[Side B] Winter 2017 – Thoughts on Weeks 1 & 2

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Ah, what I’d do for a nice cup of coffee at a roadside café together with Lotte.

Anyway, fanboy fantasies aside, it’s time for Side B of the weekly thoughts! This half has a pretty hefty list of titles, making it a little difficult for me to rank them alongside one another. I’ve come to realize that creating a Side A and Side B based on date of airing has the tendency to do that, but regardless once the two other titles come up, I’ll just add one to each of the sides to keep things balanced. And even if I drop a show or two from one or the other, I’ll keep them in their original arrangement to save me (or readers) the hassle of having to look for my thoughts on a different side throughout the season.

tl;dr – the Side A/B style has weird quirks to it, but whatever — I’ll manage it one way or another. So with that out of the way, let’s run down what happened in Side B for this week! Continue reading →

[Side A] Winter 2017 – Thoughts on Weeks 1 & 2

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Gaaaah… That’s what I get for saying things and then end up jinxing the situation. As much as I wanted to get out a week in review a bit earlier this week, lab work had me fully decked and basically coming home too exhausted to write, let alone even watch anything.

But yeah, so is life. C’est la vie and all that jazz. I’m happy I can get back to writing. So like I said, I’m splitting up my weekly thoughts into two parts, which have been re-named somewhat and are labeled “Side A” and “Side B”. Not to sound patronizing, but in case some of you out there might be too young to remember this, we used to listen to music on audio cassettes that had you flip it around when it got to the end. There were also things called laser discs, which were basically the spiritual predecessor of the DVD — and yes, they had two sides, as well. Likewise, my thoughts have two sides to them. Neat, huh?

Anyway, that’s enough history for one post. So let’s get down to it then, shall we? Side A of the weekly thoughts — let’s do this! Continue reading →

Winter 2017 – Initial Impressions

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Okay, so it looks like I’m looking at nine shows for this season, with another two in-waiting, one continuing series from the previous season, and one odd-ball show that will pop up an episode or two whenever it feels like it. That’s a hefty number of shows to deal with, meaning I’m either going to have to trim them down a bit or, perhaps, find a different strategy when it comes to sharing my weekly thoughts.

That said, I’m planning on splitting up the thoughts to two separate entries throughout the week. That gives me a little more wiggle room to squeeze in extra thoughts (long posts, joy…) as well as allow me some leeway with regard to remembering what happened in the shows, themselves. Because to be honest, I sometimes have to backtrack to shows that aired earlier on in the week, making me feel like I might have lost some details in the process.

But before I get too engrossed in the details, let’s just enjoy what we have on out plate now, shall we? As with previous seasons, this list is arranged in descending order. Now do take note that the order here might not necessarily reflect the initial ratings I gave in previous posts, given things change over time, especially once I’ve ruminated over how each individual show actually appeals to me from a series-to-series perspective. I’m one of those people who believes that a 7.5 for one show might mean something else for another. That’s one of the reasons why I give pretty poor scores to shows I otherwise sound invested in, because my expectations for the said show are much higher.

And there I go again getting too caught up with the details. I might as well shut up for now and just CARRY ON WITH THE RUN DOWN LET’S DO THIS!– Continue reading →

Winter 2017 – Previews (Part 3)

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I was actually expecting four parts for my winter previews (like in previous seasons), but for some reason I had to cut them short given two of the shows on my list are actually premiering at a later date. Oh well, doesn’t really matter, especially since this last installment of shows were actually quite compelling in markedly different regards.

But that said, it looks like this was a rather lukewarm premiere week for shows this Winter 2017. And this comes right after the recently-concluded Switch Conference that debuted the ultra-hyped console that had been making its rounds since October of last year. The presentation was similarly “lukewarm” with a few points that kinda watered down whatever fanboy expectations I had for the system, but at 279.99 GBP and retail price and a teased Collector’s package of Zelda: Breath of the Wild? Fanboy faith in Nintendo restored.

UPDATE: I went and pre-ordered it… gaaaaaaaaaah

So yeah, before this turns into a rant-post about Nintendweeb, let’s run down the last bunch of shows I’ve looked at this season — featuring mandrakes, dragon tails, cigarette butts, and unrequited love. Continue reading →

Winter 2017 – Previews (Part 2)

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When I stepped back to take a look at what I wrote down on my “to-watch list”, I realized that there weren’t actually THAT many shows. On top of that, there seemed to be too many “speculative” titles, so although I might have seemed a little enthusiastic about the Winter offerings, on second pass I’m actually a little skeptical at this point.

So I went around and asked a couple people what titles they were planning on watching, and it turns out that a couple of them weren’t in my list, so I thought I might as well… true enough, I’m quite glad I didn’t pass out on them, as they turned out to be actually pretty amusing.

And so that brings us to this next installment of Winter previews, featuring a shepherd with imaginary friends, a teacher with mythological students, and an angel with legendary failings. Let’s do this! Continue reading →

Winter 2017 – Previews (Part I)

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Down-foward+fierce punch–HAIYAAAAH!!

Straight into the gut this Winter 2017! Hell yeah, let’s start things off with a bang! Strip down to the bare essentials and just go crazy this 2017!

But seriously, there are quite a lot of interesting titles this up-coming season, and I’ve literally flooded my viewing list with well 12-odd-so titles to check. One of them is an OVA (which I will be posting a review of soon), and the other is a weird specimen that has an obscure release schedule over the year. But yeah, just as with the previous seasons, I’ll be doing my previews in a piecemeal fashion as the shows trickle in throughout the week, ultimately summarizing all my feels in a week-end rundown. If you want to see my full list of titles, do check my myanimelist for a full listing. And while you’re at it, please add me as a friend — I’d be so down to knowing how similar/different our tastes are in animu.

