I FINALLY CASTED MY VOTES FOR THE CRUNCHYROLL ANIME AWARDS 2021 – PART III

Hello my friends.

It is time for post the third and final part for my choices of Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2021.

BEST COMBAT

Yuji Itadori & Aoi Todo vs. Hanami from Jujutsu Kaisen

There are two reasons for this vote.

The first one is that I haven’t watched the other battles (I am not living if I refuse to watch Attack on Titan: The Final Season, part 1), except from Elma vs. Tohru, from Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S, but I consider this one, from Jujutsu Kaisen, more impressive, especially because of all the hard work and effort put by Studio MAPPA.

The second reason is that, as I previously mentioned on one of my blogs, Jujutsu Kaisen indeed exceeded my expectations, especially during the choreography and the battles, in fact watching Megumi and Maki doing their combo on episode 19 was awesome!!!

So there you go. This year, Jujutsu Kaisen enchanted me again.

BEST ANTAGONIST

First vote goes to… Tomura Shigaraki, from My Hero Academia season 5

I am starting to believe that Tomura Shigaraki is this close to becoming one of the greatest antagonists of all the shonen genre, along with Orochimaru, Cell and Frieza. Every time I watch Tomura, I am more convinced that he is indeed the true successor of All For One.

And the part when Tomura’s past is revealed is really heartbreaking and disturbing at the same time. Finally, Shigaraki is one of my favourite characters of My Hero Academia, and one of the best antagonists (along with Dabi, Himiko Toga and Stain)

You got my vote.

Second vote goes to… ECHIDNA, from Re: Zero – season 2.

Just like before, Echidna has that sense of mystery, beauty and unpredictability that makes her charming. She is like some kind of Anti-Emilia, and a very popular character in my personal opinion.

And… Re: Zero is one of the best isekai of all time. So I had to give Echidna my support. And… I will finally be able to have some of her «special» tea.

BEST PROTAGONIST

Odokawa, from OddTaxi.

Of all the nominees, I think Odokawa is indeed the best, because of his calm personality, his wits, his mysterious and tragic past, and the work done by Natsuki Hanae.

And I really wanted to divide my vote between Odokawa and Ai Ohto, but at the end, I consider that Odokawa was better constructed and had a better story. It is not like I don’t like Ai Ohto.

Now… I am starting to regret not voting for her too.

And the others… I barely know about them, and since I haven’t watched Attack on Titan: The Final Season – Part I, I thought not to lie. And Bojji… I must watch Ranking of Kings.

BEST GIRL

First vote goes to… Vladilena «Lena» Milizé, from 86: Eighty-Six

Indeed, Lena is one of the best female leads of all 2021. She is an intelligent, resourceful, caring, compassive Handler of the Republic of San Magnolia, ascended to Major at a young age.

All the time she is taking the initiative, not being afraid of questioning the supremacist ideology of San Magnolia for the safety of the Spearhead Squadron, and trust me, she gets better on the upcoming volumes (I hope 86: Eighty-Six gets a second season).

Lena is like Relena Peacecraft, from Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, or Kudelia Aina Bernstein from Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans.

One of my favourite heroines.

Second votes goes to… Shouko Komi from Komi-San Can’t Communicate

As I said in my review of Komi-san Can’t Communicate, Shouko Komi is the heroine that I relate the most, because I suffer from anxiety, and despite Komi-san’s problem is much worse, I understand how she feels. How hard is her life because of that.

And her chemistry with Tadano-kun, her antics with Najimi, and her cool personality, and funny misunderstandings makes her so memorable. So I must vote for her, if not… I rather go to jail.

Lena and Komi-san – Two of my Top Waifu of 2021.

BEST BOY

Izumi Miyamura, from Horimiya

Ok. I also voted for Hiroshi Odokawa, but I already said what I had to say about him. And I will avoid being repetitive.

But Izumi Miyamura is a really well-constructed character, he is a reserved student that keep mostly from himself, but beneath that exterior, he is full of piercings and tattoos that goes against everything related the first impression.

