Parenting – Page 10 – dadwatchesanime

Oh My God! It’s Too Cute!!!

July 24, 2015madreceiver4 Comments

Ore Monogatari

Ore Monogatari (My Love Story), which is currently airing, has been the biggest surprise show of the spring season for me. In short: It is too cute for words! Now I am not normally one who seeks out, or gets excited about, cute shows/ things but this show has won me over. It is a sweet love story that has characters with more depth than I initially expected, and it’s funny.

I love this this show and so do my boys. Right before we went to Anime Midwest I had the boys and their cousin and my older son’s best friend over. They all sat down to watch Ore Monogatari. I was shocked as my older son’s friend loves this show! She is a “Left For Dead”, black wearing, zombie loving, teenage girl: but she loves how cute Ore Monogatari is. Consider me dumbfounded.

The story follows Takeo Gouda, a first year student in high school. Takeo is a big guy. I mean, huge. He is an athlete who is admired by other males for being a cool, strong, athletic, nice guy. Takeo is not popular with girls. He is a bit awkward. He stares, invades people’s space, and is not the “bishonen” (pretty boy) type (which his best friend, Suna is).

One day on the train with his friend, Makoto Sunakawa (Suna), they spot a girl being groped by a stranger. Takeo stops the sexual assault and apprehends the perpetrator. The girl, Rinko Yamato (who is a student at a nearby girl’s school), is grateful for Takeo’s help. Yamato later finds where Takeo lives to bring him a cake that she made as thanks.

Takeo really likes the cake.

And from there “My Love Story” begins.

Of course the love story is about Takeo and Yamato. And that is what sets the show apart. My older son was pointing out that it was refreshing to see someone who is the comic relief (and normally would be a supporting character) be the main love interest.

The love story between Takeo and Yamato is deeply sweet. It is slow in it’s development, it is sweet and genuine. The two adore each other and are self conscious about it which makes the show all the more enjoyable.

Takeo is very traditional, conservative, and slow to act. He cares about her deeply and finds her very cute. He wants to make sure he acts honorable towards Yamato and treats her with respect. He is head over heels for her.

Yamato finds Takeo to be the coolest person ever. She wants to hold his hand, she bakes for him, wants to spend time with him, and watches everything Takeo does through rose colored glasses.

This is how Yamato looks at Takeo.

Another aspect of the show that I enjoy is the friendship between Suna and Takeo. It is not glossed over. It is treated with respect. Suna is, unlike Takeo, popular with the girls. He is a pretty boy and girls swoon over him and want to date him. The thing is, Suna doesn’t want to date any of them. He has seen too many girls over time talking crap about Takeo behind his back and he doesn’t accept this: he is a loyal friend. Since they lived next to each other and their mothers were friends, Suna and Takeo grew up together. Their childhood friendship is shown at several points in the show.

Attention Parents: Watch this show. There is no cursing, fan service, or difficult themes. In fact there are a few things are that are worthwhile lessons: Loyalty in friendship, respectful treatment of others, love that is sweet, the value of hard work, and to be yourself.

I can’t recommend this show enough. It is too damn cute! It is cute. It is funny. Give it a watch.

Until next time…and don’t trip.

It’s Convention Time Again!!!

July 1, 2015July 1, 2015madreceiver2 Comments

Anime Midwest: July 3-5

It’s time to pack up the kids and go to another convention! This time I am taking my 2 boys, their cousin, and a friend all to Anime Midwest in Chicago this coming weekend. 3 teens and a pre-teen. When I tell most people this, they shudder. However, the 3 teens will probably ditch me for most of the time and so it will just be me and my younger son.

We attended this one last year and really enjoyed it and I have been looking forward to this con more than any this year. There is a ton to do: concerts, panels, gaming, raves, a maid cafe, and much more.

Check the website for full details:

http://www.animemidwest.com/

Highlights for me:

Steam Powered Giraffe

A truly enjoyable steam punk inspired musical act that are a lot of fun!

Greg Ayres

Voice actor ( Clannad, Ouran High School Host Club, Deadman Wonderland, Free! Eternal Summer), DJ, and Project Beck. I saw Greg’s “Why Your Fandom Sucks” panel and really enjoyed it due to it’s (despite the misleading title) message of inclusion and trying to maintain a supportive community of fans. As a dad I can get behind this message.

