Tuesday 29 April 2014

First Impression: Muramasa Rebirth and Atelier Totori Plus

i have done a dangerous thing... buying more then one game at once... i tend to only beat one and forget the other title... though muramasa seems pretty quick paced so i'll try not to let that happen.

So PSN is having it's golden week sale, lots of vita and ps3 titles were on sale so i decided i was going to try an atelier game since they look so darn cute.

a friend of mine also convinced me to get Muramsa and for 8ish bucks... it was a good price so i figured why not?

I'm in the very start of both of these games but i still think it's enough to base my opinion on.

Muramasa Rebirth
This is the second Vanillaware title i have played... the first being Grimgrimoire...
now i have mixed feelings about Grimgrimoire since it was fun but once you unlock the big things (specifically dragons) the game gets WAY too easy... i beat it with a friend in an afternoon... when it ended both of us were really surprised. However the painterly style of the art was truly unique and quite stunning even if there are some oddities with anatomy. (the artist really seems to like characters that have itty bitty heads.)

Still my friend assured me this game was quite fun as long as i didn't play on the stupid difficulty.
So i started playing and yeah... it's fun. The combat on the surface looks like "Mash button then win game" but there is quite a bit of depth to how the fighting works. the voice acting is really well done and the story seems interesting enough for now.

Theres only one itty bitty problem.

Today i went for my test to see if i had carpal tunnel, turns out for now they don't think i do but the test hurt my wrist more then i initially realized... and after i was done with the first boss i had to save and quit and hope that in a few days i could actually play it.
Still really like what i've seen so far and it's on sale for 12.50 unless you have PS+ (which you should have if you have a vita, ps3 or ps4... it's worth it) then it's 7.50


Atelier Totori Plus: The Adventurer of Arland

Immediate first impression: holy crap this is pretty
second thought: hm, with my hair this length i could cosplay totori.... wait is her skirt semi translucent near the bottom? screw that... (also last time i had to sew ruffles i wanted to cry... and that was just for flonne's costume it's not even that ruffly)

Like Muramasa this isn't my first gust title.
I played Mana Khemia on PSP and i seem to be the only being on the planet who loved it... yes it was buggy and yes it froze on me a few times (once immediately after beating a tough boss)... i didn't care i was having fun.
I was told these games don't have much in common with Mana Khemia...
i respectfully disagree.

the combat (while slightly different) immediately reminded me of mana kehmia, the icons over the stuff to gather, the animals that you can hit before battle (yes lots of games do this but still... and in this game they aren't generic blobs of different sizes denoting difficulty so thats a bonus)
side note: when i first saw totori's out of battle pre attack thingy... oh god it's just too darn cute... there are sparkle.... SPARKLES i say!

anyways back on topic... the alchemy is also very similar... it's updated and changed of course but yeah it all feels wonderfully familiar.
also i love gust music... i don't think i could listen to it out of the context of the game but within the game it's just wonderful and happy.
The only thing i'm worried about... is the time limit.
now i'm pretty sure mana khemia had some time limit stuff but i don't think it's as strict as this game is... so i'm a little worried...

but in the end i'll just save more and hopefully it all works out and i don't get a bad endings. thogh if i do i probabyl wont mind playing again cause everything is just so adorable.
oh and the english voice acting is fantastic, i'll check out the japanese voices later cause why not but yeah loving what i've been hearing so far.

It's not as low prices as muramasa but at 28 on sale and 19.60 if you are ps+ it's a pretty good deal. i am greatly enjoying it, i probably wont get the other one now cause... i don't wanna buy too many games at once (this is why my collection isn't terribly large, i try to beat 1 game before i buy more... doesn't always work but i try) but next time it drops in price or goes on sale i'll try to get meruru (or rorona if we ever get that one on vita)

ah but who cares abotu these games.... Ys Celceta is on sale for 28/19.60 (ps+) so everyone should go get that.
and persona 4 golden
and ToS Chronicles (though fun fact, ToS is my least fav Tales of game... ToS2 is better though... but i'm the only one who seems to think that way)

just check out the list yourself if you are in North America http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/04/28/golden-week-sale-celebrates-japanese-games-2/
ok time for more utterly adorable alchemy.


Figure Photoshoot: Takashi and Reiko

when i saw this set i feel in love with it.
also the fact that a reiko figure existed made me very happy
i could explain but no... pictures.... and boy are there a lot.

aww look he's looking at his book of friends and subtlety smiling showing that he has grown to enjoy his interactions with Yokai instead of dread them... well thats nice and all but why would i fall in love?
GAH he's so cute walking on the water and the ripples and is that translucent and molded in a way where the light is captures and shows the effect of the ripples and  *head blows up* so pretty.
i got him a few months before i got reiko but yeah... i love the water effect, i love the story that the pose tells (even if i may be looking too much into it) i love the way Nyanko-sensei looks over the shoulder (for reason i'll explain later) i just adore this figure... it was my fav natsume figure until i got my most recent one.

ok more pictures time.

i even love the backshot of this figure.




But like i said, i also got Reiko.
so pretty, i love show she's holdign her bat, i love how she also is looking over her shoulder which again will be explained a little later. the water again looks fantastic and i love how her look is slightly downcast but still smiling.
ok spamming time.



and now for my fav single show of her.
ugh i just love it... and reminds me how Takashi is the only human who ever makes physical contact with a yokai... no one else did. Not matoba, not reiko, not natori.... i am curious as to why.

okay.... these figures are lovely alone... but together i get so happy.

Nyanko and Reiko are looking at each other. *has a fangirl moment*
it's just so damn cute and yeah... i love it.
now time for focus shifting.


yes nyanko keep looking at her... it only makes my theory seems more plausible.



*more fangirl moments* sorry... i'm okay (no i'm not)
the last shot is probably my fav but yeah... i love this set... i'm so happy it's got a permanent place on my desk.
which i need to tidy up cause it's getting a little crowded.

okay next time is my newest and Favorite natsume figure and after that some mugs i already previewed on twitter... and then maybe i'll have all my new nendo's pictures taken. 

Friday 25 April 2014

My Journey With Attack on Titan

I will admit, i'm a little worried how this will go. I'm writing this chunk before i actually start watching the show.

This show has been hyped up a lot, i know a lot of the reveals thanks to tumblr and i have been warned that one thing i tend to hold in high regard kinda gets pushed to the side near the end.

Still... i am curious.

