*pouts like the child she pretends to be* i want more.
I hope this gets a second season, i don't think it will (depending on what happens in pilot and the princess) but still... i want more... cause i'm greedy.
Anyways.
Pilot's love song is about a floating land mass known as Isla that is heading to a place known as "the end of the sky". The story focuses on a class of new student who are learning to become pilots just incase they need to defend Isla from unknown foes. The class contains mostly younger student, one just so happens to be the supposedly dead prince who may or may not want revenge on the current governor who essentially sent his family to their deaths. However revenge is easier said then done.
As i mention before it is in the same universe as Pilot and the princess but as of this moment i haven't seen that film and have no idea how they are connected... but i did order it from NISA so i should get it eventually (whenever the other thing i ordered gets released)
Also NISA announced pretty early on in the shows run that they got the license for this so i'm really excited to own this in one of their lovely boxes.
The good:
There are a few turns that the story takes that i didn't see coming and i love being surprised like that. The story and world are very interesting and while some bits feel rushed (aka this could have easily been a 22-26 episode show instead of 13) the overall pacing works well for the type of story that is being told.
I love that fairly quickly not only do i know all the students by name (which is rare for me) but i also know all their personality and backstory without huge exposition dumps.
The not so good:
I'm curious what the animation budget was for this... and how much was spent on rendering the planes cause wow the animation for this show it pretty terrible.
It's never distracting but i do wish the show could be prettier to look at considering the grandeur of the plot.
and yeah... again... i want this to be longer but from the looks of it there are quite a few stories in this world so maybe we'll get more? I'm hopeful.
The bad:
That stupid voice actor recognition thing i do completely spoiled one of the bigger plot twists before it was even hinted at. It was literally a moment of "that sounds like------ ah crap" which was followed by me being all sad until it was finally shown.
In the end i enjoyed this title a lot, easily up there with my favs of the season, you can watch it over on Crunchyroll.
I think the only other thing that is finishing this season is Nagi no Asukura on Thursday and then it'll be onto the spring 2014 lineup first impressions... after looking at the promo art for all the shows nothing really jumps out at me but i'll still try to give everything a shot.
Monday, 31 March 2014
Sunday, 30 March 2014
Karneval
First impression of the show: wow this is one of the prettiest shows I've ever seen...
it's also nice to hear hiroshi kamiya... i didn't know he was in this... lucky~
First time hearing the intro song: That voice... it's familiar.... Granrodeo? *waits till it pops up* Called it.... dunno when i started being able to do that with music but.... okay.
After hearing the ending song a few times: It sounds like... Hiroshi Kamiya singing... but.... can he even sing? *does a little research* son of a..... he has a band? and he IS singing the ending song for this show *sighs* i give up...
Anyways.... onto the show.
Karneval is about Nai and Gareki and how they end up on a ship full of elite agents known as Circus. Nai is actually an animal in a human body so many different factions are after him, Gareki just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up saving and then befriending the odd boy.
They eventually befriend their bodyguards and everyone works together to find Nai's father/creator Karoku.
All that being said i will be greatly upset if this show doesn't get a second season... so far they are saying no but it's being considered.
The good: (sorry in my feverish state over the past few days I've completely thrown my format out the window... lets get back to doing this right now that I'm finally better [only took 48ish hours])
As i said above this is probably one of the prettiest shows I've ever seen. The lovely use of colour, the fluid animation and just incredibly detailed art... half the time i couldn't help but want to draw cause it was all just so pretty.
The voice acting is stellar and I'm not just saying that cause my fav voice actor has a lot of speaking time. This just has a really good cast... even Nai who would normally be "the annoying" voice is kinda cute in a childish and endearing way... and the bunny/sheep robots... way too cute.
The music is good... again not just cause i happen to like granrodeo (though that helps) and KAmiYU has my fav voice actor singing (that helps too though) but the circusy vibe of the music without being overdone is just such a nice balance.
The character design is also pretty fantastic, every silhouette is distinct which for anime is pretty rare... also I'm a suck for extremely colourful characters... i mean i like when they go more realistic too but in this world the colourful hair and eyes work so well.
The not so good:
The way it ended completely suggest 2nd and potentially even 3rd seasons.... but it seems the show didn't do as well as they were hoping... but this show is really good so... i hold out hope that maybe we'll get another season? it's been a year since the original spring 2013 release... anime do tend to have long breaks... but yeah if this is really all we get then that kinda sucks. It ends off at a fine point but boy do i want more.
The bad:
... i got nothing.
Maybe some chunks feel a bit filler-ish?
maybe we could have learnt more about circus?
But if we get another season I'm positive those things will be addressed.
for now though... I'm bad at waiting so.... time to see if anyone has licensed the manga.
*checks*
No?
. . .
well that sucks... honestly I've been so behind with manga licensing companies in NA that i have no idea who would be best suited for this kinda story....
I'm just gunna say shoujo beat cause it's cheap.
and yes.... i consider this shojo... that many pretty boys and i automatically assume it's targeted at my gender thank you very much (though anyone could enjoy it I'm sure... shojo doesn't only mean romance just like shonen doesn't only mean action)
The entire season can be seen over on Funimations website (at least in North America, i do not know if they ever license for other countries.)
I will be picking up the DVD if i see it for a good price at a con... for now though i really should be conserving bandwidth (can't wait for unlimited bandwidth starting next month.)
and maybe some fan art of the show would be fun... so much colour... i could go nuts.
it's also nice to hear hiroshi kamiya... i didn't know he was in this... lucky~
First time hearing the intro song: That voice... it's familiar.... Granrodeo? *waits till it pops up* Called it.... dunno when i started being able to do that with music but.... okay.
