Review: Yuri!! On Ice E.01

Yes! Finally, the long awaited release of another novel and unconventional anime. Honestly, I am not surprised to see another niche and female stereotyped sport-themed anime show after the success of the equally unique show, Cheer Danshi!! It is great to see a steady rise in these non-conforming and thought provoking type series. The anime focuses on the protagonist Yuuri Katsuki, a Japanese Ice figure skater who experiences utter defeat at the Gran Prix Finale Ice Skating Competition. He journeys home to Kyushu with feelings of uncertainty as to where his future career lies. He partially wants to continue skating and partially wants to resign, which causes him to hole up in his room for some time. Seeing his role model - Victor Nikiforov - on ice perform on tv, gives him the boost, however, to face the ice rink again and perform in front of his old friend.

Toward the end of the episode, the poodle named Vicchan alerts Yuuri of the arrival of 5-time consecutive world champion, Victor Nikiforov, who asserts that he will be Yuuri's coach and that he will make Yuuri win the next Gran Prix Finale.

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Yuri!! On Ice E.01

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Review: Nyanbo E.02

In today’s episode, the nyanbo focus on fixing the UFO. In order to do so they attempt to implant different objects into it, but due to several failed attempts decide to go outside and search for the potential right pieces that could fit into the centre of the UFO. While searching outside, they meet the nyanbo idol group, known as ‘Nyanbo Angel’s’, made up of Sabara and Kijitora who expect their undivided attention but are disappointed to fid out that the other nyanbo’s are too busy to pay them any mind. Tora diffuses the rising tension between Sabatora and Shiro by asking Sabatora and Kijitora to help them in their endeavours. In the meantime, Kotora-chan finds numerous objects that she tries to fit into the UFO. However, with each trial, the UFO rejects the items one after another and sends them flying, coincidently, back to Mike.  Sabatora suggests trying one of her marbles that proves to be a successful move. By the end of the episode, the group, with the exception of Tora, become more fascinated with collecting marbles than collecting the missing pieces of the UFO.

Poor Tora has his work cut out for him!

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Nyanbo E02

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Review: Comical Psychosomatic Medicine

A couple of episodes back, I (super briefly) talked about Comical Psychosomatic Medicine on the podcast. Seeing as how I haven’t written a review in a while and am being threatened by papa bastard, I figured why not just write a quick and simple little review for you guys to read and enjoy. Ok, so you probably won’t enjoy it but at least my job will be done. Let’s get something out of the way here: CPM consists of 20 episodes, each with a runtime of about 5 minutes (including opening and closing). There is no plot, no story, no character development, NADA.  What we have are two main characters, a doctor and a nurse, and their sole purpose is to educate us about psychological/mental disorders.  Any disorder you can think of, they cover: erectile dysfunction, Lolita complex, sleeping disorders, depression, etc, etc.

Of course, what good is an educational anime without jokes, right? I’m talking about tons and tons of dirty, perverted jokes. Every episode is chock full of them, yet they still manage to get the educational bits out without it being weighed down.  There’s also tons of puns and pop culture references which is nice. Too many dirty jokes and it just becomes dull and pointless to watch.

I wish I could elaborate on the art, but there really isn’t much to be said. Although this ONA came out in 2015, it looks dated.  Characters designs are reminiscent of those from the early 2000s.  It was almost like watching something from ’04 but in 1080p and with colors that pop. Again, it’s not necessarily bad, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re really tempted to check this out.

So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen.  If you’re in the mood for something educational and always comical, definitely give this a go.

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Comical Psychosomatic Medicine

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Review: Bloodivores E.01

If you have any interest in this series, don’t bother watching this first episode. It’s the type of first episode which is more of a self-contained story and is being used to poorly set up the next episode which will be what the show really is about. There are only three details that you need from this episode, and I’m willing to bet money that at least two, if not all three will be mentioned in the second episode. The first detail is that “Bloodivores” are people with a genetic mutation due to the side effect of a drug that cured some unnamed disease. If they don’t get blood, like a vampire, they go crazy and will attack people, like a vampire. Our main character is framed for murder along with his three friends and sentenced to death which is faked. Even if you buy it for a minute the preview next time, along with basic logic, tells you that they’ll be alive and fighting monsters or some shit.