I didn't watch Attack on Titan when it came out for a few reasons.
  1. I didn't really like the art or the basic plot i was hearing. 
  2. Crunchyroll got it fairly late (3-4 episodes in) and i was already watching a lot 
  3. the hype frightened me because i was worried that if i didn't like it people would tear me a new one. 
I figure it's been around a year since the show first started airing... it's probably safe for me to voice my opinion no matter what that opinion is. 

First and foremost i need to get biases out of the way.

I don't tend to like titles with a focus on fighting... at least not in anime... i don't know why it either gets dull cause you know the main character will survive or it becomes this bloodbath where no one is safe but you also don't get attached to anyone.
their are exceptions to this but 80% of the time i tend to not like it.

I am Easily swayed by my ears... from what i've heard this show has some impressive music and my fav voice actor (though i don't know who he is playing)

I am just as easily swayed by what i see.... and yeah the art just does not appeal to me... i get that it's supposed to look like that but it just looks.... odd.

I have been spoiled on a few key plot things thanks to people posting them on tumblr... i think i may be getting off tumblr soon.... it's annoying me more then it did at first... 

so i would say there is about an equal chance either way that i will either enjoy the show or not.... i'm really hoping i enjoy it cause... dammit i want to enjoy one thing that has a fairly large fanbase.

During the first episode.

Well within a few minutes i can tell a few things.
This has a stellar cast and even though i don't like the style of the art the animation is fantastic.
The 3D can both look flawless and yet at other times look pretty terrible.

Ok.... question, why give his mother the arm... i mean seriously that is some cruel stuff. i'm pretty sure that there is a reason why when you tell the family the bad news you don't bring back the pieces that weren't destroyed... at least not in the sense of directly handing it to the family memeber... i dunno it just feels like easy shock value which I hate... do something for a reason better then "it's shocking" or do not do it at all.

ok... point two.
this isn't shit you directly discuss infront of the masses unless you want to... um... oh i dunno... cause a massive panic. Also if you learn nothing.... why do you actually go out? instead you could just go a little outside the wall, look around and then get back in even though i'm pretty sure the wall will mean nothing soon. or hell go out and build more walls... higher walls... whatever but don't just go, walk around the forest and then come back with half your team dead... that is dumb.

oh there are multiple walls... okay goo to know... again... pretty sure they wont mean much by the end of the episode.

oh your going to show him something secret are you? i will be amazed if you survive the episode.

wow that thing is big.... but the way it appeared was suspect, somehow i figure that theres got to be some human involvement, like i dunno maybe eren's dad is at fault? I mean why did it suddenly got so big and just managed to appear out of nowhere... i mean you can't convince me that those walls don't have peoples on top posted to watch... and if they don't then thats REALLY stupid... i mean that is pretty much waiting to get attacked.

and when i shouted "why wouldn't you post guards on top of the tower to stop this from happening" my father yelled back "maybe the show is an allegory for the berlin wall!" with absolutely no context to what i was watching other then it was anime.


OK despite my criticism... the show so far is okay, i find the shock value a little excessive but hopefulyl it finds a place where it's able to keep up that energy and not be boring or dull.

I probably wont end up enjoying it as much as some of my friends but i am curious to see more, the world and the rules in place so far are very interesting and i'm curious to see how one of the spoilers i do know about comes into the plot.

but i swear if this is just 25 episodes of "oh look how creepy we can draw these things" or "look how much we can shock you" with no point i will be extremely annoyed.

Episode 2:
Are you really telling me that no one thought to put canon on top of the walls? like at least the inner ones? it would give you a height advantage and give you move time to shoot these things down... this just does not make sense!

oh well i'm not doing this episode by episode but seriously there better be a reason why not safety measures were put on top of these giant walls.

Episode 4: THERE ARE CANONS UP THERE
why didn't i see any fire in ep one... i mean i know they are useless but still!
also helo Hiroshi kamiya, took you long enough to show up and you sound so grumpy... i like it.

Episode 7:
a little on the nose there with your pomegranate....  but still very well animated.

Episode 14:
so thats why no canons were fired in ep 1 from the top of the wall
phew.... glad thats finally explained... sorry it REALLY bugged me.
also people in this world need to stop being so stupid...
and levi needs to talk more.

Episode 21:
i'm 99% percent sure i've been spoiled about who the female titan is... but even if i havn't i think they made her look too much like a certain character... specifically her nose. i mean theres only on character who shares all the same features as the titan.
but maybe if i hadn't been potentially spoiled i wouldn't know?
Levi still needs to talk more....

Episode 22:
well that was dumb... and you knew it was dumb... and now you deal with the consequences.... dummy 
Preview:
no no no do not do that, can't you see that she.... no!

Episode 23:
hell i'm even sure the titans voice sounds the same as [spoiler]
also, and maybe this is my own personal bias speaking... how can they possibly think the only thing that will protect them is the wall.... when in the past 5 years two different walls have been destroyed... you have irrefutable proof that the wall is not a guarantee... and you still keep saying it is.... that's not faith that is stupidity.

Episode 24:
hey Mikasa agreed with me... neat.

Episode 25:
this series is really good at conveying the feeling of "ouch"... you would think it would get tired pretty quick but here we are... final ep and it's still like "oh that would hurt" pretty much every other minute
*gets to the mid-point title card* holy crap... i'm a fast reader but not that fast....
still it's an interesting bit of backstory
though calling this the final episode... perhaps i'm getting ahead of myself.

yes i know theres a movie coming out but i do not see how it could possibly tell all the story left to be told.

the show was very good at establishing things/rules early to have them paid off but there are still thigs we do not have answers for.
what happened to armin's parents and why did they have fobidden books?
what was Eren's dad really up to, whats in the basement and how could it possibly help?
why was eren's dad going to see mikasa as a child when he is obviously a very prolific doctor.
holy shit why was that in the wall?
what/who were the collosal/armoured titans and what was their goal in destroying the wall.... the didn't seem too interested in killing anyone... just destroying the wall. 
What was [spoiler]'s end game with doing what she did. how did she find out about her ability.

i'm positive the manga answers all these things so please do not tell me... i'll wait for the next season to come out in a year or two and i'll be amazed if they try to cram all that in the movie... since each arc of the show would have easily been 3-4 hour movies.

SO after all that, what did i think?

