, Slice of Life, Supernatural

Episodes: 12

To enter the more supernatural realm we get introduced to a tiny mummy now lives with and is taken care of by the high school boy, Sora Kashiwagi. Similar to Gakuen babysitters as a slice of life with some comedy, but the main character takes care of a mummy instead of a child. We get to learn more about this little mummy along with coming across other supernatural beings.

4. Wotaku ni Koi was Muzukashi

Genres: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life

Episodes: 11

I very refreshing show that instead of being another rather cliche shoujo this love story takes place in the working space where the childhood friends Narumi Momose and Hirotaka Nifuji work at the same office. Narumi struggles as she tries to keep the fact that she is an otaku secret but she and Hirotaka, also an otaku, start dating. A romance begins and we also get to see their coworkers.

5. Hinamatsuri

Genres: Comedy, Sci-Fi, Seinen, Slice of Life, Supernatural

Episodes: 12

One of my favourite comedies this year. The Yakuza member, Yoshifumi Nitta has to become the caregiver for the girl with supernatural powers, Hina that one day appears in a capsule out of nowhere into his living room. The duo's daily life becomes very funny as Hina has to control her powers and learns how to live together with Nitta.

6. Piano no Mori

Genres: Adventure, Music, Comedy, Drama, School, Seinen

Episodes: 12

The two boys Kai who's only played the broken piano in the forest and Shuuhei who's been raised to be a pianist. Majority of the anime follows their childhood from where they meet and later on they meet again in the world of competition in piano. The story mostly revolves around Kai and follows his relationship with the piano from the broken piano to becoming a pianist learning from former world-class pianist Ajino. I really recommend this for those who like anime following main characters that pursue music. Similar animes I would recommend would be "Nodame Cantabile" and "Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso".

7. Hatarakou Saibou

Genres: Comedy, Shounen

Episodes: 13

Is quite an odd one in the bunch as it instead is about the working cells in the human body, being more on the educational side than usual. We follow a red blood cell that carries oxygen and carbon dioxide through the blood vessels in the body where she most of the times ends up getting caught up in situations where the body is attacked by bacteria and is saved by a white blood cell. With a very accurate explanation of the body's functions and bacteria and the depiction and characterization of the different cells in the body, the show becomes both fun and interesting.

8. Grand blue

Genres: Comedy, Seinen, Slice of Life

Episodes: 12

Iori Kitahara moves into his uncle scuba diving shop in a seaside town excited to live his dream college life. He ends up joining his naked upperclassmen in drinking parties and becomes part of the diving club despite being afraid of water. This college life is not really what he expected but either way, the show is very funny.

9. Devilman crybaby

Genres: Action, Dementia, Demons, Horror, Supernatural

Episodes: 10

I went into this with low expectations since Netflix that does not really have a good reputation for adapting anime or manga (specifically referring to live-action Death note). This show kept me on the edge of my seat. The weak cry baby Akira Fudou meets with his childhood friend Ryou Asuka, he asks Akira to help him uncover the existence of demons. Ryou brings Akira to a party where demons have possessed the people now turning their bodies into monsters. In the middle of all this Akira end up becoming a Devilman after having to merge with the devil Amon. From this Akira gains a lot of power and continues to work with Ryou to fight again the devils.  

10. Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken

Genres: Fantasy, Shounen

Episodes: 25 (still airing)

If you think you'll go into this series expecting the generic isekai where the main characters enter an RPG like fantasy world only to adventure and surrounded by girls fawning over him (at least that the impression I got) then that's not what you'll get. Rather than that, you'll instead get a former human, now an overpowered slime that gets by in this world with a following and actually building a new society as he encounters new obstacles. The slime that also goes by Rimaru easily solves situations by using logic and reasoning.

[pair-annoyed]

Anime I Watched This Fall

My first semester of college is officially over and the December holidays are upon us! I hoped to make one of these posts sooner, but I have been incredibly busy with schoolwork. Now that things have slowed down, let’s take sometime to reflect on things I’ve watched. 