The final piece of info is that our main character is a “cross-bred” and was once called the “Child of Peace.” His father runs the agency that more than likely framed him and sent him to kill monsters and the dude’s mom is possibly still alive and out there somewhere… doing something. It’s left vague because I’m sure that when this was created it didn’t have everything outlined and so that was left vague in case it fit the story later.

There’s nothing charming about this episode. The main character comes across as being “too cool” and not the wrestlers. Then he has his coolness turned back on him, and it deflates anything that was developing with his character. The other three characters are useless and do nothing to the story other than act as plot devices.

I completely understand what this first episode was trying to do. It was trying to establish the world and explain the “rules” of the world. It then also worked to establish a backstory with mystery for our “chosen one” main character. The part that didn’t work and ultimately hurt the episode the most was the fake death at the end. How could anyone possibly believe that a show is going to spend the entire time setting up these characters only to kill them and start over again with the next episode? This isn’t my first rodeo, and so it was a very obvious stunt, and I didn’t even need to see the “next time” clip to know how it would turn out.

What was even stranger about the “next time” clip was the fact that all the men were still in prison clothes, but the women were in normal semi-revealing clothes. I guess that’s what will bring some people back, but fighting monsters and trying to survive while having to drink blood isn’t the most original or interesting idea. If perhaps this had been a stronger story, written tighter and with art and designs that didn’t feel recycled, then maybe I would check it out again. As it stands, I won’t be bothering with more of Bloodivores, which has one positive, I don’t have to type the silly name ever again.

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Bloodivores E.01 – “Bloodivores Official Website

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Review: Nyanbo E.01

The first thing that came to mind when I saw the promotional picture for this anime was a cardboard Amazon box or more specifically the Amazon robot known as Danbo. The next thing to spring to mind was how cute the opening song was. Although the style of animation is different to that of Bananya, I thought the premise was very similar. Both series have a cat theme, all the characters originate from somewhere in space, and people are unable to see or detect them. This episode introduces all of the Nyanbo's unlike the first episode of Bananya, where the first episode introduces Bananya only. The five Nyanbo's include Tora, the focused leader of the band of friends and the older brother of Kotaro-chan; Shiro; the lovestruck Nyanbo infatuated with Tora; Kuro the quiet and easy going Nyanbo and the Mike the casual and lighthearted Nyanbo. In this episode, we learn of the Nyanbo's mission: to recover the pieces of their UFO and return to space. However, we soon discover that while Tora's determination to repair their UFO is apparent, his friend's determination is meagre in comparison. This is particularly evident when Mike talks about frolicking around, relaxing, and living his life as a regular cat. Kotaro-chan's disappearance interrupts their discussion, and the four remaining Nyanbo's go looking for her. Tora finds Kotora-chan quietly observing a cat until it jumps out of the bushes and proceeds to run away. Kotaro-chan chases after the kitten while Tora and the gang chase after Kotaro-chan.

The narrator states at the end of the episode that although the Nyanbo's resemble cats they do not know how to deal with them.

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Nyanbo E.01

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Review: Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen - Kibou-hen E.01

A wonderfully hopeful and inspirational ending to an anime series filled with despair. Despite the fact that while watching this series I was often left speechless, shocked, and saddened, this episode, by far, left the biggest impression on me. To me, the last episode was bittersweet. Admittedly, I partially felt sad to see the end of the Danganronpa series. However, most of all I felt uplifted to see that despite all the awful things that occurred both in Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen - Mirai-hen and especially in Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen - Zetsubou-hen (I had my eyes closed during the more violent and disturbing scenes) hope still managed to prevail. Good still triumphed over evil. I believe that currently, very few anime shows exist with a profound message in mind, so it was refreshing to find out the message the producers Geneon Universal Entertainment were trying to convey through this finale. Personally, I think the message was clear: that is not to give up or rather not to lose hope. Even when disaster, trouble, or tragedy strikes keep believing in a brighter tomorrow (I know that was cheesy, but it's true). TD Jakes once said that faith is a perspective, you can choose to remain hopeful in the midst of trouble, or you can resign to the notion that things will never improve.