It's good.
it's way too overhyped but it still quite good.
had i not been spoiled on the two biggest things (and possibly a 3rd that didn't show up in the show but wouldn't surprise me) the reveals probably would have hit a bit harder.
I still do not like the art but the animation is flawless and even though the style isn't my thing it works really well for this type of show.
the music is fantastic as well, i enjoyed both intros and ending songs... even though the second one barely gets any love.
so yeah i am pleasantly surprised

it's not perfect though.
there are glorious moment of "why would you do that" or "could you be any more dumb?" which took me right out since it was like "we are acting this way cause plot needs more death"... not to mention massive plot holes/conveniences that were just a little too often.
it also tried very hard to be shocking and the most it ever got from me was a "ouch that would hurt" and most of the time it just felt like it was trying way too hard.
The problem with having a massive cast like this one is simple... there cannot possibly be enough time to give everyone the proper amount of character development... when the episodes where multiple characters die happen it does feel like "oh look, here are some characters, get atatched before we kill them" but you don't get attached cause you know how thats going to end.

but still for me one thing confuses me more then anything.
I never cried while watching the show.
I never even teared up.
I cry at the drop of a hat when it comes to books/movies/anime... you can mention something and i'll get sniffly
... and it's not that i didn't get emotional... there were moments of "aww thats no fun" but for whatever reason it never struck that cord in me that makes me bawl like a baby.
and i'm completely perplexed as to why.

It could be my mood, i have been feeling a little unmotivated to do anything productive... but i was watching the end of Kaliedo Star New wings last night and it made me tear up and it's not even sad... so i just do not know.

oh well, i can figure it out later.

for now i'll just say i am really glad i waited for the hype to die down a little
i'm glad i didn't have to wait a week between episodes since cliffhangers are evil
i ended up marathoning it over 3 days, i could have finished yesterday but i figured it was better to wait and watch it on the big tv thats a glorified computer monitor at the moment.

so yeah i went in expecting something i wouldn't enjoy or understand the appeal but yeah i am happy i saw it....
even if i'm like the last person in the universe who hasn't seen it till now.

but seriously did it need to be so heavy handed with it's symbolism?
but yeah, very enjoyable... and easily the fastest 23 minute episodes ever.
Also Levi didn't talk enough.... 

Wednesday 23 April 2014

Pile of half finished games

I have a terrible tendancy to play a game to about the halfway mark and then stop.
sometimes it cause i got a new game
sometimes it's just cause i was bored and forgot about it
most of the time it's cause i need to grind and i hate grinding so i move on.

Still i should try to beat some of them...

So here's my list.
It'll be title, system and how far i think i am, if they are bolded i will be more likely to play.

Final fantasy IV - DS - 25%

Disgaea DS  - DS - technically already beaten on ps2... about 50% on ds

A Witch's Tale - DS - 75% though first playthrough but i'd rather use this game as a tiny frisbee then actually play it.

Hoshigami Remix - DS - 10% but i'm in an unwinable situation and again, this game would make a good tiny frisbee

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon - DS - 50%

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days - DS -70% but i made the mistake of playing birth by sleep before going back to this one and the controls are just so terrible.

Kingdom Hearts Re:coded -DS - 0% i wanted to be the other one first and now i just... ugh... the only good KH handheld i have played is birth by sleep.

Luminous Arc 2 - DS - 60%

New Super mario Bros - DS - 90% but i got really bored

Pokemon Conquest - DS - 25%

Lux Pain - DS - 5% cause it's kind of terrible.

Super Mario Galaxy - Wii - 70% and i only got that far cause i had a friend to play with...i can't play the game alone cause of the amount of space.

Phantom Brave - Wii - 15% cause damn this game is difficult... stupid timer.

Arc Rise Phantasia - Wii - 98% i'm at the penultimate boss but i need to grind and the game is just so bad

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn - Wii - i think i'm stuck on a chapter in the late teens or early twenties... i just needed to walk away cause i kept letting someone die and thats no good. 

Super Mario 3d land - 3DS - 10% and again... so bored.

Shin Megami Tensei IV - 3DS - i've put in a lot of time but i think i'm only like 25% through... it's a really long game.

Bravely default - 3DS - i just got the fire crystal back and honestly this games plot is just so dull i don't wanna play anymore... which sucks cause the music is really good.

Mario and Luigi Dream Team - 3DS - 90% but the controls are getting a little dull.

Vantage Master - PSP import - 0% it's still in the shrink wrap.

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth PSP - 25% but it's a frustraiting game where you needa guild to get good end so... in no rush to get back to it.

Clase of Heroes - PSP - hell if i know... it's games like this that made me HATE first person dungeon crawlers. I didn't get demon gaze cause i didn't know if i would like it thanks to this game existing.

Yggdra Union - PSP - 2% i was expecting it to be like the other game i played in it's series but it's not... none of the games are the same.

Persona - PSP - 5% had i known it was a first person dungeon crawler i would have not bought it,  really did not enjoy what i tried to play.

Persona 2 - PSP - 10% Better then Person but still not terribly enjoyable.

Jeanne D'arc - PSP - i honestly can't remember if i played this at all.

Legend of Heroes II (1): Prophecy of the moonlight witch - PSP - 80% but the controls are so much worse then Trails in the sky it's even worse then Legend of Heroes I (2): tear of vermillion even though Vermillion is marked as the first in the series in north america when it's really the second.

Legend of Heroes III (3) : Song of the Ocean - PSP - 0% cause i want to beat 2/1 first... so i can at least stick to the North American order i guess?

Persona 3 FES - PS2 - specifically the Answer which i'm about 5% through

Makai Kingsom - PS2 - 25% but unfortuantely very bored.

La Pucelle Tactics - PS2 - 90% but i need to start over cause i trained a character i shouldn't have and now the characters i need are in an unwinable situation... so i'll only play this if PSN lets me play it on my Vita.

Final Fantasy XII - PS2 - 50%... yeah no screw this game and it's terrible save point placement.

Tales of Vesperia - Xbox 360 - 70% but i'm stuck and need to grind : ( 

And just cause i'm silly.

Ys Seven - PSP - cause Ys 7 is the only Ys game i haven't replayed.(except 4 but thats cause i just recently beat it... gotta give it time)

so yeah anything catch your eye that you think i really should give another shot or try and finish?
i probably wont but i can try.
only just over 30 titles... thats not as bad as i thought it was...


Tuesday 22 April 2014

Figure Photoshoot - Natsume at night

So... uh...
ok best to go back to the beginning before i completely dump a boatload of pictures over the next few weeks.

a while ago (according to my Metadata September 2013) i got a few new natsume yuujinchou figures.
I took a ton of pictures and then told myself "great i'll edit and crop these tomorrow then post them"

Then i forgot.
and got more figures

"okay, i'll wait for better light and then i'll take pictures and then edit everything and post it"
and.... then i forgot.

