Category: Finished Series: Slice of Life/Drama

HOLD THE PRESSES!! The anime gods have bestowed their graces upon us! Yes, that’s right. This Spring Season, we the viewers would now be able to cherish the on-screen presence of not one but TWO CATARINAS!!!

[Well, the new one’s name is spelled with a ‘K’ but she is more befitting of the ‘Evil Villainess” title so it still counts.]

Greetings, lovely readers. Welcome to Week 8 of Arte, the swashbuckling sailor! This week, we change settings from Florence to Venice, get to see two men duel it out on the deck of a ship at sail (because why the hell not?!) and witness CGI water in all its glory. Let’s unpack.

Continue reading “Arte – 08 [A New Chapter]” →

Apologies for the slight delay in posting this week’s episode review. I have been busy preparing for my end-terms (yup, the world’s in a freaking pandemic but we still gotta give exams!) so, taking time out to write reviews has proven to be a bit difficult. I hope you’ll excuse some other possible delays in the coming weeks. Though, I’ll try my best to adhere to schedule.

Anywho, this week on Arte, the soon-to-be-full-time-working-and-money-making artisan, things get shaken up a little with the introduction of two new characters: the sweet-talking Yuri Falier and Leo-san’s old friend(!), Ruthanna. How does Arte deal with their arrival? Let’s talk about it.
Continue reading “Arte – 07 [The Venetian Noble]” →

Hello and welcome to the review of another episode of Arte, the Soccer Ace. The halfway point in the story of Arte has finally arrived and this week, she learns to paint fancy graffiti and play 16^th-century Italian football. Let’s talk about it.

A member of Leo-san’s trade guild passes away and he takes Arte along for the funeral. All the other artists assembled there are surprised or angered to see a woman present among them. Some are very vocal in the display of their dislike towards Arte while others just avoid getting involved and ignore her altogether. The masters of the guild are concerned that Arte’s presence would become a point of conflict amongst the guild members and decide to give her a test to prove her mettle as a competent apprentice.

Continue reading “Arte – 06 [Trade Guild]” →

 

To all readers, new and regular alike… Hi! Nice of you to join me as we discuss about the latest episode of Arte the arty Artisan. This time around, our ever-cheerful protagonist sharpens the kind of skills every artist, no matter how good, must develop in order to ensure their survival: marketing!

This week, we learn that Leo-san keeps a fast every Friday which makes Arte crave for that juicy steak even more. But she stays strong against her gluttonous desires and diligently goes about carrying out her errands. As she is returning back to Leo-san’s place, she catches a glimpse of a man heading out after having a heated argument with her teacher. Leo-san tells her that that man, Mr. Umbertino, comes around every so often to order paintings with very precise specifications but the money he pays for these orders doesn’t leave room for them to make any profits after all expenses are accounted for. Leo-san intends to negotiate with him regarding this but Arte offers to do it instead. After giving it some thought, Leo-san agrees to her proposal.

Continue reading “Arte – 05 [Inescapable Bond]” →

Welcome to another week of ‘Arte learns life-lessons while painting as a side business’. This week, we are reunited with the lovely Courtesan-san from back in episode 2, with whom Arte forms an unlikely friendship. Let’s break it all down.

Last week, we saw Arte developing feelings of romantic affection towards a man for the first time in her life, which made her feel a kind of pain she had been unfamiliar to all her life. She couldn’t understand her own emotions and this week too, she seems to be having a hard time dealing with them. Whenever Leo-san is anywhere near her or their bodies so much as brush up against each other, Arte finds herself stiffening up and overcome with an inability to process anything around her. Though, she still cherishes the moments when Leo-san appreciates her efforts in any way. She learns about a new method to improve the quality of the bread from the local baker and when Leo-san compliments her in his usual droll manner, it brings her real happiness, making her feel like the efforts she put in were worth it.
Continue reading “Arte – 04 [Courtesan]” →

 

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the third installment in the story of our favorite noble-turned-apprentice. This week, Arte learns about the warm joys and strange sorrows of first love, gets her first opportunity to draw professionally and throws her hat in for the seasonal Best Boy race! Let’s jump in.

Leo-san asks Arte to come along with him to the carnival but only after she has changed into an adorable Peter Pan cosplay costume. There they meet up with a courtesan – a high-class prostitute – who is somehow able to make the normally ogre-like and demonic Leo-san smile and laugh like he was having the time of his life. Seeing her looking pretty as a picture and smelling all nice, Arte can’t help but fight the feeling which takes over her heart; a feeling of envious approbation.

Continue reading “Arte – 03 [First Job]” →

Hello, Everyone! The Spring Season is officially underway and with that, I’d also like to announce that I shall be resuming my full-time duties as a blogger here at Star-Crossed Anime. And for my long-awaited homecoming, I have decided to blog the adaptation of a manga which is very near and dear to my heart: Arte. So, without further ado, let’s begin!

This week we saw Arte trying to adjust to her new life as an art apprentice. Master Leo agreeing to take Arte under her wing had come as a shock to the prominent artists of Florence and a pleasant surprise for Arte herself. But this week, she realizes that her battle has only just begun. Leo-san assigns her the task of getting together supplies to renovate the shed she has to live in, while being under his apprenticeship. So, she heads out to do just that. All the people she meets shrug her off or put her down just because she is a girl and they don’t approve of her doing things which they believe are only suitable for men. She gets disapproving looks from both men and women when they see her dragging a cart full of chopping-wood along. Seeing her struggle to carry her heavy load, one upstanding gentleman going by the name of Angelo Parker, decides to help her out. He cleans up her wounds and in a gesture of good faith, offers to help carry the wood as he realizes that a job like that was too difficult for a girl. And that’s when Arte reveals itself to give a glimpse of the story it actually intends to tell.
Continue reading “Arte – 02 [A New Life]” →