Review: Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu Love! Love! E.01

Right, so it’s like this: I began watching the first season of this anime as soon as it was released with English subtitles; I remember eagerly awaiting the release of a new episode each week, excited and full of anticipation. However, at some point (I don't know when exactly) those feelings gradually became dimmer and dimmer... until I stopped watching the show entirely. Yes, I know it's a true shame. "If only you watched it till the end" is what some, few, all, or none of you might say, but that's all in the past now (and if necessary, I can always continue watching it from where I left off). What matters is the present; my thoughts on the first episode of the second season of the magical boy sailor moonesque Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu Love! Love! also known - in English - as Cute High Earth Defence Club Love! Love!... ... okay so the English title is a little funny and unnecessarily long (I mean they could have used an abbreviation) but the show does fall under comedy, so it's to be expected right? ... Ahaha...

Anyway, the episode opens with four of the members of the Love! Love! Earth Defence Club members (it's my nickname for them) all talking (now this looks oddly familiar) in the public baths (real surprise there; check out episode 1 of season 1 and you'll know what I'm talking about). Then their former (I'm guessing) enemies show up and it all becomes a bit uncomfortable because (childhood friends) Kinshiro Kusatsu and Atsushi Kinugawa, who were former enemies but are now friends, albeit awkward, will soon have to say their goodbyes to one another as Kinshiro Kusatsu is going to study abroad. Fortunately, Yumoto Hakone - our fun, slightly dense wombat lover - comes to the rescue by requesting to see Kinshiro Kusatsu and his friends of, giving Atsushi Kinugawa a chance to say Bon voyage to his dear friend. Aww ain't that sweet; so sweet I think my teeth are about to rot.

Now this wouldn't be a typical Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu Love! Love!  episode without some crazy weirdo hourglass monster making an appearance. However, this time the battle lovers have trouble immediately getting rid of the weirdo and transforming DUN DUN DUN, thus Yumoto Hakone's brother has to step in. Do I sense a new transformation coming along?

Naturally, it's just like the pink wombat said "in season 2, your items and designs always change..." Well there you have it folks, just in case you're wondering. New season means even more gaudier costumes and somewhat upgraded powers.

If funny, cheesy, light-hearted entertainment full of effeminate high school boys wearing garish sailor uniforms, and LOVE LOVE LOVE is what you’re looking for then Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu Love! Love! is the show for you. Wow, that sounded like a line out of a commercial for some wonder working product, you know the kinds you see on QVC and other shopping channels.

Love is over. Or is it. I kind of want it to be... but don't want it to be at the same time. I'm trying to decide whether I loved it or hated it.

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Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu Love! Love!  E.01

Official Site

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Review: Cheer Danshi!! E.03

I'm a sucker for anime shows like this: novel and totally fresh. Who's ever heard of a show, not about cheerleaders but, cheer boys'! I mean, talk about stepping outside the box; yes I know that cheerleading is a sport, which means that there's nothing really new about another sport themed anime, but cheerleading is a sport that for a very long time now (until recently), has been solely associated with females. With all sports, cheerleading in particular, stereotypes both positive and negative often emerge. One predominant stereotype of cheerleaders that persisted in the media was that they were superficial, frivolous, and lightweight girls. Fortunately things are different now. Of course cheerleading is a sport not for the faint of heart. It requires a multitude of physical attributes such as: strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, coordination, you name it. Anyway, back to Cheer Danshi!! The show presumably deals with numerous real-life issues and follows college students, and childhood friends (because it wouldn't be a sport themed anime otherwise) Haruki Bandou and Kazuma Hashimoto, and their attempts to form a men's only cheerleading team.

By the end of this episode Bandou and Hashimoto successfully recruit another member to join (the 7th member) the team, but have to overcome some hurdles in order to accomplish this, such as learning to perform a perfect (or near perfect) round-off back handspring. The three members who struggle the most with this include Bandou, Mizoguchi and Kouji who end up, not only being able to complete the move, but who also end up strengthening their friendships with one another. This becomes even more apparent when Mizoguchi starts sobbing once Kouji (one of the bigger statured guys) does the flip, which is both funny and heart-rending (at this point, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry).

Overall, I would definitely say that this is the go-to anime for anyone who likes shows that fall under the slice of life or sports category. I give this episode, and the show so far, a thumbs up.

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Cheer Danshi!! E.03 Official Website

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Review: B-Project: Koudou * Ambitious E.03

I do not even know what to say. This show, so far, feels like a complete and utter rip off of the shoujo anime Uta no Prince-Sama. Honestly, I had high expectations for this anime... don't ask me why. Although the plot line was simple, I assumed that the characters, especially the protagonist Tsubasa, would compensate for that. How wrong could I be. For the first time in ages, I was unable to watch an entire episode due to the pure lack of originality. Sorry Dustin, but I literally had only four minutes left of the episode to watch. (Dustin's Note: It's cool) I suppose I should briefly explain what B-Project: Koudou * Ambitious is about, for those of you who have been fortunate enough NOT to have found out about it. The story centres around the heroine Tsubasa - a new employee in the A&R department of a recording company called Gandala Music - and her first job overseeing the new idol unit B-Project. B-project is comprised of three idol groups: Kitakore, THRIVE, and MooNs and it is Tsubasa's job to support the idol groups with their individual projects as well as the idol unit B-Project.