Then a week or so i got possibly my most favorite figure ever.... and i took a ton of pictures of it and right when i was about to edit all the pictures.... I got called in to work for a week.

BUT i said dammit i need to post these or they will sit on my camera forever and that would make me sad.

So i started going through the couple hundred shots and even though i'm pretty damn picky i still ended up with 50ish... and i'm not even done taking pictures... my nendo flonne and Hibiki are waiting for better sunlight. 

So what i'm decided to do is do them in batches and post one batch a week.... and yeah that should work out the best and not overload everyone.

But which batch to post first?

I'll try to go from older to newst but no promises.

I have been pretty clear that Natsume's book of friends is easily one of my all time favorite shows. Every time i watch it i just smile from ear to ear... sometimes while bawling my eyes out.
The one really sad thing is that Merch for this show is pretty much non-existant (well the human characters at least, Nyanko gets quite a bit of love)
I love figures, hell i have a 3D printer heading my way that will be mostly used to help with making my own custom figures. It is a weakness of mine.
but the only 1/8th scale figure is rare and goes for 300ish (but it's being reprinted so now i just refresh ami ami every day)
the other figures for the show are non-scale and from some kind of lottery which mean they are not easy to get.
that apparently hasn't stopped me.

Currently i have 7 of these figures, i've also taken pictures of 3 of them but here is another.


Now originally i wasn't going to get this one but i really liked the fact that it came with it's own background. I thought that was kinda neat for a figure.
not that you need to have the background, the pose is nice enough on it' own (but it does make more sense with the BG)
and since i am a weakling i just got it cause why not. I want to get the madara figure that pairs with this But i probably never will as all the madara figures are stupid expensive and i don't care that much.

but yeah i was very surprised when it arrived and i noticed the little fluffball
none of the product pics really show it and it was just a cute little surprise. I love that ep so yeah it just makes me smile.
ok two more shot without the BG

now havign a figure with a BG means i had a little too much fun with placement... and i think this is one figure i probably too the most pics of even though originally i wasn't going to get it.


but in the end one shot was my absolute fav
i like that instead of reaching out to the light he's reaching out to the viewer.

alright next i'll probably do one of the sets i own and then who knows.
anyways i hope you enjoy these and if not well then... too bad i wanna share pictures of stuff i spend too much money on.




Saturday 12 April 2014

First Impressions: Spring 2014

Alright, Crunchyroll got A LOT so far as far as simulcast shows... and i'm sure funi will pick up a lot too so i'll try to see one episode of as many shows as possible.

Again i do have some ground rules.
no web shows (aka nothing that isn't a full length episode or OVA), i don't like waiting a week for a 3 min show.
no shows with sister in the title... and to be fair no shows with brother in the title either... they are almost always about potential incest and i hate those type of stories. 
No sequels unless i've already watched up to that point.
just because i plan to try every episode does not mean i will promise to watch the whole thing... i will mention how long i lasted though.

Alright... lets get started.

First - Returning shows:

Nisekoi
I'm a little sad to hear that there is only going to be 20 episodes of this show but it's a lot of fun so i'm happy it got to continue at all. but on a more serious note.... how can there be so many different people with keys from 10 years ago? like... seriously...


Yowapeda
I was really enjoying this show.... but if the rest of the series is just the inter high i'll probably drop it cause wow the inter high bit has been both incredibly silly (a guy literally talks to his abs [which he has named andy and frank] during every one of his monologues) and incredibly dull.
maybe it'll get better when it focuses on the main character... i honestly don't know if i'll make it that long.

okay whats new this season (in the order i see them)

The File of Young Kindaichi Returns
Right off the bat, wow i don't like the art... i don't want to judge a book by it's cover but this just feels... ugly.
Even though i can't seem to find if it's a sequel to something it really feels like one.... like it is a later story in a series but that doesn't make it a sequel... it does explain the older looking style.
the story seems fine but i really am not a fan of detective shows.
also wow is there a lot of exposition... i'll pass but it doesn't seem like a bad show... if you like that kind of thing i guess? or like shows with a retro feel.

Kamigami no Asobi
Look at all those pretty boys... so i guess this is a reverse harem show? to be honest i very rarely enjoy reverse harems cause you always know which guy she will actually be with (or it's completely inconclusive which is just as bad) and tends to have HORRIBLE representation of how girls should act to be desirable... that being said... yeah i'll give this a shot.
just... please... don't let this end up like amnesia.
1:10 - *laughing so hard* that is the most over dramatic transformation/stripping scene i have ever seen... wow i hope this show is good cause... that was too funny.
3:18 - she sounds like a softer benten (eccentric family) but i don't think it's that voice actor. i'll check later since i wanna hear all the guys speak before i look up who's playing them.
Most of them i can't tell but the guy with purple hair kinda souns like Uchiyama Kouki... again i don't think i'm right.
the guy with long hair.... *titls head* okay so i'm really good at pin pointing hiroshi kamiya's voice but not if he goes higher cause theres a voice actor with a higher voice that sounds vaguely like him... still... i'm going to guess that this guy is hiroshi kamiya... but for once i'm not 100% sure. *hears him laugh* okay... yeah now i'm pretty much 100% sure. *hears his name* Baldr? so..... so are you gunna get killed by some mistletoe? no.... i'm totally rooting for you... also is that loki with you? dude... no you two can't be friends. he's the reason you die... well him and hodor... but still... no : ( *mythology nut in me is confused*
Aww hades is in this, i'll probably root for him too. poor misunderstood hades.
the blond guy vaguely sounds like Nai from Karneval... but that is such a gut feeling guess i'll be amazed if i'm right.
also dammit.... Apollo is going to be the main guy isn't he *pouts* but.... but baldr.... or hades.... *whimper*


Okay
Apollo is not played by Nai, he is played by another character from the show yotaka... i should have recognized him from DN Angel but it's been a long time since i watched the show. oh his name is Irino Miyu

Baldr is *drumroll* Hiroshi kamiya.... yeah called it~
I was wrong about Yui, the only thing i've seen this voice actor in has been Noragami but still it's a nice voice... i'm glad it's not as high pitched as most female leads tend to be. i hope she gets more shows.
I was wrong about the purple haired guy but he's only been in one other show so it's not surprising.
So what did we learn?
i'm really good at picking out hiroshi kamiya and not many others. (though to be fair, most of these actors i haven't heard in anything else so yeah... just add them to my mental data bank.)
I will be amazed if i don't like this show cause i love me some mythology. (especially norse)... i should study more on japanese mythology since i know very little compaired to greek/roman/norse (granted thats all mythology classes ever cover here)

Captain Earth
this seems to have a very long substitle... "when i opened the door called truth, my childhood ended. it was a summer i could never forget."
hm...
okay then.
i'm not a fan of mech anime but still no harm in trying.
less then 20 seconds in: hm.... i don't think i'm going to be able to do this...
To be fair, the character design and art so far is lovely... but... the subject matter... i honestly don't know if i can stomach it... i may have to ask if any of my friends are into it and see if they think i can manage... still i'll try this one episode... hopefully it doesn't end badly.
15 mins in... and i really want to do this but... but... it's getting a little dangerous...
I really like what i saw.... but considering the amount that took place in space... i honestly don't know if i can sit through this. I'm going to try to watch it(though i'm going to stagger it with a friend if i can.)... maybe it'll be like gargantia and i wont panic.
but if your not astrophobic like me this show is pretty fantastic so far.

