Princess Tutu – 19/20 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Princess Tutu, Throwback Thursday

Welcome one and all to another week of Princess Tutu! This time we cover episodes 19 and 20, where we tackle “Love” in all it’s forms, across the entire cast. From Mytho and Fakir to Rue and Ahiru, none are safe, not even the side characters. So without further ado, lets dive in!

Starting off we have episode 19, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Being named after one of the most famous plays William Shakespeare ever wrote, it’s connections should be obvious. Everything within this episode is a callback to the play in some form or another. From the overarching theme of love, loves lost and loves ignored, to the very names of our side characters: Hermia and Lysander. Were this a western work I would almost call it to on the nose, with how blatant these references are. However, and I don’t know Shakespeare’s prevalence in Japan, this depth and understanding of the work feels so unique for anime. Most of the time we get schlock like the recent *Boarding School Juliet*. Thing’s that take the base premise, toss it in a school setting, and call it a day. Yer Princess Tutu does so much with the original work, and I love it.

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Spring 2020 Summary: Week 6-8

by SuperMario, posted in Weekly Summary

Mario: So a few weeks has passed, and this thin season has gotten thinner and thinner with shows affected by the pandemic and people died left and right, sometimes NOT because of the COVID-19 (like the devastating news that Zac Bertschy over ANN passed away. Rest in peace man). Anyways, all this sad news makes me more appreciative with shows that are still in the running. We’ve been slacking a bit here with a couple shows I have yet to follow up, but rest assured that next week we’ll be back in full steam.

Kakushigoto 4-8

Mario: So about Kakushigoto, I enjoyed the episodes as I was watching, but when it comes to the plot details, unfortunately all these gags muddle and I have a hard time recalling what was happening. I guess the reason for it is because of its gag-based nature. At its best, all the gags set up some unexpected situations. At its worst, it feels random at times. From episode 6 onward however, the show improved remarkably as the episode has connected stories. Episode 6 deals with Gotou both doing the fan meeting and going out with Hime while making sure that Hime doesn’t find out about his job and episode 7 is all about adopting the dog and heritage which I think is a pretty nice theme. The show still holds its cards close in regards to the flash-forward 18 yo Hime (Gotou is still out of the picture in that timeline). There’s also a lot of gags about the manga industry and Gotou random harem but the beating heart is all about Gotou and Hime bond.

Hamefura 6-9

Amun: Man, I know it’s lame to use COVID-19 as an excuse, but it has just sapped all my energy in regards to writing (about anime or otherwise).  Feels like Hamefura is suffering a bit from the midseason doldrums as well.  These episodes were certainly not bad, but they definitely seemed to be putting the brakes on the armada of ships heading for Catarina.  That said, I’m all about Royal Magic Academy Hijinks: Catarina Edition (or, fine, “Princess Lover” if you want to use the canonical title).  These little slices of life are endearing and fun – AND there’s even a little plot progression (meeting her friend from a previous life was really quite sweet).  I’m also dying at how everyone in this show be thirsting, while our girl Catarina is just proper hungry ^_^.   Also, hats off to Mary being the jealous fiance…except she’s jealous that her fiance is spending time with Catarina!  Nice twist there.  Overall, still top tier for this season, but I do feel we’re slowing down just a hair.  Probably getting ready for the epic finale – with candies and comradery (and probably little to no actual romance).

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[Manga Musings on Mondays] Chikan Otoko – Review

by Armitage, posted in Manga Musings on Mondays, Reviews by Armitage

 

Created by: Takuma Yokota

Chapters: 21

 

Another Monday has presented itself to us, folks. And you know when that happens, we present something in return, right? Another manga review! (Yes I know, it’s Tuesday already but I’m sorry I have been real busy with my end-term preparations, although I did read the manga well before Monday, so let’s say it counts.) This week, I will be telling you about my thoughts on Takuma Yokota’s comedy (satire? parody?) manga, Chikan Otoko or Molester Man. A manga with the most outrageous setup for a love story I have ever seen and which might just be the very definition of not judging a book by its cover. Let’s talk about it.

 

THE PREMISE:
A girl assumes a man to be her stalker and the misunderstanding caused by the confusion gives the man a window of opportunity to get to know her and her circle of friends better. A series of rom-com shenanigans ensue.

 

          

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Arte – 08 [A New Chapter]

by Armitage, posted in Arte, Currently Watching:

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.