Tsubasa has worked with Kitakore and THRIVE,  so in episode three we finally get to see her work with the idol group MooNs. Yeah. (Sigh) Umm... hmm... so MooN's job is to partake in a commercial for children's curry? Tsubasa attempts to look out for them by making sure they do not hear the staff, on set, talking badly about them, and then at some point her phone is stolen by a monkey. You know... because that is what monkeys who live in mountains do... they steal phones. Anyway after finally catching the phone stealing money, MooNs, the production staff and Tsubasa arrive at a hot spring where they find out that the old lady following them was not the coordinator, but the one who came up with the curry roux. Surprised? No really because I am... not.

I don't think I'll be watching the rest of this anime.

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B-Project: Koudou * Ambitious E.03 Official Website

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Review: Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen - Mirai-hen E.03

ASAHINA IS ALIVE! But the kind hearted, supportive, bull mask wearing Gozu is DEAD! Wow. I did not see that one coming. It just so happens that the blood stain on Asahina's shirt was IN FACT tomato juice and the knife protruding from her chest, was a toy.

So in this episode one important fact is cleared up regarding Naegi Makoto and the Remnants of Despair: it turns out that Junko Enoshima (the true face behind the Monokuma  character) instilled despair into the former Hope's Peak High School students effectively turning them into evil drones; however, Naegi explains how he discovered a virtual rehabilitation program, known as the New World Program that could reverse the process by restoring the students memories from before Junko Enoshima's influence had been put into effect.

You would think with the truth being disclosed alongside Naegi's moving speech, his fellow Foundation associates would put aside their difference and join arms. But alas, this is Danganronpa we are talking about; things never run so smoothly.

Munakata (Naegi's polar opposite, despite also supposedly being a former student who's speciality was Super High School Level Hope) is more antagonistic towards Naegi than before, accusing Naegi's notion of hope as being weak and detrimental to the cause. Following this,  Munakata challenges Naegi to use the power of words against him and his sword, and prove that his version of hope is the one they should all be striving towards. The episode fades to black with a rather ominous commentary by one of the foundation members. But who?

Okay so other than the surprise turn of events at the beginning of this week’s episode, the remainder of episode remained pretty formulaic. Overall, the shows seems to be unfolding nicely; let's hope it stays that way for the rest the season.

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Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen - Mirai-hen E.03

Official Website

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Review: Hunter x Hunter (2011) E.12

Yeaaah, Hunter x Hunter (2011) is back... Okay so it's not really back, but something is better than nothing. I was really upset when I found out that there would be no more upcoming episodes following the 13th Hunter Chairman arc, despite the blatant success of the show. I won't give too much of the plot line away, because I highly recommend this to anyone who is  interested in a progressive story line, full of character development and three dimensional characters. Out of all the anime shows I've watched, I think Hunter x Hunter (2011) is the only show that has successfully managed to step outside the box while still keeping in line with the codes and conventions of shonen genre. The main cast features 12-year-olds Gon and Killua (who is introduced in episode 4); Kurapika and Leorio. The main protagonist Gon is determined to become a hunter in hopes of understanding his father's reason for abandoning him. For his age, Gon is a remarkable individual, he already is very strong willed, empathetic, and does not appear to resent his father one bit for leaving him. Gon's jovial and kind temperament draws the other characters (Kurapika, Leorio and Killua) towards him, and he is quick to establish a friendship with them.

By episode 12 Gon and his friends have passed two phases of the hunter exam and are almost on their way to completing the third phase. The only problem is that they have little time to finish because of Leorio's, excuse my language, screw up in a gamble of rock, paper, scissors. As a result, the group has to squander 50 hours in a room before they can continue their search for the exit out of Trick Tower.

After their 50 hours of confinement are up, the group are finally released. Only to be proposed with two life changing options. One option is that all the members of the group can choose to take the long and difficult way out of Trick Tower, while the second option is that the members can opt for the short and easy route on the condition that 2 people stay behind, effectively forfeiting the exam. The majority choose the second option, with the exception of Gon who decides to vote for the first option in spite of their small chances of success (the longer route requires a minimum of 45 hours, but the group only has 1 hour to spare).

When a fight breaks out among the group,  Gon observes that the weapons made available to them can be used to break down even the walls. Gon manages to convince his companions to take the long and difficult path, and use the axes to break the walls down into the short and easy passage. Brilliant no? His ingenuity and quick thinking saves the day, and sparks admiration and respects from Kurapika (and others?)

This episode not only provides laughs but begins to give insight into Gon's persona.

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Hunter x Hunter (2011) E.12

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Review: Shirobako

Since being dubbed a co-host of Super S – Anime Podcast, I’m always in constant search of finding something to watch to share with you guys, whether it’s bad or good. I mentioned Shirobako in a previous episode and gave it pretty good praise. It wasn’t until I watched more that I realized how much I undersold it and how much of a gem it truly is. Shirobako revolves around Aoi Miyamori and the production company she works for in their quest to complete a 12 episode series, Exodus. Yes, it’s essentially a freaking anime about making anime, though there’s more to it than just that. It’s a good look at a production company and all the technical aspects necessary to complete an anime. Not only that, but it also gives us an inside look on what a company must do in order to survive out there as a business. That alone peaked my interests and had me hooked from the get-go. Again, the series is not just a “how-to.” There is an actual story being told, which is greatly appreciated.