The Irregular at Magic High School.
wow thats an odd title
I recognize that voice.... the narrator has been in a lot...  but... i can't tell. *checks* nakamura yuuichi.... yeah his voice tends to trip me up... when he sounds like okazaki i can hear it no problem but other times i get nothing..
So far i love the world this show has built and i look forward to seeing more...it oddly shares some of the visual styles of hamatora but i can't seem to find any connection.
still i look forward to adding this to my list.

 La Corda d'oro -blue sky-
i've seen the other shows in this series so why not watch this?
though honestly i don't remember much... other then a magic violin that got broken... but this seems to be different characters-- wow thats a lot of pretty boys in the intro
the show overall is so pretty but the main girls voice... again maybe i'm just easily irritated over super high pitched voices.
but it is a show that has a lot of focus on violins... which i have a huge soft spot for.
as pretty as the show is... i wish the animation on the playing of the instruments was better... it just feels a little stiff. still i remeber enjoying the other seasons so... i'l lprobably stick with it... hopefully it grows on me more in the next episode.... btu yeah this is a stand alone series so if you haven't seen the other two seasons do not worry about it. 

Rowdy Sumo Wrestler Matsutaro
. . . wow this is ugly... though i give it credit for looking different... in context the look works but yeah... not appealing at all.

2:44 - ew, i'm out... you want to lovingly animate someone plucking nose hairs and then sneezing in the most disgusting way possible then fine... have fun... i want no part of it.

The Kawai complex guide to manors and hostel behavior.
i want to drop it for the fact that it has probably the dumbest title i have ever seen... seriously this trend of stupid long titles need to end--- is that fhana?
well.... that is a nice surprise... i love hearing her pop up more in theme songs cause she has a really pretty voice.
and now that i've checked to see that i have fully watched every single show she has done a theme song on... i saw the japanese title for this show.
"Bokura wa minna Kawaisou"
wow that is so much better i cannot even begin to describe... i don't care that the english title is more of a literal translation it could be shortend.... somehow.
in the end I have mixed feelings about this...
it vaguely gives me the sense of a show like maison ikoku but it seems to be lacking some charm.
The art is very pretty and quite interesting but...
i'm getting... a sense of deja vu.
*rolls around* i must have seen a clip or something cause i could have sworn i had seen a scene in this show before.
hm.... i just don't know, maybe it'll be good but after one ep i'm just... not sure... i'll give it another ep if i remember... but this gut feeling of "ugh" is what i'm worried about.

The world is still beautiful
*snickers at the engrish title on the title card* Still worlds is Beautiful? i guess if you DIRECTLY translate and don't rearrange thats what you would get.
this sounds... odd.. like they are standing a foot back from the mike... maybe my ears are just a little plugged from this cold? but it really does sound.... echoy.... or like the walls don't have sound dampening or something.
even kyon sounds echoy
hm.... i think this show is trying to be a little too hard to be funny.... still i figure i can probably give it another episode or two since world building wise it's an interesting idea... i just dunno if i can get past the odd sound and forced comedy.

Haikyu!!
this is probably one of the only shows i'm going into not 100% blind...
and what i mean by that is i know it's about volleyball.... and thats it.
Now... i'm kinda hoping i enjoy this because much like kuroko's basketball the other sport i played when i was younger was volley ball and i really enjoyed it... so i'm curious to see how an anime can represent it.
*sees them doing dive practice/suicides* oh yeah... i remember that... though i guess if your a guy it's not that big a deal... everyone on my team hated it the most.
*watches them jump out of the way of the ball* yeah that was part of the i hated the sport in school... they were all more worried about getting hurt then actually playing.
also why are they bumping off the wrong spot? no wonder their arms hurt.
well putting aside the rules aspect of the game i think i'll probably enjoy this show, so far it's got similar elements to other sports shows i've watched.... just please... no naming moves... please...

Baby steps
not the biggest fan of tennis... but still may as well try the show.
ok... why does he have to have that stupid out of place lookign spike in his hair... i mean seriously.
wow this kid has some serious OCD. having to eat something in a certain order, notes having to fit on a certain number of pages... perfectly straight writing... even better then the teachers... not to mention losing his shit when said notes are dirtied... thinking about every move as a procedural instead of just moving... it must be hell inside his head.
also her eyes are open just a bit too much... it makes her look like she's either surprised of crazy the entire run of the show.
i dunno... maybe i'll try another episode? it didn't really hook me since it seems like a "oh i just happen to be really good" sport anime... and those are no fun for me to watch.

Brynhildr in the Darkness
what like the Valkyrie? i actually don't know much about them but the name is easy to recognize... oh right the show.
well the intro is very intense... and dubsteppy. i'm not a fan of dub step at all but it's not too bad.
So the story is about a boy who was in an accident with a girl when they were little and she died instantly. now ten years later someone who looks just like her has shown up. oh and she's predicting the death of two students, one who ends up being saved by a 'lucky' break and the other who just happens to be the main character. it's an interesting idea... i'm a little curious to see where it goes but i may not stick with it.

One Week Friends
I actually know the basic concept of this show ... out of everything it was the one show i was most curious about.
The main girl has an oddly specific type of amnesia. Every week on monday her happy memories all vanish as well as memories of people she cares about (except her family)
I'm curious to see how this premise can be shown over a few episodes but i am looking forward to it... it does feel like it's going to tug at the heart strings quite a bit.

