anime

Media Fatigue

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Top 25 Best Short Anime Series Of All Time (To Binge In A Day) – FandomSpot

AKA: I haven’t been able to focus on shows this year.

It has been a weird 12 months (as we all can attest to). One would think with all this time at home I could spend a lot of time catching up on every show I have ever wanted to watch.

However….that is not what happened.

Faced with all these choices (on Netflix, Hulu, Funimation, Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime, Disney +, and HBO Max) I ended up watching much less than I would think. I could spend half a night being indecisive and just end up rewatching Futurama episodes I have seen a dozen time (which is still worthwhile).

Is it too much choice? ADHD? Pandemic related brain fog? Something I ate? Who knows…

I have managed to watch a few things, but often not to completion.

Higurashi: When They Cry - GOU (TV Series 2020– ) - IMDb

I have seen a couple of arcs of Higurashi When They Cry . Based on the visual novel of the same name, it is a fun, brutal, not for young kids, show. It has a compelling story and is well done. Hopefully I will finish it soon.

Attack on Titan - Final Season OP - My War by Camika

Attack on Titan: Final Season (4). I have been watching along on this one. I was a little lost at first, not realizing the time jump and diffeerent character focus. It’s been good so far. I am more forgiving than some people and realize the show does get some hate because of it’s popularity, but I find the story enjoyable enough.

The Mandalorian (TV Series 2019– ) - IMDb

Like everyone else, I watched The Mandalorian. I had heard everone going on about how good the second season is, so I watched it. I am not a Star Wars person, but grew up with the original trilogy. I figured what the hell. It was excellent. Much of the Disney Star Wars stuff has been underwhelming. Rogue One was awesome and Solo was fun ( a candy show).

What We Do in the Shadows (TV Series 2019– ) - IMDb

I love this show. It has been the highlight of lockdown viewing for me. This is so worth the watch. The movie was fun too, but the show killed it for me. Definitely worth watching. Do yourself a favor and watch it if you haven’t already.

Maybe I will be less diffuse in my focus later and manage to finish an anime or 2 to write about.

I hope you all have been able to focus on some good shows. If you have recommendations, send them my way!

Until next time: Happy viewing!!

Well….It’s Just Cute.

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TONIKAWA: Over the Moon For You.

Long time gone and thought it was time to check in again.

I have been slowly watching anime here and there, but during the pandemic my ability to focus on a particular show has been kind of diffuse.

I decided to commit through and give Tonikawa a watch based on the recommendation from a friend of mine at work. He described it just as a cute, slice of life, romaince show. And that’s what it is. It is pretty basic and nothing groundbreaking to my eyes. Just cute and sweet. Enjoyable way to pass some time.

The basic gist of it is: the main protagonist, Nasa Yuzaki, gets hit by a bus and is saved by Tsukasa. He declares he wants to date her, which she declares she will if he marries her… and he agrees and then passes out. She disappears, time passes, and she shows up again. They get married and begin their time together.

It is sweet. The show chronicles their new relationship and love for each other. There’s not much beyond that aside from their relationships with family and friends and how their marriage impacts those relationships.

The animation style is basic, but not bad. Sound track is nice. There’s some mild innuendo, but nothing that is really objectionable. It’s just cute.

I would recommend it, as long as you aren’t expecting anything beyond a cute, sweet story. If you are looking for a cute, feel good, innocent, romance: go for it. This is for you.

Magia Record: Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica Gaiden

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It’s back! The Madoka universe has returned in this new show inspired by the popular mobile game and I couldn’t be happier about it.

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Just three episodes in, and it’s showing promise. To be honest, it took me a couple of starts to get through the first episode (ADHD running wild in my brain). I loved the great background animations and direction from Shaft, but I was having a hard time engaging with the story. After sitting down with my 16 year old son to watch it, I finally finished the first episode. By the end, you get your hook to engage you further in the story (or at least I did). I am looking forward to see where it will take us.

From a parenting point of view, I have no idea if there will be any offensive themes/ things….my guess is probably not if it follows a similar style/ content of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica, It won’t have fine service, be crude, or violent. However, there may be potentially disturbing moral or ethical themes. Something that would make for an interesting discussion.

Excited it’s back on and super excited to see Shaft’s animation again.

Let me know your thoughts on the show.

Until next time: Happy Viewing!

And it’s got a great OP!

Recent Anime that I’m Enjoying

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Showing up for my annual check in. Lol. Too much life and too lazy to write. I could make excuses, but I have none really.

Carole and Tuesday

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The show is pretty lighthearted and one could accuse it of being corny even…but I loved it. It was sweet, kind, and hopeful, and sometimes that is just what someone needs.

The animation is wonderful and soundtrack is great. Please watch it.

Parents: Really only one questionable song…but it is hilarious.

 

Astra Lost In Space

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A really fun adventure, sci-fi show with many twists.

Nicely animated, well paced, good character development. An all around surprising winner. One of the best of the new season.

Parents: Nothing really objectionable yet.

