ANOTHER FIVE OF MY FAVOURITE COUPLES IN ANIME (VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL)

Hello my friends.

Welcome to another entry of my blog.

As I promised, I took my time to find another five couples that I really love, and that warms my heart and my soul every time I thinking about them. And as part of the month of Valentine’s Day, I will share with you all of them, and why I really love them.

Hope you like them, and again… Happy Valentine’s Day.

Now, here they come

5. RENTON AND EUREKA THURSTON (EUREKA SEVEN)

I swear to all of you that the very day I read about Eureka Seven, I was all but bored; that was by 2005; by that time, I was watching Fullmetal Alchemist, one of my favourite anime of all time, and I loved everything, especially the animation. And due to similar animation, I got my heart put in Eureka Seven.

And I love it. There are so many fantastic elements, but the one that really hooked me was the relationship of Eureka and Renton as a couple.

Renton started as a simple, but impetuous teenager, and Eureka as a cold, emotionless girl with no understanding of human emotions; but as the story unfolds, our two protagonists evolve and mature, and they form a couple that, from the start, is extremely heartwarming; the resolve of Eureka and Renton to pilot Nirvash and become one, along with their mutual caring, gives soul to a story that is already full of backstory and good characters. Renton grows to be a brave young man, and Eureka becomes a beautiful young lady, and along with awkwardness, their love story is one worth checking out, especially if you want to something to share as a couple.

Again. Better to see than to describe.

4. NASA & TSUKASA (TONIKAKU KAWAII)

Being in a relationship is one of the most beautiful experiences in life. Nonetheless, I am also aware that there is a point in which is very challenging to live with someone else, especially after getting married.

And I think Nasa & Tsukasa Yuzaki, from Tonikaku Kawaii represents that. After meeting in the craziest circumstances, Nasa meets a really beautiful girl, called Tsukasa, falling in love with her. Tsukasa accepts his confession on one condition – Nasa must marry her, which he gleefully accepts. And after three years, Tsukasa meets Nasa again with a marriage form, formalising the union afterwards.

Now. A part of me thinks that circumstances Nasa and Tsukasa meet are insane, and I would lie if I say that I am an obsessed fan with Tonikaku Kawaii, but I will repeat what I said about Nasa and Tsukasa when I voted for them as Best Couple in the Crunchyroll Anime Awards – Both are authentic, their relationship is genuine, and both Nasa and Tsukasa help each other to improve as individuals.

Without mentioning that they are adorable every time they are together. (Ah!!! Young love!!!)

3. MIYUKI SHIROGANE AND KAGUYA SHINOMIYA (KAGUYA-SAMA: LOVE IS WAR)

Good Grief!!

A part of me thinks living in couple is a constant battlefield, fighting for keeping the love of your partner, but not let him/her take advantage of you, having a balance for yourself and for your partner, keeping a poker face for the sake of the relationship (You know what I mean), ending any disagreement in good terms, or at least with an armistice.

Ok. Perhaps I am exaggerating.

Or perhaps not, because that is the soul of many romantic comedies. But Kaguya-sama: Love is War takes that premise in a creative, semi-innovative way, with each moment being more hilarious than the last one; nothing is boring and you like the episodes so much that times flies in a blink. And that’s why is so pleasant to watch Miyuki and Kaguya, they are trying to force the other to confess, yes, but even you can tell that they are having fun most of the life, and so are we.

But, when the story is serious, Kaguya and Miyuki steal the show, and giving us really poignant moments. For these reasons, I adore them.

With them, I am not even close to war.

2. YUU KOITO AND TOUKO NANAMI (BLOOM INTO YOU)

Of course, I cannot forget about LGBT love. Yuri love.

Where do I start with these two? Yuu is a quiet, reserved girl, very studious, but also very conflicted on how relationships work (just like me), while Touko is more laid-back, playful, but extremely full of layers. And in the story of Bloom Into You, their relationship slowly develop in the most organic way, first as friends, then as partners in the Student Council, with Yuu avoiding Touko’s forceful advances, and then as a couple, with both have a decent development.