Majin Bone
this show also sounds odd... maybe it's Toei? maybe whatever they have given to crunchy to post just doesn't have the best sound quality?
otherwise... uh... this just feels like it's trying to sell toys... it feels like something 4 kids would license (you know... if they were still around)
also the 3d animation just looks... corny.
and the 2d animation is extremely floaty, so it's expressive but also very lazy feeling... barely any shading and everything takes on a blobby appearence when it's moving.
ugh... this was just not the type of show i like at all. i'm sure if you like mech shows or shonen anime or chosen one stories it's probably ok but i really don't tend to like those types of stories...  also even though i'm bad with names i should at least have a vague idea what they are by the end of the episode... i don't so i obviously didn't care enough.
Pass.

Jojo's bizarre adventure.
No.
not my type of show, i hear those who love it really love it but any time i have seen any of it i just can't get into it.

Blade and Soul
Looks like a fanservice show.
okay, to be fair, maybe it isn't just a pure fan service show... i honestly don't care... you have that much underboob or characters that literally have an under boob window.... you completely and instantly lose me as part of the audience... i don't care how good your story is. 
also "here have one of my outfits, it's much sluttier then what i'm currently wearing but it fits you" (even though it would never fit the original owner and isn't condusive to the style of the village.) and what is the point of having a sleeveless top.. .well it's not a top... uh... corseted and possibly metal bathing suit... anyways whast the point if you need boob suspenders to keep everything in place?
who designed these characters?
I do like the fact that nudity doesn't seem to be shameful at all... but on the other hand the designs are just so stupid i can't take the plot seriously. if you like fan service heavy shows then at least this one seems to have more substance then some others.... i will not continue to watch though.

*looks at the next three titles and chuckles*

ORECA BATTLE, DRAGON COLLECTION, HERO BANK

no i didn't accidently hit caps lock... that is their names... and they are all technically focused around card games... and all of them come out on the same day at the same time.

Honestly when they were announced i thougth they were three connected shows but nope... they all seem to be their own thing...
so then i worried that i would need to make a new rule "no card shows" or "no shows obviously made to sell merch"
but then i check out the first two and they are both 11 mins so... i don't have to watch it... yay.
Herobank on the other hand...
*checks out the first few minutes* no i think i'll make the "no card shows/no shoes made only for merch" a rule after all... i don't like it... i'm being unfair but lets face it, i'm not the audience and i'm not going to waste my time on something i know i wont like. however if you do like TGC shows be warned, this is obviously targeted at an extremely young audience.

Love Live! School Idol Project (2nd season)
oh i dunno... i watched the first season as it was good BG noise... but... i think i may have had my fill-- why is she sudent council president? like she'd have time to do that and be a school idol.
not to mention the problem of the school being closed has been dealt with... so what could possibly be the point this time? just omg being student council pres is hard ><
i think i'll pass.

The Comic Artist and Assistants
13 mins long, and within the first minute you get this line:  "i want to grope some breasts"
yeah... pass.

MAGICA WARS
another caps lock show? has it always been this bad with anime title wise?
anyways it's a webshow so unless i hear amazing stuff about it i'll pass... the art does look fairly pretty... a little moe but what can you do?

Black Bullet
holy crap catchy intro is catchy.
in 2021 tokyo (or perhaps all of japan?) has been attacked by big like monsters. we see a young boy barely survive the attack.
10 years later he is a Civil officer and his organization has the power to fight these bug monsters (which i now realize it as more bug zombie monsters since if a human is infected they turn into the bug.)
Civil officers come in two types.
Initiators which seem to have been created to fight the monsters, some have even called them cursed children... and Promoters who have the job of keeping the initiators under control.
together they work to stop the pandemic fro getting any worse and sounds like thye are also on the hunt for patient zero.
too bad even though they are humanities last hope they still have to make money, and rentaro is a bit like spike spegel in the way he finds it so difficult to get paid.
There is a lot of exposition in this first episode but considering how it's shown through actions as well i find it works pretty well and i'm very curious to see where it goes.
also theres a voice in there that sounds like fool from kaliedo star... and the main characters voice is familiar but i cna't tell why, he sounds like the friend in Nisekoi a bit... over to MAL
oh wow i was right about the main character... but wrong about fool, it's the guy who plays the boss in servant x service.

No Game No Life
okay so i've hit the point of i'm hoping there aren't too many shows left... i already have quite a few titles i plan to stick with.... but lets see this one.
ugh... can we stop with the stuck in  game world anime.
i'm still burned out after SAO (though this is different)
also... the brother and sister relationship in this is pretty creepy.... and panty shots? really... how old is she even?
and i don't mind coloured lines but it shouldn't be distracting... it is here.
i may give this show another episode but so far it's not terribly good... jus tan interesting world but nothing more... also the main character is pretty unlikeable. but it's still too early to tell.

Chaika - The coffin Princess -
well the intro song is catchy and the art is decent.
talking i one word broken sentances... yeah thats not going to get old.
it wasn't bad but it also wasn't special... maybe i'll check it out later but it just didn't do anything for me now.

Kanojo ga Flag wo Oraretara (if her Flag breaks)
. . . i am just curious to see how long i last.
. . . wait am i... laughing?
no this show has such a stupid title... i should hate it.
well... uh... that was unexpected... i guess it's shows like this that are the reason i at least try every show... i actually really enjoyed that.
dunno if i'll last to the end cause it's just so goofy but hey... it was a lot of fun and not what i expected when i heard about a show dealing with Flags.
uh the main guy can see flags above peoples heads.. .from what i understand the term comes from Vis. Novel type games where certain events trigger 'flags' that help lead the story down a certain path.
He can see Friendship, Romance and Death flags but since he's worried about hurting those close to him he uses this power to shatter the flag and therefor stop the event.
i was expecting it to focus on him using his power to get all the girls.... i'm sure he will end up getting all the girls but it's not the point which makes all the difference.
I just enjoy stuff like this that reminds me not to judge a book by it's cover.... or in this case title.

Dai-shogun -Great Revolution-
well the art is fairly nice.
the shaky cam effect is kinda nausiating... not a fan of it in real life... why would i want my anime looking like that.
in fact everything in the show moves oddly... like it's a 2d image mapped to a 3d space thats being stretched and warbled.
and ugh... this 'music' it's terrible.
oh i see why theres shaky came... almost ever scene is stationary with very little animation so the movement of the camera compensates to trick you into seeing movement when there is very little.
yeah his show just isn't my kind of thing.... just too painful to watch/listen to.

Is the Order a Rabbit?
Oh god i'm getting Kiniro mosaic flashbacks... why am i getting flash backs of that terrible show. i don't think theres any connection but the vibe is almost identical.
Also.... wow... the Moe is strong with this one.
anyways, overall it seems like a Moe girls eating cake show... as in it's a plotless (for the most part) show about girls sitting around and talking, almost always over cake. I think JesuOtaku coined the term but i'm not sure.
Since K-on! i haven't been able to tolerate shows like this at all so... pass... the art is pretty but i can just feel that after a season of this adorableness that nothing will have really happened.

