Tag: Summer of Anime 2014

Entries from the Dead: Mirai Nikki

~ Kapodaco ~ 2 Comments

mirai nikki

[Dropped after twelve episodes.]

Yet another tricky addition to a series already perturbed by the inefficiency of my faulty memory. Mirai Nikki, like Seto no Hanayome, has very little written within my anime list’s archives, so any crutch I may have in pinpointing a specific reason(s) as to why I didn’t continue a particular series is all up to remembering how I was years prior. What I do recall is that there’s a somewhat unordinary reason to my putting the series on-hold.

Flashback to the 2014 Summer of Anime. Starting in the second week of June, I decided to watch Mirai Nikki out of simple curiosity. However, outside influences forced me to watch the series quickly. Every year, family members come up from the southern states of the United States to visit my family and I for about a week or two; in that time, I barely have enough energy to watch even a few episodes of anime, much less marathoning a whole series in one day. Wanting to get a head start, I picked out a series I felt I could watch quickly, as my time limit was within eight hours before they were to arrive. When I got to the twelfth episode, I did the math in my head and determined that I wouldn’t finish the series in time before I had to leave, so I abandoned the series for Ebiten, which only had ten episodes.

It wasn’t until a few days after the fact that I realized that I had done the math wrong in my head—I could have finished Mirai Nikki in the time allotted throughout that day. Not only did I essentially drop Mirai Nikki for no reason, wasting the time spent watching a whole twelve episodes of it, but I subjected myself to the entirety of Ebiten, which was not pleasant.

Mirai Nikki itself was somewhat interesting as a case study, as it had all the reasons to be a gripping and insightful story, but it was also tremendously problematic. Many complain about the male lead being too much of a crybaby, though I would disagree and say that he’s only minimally exaggerated in the situation he’s been placed in. Does every teenager fantasize about being placed in a Hunger Games-esque scenario of fantastic bloodshed? Certainly not. My victim of shoddy characterization comes in the form of Yuuno Gasai, which I’m aware is a controversial statement. To me, she is the pinnacle of everything tryhard about fantasy plots involving weak main characters being carried by unstoppable forces because why not? Her weaknesses are constantly being evaporated by her will to protect the male lead, and no matter what happens, the only thing interesting about her is the mystery behind her affection for the male lead and whether her obsession will cause the demise of those around him. That’s her only shtick, at least up through twelve episodes. Heed that this entire entry is from someone who has seen not even half of the entire series.

I suppose her symbol as a realistic and uninhibited yandere makes her an immensely likable and moe character to many. For me, that symbol needs to come with something more, so that she doesn’t become predictable and/or flat as a character for the entire ride.

The recollection of various scenes, including one where Yuuno is implied to be brutally raped if the male lead doesn’t come to save her in time, sift through my memory in incomplete patches, disallowing me to really articulate what I didn’t care for about the series. In all honesty, if it wasn’t for my slip-up, I likely would’ve continued it, but at this point, I wouldn’t pick it up without restarting the entire series, which may be why I never have. If nothing else, it’s entertaining in its desire to make everything seem dark and depressing—and, of course, coolly suspenseful. It reminds me of Deadman Wonderland somewhat… though that didn’t turn out too well upon a rewatch…

What all of this may boil down to is, “It’s entertaining, but a dumb kind of entertaining.” I wasn’t totally in-tune with my critiquing prowess as I am now three years ago, so that may shed doubt as to whether I’d even find the series engrossing today. Writing this out, part of me would really like to continue it, almost making this post pointless, but with life becoming more and more constricting, it may settle itself within the graveyard of series I dropped almost on a whim, never to find their day in the rays of my focused retinas.

Entry #12: Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun

~ Kapodaco ~ Leave a comment

It’s so bad. It’s so unbelievably bad. I can’t even put it properly into words. I’ll do the best I can!

Y’know what I love? When anime uses its plot as an excuse for fan service. I love it. I absolutely love it. Y’know what I love more? When they abandon the plot completely. Fantastic.