Makoto Naegi never lost hope; he never gave up even when the odds were stacked against him. He never stopped believing even after the - albeit temporary- death of Kirigiri. He could have given into despair like so many of his companions did, but he remained resolute and as a result inspired others like Munakata and Juzo Sakakura to also pick up the true mantle of hope.

In this final concluding episode of the entire Danganronpa series, the remnants of despair - Makota Naegi's upperclassmen- join the fray to stop their fellow classmate - Ryota Mitarai - from running away from the pursuit of true hope by broadcasting a video that brainwashes people into having hope. What I loved about their appearance in this episode was that although they stood for misery once, they now embodied hope. The last scene at the end of the episode, showing Makoto Naegi sitting alone in the classroom of the rebuilt Hope peak's Academy, and shortly joined by Kirigiri, had me almost in tears.

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Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen - Kibou-hen E.01

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Review: Hakuouki: Otogisoushi E.04

In this episode Chizuru's twin brother, Kaoru attempts to drive Chizuru into despair by stealing the gift - a packet of dango- she received from Kondou-san for her hard work. Despite Kaoru's sinister intentions, the plot he conjures up is tame, at best, and funny. I doubt a lost packet of dango could drive anyone to despair. Nevertheless, Kaoru's plan falls through, and he ends up praising his sister in spite of his failure to cause her grief. In the second half of this episode Chizuru (for some inexplicable reason) appears to be troubled (it’s not because of Kaoru's plan though). Toudou Heisuke – the youngest member of the Shinsengumi and leader of the eighth division - tries to cheer up Chizuru by making her a rice ball that turns out to be nearly as big as his face. Chizuru is happily surprised when Heisuke gives her the giant rice ball and begins to dig in when Gen-san walks in and asks Heisuke if he knows where all the rice in the container went.

Heisuke responds by shaking his head in the hopes of proving his innocence, but the humungous rice ball in Chizuru's hand does little to support Heisuke's claim. In the end, both Heisuke and Chizuru, receive a long lecture from Gen-san.

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Hakuouki: Otogisoushi E.04

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Review: Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV E.02

I loved this episode! I could not keep a smile off my face while watching it; it was just that poignant. This episode recounted friend and travelling companion of Noctis - Prompto Argentum’s - history and how he befriended Noctis because of Lunafreya's unintended influence. While driving on the road, Prompto quickly manoeuvres the car out of the way in order to save an injured puppy in the middle of the road. The dog resembles the one Prompto helped when he was much younger (perhaps middle school age) and a flashback of Prompto’s younger years ensues. Admittedly I was astonished to find out that the bubbly, optimistic jokester of the group, Prompto, was once timid, introverted, and a tad overweight (oh and wore glasses). As shocking as this piece of news was, I thought it was brilliant. I mean how often watch do you see an anime depict a male who steadily transforms physically and internally in the hopes of gaining the confidence to make a friend. I also thought that the amount of time it took for him to lose the weight was realistic. This was not a typical weight loss story; it was a story of self-discovery and beginnings.

Prompto was reserved and shy at school; he had no friends and a rather monotonous routine of walking to and from school, eating the same burger with coke and fries, and occasionally taking a photo here and there. Life seemed mundane until a certain injured dog appeared before him. This dog, named Pyrna, belonged to Lunafreya. Unknowingly Prompto took care of Luna's dog until it was well enough to return to its owner. After the dog left, Prompto almost resumed his normal life until he received a letter from Luna, thanking him for taking care of her dog and asking him to continue being friends with Noctis. Prompto then decides to build the courage (frequently turning to Luna's letter for added encouragement) to become friends with Noctis. He takes up jogging and even asks his classmates for tips on how to run better. Once he enters high school, he is finally able to befriend Noctis - who was waiting for him to introduce himself after their very first encounter.

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Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV E.02

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Review: Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV E.01

Wow wow wow! I give kudos to A1 Pictures and Square Enix for producing this show. I was on the edge of my seat by the time this episode ended. Now that is what a call a great start to an anime series. It did not even bother me that the episode only lasted 11 minutes and 55 seconds; I enjoyed it that much. I thought the action scenes, were splendidly and beautifully done. The artwork was like a breath of fresh air; it was everything a Final Fantasy anime should be, not quite like its predecessor Final Fantasy Unlimited. I never watched Final Fantasy Unlimited purely because of the (I know it’s superficial) artwork. It just did not appeal to me. Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV is essentially the prequel to the Final Fantasy XV game. It follows the main protagonist Noctis Lucis Caelum, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Lucis and his companions Gladiolus Amicitia, Prompto Argentum, and Ignis Scientia as they journey back to Lucis in the hope of reclaiming their home from under the control of the Imperial army after Lucis was defeated by Niflheim.