Chuck Huber

A voice actor known for roles in: Full Metal Alchemist, Soul Eater, Black Butler, One Piece, and most importantly, Sgt Frog. As some of you may have read before, my younger son is a Sgt Frog fan and cosplays as Kululu. Chuck Huber was the voice of Kululu and so he (my son) wants his head piece autographed badly.

David Matranga

A voice actor who has been in several shows including Attack on Titan, but more importantly for me: Clannad. My first real show that drew me into anime. I’d be interested to see a panel with him.

Billy West

The voice of several characters on Futurama including the role model for all men: Zapp Brannigan. Also known for tons of other American voice work ( Jimmy Neutron, Ren and Stimpy). ” Brannigan’s Law is like Brannigan’s love, hard and fast.”

Samurai Dan & Lady Gillian

They know martial arts. They teach you a few things. They are hilarious. Enough said.

There is so much more going on, many more talented voice actors and other interesting guests attending. Check out the website to see all of what they have to offer. I will post some updates about the convention sometime after.

-Most images are from the Anime Midwest website. I do not own them.

A Lolita Goddess and a Well Meaning Hero

July 1, 2015July 1, 2015madreceiver3 Comments

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

Also known as “DanMachi’ or “Familia Myth”, this anime has been both a light novel and manga before it was picked up by J.C. Staff for adaptation.

Set in the world Orario, adventurers set out for fame, money, and glory to a dungeon where they gain experience fighting monsters and other kinds of beasts. The adventurers are set up in “familias” which are led by gods (who have made the choice to live among humans at a loss of their divine powers). The gods in the show are taken from all sorts of mythologies: Greek, Roman, Norse, and Hindu.

The story follows Bell Cranel, a young (and new) adventurer, who is the only member of the Hestia familia. Bell is an earnest kid who just wants to be the best adventurer he can be and to become a hero one day. Hestia (named for the Greek Goddess of the hearth) is a low level goddess who is portrayed as a big chested “loli”.

She is very protective of Bel and tries her best to support her only family member, but she can be a little too clingy/ possessive when it comes to Bel.

In a nutshell the show is largely an adventure based show (that has a few harem elements) that is largely modeled after Dungeons and Dragons or an MMO, with gods manipulating things in the background.

I liked the show, although it was not a stand out for me this season. The animation was done well and many times it reminded me a little of Sword Art Online. Although my older son pointed out that this may be because both Kirito and Bell are both voiced by Matsouka, Yoshitsugu. The story is decent and I think if it continues, has the potential to become more interesting as you see what the gods are up to behind the scenes.

It also has a decent OP:

Attention Parents: There is fan-service in this one. Big, bouncy, anime chests and some skimpy outfits is the most regular offender in the show. There is also a nude scene at one point. Monsters are getting killed so there is some blood as well. If any of these things offend you: you have been warned.

This was a good show, not great (in my opinion), but worth a watch if you’re looking for something to do.

That’s all I got.

Remember kids: Brush your teeth!

Re-Kan! The weird Mix of Touching Stories and a Perverted Cat

June 22, 2015June 22, 2015madreceiver1 Comment

Re-Kan!

Hibiki Amami can see ghosts. She can not only see them, but interacts with them on a daily basis. She leaves offerings for them, talks with the serial killer victim, knits for the ghost of the young girl that haunts a bathroom, and plays with the spirits of dead children. She has a generous heart to those who have passed on.

This sets her apart from others. She is a new student that has transferred to a new high school and has always had a hard time making friends (besides ghosts) because of her “gift”. Other students are mostly scared or weird-ed out by her behavior.

And if you saw someone being dragged off by spirits you might be put off a little as well.

Luckily, the classmates at her new school seem to be a fairly tolerant bunch and she makes friends fairly quickly. And that’s what the show is about: a high school girl who can talk to the dead.

Overall I liked the show, it didn’t amaze me, but it was a fun diversion at times that had a few problems.

First off, the stories were a strange mix of comedy and sometimes really touching drama. The drama was usually done fairly well and there were some very touching moments. And then there was the comedy which could be a mixed bag. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. I didn’t find the perverted cat that funny, but they didn’t over-use him and they tried to vary how he showed up at least.