After hearing the ending song a few times: It sounds like... Hiroshi Kamiya singing... but.... can he even sing? *does a little research* son of a..... he has a band? and he IS singing the ending song for this show *sighs* i give up...
Anyways.... onto the show.
Karneval is about Nai and Gareki and how they end up on a ship full of elite agents known as Circus. Nai is actually an animal in a human body so many different factions are after him, Gareki just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up saving and then befriending the odd boy.
They eventually befriend their bodyguards and everyone works together to find Nai's father/creator Karoku.
All that being said i will be greatly upset if this show doesn't get a second season... so far they are saying no but it's being considered.
The good: (sorry in my feverish state over the past few days I've completely thrown my format out the window... lets get back to doing this right now that I'm finally better [only took 48ish hours])
As i said above this is probably one of the prettiest shows I've ever seen. The lovely use of colour, the fluid animation and just incredibly detailed art... half the time i couldn't help but want to draw cause it was all just so pretty.
The voice acting is stellar and I'm not just saying that cause my fav voice actor has a lot of speaking time. This just has a really good cast... even Nai who would normally be "the annoying" voice is kinda cute in a childish and endearing way... and the bunny/sheep robots... way too cute.
The music is good... again not just cause i happen to like granrodeo (though that helps) and KAmiYU has my fav voice actor singing (that helps too though) but the circusy vibe of the music without being overdone is just such a nice balance.
The character design is also pretty fantastic, every silhouette is distinct which for anime is pretty rare... also I'm a suck for extremely colourful characters... i mean i like when they go more realistic too but in this world the colourful hair and eyes work so well.
The not so good:
The way it ended completely suggest 2nd and potentially even 3rd seasons.... but it seems the show didn't do as well as they were hoping... but this show is really good so... i hold out hope that maybe we'll get another season? it's been a year since the original spring 2013 release... anime do tend to have long breaks... but yeah if this is really all we get then that kinda sucks. It ends off at a fine point but boy do i want more.
The bad:
... i got nothing.
Maybe some chunks feel a bit filler-ish?
maybe we could have learnt more about circus?
But if we get another season I'm positive those things will be addressed.
for now though... I'm bad at waiting so.... time to see if anyone has licensed the manga.
*checks*
No?
. . .
well that sucks... honestly I've been so behind with manga licensing companies in NA that i have no idea who would be best suited for this kinda story....
I'm just gunna say shoujo beat cause it's cheap.
and yes.... i consider this shojo... that many pretty boys and i automatically assume it's targeted at my gender thank you very much (though anyone could enjoy it I'm sure... shojo doesn't only mean romance just like shonen doesn't only mean action)
The entire season can be seen over on Funimations website (at least in North America, i do not know if they ever license for other countries.)
I will be picking up the DVD if i see it for a good price at a con... for now though i really should be conserving bandwidth (can't wait for unlimited bandwidth starting next month.)
and maybe some fan art of the show would be fun... so much colour... i could go nuts.
Saturday, 29 March 2014
Kuroko's Basketball Season 2
Aka: Kuroko no basuke
Aka The basketball which kuroko plays.
Sports anime tend to be pretty boring, so back in 2012 when this show started i was fairly sure it wouldn't be my cup of tea.... but i had also decided to give more shows a shot since i had the crunchyroll subscription anyways.
I loved the first season, the characters were great and all had their own personality. It had humor and charm and it didn't fall into a lot of the tropes that make sports anime kinda terrible.
As someone who played basketball for a while I was worried it would be too unrealistic or that they would do stupid annoying stuff like naming moves or having a second last a few minutes as they talk back and forth in midair.
and yes that happened a few times in the first season but it was kept to a minimum... for the most part the show was more about building the team then it was about the matches. The generation of miracles was an interesting concept and it was used pretty well.
However, i can't say the same for this season.
The show is still really good... the characters are still great, the story thats old when they aren't playing games is interesting... you really get a sense of everyones personality and the music for the show is just fantastic (i really enjoy Granrodeo so that probably helps)
But then it started to rely on a lot of those tropes that i mentioned hating.
They started naming moves (ignite pass? barrier jumper? meteorite dunk? or my personal fav Ignite pass Kai? like... why?) which is so incredibly stupid it made me yell out at the screen every time cause it needed to stop... then the matches got much longer... the Aomine match lasted at least 5 episodes... maybe more. we started only really caring about the matches against the generation of miracles and as they faced more they ended up feeling a bit like... Godmode.
however the worst thing to happen this season was "the zone"
every time the zone was used the show just felt like it was tossing all the other characters skills away to focus on the one character...
not to mention the lightning from the eyes stuff was just silly... again i understand that you are trying to visually represent a mental state but you know what? maybe don't... maybe just describe the zone as it is... an intangible state where you suddenly can focus on more then you could before.
also last time i checked this is "KUROKO's Basketball, not Kagami's basketball... not Teppies... Kuroko....
I don't mind that the other characters get focus... i was just sad that they got almost all of the focus.
when the intro changed animation and you see what kuroko has up his sleeve i was so excited that he would be attempting 'that' but then he does it... and everyone is happy... and then it's kinda dropped... i wanted more focus on him becoming a more formidable player instead of just "look at how good kagami is"
The show is still really good but it felt like they were really trying to build tension near the end of this season... even though it may be a while before we see a season 3. so we have all this energy thats going to be lost between now and when we get the new season.