In episode 1 we learn of Noctis's birth right - that he is the Crown Prince of Lucis and that for certain reasons, not fully explained (but we can infer what they are), has not lived in Lucis for several years. While at a diner, Noctis and his companions see the imperial army's airship, they decide to move and later come up with a plan on how to reclaim their home. While driving on route to their destination they spot the imperial army. They quickly realise that, to continue their journey, they will have to fight through the imperial army soldiers.

The monster responsible for almost ending Noctis's life shows up, and in a rage, Noctis races to end the beast.

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Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV E.01

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Review: Chiba Pedal: Yowamushi Pedal to Manabu Jitensha Koutsuuanze E.01

At the end of last month and at the beginning of this month, I was mostly writing reviews on shorter length episodes. Either last week or the week before that, I decided to revisit some of the summer lineups and write reviews on normal length episodes. This week I watched an ONA of an anime that only avid viewers of the sport genre, or the regular series: Yowamushi Pedal, will recognise. This is the first time I have seen an ONA, in all my 23 years on this earth. Similar to TV shorts, the idea of recognising something that lasted for the duration of 10 minutes or less as an anime episode was impossible. Unsurprisingly enough, I found this ONA quick, very quick. In fact, it was too quick, by the time I had finished watching it I began to doubt whether I had actually watched an ONA or an advert. I suppose in some ways it makes sense because Chiba Pedal: Yowamushi Pedal to Manabu Jitensha Koutsuuanzen is a collaboration ad campaign about bicycle safety. I was extremely disappointed though. I thought that the third season of Yowamushi Pedal had started. I had high expectations for the show so even when I did find out that TOHO animation was releasing an ONA of Yowamushi Pedal; I was still looking forward to it.I was not expecting it to be quite so dull. It was so unbelievably dull that I would have preferred to watch an advert or a PV for another anime show. In this ONA loud Shoukichi Naruko tells us, and cheesy but endearing otaku, Sakamichi Onoda that bicycles are in the same group as cars. He then proceeds to go on about how cyclists need to ride on the left and blah blah blah. He then asks Sakamichi Onoda to do a lap of Chiba prefecture with him and hands him a helmet with 'safety first' printed on it.

I was not expecting it to be quite so dull. It was so unbelievably dull that I would have preferred to watch an advert or a PV for another anime show. In this ONA loud Shoukichi Naruko tells us, and cheesy but endearing otaku, Sakamichi Onoda that bicycles are in the same group as cars. He then proceeds to go on about how cyclists need to ride on the left and blah blah blah. He then asks Sakamichi Onoda to do a lap of Chiba prefecture with him and hands him a helmet with 'safety first' printed on it.1/5

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Chiba Pedal: Yowamushi Pedal to Manabu Jitensha Koutsuuanze E.01

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Review: Handa-kun E.01

I wasn't sure whether to watch this anime or not, but I can say now that I'm glad I chose to watch it in the end. I've only just watched the first episode, and I can tell you now that the show is pure genius, kudos to the writers and the production team for coming up with such a distinctive plot. The subtle artwork coupled with the line-up of quirky and authentic characters is just perfect for this kind of anime. Although Handa-kun blatantly falls under the slice of life genre, it strays far from your run-of-the-mill slice of life anime. Like the anime series Gintama, Handa-kun breaks the fourth wall. What I loved about this episode was that it didn't play out as I expected. I assumed the entire episode would revolve around the Handa-kun Force; a group of four boys from Handa-kun's school, who don't actually appear in the 'real' Handa-kun episode. It's slightly difficult to explain, so check it out for yourselves then you'll know what I'm talking about. The four boys admire Handa-kun to say the least, and their attempts to produce their own Handa-kun anime after failing to watch the premiere episode of the Handa-kun anime produced by Diomedéa (a fact mentioned in this episode).