One of the areas where this anime really excels is with the characters and their development. All the character (around 20 or so) are all likeable and in some way relatable. There isn’t a character that you can’t get on board with. You have the jokester, the “heroine” (Aoi), the shy, timid one, etc, etc. As each episode is almost episodic, there’s a new problem or obstacle for our character(s) to conquer (eg. not getting the voice acting job, 3D vs 2D animation, getting key cuts completed, and so on and so forth). Because of that, we’re exposed to a lot getting to know the characters. Seeing each one come to their resolution brings a sense of fulfillment. It’s not done in a cheesy matter and they’re not instantaneously a completely different person. It’s subtle and done in a way that an actual person comes to terms when facing an issue of their own.

The animation is superb. The scenery/backgrounds are like what you’d find in movies: high quality and lifelike. It’s that good, every episode. There's also great detail put into everything being depicted. The male character designs are fine. Each male character is different and looks in no way similar to the next. I wish I could say the same for the females, though. If it weren’t for the different hair colors and clothing, you honestly would not be able to tell them apart. Luckily none of the enjoyment is taken away because of that, so I’ll overlook this trope as everything else is too good to ignore.

There are only two issues that I came across. One, and it’s really probably an only an issue for me, was the number of characters. Twenty characters is a lot to keep up with. Trying to remember their names and their positions was a chore. As it is, my memory sucks, so yeah...no easy task for me. Secondly, there wasn’t a character that you know every office has: the bitch/jerk. I mean, every office HAS one. It’s hard to believe that they wouldn’t have included one here. I would have loved to seen that dynamic tackled.

Shirobako is, of course, with some minor flaws, but thankfully those are easily ignored. This anime is definitely not for everyone. It’s light-hearted with a whole lot of slice of life, which is apparently my go to (thank you for pointing that out, Dustin), and is down right charming. There’s something about seeing how an anime is made that is strangely interesting and makes me appreciate the process even more.

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Shirobako

Official Website

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Review: Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen - Mirai-hen E.02

Okay so for those of you who watched Dangaronpa The Animation, Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen - Mirai-hen will seem very much like a sequel, which I suppose in a way it is. For first time viewers of the show it may seem a tad bit hard to follow, but I think the pilot episode does a pretty good job of explaining the overall plot. The story centres around the Future Foundation members and their final bout against Ultimate Despair. Ultimate Despair is the same nemesis that appeared at Hope Peak High School in Dangaronpa The Animation, but at the end of the series we are led to believe that Ultimate Despair - represented by the bear character Monokuma - is defeated by none other than Hope's Peak High School's symbol of hope, Naegi Makoto, who's speciality is Super High School Level Luck (all the students have a Super High School Level speciality of some kind).

Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen - Mirai-hen follows the same narrative pattern as its predecessor; however, it features three of the original members' from Hope's Peak High School from the original series and also stars characters from Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen - Zetsubou-hen. In addition, it also introduces a bunch of new faces to the show. In Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen - Mirai-hen Makota Naegi is accused of being a traitor for helping Remnants of Despair (Monkuma's followers and former Hope Peak's High School students) and is about to be arrested for treason before Monokuma's shocking reappearance interrupts the proceedings.

Monokuma's presence can only signify one thing: complete and utter devastation. Just like in Dangaronpa The Animation, the former students from Hope Peak's High School and members of the Future Foundation are forced to participate in a vile and cruel game that primarily involves the murder of a comrade.

The episode opens rather dramatically with Naegi Makota being told to sacrifice himself after Monokuma unveils the rules of his sick and twisted game. All the members of the Foundation have bangles attached to their wrists and with these bangles come the rules of the ominous game. Rule one is known as 'the time limit,' whereby the members are injected with a sleep inducing drug whenever the time on their bangles run out. The second rule is known as 'the attacker' and is put into effect while the members are asleep. One member is awaken and expected to play the role of 'the attacker,' effectively killing one person in the allotted time limit. But if the time limit runs out and nobody is dead, then they win the game.

Simple right? If only. The final rule is known as 'forbidden actions'. On each person's bangle is a single action that they are not allowed to perform. Performing the action causes the bangle to administer a lethal poison. I wish I could say that it is as bad as it could possibly get, but I know that the worst is yet to have come. The members are already divided and out for blood, Naegi Makoto's blood to be exact, and the time on their bangles has just about run out.

True to its nature, the episode ends with another shocking yet sad death. The death of Former Super High School Level Swimmer Aoi Asahina; friend of Naegi Makoto. But it does not stop there, because Naegi Makota wakes up not only to find his former classmate and colleague dead, but with potentially her blood on his hands.

I'm stunned and in doubt. I have no idea who is responsible, but I just know that I'm in for a shock.

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Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen - Mirai-hen E.02

Official Website

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Review: Assassination Classroom S.2, E.17

Assassination Classroom is in its final season and all Koro-sensei's secrets have finally been revealed. Episode 17 titled "Discord time" addresses the divide that emerges in the class between the students, after discovering that the assassination of their teacher isn't as straightforward as it first appeared to be. The students realise that Koro-sensei's demise is inevitable (or at least half of the class believe it to be so) but fail to come up with any assassination plans before returning to school for the last term. However, on the day of their arrival Nagisa being the dark horse and nonconformist he is, suggests to the class that they should attempt to save Koro-sensei instead. Almost immediately some of his classmates agree, while the rest choose to kill Koro-sensei, as it's what they have been training for. For the first time ever, Karma and Nagisa are in opposition to one another and Karma's inferiority complex begins to rear its ugly head. While it did not seem conspicuous before, it is made apparent in this episode that Karma views (and has possibly always viewed) Nagisa as a rival. Nagisa has constantly been praised for having a knack for assassination by peers, teachers and even opponents, which may have slightly fuelled Karma's sense of inadequacy.