Not to mention he still hasn't faced Akashi... i really want him to face akashi and see what his deal is (cause i know nothing other then what the anime has shown)
my hope is that in the next season Kagami gets knocked down a peg or two cause a story of someone who is good but not good enough is far more interesting then the story of someone who is just an unstoppable monster who goes super saiyen when the going gets tough.
Also more focus on kuroko please, i want to see him become a strong player then any of the others realize.
Still it's a great show, watch both seasons over on crunchyroll.
and please someone license it so i can own it on dvd/bluray
also bring over the manga please.
cause yeah.... it's good... just silly.
Aka The basketball which kuroko plays.
Sports anime tend to be pretty boring, so back in 2012 when this show started i was fairly sure it wouldn't be my cup of tea.... but i had also decided to give more shows a shot since i had the crunchyroll subscription anyways.
I loved the first season, the characters were great and all had their own personality. It had humor and charm and it didn't fall into a lot of the tropes that make sports anime kinda terrible.
As someone who played basketball for a while I was worried it would be too unrealistic or that they would do stupid annoying stuff like naming moves or having a second last a few minutes as they talk back and forth in midair.
and yes that happened a few times in the first season but it was kept to a minimum... for the most part the show was more about building the team then it was about the matches. The generation of miracles was an interesting concept and it was used pretty well.
However, i can't say the same for this season.
The show is still really good... the characters are still great, the story thats old when they aren't playing games is interesting... you really get a sense of everyones personality and the music for the show is just fantastic (i really enjoy Granrodeo so that probably helps)
But then it started to rely on a lot of those tropes that i mentioned hating.
They started naming moves (ignite pass? barrier jumper? meteorite dunk? or my personal fav Ignite pass Kai? like... why?) which is so incredibly stupid it made me yell out at the screen every time cause it needed to stop... then the matches got much longer... the Aomine match lasted at least 5 episodes... maybe more. we started only really caring about the matches against the generation of miracles and as they faced more they ended up feeling a bit like... Godmode.
however the worst thing to happen this season was "the zone"
every time the zone was used the show just felt like it was tossing all the other characters skills away to focus on the one character...
not to mention the lightning from the eyes stuff was just silly... again i understand that you are trying to visually represent a mental state but you know what? maybe don't... maybe just describe the zone as it is... an intangible state where you suddenly can focus on more then you could before.
also last time i checked this is "KUROKO's Basketball, not Kagami's basketball... not Teppies... Kuroko....
I don't mind that the other characters get focus... i was just sad that they got almost all of the focus.
when the intro changed animation and you see what kuroko has up his sleeve i was so excited that he would be attempting 'that' but then he does it... and everyone is happy... and then it's kinda dropped... i wanted more focus on him becoming a more formidable player instead of just "look at how good kagami is"
The show is still really good but it felt like they were really trying to build tension near the end of this season... even though it may be a while before we see a season 3. so we have all this energy thats going to be lost between now and when we get the new season.
Not to mention he still hasn't faced Akashi... i really want him to face akashi and see what his deal is (cause i know nothing other then what the anime has shown)
my hope is that in the next season Kagami gets knocked down a peg or two cause a story of someone who is good but not good enough is far more interesting then the story of someone who is just an unstoppable monster who goes super saiyen when the going gets tough.
Also more focus on kuroko please, i want to see him become a strong player then any of the others realize.
Still it's a great show, watch both seasons over on crunchyroll.
and please someone license it so i can own it on dvd/bluray
also bring over the manga please.
cause yeah.... it's good... just silly.
Friday, 28 March 2014
Samurai Flamenco
There will be spoilers cause i can't talk about the show without spoiling something so.... yeah
Short Version: This is a good show with a few pacing problems but overall i enjoyed it. If you like the idea of Civilians as superheroes btu felt Kickass was a bit too crass and not funny enough you will probably like this show. Also if you like 'sentai' style teams theres a lot of jokes and humor just for you.
Okay.
As i mentioned before this is a show about a civilian super hero who fights crime... simple stuff like littering or bullying but still Samurai flamenco feels he is doing his job in keeping the peace.
Too bad everyone things he's just some costumed freak.
One day Goto, a cop, hears a noise in an alleyway. He checks it out to find a naked Masayoshi who is claiming not to be suspicious. He just happened to be fighting evil when his suit got torn and thats why he was naked in the alleyway.He's actually a model and this super hero buisness is on the side and totally secret so he asks goto not to tell anyone.... not that they would believe him anyways. They develop a friendship even though Goto doens't get why masayoshi can't just become a cop.
SO... In my first impressions I said this:
But then Episode 8 happened.... and at first i didn't believe it... I was completely stunned and by the time i recovered the first thing out of my mouth was. "I didn't see that coming" and then i paused. "Okay i did see it coming, i even said it after the first episode but i didn't see it happening now"
and that wasn't the only time the show did something surprising... it was just easily one of the more effective times. The introduction of monsters really did change how the story was told.
But it also caused the problems with pacing i mentioned.
so... epsiodes 1-8 he's just a normal guy.
Episode 8 you get a threat introduced, and i believe by ep 12 or 13 that threat is neutralized (kinda)
this works cause it's enough time to both types of stories... the revelation could have been as early as 6 but it works fine at 8.
then when the intro song changes we are introduced to a new concept which was another interesting spin on the formular... which onlys lasts a few episodes before we get into a new spin on the story.
and then there is a new twist
and then another
and then the best twist
and then a new twist
and then it ends.
