[Manga Musings on Mondays] Asper Girl – Review

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

Created by: Souhachi Hagimoto

Chapters: 31 (Ongoing)

 

Hello and Welcome to the Wild-Card Monday of Manga Musings. As mentioned last week, today I will be talking about a manga which wasn’t chosen by the votes of the readers of our Star-Crossed blog but was instead personally recommended to me. I found it to be highly enjoyable and more than deserving of being highlighted in this humble weekly project. The manga being Souhachi Hagimoto’s debut, Asper Girl – a story about a loner carrying the scars and sorrows of their past who finds another loner to be alone with.

 

THE PREMISE:
A girl living with Asperger’s Syndrome reaches out to a small-time manga author to thank him for creating a story which made her feel like there was someone out there who sees the world through her eyes and who can relate to the lives which people like her lead.

 

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BNA – 04-06 [Dropped]

by SuperWooper, posted in BNA, Series which were Dropped

It’s been nearly a week since Asenshi released episode 6 of BNA, but I’ve delayed in writing this post because I wasn’t sure how to approach it. If you’ve read the title, you know I’m dropping the series – but I wondered about my lead-in paragraph. Should I beat the dead horse-shaped argument of completing anime versus dropping it? Should I caution against studio worship, given that Trigger’s reputation caused many viewers (myself included) to set their expectations for the show too high? Or should I lay into the series for being a disappointment on its own terms, which would demand a more thorough breakdown of each episode?

As the week dragged on, I realized that it didn’t really matter what I led with. Most people won’t remember this show in three years, and they’ll certainly have forgotten my posts about it long before then. I haven’t enjoyed the series since its second episode, and I don’t want to watch it or talk about it anymore. This post just needs to be farted out so I can forget about BNA, and continue enjoying the few solid anime this virus-stricken spring season has to offer. So, in the spirit of abandonment, here are my brief thoughts about episodes 4-6.

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Tower of God – 9 -[The One-Horned Ogre]

by Lenlo, posted in Tower of God

I won’t lie to you, Tower of God was rough this week. There were ups, there were downs, and I dare say some parts were even good. Shocker, I know. But all I can think of as I write this is how it could have been better. So without further ado, lets dive in and talk about that.

Animation wise, I am very split. I want to say that Tower of God overall looked better this week. Quant had more weight for instance, especially during his fight with Hatz. Meanwhile I will always enjoy the water-like effects of Shinsu. However at the same time Tower of God was also incredibly safe with how it handled everything. Every shot felt standard, neigh uninspired, like they were trying to get the base information across and nothing more. Just going through the motions of mimicking the original work. There was never a moment that I, as a viewer, went “woah, that was awesome”. It’s only when I step away and try to look at it like a “critic” (hard to type that without laughing), am able to nitpick some decent shots. Sadly, beyond its art direction, Tower of God is just not that well animated a show.

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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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