Y’know what I love about the characters in this show? Nothing. Y’know how I would kill each and every one of the characters in the show? Slowly. Y’know what’s original about these characters? Nothing. Y’wanna know how to describe these characters? Copy/paste the characters from Tayutama and give them different names and slightly different appearances. Y’wanna know how effective these characters are in evoking emotion from the audience? About as effective as ground-type moves against flying types.

Y’wanna know how the art is? Copy/paste Tayutama.

Y’wanna know what I think about this anime? It’s shit. It’s absolute shit. There is no doubt. There is no hesitation. It’s complete garbage. It’s a waste of money. It’s a waste of time. It’s a waste of human ability. It’s a toxin, a poison, a scourge. Viewer discretion is advised for every conceivable reason. There’s no turning back.

Personal Score: F

Critical Score: F

Entry #11: Speed Grapher (Spoilers, Explicit)

~ Kapodaco ~ Leave a comment

SPEEEEEEEEEEED GRAPHERRRRRRRRRRRR!

I always announce it just like that.

It’s an interesting show… once it hits episode fifteen. Everything before that made it so hard to watch. It literally took everything I had not to drop this by episode ten. It was just so bland. Everything was solved in a single episode, the characters are boring, and the artwork is not pleasant to look at.

I like to compare the execution of the plot of this anime to Mega Man. You encounter a bad guy. You defeat him. Level Complete. Next boss. This is the formula for the first half of the series. Enemy after enemy after enemy comes out of the woods to kill off our main character, Saiga, only to fail at the last second, usually through means of fallacies or cliches. You don’t know a lot about these enemies other than they’re insane and are willing to work for their own twisted desires. It just seems like mundane game.

The plot actually becomes interesting during the second half of the show, when the past of Suitenguu is revealed. The big plan starts unwinding and everything doesn’t just feel like a level in Mega Man anymore. It feels like all the ends are coming together in a huge, end of the world-like fashion. It certainly made the show more entrancing… but it was still illogical nonetheless.

I’m not sure how I feel about the ending. Nothing is really solved. It’s just an obligatory “happy ending” at face value… when nothing of the world is really known. It seems to skip time to some degree. How long? I don’t know. It seems like everything’s okay… but why is it okay? Japan’s bankrupt… right? All of the corrupt people are dead, right? So, what happens from there? You’re just going to leave this unexplained, anime? Right.

Speaking of corrupt people, why is it that every person with power is corrupt? What is the likelihood of every person with some sort of signature power being corrupt enough to be willing to let things be corrupt? It doesn’t make sense to me. There has to be SOMEONE in power who isn’t corrupt! These hundreds of people are all corrupt. And for what? Sex? Sex really does control everything, according to this anime. Money? But what do you do with money? According to this anime, you spend it on membership fees to a club that allows you to indulge in disgusting sexual fetishes. So, once again, sex. Wow. Real deep.

All of the characters are boring. Except Suitenguu. His back story actually made me pity him. An actual emotion arose in me! That scene when he meets his sister again for the first time in several years? Heart-breaking. Though, in my case, it’s more like saddening. For the record, I have a sister. MY OPINION IS BIASED. DON’T LISTEN TO ME.

The main character is horribly dull at first… then he becomes just dull. He’s the signature “DO WHAT’S RIGHT BECAUSE IT’S RIGHT” protagonist that you see in every story. The difference? He’s in his thirties. SO DIFFERENT! The female protagonist, Kagura, gets the silver medal for most underdeveloped character in this show. She literally doesn’t have a personality, and doesn’t really show any side effects to being raised in what is basically isolation. She’s also completely and totally generous and willing to sacrifice her life for anyone, despite the shit she’s put up with… and she’s fifteen. She’s horribly unrealistic. But the gold medal goes to some bitch whose name I can’t recall. She’s a psychotic stalker who wants the main character’s dick (and gets it) through any means possible (sleep rape, anyone?). Nothing of her background is explained. Her desire for the main character is unexplained. She’s just there. And crazy. Just a terrible anime in regards to character building, except Suitenguu… maybe.

