#yeah husband... let the fanservice be heard!

[schneereggen]

I'm late to the party... But the English translator seemingly also gave up at this point 😂

Husband...? Husband?! I mean, you could have chose partner or spouse. And we all know shinya is flirting. But HUSBAND?!?!

[brizzlovesyou]

I'm disappointed that Johnny almost kissed Ali after he got with Carmen. I know Johnny still felt hung up for her after 30 years, but why was he getting 80s flashbacks when he saw Daniel, a married man, talking to Ali? I mean I know why, but his attitude was laughable, it's like he was trying to brag to Daniel that he had lunch with Ali and reunited with her first. Carmen was also treated as just Johnny's girlfriend and had no part in Miguel's recovery...

Yeah see this was my greatest frustration with the Ali storyline. It's been 3 seasons (and before that 30+ years) of Johnny being hung up on her. Which is fine, because it always made sense that a man stuck in the 80's would be reminiscing about his high school girlfriend. But if we're meant to be rooting for Johnny's growth, why have him sleep with Carmen and discuss their relationship the night before his date with Ali? I just don't get what we were supposed to feel after that Golf N Stuff date??

Because listen, nostalgia-wise, yes it was cute to see those two hanging out like kids. But the point is they aren’t. It doesn't do anything for the story or Johnny's character. At first I thought, okay maybe Ali's advice about making hard choices as a parent will kick Johnny into shape. But it didn't. And then I thought, okay maybe he'll pull out of that attempted kiss last minute and realize he doesn't want to do that to Carmen. But he didn't. So I'm just upset because if he wants to reconnect with his high school girlfriend, that's fine. I genuinely don't have a problem with that, but why was it directly after reconnecting with Carmen?? Had those two situations been flipped, I could've simply rolled my eyes at the extensive fanservice and still mostly been able to root for Johnny. I was excited about the Ali return but I just feel let down.

I just also have to laugh at Johnny who assumes Daniel is as stuck in the past as he is. Obviously they were both ridiculously obsessed with that rivalry but like... Daniel is married?? I know you two bonded that one time over Ali's hot husband but dude, he does not care as much as you.

And finally, big big sigh about Carmen's complete and utter lack of screen time. Which again, didn't even have the payoff of Johnny thinking twice?? About her?? Like oh Ali's calling gotta go! Who's Carmen never heard of her! And it would be a different thing entirely if they’d framed that as a casual hookup but it sure didn’t seem that way. Carmen is a great character and amazing mother but they gave her barely anything in a season where she should have had a lot more impact.

[thecrenellations]

Thick as Thieves Undead-Blog, Part Two | when your liveblog wakes up to drink some broth then goes back to sleep smiling because it trusts you | my notes from reading the book for the first time, Spring 2017

Format: Page number. My ridiculous thoughts (Context???)

Part One

Chapters 6-13:

Ch. 6 - Very intense chapter in which Kamet and Costis are captured by the slavers and escape

163. Costis <3 Muscles Good looking! (wow what a way to start this post)

one hot piece of attolian manflesh ... confirmed (people would call him this on LJ! I forgot about it for several years until reading this passage)

164. omg earring swallowed!

166. amanuensis? (perennial thanks to mwt for all the vocab words)

168. shit. severed hand.

172. wtf Costis don’t kill him

173. how do you silently kill someone like that?

174. wow fuck

men dead not even breathing hard. (compare to KoA assassination)

Everyone is a monster!

176. Thieves.

Ch. 7 - Lots of good conversation, potentially symbolic animals, and a surprise Eugenides

183. Grt scene (apologies)

184. now who’s asking rude questions? (about killing people)

186. lying to him <3

ok! unreliable narrator!

wait i thought they didn’t have slaves in Attolia?!

187. “I was unappreciated” ... I’m always lonely

so cute

188. me when mwt writes: what is this blatant unabashed fanservice?

WHO IS THIS BOY?!

189. Onarkus =/= Sandy?

190. okaaay #confirmed Gen!

191. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Boots

195. he caught a snake (associated with a certain king and assumed bootboy “you viper” “you are a poisonous little snake” ... another ominous dead animal)

Is Costis’s earring for Eugenides (I was thinking of the god!)

196. a goat and a snake .... how poetic

Costis stalks goat ...

197. hmmm.... goat and hand and last trace of Nahuseresh (OMINOUS)

does Irene know her husband was a bootboy?

203. no this what? (“trouble with a maid” story exchange)

Marin?

204. he was prepared to run away??

how old was he?

well this is a lot to chew on

205. K using past tense for N

C asking about slaves killed after emperor’s death... does he know?

Ch. 8 - This road trip was going great until SOMEONE fell in a well

208. Are Taymets taller than Eddisian mountains?

210. time passing, broad and focused

212. MY Attolian

classic minor mwt characters

215. singing Costis???

216. swearing gimme a break

please don’t let the Namreen kill them later...

217. Kamet says very little of what HE did/his interactions w them!

218. wot nice cut! (“Eleven days later...”)

gods?

219. “water finds a way” a saying from Eddis? how does C know that? also brings to mind QoA weather passages

Why doesn’t Kamet ask/wonder WHY Gen wants him?

223. They’re gonna do it? They’re gonna make it? So close!

224. does Eddis have comparable irrigation engineering?

227. NO!

228. u idiot you meant to leave him before!!!

at least look in the freaking well!!!

229. Kamet’s Face! wow he’s really in shock (at weapons shop)

230. SUCH FAMILIAR PHRASING! birds :( (I was caught up in the birds and completely missed the spilled wine!)

Ch. 9 - Retrieving Costis from the well, Ennikar appears again

231. “You’re certain he’s dead?” nice CUT

this time i heard him say?

was he talking?

232. thoughtfully tensing his lower lip?

who tf is this guy - another god?

mm grr I’m Kamet I have no friends

ok so he’s what’s his face Enkidu?

heroes walk the streets

234. AAH why

say his fricking name?!

god you’re so bad @ this

236. THIEF

237. FRIEND OMG

238. omg so good flour!

SO CUTE I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THIS

239. OMG Costis. Nice. (Costis tries the Gen method of deflecting concern)

241. “as if we were close friends traveling together???”

242. Costis ... knows a hero when he sees one?

But ... delighted? not horrified?

Ch. 10 - Hanging out with Godekker

247. SO MANY HELPFUL STRONG MEN (Enter Godekker)

249. PAY THE FASTENER

253. god so snarky

254. Kamet’s chops

fuck how is this book going to end???

256. You’ll never feel safe ... Gen + Relius’s fears?

258. Fuh!

259. Ok do i have hope?

he doesn’t have Tethys lesions does he?

263. aahhhh

Costis trusts him!!!! <3

aaahhh

264. Noli? where did he get that from?

smarrrt

265. yeah u did tell Godekker your name!

wtf is this god advice!

268. The So, so, so count in this book is OUT OF CONTROL!!! It may be a record.

Ch. 11 - Kamet’s stressful voyage

270. Lol Sophos is better @ assuming Attolian ships are there...

272. yesssss earring GOOD

274. yeah sure Kamet you still haven’t left!

I did not want to leave the Attolian!

276. watching Costis

277. my heart’s gonna break don’t leave, Kamet!

278. “as if the gods had cursed my wandering feet” nice. also iambic pentameter

also laying it on a bit thick there

280. Sea in the Middle of the World!

he’s so scared though. :(

the fuckin nerve!

Costis + Gen and their s3cr3t sign

281. nooooo it’s ok to lie, it’s endearing in this world!

also Costis seriously why do you think he would be ok w/ this!

I’m coming home! (to Attolia. In cursive, see image at top of post.)

282. war?