So this week, we have magical princesses, old-fashioned comedians, adorable seers, and hyper-powered exhibitionists. As early as the first week, Winter 2017 really is turning out to be one really weird season. So let’s run ’em down! Continue reading →

[Essay] Chitose vs. the World: the Millennial Struggle and Anime

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Let’s get the obvious out of the way, first. Chitose Karasuma’s character from the show gi(a)rlish number can be insufferable at times, where she often comes off as ridiculously obnoxious or self-entitled. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration, either, to say that her unwieldily attitude was the reason that many people dropped the show early on during its Fall 2016 run. There’s also the fact that some people unfortunately compared the show to Shirobako given its setting within the anime industry, which made it subject to slews of criticism that smacked down on the show’s overly caricature-ish depiction of the anime production process (and I’m talking to you, Kuzu-chan).

But on closer inspection, the show seems less a satire on that industry than it is, really, a satire on the millennial mindset and the struggles they face in the modern day workplace. And this only becomes much clearer come the latter half of the series when it explores the troubled career paths of its two industry veterans, Momoka and Kazuha. This also probably lends more strength to the argument that anyone who felt irked by Chitose’s unruliness is perhaps not so different from her in a more literal sense. But take note, Chitose being a satire on the millennial mindset means that she is obviously exaggerated, meaning her character is pretty much the personification of anything and everything that infuriates you on Facebook or Twitter multiplied by ten. So even if you refuse to see yourself in her, that’s probably just a sign that the issues of the troubled millennial are not so estranged from you as you’d like to think. Continue reading →

Fall 2016 – Season End Ranking

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I made it to the end of a season! Wohoo!

We made it to the end of a year! Wohoo!

Yeah, 2016 was a pretty bad hand, but instead of brooding over what was, I think it’s also just as important for us to appreciate what we have. And true enough, 2016 was quite an adventure for me. I’ve been to three different continents, seven different countries, and fourteen different cities; I’ve met random people on the street and have met new friends and faces in all of my travels. And I’m not here to show how blessed I am; rather, I’m here to tell you that it’s important to count your blessings as well.

It’s one of the reasons why I rushed in a review for Flying Witch, to remind everyone to look for the magic in a dismal world. Because it’s only in realizing what’s important to us — the things we value — that we actually strive to see to it that these things are upheld. It’s what ignites passion and fuels change. Never lose sight of the things that have made your life worth living, no matter how shitty 2016 was.

Because the truth is, there’s no telling how shitty 2017 will be. Or the year after that. But if you know what it is you live for, then that’s an entirely different story.

But what does that have to do with anime? Well, nothing really. But I’ve been trying to link the anime I watch with life in general, and to a certain extent I think I’ve achieved that. What I write basically tries to prove to people that you can learn quite a lot about life through moving images on a television screen, and that every story has a hidden message just waiting to be told. We can bitch and rant about the things we hate about 2016 — just as much as we can bitch and rant about the things that sucked about anime. But I’m here to talk about what makes us enjoy the things we enjoy; what makes us hate the things we hate; what makes us keep coming back for more and more anime despite all of that.

In short — anime is love; anime is life.

And before I go on aimlessly with this lengthy entry, let’s move on to the season end ranking, yeah! (man, what a messy segue) Continue reading →

Fall 2016 – Week 13 in Review

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We’ve finally reached the end of a great season!

Yeah, I’m actually quite happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this season. It definitely wasn’t what I expected it to be, but in retrospect a large chunk of the shows I watched actually did a good job. That and the fact that I entered the season with relatively low expectations. But then there were amazing shows like March comes in like a lion, the venerable Sound! Euphonium, and even the wonderfully inventive Flip Flappers, which I am quite aware received mixed reviews.

So farewell 2016 — you were a shitty year, but at least your anime wasn’t shitty in the least. And also, a slight congratulations to me for finally completing an entire season worth of blog entries for the first time! I honestly wanted to post more editorials and series-specific write-ups, but I guess this continuous stint of writing articles has helped give me an idea of what sort of approach I’d like to take in writing as an anime blogger. Part of the gratitude also goes to the people who have interacted with me and share their appreciation with me.

So yeah, this is the last stint before the new year! No best anime of the year or top 10 anime of 2016 lists from me — I don’t really believe in that stuff. So here’s to more thoughts and more anime for the year to come! But before that, let’s run ’em down one last time for the year! Continue reading →

[Review] Flying Witch – Finding Magic in the Mundane

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The slice-of-life genre is often a difficult genre to justify. Its lack of plot and overt conflict often make events seem inconsequential. Even in the presence of a convincing premise, the short nature of its production often makes it far too difficult to establish any substantial character development outside of a deepening appreciation of each character quirk out of sheer familiarity.

But every now and then, there are those slice-of-life shows that defy convention and deliver an uplifting experience that actually DOES feel consequential; that actually DOES establish substantial character development despite a limited single-cour run. And the number of shows that have been able to achieve such a level of polish are few. The last show I can name with confidence capable of delivering such a spectacle was ARIA, which in many ways achieved its bit of character development by virtue of its three-season run.

And then along comes Flying Witch — a series that reinvigorated my belief in slice-of-life shows being capable of actually being more engaging than even the most adrenaline-packed action shows out there. Indeed, Flying Witch did just that, running up alongside shows like Macross Delta and My Hero Academia during its Spring 2016 run. And it comes as no surprise that I dubbed it best show of Spring 2016 — an assertion that isn’t without bias, but is one that I would like to believe isn’t too farfetched. Like I said as early as the first episode of this show: Flying Witch is the best feel-good show I’ve seen in a long time– and I firmly stand by that statement.

That, in itself, is saying a lot.
Continue reading →