Long story short they do manage, albeit rather amateurishly, to produce their own (weird and disturbing) Handa-kun anime, and also end up receiving a copy of the first original episode of Handa-kun by Diomedéa. They receive the DVD of the pilot episode as an apology from Diomedéa for the mix up regarding the anime premiere, and because of their supposed 'close' relationship to Handa-kun. They then put the DVD on, and the 'real' episode starts. I should also mention that, before the Handa Force realise that all of them have missed the first episode of the Handa-kun series, they fantasise about what the Handa-kun anime should be like.

In the 'actual' episode the utterly oblivious Handa-kun receives a letter from a girl. We quickly learn that Handa-kun is someone who misinterprets everything; he's pretty pessimistic and assumes the worst, for instance in this episode instead of realising that when finding a letter in your locker, it usually means that someone is confessing their love for you, he views it as a challenge.  To make matters worse he gets caught throwing the love letter in the bin by the girl who wrote the letter, and her um, rather big headed friend. He then proceeds to be badmouthed by the big headed girl and then is asked by the girl in love with him, to meet him behind the school. Again, Handa-kun misconstrues the girls’ words and assumes she is challenging him. The first bad scenario he conjures up is one where he is being verbally assaulted by a horde of girls, while the second scenario features him being beaten up by the boyfriend of the girl and a gang of thugs for 'making eyes at the gang boss’s lady.'

The episode ends with Handa-kun approaching the girl behind the school; it also shows Handa-kun's reaction to the amateurish anime series produced by the Handa Force.

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Handa-kun E.01

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Review: Orange E.02

It's been a while since I last viewed a full-length episode so I thought it might be interesting to revisit one of the summer line-ups: Orange. Okay, so I was hesitant to resume watching Orange admittedly because of the weak impression it left on me after the first episode. It's not produced by the same company as Ao Haru Ride, but the artwork’s resemblance to Ao Haru Ride is uncanny. While the plot lines differ, the characters are stereotypical of the shoujo romance genre. However, the major reason for why I was so against watching this series was because of Hatsukoi Monster. As many of you may or may not know, Hatsukoi Monster is shoujo-romcom one of a kind; it's conventional in some ways and unconventional in others. It's pretty artwork coupled with it's crazy, eccentric, endearing yet hilarious characters is truly the icing on the cake. Let's just say watching Hatsukoi Monster has raised my standards for other shoujo romance anime shows. That's not to say that I know every other shoujo-romcom airing or just finished airing, I'm just looking for something a bit more unique. To be honest the only thing I felt Orange had going for it was the time travel aspect of the show. The show tells the story of high school student, Naho Takamiya, who receives a letter from her (10 year's into the future) future self-recounting all the incidents that are soon to occur in the present Naho Takamiya's life. One of the first pivotal events that the future Naho divulges is the arrival of the transfer student, Kakeru Naruse, into her class. Future Naho reveals all her past regrets in hopes of fixing her mistakes. She tells the present Naho to keep an eye on Kakeru Naruse, as he will no longer be with her and her friends in the future.

This episode focuses on one of the regrets that future Naho states in the letter that is not making a bento for Kakeru. Suwa, a classmate of Naho and Kakeru (Naho's future husband revealed in episode 1), persuades Kakeru to join the soccer club. At first, Kakeru is reluctant to join but after much persuasion decides to join on a provisional basis. It's during soccer practice that Kakeru, after hearing what a great 'mum' Naho is due to that fact that she makes her own lunch,  jokingly requests Naho to make him lunch. The rest of the episode was laborious; all I kept wondering was when she was going to give him the lunch box. To my surprise...not, she didn't give him the bento until school, and his soccer practice had ended. We learn that Kakeru's mum committed suicide the day of the opening ceremony and that Kakeru dies in an accident, DUN DUN DUN!!!

All in all, nothing remarkable or interesting happened in this episode. I doubt I'll watch the rest of the series, but we'll see.