Ch. 12 - Dramatic times in Attolia

284. “I thought we were I + E” :o

shit where is his honor now (”I would have let you go”)

285. hey there Teleus...

my heart

285. yeah but C probs knows all those guards ... he thought punching Gen was the most embarrassed he’d been... (in retrospect, I don’t think he was embarrassed AT ALL during this scene. Costis fight mode was activated.)

yeah I mean she has given us the Magus all this time! (reflecting on the fact that Costis’s name has yet to appear)

286. Yesss angry Costis poking Teleus!

This is Something to imagine

287. THIS IS REALLY BAD (”the queen”)

OK...

holy shit

when is this???

she’s not THAT old!

288. THE room? (“filled with all the horrors I had fled in Ianna-Ir”)

289. 298 pages until this! (“Costis”)

289. Please stay alive Irene!

On some level I do feel that my childhood is ruined w the confirmation they banged. :( Gen is like 20! (Listen. I love them. I'm very happy for them. This is not exactly breaking news. 20-year-olds, and this one in particular, can obviously do anything they want. This note brought to you by me being Too Ace For This and having been both younger and older than him since first reading the books a very long time ago...)

292. Gggennn

293. Is this court respect a recent development? WHAT DID I MISS? (they watched him fight the entire guard, is what, c’mon me. Costis hit him on the head with an amphora.)

yeah we get it people underestimate Eugenides

OH MY COSTIS

294. is this Annux by any chance?

Boys ur making a scene!

King of Attolia vs of Attolians?

295. very ... dramatic

this is ... a private convo?

297. yup he’s Eddis’s best stalker!

Ch. 13 - Everything else that happens in this book!

298. “Do they know?” yeah wtf Gen

it’s like the new “and every1 was naked” (in KoA)

“and every1 was watching”

300. Gen: Yo Helen can u bring me that one coin?

Helen: sure. no prob

301. “Poor Costis”

yeah Melheret always sneaks up

302. “You’ve come from the prisons, not how an honored guest is usually received” UM ACTUALLY...

305. Kamet.... (crying in his room)

306. “the kind of Attolia sitting on the footboard” oh my god yeah classic

307. Irene comes thru with the stats

Was Kamet at the battle at Ephrata?

310. talk with the kitchen staff good god i would like to know. So bizarre.

lol toting around an ambassador all nite? What would Teleus say?

while Irene’s sick ...

WTF will Costis do now?

312. names ... Kamet ... Ormentiedes? 

Creeeeeeeeepy Relius (probably about “there are some questions you might answer for us” but possibly about the cutting up and feeding to wolves comment)

314. business arrangement uh sure

Yeah ok write it all down

316. talking to Costis?

(a note: the version I read was an advance reader copy, and the only major difference was that it did NOT include the scene with “the young Erondites”)

318. Attolia smiled at him!

anything worth doing is worth overdoing lol

319. alternate readings of poem?

322. orange trees!

cabbages!

324. sent Onarkus away RECENTLY???

Is Brinna Sandy!

Seriously. 

Cooks r weird (thinking about the entry for cooks in the Tough Guide to Fantasyland)

326. the magus!

an ACHING void

oh I know I’ll just GO!

poor Gen can’t have any friends...

331. they have duffles in Attolia

and with Attolian duffles, the story ends! Thanks for reading, feedback is welcome. I promise I have more developed thoughts about this book. For another weird journey, listen to my Thick as Thieves playlist, maybe.

[natsspammityspamspamham]

Dino Watches Anime (April 26)

I haven’t made one of these for a while, and after the first draft went and deleted itself, I wondered whether it was worth making another one (I make these primarily for myself then get really surprised whenever people notice these). During harsh times like these, I find myself being drawn to the cheesiest and the most cringe-inducing shows, but maybe I just like them because you can put them on double-speed without missing a thing because you know what’s going on. It’s like instant noodle broth: satisfying, warming, but you know it’s going to kill your insides with self-crisis. Seriously, I didn’t come to terms that I really, really like romance as a genre until a little while ago. 

With that being said, I want to take a short break from romance now. 

