Kamisama Kiss Season 2

This is the last of my Winter 2015 titles.
And.... i don't really have anything continuing into Spring...
other then Sailor moon and kuroko.... and i don't know if i'm going to continue either of those at this rate.

Anyways, Kamisama Kiss.
Easily the girliest show i watched this season but it's cute and fun so it's all worth it.

The story continues to follow Nanami, a young girl who loses her home and ends up inheriting the position of land God. she needs to work hard to gain the respect of her Familiars as well as other gods who think a human just isn't suited for the role.
At the same time she falls in love with her Fox Familiar Tomoe but love between humans and yokai is forbidden.
so yeah... it's more of that...
we get a few new characters and more development of her becoming a god.
and it's cute and adorable and the intro song is catchy as hell (and so much better then season 1... season 1 had a terrible intro song)

However if you don't like girly shows
or romantic comedies this isn't going to change your mind.
I thought it was sweet and fun and i adore stories that have a mostly real world with supernatural elements.

So yeah... the good:
Plot gets furthered, we learn more about certain characters but lots of stuff is still open for season 3 (which i'm sure will happen in a year or two to let the manga get further ahead)
Animation is lovely and can at times have this watercolour feel which i really like.
Intro song~

i dunno it's just so fun~ i like fun happy music.

The not so good:
As much as the plot does go forward.... not too much happens.
there are characters that are introduced that do not get enough decription... but season 3 will most likely deal with that.
The last episode mentions that it's the last episode which will confuse people.... especially considering i'm pretty sure season 1 did the exact same thing. Anime based on ongoing manga tend to take breaks to let things catch up or get further ahead...
Break between Haruhi Season 1 and 2 was 3 years.
between season 1 and 2 of natsume yuujinchou there was a 3 month break followed by a three year gap between 2 and 3.
Slayer didn't get a 4th season till nearly 10 years AFTER season three.
so yeah unless the original content has finished and the manga has covered the same ground there is still a chance for more...
the final episode doesn't mean the end of a series.
.....
sorry i think i have some Natsume yuujinchou 'please let season 5 happen soon' anxiety i needed to get off my chest. 

The bad:
this has a very specific and limited audience... if you do not like cute little girly love stories with RomCom elements then you will hate this
i enjoyed it and look forward to buy it.... when our dollar isn't so bad though... but anyways...

You can watch this (and season 1) over at Funimation if you are in north america and Crunchyroll for other places (i don't know where, crunchy wont tell me) 

Thats it! Winter 2015 is over (for me)

Here are all the other shows i wrote about this season:
Bonjour Sweet Love Patisserie
Your Lie in April - another stellar (but very sad) show 
Yona of the Dawn
Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!  Silly title but great show.
Parasyte - the maxim -  Great show with a terrible ending
Death Parade
ALDNOAH.ZERO 
Durarara!! x2 

Hopefully in a few weeks i'll have my first impression for Spring 2015... dunno if i'll have as many titles as i did this season (cause working 12 hour days and makign time to watch anime don't really go hand in hand) but i do have a handful of things i am excited about (nagato yuki spin off and SNAFU 2... it's going to be a fun season)
What were your fav titles for winter 2015? lookign forward to anything in spring? let me know!  

Kuroko's Basketbll Season 3 -rant-

I'm not dropping the show just yet but i have some things to get off my chest.

Long story short: i'm not thrilled with the direction the show has been taking as of late.

Long story Long:

I don't like sports anime... for almost the exact same reason i don't like Mech anime or anything with any kind of tournament.

Why?
Reason 1
Predictable as hell
You know that up until a certain point victory is guaranteed. there are no stakes because if the good guys lose there is no more show.

Reason 2
Attacks/Moves get names... and i'm sorry but if you have enough time to shout out the name of your move then you have enough time to just do the move without callign it something stupid.

Reason 3
It almost always becomes a race to who has the better god mode.
people keep getting abilities or attacks that are just a little stronger till all the characters are pretty much just gods that cannot be touched.