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Orange E.02

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Review: Bonobono E.01

I decided to go back and watch the very first episode of Bonobono, and lo and behold I found out that the main blue sea otter actually has a name: it's Bonobono... Other than that, I also realised that while deadpan can be great, if done well, dry humour just really isn't for me or rather the type of dry humour, in this show anyway. At certain points in this episode where I guess you were supposed to laugh, I found myself staring blankly at the screen. If anything, I felt awkward and embarrassed for the creators of the show. Is this really funny? I know everyone is entitled to their own opinions and preferences, so maybe there are people out there who find these shows funny, but I can definitively say that I am not one of them. In this episode Bonobono goes into the sea to play; he recalls the time of when his dad said to him that he looks funny when riding the waves. He also remembers when his dad did it as well (ride the waves that is). While playing in the ocean, Bonobono spots his friend Racoon - whom I presume doesn't have a name due to the fact that in episode 22 Bonobono referred to him as Racoon. Racoon is responsible for providing slapstick humour... ... or at least he's supposed to be. He just seemed like one of those typical violent friend characters, though.

Bonobono asks Racoon to play with him in the ocean, but when Racoon inquires as to what they should play, Bonobono responds by saying "rock, paper, scissors?" which understandably results in him getting a punch in the face by Racoon. However, there were two (THAT'S RIGHT TWO) funny moments in this episode. The first was Bonobono's blank gaze as he rode the waves and the second was Racoon's butt sticking out of the wave.

Unfortunately, it looks as if my earlier judgements of the show were spot on; I won't be watching this again.

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Bonobono E.01

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Review: Bonobono E.22

Recently I've been watching anime shows that have a short running time for a change. So far I've actually enjoyed the seemingly brief yet funny and immersive narratives. However today I was reminded as to why I was so hesitant to view these type of shows in the first place. Urgh...It gives me a headache just thinking about it. Perhaps I'm being too judgmental; I've only watched one episode and it just so happens that the episode I watched was the most recent; maybe if I go back and watch the previous episodes I may come to realise that I like this show.  I don't know. Watching this episode was like watching paint dry. I don't think it helped that the main character had a monotone voice. I may not have mentioned this earlier, but I approached this anime without any prior knowledge about the story or its characters, so I can't really say that I had any particular expectations. I had a suspicion that it would be funny to some extent, but that was about it. However, only seconds into the episode I found myself trying to identify what species the blue character was and kept ruminating on why the chipmunk didn't look like a chipmunk; I was so distracted by these things that I lost track of what was actually going on in the episode.

I'm not entirely sure how to explain what happened in this episode, so I do apologise in advance. In this episode, the blue talking animal (which I later found out was a sea otter) goes searching for the rock he hid a while back. He digs around, finding snakeskin and crab pincers that his raccoon friend turned into a scarf fad and a walnut from the time his chipmunk friend suggested that walking around with a walnut in your mouth would make you look cool. In an effort to locate his (almost human-shaped) rock named Peijin, he turns to his dad - who surprise, surprise also has the same flat-toned voice as his son. Unfortunately, papa otter turns out to be pretty useless in the search. Afterwards, the main otter (sorry I don't know his name) starts writing memos everywhere, and by this point, I had lost complete interest.

I didn't really get this anime, so as much as it bored me to tears, I endeavour to watch the first episode in the hope of proving my first judgements wrong.

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Bonobono E.22

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Review: Bananya E.02

Oh. My. Gosh. There is more than one banana-kitty hybrid, four to be exact. Bananya number two, three, four, five, etc. have officially entered the building (or kitchen to be exact). In this episode, the narrator (that's right there is one, but I have no idea who it is) introduces the four bananyas. Honestly, I was just going to refer to them as Bananya one, two, three, and four, etc. but I guess that would be a little mean. However, technically as a bananya is not strictly an animal (it lives in a banana peel), it wouldn't be that cruel or far-fetched. Okay, moving onto the names now. I just have to point something out here; I would have most likely referred to the bananya's by colour, if not numbers, so I'm a little disappointed that the creators chose to name one of the bananya's Black Bananya. Really? Where is the creativity? I guess it's not all bad, though; Tabby and Banankyo (everybody's Madonna) are pretty um unique. Banankyo or Maddonya (the only female bananya) is hilarious; she is aloof, cute and maybe a little stuck up. Tabby, on the other hand, is so sweet; it's so obvious how infatuated he is with Banankyo.