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Yesterday wo Utatte – 08 [Innocent Blue]

by SuperWooper, posted in Finished Series: Romance, Yesterday wo Utatte

How could you screw up this badly, Rikuo? Shinako just got finished telling you to be more assertive in episode 7, and now you bail at the first sign of hesitation after she’s invited you up to her apartment? I know you’re both awkward as hell, but all the situation called for was a reminder of her earlier request. Just teasingly say, “You’re the one who said I ought to be pushy,” give her a smile, and you’re probably golden. Even if you can’t manage that kind of line, at least generate some conversation as she’s leading you upstairs. For Pete’s sake, do *anything* other than what you did at the start of this episode!

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Tower of God – 8 [Khun’s Strategy]

by Lenlo, posted in Tower of God

Hello all and welcome to another week of Tower of God! Apologies for the wait, been a busy few days, but not near as busy as our leads. As this week we see Team A’s test, Khun lay plans within plans, and Quant get publicly humiliated. So without further ado, lets jump in!

Starting off, the visuals. I always bring it up in some form or another, positively or negatively, so this shouldn’t surprise you. This week however I felt Tower of God was rather… lacking. The art style is still great, I love the inconsistent line work and bright colors. It still looks like nothing else really airing this season, what little is left. But as far as the animation goes? For what was seemingly an action packed episode, so much of it just felt flat and weightless. From Quant movements to the struggles of the Regulars, nothing really “wowed” me. There were some decent effects, like Quant after images, but the animation behind his movements did little to sell it sadly. About the only cut that I really liked was mid way through, at Khun’s “fall”. Beyond that though? Well, lets just hope they are saving their efforts for next week.

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Princess Tutu – 17/18 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Princess Tutu, Throwback Thursday

2 more episodes, and 8 more to go for Princess Tutu! This week on Throwback Thursday Princess Tutu returns to form in the most unexpected of ways. Meanwhile Rue and Mytho get some much needed conflict and my OTP takes another step forward. So lets jump right into it!

Starting off we have episode 17, Crime and Punishment. It’s been a long time since I started an episode so poorly, and loved it so much by the end. You see, at the beginning, I couldn’t stand Femio. Everything from his VA to his over the top nature felt out of place and fit Princess Tutu poorly. You need look no further than his interpretive dance, a perfect representation of my problems with modern at, for proof. Yet by the end of this very same dance, his place in the episode and the story became clear. Effectively lamp-shading both Kraehe and Mytho and the current state of their characters. I thought this episode was effectively going to be filler, to be honest. Yet like Princess Tutu is wont to do, by the end Femio fit in perfectly. So without further ado, lets talk specifics.

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Arte – 07 [The Venetian Noble]

by Armitage, posted in Arte, Currently Watching:

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.
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Yesterday wo Utatte – 04-07

by SuperWooper, posted in Finished Series: Romance, Yesterday wo Utatte

Yesterday wo Utatte is my favorite spring anime, so please don’t take my delay in covering it as a sign of disinterest. It’s one of only two shows that I watch on the day it releases (the other being Kaguya-sama). Its ability to introduce new characters and immediately dimensionalize them is exceptional, as it demonstrated in two of these four episodes. It also has a keen sense of where to aim its lens each week, using individual spotlights or telling stories in parallel to get the most from its cast of characters. Yesterday wo Utatte deserves better than this post (and this author), but here we are, a month behind due to self-quarantine blues, and I’ve got to publish something or I’ll never escape this rut. If you’re digging this show as much as I am, hit the jump for abbreviated thoughts on episodes 4-7, in that order (no lazy list post this time).

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[Manga Musings on Mondays] Voices in the Dark – Review

by Armitage, posted in Manga Musings on Mondays, Reviews by Armitage

 

Created by: Junji Ito

Chapters: 7

 

Greetings, fellow manga fans. As is norm, every new week, a new monday rolls around and as has now become tradition, a new manga review comes along with it! This week, we talk about Junji Ito’s short story collection Voices in the Dark. Is it genuinely scary or overhyped like some of the creator’s other works? Read on to find out!

 

THE PREMISE:
Seven horror short-stories filled with plenty of nightmare fuel.

 

WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT:

For anyone even remotely read in popular manga, the name Junji Ito needs no introduction. Even if you may not have read his works, you surely must be familiar with the notorious reputation he’s amassed over his illustrious career. His works have become iconic pieces of Japanese manga which are deemed impossible to translate to screen and that’s why, any attempts to do so up until now have expectedly, been failures. Hence, it’s become common belief that there’s nothing quite like reading a Junji Ito manga. That’s why, a couple of years ago, when I started reading Gyo, I was all braced up to descend into the dark world of sleep-depriving atrocities.

 

 

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