As a result two camps form: one for killing and another against killing, with Karma and Nagisa leading the two groups. Before the episode draws to a close we see each camp slowly get whittled down to the two most gifted main leads: Karma and Nagisa. Naturally, in order to keep us in suspense and eagerly awaiting the next episode, the episode ends with what appears to be a showdown between the two leaders.

Anyone care to bet who will emerge victorious from this upcoming battle?

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Assassination Classroom S.2, E.17

Official Website

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Review: Hatsukoi Monster E.03 - "It's My First"

Hatsukoi Monster is unlike any anime that has ever aired. The narrative centres around a high school girl named Kaho and her relationship with the very naive, innocent yet (occasionally) mature primary schooler Kanada.  While the anime itself appears unique and original, it shares many similarities with the shoujo romance manga Dear Mine, which focuses on the relationship between the placid and mild mannered female protagonist Satoko and her future husband to be, Fuuma, who happens to be an extremely intelligent and sophisticated 10-year-old boy. Fortunately, Kaho and Kanada have their own idiosyncrasies and don't appear to be entirely based on the characters Satoko and Fuuma; with Kaho being more open minded and accepting of Kanada, despite his age, and Kanada acting in accordance with his age more often as opposed to Fuuma, who simply acts like a grown up the vast majority of the time. Casting the plot line aside, the episodes so far have been interesting to say the least. Episode three did not disappoint. As the title 'it's my first' suggested, the episode featured a number of 'firsts' for the couple, as well as a surprising piece of news to end it all. While the couple's 'first' date was foreseeable due to nature of the show and the characterisation of Kanada, it was fairly cute and comical. The duo first visited a park where they (surprise, surprise) build a sand castle, before enjoying a rather couple-like moment after making a tunnel at both ends.

The next "mission" included a trip to a popular snack store, frequented by Kanada's friends. However, when during the visit Kanada gets partially distracted by his friends, and is reminded by the words of the tenant Arashi, not to leave your girlfriend alone on a date, he quickly exits the game he's playing with his friends, and rather dramatically leaves with Kaho onto the next "mission".

The remainder of the date proceeds smoothly with the couple sharing some more sweet moments, but ends not merely with a chaste kiss on the cheek by Kaho, prompted by Kanada, but a very daring kiss on the lips by the young albeit mature looking Kanada. Kaho and Kanada's kiss does not go unnoticed by one tenant in particular, Shinohara, who we learn has feelings for Kaho.

Shocking, no? I certainly didn't see it coming. It should be interesting to see how the rest of the story unfolds after these interesting developments.

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Hatsukoi Monster E.03

Official Website

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Review: Berserk (2016) E.02

What's that saying? You know, don't judge a series by its first episode? That is a saying, right? If it is, never has that applied more so than with Berserk. Some much needed storytelling and even backstory of Guts was presented in this episode. Guts is cornered and eventually captured by the Holy Iron Chain Knights, lead by Lady Farnese. Apparently in his time with Band of the Hawk (the group he was associated with before some crazy shit went down, as alluded to in the flashbacks), Guts, also known as the black swordsman, and the band plotted treason against a royal family which lead to there being a bounty on their heads.

Guts is a fucking badass. Even with all his injuries from his previous battle with the zombie skeletons and a stake in his leg, he’s still able to chop fully armored soldiers in two, in one swoop mind you. The gore, despite being in CGI, is pretty awesome and highly entertaining. Let’s not forget about annoying Puck, the elf that I inadvertently referred to as a fairy (oops!). He’s still here, annoying and providing unnecessary comic relief.

The animation still suffers from the same issues, but this time around it’s bearable and easier to watch. The CGI to traditional animation is better balanced and isn’t all over the place. The flashbacks were traditional, making it feel “old school” and bringing up a sense nostalgia of watching the first series. There was a new issue in this episode, though. When Guts (spoiler: he escapes from his confinement) kidnaps Farnese after her topless self-flagellation, we’re exposed to her breasts. These breasts are completely bare: no nipple, no areola. Whether they were intentionally left like that or were under some sort of censoring is unknown at this time. It was just perplexing to see.

If the season continues on like this, with an actual story being told, we’re in for what started off as a piece of shit to a mediocre series. If anything, this episode gives me hope for the rest of the season and I’m glad to be on board for the long haul.

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Berserk (2016) E.02

Website

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Review: Mob Psycho 100 – E.01

If like me you were expecting to watch Mob Psycho 100 and enjoy something similar to One-Punch Man, then go ahead and lower those expectations. Did you do that? Okay… now lower them again. Frankly I was so put off by this first episode that I didn’t care to research the series to see when creator ONE began writing it. I kind of assume that it’s sometime before One-Punch Man because this isn’t nearly as polished as OPM. That’s not to say that the episode is terrible, but even if I didn’t have predisposed expectations that let me down, this was still a choppy, poorly paced first episode. It essentially begins at the end of the story, but we’re never told that. That’s my assumption based on the information. Mob is a high school boy that’s also a powerful physic. His family knows of his powers and may have their own? Not really sure on that one. Mob works for a fake physic who is supposed to be our source of comedy… and he is not. I didn’t laugh at one goddamn thing this character did and found him to be annoying. Actually what’s beyond annoying? Throw him past that and you might have an idea of just how unlikable this character is. He wasn’t the good kind of shitty, but rather the worst kind of shitty. He’s a one-trick pony and the trick never worked on me.