The art is shitty. It’s really hard to see any of these characters as “appealing,” especially when you compare them to the concept art. Kagura’s hair sometimes looks like seaweed. Some of the actions these characters make look robotic. And the action scenes? Barely exist. Where this anime truly shines is making the characters look disgusting. And seeing as this show includes humans who can shapeshift into monsters and weird taboo shit, it’s safe to say Speed Grapher gets an A+ in that department. I still can’t get over how radically different the style of animation is from the concept art… it’s truly disappointing.

A rather bland viewing. Speed Grapher gets interesting during the second half, but the plotholes only get bigger and more varied. The characters are stocked and shipped. The art is not very appealing. The ending is devoid of reason. What is the appeal to this show? Suitenguu. He’s actually something! He’s not something at first, but he becomes a something! Watch it just for him! Err, well, the doctor isn’t terrible, either. Mmm. It’s just an all-around “ehh” show.

Personal Score: C

Critical Score: C-

Entry #10: Acchi Kocchi (Re-Watch) (Review)

~ Kapodaco ~ Leave a comment

The driving spirit behind any production is the appeal it provides to others. What anime has done well over the past few years is provide a diverse selection of animated stories (although unbalanced) to those with a stubborn mindset. Every year, hundreds of anime titles spanning all sorts of genres are released to the public, providing entertainment for those who tip their fancy to mystery, action, sci-fi, mecha, slice of life, and especially ecchi-comedies. One of the aforementioned genres, slice of life, was nothing but a concept ten years ago. Now, it’s become one of the mainstay forms of entertainment among anime titles. To those on a slice of life fixation, Acchi Kocchi is a title that will flip their fedoras, however proves unsubstantial to those prune to the easy-going genre.

With any slice of life, plot is used only for temporary purposes. It swiftly shifts from place to place whenever necessary to continue the overview of the series. What Acchi Kocchi provides is a set of two stories for each episode, labeled “Part A” and “Part B.” This, in turn, makes the series feel more structured in content and proceeds like a fine-tuned machine. However, ruins any feeling of an easy-going continuation of the story. It simply feels like a collection of stories. Another point to make is that the series starts off during the winter, where the characters’ signature heavy clothing comes into play. Within four episodes, it skips the spring and catapults straight into the summer. Within the next four episodes, it goes back to skipping one season and settling for the one after, winter, until the series finally ends on March 14th. Through twelve episodes, consisting of two sub-stories within them, the series jumps a year and a half in length. This title truly is a slice of life, as it leaves the other seven-eighth’s to dry out in the summer sun.

However way the plot proceeds, the major focus of a slice of life is to showcase the characters of the story, and Acchi Kocchi provides quite a few. Each character present has their own role in the show and never strays away from it. When it comes to romance, which Acchi Kocchi doesn’t seem to know anything about, the same two characters are involved in every scenario. When it comes to comedy, which Acchi Kocchi is far better at than romance, each character has their own “unique” way of trying to produce chuckles from the audience. One character does so through jealousy and embarrassed reactions. Another through their own density; saying things which are inappropriate for the given situation. But mostly, the characters provide comedy through slapstick that defies the laws of, well, everything.

What one may find apparent while watching Acchi Kocchi is the complete lack of detail given to each character personally. Within the first episode, one will come to understand the worth of every character through their actions. Beyond that, no more information is provided. Acchi Kocchi’s characters are those that the audience can only take at face value. Identifying with the characters can only come from how they react to any scene. This being known, watching Acchi Kocchi can be compared to watching a short movie on a brave knight rescuing a princess from a decrepit castle filled with dangerous creatures. There is no character building. The series relies solely on the emotions provided by the environment to produce amusement among those who choose to accept it.

Of course, what better way to evoke emotion than to pander to our weakness for anything adorable? Acchi Kocchi believes in the philosophy that if anything is cute or “moe,” people will wait in line till nightfall for it. Everything presented in this series is tailor-made for some sort of cliche “moe” fetish. One of the main characters, Tsumiki, has cat ears and a tail, and will react appropriately depending on her mood. Whenever something embarrassing happens or someone says something slightly risque, the characters’ noses will start spurting blood like a fire hose. The characters’ designs in general are chibi-like and colorful, especially the female characters. Everyone looks young and no one looks old. Even the school teacher looks and acts like she could be a part of the main group. Everything is so innocent that it’s disgusting.