.... needless to say thats a lot happening in a very short time.
I get that what they are actually doing is going through the different type of comic book/sentai stories that were popular. (monster of the week, big bad, vigilante, ect.) but because the show is only 22 episodes long some of the villans feel rushed. and other feel dragged out.
This show has the opposite problem Golden time had.
It knows exactly who it's main character is.... but it made almost every other character WAY more interesting. Goto especially.
The best episodes are when Goto and Masayoshi are together in stressful situations and showing the difference between a cop and a costumed hero.
the other good episodes are when they two just can't see eye to eye since one has to follow a set of rules and restrictions while the other will go after even the smallest crime.
So the large chunk of episodes where Goto is barely mentioned cause we now have a large cast of Flamenco girls and/or Flamengers (i am not kidding)... it just lost some of what made it interesting and that pretty much killed the pacing.
Like i said there is another Great twist in the story right near the end that i wish was revealed a little earlier. It has to do with Goto and it really helped flush him out as a more developed character... but he's not the main focus so it's not really dealt with as much as it could have been.
The show is good, for the most part well animated (it's gunna be a show that looks better on bluray cause they will probably fix some of the derpy face moments)
The music is really good and i especial like the second animation to the second intro song.
The story is good overall but getting there can be a bit of a drag, the final villain should have been hinted to a little sooner and the ending is a bit ridiculous... i don't see why he needed to do what he did other then to throw people off.
But the best part is Goto.
Partially (okay mostly) cause of his voice.
SO... Goto is voiced by Sugita Tomokazu.... who also does the voice for Kyon in the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya.
So... i thought to myself. "what if this is kyon but older, the girl friend he talks to on his phone could easily be haruhi" and then i got thinking more.
After finishing highschool and becoming a cop Kyon enjoys his dull days away from espers, aliens and time travellers... he also likes that he's gotten away from the stupid nickname. Still it's a little dull.
Then he meets a self proclaimed super hero which is stupid but the kid is into it... he's only fighting petty crimes but no one is getting hurt.
Still what if there were real monsters? how would he be then?
Bam, suddenly (while Goto is there no less) there are monsters.
when the threat is dealt with and things go back to normal he is a bit sad that things just go back to the way they were but then a new threat appears... every time one threat is knocked out a new one comes and stops everyone from living an ordinary life.
therefor my random headcanon is that Goto is Kyon.
and the more i thougth about it the more i could work it in especially considering what happens near the end.
still of course this isn't the intent it's just a fun way (for me) to look at it.
Do i like the show? yes, despite the pacing problems the show got quite a few laughs out of me and i was having a good time. If you are curious about it you can watch it over on crunchyroll. I would say watch the first episode to see if you like the overall feel of the show and if you can at least make it to episode 8 before you decide if you stick with it or not.
Short Version: This is a good show with a few pacing problems but overall i enjoyed it. If you like the idea of Civilians as superheroes btu felt Kickass was a bit too crass and not funny enough you will probably like this show. Also if you like 'sentai' style teams theres a lot of jokes and humor just for you.
Okay.
As i mentioned before this is a show about a civilian super hero who fights crime... simple stuff like littering or bullying but still Samurai flamenco feels he is doing his job in keeping the peace.
Too bad everyone things he's just some costumed freak.
One day Goto, a cop, hears a noise in an alleyway. He checks it out to find a naked Masayoshi who is claiming not to be suspicious. He just happened to be fighting evil when his suit got torn and thats why he was naked in the alleyway.He's actually a model and this super hero buisness is on the side and totally secret so he asks goto not to tell anyone.... not that they would believe him anyways. They develop a friendship even though Goto doens't get why masayoshi can't just become a cop.
SO... In my first impressions I said this:
now normally i don't like superhero stories... but this one is kinda.. .charming... and to tell the truth i was expecting to hate it cause the preview was downright terrible... but, at least in the start, it seems to be more about the type of person who walks around the street in a superhero getup that i assume will eventually transform into fighting real monsters... or maybe it'll just stick to the way it is... i don't know.So i bolded the one line cause as the show went on an it continued just to be petty crimes i thought maybe i was wrong, maybe this will really just stick to costumed people... that could be interesting...
either way it was kinda cute, well animated with decent music.
But then Episode 8 happened.... and at first i didn't believe it... I was completely stunned and by the time i recovered the first thing out of my mouth was. "I didn't see that coming" and then i paused. "Okay i did see it coming, i even said it after the first episode but i didn't see it happening now"
and that wasn't the only time the show did something surprising... it was just easily one of the more effective times. The introduction of monsters really did change how the story was told.
But it also caused the problems with pacing i mentioned.
so... epsiodes 1-8 he's just a normal guy.
Episode 8 you get a threat introduced, and i believe by ep 12 or 13 that threat is neutralized (kinda)
this works cause it's enough time to both types of stories... the revelation could have been as early as 6 but it works fine at 8.
then when the intro song changes we are introduced to a new concept which was another interesting spin on the formular... which onlys lasts a few episodes before we get into a new spin on the story.
and then there is a new twist
and then another
and then the best twist
and then a new twist
and then it ends.
.... needless to say thats a lot happening in a very short time.
I get that what they are actually doing is going through the different type of comic book/sentai stories that were popular. (monster of the week, big bad, vigilante, ect.) but because the show is only 22 episodes long some of the villans feel rushed. and other feel dragged out.