These anime are listed in chronological order and encompass everything I’ve watched from 9/1/2020 - 12/15/2020

Like always, they will be rated on a 1-10 scale; 1 meaning complete garbage, 10 meaning masterpiece. I will offer my thoughts on what I did/didn’t like about each show!

1. The God of High School - 6/10 

Despite the stellar animation from MAPPA and my high expectations, I was really disappointed by how this series was treated. Most of the story’s crucial elements were handled poorly. I finished this series feeling more confused about the plot than when I first began. The power system is really cool, but poorly explained. More time should have been spent on exposition and world building for this series, instead the fights were given the most screen time. 

2.  Doukyuusei - 7/10 

I really liked the style of Doukyuusei. Granted, this was another movie I chose to watch primarily because of the hype surrounding it. The dynamic between Kusakabe and Sajou is an interesting one, and I also enjoy how the movies different acts were separated by the seasons. However, there's nothing that really sets Doukyuusei apart from other romance movies, its a little generic. Still, I enjoyed it nonetheless. 

3.  Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu 2nd Season - 8/10 

My opinions on Re:Zero’s second season are biased. This was, by far, the sequel I was most hyped for during the summer/fall anime season. I was so happy to see the story’s continuation and I’m looking forward to the season’s second part coming sometime in January. Re:Zero is one of my all time favorite series because of the way it handles it characters and power dynamics. I also really enjoy the show’s psychological aspects. If you haven’t already, give Re:Zero a try! 

4. Saint☆Oniisan (Movie + OVA) - 8/10

This was a wonderful comedy. I wasn’t sure how the subject of Jesus and Buddha living together would be tackled, but it was handled wonderfully. I was laughing for pretty much the entire movie. I love the art style and little references to both Buddhism and Christianity, plus the incorporation of Japanese culture. Saint Oniisan is a bright comedy, with two eccentric main characters. If you like a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and need a good laugh, I can’t recommend this more.

5. Clannad: After Story - 10/10 

Never, while watching anime, did I cry as much as I did while watching Clannad: After Story. I didn’t realize how much I related to Okazaki until I saw him grow up in After Story. I was left sobbing, especially after episode 18. I still, to this day, cannot listen to the Dango song without tearing up. The original Clannad is nothing special, but the continuation of its story its something heartfelt, emotional, and down-to-earth. I love Kyoto Animation with all my heart, and Clannad made me appreciate everything the studio has done just a little bit more. Thank you Clannad, for reminding me about the kind of person I strive to be. 

6. Nakitai Watashi wa Neko wo Kaburu - 5.5/10

The art in A Whisker Away was beautiful. The story itself, however, is nothing too enjoyable. I found it difficult to like our protagonist or her love interest. Nothing about this movie is inherently memorable. The emotional climax came far too early which made the second half of the film seem long and drawn out.  All in all, the movie has a wonderful concept, I just believe it could have been so much more emotional than it was. When I watch a move, I like to empathize with the characters. It’s difficult to do when the characters aren’t given the proper exposition to be empathized with. 

7.  Shikioriori - 6/10

This is less of a movie and more of a collection of short stories. Flavors of Youth is something you shouldn’t watch on an empty stomach, all of the food looks incredible. The same cannot beside for the rest of this feature. The stories themselves seems heavily clichéd. Much like A Whisker Away, the initial premise is intriguing, but the execution results in something that comes across as trying too hard and carries no emotional weight with the viewer. If you plan on watching, pay more attention to the artwork and animation than the actual plot. You won’t be missing anything. 

8. Vinland Saga - 7/10

Vinland Saga helped me get out of the rut that Clannad: After Story. Not only does this show have a great story, its action packed with lots of interesting fights. I especially enjoyed all the Nordic history embedded within the show. Its really unlike any of the other historical anime I’ve watched. I will say, it’s gory. But, compared to all the other things I watched this time around, I finished this series the quickest. Its good, its graphic, its fast paced! 