While everything out front looks cookie-cutter in general, the background lacks the same appeal. When looking behind the characters’ faces, one can notice that the detail behind them is faded into a sort of mist. This “mist” may have something to do with creating a dream-like effect on the title, making it seem so mystifying or calming that one can’t help but feel elation. However, it could also be seen as a lack of effort by the production team to make the series look realistic. Of course, Acchi Kocchi doesn’t look realistic in the slightest anyway. Another interesting tidbit is that the background characters, those that don’t speak or have anything to do with the story, don’t move and don’t have eyes. Lazy? Perhaps. I like to think they don’t have eyes because they tore them off having to look at the lack of effort.

There are few things that are certain in this world. One’s nationality, the Simpsons airing, and everyone having an opinion are three such things. If one wishes to indulge themselves in a finer slice of life series, Acchi Kocchi could be right up their alley. However, they should be warned that, as with most slice of life titles, everything is skin deep. The type of merriment this series provides only stems from the emotions that one is willing to give to enjoy it. Most of the characters are dull, the comedy goes to overly-exaggerated means to induce humor, and the art could make even the most brutal of people develop a sweet tooth. Acchi Kocchi isn’t something to experience, it’s something to watch, despite its intentions. And with enough experience, one can only remember this title to forget this title.

Personal Score: B-

Critical Score: C

Entry #9: Hidan no Aria (Re-Watch) (Explicit, Spoilers)

~ Kapodaco ~ 1 Comment

I think when I first watched this series, I was still enamored with the concept of multiple beautiful women fighting over an uninteresting male counterpart. I think we’re all affected by this concept early on in our anime watching careers. However, now that I have a brain, I can see just how irritating this series really is. Although it’s certainly not the worst, Hidan no Aria is still fairly low tier.

What happens when a boy gets aroused? He becomes God. Hidan no Aria logic.

What happens when Japanese society decides that a trained, adult police force isn’t enough to combat terrorists? They start training kids. Hidan no Aria logic.

What would Sherlock Holmes’s great granddaughter look like? A pink-haired loli. Hidan no Aria logic.

How does one make Dracula look better? Turn him into a werewolf. Hidan no Aria logic.

Police officers don’t exist. Hidan no Aria logic.

That’s not all, but that’s all I can really think of at the moment. Don’t make me think any harder, please.

What we have with Hidan no Aria is some little bitch who wants to make people her slave so that she can prove that her mother is innocent of a crime she didn’t commit. Which brings up the question of what she “did” and why people accuse her of it. Neither are elaborated.

She recruits Kinji, a character who becomes God when aroused. Because lol. He’s useless, except when he’s God. Because he’s God. Main character logic.

Aria herself, otherwise known as little bitch, is a little bitch. Tsundere logic.

There’s a childhood friend. The last scene that’s shown with her is her pleading with the main character to fuck her. Childhood friend logic.

There’s this slut who really likes acting slutty but is actually dark and edgy inside because of her past. The most enjoyable character, but that’s comparing broccoli to shit.

The art is fine. It would have been finer if the censors didn’t censor… anything. It censored bra shots. Wow. Thank you for keeping my mind pure of underwear, Hidan no Aria.

I never really said anything about the plot, did I? Oh well. It’s not worth sharing anyway. It’s just funny. Not in a good way.

I wish I had some pepto bismol. I’d rather ingest that sort of pink liquid rather than indulge in Aria’s hair. It at least makes me feel better. My entries are so stupid….

Personal Score: C-

Critical Score: D

Entry #8: Working!! (Re-Watch)

~ Kapodaco ~ 1 Comment

jacket_h_l

(Season One)

Scrumptious.

My previous entry for this title was “Why did I enjoy this?” I’m actually surprised I had doubts about the validity of this show. It’s endearing, it’s funny, and it serves up a delicious amount of drama, even if the drama itself isn’t that tasty.