The animation was fine and had some good points to it, except one thing bothered me that I could never get past:

Kana Urehara and Kyoko Esumi’s eyes through their hair!!! I found it so annoying! It definitely distracted me. I know it’s petty, but it did.

Attention Parents: Overall the show is pretty harmless. There is the perverted cat yelling about panties in several episodes, but that is about the worst of it. The show does deal with spirits and issues of the afterlife, if that conflicts with your religious ideals then you might want to give it a pass.

Overall I liked the show, but it definitely has it’s faults. What it does have is a good sense of compassion and interconnectedness (spell check says this isn’t a word, but you know what I mean). Hibiki’s compassion for the dead comes through in all the things she does for them which is often being a liaison to the living. It is when she is afraid she has lost her “gift” that her friend shows her the impact that she has had on the living. This is something that we all forget. Our impact on others. We, for better or worse, affect others. It is something to remember in your daily lives. Be nice, take a lesson from Hibiki. Sometimes a small kindness goes a long way.

It’s Gorgeous: Watch It!

June 15, 2015June 15, 2015madreceiver5 Comments

5 Centimeters Per Second

I know I come late to the game in this one, and that it has been out for a while, but it showed up on Crunchyroll so I decided to give it a try.

I watched it with my 11 year old. It is fine. There is nothing that I would call objectionable. What I will say about this film is it tends towards a somewhat mature story line that may not hold a younger viewers interest.

The film (with a run time of about 60 minutes) is stunningly beautiful. The story is subdued, dealing with love, loss, and unrequited feelings. I watched the dub (which is rare for me) which was well done. I enjoyed it a lot and honestly found myself just saying: “Wow” a lot in response to the animation.

If you think your kids can sit through the story, have them watch it. Heck, if you want to explain to a friend or your parents how beautiful anime can be, have them watch this!

Until next time, keep watching and doing what you love. So will I.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion- AKA “Because no one can be happy!”

June 7, 2015June 7, 2015madreceiver4 Comments

I can’t tell you how badly I fanboy-ed when I found out “Puella Magi Madoka Magica; Rebellion” had been added to Netflix (yes, sad for a 40 something man). I had previously watched about half of it online on my computer, but knew it was something that needed to be experienced on a bigger screen if possible. How true that is.

This series has been a surprising favorite of mine and (as many know) was put out by my favorite studio, Shaft.

I have now watched it twice. Once alone, and once with my boys.

It is beautiful, confusing, and wonderful.

First off. The animation is beautiful. You can tell the studio went to astound audience in a theater with the animation of the film. It is detailed, creative, and downright surreal at times.

The confusing.

The story is confusing. This I’ll admit. I have read some of the criticisms and agree it could have ended half an hour earlier. However, after a second watch I found it more agreeable than the first time around. So to those who watched it once and got mad: Watch it again. You may come away with a different impression.

And there are things like the cake song that make you go: ????

The Wonderful.

It is ultimately a love story. If not a romantic one, a one of a deep love for your friends and those you care about. I won’t give too much away, but this scene was a great one that nearly made my older son cry:

And who can blame him? I came to tears as well. But that was true in many parts. As the title of this post suggests: “Rebellion” is not the feel good film of the year. It is sad, touching, and a bit maddening at times (hence my son’s loud declaration that “No one can be happy! Can there just be an AU where they can just be happy lesbians where no one dies or turns into a fucking demon?!”).

He’s got a point.

A dramatic, teenage, point.

But if it wasn’t good enough…There was another ClariS song: Colorful

and that is a good thing.

http://www.jpopsuki.tv/video/ClariS—Colorful/75f7a0722dcd1fd52daf6281d20ae098

Click the link…JPopsuki doesn’t embed..

Watch it. But if you haven’t seen the show, watch that first (and don’t bother with the first two movies).

Watching Steins Gate with My Son: Episodes 5 & 6

June 7, 2015June 7, 2015madreceiver2 Comments

After a long break my son and I got back to Steins Gate: Episodes 5 and 6.

More exposition occurs. The IBN 5100 is gotten up and running. Daru hacks into SERN and the larger fears are confirmed: SERN is (and has been) doing time travel experiments and people have been dying.

We find that Suzuha is not a fan of Kurisu and warns Okabe not to trust her.

Why so intense Suzuha?

Further experiments are done with the microwave and the emails that go back in time (now dubbed “d-mails”). They do experiments and deduce some of the rules around how and what can be sent through time.