Oh but wait, Tabby's younger brother known as Mackerel Tabby, might just take the prize for the sweetest bananya. Then there's Prince Charming or Long-haired Bananya, who seems completely oblivious to everything around him because he is too concerned with grooming himself (I think someone might love themselves a little too much). Ha but it doesn't seem to stop Banankyo from liking him (poor thing needs to get her eyes checked).

Next in the line-up is Bananya Bunch... Baby Bananya (too cute) and Daddy Bananya (which means glasses; no dad is complete without his glasses).

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Bananya E.02

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Review: Bananya E.01

Oh. My. Word...A cat just came out of a banana peel... (what is this?) its approximately 56 seconds into the anime and I'm kinda freaking out. I mean what's next? Cats growing of apple trees? Wait cats don't grow at all; I mean they do but not off trees. I am on the verge of losing all my sanity here. Someone, anyone, please help... So here's the thing, I love banana's, but I don't think I'm going to be able to look at one for a while after watching those mere 56 seconds. To add insult to injury, the cat (or kitten) is actually really cute. I just want it to hop on out of that peel, but you know seeing it's a comedy I think the chances of that happening are really slim. I've decided that, as cute as the kitty is, the whole kitten living in a banana is just pure and simply creepy. Especially when it moves, jumps, hops, whatever.

However, there is no denying the fact that every time it says "Nya" I can't help but respond by thinking "Awww." Whoever came up with the idea for this anime is very shrewd. I want to stop watching, but at the same time, I have to keep watching.

Shrewd but not very innovative. Bananya. "Bana" "Nya” But on the other hand, maybe a simple play on words is all this anime needs. I don't know; what I do know is that bananas, kitties, and banana-kitty hybrids don't and can't dream. But even if they could, would a banana-kitty hybrid really dream of becoming a full-fledged chocolate and sprinkle covered banana? Well?

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Bananya E.01

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Review: Ozmafia!! E.04

The female albeit masculine sounding Don (top mafioso) of Famiglia Adelheid, Heidi (another Ozmafia in-game character) takes centre stage this episode as the cafeteria lady of Oz Academy. In the original plot line, Heidi runs her own dairy farm with cheese as her best-selling product and acts like a sister to the heroine (whose name is malleable). Heidi, in this episode, is undeniably an identical copy of her in-game persona. She is loud and overbearing, not to mention overflowing with boundless confidence that borderlines arrogance. Despite her umm minor character faults, she's not one to withhold help from someone who is in need of it. This is particularly apparent when we see her give Scarlet back the money he forgot, presumably after paying for his lunch. That small gesture and her words of caution “to be careful” depicts Heidi as a caring sister figure. Until her attention is quickly stolen by So-kyon?

But the curtain does not fall there, because next up to make another appearance is the ever so tsundere, Caeser. After Heidi says her goodbyes, Scarlet finds an empty seat, which just so happens to face Caeser, in the dining hall. Almost immediately Scarlet (also known as Little Red; check out the Ozmafia game to find out what I mean) begins to back away while apologising to Caeser (also known as Ookami or the wolf) but is stopped midway by Caeser who gives him permission to sit with him.

Heidi interrupts Scarlet's lunch with Caeser by telling Caeser off for not eating his vegetables. She argues that he is disrespecting her as the "big sister" of the cafeteria, to which Caeser responds with "Big sister? Don't make me laugh, you hag."

Hahaha, charming Caeser.

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Ozmafia!! E.04 Official Site

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Review: Ozmafia!! E.02

Admittedly, I'm rarely the type to watch spin-offs of anime shows, games, or short anime episodes in general (especially those that last for the duration of 5 minutes) but shockingly enough (I can't believe I'm actually saying this) I can now say that I've had a change of heart. Recently, I've been watching more of these short spin-offs of popular otome titles (last week I watched Hakuouki), and I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised at how funny they are. Naturally, when I first found out about the upcoming short anime adaption of Ozmafia, I was a bit... okay, EXTREMELY startled. I've played the game, which is unique and interesting in itself. But an anime... Let's just say I was skeptical, particularly because of talks about how it would veer off slightly from the original plot line. However, it turned out that my concerns were unwarranted, as the characters in this adaption are exact replicas (except for the changes in occupation) of their game personas. The story centres around the protagonist Scarlet - a member of Famiglia Grimm in the otome title - who joins Oz Academy, where he meets Kyrie, Caramia, Axel (his teacher) and Caeser (who is a security guard).