And both his character development and his relationship with Hori-san is full of chemistry and cuteness that probably does not make it original enough, but it definitely makes them entertaining and memorable.

It is a shame that I haven’t watched Ranking of Kings, because I will definitely voted for Bojji (I have that homework).

ANIME OF THE YEAR…

GOES TO…

What can I say?

A good plot, solid social commentary, memorable characters, splendid animation from A-1 Pictures, and a great story about war, discrimination and child soldiers. An anime that took risks.

And yes… I am fully aware that either Attack on Titan: The Final Season or Jujutsu Kaisen – second cour will get the award, but 86: Eighty-Six really hooked in a way that it has no words, and I find myself every time reading the light novels and searching about the characters on Wikipedia.

Just like Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and Iron-Blooded Orphans before, 86: Eighty-Six will remain with me and I will mentioned it a lot… at least until I fully watched Attack on Titan: The Final Season.

CONCLUSION

And there you go!!!!

My personal choices for the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Another year, another group of blogs.

Some will agree with me, some will definitely have different opinions. But what is true is that 2021 gave us a lot of awesome anime, and the favourite, the ones that most of the fans love will be awarded.

I am as excited as you are, especially because i finished the tradition of giving my favourite for the awards on time.

Let’s hope for the best.

And… you know what Henrietta said to me? If Lena does not get the award, it will be my fault.

Right Henrietta?

YOU BET YOUR BEHIND IT WILL BE!!!

Hehe. She loves me.

I FINALLY CASTED MY VOTES FOR THE CRUNCHYROLL ANIME AWARDS 2021 – PART II

BEST OPENING

YOASOBI – Kaibutsu – BEASTARS – Season 2

Because… Ali made a wonderful opening for the first season with «WILD SIDE». The moment I listen the opening for season 2, I didn’t think twice… This song really deserved the best opening award.

Of course, Cry Baby from Tokyo Revengers is also fantastic, but… In my personal opinion, nothing can beat Beastars, except OddTaxi, by Skirt and PUNPEE.

Good luck. You two deserve to be the next Beastar.

BEST VOICE PERFORMANCE (JP)

FIRST VOTE Goes to… Natsuki Hanae, for Hiroshi Odokawa, from Oddtaxi.

I need to say this now. I am a huge fan of Natsuki Hanae, and in this 2021, this great seiyuu brought us some iconic roles, including Vanitas, from The Case Study of Vanitas, Tanjiro and Odokawa.

I adore Oddtaxi, is absolutely one of the best anime of 2021, and when I listen Odokawa, I couldn’t believe the seiyuu behind was Natsuki Hanae, and that proves how talented this actor is.

SECOND VOTE Goes to… Aoi Kuga, for Kumoko, from So I am A spider, So what?

The same happens with Natsuki Hanae. Even though her voice reminds of both Tanya Von Degurechaff and Azusa Aizawa, Aoi Kuga prints her own mark with Kumoko, perfectly mimicking the dynamism of the character and her personality every time Kumoko seems to break the fourth wall.

Of course, she can get a bit annoying sometimes, but that does not stop the character and heir voice actress for being so cool.

You are a Spider, So what? So we love you.

SPECIAL MENTION – BEST VOICE PERFORMANCE (Latin America)

VICTOR UGARTE as Shinji Ikari, from Neon Genesis Evangelion

In my personal opinion, from day one, and I mean as far as 1999… on one can beat Victor Ugarte as Shinji Ikari.

And I love Pepe Vilchis, but the sweet voice of Ugarte as Shinji (in both the original series and the films) is practically a milestone in Latin American anime community.

Don’t believe me? Check it by yourselves.

BEST SOUNDTRACK

FIRST VOTE goes to Hiroyuki Sawano and Kohta Yamamoto, from 86: Eighty-Six

Wonderful, to say the least. Just like you would know from Hiroyuki Sawano.

I am a bit disappointed, because I believe that Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song deserved more nominations than the ones it got. However, I was expected its soundtrack to receive a nomination. So yeah.