It goes from a pedophile joining a cast of weirdos to said pedophile working towards curing a ferocious young girl with androphobia to… nothing. The second plot that arises continues on for a majority of the series, bringing up a variety of sub-plots with it. For the most part, these sub-plots go nowhere, or they only contribute to the bigger picture of underdeveloped relationships between the characters. But that’s not to say that the chemistry between characters isn’t fantastic. It just goes stale past the platonic.

Jun Satou is love. Jun Satou is life. Jun Satou is the character in anime I don’t see enough of. Jun Satou is the character anime needs.

Popura is cute.

Kat-Takanashi is an interesting main character, because he’s as dense as any, but he’s not the typical archetype. He’s a pedophile.

Yachiyo is hilariously exaggerated.

Kyouko is a lot of what I strive to be: paid to be lazy.

Souma is probably my least favorite character, seeing as he’s the most unrealistic. How does he gain so much information? Because fuck you.

Inami is cute. Her androphobia doesn’t really improve throughout this season, and I feel as though that’s both respectable and a cop-out for continuing with repetitive jokes.

Yamada is a guilty pleasure. She causes a rift in the validity of the show, but her lazy persona is too familiar for me to loathe.

Art is fine. In fact, the art is really fine. It’s pretty nice. In every situation.

It’s a really entertaining series, even if the realism is lacking. The chemistry between the characters is probably the selling point of this show, because the chemistry is absolutely fantastic. The characters play off of each other very well. It’s the most realistic aspect of the show, and I applaud its determination to keep each character in line. It’s ironic that the most realistic of relationships exist between the most unrealistic of characters… along with a realistic setting with unrealistic expectations. Working!! just blends everything together in a successful attempt at diversity. Somewhat similar to America, except they don’t hate each other for being different. Ho-hum.

(Season Two)

I’m getting really lazy with these entry updates.

I’m also holding off making these updates for titles with more than one season. I just write both of the entries on one day after I’ve completed both of them. I should seriously stop that. Seriously.

There are aspects of the second season I liked more than the first. There are also aspects I didn’t care for that were added.

I didn’t care for the drama. Working!! works well when the characters work well together. When they are avoiding each other due to some misunderstanding, it throws off the balance of the show and its good standings. It makes it feel, well, repetitive.

I liked the character building in this season. The first season was more of an introductory phase, while the second season started showing the characters more outside of the workplace, which I thought was a nice touch. It also brought in new characters that were, for lack of a better word, fine. They weren’t annoying, at least.

I hated Takanashi’s family, so the second season decided to show them more. I only really enjoyed watching Takanashi’s younger siblings. All the other sisters were too one-dimensional. That’s really saying something, since most of the main cast appear one-dimensional.

I liked how it didn’t really feel like a second season from a story-based standpoint. It just felt like it continued where it left off, as if it never ended and the series itself was just 26 episodes. It certainly did wonders for immersing purposes by doing this. This is also known as “They didn’t stray.”

For any more information about this series, refer to my season one entry, as they’re far too similar to really go on about in other regards.

Personal Score: B+

Critical Score: B

Entry #7: Ookami to Koushinryou (Re-Watch)

~ Kapodaco ~ Leave a comment

(Season One)

I’ve realized something about myself. I despise writing about all of these series when I have basically nothing to say about them that really stands out from other entry descriptions. Many of them just consist of “Oh, it’s really stupid. Funny joke. lol.” It’s truly a maddening process. On a brighter note, once I start writing, I immediately don’t care anymore. I love writing!

Spice and Wolf, or Ookami yadda la doo-dah, was the eighth anime I ever watched (in regards to my recent anime renaissance). I remember thinking the economic doohickies of th first season got in the way of the development of the relationship between Horo and Craft. I don’t believe that anymore. I have the transitional skills of a turtle.