Although an entire episode lasts for only four minutes, the time does not fly by as expected. I felt as if I had watched a full-length episode. The anime features the same soundtrack like the one in the game, and the artwork is cute yet simple. The artwork is very similar to that of the chibi variety, except that instead of being drawn as overly cute miniature copies, the characters have been drawn with softer features.

In episode 2, Scarlet receives his marks from a quiz and is given the title "useless little transfer student" (ouch) from Kyrie, who shamelessly uses scare tactics to persuade him to join his "club" in order to "remedy" his poor grades. Unfortunately, Caramia's attempts to thwart Kyrie's "suggestions" for how to improve Scarlet's marks, fail, and as a result Scarlet ends up joining Kyrie's Remedial Class.

The humour is pretty unoriginal, but it's funny nonetheless.

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Ozmafia!! E.02 Official Site

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Review: Hakuouki Otogisoushi - E.02

Short but sweet! Hakuouki Otogisoushi is definitely the anime to watch if you are the type who enjoys viewing a show that features original characters but with a new plot line. Hakuouki Otogisoushi includes the main characters from the widely popular series Hakuouki, which ran for 3 seasons; the original story centres around the female heroine Chizuru Yukimura who travels to Kyoto in hope of locating her father. While looking for her father, she witnesses a man being slaughtered ruthlessly by crazed group of men in blue and white jackets. In the midst of the onslaught, one of the mad men spies her watching and in a frenzy, attempts to end her life.  However, her life is spared by the Shinsengumi vice-commander Toshizo Hijikata, who then takes her into custody for interrogation. Once her intentions for being in Kyoto are made known, the Shinsengumi agree to provide her with lodging and help her find her father.  As the series progresses, we see Chizuru steadily transform into a member of the Shinsengumi and learn the truth about her past and the shady series of experiments her father has been conducting. The reason behind the acts of violence, caused by the deranged men in blue and white (who are actually shinsengumi members) the night Chizuru arrived in Kyoto, is also brought to light. On the other hand, Hakuouki Otogisoushi solely focuses on the funny, albeit silly interactions that Chizuru experiences with the Shinsengumi members and the characters outside of the Shinsengumi. In episode 2, Hijikata and the other members of the Shinsengumi seem to have a very serious meeting over... who should be the one to flip the omelet over. Toshizo, being the courageous vice-commander he is, decides to take this burden upon himself, but...umm...fails to live up to his role (he breaks the omelet in half).

The last segment of the episode features Yamazaki's attempt to obey Hijikata's order to rest (which is hilarious). He first begins by mumbling "rest" over and over again, receiving a funny look from Okita as a result, then goes to Hajime for advice on how to rest. Hajime, being the strong serious type, offers him a rather unique explanation of what rest is and suggests to him to practice sword swings?...

If you are looking for something less story driven and light hearted, I would definitely recommend this.

Hakuouki Otogisoushi is a show worth watching.

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Hakuouki Otogisoushi - E.02

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Review: Danganronpa 3 The End of Kibougamine Gakuen - Mirai-hen E.04

Wow. I did not expect that at all. Danganronpa episode 4 has bested the previous episode and exceeded all my expectations once again. In this episode we learn of Munakata's plans to use Naegi as bait to lure out the "real" attacker, as according to Munakata the "real" attacker's plan is to use a sacrificial pawn to infiltrate the Foundation, and thus become a hero who survived the game. The attacker's newfound status would effectively give them control over the Future Foundation, particularly if Naegi was among one of the survivors. The irony of this would be that while proclaiming hope the attacker would use Hope (Naegi) to deeply plant the roots of despair. Twisted no?

But it does not stop there, because Munakata's ploy to identify the traitor is foiled, and instead, another meaningless death arises. To make matters worse, the most unsuspecting (in my opinion) character turns out to be the most suspicious and it appears like there could be another traitor in the midst? Truly fantastic. By the end of this episode I was rendered speechless (hence the decrease in word count. Sorry, Dustin). This episode is chuck full of surprises.

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Danganronpa 3 The End of Kibougamine Gakuen - Mirai-hen E.04

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