This show has the opposite problem Golden time had.
It knows exactly who it's main character is.... but it made almost every other character WAY more interesting. Goto especially.
The best episodes are when Goto and Masayoshi are together in stressful situations and showing the difference between a cop and a costumed hero.
the other good episodes are when they two just can't see eye to eye since one has to follow a set of rules and restrictions while the other will go after even the smallest crime.
So the large chunk of episodes where Goto is barely mentioned cause we now have a large cast of Flamenco girls and/or Flamengers (i am not kidding)... it just lost some of what made it interesting and that pretty much killed the pacing.
Like i said there is another Great twist in the story right near the end that i wish was revealed a little earlier. It has to do with Goto and it really helped flush him out as a more developed character... but he's not the main focus so it's not really dealt with as much as it could have been.
The show is good, for the most part well animated (it's gunna be a show that looks better on bluray cause they will probably fix some of the derpy face moments)
The music is really good and i especial like the second animation to the second intro song.
The story is good overall but getting there can be a bit of a drag, the final villain should have been hinted to a little sooner and the ending is a bit ridiculous... i don't see why he needed to do what he did other then to throw people off.
But the best part is Goto.
Partially (okay mostly) cause of his voice.
SO... Goto is voiced by Sugita Tomokazu.... who also does the voice for Kyon in the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya.
So... i thought to myself. "what if this is kyon but older, the girl friend he talks to on his phone could easily be haruhi" and then i got thinking more.
After finishing highschool and becoming a cop Kyon enjoys his dull days away from espers, aliens and time travellers... he also likes that he's gotten away from the stupid nickname. Still it's a little dull.
Then he meets a self proclaimed super hero which is stupid but the kid is into it... he's only fighting petty crimes but no one is getting hurt.
Still what if there were real monsters? how would he be then?
Bam, suddenly (while Goto is there no less) there are monsters.
when the threat is dealt with and things go back to normal he is a bit sad that things just go back to the way they were but then a new threat appears... every time one threat is knocked out a new one comes and stops everyone from living an ordinary life.
therefor my random headcanon is that Goto is Kyon.
and the more i thougth about it the more i could work it in especially considering what happens near the end.
still of course this isn't the intent it's just a fun way (for me) to look at it.
Do i like the show? yes, despite the pacing problems the show got quite a few laughs out of me and i was having a good time. If you are curious about it you can watch it over on crunchyroll. I would say watch the first episode to see if you like the overall feel of the show and if you can at least make it to episode 8 before you decide if you stick with it or not.
Thursday, 27 March 2014
Golden Time
So it's been a few hours since the other 'review/rambles' I wrote today... i am still a little feverish from having had food with msg in it so again... if my spelling is worse or i'm not making sense it's cause i can't rally think straight.
Also because i can't think straight i'll probably just end up spoiling everything so....
Short version: This isn't very good, Toradora! is much better watch that instead.... this isn't bad but boy is the main love interest creepy/annoying.
Okay onto spoilers~
Tada Banri is an ordinary guy (his name is a pun for just another ordinary guy apparently), he's just started college and makes some new friends quickly, one of his friends is apparently being stalked by a girl named Kaga Koko who has hunted him down to his college and is trying to join all his classes... but he doesn't like stalkers so he does his best to avoid her.
Banri on the other hand thinks she's cute and harmless and tries to get her to be less obsessive but she just uses him as a way to try and get pity for her situation and get closer to the guy.
Throught this they eventually become friends and after getting half kidnapped by a cult Banri lets it slip that he has no memories before the end of highschool because he was in an accident and fell off a bridge.
Hey you know what... a rom com about a boy who is deal with amnesia could be really interesting, it gets to deal with themes of "what is the Self" and we've seen it work well in some films from the 80s... lets see where this goes.
So they (Kaga and Banri) end up escaping the cult, become better friends and come across the traditional dance club who has a girl named Linda in it who has helped banri a few times so far... later we find out that Linda and Banri were best friends in high school and he loved her and the accident happened cause she was late getting to the meeting point and he was hit by a motorcycle.
Anyways... all that stuff about the amnesiac boy having to deal with the fact that he may know people and not recognize them and how that may effect them and all those lovely themes of self i was talking about... well.... toss those out the window for most of the show.
Stuff happens and eventually Banri and Kaga start dating cause apparently they are in love (though theres a bit where he asks her and she sais no but then later she asks him and was like "sorry it was in my plan that i ask you so i had to turn you down before" and i'm sorry but thats REALLY creepy) and then the rest of the show is them being all lovely dovey but kaga screwing up cause she's kinda useless and obsessive.
again theres an ep where they want to go to the beach and banri wants to pay for himself but he can't afford it without getting a job... Kaga doesn't want him to work cause it means they can't be with each other as much... this forces banri to lie about working on an assignment while he goes to a high paying waiter gig.... in the (lets assume) 4-6 hours he was working she leaves him hundreds of textx, calls him a lot and leaves some messages... she even went to his house to check up on him... then she has the audacity to be angry that he lied about working.
i'm sorry... no
no that is stalking, it is creepy... it is not cute
after that episode i actually wrote a rant on why this ep is really creepy and how it disturbs me that she is most likely the one banri will end up with.... but anyways.
Eventually the fact that he has amnesia comes up again and he realizes that as he's gaining mempories from before he's losing the memories he got after the incident.
ooo this could be neat.... how do they screw it up?
By making Kaga the focus.