None of their moments feels boring or forceful. Of course, they could advance a bit faster, but that is the purpose of the story – Show two girls falling in love, and living life. And after reading the ending, I can tell that Touko and Yuu is a couple that makes my heart fluffy and warm.

Just one favour.

Please, give us an anime of the spin-off of Sayaka Saeki. Thank you.

1. EMMA AND WILLIAM JONES (EMMA – A VICTORIAN ROMANCE)

This is definitely one of the best love stories of all manga and anime. Trust me, Emma and William have the chemistry of Nasa and Tsukasa, the development of Renton and Eureka and, in my opinion, the same sensitivity and care you will read in a book from Jane Austin. For starters, Victorian Era had a great sense of romance; of course, they were nasty times, but Emma – A Victorian Romance portrays those with the aesthetic and attention to detail only anime brings.

Emma is a young, beautiful maid living in the 1895 London, working for Kelly Stownar. One day, Emma meets William Jones, member of a middle class family who is desperate to marry William to a woman, member of the gentry, and former student of Mrs. Stownar. From that day, Emma and William Fall in love, but because of class distinction, their love would be considered forbidden, something that troubles Emma deeply. Furthermore, William must look after the business of his family.

But, at the end, love prevails.

The story of Emma and William can be described with one word – heartwarming. It has tragedy, but it has happiness; it has hardships, but it has opportunity. It does not come shy in depicting some of the worst problems of Victorian England, but somehow manages to bring us hope. And the protagonists are some of the most sincere, natural and realistic characters in romance in general, not just anime.

If you love romance. Emma – A Victorian Romance is definitely the anime for you.

CONCLUSION

There you go. Another five beautiful couples in anime and manga.

And now, since I believe I finished Valentine’s Day season with flying colours, there is something we all came here to see.

MORE CHIKA.

And of course… the third greatest characters voiced by Konomi Kohara… and my new waifu…

MONA MEGISTUS

I FINALLY CASTED MY VOTES FOR THE CRUNCHYROLL ANIME AWARDS 2021

Hello my friends.

First and foremost… I just want to wish you Happy New Year 2022 (Well. Not that new anymore). And also a very Happy Chinese New Year for everyone. I hope that the celebrations were really that great for all of you.

Regarding myself… I want to apologise.

Because as of January 31st 2022, it has been a very complicated month for me. I have a lot of work (And a very bad misunderstanding that almost left me… traumatised to say the least). And I have been working in my new book, trying to get some pages done, at least two per day. But because I have been exhausted, and I got a severe pain in my shoulder, I was unable to advance in my blog as much as I wanted.

Everything started shortly after I published my review on Netflix’s Death Note (Well. November was pretty busy too). That is when things got very busy for me. Christmas time came, a lot of responsibilities came as well, a lot of cleaning, a lot of hot weather in Melbourne (last week was average 36 degrees), and visiting a lot of friends for the holidays, and some time off.

So. As you can see. Many events kept me away from writing and watching beautiful anime.

But worry not.

Because I have been preparing a lot of My first Impressions, and the… TOP WAIFU OF 2021. That is a tradition in my blog.

But now. I will start with another tradition. Yep. The title says it all.

Now… I want to start showing my votes for the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2021. from Best Film to Best Ending. Then, the rest will come. But little by little, I have so… many things to write.

With that said… let’s START!!!!!!!

BEST FILM

In the words of Rengoku…

Well… It is Demon Slayer. What else can I say? I red the manga of the Demon Train arc, and it was… fantastic. And when I watch the movie… I was in love with both Demon Slayer and Ufotable, more than ever. The ending was heartbreaking, and seeing Akasa for the first time was a feast. Don’t get me wrong. I do not doubt that Belle can be a masterpiece, but I never watch it. The same happened with Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time. But Mugen Train is beautiful.