I often ask myself, “Why are you watching these when you can be watching really good anime?” Well, that’s probably because I don’t want to have my analytical brain on right now. I want to watch an anime that takes two brain cells to enjoy. I only have two. Once I garden some more, maybe then will I get into the stuff I know I will enjoy like Hunter x Hunter (2011)

Things that I just started but couldn’t get into

NHK ni Youkoso! (1/24)

For one, I didn’t want to watch this before because it would’ve hit too close to home. The show’s about a NEET aka a freeloader (not in employment, education, or training), and I’m... almost that description (but that’s mostly because of the pandemic). Really, this show is riddled with paranoia, and it wants you to really know that with its changing art styles to its cynical script lines to its main character honestly needing some help (seriously, he needs help). I read further (aka spoilers) and realized that I probably won’t have fun with this anime right now, and I will never touch the manga because that stuff is even more insane than its adaptation. NHK ni Youkoso is about people who fall between the cracks of normal standard society and their desire to seek their own normal by any means necessary, and during stressful times, I think it belongs on the backburner.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (2/12)

After seeing how much I enjoyed Kakushigoto (which will be mentioned later, I just thought, “Wow, I want to see that other really famous work!” I didn’t enjoy it at all. I forgot why I put the series on-hold. It’s about a suicidal teacher who will stop at nothing to die then ask people why they almost killed them. Through a bunch of errors, he ends up becoming some sort of a harem king to his students (and he attracts the weirdos). I enjoyed the lengths Studio Shaft went to to make this anime appear the way it does (which helps in a lot of ways), but I just can’t continue with it until a much later date.

Appare-Ranman! (2/?)

I just lost interest after looking at the rest of the cast. I’m all for being vibrant and out there, but some of those character designs imitate more of a “racial stereotype/caricature”. I’m not saying that I dropped the show only because of that (I’m quite dense when it comes to that), but I didn’t like the characters either. I can’t get behind a show that won’t let me enjoy it a single moment over two episodes. 

I’ll pick it up again later (probably)

Free! (5/12)

I feel like they’re shoving fanservice a lot. I try to skip every fanservice scene, and I managed to watch up to episode 5 in less than an hour, and I didn’t even get through them all. But I will say that ending is stuck in my head now. (humming)

This show has taken me at least two attempts to watch so far. Let’s see how many more it takes before I finish/give up!

Darker Than Black (18/25)

I’ll probably finish this one for the sake of finishing it. I just find that the episodic nature gets stale after a while, and the overarching story is often disregarded. In exchange, we do get some fun side stories, character development, and world building, but I’d like to settle down too, you know?

Clannad (1/23)

Yeah, I’m doing that now. I’m going to see whether my feels bones are as strong as they were before... after I take a hiatus because I’m not sure if I’m in the appetite for that kind of romance now that I’ve watched two shoujo in a row. 

Sousei no Onmyouji (20/50)

I bet you, someone was like, “Let’s throw all these shounen cliches into a pot then see what comes out!” Bruh, this is bordering that story I wrote when I was 14, and I’m not even dissing this anime. I enjoyed it but need a break now. It’s very cliche, predictable, and honestly, I can see why it has such a low rating. Studio Perriot likes cutting corners sometimes with their long-running series (*stares at Naruto*), and this anime is no exception. Sometimes, it feels like a visual novel. “We don’t need to animate anything if she’s so fast that no one can see her.” Dang, but it gets repetitive. It also has a magical girl power that only works when the main couple does it? Cool, but that also gets repetitive. I just didn’t see myself watching the same thing another 30 times (at least right now).

Maison Ikkoku

I’m actually on the fence about continuing this one. It’s really sweet, but I’ve had my fill of romance. I have been wanting to watch some more Rumiko Takahashi works though. There’s no reason for me not to continue this. It gives me strong Princess Jellyfish vibes (which I should also finish). 