The beautiful thing about this series is that it isn’t cliche. It is, from what I could pick up, completely devoid of cliche, except for maybe the premise of a young man traveling with a beautiful, “young” deity. That may be the only zing. Otherwise, this story is riveting based purely on its refreshing take on the romantic progression of a couple’s road to freedom. It genuinely feels like a fantastic viewing, only because of how realistic everything feels, despite the pseudo realistic setting.

I once told a friend of mine that the only thing anyone desires in an anime is good chemistry between characters. Spice and Wolf is one that takes full advantage of this statement. The way Horo and Craft get along is unlike any relationship I have ever seen in anime, and like many I’ve seen in real life. The teasing, the fights, the genuinely sappy moments all feel as desired due to this pair’s strong bond, which is only strengthened by the pair’s personalities.

Horo is a wise wolf. She is also beautiful. She is also like any other human being, which contradicts her position, granted we aren’t comparing her to the Greek Gods. Horo is the one anime character that I can recall teaching my life lessons. I can even recall learning something new after this most recent re-watch. When you learn life lessons from anime, you know you’re watching something spectacular. Her emotions are on her sleeve, except when she’s being sly. Like a wolf… wait, no, that’s a fox. She’s just a well rounded character, through and through. Craft is a nice guy. But aren’t all people nice guys? Craft is also an analytic businessman. But aren’t all people analytic businessmen? No. That’s the one thing he has going for him. If his personality were any indicator, he might’ve been just as cliche as any main male character. Fortunately, he grows as a person all throughout the series, seeing as Horo is so wise. But that’s not to say Horo is always the one doing the teaching. Their relationship grows from each other, as they get to know one another through their quirks. The little things are taken into consideration, as they blossom as a couple by the end of it. They both are good characters to begin with, with Horo having the clear edge early on. However, their development through each other is what makes both of them great.

Bah. Art is fine. I really don’t care about writing about art, it seems. Unless it’s bad. I should appreciate what I have. Ho-hum.

So, to check it off, amazing chemistry between characters… yeah, that’s it. That’s really all that needs to be said about this title. Their relationship alone is something that needs to be highly praised. Though, I will admit, the economic side to the story is interesting as well. It’s also a nice supplement for emotional distress and a producer of drama. Wow, I’ve realized that there’s a lot more to be said about the plot than I’m giving it credit for. Bah, I’m lazy. Perhaps next season.

(Season Two)

Normally, I’d be upset with a lot of unneeded writing, but this series makes it excusable. So good.

The second season of Spice and Wolf is spicier than the first, which may be why I enjoyed it more on a personal level. However, one thing I will admit is that the relationship between Horo and Craft feels a lot stronger in the firs season than the second. There are distinct differences, and they certainly seem closer by experience, but it seems as though Horo takes more of a back seat role in the second season compared to Craft. There are instances of this in the first season, but this season does it more frequently. What fun it was to see Horo hold her own during contract negotiations and sales pitches. We see more love quarrels than good ol’ economic fun.

I couldn’t even count every arc of the first season, because it all seemed to blend in so perfectly. In the second season, there are two arcs. Two. Each comprising of six episodes. I wonder if each of these arcs covered one whole volume of the source story. If so, that’s impressive. However, seeing as I was able to count them, it makes the story feel somewhat fixed. The first season had this adventure-esque quality that allowed you to immerse yourself within it and forget about silly arcs and what not. While I can’t say this changes for the worse in the second season, it certainly becomes noticeable.

What I believe the second season does better than the first is addressing the tough questions between Horo and Craft’s relationship. This is where a lot of that “unneeded drama” comment stems from, but it’s not unneeded. It’s perfectly natural. Too natural. I almost think this is real life. These issues also present an interesting take on relationships between strangers, or stranger beings. It feels natural, I can guarantee, as the emotions flowing through me at the time were emotions of dread and discomfort. It stings the heart and the mind.

Why does it seem like the closer two people come together, the less they can have fun with each other? This certainly becomes an issue during the second season, and it follows up into the end of the season. Horo seems more stout in the first season. Craft seems more stoic in the first season. In the second, the become more complacent. The experience together made them softer, more accepting of things that occurred. However, this complacency is also their downfall. I thoroughly enjoyed their relationship to the fullest extent, but their bond didn’t seem as strong as it could be. Even at the end, it didn’t seem as strong as it could be. I’m no nomad of love myself, but that doesn’t stop me from questioning.