And my choice for Best Film of 2021.

BEST FANTASY

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation & To Your Eternity.

I have to admit that this was a really tough one. On one hand, I am starting to believe that isekai is like Scooby-Doo! You will always see many versions and proposals and it will never get old (unless we are talking about Scoob!, of course)

So I decided to spread my vote, between Mushoku Tensei and To Your Eternity. Wonder Egg Priority was also great, but, in my opinion, the two series I chose share a common strength – narrative. To Your Eternity has a very good storytelling that helps characters and story to evolve, the same happens with Mushoku Tensei, and the fantasy element is stronger than in Wonder Egg Priority. At least from my perspective.

Fingers crossed.

BEST ROMANCE

I love Beastars, but in regards of romance, Horimiya was my surprise fo 2021. Hori-san is an amazing character, as likeable as Miyamura, and seeing together was a complete feast for my eyes, and the rest of the couples were also incredibly adorable, especially Remi and Sengoku.

Again. It was a tough one, because I enjoy Komi-san (In fact, I will say it now… Both are… BETTER… WAY BETTER than Rent-A-Girlfriend as romantic comedies), bu t I still need to see more episodes of Komi-san and Tadano-kun.

Kudos for Miyamura and Hori-san. Just…

We need more headbutts!!

BEST DRAMA

86: Eighty-Six

Without a doubt, 86: Eighty-Six is one of the best anime of 2021, and a candidate for the second or third best anime produced by A-1 Pictures on the 2020s (Only beaten by Sword Art Online: Alicization and Kaguya-sama: Love is War).

For me, this anime was a big surprise, because it definitely has those vibes that you see in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing or Code Geass, including social commentary, the brutality of war, child soldiers, and big robots. But also, 86: Eighty-Six manages to have its own identity, with very well-written characters and a setting that reminds us the consequences of world wars and Why should we never, ever allow something like that to happen… ever again.

And of course… a story that gets better and better, even in the light novels. Trust me. you read the light novels of 86: Eighty-Six, and the story becomes way better.

And as much as I hate to say this – the only two competition that 86: Eighty-Six might have in this category is either Oddtaxi or Fruits Basket: The Final Season.

BEST COMEDY

I will say this straight away – I was ready to give my absolute vote to Miss Kobayashi-san Dragon Maid S. It is simply one of the best comedies of 2021, and the fact that Kyoto Animation produced this second season after the tragic fire of July, 2019 gives it more merit. But then… I got a big surprise, as big as with 86: Eighty-Six.

And that is Life Lessons with Uramichi-Oniisan.

I was like…

Honestly. Life lessons with Uramichi is pure insanity, every moment was better than the last one. Original jokes, and very hilarious characters. So yeah.

50/50.

BEST ACTION

Triple vote – Vivy – Fluorite Eye’s Song, SSS Dynazenon and Mugen Train.

Ok. Some of you might be thinking:

«Jaime… What the hell is this?»

And yes. It is definitely a fair criticisim if you have it. But I will explain.

First…n

For Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song, Wit Studio did a really good job animating the fighting scenes. Every time I watch Vivy and Elizabeth in a fight, I couldn’t resist. I really was looking forward for what will happen next. Especially in the last episodes of the series. Vivy did great here. It is a shame that it got less nominations than it deserved.

The same happened with SSSS Dynazenon. If there is anything Studio Trigger is an expert in, that is animating action, i.e. Kill la Kill, Darling in the FRANXX, SSSS Gridman, and now here. I hope it really does well.

And Demon Slayer – Mugen Train… Nothing to say. Better watch.

BEST ENDING

«Shirogane» by LiSA.

Because, as a Demon Slayer fan… How can you say No to such a beaituful song?

Every time I listen to it… I feel the whole arc of Mugen Train.