Recently Finished

Itazura na Kiss

Just... end my suffering. It’s not worth it. The thing about shoujo anime is that I watch it late at night when my brain is at its worst when it comes to analyzing or taking in any emotional circumstances. Then I asked myself, “Would I want any young, impressionable people to watch this?” And my first thought was “F**K NO!” This anime was an absolute trainwreck. As my Discord friend put it “It’s so bad, yet you can’t look away!” But what makes this anime unique? What sets it apart? It shows life after high school. Just like Clannad, it shows that life is more than your secondary education. There is more to life than just being a teenager. I’m not saying these characters ever grew though because that’d be a FAT JOKE. 

Episodes 1-13: Girl gives boy a love letter. He laughs and doesn't even want it and goes "no thanks". Girl gets upset. Then they find out they're living under the same roof after the girl's dad made them a house out of popsicle sticks (because the dads are childhood friends). She keeps trying to push herself onto him, and his mom joins in and is plotting so much more than you'd expect. The best part is that this main girl already has a childhood friend who's like "please marry me. I'll cook for you, work for you, take a bullet for you, slice my head off if it means you won't chip a nail--" then the girl replied by chasing after the guy who calls her stupid on a daily basis and genuinely believes she can't do anything. 

Episodes 14-25: Guy gets dragged to his own wedding and generally does not care for the girl unless she’s either not looking or is on death’s bed. He practically deserts her every other time, and we’re supposed to think it’s romantic when he finally gives a crap about his wife (even when she’s pregnant). The show constantly reminds you that even other characters have doubts that our main character cares about anyone other than himself and his aloofness. They have a bunch of missed affairs including a hoe that tries to leave her husband on her honeymoon to get with Mr. Aloof and a nursing student that genuinely cares about MC and the fact that her husband doesn’t care about her at all.

The moral of the story of this anime: If you chase after somebody long enough, they will cave in and marry you even if they don’t like you, want you, insult you, bully you, or generally show all the signs of an unwilling partner.

Anyway, this anime is crap. I can’t believe I watched it. I want those few hours back (I fast-forwarded a lot, okay?) I can’t believe I finished it. Looking back makes me want to press undo. Having this under my history is a shame to my family. Even if I was sleepy and generally out of it, that’s no excuse for choosing this. Sayonara

 I will say that Daisuke Hirakawa and Nana Mizuki did give good character voices despite the circumstances. That, and I haven’t heard from Hirakawa besides those couple of scenes from School Days (which... is a different type of romance), Free! (which I dropped when his character joined), that gumball scene from Jojo, and that introduction to him being the new Demon Slayer villain. I didn’t realize he was that old though.

Special A

This is one of the anime that my sister watched, and I thought, “I need to be reminded of what a somewhat healthy relationship can be” I wasn’t disappointed because the last anime left such a bad taste in my mouth that literally anything could’ve soothed the aching wound which was bad decision making. Even under regular circumstances, I probably still would’ve enjoyed it, but since it came at the right time, I give it an extra nod of approval. I also never realized that the second opening was inadvertently drilled into my brain because I kept overhearing my sister watching it. Now that I’ve grown up, I realize I was listening to the voices of some of my favourite seiyuu. Go figure. 

The story was really sweet with characters that I genuinely liked by the end (not my favourite cast by a very long shot, but it was slightly above average). It was slightly above average for me in a lot of ways (ironically), and it was enjoyable. The art is very fitting for its time, the music was very... ordinary, and the story was simple enough that you knew exactly what was going to happen at any given moment. This show should be titled: Special A(ppreciation for those brave people who have fallen in the friendzone; we’ll get ‘em next time). 

Akatsuki no Yona OVAs 

Unlike the actual TV series, this stuff actually ends conclusively without ending on the CLIMAX OF THE BIG ARC. SERIOUSLY, I WAS ROBBED. You can say, “There’s a perfectly good manga right there.” Shut up. I want my fight scenes animated with a big helping of a strong female lead. It gave me a sudden appreciation for Hiro Shimono and his character Zeno who literally just inserted himself in last minute in the anime (but these OVAs perfectly explain everything). You probably shouldn’t watch the anime without watching these OVAs because they’re canon, funny, and touching at times. It enhances the series.

