Hakumei to Mikochi (Dropped) (Merry Days of Anime 2022)

Back in 2016 (the 2016-17 period has been a theme this year), I started (and eventually dropped) a manga by the name of Hakumei to Mikochi. Something about its tranquil nature, amplified by the characters being surrounded by nature, spoke to me. Its distinct chibi aesthetic was also a pleasant appeal. Alas, it would only last six chapters read before I dropped it, though I left no evidence as to why I did so.

Then it received an anime adaptation, and I was actually tempted to watch it while it was airing. That did not happen, so this series has been off of my radar for many years. A nice, carefree watch seemed deserving enough after this month of relatively dramatic and/or energetic titles. I gave it another shot, then promptly remembered why I dropped the manga in the first place.

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Entries From the Dead: Urusei Yatsura (2022)

I’ve seen my fair share of anime series in the last ten years. In fact, it’s been just over ten years since I began to consume anime at a severely unhealthy pace (previously referred to as my “Anime Renaissance”). In that time, all sorts of characters have flashed before my eyes (“flash” being a deliberate term), but one that always stuck out to me by virtue of its absurdity was Lum from Urusei Yatsura, what with her tiger-striped bikini and boots combo, shiny blue-green hair, and horns.

Then, about a year ago, I got wind that Urusei Yatsura would be getting a modern-day anime adaptation, just over thirty years after the original series began airing. “Okay,” I thought to myself. “This would be a good chance to see just what the series is all about with a nicer sheen to its presentation.” Granted, I had some hesitation about a reboot of a cult classic, though with no real affection for the first series, I went into this with basically no expectations. May as well try it out.

I lasted one episode.

Continue reading “Entries From the Dead: Urusei Yatsura (2022)”

Vampire Knight (Merry Days of Anime 2021)

Sometimes you just want to watch trash. I get it. You look through my anime-viewing archives and you’ll see many titles that would make you think, “Why would he watch this thing?” Opportunities for delectable cuisine of hilariously bad anime are kind of hard to come by. When the mood strikes, I answer it. Why deny it anymore? Which is why I have now consumed seven episodes of Vampire Knight before dropping it outright. Happy holidays!

(Just going to provide a small disclaimer in case it was not clear before: This post will only cover the first seven episodes of the original Vampire Knight series. I did not watch its second season, Guilty, nor do I intend to.)

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Entries from the Dead: Gibiate

This is a very fresh addition to my anime graveyard, having dropped this just last night. Normally, I would try out an anime, drop it, and then not bother; the rare exception comes when I feel I have something insightful to say about it. But with Gibiate, there is a specific angle that made me try it in the first place, and after seeing (part) of the results myself, I feel pretty let down. This was compared to Mars of Destruction—an anime so terrible it’s used as a pedestal for all terrible anime to aspire to. Knowing that as a connoisseur of terribad things, how could I resist?

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Updated Thoughts on Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi (Ft. Sexism)

Lately, I’ve been re-watching a lot of anime from back in my “heyday.” The times where anime was all the rage in my impressionable mind and no amount of sexual fan service could have me drop a title. Those were the days… Nearly eight years later, I’ve come around to Ookami-san, a series I affectionately referred to as “kind of looks like Toradora, I guess” in my “Anime Due for a Re-watch” list on my MAL profile. With such high expectations (originally given a 6/10), how does it fare now that I’m older, wiser, and (hopefully) more tolerant?

I dropped it after five episodes. Tolerance ended up working against it.

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Updated Thoughts on Mayoi Neko Overrun!

mayoi neko overrun cover

The OGs of my blog will remember my mentioning this series a few times in the past. Most notably, it made the top 5 in my Top 10 on awful anime I came to love. That, however, was back in 2015, when my status as a person was still within a process of trying to overcompensate the right brain with the left. On a complete whim (literally), I decided to rewatch the series I remembered fondly as a lovely trainwreck of stupidity and sexuality. Does it hold up? Obviously not, but how much… not? Continue reading “Updated Thoughts on Mayoi Neko Overrun!”

Entries from the Dead: Runway de Waratte

runway de waratte cover

They say that everyone loves an underdog. The come-from-nowhere, chip-on-their-shoulder, hard-working specimens that find success through hell and back. Disadvantages are their crux; doubt only entices them to try harder. These kinds of stories make up the plot of many sports stories, specifically, but also make for delectable drama in other ventures arbitrarily created by humanity for the sake of it. Such vapid appeal also comes in the form of runway modeling, which if not for the sake of allowing people to express themselves, would be one of the most superficial and arrogantly obnoxious things in the known world, in my opinion. Continue reading “Entries from the Dead: Runway de Waratte”

Merry Days of Anime: Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii [DROPPED]

wotakoi cover

This entry will be another quick one, which is somewhat unfortunate as the finale of the Merry Days of Anime block. Alas, I could only stomach two episodes, so I only have enough to say about two episodes’ worth of content. This is also a pretty popular series, so strap yourselves in for some harsh opinions. Continue reading “Merry Days of Anime: Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii [DROPPED]”