Mob exorcises ghosts which really seems like something that’s lucrative in Japan… I should look into that. After the insane display of his power we see a smaller showcase of it and then a larger showcase of it. We also learn from following Mob at school that he’s terrible at everything. School work, everything asked of him in gym class. Everything. Everything except for busting ghost’s asses.

The animation was tolerable. It has this really dated feel to it at times that I really couldn’t get into. That and there were so many classic visual gags that it really added to the date stamp that was firmly placed on this show. The exorcisms were okay, but after you see it once they really tone it down which shows how visually uninspiring it is.

The catch of this show, based on my guess, is that Mob will explode or be over powered when he reaches “100”. I assume there’s a very spoilerly synopsis out there because there always is for manga/anime, but I don’t really care to find it. Because this first episode really made me not care. I’ve seen other reviews for it praising it and I have to wonder: A) was the reviewer just hyped on One-Punch Man still; or B) was this their first experience with this type of humor? Because the humor was nothing new to me. I have seen similar and it wasn’t very good either. Bottom line, this wasn’t the hit I was expecting, but rather the stinker I wasn’t expecting. I'm not writing it off completely, but if this first episode is any indication of what's to come... I won't be watching for long.

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Mob Psycho 100 – E.01

Official Website

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Review: Another

I’ve had Another on my anime watch list for a while now and I was finally ready for something dark and macabre.  I’m not gonna lie, I was initially disappointed.  The first three episodes just seemed to drag; they were boring, I was confused and the characters were annoying me.  But I don’t like to give up on an anime and I was well rewarded at the end of the third episode when shit gets real! The story follows transfer student Kouichi Sakakibara as he begins attending Yomiyama North Middle School after the term has already started.  His classmates are welcoming enough, but seem really on edge and suspicious of him.  No one really wants to answer any of his questions, especially when they relate to Mei Misaki, a girl in his class that only he can see.  When some of his classmates and their family members become victims of gruesome and fatal accidents, the curse of Class 3 is revealed.  Kouichi, Mei and their remaining classmates must find a way to stop the curse now that it has been set into motion.

It’s after the third episode that the story really gets going, building exponentially in intensity to the thrilling last episode.  Even with the pieces falling into place, I was still kept guessing through the entire series.  The deaths--and there are a lot of them--are spectacularly gruesome.

Additionally, I loved the animation.  The delicate and doll-like characters made a sharp contrast to the grisly violence.  I did, however, get a little annoyed with the images of dolls cut in between scenes that didn’t seem to have anything to do with the story in that moment.  Maybe that was some subtext I was missing, but they just didn’t do anything for me.  Thankfully they don’t last more than a few episodes.

Overall, I enjoyed Another very much and highly recommend it!  The series is only 12 episodes, so it’s not a big time commitment and it wraps up nicely without any cliffhangers.  It’s a thrilling ghost story drenched in blood!

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Another

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Review: Servamp E.01

Going into this show I already knew it wouldn’t be for me, but curiosity gets the best of me when a new anime season premieres. I’ve found that by just trying everything you may find something you never thought you’d like. Didn’t happen this time unfortunately. The premise is geared towards a female audience and that’s definitely something to be appreciated. There certainly could be more animations geared towards different walks of life in the U.S. market, but that’s a different rant. Basically cute high school boy who hates indecision picks up what he thinks is a cat, which obviously isn’t a cat, only to have it turn into a cute vampire boy. When sunlight hits the vamp he turns back into a cat.

The odd ball pairing comes from their personality types. The normal boy does everything for everyone else because it’s a bother to have indecision, whereas the vamp doesn’t like to be bothered or excessively explain everything. In a way they’re the same, but at the opposite end of the spectrum.

They of course end up contracted together. At first temporarily when the normal kid says the vamp’s name after a half ass attempt of telling him not to. Then they become contracted when the normal kid gives the vamp his blood. They fight another vamp that attacks the kid’s friend and blah, blah it doesn’t make much sense because the vamp doesn’t know why people are attacking him and the other vamp’s master wants to kill everyone who doesn’t know him… which is logical… if you’re an anime.

The art is actually really good. For a bunch of pretty boys, the designs weren’t annoying and actually pretty iconic. The action was really good and easy to follow. There was decent blood, but it wasn’t too gory to cause it to be censored. Even the comedy was well handed. We’ll see if that becomes a distraction to the story, but it was amusing to see the vamp in cat size, but intentionally animated normally. Basically think of a super deformed version of the vamp.

The show isn’t terrible, but the setup is really forced. The characters are just lazy and so they end up together. Then when the second vampire shows up and causes mayhem and gives his reason why it’s a real head scratcher. Like it’s just incredibly dumb and really just there to force the two main characters together. The only good thing that might come from this is that with the setup out-of-the-way they can get on with some kind of story, but even that is half-heartedly. At times it feels more like the story is asking the audience which storyline they’d like to follow rather than making a decision and following it. But points for sledgehammering the title of the show into the episode.