Horo the wise wolf actually taught me more about life than… er… school? Her teachings seem more relatable in this season, even if her personality doesn’t. As I’ve stated before, Horo loses her composure more often during this season. She isn’t as stout, and her playful banter is only used to a certain degree. The carefree, loving bond between man and wolf that was present in the first season is put under trial during this season. Craft as a character, I feel, improves during this season. He becomes more of a human being. He thinks with his heart instead of his head. And with love at stake, what more could we ask for? His playfulness has increased. His cunning as well. He’s come full circle from being the ultimate merchant to the ultimate human being, full of every emotion ever conceivable.

Art is fine. Like I said before, nothing special is ever said about art unless it’s fantastic or fantastically bad. One thing: Horo and Craft’s first kiss looks odd.

When I first finished Toradora, I was thrown into a funk that lasted the entire day after. I didn’t want to do anything. I just wanted to lay in bed and think about my life. Finishing Spice and Wolf for the first time, I experienced similar symptoms. However, I believe the open ending gave me more hope for a more fulfilling finale… but alas, the anime does not care to show it. Even after this most recent re-watch, Spice and Wolf’s open conclusion left me with a sort of melancholy that reminded me of the past. It was a fitting emotion; one that I’ve felt many times after viewing such wondrous anime such as Spice and Wolf. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Personal Score: A-

Critical Score: A-

Entry #6: Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu (Re-Watch)

~ Kapodaco ~ Leave a comment

(Season One)

Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu is an interesting title. Its leads aren’t fantastic, but that doesn’t matter, because the show stuffs our face with side characters. Are they likable? Absolutely not. They are some of the most annoying characters I’ve ever come across. They’re just absolutely horrid. And with these characters constantly on screen (three certain characters never stop showing up after episode three), it leaves little room for any serious, romantic atmosphere, which is where this show fails.

Did you know that this show is a comedy? Because it isn’t funny. Everything it displays as a comedy is cliche and mind-numbing. The side characters are mostly responsible for such comedy, which is most of the reason as to why I despise them. Others just don’t have any personality to them, and nearly all of them have no background. At all. Seriously.

Did you know this show is a romance? Because it’s mildly romantic. The strength of the two main characters is like the power of duct tape. It’ll hold, but it hurts to peel off the skin. Basically, when these two characters get together, they’re cute. They’re innocent. They’re still not funny, but they’re charming. Haruka is one of the most appealing female leads in a romance I’ve ever seen. Yuuto, on the other hand, still exhibits qualities of the lifeless, dull main character. On top of being a doormat… wouldn’t that make him the bottom? But who else for a caring and soft female lead? Uh, anyone, really. It could happen to literally anyone… maybe that’s the point.

What is it about the characters that makes them so intolerable? Their desire to induce comedy from every scenario. Each side character is given their role, and they play it out until you die. They don’t have to have any personality (or logic), so long as they make every situation for the two main characters as uncomfortable and suggestive as possible. It disgusts me, but there are worse. Particularly, the homeroom teacher and Yuuto’s sister. There are no words to describe how much I despise both of these characters. They have one role: fan service. They don’t do any more than that, except be loud. Yuuto, as stated before, is both like and unlike any random person. He exhibits qualities that are typical of any main male character. What does he add to that stereotype? Nothing. I could say he’s even more of a doormat, but that’s pretty much it. Haruka, as stated before, is nice and soft, like pizza dough. Delicious pizza dough. Her character is likable in the sense that she has no drastic flaws. There isn’t anything about her that’s particularly intolerable, but she’s also never very exciting (no sexual remarks, please). She’s very nice on the eyes, though. I say this right after I refrain from making sexual remarks.

Bah. Art. It was fine.

I remember when I considered this the worst anime I had ever seen. Clearly, this isn’t anywhere near the worst anime I’ve ever seen now, but it still holds true as something insignificant. It’s memorable for being unmemorable, and vice versa. It’s really all too complicated.