CONCLUSION

And that is it for now. I must admit that, at the beginning, I was kind of disappointed for some of the nominations. I was expecting something like Vivy being nominated as Anime of the Year, as well as To Your Eternity. And 86: Eighty-Six had less nominations too. I expected Shinei to be nominated as Best Protagonist, and…

What about Rudeus Greyrat?

And for those who are wondering why I haven’t choose any of the categories for Attack on Titan. The answer is simple… I haven’t reach The Final Season: Part I yet. I guess I will get there when I get there.

But that is for today. Stay tuned for Part II.

And now… let’s get some beautiful Uzui waifus…

And what about me?

Who?

ME!!!!

I AM PERFECT TO SHIN… MORE THAN LENA.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – KAGUYA-SAMA: LOVE IS WAR (season 1) – MY OWN IMPRESSIONS

Kaguya-Sama: Love is War (Season 1)

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Slice-of-Life, Psychological

Studio: A-1 Pictures

Hello my friends. Welcome to another entry of my blog.

And here I am again… with another series animated by A-1 Pictures. And no. I am afraid it is not 86: Eighty-Six.

That is the bad news. But the good news is that is another awesome series. Absolutely one of the pinnacle from this great animation studio. And, after some hours trying to find out how to commence, and making up my mind, I think it is already time to start with this sweet surprise and great anime for everyone.

Behold…

Kaguya-sama: Love is War (season 1). Unfortunately I haven’t watched the second season, but I read that it is as good as Season one; for now, this is going to be the deal. I will watch season two and review it… eventually.

Seriously, September seems to be the month of A-1 Pictures (Erased, Shinsekai Yori, mentions to 86: Eighty-Six) and now we got Kaguya-sama. But before I proceed, I want to ask you the typical Questions:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy. Now… let’s get ready and understand that love is war with Kaguya-san and Miyuki. this is Kaguya-sama: Love is War.

PREMISE

Shuchiin Academy is one of the top academies in all over Japan. Prime Ministers, bankers, entrepreneurs, inventors among other kind of influential people has studied here. Being a student here means you have your life settled, especially if you are the member of the prestigious Student Council. Kaguya Shinomiya is the daughter of a powerful conglomerate in Japan, while Miyuki Shirogane is the top student of the academy. Both of them are in love with each other, but love is as Marge Simpson points out.

«A constant battle for moral superiority.»

Well. She is referring to marriage itself, but it applies here too.

The point is that both of them are so proud to confess to the other, so they are constantly engaging into mind games and strategies to make the other confess. Who will win and force the other to confess? This is what we are about to see between these two, surrounded by some colour characters, including the top waifu of 2019.

I mean… Miss Chikatto Chika Chika. The one, only and unique…

Ai Hayasaka…

Kaguya-sama started publications on May 19, 2015, thanks to Shueisha, and it is written by Aka Akasaka, who, as of September 28, 2021, has created 23 volumes of this fantastic story. And by April 2021, Kaguya-sama has sold over 15 million copies, making it one of the most successful manga in the world, almost competing with series like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, and of course… Tokyo Revengers.

Furthermore, the success of Kaguya-sama has spawned two anime seasons, the first one airing from January 12 to March 30, 2019, and the second one from April 11 to June 27, 2020, with a third season recently announced. Also two live-action movies, one released on 2019, and the sequel, awaiting release on 2021.

Finally, the first season of Kaguya-sama won three awards at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards on 2020 (Best Comedy – Best Couple – Best Ending Sequence), and on 2021, the second season won Best Comedy and Best Girl for Kaguya Shinomiya. Because she is only true girl. Not another.

Not… Another… one.

STORY

Oh my gosh… Where to start?

Yes! The animation!

Once more, A-1 Pictures delivers a really wonderful animation, just like with everything this studio produces. But far from the dark, depressing atmosphere from Shinsekai Yori, Kaguya-sama brings a really bright, wonderful and psychedelic mixture of great character design and nice colours, which is definitely something that must be in accordance to such a lovely story. So we have a plus.