My second vote goes to that beautiful A.I. that wants to make people happy with her singing.

BEST CHARACTER DESIGN

Baku Kinoshita and Hiromi Nakayama – ODDTAXI

I must say that every time I saw the characters of Oddtaxi, I was imagining myself as an animator, trying to make the design of each one of these characters, and how hard it should be. Furthermore, every one of these designs perfectly gives identity, making them more memorable.

It is a shame that I didn’t watch Ranking of Kings by the time the nominations were revealed, because I would divide my vote between both series.

Also, I consider to divide my vote between Oddtaxi and Wonder Egg Priority, but I didn’t take me too much time before going to Oddtaxi.

BEST ANIMATION

Studio Bind for Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

This vote was a tough one, because I couldn’t decided between Demon Slayer: Mugen Train and Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation. Moreover, this category produced me a bit of cringe, for one exterior reason.

Just like Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song, Mushoku Tensei deserved more nominations, being among the best freaking anime of 2021.

Particularly, because of the animation.

So yes. I finally vote Mushoku Tensei, because this fantastic isekai has a lot of competition, and we must support it, because the infamy Rudeus Greyrat inspire in some, this anime earned all its praise.

BEST DIRECTOR

Baku Kinoshita, for Oddtaxi.

Not just the animation, Oddtaxi has good storytelling, characters, great twists all over the episode, all blend together in one of the best anime of 2021.

And of course, someone had to be in charge of everything. So I voted for Baku Kinoshita for OddTaxi.

I also consider dividing my vote with Wonder Egg Priority, but then I thought that Oddtaxi has a deeper story.

So there you go.

CONCLUSION

And there you go. Part II finished.

Remember that this is only my own opinion. Everyone has the right to vote to whichever series they want. At the end of the day, the best will get the awards… I hope.

Stay tuned for the third and final part.

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 – Wonder Egg Priority – My Own Impressions

Wonder Egg Priority

Studio: Cloverworks

Genre: Fantasy, Psychological horror, Magical Girl

Hello my friends. Welcome to another entry of my blog, and… It is Easter…

Happy Easter! Everybody!!

And now… I am going to start reviewing one of those Easter-themed movies that i watch a long time ago… Sony’s Peter Rabbit.

Based on the novels from Beatrix Potter, and released in 2018, Peter Rabbit tells the story of Peter, a little, mischievous rabbit, who is living with his family, making…

Alright. Enough already.

But seriously. I didn’t come for rabbits, I came here for eggs, and not precisely Easter eggs (Obviously). I came here to make a promise that I own you my friends, and that is talking about a fascinating anime that really got my attention at the beginning of the year, and that has the potential of becoming one of the most rave anime of 2021, along with Horimiya, Mushoku Tensei and Kemono Jihen.

And that is…

But first, I want to ask you a very important question:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

However, due to the plot of Wonder Egg Priority and the intensity of the themes (especially for those who already watched the whole series), I think I will become a bit more personal about writing this blog, because I also got my own anecdotes, inspired in what our protagonists are trying to fight, and I know many of my readers will understand.

With that said, are you guys ready for my entry? Yeah? You are? You are?

That;s what I like to hear.

PREMISE

Released in January 2021, Wonder Egg Priority tells the story of Ai Ohto, a young, introverted student thta quits going to school due to the sad death of her best friend, Koito Nagase. During one of her trips, Ai finds an old gachaman machine that gives Wonder Eggs, and by breaking them, they transport Ai to a Dream World in which she must protect another girls from the Seeno monsters, or that is what it is. Then, Ai is told that, if she can save enough people, Koito can be brought back to life.

Now Ai is determined to save all the people that live in the Wonder Eggs, along with her, three more girls join Ai; the reserved Neiru Aonuma, the former idol, Rika kawai, and the androgynous, Momoe Sawaki, who tunrs to be the niece of Ai’s teacher.