Hm... okay show... you seem confused... Kaga isn't the main character... Banri is.... this is his story.... so why is all the focus on her and her creepy obsession then sudden dismissal when theres the threat of being forgotten... why should i the viewer care that she finds the anti anxiety meds he's taking... for that matter why does that upset her... it was perscribed by a doctor and he's taking it... whats so bad about that? But by having all the focus being on Kaga's feelings you minimize Banri's story or having an identity crisis and facign the fact that one day the current him may vanish like the old one did. The most intersting arc Kaga has is when she nearly kills everyone by falling asleep at the wheel and havign to deal with the guilt... but that only lasts one episode.
Anyways.... Banri loses himself, goes back home and thinks abotu dropping out of college since he can't remember anything he did while there. Kaga goes to his house to drop off a DVD and he mistakes her for another girl Oka Chinami (who is essentially just a plot device... maybe she has a more important role in the manga?) Kaga doesn't correct him and asks for directions to the bridge he fell off of.
then stuff happened and he remembered her and we are supposed to be happy but.... you know what? No.
Kaga isn't a creepy by the end of the story... but that doesn't change the fact that as a character i really didn't like her. I felt her actions forced and cruel and possessive and creepy and damn near abusive at some points. I would have been fine had the two sets of memories merged and he went back to her and tried to start as friends again.... but no it's just "Hey, I remember you... i love you" and super happy ending.
I just feel like this show is a huge mess of crap happening without a strong plotline to make it cohesive... the amnesia thing could have been more more prevalent and gradual and heart breaking... and these scenes where he switches between the two banri's are the most interesting in the show... but the show is so obsessed with Kaga and his relationship with her and how awkward she is that you don't get the time you need to deal with the heavier subject matter.
So why compare it to Toradora.
Well when i first saw Golden time the first thing i felt was that it had a Toradora vibe (and not just cause the main girl had wavy hair but i'm sure that helped), so i did some research and yeah, it's the same creators.
I honestly couldn't see it in the art causethe anime of Toradora has slanty face syndrome (which is not a bad thing it's just not what i like to see in art but it works for adding more expression) and golden time has these odd lines that make no sense to be but seem to be a stylistic thing.
but then i started reading the toradora manga and yeah... the style is pretty much exactly the same... so yeah thats the connection.
But i have to wonder... what happened?
Yes in toradora Taiga could be really annoying but she had this sweetness to her.... and Ryuji was a very well developed character who had some interesting character traits that you don't usually get from main characters in what is essentially a show where all the girls like the main guy.
But in golden time banri is just blander the white bread and kaga is a creepy stalker with pretty much no redeeming qualities... and i'm supposed to root for these characters because?
I don't know how this show could have been better.
well.... if it had focused more on the dual personality thing... and more on linda's sotry instead of just resolving that at the end... and i use the term resolving very loosely.... it just felt like a patch job and honestly do not waste your time on golden time.... Toradora is better... go watch that instead... NISA is dubbig it... get the dub and watch it *nods*
side note: if they dub nastume yuujinchou... i will be so happy.
If you still are curious, you can watch all of golden time for free (except the last ep which will be free next week) on crunchyroll.
other side note: if you ever suffer from a severe MSG sensitivity/allergy or MSG toxicity... get some cream of tartar, mix a little [1/2 tsp to 8 oz] it with water... drink it as fast as you can (the longer it sits the more you can taste the cream of tartar) and then just try and drink water for the rest of the day... i was surprised but it really works, apparently cream of tartar either absorbs or neutralizes msg and makes it easier to get out of your system... yay. It does not taste good though...
Samurai Flamenco finishes tomorrow for some reason... Nagi asu has one more ep... so yay... still sat is going to be busy... see you then.
Also because i can't think straight i'll probably just end up spoiling everything so....
Short version: This isn't very good, Toradora! is much better watch that instead.... this isn't bad but boy is the main love interest creepy/annoying.
Okay onto spoilers~
Tada Banri is an ordinary guy (his name is a pun for just another ordinary guy apparently), he's just started college and makes some new friends quickly, one of his friends is apparently being stalked by a girl named Kaga Koko who has hunted him down to his college and is trying to join all his classes... but he doesn't like stalkers so he does his best to avoid her.
Banri on the other hand thinks she's cute and harmless and tries to get her to be less obsessive but she just uses him as a way to try and get pity for her situation and get closer to the guy.
Throught this they eventually become friends and after getting half kidnapped by a cult Banri lets it slip that he has no memories before the end of highschool because he was in an accident and fell off a bridge.
Hey you know what... a rom com about a boy who is deal with amnesia could be really interesting, it gets to deal with themes of "what is the Self" and we've seen it work well in some films from the 80s... lets see where this goes.
So they (Kaga and Banri) end up escaping the cult, become better friends and come across the traditional dance club who has a girl named Linda in it who has helped banri a few times so far... later we find out that Linda and Banri were best friends in high school and he loved her and the accident happened cause she was late getting to the meeting point and he was hit by a motorcycle.
Anyways... all that stuff about the amnesiac boy having to deal with the fact that he may know people and not recognize them and how that may effect them and all those lovely themes of self i was talking about... well.... toss those out the window for most of the show.