9.  Mononoke Hime - 7/10

It’s ironic considering how much anime I’ve watched that I have yet to watch all of the most classic Studio Ghibli films. Princess Mononoke is grittier than most other Ghibli films I’ve seen, but it’s message is positive and its characters are wonderful. I can’t really speak ill towards classics like these. I guess maybe my one complaint is that this movie could’ve been a faster pace. Other than that... I really enjoyed everything Princess Mononoke offered! I understand why it’s so popular.  

10. Howl no Ugoku Shiro - 8.5/10 

Can you believe it took me this long to finally watch Howl’s Moving Castle? Me neither!! This movie is so endearingly beautiful. I loved every second of it, from the characters to the soundtrack. So many iconic things come from just this one movie. I would like to take this time to thank my best friend for reminding me that Studio Ghibli films are wonderful! Thank you for watching this with me, I loved it! All in all, I regret not watching this sooner! 

11. Toradora! - 6.5/10 

Toradora took me a while to finish, just because I lost interest about halfway through. But, I powered through it, and ended up really enjoying the show! I’m not the biggest fan of the ending, but that’s just a personal preference. Somehow, this show also made me cry? I’m not entirely sure why because Toradora! is probably the thing farthest from sad. Apart from the show’s dull slice of life moments, it was super cute! A much needed light-hearted romance. 

12. New Initial D Movie: Legend 1 - 5/10 

Full disclosure, this is the only thing related to Initial D that I’ve ever watched. My band and I watched this expecting to hear some of that iconic Initial D music, itself all we got was a mildly confusing story about different types of cars. It was cliché and frankly a little boring. Although, I am still considering watching the original Initial D just so I can hear the music in the way it was original intended. I’ve got no other opinions on this movie. It’s best not to watch these movies without the context from the rest of the franchise.  

13.  Uchuu Patrol Luluco - 7.5/10

I didn’t really understand why people enjoy studio Trigger so much until I watched Space Patrol Luluco. I loved all the fun references to other studio Trigger works. I loved the humor, and I loved all the bright colors. The animation was extremely high energy, and the art style fits the show’s premise. Each episode was only 12 minutes long so it was a super quick binge. If you’re looking for something quick, light-hearted and comical, this is the perfect show to watch.

14. Orange - 7/10 

I owe a big thanks to a tumblr mutual for recommending this show to me! This holds the honor of making me cry by episode 3! I honestly did not expect the subject matter of this show to be as dark as it was. Usually when I see the genre ‘shoujo’ I do not associate it with a love story like that of Orange. The heavy subject matter made it a little too close to home for me, but I still really enjoyed this series. It reminds me off all the good times I had with my friends in high school, and of all the regrets I carry with myself to this day. 

15. 3-gatsu no Lion - 7.5/10 

March Comes in Like a Lion is another show that was a bit of a slow burn for me. Each episode left me feeling emotionally drained, so I had to take a lot of breaks while I was working on watching this series. Shaft, the studio behind this anime, holds a special place in my heart because I loved their work on the Monogatari Series. March Comes in Like a Lion is a little different. It’s driving force it is characters, and it was cathartic to watch our main character transform through the entire duration of the first season. I know the show’s second season is much better, so I’ll be starting that soon! 

16. Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei - 8/10 

I loved how artsy and smart The Tatami Galaxy is, but honestly I couldn’t watch too much at once cause it would hurt my head. I also couldn’t watch this show while I was tired because the speaking rate is much faster than typical anime. The Tatami Galaxy is so unique for its medium. I loved the different time loops and the crazy animation. The characters were fascinating. The dialogue, although very fast, it also fantastic. There’s an element of humor to this unique story telling, and I enjoyed ever minute of it! 

Currently Watching:

Hunter x Hunter - 6.5/10 (As of Episode 30)

I pride myself in having watched a lot of shounen anime, but I was reluctant to start Hunter x Hunter for years because I thought I would find it boring. I was oh so very wrong. Considering great shows like Naruto and Fairy Tail that fall under the same category, I expected Hunter x Hunter to be subpar in comparison. It gets a low score for two reasons. One, the power system was introduced a little too late and now I’m wondering if all the fights post episode 30 will involved nen in some way, shape, or form. Two, its still on hiatus. 

Two Cursed Additions For This List

Please to do not let these be representative of my anime taste. 