We also get Moeka Kiryu back into the story as she shows up on the lab’s doorstep with a decided interest in seeing the IBN 5100. After everyone inadvertently spills the beans about the time machine microwave in front of her, Okabe feels compelled to make her a lab member as well.

The most socially awkward Moeka.

And that is a minimal synopsis of what happens in these episodes.

From a parenting view there is not a lot that is new. More “hentai”/ “banana” jokes and a few yuri jokes thrown in as well (some of which my son caught, some not).

There are the scenes of the dead SERN experiment volunteers which may be uncomfortable for some, but they weren’t so graphic that I worried and my son didn’t seem to bat an eye at them either.

Gruesome? A little, but not overly so.

What I find the biggest challenge for my son is the content. This is not on an appropriateness level, but a complexity of the subject matter. While he enjoys Okabe’s madness and Daru’s perverted jokes, the content of the story is confusing. He admitted that the characters speak fast and it is hard to keep up, but has a general idea of what is happening. But this is a time travel show with lots of content and explanation of made up theory. It is really well done, but for an 11 year old who may not be giving it his full attention, it can be a hard show to follow.

Does this stop the experiment? No. We’ll keep watching as long as he’s enjoying it.

Until next time…

El Psy Congroo.

Watching Steins Gate With My Son: Episodes 3&4

June 1, 2015madreceiverLeave a comment

This update comes on the late side of things. With moving, life, and Anime Central I hadn’t gotten much time to work on this installment.

My son and I actually watched these episodes the week before ACEN so I am re-watching them to refresh my memory.

Episode 3: The “hentai” name calling episode.

With Okabe already having experienced a time skip in the previous episode where he accosted Makise after seeing her dead on another time line, she comes to the lab to find out what madness Okabe was spouting at her.

She walks in to find the result of the experiment prior to her arrival, the “gel-nana” sitting on the table. Which prompts the following scene:

This opens up a bunch of the “hentai” name calling for a bit. My son found this amusing. Was it a little off to let him hear Daru asking about eating a pervert’s banana? Maybe, but not life damaging.

Makise does get to see the microwave after Okabe, not fully trusting her, makes her a lab member. She leaves in a rush when she realizes that Okabe is suggesting that the microwave is an actual time machine.

There is the hacking of SERN where they discover a disturbing secret.

Episode 4: IBN 5100

Stardust Handshake…

Okabe is able to drag Makise back in to his world (although she is curious but will never admit it) even if it is to prove to him that the Phone Microwave is not a time machine. Makise is fighting her past and determined not to make her father’s mistakes.

Much of this episode is centered around the acquisition of the IBN 5100 for the purpose of being able to hack SERN’s encrypted files. After a visit with Faris, who once again indulges Okabe’s delusions, they get a lead on obtaining an IBN 5100 which happens to stored at the shrine in Akihabara. Makise meets Okabe there and they take the computer back to the lab.

My son, for both of these episodes, was largely distracted with other things. There are a lot of details and exposition going on and I think it was hard for him to hold his attention on this. Was there much “bad” content? Not really, the “gel-nana” bit was probably the most quesioanable part and event that wasn’t that bad.

Episode 3 did also contain one of my favorite parts of the show though…

Until next time: El Psy Congroo!

ACEN: Days 2&3

May 24, 2015May 24, 2015madreceiverLeave a comment

A night of poor sleep and breakfast (tip: bring as much of your own food as possible. You will save money which is a good thing at a con) we headed out to see a panel.

The first panel of the day was of interest to me: “Parents Guide to Anime”. This panel was presented by Mr. David Rothman who is author of a book of the same name as the panel. He was a knowledgeable presenter who guide d the audience through a background in anime, it’s influences that western (American audiences) may find objectionable, and how to screen for things as a parent. He had a scholarly approach, but it was also very evident that he is a fan as well. It was an enjoyable and interesting panel. I had spoken to him the day before and I will be reviewing his book at a later date.

After that it was time to wander and go to the merchandise room.

Of course there were cosplayers of all sorts.

Like from Devil is a Part-Timer.

Dragons from Yona of the Dawn.

Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn.

Eruka and Blair from Soul Eater.

And of course Soul and Maka.

Mayoi Hachikuji from Bakemonogatari.