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Servamp E.01

Official Site

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Review: The Boy and the Beast

I’ve had this movie on my “to watch” list for a good while now. It wasn’t until after our previous episode of Super S that I finally decided to give a whirl. I should have just left it there.

In a nutshell, The Boy and the Beast is about two beasts duking it out to take over for the grandmaster of the beast world as he is retiring and going to reincarnate into a god. One of the beasts, Kumatetsu (the beast), is in search of a disciple and decides to pluck one from the human world. Kumatetsu bumps into Ren (the boy), a runaway, and decides to take him on as his disciple. The story goes from there.

The animation in this movie is top notch. Everything is absolutely stunning. Both the beast world and human world are fucking gorgeous. There’s just the right amount of CG that it’s not overbearing or annoying. There are times when the human world looks like it’s an actual photo of Tokyo. It’s that good. The characters are also unique, no one character looks like the next. This is helped by the fact that the story mostly takes place in the beast world.

Sadly, though, I was bored halfway through the movie. The first half was great and chock full of character development. It was nice to see how Ren and Kumatetsu needed each and are better beings because of it. It’s just that the story dragged. As it is, the movie is two hours long, longer than your typical animated movie. Even then, it didn’t get to the climax until the last 20 minutes.

There’s also an underlying message in this movie: don’t let the darkness in your heart turn you into a monster. Great message, but did the grandmaster really have to tell us this as if we couldn’t figure it out on our own? No. It was painfully obvious when the “villain” turns to a black figure with a wormhole near his heart. Speaking of villain and painfully obvious, how stupid is everyone? From the second he was introduced, I knew that he was... well, I won't tell you that part.

Of course the movie ends with a happy ending, but by then I really didn’t care and just wanted it to finish. I went into this movie wanting so much and was extremely let down. The animation is by far the star and the saving grace of the movie, which is a real shame.

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The Boy and the Beast

Writer/Director: Mamoru Hosoda

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Review: Masou Gakuen HxH – E.01

At this point it almost seems as if there needs to be one really heavy-handed fan service show per season. That said, Masou Gakuen HxH is that show this season. I mean I knew just from the promo image it would be, but I had no idea to the extent it would go. Hell, Crunchyroll even has it uncensored so you can see all the nipply goodness that the show has to offer. Because that’s all it has to offer.

The premise to Masou Gakuen would make The Testament of Sister New Devil blush if that gives you any indication. If you liked either season of Sister New Devil (poorly translated by the way) then you’ll be happy to know that Masou Gakuen is from the same studio!

The story is seriously just a combination of The Testament of Sister New Devil and Sky Wizards Academy. That is to say, there’s CG aliens attacking the last remains of humanity and only three women having their breasts, butts and hey nows can save the day. It’s also I guess similar to Hundred which I hated last season, but clearly had a lot of fan service because the show did quite well in the ratings.

As for the actual episode… whoever put this fucker together clearly only cared about maximizing breast exposure. We open in the “love room” which is like a fucking holodeck for this dude to rub the girls down. We have zero context, just that when he goes for the booty it fills her suit and she goes back to fighting shitty looking CG aliens. Then it’s the next girls turn.

And then we flash back to the dude as a kid being told he’s useless by his sister… or mom. I don’t know. I don’t care. That rolls us into the beginning of the actual fucking story as he’s of course showing up for his first day of school after being contacted by his sister. Which, I guess it’s his sister even though she’s at least a two decades older than him in the flashback and hasn’t aged at all in the present day. We see all our main characters just walking around and shit and then there’s an attack on the school. Dude for some reason just keeps chilling where he is and watches the silver hair chick fight. She of course gets injured and he saves her. His sister calls him and tells him to get to rubbing. Did I mention there was a battle going on? He rubs and rubs and wouldn’t you know it, after he basically eats her out… fully charged suit! Oh, because the suits are some representation of the heart and of course the heart only wants to bang.

The animation is great of course. With the exception of the CG. The CG is just terrible and I don’t get why any show ever would do both. No one, and I mean no one wants both. People that watch animation will enjoy one or the other, but never both. I can say that definitively because a certain personality type watches animation past childhood and none of us what to see three meshing with two. The fan service is well done. This is the best non-hentai, hentai you’ll see.

Now as a straight white dude, I know it seems questionable that I would complain about a show that is purely fan service. Maybe Prison School and High School DxD has corrupted me into believing that you can actually have a story and fan service. I somewhat enjoyed the first season of The Testament of Sister New Devil, but the second season found a way to spend time rubbing girls than moving the story along which really killed the story for me. I couldn’t finish the season because of it and I figured if I wanted to just see the fan service part I would just find one of the many sites dedicated to showing you it all in its glorious uncensored version. I have zero expectations for this show. If I watch another episode it will be to see how much more it can get away with because there is no story. There’s not even a glimmer of a chance of a story here. And that’s too bad because as I pointed out, you can have story and fan service, you just have to be a talented creator and clearly that’s not the case here.

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Masou Gakuen HxH – E.01

Official Site

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Review: Food Wars! The Second Plate E.01

Food Wars is back with it’s long awaited Season 2. Okay, so long awaited might be an overstatement. Could be worse, like all those losers (Dustin) waiting for Attack on Titan to return next year.