As of April 01, Wonder Egg Priority was released by 12 episodes, but it was recently announced that the series will release a special episode on June. And like Horimiya, the animation done by Cloverworks proves that it is a worthy subsidiary form the legendary A-1 Pictures. Finally, one of the most notorious elements from Wonder Egg Priority is its violence, which despite being done from the psychological perspective, it feels so real and so relatable to the viewer, particularly due to the fantastic animation and the weird imagery, which seemingly draws inspiration from Neil Galman and David Lynch.

Don’t believe me? Check this out.

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Something that would make Coraline’s Beldam proud.

What is really fascinating is that the author of Wonder Egg Priority is Shinji Nojima, famous for his many manga about psychology and… brain worms. Personally I am starting to read some of his works, I hope I can make it, because, as I said, I have personal issues regarding many of the themes of Wonder Egg Priority.

Having said that, let’s go to…

STORY

Now that I think of it, the reason of why I didn’t write about Wonder Egg Priority before is because I was trying to make my opinion about how to express my feelings about what I said before, especially because there is an element that prevails on the main theme of the series, suicide. Some members of my family have suffered with this problem before, and a part of me fears suicide, because during my early years, I thought it was too much, and there was a point in which I wanted my life to end, because I consider that this will ease the burden, and that perhaps I didn’t have a place in the world.

Please don’t worry about those feelings, that was in my teenage years.

My point is that, somehow, the imagery of Wonder Egg Priority portray the feeling of guilt, death and confusion that many can feel in depression. basically from the monsters. Somehow, the enemies that Ai, Neiru, Rika and Momoe fight are monsters created by the despair and loneliness of those they are trying to protect.

I feel like I am talking about Silent Hill.

This dude!!!

Moreover, it seems that we are seeing a new Wave of Magical Girl genre, one that is going on deeper, riskier fields, starting with Madoka, and passing through Magical Girl Site. Those who read My First Impressions of the latter, will know what I am talking about.

And after some considerations, I get to the conclusions that Wonder Egg Priority follows this trend. But instead of making you feel depressed or anxious about the evil of the world, Wonder Egg Priority sometimes focuses about the value of friendship and being honest with your heart, and to love yourself more, so, on that sense, the feeling is different, and by the end of every episode, you feel this happiness, because the girls were able to save the inhabitants of the Eggs. And the more you get into the episodes, the more you love the story and relate to the characters.

Furthermore. How could you stand idly by toward the animation?

The attention of detail toward landscapes, the colourful character design, the detail of blood, and the battles. By this point, if you are not a fan of the fantastic animation work of Cloverworks, especially after Horimiya, you cannot consider yourself a fan.

In fact, I think that this was the intention of the staff, makes us feel the same calm after watching the painting. of Vincent Van Gogh.

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But seriously, the story of Wonder Egg Priority is more episodic and oriented on the characters than anything else. And that’s what make it more fascinating.

CHARACTERS

Finally, our four heroines are really the ones who are keeping the story in an excellent shape. All are so different, so unique, yet they have a same purpose: they want to save as many people as they can so they can bring their beloved ones back to life. Furthermore, some of them carry some kind of trauma.

Ai is a bit timid, Neiru feels distraught due to the attack suffered from her sister, Rika, as an idol, rejected a fan, and Momoe wants to bring a girl that fell in love with her, Haruka. Throughout the series, all of our heroines have a lot of character development and you grow to appreciate a lot whenever you see them, especially Rika, because her boyish personality also shows a very compassionate side of hers. And one of the qualities that you will appreciate from Ai is how she makes friends so easily.

But… Am I the only one who want to «ship» Momoe and Ai?

Sorry. But you can always choose your favourite characters, but all of the four are simply memorable enough. And for an original anime, that is quite a accomplishment.

Kudos.

CONCLUSION

Along with Horimiya, Wonder Egg Priority is one of my favourite anime of 2021, and a great step forward for Cloverworks, who has proved to give a great number of shows. But… let’s pray that…

…what it’s been said about The Promised Neverland, season 2 is completely false.

Now… Who’s up for an Egg Hunt. Peter?