According to the animation, we know it can do fight scenes. Give us another season, cowards! Actually, it’s Studio Perriot, so if we ever get it, it might be two stickmen duking it out. 

Haikara-san ga Tooru Movie 2

You know, I really enjoyed the movie. The first one. This one? Not so much. Actually, I felt so done. I was looking forward to this so much. It’s like going to a restaurant, expecting really good pasta, and then being served some leaves from the weeds out back. Eventually, it tastes better when you add some dressing and cheese, but it still isn’t a bowl of pasta. This show casts aside everything I like about it (present-tense because they didn’t kill everything of it) and leaves one little inkling of its valued ideas. Instead, we get a romance-chasing movie that feels a bit more like an amnesia fiction that’s slightly higher quality than usual. I can’t say I regret watching the movie. There were some redeeming qualities, but they jumped from a 9/10 to a high 6/10 that managed to squeak itself into an overall 7/10. 

(This gif is from the first movie, but I can’t find any from the second movie anyway)

Currently Watching (Not Seasonal)

Samurai Champloo

This anime is a staple of Shinichiro Watanabe, and after this, I will probably watch Cowboy Bebop, Carole & Tuesday, and Space Dandy. I did enjoy Sakamichi no Apollon and Zankyou no Terror. 

Plus, after all that romance, I need some samurai slaughter. The fight scenes and the music get me every time. I don’t even need to say anything else about the anime. The fight scenes are enough to watch alone.

[voicesofchaos]

Citrus Liveblog Episodes 4-6

Yeah life got busy and I fell behind. So let’s dive right into the dumpster fire!

I actually didn’t realize that was Harumi and not Mei LOL It has been too long. We really need more of Harumi, she is my favorite chaacter.

Now we have the pigtail VP. Oh crazy chasing shenanigans! Also fancy dress. Wait she claims she be Mei’s best friend but don’t know they are living together? Is that right? And of course she is the childhood friend. Who as I called has totally had a crush on her forever.

Oh Mei use her first name! She really didn’t tell her LOL Also can we please stop calling them sisters! THEY ARE NOT SISTERS! They are roommates haahaahaa

Wait! This show cares about consent? SINCE WHEN!!!!!

Yuzucchi playing with her curls is funny.That is a HUGE round couch! Look at that thing!

WTF! There is a problem going on so what is the solution? Noncon! How the hell did VP get this bold! Then she tells Yuzucchi that she molested Mei (ok she made it sound more consensual but still) and not to compete with her. Who does that! “We would like your complete support” she says as she is alone and not with her supposed partner. Yeah okay!

EPISODE 5! I can’t believe this starts off with, “I’ve done more dirty things with you than her!” I love Yuzucchi is like, “Don’t tell me how to live my life, I’ll cross whoever lines I want!”

Not too much going on. Yuzucchi and VP are forced t sit together. They almost make plans for the 4 of them. Mei gets a letter from her dad that Yuzucchi is all stupid about. Oh yeah I guess Yuzucchi has a dad too.

This train drama is ridiculous! Not a good commercial for Japanese trains. That is hella crowded! But then we get to this insanity! “Maybe it is my moment to cross a line.” BITCH YOU HAVE CROSSED SEVERAL ALREADY! And then she licks her ear! WTF! 50 shades of are you fucking kidding me!

While I guess that VP plotline is cleared up.That was a bit anticlimactic.

STOP FUCKEN TALKING ABOUT HER DAD!

Kinky ice cream licking now! Come one! “Man why am I so hung up on Mei?” GOOD FUCKEN QUESTION!. 

Oh I guess VP is back. And Mei verbally backhanded her!

ARE YOU FUCKEN KIDDING ME!!! She says she is going to see her father and even invites Mei. And then the twist is her dad is dead! How do you fucken do that! This show is weird! “Papa please give me courage to kiss my sister!”

Open the damn letters you idiot! “What Mei needs right now is a family. Not an incest family that wants to fuck her.”