No convention would be complete with out Deadpools.

My younger son and I decided we were going to go out for lunch at Mitsuwa Market, but on our way back to the hotel to get the car we did see these guys.

Mitsuwa Market is a Japanese supermarket chain that have a few locations throughout the USA. Each features a food court with several restaurants featuring Japanese foods.

We had planned on going there for their ever popular ramen, but decided on something different. We instead opted to go to the place serving rice bowls. My son got Katsudon and I opted for the garlic pork rice bowl. The wait was long…very long…probably 1 1/2 hours to order and get our food. It was good though. Very tasty!

And for desert from Releaf: Chocolate for him and a Matcha Parfait for me.

After the long break we returned to the con to see The Funimation Industry panel followed by the Noragami dub premiere with a voice actor panel after featuring Micah Solusod, Bryn Apprill, and Alexis Tipton. It was a good dub and the voice actors were amusing.

We encountered a few characters before and after our panels of course.

Monthly Girls Nozaki-Kun

Edward Elric from Full Metal Alchemist.

These two from Kancolle (I did not envy them trying to maneuver through the crowds).

La Muerte from Book of Life.

It was a long day and we headed back to the hotel to get some rest before a short day at the con on Sunday and a long drive home.

Sunday we hit the merch room one last time, watched part of a Anime Tearjerker panel and saw the Samurai Dan panel/ performance. If you get a chance: go see Samurai Dan and Jillian, they are a lot of fun.

https://www.facebook.com/SamuraiDanandJillian

We checked out of the hotel and headed home. Tired, but happy with a really enjoyable weekend.

I could put another picture up…

I have a few more…

maybe just one…

So,

Why not Zoidberg?

ACEN 2015: Day 1

May 18, 2015May 18, 2015madreceiver2 Comments

What a long and entertaining weekend it has been.

This was my first trip to Anime Central, the largest and longest running (I believe) anime convention in the Midwest United States. It is held in Chicago at The Hyatt Regency O’hare and Donald Stephens Convention Center. It runs Friday- Sunday and attracts somewhere around 30,000 attendees. Guests this year included Scandal (band from Japan), fashion designers Akira and Mika Takeuchi, various DJs from Japan who performed at the raves, and American voice actors: Cherami Leigh, Micah Solusod, and Bryn Apprill. This is just a sampling: there were many more.

I took my boys and one of their friends down to the convention. This was our first year going. We headed out early and arrived at the convention by 10am. My younger son and I wandered one direction, the other two went off on their own.

We first watched the opening ceremonies where all the guests were introduced.

After that we went to watch the “One Hour Gundam Rant”panel and the left part way through for the “Meet Cherami Leigh” panel. That was a fun time, she was an entertaining, engaging, and friendly guest. She voices”Asuna”in Sword Art Online, “Lucy” in Fairy Tail, “Lizzie” in Black Butler, “Patty” in Soul Eater, and (the pressing reason for my son) “Natsumi” from Sgt Frog.

He even got a picture with her, along with the autograph on his head piece. She loved it!

After that we headed to the merch room and saw the dizzying array of vendors and artists who were there selling everything anime related.

On our way we ran into a few things…

Like a roaming pack of Skelators.

A yuri bear (Yuri Kuma Arashi) and her super hero friend.

Koro- Sensei from Assassination Classroom.

Nudist Beach and Ryuko from Kill La Kill.

And Elizabeth from Gintama.

After that we took a break back at the hotel room for a bit (which the two older ones had decided to do as well).

My younger son then decided he wanted to get in some “Magic The Gathering” card playing time, so we wandered down to the game room.

He played a sound tech who had some down time and got beaten both times, but to be fair the guy had a really good deck.

While he was playing I spotted a cosplayer from Kancolle across the hall.

Turned out to be a cross player, but that is to be expected at cons.

After that everyone was pretty tired. We ordered a deep dish pizza from Giordanos, had dinner and called it a day.

Oh…I cosplayed too. Who?

Steins Gate’s “Mr. Braun” of course…

Well…If he had less muscles and was a ginger…

Day 2 coming soon.

	Karla Garrison on Why I Haven’t Got My Old…
	madreceiver on Cosplay for fun and profi…
	moyatori on Cosplay for fun and profi…
	Anime_Girls_NYC on Cosplay for fun and profi…
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