In addition, the story is pretty fresh, because from a simple invitation to watch a movie, to advising a junior student about a date, it is amazing how Kaguya-sama manages to tell the plot as if it was almost from John Wick or from Sherlock, which is a great display of creativity and absurdity that is perfectly hilarious and entertaining. The best part is that the comedy is always solid. At no point, it gets annoying or tiresome. And all of the characters have the same role, and the comedy, which makes you rot for all of them. But there is none that became the breakout and most popular. All are equally wonderful.

Each episode includes three sketches that usually involve Kaguya and Miyuki trying to make the other confess, or even a small slice-of-life situation that quickly gets all the comedy in the best way possible. Because, like I said, every moment, aside from being almost standalone, is pretty inventive, getting the most of the comical possibilities into the equation. Also it it done with a rhythm and a pacing that never gets old. In fact, it gets better.

Also, despite Kaguya-sama is a comedy series, it manages to keep the tension within the characters, especially inside a school environment.

Much better than Kakegurui.

Without mentioning it never deviates from its light-heart tone.

However, one thing that I really appreciate from Kaguya-sama is that it never relies on fanservice, or anything like that. There are moments of swimsuit and sexiness, but it is never gratuitous or preposterous; and for me, that is more enjoyable. Less is more.

Sadly, there are no characters that stand out over the others.

NO! THERE ARE NOT, AND I MEAN THAT.

And speaking of which…

CHARACTERS

What can I say about the characters? Probably that all of them are as good as the story. Aside from our protagonists, Kaguya and Miyuki, Kaguya-sama has a lot of memorable cast, including the previously mentioned Ai Hayasaka, the maid of the Shinomiya family that always tries to put some common sense with Kaguya and her feelings; Yu Ishigami, the gloomy, sarcastic and pessimistic best friend of Miyuki, whose antics and perverted comments bring a lot of comedy into the series; Kei Shirogane, Miyuki’s sister, and… that’s all.

There is Miko Iino, but she only appears prominently during the second season, so I will not stop there. When I feel confident enough, I will talk about Miko in more depth. However, here is a small gallery of her.

• 

• 

Like I said, every character is as beautiful and memorable as Kaguya and Miyuki. And that is because some of the sketches of Kaguya-sama offers enough space to all of them. So every time you watch and episode, you will know a lot of them and love them as much as with Miyuki and Kaguya.

CONCLUSION

Kaguya-Sama: Love is War is…

CHIKA FUJIWARA

OF COURSE… How could I ever forget about Chika?

Kaguya and Miyuki are the main characters, but Chika is definitely the best character of all Kaguya-Sama.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

In the series, she is the secretary of the student council, but she is completely unaware of the psychological battles that Miyuki and Kaguya face against each other for their confessions; aside from that, she is very cheerful, absent-minded, and so full of energy it is just contagious. And her appearance is gorgeous. The pink hair, the blue eyes, and that adorable ribbon.

I must confess that, when Kaguya-sama was released, the first thing… No. The one that introduced me to the franchise was Chika. Obviously, by watching this.

But just when you thought you know Chika, then she reveals that she knows French, she is an accomplished pianist, a talented singer and a good volleyball coach. Chika has this unique balance between silliness and skill I doubt many anime characters, or Western cartoons, have. And of course that means a lot of merit.

Also, her voice is incredible. She hears so innocent, but at the same time, so confident, young and brave. No wonder why Chika’s seiyuu, Konomi Kohara, has many roles, including Roxy Migurdia, from Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation.

And more, recently, Mona Megistus, from Genshin Impact.

• 

• 

And there you go. That’s Kaguya-sama: Love is War for you. Season one of course. One of the best anime of 2010s and one of the best romantic comedy anime. Get into Crunchyroll and see it by yourself.

And since you cannot have enough Chika, here are other stills of her.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Ok… See you guys soon.

I better leave before Henrietta Von Penrose…

WHERE IS MY MONEY!!!

DAMN IT!!!