 

Mental Health Minute…Anime Edition

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Sometimes you are not alright. Sometimes you struggle.

We all do.

Some more than others.

Some people face everyday as a struggle.

I hope you find that thing that helps you hold on.

For some that is music, or books, or anime….people have things that inspire them to keep moving. I hope you find yours.

Just remember: Even though it doesn’t feel like it right now, things will get better. And even if you can’t see it, you are not alone.

Image result for gintama quotes we're all suffering

What’s in a song..

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Oh so many nerds love our music…anime fans love their OPs and EDs. Yuri on Ice was a gift of music…I think on some level that is one aspect of that show that made it so memorable.

I, loving music and loving anime, admittedly have a few anime related songs mixed into my playlists of heavy metal, electronic, and 80s music.

The “Theme of King J.J.” came on the other day in all it’s cheesy glory while I was driving home one day.

I was sing along….don’t judge…you do it too…

I got to thinking.

The “Theme of King J.J.” is like an 80s hair band ballad…it’s stadium rock…it’s got the same kind of soul those songs have: unashamed, cheesy, egoistic, posturing. But you love it anyways.

 Here’s to King JJ!
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Kaiju Monsters! Oh My!

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 Opinions I read on MAL were quite mixed on this show. People seemed to love it or hate it. I fall in the “love it” camp….or just like it a lot…it was good!

Much of the confusion I read seemed to be centered around comparing it to other mecha shows…the problem with this is…it’s not a mecha show. It’s based off of the tokusatsu genre.

From Tokupedia:
“Tokusatsu (特撮) is a Japanese word that literally means “special effects.” It is primarily used to refer to live-action Japanese film and television dramas that make use of special effects.

The term “tokusatsu” is a contraction of the Japanese phrase “tokushu satsuei” (特殊撮影), meaning “special photography”. In production, the special effects director is given the title of “tokushu gijutsu” (特殊技術), Japanese for “special techniques” or “tokusatsu kantoku” (特撮監督), which is Japanese for “special effects director”, the title usually used by English language productions.

Tokusatsu entertainment is often science fiction, fantasy, or horror, but movies and TV shows in other genres can sometimes be classified as tokusatsu as well. The most popular types of tokusatsu are kaiju monster movies (the Godzilla and Gamera film series), superhero TV serials (the Kamen Rider and Metal Heroes series), and mecha dramas (Giant Robo). Some tokusatsu television programs combine several of these subgenres (the Ultraman and Super Sentaiseries).”

Now this obviously wasn’t a live action, but still was, in it’s nature, a tribute to this genre. Sure, there were nods to the mecha genre (Neon Genesis High School), but it was a Tokusatsu at it’s core. It had Kaiju and superheroes to fight them.

I can’t say that I am particularly versed in that genre at all, so I can’t speak to it in depth. I went into the show blind. I am basically looking to be entertained. This can be surface…it can be deep…I am not fussy. I will take a deep story or mindless entertainment. As long as I am entertained, I am happy.

I was pleasantly surprised with SSSS Gridman. I liked the animation, soundtrack, and story. The characters were good, with the supporting characters being more memorable than the main protagonist.

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 There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with Yuta, but I found Sho and Rikka more memorable and interesting….perhaps because they had to make sense of their relationships more than Yuta did.

Image result for ssss gridman akane kaiju

 And then there’s Akane…a very good villain. Way too much power in a teenage brain trying to find itself. She was a delight.

I watched the dub of this and it was great. I recommend it highly. I often watch sub, but thoroughly enjoyed this dub.

Beyond the monsters and heroes there is the underpinning of trying to find friendship and a sense of belonging. I really like this aspect of the show. While one can cynically dismiss that as trite or cheesy, I like it and think the world needs more of that. A sense that we can find connection in others when we are lonely and lost ourselves.

Attention Parents: Nothing is too bad….or that memorable as really bad. Fantasy violence is about it. Akane is a bit psycho.

I liked the show. It is on Crunchyroll and the dub is on Funimation.

Until Next Time: Happy Viewing!

 

Goblins Revisited

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 I don’t have a lot to say beyond my first review. Goblin Slayer is what it is: a fantasy in the D&D style.

What I found funny was later finding out that is exactly what the Manga author had in mind. A manga based off a character for a D&D style role-playing game (if not D&D itself) that just likes killing goblins and nothing else. It actually works as a premise and makes it an enjoyable watch, as long as you don’t expect anything especially deeper than that.

The attention at the beginning of the season with the brutal first episode was actually brilliant marketing. It got people’s attention. While the rest of the series wasn’t quite that bad, there still were several points that were fan service-y or brutal and violent. The first episode served to set the tone, beyond a doubt, of what you needed to know in the show…. Goblins are bad..really bad. The Goblin Slayer, while not a sympathetic hero exactly, is good because he really wants to kill the bad goblins and does an excellent job at it. That first episode serves that purpose well.