I adored season 1 of this show.
It was quick, there were lots of matches, nothing lasted more then 2 episodes and none of the attacks were named.
Season 2 worried me...
They name some of kuroko's moves and kagami got God mode "the zone"... i would consider this is the moment the show jumped the shark.
not only were things being named but abilities now had tangible durations.
worst of all the show tried to distance the two characters that were most interesting together... Kagimi and Kuroko... apart they were just one really good and fairly cocky player and one that could pass decently.

Season 3 was hard.
or currently is hard... since it's still going.
12 episodes in and kuroko has only played in 6 of them... titular character be damned i guess.
We learn all of the abilities.... one of which is just so mind blowingly stupid it's hard to describe the noise i made when it was shown.
we hear more about the "generation of miracles" but also "the uncrowned kings" but if that wasn't bad enough "the miracle that never was"
and Kise gets the most bullshit god mode ability i have ever seen with damn near no repercussions
Akashi's one eye is much lighter now then in the past but Kise didn't seem changed at all.
also the 6 episodes kuroko actually plays.... yeah thats one match.
one stupid match of bullshit "well i'm going to do this" "no he can't possibly!" "well i'll show you!" for 6 episodes..... 6

I don't know what was worse.... endless eight or that match (ok.... thats not fair... endless eight was one of the biggest middle fingers in anime i have ever seen)

but it's over now... but then i realized.... the next match wont be the one i'm waiting for... ti wont be the one that was keeping me going through this ungodly stupid bullshit show...
no it's going to be the match for 3rd.... and i don't care... not even a little... i may just wait a few weeks.... start back when the match i wanna see actually starts
cause i can't take the stupid anymore
i really liked this show
it was cute and funny and none of the stupid sport anime tropes were present and it feels like it's just trying to find more sharks to jump.

well i guess we'll see how it all goes... i am just so disappointed.

Durarara!! X2

Part 1 i guess...
wow July cannot get here soon enough (partially because my fav con and partially cause part 2 starts... also i'll be closer to the end of this show i'm working on so... yay)

Um... so.... uh...
I don't know what to say.
It's not quite as non-linear as season 1... but it sure made me yell out and scream and cover my eyes more then season one...
especially that last episode... just wow.

my only complaint
more Orihaya Izaya please...
i want to know more about him
what he is
why he does shit
why he [spoilers]

actually thats not true... my other complaint is Izaya's little sisters.
They are just the most annoying waste of characters i have ever seen... they serve no purpose to the plot or overall story and nothing would really change if they weren't there.

Other then that this show is as good as the first season... go watch it all
and that ending song... not sure if i like it more then complicated (2nd intro of first season) or trust me (first ending of first season) but it's just so good.

ok i should try to give a synopsis...
ok.... uh
Ikebukoro
.... it's a silly place.

that's all i've got...
Go watch season 1 on crunchyroll then watch the start of season 2... *nods*

one little unrelated side note.
I have always felt that if Hiroshi Kamiya had an english voice actor analogue it would be Johnny Yong Bosch... it's hard to describe because they speak different languages but they both have a similar range of sounding sweet and sincere and yet they can also get very loud or very rage filled.
Izaya, who is played by hiroshi in japanese is played by johnny in english.
and it's perfect... just proves my feeling that if Natsume yuujinchou did get a dub i would want johnny to play Natsume... i honestly can't think of anyone else who could.
then again if NISA did put our NY in english i'd cry cause.... i'd have to buy it again.... and our dollar is kinda terrible at the moment.

okay no more tangents
ok tomorrow i decide if i put up with Kuroko for any longer...
monday is the final episode of the girliest show i'm watching.... and then i'm done for the season and starting completely fresh for spring 2015...

Other shows from this season:
Bonjour Sweet Love Patisserie
Your Lie in April - another stellar (but very sad) show 
Yona of the Dawn
Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!  Silly title but great show.
Parasyte - the maxim -  Great show with a terrible ending
Death Parade
ALDNOAH.ZERO 

ALDNOAH.ZERO (season 2)

For a while i figure dthis show would end either with a hail of bullets... or annihilation.
I rather enjoyed that ending.