Nanana's Buried Treasure
the new titles... they just keep coming *sobs* what i plan to do is post this on saturday (since i started watching everyone on saturday) and then if there are more new hows i'll edit this... but seriously i think they can't announce much more.. there isn't much left.
oh this is done by A-1? well then it should look very pretty.
one thing A-1 pictures shows have in common is that they have interesting worlds... i am intrigued by this first episode but i think i need to give it a bit more time before i decide to stick with it... still it is very pretty and interesting so far.

MEKAKUCITY ACTORS

ok, other then potential funimation titles this is the last one (none of the funi titles look interesting to me [read as wow that looks like a lot of fan service and moe])
. . .
so.... that happened...
i don't have a "WTF am i watching" show this season yet.... i think this will fill that gap.
I can't describe it cause.... i really don't know how, a hermit goes outside for the first time in two years and gets caught up in a terrorist kidnapping and then he stops it with this AI thing he got through email... and some characters have eyes that go read and....
yeah...
i'm intrigued? maybe... i don't know if i'll stick with it (cause it airs on saturdays and my saturdays are already nuts) but i'll definately give it a few more episodes before i make up my mind... or my brain explodes... whichever comes first.

Yay... all done (until they add another title like 4 episodes into the simulcast and i have to edit this...)

SO whats the damage?

2 returning, 12 new shows i may or may not stick with.

knowing me some will be dropped simply cause thast a lot to keep up with... i may only be sparatically working but i do still work.

alright, the breakdown (and everything is on Crunchyroll)

* = giving a few more episodes before i make up my mind
** = i'm staggering my views with a friend

Monday: Yowapeda
Tuesday: Black Bullet
Wednesday: If Her Flag Breaks*
Thursday: Nanana's buried treasure*
Friday: Nothing
Saturday: Nisekoi, Kamigami no Asobi, The Irregular at Magic High School, Captain Earth**, La Corda d'oro*, The world is Still Beautiful*, MEKAKUCITY ACTORS*
Sunday: Haikyu!!, Brynhildr in the Darkness*, One Week Friends

Personally i wouldn't mind if some shows were shuffled cause saturday is just a bit much right now... but theres a lot of interesting shows and i look forward to the rest of Spring 2014

Thursday 10 April 2014

Prison -From Start to Finish-

i'm going to be honest for a second.
90% of my art ideas are "i wanna draw that" and then i do and i'm either happy or i'm not and i move on.
the other 10% is "i wanna draw this.... but i also wanna draw that...... can i combine the two?" and then i try and i either like it or i don't and i move on.

and thats just how i get started.... 50% of the time after starting i go "hey this actually looks like that" and i move in a different direction.... it's why i hate giving sketch preview of things like commissions cause
A) i'm going to tweak everything
B) it's probably going to look incredibly different when i'm done.

this picture didn't change as much as i expected it to.

So i started with the mindset "fairies are fun to draw...... but so are mermaids... i wanna draw both..... but.... how?"
then this popped into my head.
yes if she is some how trapped underwater i can easily draw both at the same time...
hm... but it looks like he's kidnapped her... no thats not what i want...
so then i added some chain on him.
okay but why were they kidnapped.
I KNOW
some evil demon king kidnps rare creatures and keeps them like pets even though they are living breathing creatures that deserve freedom....
how do i show that?
ok so Demon king kidnaps those who happen to be albino... ok ok beeter do research on how fish react to being albino... since pretty much every species has some form of 'albino' gene but it doesn't always react exactly the same.
okay so then whats going on... he obviously got free and is he sad that he can't ger her free? did they fall in love while being captive together? is he going to escape and try to free her later? is she somehow going to get free even though that would probably kill her since she's not a water dwealing creature? how does the cage work...
screw it i'll figure that stuff out later.... especially since no one will know about the depth of my little narrative based on one picture.

then i shows the pic to a friend of mine and she got the indepth narrative damn near spot on within seconds so.... either she was on the same wavelength or i made it just literal enough. probably the latter

anyways just as i got to work on it i get a call. "hey, can you come and work on this tv show for the rest of the week? it'll only be 4 days"
well i can't turn down money so yeah sure.
i figured the work should be fairly simple and then i can finish this off.
then i remembered that i wasn';t workign cause my stupid shoulder is bugging out.
so after a few days of rest i finally finished this...
and i did a few insanely stupid things.

Stupid thing number 1:
"wouldn't it be fun to add a bunch of detail to the cage? the demon king would probably want her prison to at least be pretty for him to look at cause he's a greedy bastard"
yeah.... it wasn't fun for my wrist but i do like how it affected the final piece.

Stupid thing number 2:
"wouldn't it be fun to make it look like refratcing light is hitting the barrier that somehow allows her to breath?"
yeah..... not fun.... but happy with the results.

so i learned whenever i say "wouldn;t it be fun to [fill in info here]" it is never actually going to be 'fun' but i will be happy with the end.

now for the final piece!
now considering i've spent a bit of time on this no one will probably like it.... but you know what? i like it... i'm really happy with this and in the end... thats what matters....
i may make it a series.... i may not... again my art depends on my random whims.

still i hope you enjoy it and my random ramblings on how my brain works while i'm working.
i'll be working all next week and potentially the week after so it'll probably be a bit before my next piece (curse you 12 hour days... taking up all my time) hopefully it doesn't hurt my shoulder (this job shouldn't... even though it's half of the original job that injured me.... but it's the half that didn't hurt. )

Anyways thanks for your time
Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/creation?hid=363338
Society 6: http://society6.com/Raichana/Prison#1=45
Red bubble: http://www.redbubble.com/people/raichana/works/11805541-prison?ref=recent-owner
Deviantart: http://raichana.deviantart.com/art/Prison-446697117


Kamisama Kiss

yes, i am just skimming through the funi catalog and watching whatever looks fun/interesting or stuff i heard good things about.

A show like this probably wouldn't have caught my attention normally... it just looks from the outside like your typical reverse harem/hime anime.
But i have a friend who seemed to like it and for the most part i trust her taste so i gave it a shot.

It's about Nanami who's dead beat dad runs off leaving her with a ton of debt and she is evicted. while in the park she helps a stranger and he gives her his house.
only his house is a shrine and he was a god and now she's a god... but she's also human... and her familiar doesn't want to listen and the only way to get him to resign the contract is with a kiss.

chaos/hilarity ensues.