Within the first minute (literally), you're able to gather the story. The eight first year contestants that won the preliminaries are to duke it out in the main competition of the Autumn Elections. Soma’s up first in what I guess you would call the quarter-finals. His opponent is Alice Nakiri, the prodigious granddaughter to Academy Director. Their battle? Bento. For those of you that don’t know what Bento is, let me [attempt to] give it to you in layman’s terms: Japanese lunch with the presentation of a TV dinner.

Soma is a character that I feel like everyone could get behind. Tough exterior, but deep down there's more to him. He's confident but not overly confident making him a prick. He knows how to cook but he also knows how to deliver what people want to feel while eating.  Soma's pretty nifty, too, thinking of a molecular gastronomy technique by simply reading the ingredients from a cheap candy product. Who the hell does that?

Food Wars never failed to deliver something beautiful to look at. The quality of the animation is by far the best out there. The food... oh, man. How often have you seen an anime where the food looks so damn good that you want to rip it out of the screen and stuff it in your mouth? The “foodgasms” also make their triumphant return and they are as colorful as ever. Nothing like seeing a bunch of grown ass men frolicking through a grassy plain.

The pacing was a little fast in this first episode but it was never much of an issue. I’m assuming it’s going to a constant theme throughout the season as it’s only slated to be 13 episodes. Episode 1 held back no punches and it was every bit as exciting and enjoyable as I thought (and hoped... fuck you, Berserk) it would be.

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Food Wars! The Second Plate E.01

Official Website

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Review: ReLIFE E.01

If you were given the chance to partake in an experiment that would cover your costs of living for a year, would you do it? What if the experiment called for taking a pill that makes you look younger and you have to go back to high school? Would you still do it?

ReLIFE is just that. Kaizaki Arata is a 27 year old deadbeat who can’t land a full-time job and has to work part-time just to get by. After a night of drinking with his pals, Kaizaki is handed even more damning news: his family is not going to be giving him money for the next month. Kaizaki is then approached by a “spokesman” of ReLIFE and given this opportunity and jumps right on board. I mean, who wouldn’t? ME.

After finalizing the contract with ReLIFE the next morning, Kaizaki is ready for his first day back in high school. It’s at school that we found out that the spokesman, Yoake, is apparently a student as well. Of course Kaizaki is conflicted by this discovery. All of that gets put aside as he finds he has three tests to take. With luck never being on his side, he reaches into his backpack and what you do you know, no pencil box to be found. The teacher approaches him and requests to see the backpack. Disgusted with what she finds, she pulls out a pack of cigarettes and questions him. He casually replies with, “what of it?” It isn’t until after she repeats what he said that he realizes he is no longer 27 and freaks out. Hilarious.

After the end of school and on his way home, Kaizaki runs into Yoake. It is then when you learn that Yoake is in fact an adult as well. He is merely in his class to keep an eye on him as well as offer support. In order to train to be of adequate support, Yoake was a student the previous year as well. Yoake also reveals the true purpose of ReLIFE: a program to rehabilitate NEET’s.

The animation follows a lot of your typical anime tropes: over the top reactions, cloudy colorful backgrounds when a certain emotion is evoked, similar character designs, etc. It’s not bad, but it is something that has been played out for too long. Luckily, it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment. The only issues I had, however, was with Kaizaki. I could not tell the difference between him at 27 and him at 17. He looked exactly the same.

The premise is something interesting and not one that I’ve seen before. It makes me wonder, too, would someone really be willing to to take another stab at high school and aim for a better outcome? I’m curious to see how all of this plays out, so it looks like I’m on board for the long haul. Luckily for me, it’s available all at once.

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ReLIFE E.01

Website

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Review: Berserk (2016) E.01

When I first heard the news of Berserk coming back and FINALLY getting its deserved sequel, all I could think was that animated gif of Ron Paul... IT’S HAPPENING!

If this is your first time watching Berserk, you’re not going to be getting any back story. Really, I’m not even sure why you’re starting here. Go watch the movies. Anyway, all we can seem to gather from this uninformative first episode is that Guts, our protagonist, is a “mercenary” with a mechanical arm, can swing a huge sword like no one’s business, and attracts incubi (demons born from people that died). There’s also an obnoxious eunuch fairy named Puck that likes to pester Guts. That’s it.

The animation is all over the place and I fucking hate it. Some parts are CGI, some parts are traditional animation. There are even places where it’s both at the same time. Even worse is when characters switch to a different style in the same scene. In one instance, CGI Puck is bothering CGI Guts as he’s eating. After Guts tells Puck to fuck off, Guts switches to traditional animation as he takes a bite out of his dinner. Little things like that make this difficult and extremely annoying to watch.

The unfortunate thing is that both animation styles are done poorly. The CGI, for the most part, is flat, lacking lots of detail and shadows. When it’s not CGI, the traditional is reminiscent of those Marvel anime, inferior and cheap looking. I’m not sure why both styles are even present. Is it cheaper to have both? Is it faster? Maybe I should watch more Shirobako to find out.

I’ll be honest with you: I’m a huge fan of the franchise, but this shit flat out sucks. From the second I saw that the animation was going to be CGI, I knew it was going to be a problem. Not only that, but they didn’t even bother to give the series another name. Unless you’re a fan and/or have read into the series, there’s no way of knowing this is a sequel. I really wish I had something positive to say but I don’t. I will only continue watching this because of my personal bias.