So lets just add this to my extremely short list of Sci-fi shows that didn't give me a panic attack.
like... it's a really short list...
This
Macross...
Gankutsuou (it takes place in space so i'm counting it)
Captain earth (which is borderline cause even though i'm the only person who likes that show it did nearly make me panic)
Gargantia.... which barely takes place in space but it still counts.

so yeah... ti's got that going for it.

Compared to season one... it may not be as good... certain characters do certain things that make no sense... certain characters also rely a bit too much on god mode.
However i still enjoyed it.

The music is amazing (same composer as Blue exorcist and Attack on titan... the OST not the intros and endings)
The animation is pretty good, everyone looks like they are puckering their lips in profile but thats a minor stylistic gripe.
The story is good... though far more predictable then season 1.
Overall i enjoyed it...
Is it Gen Urobuchi's best creation?
no.... for me Gargantia far surpasses this (and Puella magi madoka magica for that matter)
still it's really good and you should go watch it over on Crunchyroll or Daisuki

however this is not the only one of these i'll be writing today... the first cour of Durarara!! ends today and they seem to be taking a break over spring.
so you'll get to hear my thoughts on that in about 30 mins (give or take how long it takes me to gush about Orihaya Izaya)

Other shows from this season:
Bonjour Sweet Love Patisserie
Your Lie in April - another stellar (but very sad) show 
Yona of the Dawn
Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!  Silly title but great show.
Parasyte - the maxim -  Great show with a terrible ending
Death Parade

Death Parade

This season... wow... just a giant roller coaster of emotion.

I am grateful this didn't end last week.... considering it was have been the next show after Your lie in april which i am still a little choked up over.

Ok... plot...
...
Actually... no.... that wouldn't work... how about this.
Two people enter a bar with no memories, after being greeted by the bartender they are told they must stake their life on a game if they wish to leave the bar. The game is chosen at random.

Other then that I can't tell you the plot, all i can say watch the first 2 episodes, do not stop after episode 1, if it's not interesting by episode 2 then drop it... but give it the chance.

I'll be honest i figured i wouldn't enjoy this show... Madhouse has a very specific style/type of show they make and more often then not it just doesn't appeal to me. However after watchign the first episode i was surprised that i found the concept intriguing... and then episode 2 solidified it for me and i was hooked.

Part of me even wants a bit more, i would love another season of this just cause the concept is so well done.
on the other hand it probably wouldn't be the same. it ended at the spot it needed to end.
Yes some things don't have the amount of closure i would like but sometimes that is just how things are. It was still satisfying and i'm glad i watched it.

Even it if made me cry a whole bunch
not that it's difficult.

Okay so tomorrow we have Aldnoah Zero ending (thats gunna be fun)
The first 'cour' of the second season of Durarara finishes and i'm not sure if it's just rolling into the next cour or if there will be a break... if it's just rolling into it i'll probably hold off on writing a thing.
and then on Sunday i figure if i'm gunna stick with the BS that Kuroko no basket is trying to pull... i'll be honest... i am not having a good time with it.

Anyways, give Death Parade a chance, it's available on Funimation in North America   but i'm not sure about the rest of the world... sorry.

The good:
Animation, i may not be in love with Madhouse's style but wow this show is pretty.
Intro song... it's so happy and catchy and even though it doesn't fit with the show it actually fits kinda perfectly.
Story... i know i didn't say much but the story is well paced and just so interesting and yeah a little heartbreaking but..... yeah.

The not so good:
Not everything gets closure, i figure this is moreso leaving it open for another season but who knows.

And thats all i've got

Other shows from this season:
Bonjour Sweet Love Patisserie
Your Lie in April - another stellar (but very sad) show 
Yona of the Dawn
Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!  Silly title but great show.
Parasyte - the maxim -  Great show with a terrible ending

Parasyte -the maxim-

I'll be honest, i'm not the biggest fan of Horror or sci-fi
When it comes to horror i just find it kinda dull and predictable and the endings are rarely worth it.

That is kinda my issue with Parasyte.
It's a great show, interesting concept, lovely art.
but how do you end an alien invasion story in a way that leaves you feeling like the journey was worth it.
honestly i think ending it on episode 23 would have been better.
Episode 24 was just a little too Pseudo-Philosophical... lets have these sprawling monologues over what it all means and then not really do anything with it.