Stuff happens and eventually Banri and Kaga start dating cause apparently they are in love (though theres a bit where he asks her and she sais no but then later she asks him and was like "sorry it was in my plan that i ask you so i had to turn you down before" and i'm sorry but thats REALLY creepy) and then the rest of the show is them being all lovely dovey but kaga screwing up cause she's kinda useless and obsessive.
again theres an ep where they want to go to the beach and banri wants to pay for himself but he can't afford it without getting a job... Kaga doesn't want him to work cause it means they can't be with each other as much... this forces banri to lie about working on an assignment while he goes to a high paying waiter gig.... in the (lets assume) 4-6 hours he was working she leaves him hundreds of textx, calls him a lot and leaves some messages... she even went to his house to check up on him... then she has the audacity to be angry that he lied about working.
i'm sorry... no
no that is stalking, it is creepy... it is not cute
after that episode i actually wrote a rant on why this ep is really creepy and how it disturbs me that she is most likely the one banri will end up with.... but anyways.
Eventually the fact that he has amnesia comes up again and he realizes that as he's gaining mempories from before he's losing the memories he got after the incident.
ooo this could be neat.... how do they screw it up?
By making Kaga the focus.
Hm... okay show... you seem confused... Kaga isn't the main character... Banri is.... this is his story.... so why is all the focus on her and her creepy obsession then sudden dismissal when theres the threat of being forgotten... why should i the viewer care that she finds the anti anxiety meds he's taking... for that matter why does that upset her... it was perscribed by a doctor and he's taking it... whats so bad about that? But by having all the focus being on Kaga's feelings you minimize Banri's story or having an identity crisis and facign the fact that one day the current him may vanish like the old one did. The most intersting arc Kaga has is when she nearly kills everyone by falling asleep at the wheel and havign to deal with the guilt... but that only lasts one episode.
Anyways.... Banri loses himself, goes back home and thinks abotu dropping out of college since he can't remember anything he did while there. Kaga goes to his house to drop off a DVD and he mistakes her for another girl Oka Chinami (who is essentially just a plot device... maybe she has a more important role in the manga?) Kaga doesn't correct him and asks for directions to the bridge he fell off of.
then stuff happened and he remembered her and we are supposed to be happy but.... you know what? No.
Kaga isn't a creepy by the end of the story... but that doesn't change the fact that as a character i really didn't like her. I felt her actions forced and cruel and possessive and creepy and damn near abusive at some points. I would have been fine had the two sets of memories merged and he went back to her and tried to start as friends again.... but no it's just "Hey, I remember you... i love you" and super happy ending.
I just feel like this show is a huge mess of crap happening without a strong plotline to make it cohesive... the amnesia thing could have been more more prevalent and gradual and heart breaking... and these scenes where he switches between the two banri's are the most interesting in the show... but the show is so obsessed with Kaga and his relationship with her and how awkward she is that you don't get the time you need to deal with the heavier subject matter.
So why compare it to Toradora.
Well when i first saw Golden time the first thing i felt was that it had a Toradora vibe (and not just cause the main girl had wavy hair but i'm sure that helped), so i did some research and yeah, it's the same creators.
I honestly couldn't see it in the art causethe anime of Toradora has slanty face syndrome (which is not a bad thing it's just not what i like to see in art but it works for adding more expression) and golden time has these odd lines that make no sense to be but seem to be a stylistic thing.
but then i started reading the toradora manga and yeah... the style is pretty much exactly the same... so yeah thats the connection.
But i have to wonder... what happened?
Yes in toradora Taiga could be really annoying but she had this sweetness to her.... and Ryuji was a very well developed character who had some interesting character traits that you don't usually get from main characters in what is essentially a show where all the girls like the main guy.
But in golden time banri is just blander the white bread and kaga is a creepy stalker with pretty much no redeeming qualities... and i'm supposed to root for these characters because?
I don't know how this show could have been better.
well.... if it had focused more on the dual personality thing... and more on linda's sotry instead of just resolving that at the end... and i use the term resolving very loosely.... it just felt like a patch job and honestly do not waste your time on golden time.... Toradora is better... go watch that instead... NISA is dubbig it... get the dub and watch it *nods*
side note: if they dub nastume yuujinchou... i will be so happy.
If you still are curious, you can watch all of golden time for free (except the last ep which will be free next week) on crunchyroll.
other side note: if you ever suffer from a severe MSG sensitivity/allergy or MSG toxicity... get some cream of tartar, mix a little [1/2 tsp to 8 oz] it with water... drink it as fast as you can (the longer it sits the more you can taste the cream of tartar) and then just try and drink water for the rest of the day... i was surprised but it really works, apparently cream of tartar either absorbs or neutralizes msg and makes it easier to get out of your system... yay. It does not taste good though...
Samurai Flamenco finishes tomorrow for some reason... Nagi asu has one more ep... so yay... still sat is going to be busy... see you then.
Witch craft works
two things before i start.
1. i didn't get to this show till today cause i had plans yesterday so yeah i'll probably be writing 4 of these things today.
2. due to eating food filled with MSG yesterday (cause i'm dumb and didn't think pho would have it) i am very sick today and running a bit of a fever. if my spelling is worse then normal or my sentences don't make sense that is why.
When i first heard about this show it didn't seem like something that would appeal to me. it's a goofy show about all these witches who are after one boy because he has "powerful white stuff inside him"
.... no not that...
the white stuff is the all powerful witch evermillion and yeah everyone wants her power.
then stuff happens.... and it's all pretty goofy and funny and well animated but what sold me on the show was this.
this song made me way too hard the first time i saw and pretty much encapsulates the vibe of the show.
is the show good? it's okay, it's just kind of fluffy fun with some really nice visuals and great character design. I had fun watching it over on Crunchyroll.
will i ever watch again? no
will i be thinking about it after i finish writing this? probably not
but it was a lot of fun and sometimes thats great.