1.  Yarichin☆B*tch-bu - 4/10

I am a CLOWN for not knowing this was 18+. The only reason I watched this was to see why everyone was talking about the pink-haired boy with the glasses and tongue piecing. I know why now, and I regret it. This was a massive mistake on my part. But hey, at the least the art and ending song kinda slap? 

2. Euphoria (Dropped After 1 Episode) - 2/10

If you know what I’m talking about when I say Euphoria, I am so sorry. And no, I am not talking about the HBO series. Seriously, don’t google this. Don’t watch this. Don’t interact with anything related to this. You’re probably wondering, “Then why did you watch it?” I did not watch this willingly. You see, I have a very bad habit of starting anime and then taking months to finish them. I made an ultimatum with a friend, lost, and then was forced to watch this a punishment. Not a fun experience. I’m very glad there are no GIFs of this on tumblr...

[anime-ace]

Summer 2017 (part 2/8)

Kakegurui

Other Titles: 賭ケグルイ, Kakegurui - Compulsive Gambler

Source: manga

Studio: MAPPA

Genre: mystery, psychological, drama, school, shounen

Hyakkaou Private Academy. An institution for the privileged with a very peculiar curriculum. You see, when you’re the sons and daughters of the wealthiest of the wealthy, it’s not athletic prowess or book smarts that keep you ahead. It’s reading your opponent, the art of the deal. What better way to hone those skills than with a rigorous curriculum of gambling? At Hyakkaou Private Academy, the winners live like kings, and the losers are put through the wringer. But when Yumeko Jabami enrolls, she’s gonna teach these kids what a high roller really looks like!

A gambling maniac as the main character but not in the shounen fashion. It’s pretty edgy and is full of sexy girls. It’s pretty ecchi for a non-ecchi manga and there’s lots of girls getting off on gambling. -Ace

Jikan no Shihaisha

Other Titles: 時間の支配者, Chronos Ruler

Source: manga

Studio: Project No.9

Genre: supernatural, shounen

The story centers on “Chronos Rulers,” those who fight the time-eating demons that appear when people wish they could turn back time. The Chronos Rulers fight a time-manipulation battle against these demons. 

It’s a cute shounen with nice family bonding if I remember correctly. Plus the MC’s old nickname is Ace! How perfect! It’s reminiscent of D.Gray-man. -Ace

Dive!!

Other Titles: DIVE!!

Source: novel

Studio: Zero-G

Genre: comedy, sports

The series revolves around the Mizuki Diving Club (MDC), which is on the verge of closing down after having financial troubles. The club’s new coach persuades the club’s parent company to stay open on one condition: that the club sends one of its members to next year’s Olympics as part of Japan’s Olympic team.

Although it’s spawned a franchise, the anime is just riding on the coattails of Free so don’t expect too much. -Ace

Tsurezure Children

Other Titles: 徒然チルドレン, Tsure*Dure Children, Tsuredure Children

Source: manga

Studio: Studio Gokumi

Genre: comedy, romance, school, shounen

A series depicting various scenarios of young love. These stories range from a boy, crippled by his absolute lack of confidence in himself, cannot even accept the fact that the girl of his dreams actually asked him out on a date, to the near-psychotic girl that pours her own blood into her homemade chocolate in order to win his heart.

This is a manga I’ve wanted to read for a while but the first 20 or so chapters were never translated so I haven’t. It seems cute enough. -Ace

Knight’s & Magic

Other Titles: ナイツ＆マジック

Source: novel

Studio: 8-Bit

Genre: action, fantasy, mecha, school

A mecha otaku is reincarnated into another world as Ernesti Echevarria, also known as Eru. In this world, huge humanoid weapons known as Silhouette Knights exist. Dreaming of piloting those robots, Eru and his friends, Archid Olter and Adeltrud Olter, aim to become Knight Runners.

I’m not sure why it’s always translated with that irritating apostrophe but I like this show a lot. Although it’s indeed an isekai story, there’s no harems or ecchi and it’s a nice and pure friendly tale. Nerds enjoying themselves is my jam. -Ace