However other then the ending i really enjoyed the show. it was an interesting world with interesting rules and overall gripping and suspenseful.
Not really scary... other then parasytes randomly hitting the earth and taking over human hosts is kinda scary... but past that... *shrugs* maybe other things were scary? Horror has never made me scared... it makes me laugh (sci fi on the other hand...)

but yeah.... i found up until last week i was really enjoying where it was going but that ending was just such a letdown... not that i know what i was expecting.
Closure maybe?
consequence perhaps?
I don't know.

SO anyways....

The good:
Animation was lovely and Fluid, not my fav mad house anime of the season but we can get to that on friday.
Music was pretty good though some songs started to repeat a bit too much for my taste.
The Parasytes are fairly interesting and shinichi never feels too powerful (well... ok sometimes he does but you still fear for him)

The not so good:
Preachy, i know i complained about the final episode a lot but many of the monologues just get preachy without actually saying anything (and anything that is said is pretty common sense)

The bad:
Episode 23 should have been then final episode OR there needed to be some closure about those infected with Parasytes.
the last act feels a bit rushed, it's almost like suddenly the whole world is after him when it's not.

so yeah... i don't think anything finishes tomorrow,
Death Parade on Friday
Aldnoah zero on Saturday
Kuroko.... i may drop it on sunday... we will see.
otherwise not sure how many more of these i have left.

Other shows from this season:
Bonjour Sweet Love Patisserie
Your Lie in April - another stellar (but very sad) show 
Yona of the Dawn 
Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!  Silly title but great show.

Mischievous Kiss 2

You have been together for years.... and you still can't call him by his first name?

Okay really quick

This show is goofy and silly and the main guy is borderline as far as healthy relationships go but i still found myself enjoying it.
doubt we'll get another season but i think it would be fun,

Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!

It may have the most rediculous/stupid title... but this show is one of the best oh it's genre.
It is the best 'Magical girl/boy' show this season... because Sailor moon is turning out to be more then a little dull and rushed.
If i had to rate this among my all time fav Magical girl/boy it would probably be right near the top with Princess Tutu (seriously why do these shows have so rediculous names?!) and Cardcaptor Sakura.

I'll be honest when i first heard about this show i was worried it would be another Free.
Extremely pretty but mostly just fanservice with little to no plot or purpose. (i dunno maybe free 2 is better? i couldn't stomach any more then the one season)
Then i heard a commercial for it and my reaction was.
"Is that... Hiroshi kamiya i hear?... Is he playing the magically transforming villain?! I hope this show is good cause i want to see that"
So i waited for the first episode and after watching it I was hooked. I almost never find comedy anime funny (cause i'm not japanese and i don't get all the references) but i was nearly doubled over laughing.
It was everything i wanted it to be and more.
and every week it got better.
The bad guys had motivation.
The good guys all had uniqueness to their character.
The comedy (largely pun based) never fell flat for me
and that final episode? Perfection... just this lovely mash of comedy and tropes and having a message.

ok.... plot time.
Theres an all boys school (which I think has a name that pretty much translates to 'pretty boy high school') and in this school there is a club called "earth defense club"
they don't really do anything.
one day a Pink Wombat shows up and claims that the 5 members need to transform into "Battle lovers"
They refuse cause it's pretty stupid... howver the wombat slaps bracelets one them and forces them to change, changing their destiny at the same time.
And it's wonderful.

There is also the student council magical boy team and some shady reporters and a teacher that may or may not be dead.

I just loved it. i'm so sad it's over....... or is it?

I'm just saying they seem to still have what they need to have another season...
could be done... pretty easily...
more hiroshi kamiya please.

Anyways you can watch it on crunchyroll or funimation (though i think Funi is a week or two behind)
Funimation will probably be putting out blurays soon.... i hope they do a special edition.
or like have the ring or bracelet
i want it
i really loved this show.

also cause i have been forgetting.

The good:
Everything
Animation is great
comedy is great
broken engrish is great.
hint at possibility for season 2 is REALLY great.
more shows like this please.