Also when i heard the intro song for the first i got this odd feeling. "why am i getting eccentric family feelings?"
well... cause it's Fhana... who did que sera sera which is still one of my fav songs.
but yeah, it's a fun little 12 episode show and if they ending song makes you laugh as much as i did you should check it out.
1. i didn't get to this show till today cause i had plans yesterday so yeah i'll probably be writing 4 of these things today.
2. due to eating food filled with MSG yesterday (cause i'm dumb and didn't think pho would have it) i am very sick today and running a bit of a fever. if my spelling is worse then normal or my sentences don't make sense that is why.
When i first heard about this show it didn't seem like something that would appeal to me. it's a goofy show about all these witches who are after one boy because he has "powerful white stuff inside him"
.... no not that...
the white stuff is the all powerful witch evermillion and yeah everyone wants her power.
then stuff happens.... and it's all pretty goofy and funny and well animated but what sold me on the show was this.
is the show good? it's okay, it's just kind of fluffy fun with some really nice visuals and great character design. I had fun watching it over on Crunchyroll.
will i ever watch again? no
will i be thinking about it after i finish writing this? probably not
but it was a lot of fun and sometimes thats great.
Also when i heard the intro song for the first i got this odd feeling. "why am i getting eccentric family feelings?"
well... cause it's Fhana... who did que sera sera which is still one of my fav songs.
but yeah, it's a fun little 12 episode show and if they ending song makes you laugh as much as i did you should check it out.
my dinner adventure
Yesterday my friend was part of a ceremony and i was invited along with her family, afterwards she had to stay and finish up some paperwork while i went out to dinner with her family.
"Lets go for Pho" they said.
my immediate reaction was "i like soup... should be good... i've had it once or twice before"
So we get there and yeah, the pho was really tasty.... it had a lot of Cilantro which i don't like but i was able to push most of it aside.
I head home and eventually get to sleep.
This morning:
I feel ill, really ill. I could hardly move without pain going through my entire body.... i felt almost dehydrated and my stomach hated me.... and i was confused cause i wasn't feeling this sick yesterday.
then it hit me... like how could i not see the obvious.
I have been allergic to MSG since i was little... i avoid asian food (in restaurants) because trying to flush it out of my system takes for ever and almost all of them use it.
however i haven't gotten sick from it for about 5 years cause i do not have it in my diet at all... and i completely forgot that pho would most likely have it.
so moral of the story.... i'm a moron.
also fun side story: one time i was with my college friends in an asian grocery store and they offered me some food they bought. "no, i can't, it most likely has msg"
they nodded and said i should ask if it does.... so i did and the response i got was.
"of course it does, you are allergic? you can't be allergic.... it's from nature, it's made from tapioca"
i was flabbergasted by the sheer stupidity of the statement and before i realized i shouldn't be a snarky bitch i blurted out. "you know what else is from nature? Arsenic, Cyanide and hemlock" now at this point i was already commited to telling this woman how wrong she is so... "you say msg is from tapioca? okay thats fine.... but tapioca if it's not processed properly is poisonus so... that argument is wrong too"
needless to say she wasn't happy and i feel bad for being snarky to someone who gets enough shit from working a crappy min wage job... but i can't stand when anyone argues that "it's healthy cause it's from nature"
lots of deadly stuff is from nature... you argument is invalid.
but yeah hopefully i flush all this msg from my system soon... i don't want to be like this for more then a day.
but seriously why does all the yummy food have to use msg... that soup was delicious.... worth the pain? no.... but still good.
"Lets go for Pho" they said.
my immediate reaction was "i like soup... should be good... i've had it once or twice before"
So we get there and yeah, the pho was really tasty.... it had a lot of Cilantro which i don't like but i was able to push most of it aside.
I head home and eventually get to sleep.
This morning:
I feel ill, really ill. I could hardly move without pain going through my entire body.... i felt almost dehydrated and my stomach hated me.... and i was confused cause i wasn't feeling this sick yesterday.
then it hit me... like how could i not see the obvious.
I have been allergic to MSG since i was little... i avoid asian food (in restaurants) because trying to flush it out of my system takes for ever and almost all of them use it.
however i haven't gotten sick from it for about 5 years cause i do not have it in my diet at all... and i completely forgot that pho would most likely have it.
so moral of the story.... i'm a moron.
also fun side story: one time i was with my college friends in an asian grocery store and they offered me some food they bought. "no, i can't, it most likely has msg"
they nodded and said i should ask if it does.... so i did and the response i got was.
"of course it does, you are allergic? you can't be allergic.... it's from nature, it's made from tapioca"
i was flabbergasted by the sheer stupidity of the statement and before i realized i shouldn't be a snarky bitch i blurted out. "you know what else is from nature? Arsenic, Cyanide and hemlock" now at this point i was already commited to telling this woman how wrong she is so... "you say msg is from tapioca? okay thats fine.... but tapioca if it's not processed properly is poisonus so... that argument is wrong too"
needless to say she wasn't happy and i feel bad for being snarky to someone who gets enough shit from working a crappy min wage job... but i can't stand when anyone argues that "it's healthy cause it's from nature"
lots of deadly stuff is from nature... you argument is invalid.
but yeah hopefully i flush all this msg from my system soon... i don't want to be like this for more then a day.
but seriously why does all the yummy food have to use msg... that soup was delicious.... worth the pain? no.... but still good.
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