(Season Two)

It just kind of… all becomes apparently terrible this season. Most of my hatred towards this series can be attributed to this season. It’s really a hollow watch.

Personal Score: C-

Critical Score: D+

Entry #5: Ebiten

~ Kapodaco ~ Leave a comment

This is a patch in the history of the Summer of Anime that will live in infamy. I dropped Elemental Gelade due to it being catastrophically boring. I then moved on to Mirai Nikki, but dropped that as well due to time constraints (only to find out it wasn’t necessary). And so, I turned to a quick hitter in Ebiten, a series I was already familiar with and had a short amount of episodes. It was a perfect solution for the tumultuous situation I had created for myself. Ho-hum.

That being said, I don’t want to write anything more than I have to about this series.

Ebiten wasn’t as dull as Elemental Gelade, but Mirai Nikki was a lot more engrossing. Ebiten relies on comedy and ridiculous situations to entertain the viewer. It didn’t. There’s your plot.

All of the characters are stupid. None of them are likable. Most of them are irritating. Some of them are pitiable.

The art was fine, if not somewhat, wait for it, dull. The ridiculous scenarios played out fairly well due to the hyperactivity of the artistic direction. Then again, it’s enough to cause people seizures. Or wet pants. I don’t know.

I wonder why I ever brought this back from my Dropped list. It had a terrible first episode and it continued to be terrible up until episode eight, when it became almost unbearable. Are you really going to try and put drama into this show? Are you really going to try and put character development into this show? You can’t fix toast with a hamster wheel. Or a cat. Damn cats.

Personal Score: D

Critical Score: D+

Entry #4: Inu x Boku SS

~ Kapodaco ~ Leave a comment

Oh, how sad. The wittle girl puts on a front because she grew up in a household that left her wonewy. Ho-hum. And now, through reasons unknown, she’s placed in a mansion with other people like her to… uh, live in a slice of life manner? And to assist her, she gets this multi-color-eyed bishie to swoon her over with his perfection. What will result from this? Nothing.

Upon finishing the series, I read in the comments section from a user who apparently NEEDED to make it clear that the anime didn’t follow the manga, and the ending to the manga was a lot more grim in nature. Hrmm. Reading that, I’m both disappointed and relieved. The way this story went, I didn’t care enough for the characters to have me sit through episode upon episode of melodrama. Then again, with how carefree this anime seemed, it was really hard to take anything seriously anyway… or pay attention. Inu x Boku SS is just one of those anime that don’t really stand out. The premise is interesting, albeit convoluted, and its progression is always either in park or neutral. Not to mention, they never really explain any of the characters’ situations. They just expect the viewer to take everything at face value and go with it.

Okay, allow me to explain every character in vivid detail; Ririchiyo is almost a carbon copy of that one bitch from OreImo, except with a darker past. Butler guy is a perfect bishie with a dark past because why not? Every other character is an archetype with no background whatsoever. We only get snippets of their life, but no real development. Once again, face value. None of these characters are particularly “enjoyable,” but I found myself enamored with certain characters just for the sake of personality. Specifically, the dandere and the eccentric bunny jokester. All the rest of them could be killed by a giant monster and I wouldn’t really care.

Inu x Boku SS is so bland, its art is almost a necessity. With as hard as it was to really pay attention, the art did everything it could. However, it wasn’t enough. It’s typical for its time, perhaps a little shinier with the eyes. There’s really not much going for it, as it barely had any time to showcase any battle or transformation scenes. Y’know, it being a more slice of life vibed show. A lot like Inu x Boku SS’s plot, it’s just there.

My buddy gave this series a ten and proclaimed it as his all-time favorite anime. I don’t see it. It just looks kinda nice, with archetypal characters and a plot that doesn’t really go anywhere. I’d be nicer on the plot if it were a slice of life, but it kind of isn’t. But it is. It likes to make itself seem like one, but it’s not. But it could be. This is where the “convoluted” term comes into play. It’s just bland.

Personal Score: C-

Critical Score: C-