The bad:
only 12 episodes.
not enough hiroshi.
would have been nice if the others got super duper special attacks more often
but seriously 12 episodes is not enough.

I will probably draw a lot of fanart for this when my arm stops hurting (pinched nerves suck... especially in your dominant hand)
for now all i can say is go watch it.


Other shows from this season:
Bonjour Sweet Love Patisserie
Your Lie in April - another stellar (but very sad) show 
Yona of the Dawn 

ok i gotta run and get some sleep... still not too used to waking up at 5 AM
Parasyte ends tomorrow i believe... then nothing till saturday (i think)

Yona of the Dawn

Aka: Akatsuki no Yona

Even though it's not mentioned and nothing official has been announced this was a great First season.
I look forward to season 2... whenever it hits
cause it will come some day
we barely finished act 1 for crying out loud.

however i only have a little bit of my lunch left so onto the ramble.

On the surface Yona of the dawn is reverse harem with colour coded dragon boys.

However it's not that at all.
I mean there are elements of that but that isn't the point.

Yona, the young princess of Awa castle with fibrant red hair, is celebrating her 16th birthday. Old friends are coming to town and she's excited to see her old crush.
However that same night something is off and while trying to find someone she stumbles upon her Father in a pool of his own blood... and her childhood crush standing over him.
With the help of her guard she flees the castle and the possibility of death and becomes a fugitive in her own land.
While in hiding they come across a priest who tells her about the legend of the 4 dragons and their King.
The white dragon has Strength untold, The Blue has eyes that can see for miles, Green has legs so strong he can practically fly and the yellow has a strong body. They all follow their king the red dragon.
She is the reincarnation of the red dragon so while looking for a safe place to hide they decide to try and gather all the dragons.
They also travel with a cute little squirrel and a pretty boy who happens to be a genius.
However what will they do once they gather everyone? will they take on the one who murdered her father? or will they just continue to try and live.

and it's so good.
and it's so funny
and the music is so pretty
and not enough people are watching it.

Easily one of my favs this season (you are going to hear that a lot cause this season was pretty damn good) Easily one of the best 'reverse harem' type shows i have ever seen cause that is not at all what it is about.
The cliffhangers (especially near the end of the season) were a bit brutal but hey you can watch it all over on crunchyroll (or funimation but i think they are a week or two behind Crunchy) now.

But yeah, it's funny cause i was on the fence with this show for weeks.
and now it's one of the ones i waited for the most.

anyways lunch break is over so i'll just say give the show a chance, if you don't like it by the time the blue dragon is introduced you can probably stop but i'd urge you to continue.

Other shows i finished this season:
Bonjour Sweet Love Patisserie
Your Lie in April - another stellar (but very sad) show 

Also (oh god i always get this title wrong)
Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!! finishes today, i wont get to watch till after work but spoiler, i love it

okay back to work~

BONJOUR Sweet Love Patisserie

Short review for a short show.
I have always had a bit of a soft spot for shows focused on baking.
I don't know why but most of the time i tend to enjoy them.
I was a little disaapointed that the episodes are only 5 minutes long (well 4 actually because 30 seconds for intro and ending songs) since it does make the story feel a bit rushed.
However for a 5 min show it's very pretty and has a decent plot that goes a little crazy in the penultimate episode.
However the intro song is one of the worst songs i have ever heard, for almost every episode you need to skip to the 30 second mark to avoid any ear pain.
The first ending song is pretty terrible too but you can't just stop watching by that point.
I do with the show had gotten a 12 or 24 episode run of 30ish min episodes since it isn't comedy based and could have used that time to have more development but in the end it was enjoyable enough and can be marathoned in practically no time at all. 


So if you are like me and have a soft spot for baking shows (or silly little reverse harems) then give this one a try. 
You can watch it on Crunchyroll

Other shows this season:
Your Lie in April

Part 2: Your Lire in April

I knew I would need to add onto my last ramble about this show. There were things i wanted to think about how to type without having my good friend over my shoulder since i'm positive i'm going to write a lot... erase it and post just the bare bones.