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Berserk (2016) E.01

Website

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=XQr7LvFZrlE

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Review: Gintama

Do you have 126 hours to spare? GREAT! You’ll definitely want to check out this little number of an anime called Gintama. Not only is Gintama the one anime I recommend to everyone--yes, everyone. I even told my parents to watch it. Ok, not really..but it’s one of my favorite anime of all time, aside from One Piece, of course. [su_quote]Synopsis: Gintoki and his trusty “sidekicks” run an odd-jobs business. What could possibly go wrong? Anything and everything, that’s what.[/su_quote]

On the surface, and based on the lackluster synopsis, you would think that Gintama is a one trick pony. Well, dear readers, you’d be far from the truth. Not once have I ever stumbled upon an anime that not only supplies comedy so well, but action/adventure and even drama are delivered just as masterfully.

The series revolves around your four main characters: Gintoki, the ex-samurai; Kagura, the alien with superhuman strength; Shinpachi, the empty dojo running nerd; and Sadaharu, a freakishly large dog. An unlikely quartet, really, but that’s what makes it work. The dialogue amongst themselves and the shit they do to each other is amazing.

Gintama, for all intents and purposes, is an episodic comedy. Sure, there are the occasional “arcs,” but those are a dime a dozen. The comedy is where this anime shines. You know those silent issues of comics? Well, imagine the opposite of that and in anime form: all the dialogue taking place on a single frame. Within that one frame, the trio talks about how shitty their ratings are and for sure they’re not going to get picked up for another season, all the while bringing up how they need to save Sunrise money so they’ll be doing more episodes like this. They do get picked up for another season, obviously, but how often do you see an anime make fun of itself to that extent. Breaking the fourth wall is just the beginning. Gintama also exhibits a slew of other forms of comedy: slapstick, parody, gags, crude humor (not as bad as Prison School, though). Anything you can think of, Gintama will have it. To further shine the light, Gintoki is actually a play on words for silver balls. Yes, those kind of balls.

The animation is top-notch. For them saying that their ratings are so bad and they have to cut back on costs, they sure do know how to pump out something that is easy on the eye. That’s not to say that the scenery is realistic looking, but everything looks great overall. The action sequences are some of the best I’ve seen. Episode 180 is a prime example. Gintoki is fighting the enemy of an arc and during the battle the color shifts to some of the most beautiful black and white you’ll ever see. The lines, the shadows, the amount of detail, everything is just gorgeous.

If you listened to the latest episode of our podcast, Super S - Anime Podcast, you may have heard me mention how I want to rewatch it. Well, now that I’ve written this review, I REALLY want to rewatch it. This thing got me through plenty of hours at my old job. The least I can do is thank it by rewatching it.

Look, what it really boils down to is this one thing: watch the anime. You won’t regret it.

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Gintama

Seasons 1, 2 and 3 Streamable on Crunchyroll

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Review: Kiznaiver – E.02

This episode picks up right where the last one left off. The thing is… it’s not just a simple pick up and go let’s figure this thing out team. No, instead our crazy student council person decides that it’s time for them to play a game that will help them all get to know each other better or die. Kacchon finds himself strapped to a table and electrocuted whenever the team gives a wrong answer, which is a few times. The reason being is that the question is vague, “Introduce yourself”, but the answer is complicated. Eventually they figure out that it’s the secret about themselves that they have never shared and would never say out loud. For instance, that Mad Dog is actually afraid of dogs and has gone so far as to research where all the dogs are in town and what their schedule is so he never crosses paths with them. Or that the girl who believes in fairies doesn’t actually believe in fairies and just wanted to be eccentric so that people wouldn’t hate her for being rich and perfect.

I’m pointing those two out because it just goes to show what the Trigger team is doing with this story. By embracing the typical anime tropes they’re using them, but then improving on them so that by the end they’re so different that you have to wonder if they’re even technically using them. I’ve lost count of how many characters in anime that have been exactly like “Mad Dog” and yet they added depth to him. They showed this analytical side to him that comes about due to his overwhelming fear of dogs. They also showed that he can be terrified, which is a rarity. His character reminded me a lot of Ranta from last season’s Grimgar, but it didn’t take an entire season to build and develop the character… just two episodes.

That is the brilliance of the writing at Trigger. Unlike shows Mayoiga which rely on slowly and painfully building the story up and hitting every story beat associated with the genre, Trigger introduces familiar elements and pulls from the collective experience with those elements to condense the build up and move forward. If this had been any other team, we would have spent two to three episodes with the characters figuring out their connection and doing the secret reveals. Hell, that’s typically six episodes right there because we would have spent so much time with them proving that they’re this character type or the other. Instead, we’re on episode two and all of that is out-of-the-way. Even Kacchon’s character has changed and develop; I hate to say it again, but if it were a different series he would remain the same until damn near the end of the show to have his big growth moment.

The art is of course fantastic. There are five or six really, really good anime this season and this is one of them. I couldn’t rank them if I tried, but this would be near the top. The way the characters moved when they were running looked really good. They stumble, but not too much and at just the right moments. That and ridiculous goons dressed as cartoon characters are a nice touch to this overly serious world.

Frankly you’re probably already watching this show and waiting for the third episode to drop whenever it is that it drops. If you’re not watching it though then you’re missing out on one of the best series thus far. Sure we still have several episodes before I go handing out a crown, but it’s looking good so far.

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Kiznaiver – E.02

Official Website

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