Now we have drama with Mei being sick? This show is weird with its transitions. Take a drink everytime Yuzucchi mentions Mei’s dad in an awkward way! 

Did they forget to put a sound effect in when Yuzucchi bopped VP on the head???

Are you fucking kidding me! I had forced myself to forget that Yuzucchi has never met her mom’s new husband but now I am reminded. HOW!? How do you marry someone that has never met your kid that you live with!!! Also yeah her dad seems a lot different from both Mei and her grandfather. This show is so weird!

Wow this story got stupid! Mei misses the stern strict version of her father. She refuses to accept the more laid-back fun-loving version of her father. I don’t think I have ever heard a dumber plot points. I don’t think I can even get into this fanservice because I am still so distracted by how dumb this plot is. But I guess hooray for using sexual tension to solve problems. DAAAAAMMMN! I was so not invested in this sex scene until Mei said, “Tell me what you want, I’m good at taking orders.” 

He travels the world teaching people. How the hell did her mom meet him! Then the mom gets involved and again how the hell do they know each other? How did they get married???

Please give me more Harumi! She is the best part of the show. Her mom works construction. Wait the dad is leaving already!  WTF!

“They could expel you for a reckless stunt like that!“ Did you forget what she did the first few days. I relate a lot to Yuzucchi. People think I am reckless a lot when I often am not.

So are Mei’s daddy issues cleared up? Is the show over? LOL Oh I guess we need more kissing first. I also guess we are finally going to meet Pinkhaired headphones girl who seems like she is ging to fuck things up with Yuzucchi’s life for the Lulz. 

Ok let’s end this!

[thejpfdude-blog]

The Week in Anime (Weeks of 10/30/17 and 11/6/17)

Greetings and welcome to a late two-week version of TWiA! Sorry about the delay to the delayed post: yesterday was my club’s big event and I didn’t have time to watch the animes until today. Hopefully I actually stay on my schedule given that I don’t have any more big exams until finals week. With that said, let’s start this post off with...

The News Corner

Not the most important news in the anime world, but something that was a thing...

Crunchyroll’s DNS gets hacked

When I wake up, I usually check my messages and Reddit to see what’s up in the world. Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting this when I opened Reddit last Saturday. Luckily, it was resolved before I was fully awake, so it didn’t affect my Love Lives. Nothing too exciting tbh, considering it wasn’t even a hack of the website itself. But still, it’s newsworthy to note that this event was the reason /r/anime made it onto /r/all for a few hours. Nice.

And now the new rankings!

Rankings:

1 (+1). Shokugeki no Soma S3 (9/10) [4-5/?]

2 (+1). Just Because! (8/10) [4-5/12]

3 (+3). Net-juu no Susume (7.5/10) [4-5/10]

4 (0). Juuni Taisen (7.5/10) [4-5/12]

5 (-4). Kino’s Journey (7/10) [4-5/12]

6 (+3). Love Live! Sunshine!! 2nd Season (7/10) [4-5/13]

7 (-2). Pingu in the City (10/10 ANIME OF THE CENTURY) (7/10) [4/26]

8 (0). Blend S (6.5/10) [4-5/12]

9 (-2). Mahoutsukai no Yome (6/10) [4-5/24]

10 (0). Animegataris (5.5/10) [4-5/12]

11 (+1). Osake wa Fuufu ni Natte kara (4.5/10) [4-5/13]

Awards:

The Cheese Award: Animegataris

This is mainly for episode 4, because let’s be honest that was some grade-A quality cheese. When the dude mentioned idol anime as the inspiration for their club struggles, I prepared myself for the cheese, but I didn’t expect it to be worse than Love Live cheese. And that’s impressive in its own right, because Love Live cheese is good cheese in itself. But yeah, the way they somehow came out of the student council’s grasp was... very miraculous. And the whole process was very “the power of friendship”-like. If it wasn’t for the sick anime references, this show would’ve probably been dropped in this episode, but I continue on for the sole reason of references, and the promise of the end of the world. Speaking of that...