The rest of the show was like a D&D campaign. Getting a party together and going on adventures. The supporting cast is nameless mostly, going just by their designation or description. And this is fine…you don’t really need names if you can accept what you are watching is a campaign unfolding.

All in all, I found it enjoyable. It was a fun adventure more than anything with some humanizing moments for the Goblin Slayer mixed in. I have to admit that I am sympathetic not because I am a role player, but because I was when I was a kid. I was playing D&D in the late 1970s when it first emerged and lived in Wisconsin where Gary Gygax lived.

It still is a show parents should use caution with when it comes to younger teens or tweens, because some of the content, but that’s up to you.

Give it a watch if you like adventure shows with monsters getting killed. It’s enjoyable enough of a story and a fun watch with good animation.

Until Next Time: Happy Viewing!

 

Cosplay for fun and profit

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Halloween has come and past. For many people that is an opportunity to dress up as a favorite ghoul, superhero, tv personality, etc.

For those with interests in sci-fi and anime and are convention attendees, it’s another opportunity (among many) to dress up as a favorite character. So, I did.

Work had a Halloween costume contest. Prizes were involved. I asked my boss: “Does this mean I can come to work dressed up as a magical girl?” His response was an emphatic “YES!”

So, of course, I did. I wore my “Man-doka” cosplay that I have worn to conventions this past year.

Image may contain: Michael Thompson, standing

 I will tell you…doing receiving in this outfit is no easy task…the heels are a killer after a couple of hours.

A bunch of my co-workers and friends already know about this cosplay I do, but to see it in person was a blast for many of them. Co-workers who I am not friends with on social media, and didn’t know I dressed up like this for cons, were taken aback and quite amused. It made a lot of people happy.

After a week or so, I found out that I did win the contest. That was awesome. Beyond the contest it got me thinking about cosplay and why I do it (to the limited degree I do), and the benefits of cosplay.

When I started going to cons, I was a newbie. I went for a day, then two days, then the whole weekend. Then I looked at cosplay and thought to myself: “why not?” It was another way to connect and immerse myself in an experience. At first, I did a few that were more “normal” for me to do. Older males, etc.
After a time I got to thinking, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is one of my favorite shows…Maybe I should cosplay something from that.

The idea amused me…for a couple of reasons. I make a horrible looking magical girl and it would embarrass my boys being the primary ones. I played around with the idea, pitched it to a couple of friends, and finally bit the bullet. My first magical girl cosplay was Mami Tomoe, I called my version “Manny Tomoe” and I spoke in a gravelly faux East coast (USA) accent. It was a lot of fun. After that, I did Madoka Kaname, or “Man-doka” where I walked around talking like a version of The Tick. Loud, confident, and superhero-ish.

Do I feel loud, confident, and superhero-ish? Absolutely not. I have to psych myself up to dress like this. It’s takes me summoning a combination of courage and an attitude of not giving a fuck. And then off I go. I’m happy I do it. If for no other reason than this:

It makes (some) people happy. People smile. Get excited. Want to take a picture. It brightens someones day just a little. A lot of people outside the con-going community might not understand this. For some people, Halloween is the only socially acceptable time to dress up in a costume, and that’s too bad. I think sometimes, as adults, we forget the power of play. Of simple ridiculous fun.

I’m not a good cosplayer. There are many who are absolutely awesome. They make amazing outfits. They are artists. I have a great respect for that. There are people who just want to dress up to represent their favorite shows, video game, movie, character, etc. This is also awesome. It connects and bonds you to others who share your interests. There are people like myself who like a show, and just like making people smile a little. And all of us are out there to forget about life for a little while.

That’s why I like to dress up on days beyond Halloween. That’s why I love the cosplayers, each doing their own unique thing. And that is why I will keep doing it. Beyond work prizes, I made some people smile and brightened their day in a small and silly way.

 

Until Next time: Happy Viewing!

 

A Word About Goblins

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Image result for goblin slayer anime

Goblin Slayer

  I decided to write a brief post that will mostly be a “duh” to many anime viewers.

I am three episodes in. I don’t really have a deep opinion on the show…it’s kind of what it is: A lot of Goblin slaying.

I had heard some buzz around it before the season started, but knew nothing about it really. When the first episode came out I asked my 14 year old if he wanted to watch it.

We sat down and gave it a look. My son’s reaction by the end of the episode: “Well, that just happened! Damn…I was not expecting all of that!”

Neither was I. I wasn’t upset or anything. I just was not expecting what went down.

After I got that the content of the show was going to be on the explicit side of the spectrum, I watched some more. Is it a good show? I don’t know. Kind of a standard adventurer, Lord of the Rings-esque, DnD like sort of fantasy. I will see where it goes. I neither love, nor hate the show at this point.

However to my main purpose: parents….this isn’t an innocent show. It’s not SAO. It’s a sometimes brutal and fan-service-y show.

Attention Parents: There is gore, brutal killings, rape, some nudity, and fan service in this show. Keep this in mind when your kids ask about this one.

I will probably keep watching it to see where it goes.

Until Next Time: Happy Viewing!