Last night I mentioned that i felt Arima has PTSD and a little generalized anxiety.
I feel this way because even though it's never mentioned in the show what he goes through over the course of 22 episodes is damn near exactly have i have felt.
Seeing how it feels to have an anxiety attack or a PTSD episode animated in front of me was both extremly beautiful and extremely difficult. I saw myself as Arima because even though our triggers and symptoms were different the cause of it all and the age range of it beginning was pretty similar.
I know those feelings oh so well, and seeing someone... even someone who isn't real... push through it filled me with a little bit of hope that maybe one day i wont be paralyzed by fear by what 99% of people consider stupid shit.

This show was so hard to watch, and yet i loved every minute of it.
This show made me cry so many times and yet i loved it.
This show managed to trigger me once... and yet i love it.

Despite all the sad shit going on there is the bit of hope and happiness and growth.
If a show can put me through the emotional rollercoaster of facing my own mental health issues then it must be truly special.

Watch this show, it's one of the best shows in this stellar season.

I think i have a few things ending saturday... i'm not sure if death parades last episode is today or not... either way lots of posting that i'll have to finish in between work and trying to break a fever.

Your Lie in April

I HATE crying in front of people. however my good friend (the one i watch natsume with so she's seen me cry lots..... lots... too much.... such a crybaby) was over so yeah.... oh god the tears

This show is amazing
Why did aniplex have to license it?
this is going to be so expensive to buy.... but i have to own it
...
*sighs*

SO the story is about Kousei Arima, he is a young pianist who suffers from PTSD and generalized anxiety
it's never said in the show.... but that's what he's got
anyways he meats this girl who helps him come back to being able to play piano

and it's one of the saddest shows i have sat through
...
so yeah... go watch it on crunchyroll.
right now

http://www.crunchyroll.com/your-lie-in-april

and yeah.... i'm gunna go cry more. 

Part 2 i Go a little more personal about why i like this show so much so yeah... no need to read

Atelier Rorona Plus: The alchemist of arland

Hey i guess i've completed the arland trilogy now... neat.

And the newest Atelier game should arrive at my house in the next week or two (pretty special edition/ reminder on how broken the Canadian dollar is at the moment... my purchases from the US are pretty much over till that is a bit better)

So this is the first game in the arland trilogy... not that it really matters since each game has a different story line... you'll just know a bit more about certain characters if you play them in order.

This was however the last one they decided to make a "plus" version of... i'm not entirely sure why but i'm guessing it has something to do with the original Rorona's more 'chibi' art style.

If you've played an atelier game (or even a gust game in general) certain things remain in tack. You have a time frame where you need to get certain tasks done in order to get different endings. You go around collecting items which you then synthesise and either use or report to make progress. You also have to keep your popularity up and make friends in order to ensure your workshop will be successful.

I got the normal ending cause no matter what i did it was just too hard to get my popularity up AND do the quests, and try and Synth everything AND do all the optional quests. Granted i figure theres a side quest involving the guy who's the antagonist that i must have missed a trigger for before it was happening a lot but by the last year nothing.... i even got a certain item and everything but i had no idea who to give it to.

Overall it was okay... it was really nice getting Sterk so early in the game (even though by end game rorona was far stronger then him), I enjoyed seeing where certain reoccurring characters started out.

But there was just something.... limiting about it compaired to the other two Arland series games.
There aren't many locations to go explore and gather, there are lots of bosses but for the most part (other then this one mech that killed me in one shot) they are all pretty easy.

It doesn't feel like there is much to synth in general... and i spent most of the game convinced i had missed an area since there were so many vital things i couldn't find anywhere.... i think they were just rare and i was unlucky because i searched everywhere.

Rorona is a great protagonist though. I like that she's a little more confident then Totori.... and everyone is better then Meruru

Still is this my fav game of the trilogy? no... Totori had a better story, larger world and overall more to do... but it does have more direction then Meruru and I didn't worry that i would play through the game and still get the bad ending.

But yeah if you want to try out the series then start with Totori, then this and then Meruru (which i know i have complained about a lot... it isn't bad it just does a lot of annoying things)

Or if you aren't into handhelds go play Atelier Escha and Logy since i think so far thats my fav of the bunch... though i still need to beat Escha's story.