The “Fanservice is Foreshadowing” Award: Animegataris

I noticed something strange after watching episode 5 right after finishing episode 4 -- before the OP plays there’s always a shot of the MC’s friend, usually her legs. It was pretty obvious with this episode when the eraser fell and she reaches to pick it up, with a close-up of the legs cutting right into the opening. That’s when I thought, “there’s no way they did that without it meaning something. So I went back to each episode right before the OP, and sure enough there was always a shot of the friend, even if it was out of context. I have no idea why they’re doing this, because there’s no way it doesn’t have a purpose to it unless they want to be the ultimate troll and just have it for no reason (which I highly doubt). Maybe it’s foreshadowing for that end of the world thing, but it’s probably just something like “oh I have an injury I’m hiding” (which sorta explains why it’s shots of her legs). Still, kinda weird given the content of the show...

The Eh Award: Mahoutsukai no Yome

Well it’s been a few episodes, so I have a general sense of what this show is. And unfortunately, I’ve been j’baited once again by the anime community. I’ve mentioned how people have said it would be a nice slice-of-life show. I mean that’s true to a degree, but this show is mainly fantasy first and foremost. Not bad if you’re into that thing, but for someone like me who isn’t, it’s kinda boring to watch. Well, maybe that isn’t the right word, but the episodes go on long. Like I check how much time there’s left in the episode and see it hasn’t even been halfway through, and then grudgingly continue watching. It’s not a bad show... just not my type of show. I’ll be continuing to watch it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up putting this “on hold”, especially with my busy schedule and the other shows this season.

The “Wow They Can Make Her Love Her Husband Without Alcohol” Award: Osake wa Fuufu ni Natte kara

Pretty much the title.

The Epilogue Award: Just Because!

This award was inspired by a comment from an /r/anime discussion thread that was able to say what I love about this show so much: that it feels like an epilogue to what a typical story usually contains. Since transfer student came, it’s like revisiting old wounds, and though we don’t know them yet, it has that sense that we’re about to get to a true ending and reconnections are about to be made. It’s been a fun time so far, but if last episode was any indication the drama’s about to really get started -- we’ll see how they handle that.

Side note: the animation really took a hit episode 5. I heard about the production issues the show’s been having, which is unfortunate given how good this show’s been so far. Don’t want another case of Orange happening, though I don’t think anything can top episode 9 of Orange for me in terms of bad animation. I mean look through this thread. Yeesh.

The Annoying Character Award: Net-juu no Susume

With how refreshing this show’s been with the romance angle, I find the coworker of the blond dude pretty annoying. Not so much that I drop the show, but he gets on my nerves sometimes, especially with the way we bragged about getting a date with Moriko. Though I can kinda see the side where he’s indirectly helping blond dude by being in contact with Moriko, still kinda sucky. Though I’m excited for the next episode with the meetup. Mmm good stuff.

The “Red Flags” Dropped Episode of the Week: Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau

With no motivation to watch this show and it declining every episode, I decided to just drop it. Fantasy + bad writing = drop.

Best Episode of the Week (Part 1): Just Because!

So I’m spltting “Best Episode Award” into 2 parts: one for each week. For the first week I present this show again! I was absorbed the whole way through, from the process of Soma confessing to the other storyline I didn’t care too much about. The drama started emerging this episode, though it was light enough that I didn’t mind it too much. I expect drama to be ramped up for the next few episodes, even if episode 5 didn’t have too much of it.

Best Episode of the Week (Part 2): Shokugeki no Soma S3

Wow. That... escalated quickly. So with this episode comes the conclusion of the Moon Festival arc. But I wasn’t really expecting what came after, the whole thing with Erina’s dad. I guess this is the arc that people have said is pretty eh, so I don’t know what to really expect for this. So far, though, this season’s been on par with the first season. Really good stuff.

And that’s all for this week! Thanks for reading this extra long post, and I’ll hopefully see you in the next one!