The good:
The animation is fairly well done, very bright and colourful with some really nice character designs.
The characters all have a great amount of range and since you know which of the guys she's going to be with from the start theres never the "lets date everyone at once" aspect that a lot of other harem/reverse harems fall into.
It has a lot of comedic moments but also has a lot of sweet or cute bits, it's very relaxed but fun.
the pacing is good but....

The not so good:
this feels like it needs a second season cause a lot was left unanswered.
how does she react when she figures out he doesn't remember his first love, why did she find the kings eye where she found it, who was the guy buying the mask and why introduce a character at the last minute, what is mikage's deal and who does he really think she is.
Now it was just done in 2012 so the possibility of a sequel is still pretty high but going by whats out right this second the overall story is a bit unfinished.

The bad: 
the intro and ending songs made me want to rip off my ears... some of the worse music in anime i have ever heard... yes i just skipped it but the sheer awfulness made me want to turn off the show the first time i heard it. if they get another season please please please get better music.

I think Funimation only licenses to USA and Canada so... it's a bit limited, but if you like fluffy cute shows and you have the chance to see it then you'll probably have fun with this one.

Tuesday 8 April 2014

Dropped: The Future Diary

AKA Mirai Nikki.

I knew i probably wouldn't make it through this show.
but dammit i was curious.... it has a lot of good reviews and lots of people like it... but...
The show is 'decent' but it has a few things i hate and one thing i cannot deal with.

1. Stalkers
It's not cute, it's not sweet, it's not endearing and it is not a sign of loyalty... and it's the main girls thing... she is batshit insane and yes that is the point but for whatever reason the main character is falling in love with her and just... NO.
"oh she broke into our house and cooked? i like her... lets have her stay over... in you room... just please don't make too much noise... oh she was thinking about killing me if i didn't appraove? well it's a good thing i like her then!"
no.

2. Rape
I don't like rape being used as a plot device for pure shock. Yes it works in the context of the episode but it's still cheap in my opinion. Also this seems like the type of show that may try something like that again.

3. Killer toddler
one of the diary holders is a young child... so he is either going to kill or be killed.
i don't know or care if he is actually young... he looks and acts young.
I don't care that he totally has a motive... or that he's being played out to be evil.... he is still a child and the age is just too close so i can't.
This is completely 100% personal to me but still i know what i can and can't handle... and that is firmly in the can't pile.

I only saw 6 episodes so i can't say if the show is good or not... all i can say is if you don't like gore, blood or any of the other things i mentioned then probably best to stay away. yes most of the truly gory stuff is censored (either with shadows or pixels despite the MA rating) but it's still pretty graphic... if it doesn't bug you then there is probably a decent show in there.
Unfortunately i'll never know.

Friday 4 April 2014

Nagi no Asukura

Aka Nagi asu
Aka A lull in the sea.

1. I was going to talk about this yesterday but i got called in to work for the week on a tv show and due to a cold + 12 hour work days when i got home yesterday i just ate and went to bed... i have barely touched my comp in the past four days... but i made some money so no complaints.

2. it "worked" (heavy quotation marks) on Eccentric family... so i'm gunna say it again.... I want NISA to license this.... this show in one of there stunning boxes with an artbook and maybe even a dub (ok now i'm getting greedy).... i want it... i want it so badly words cannot describe. I think out of all the licensing companies they would do the best job with this property... so i'm just gunna keep wishing... actually i should check if anyone did license this... *looks at MAL and makes a noise she cannot reproduce through text* THEY GOT IT
FUCK YES
i am SO HAPPY
granted they haven't made an annoucement via email or anything yet so i'll wait for this to be confirmed.
but if it is true i am going to be bouncing off the walls for days.
and i honestly didn't know that till i started writing this... i don't do much research and most of it i do while i write just to check that i'm not messing anything up too badly.

3. if i had to pick an absolute fav of the season... even though i loved a lot this season... i would have a hard time between this and Noragami. both shows were just so damn good... maybe this gets the edge cause it's longer? i dunno... so good though.


SO.... Nagi no Asukura

This is a lot of shows rolled up into one. First it's about how the human race is divided into two types of people... those who live in the sea, are able to breath the water and worship the "sea god" and those who live on land, which can include people from the sea who have given up living there cause those they love are on land and their children will not be able to breath the water.

The show focuses on 4 kids from the sea who are forced to go to school on land cause there just aren't enough student to run a sea only class.
This introduces the culture shock element. The people from the sea and the people from the land have different priorities and therefor have a hard time seeing eye to eye. not to mention kids will tend to pick on those who are slightly different then they are. of course overtime they grow to understand each other and they try to do their best to show that they can live with each other.... if they could only put their pride aside.

Then it is introduced that eventually a disaster will befall the human race and the sea god wishes to force all the sea people to hibernate till it has passed, this could be for hundreds of years but the sea god above all else wishes for his people not to go extinct. The 4 kids try to do their best to hold a festival to quell the sea god but the date of hibernation is on the same day so it's a little risky.

Besides all that, the show is also about love and all the forms it comes in. it does a wonderful job oh having the feelings each character has for another feel completely genuine as well as very sad while never interfering with the plot... it meshes pretty well and the final episode did get to me to cry quite a bit (though... i'm really tired so that may have added to it... still the last ep is so good)

any more then that would be creeping into spoilers so i'll just say about halfway through there is an event that skyrocketed this into my fav of the season (and then noragami started so i was conflicted which one i liked more... i plan to own both so thats what matters)... so yeah... go watch it on crunchyroll.

The good:
the world building in this is fantastic, i love how shishishio looks and with all the little fishies swimming around.... i love the surface and how everything seems to be old and peeling but still has this charm.
the voice acting is great i thought manaka's voice would grate on me but no it really works well.
fish out of water stories (literally) are among my favs, so adding that to a love story and even a tiny bit of an environmental story (without being preachy and also giving absolutely no solutions but still) and the wrapping it all in a [spoiler] type plot line... oh it just makes me so happy how good this is.

The not so good:
it drags a little at the start but boy does it ramp up so yeah.... minor issue.

The bad:
nothing...
unless NISA doesn't actually have this... that would make me cry

but yeah from now on this will be one of those shows i casually suggest people watch (along with princess tutu and Natsume yuujinchou though i'm not too subtle about the latter title) cause i think it hasn't gotten much attention but wow is it good.
but yeah, make up you own mind by heading over to crunchyroll...
i'm going to "patiently" wait for NISA to confirm or deny that they have this property.