JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – Yamada-Kun and the Seven Witches – My own Impressions

Yamada-Kun and the Seven Witches

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Harem, Fantasy

Studio: Liden Films

Hello my friends. Welcome to the third entry of the month.

I was just reading some reviews from Rotten Tomatoes, when… I remember that I still have a couple of hours before going to bed, and that’s why I decided to give a go and try to make this day even more special with a new entry. And I hope you guys like it.

Having said that, I want to bring you here….

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches

But before I continue with this experiment, there is something very important that I must ask:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy, and I assure you that, for those who love romantic comedies, Yamada-Kun will not disappoint you, especially if you want to relax and have a good time.

Now… let’s start with Yamada-Kun and the Seven Witches.

PREMISE

Based on the manga written and illustrated by Miki Yoshikawa, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches tells the story of Ryu Yamada, a juvenile delinquent who likes to fight, get into trouble and hates to study, he is the complete opposite of Urara Shiraishi, the top student of the school. One day, after an accident that took place in the stairs, Yamada-kun and Shiraishi find out that they swap bodies. Thanks to the help of Miyabi Itou, and advised by the student council vice-president, Toranosuke Miyamura, Yamada-kun and Shiraishi revived the Supernatural Activities Club, where they discover the legend of the seven witches. Now they will have to gather all the witches together, resulting in a bunch of hilarious situations and heartwarming moments.

Yamada-kun was published by Kodansha, and published between February 2012 and February 2017, comprising a total of 28 volumes. Furthermore, the franchise released a television drama in 2013, broadcasted by Fuji TV.

Finally, the anime version of Yamada-kun was released in 12 episodes, between April 12 and June 28, 2015, with an OVA that came out in August 28, 2015. One interesting fact is that Urara Shiraishi is voiced by one of my favourite seiyuus of all time, Saori Hayami, and that Yamada-kun is voiced by Ryota Osaka.

Here are some characters voiced by him.

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Nariyuki Yuiga (We Never Learn), Sadao (The Devil is a Part-Timer), Eijun Sawamura (Ace of Diamond).

Finally, as a curious trivia, the composer of the series is the legendary Masaru Yokoyama, whom I mentioned before in my blog. Yokoyama composed the soundtrack of anime like Scum’s Wish, Fate/Apocrypha and Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans.

STORY

All right. There is something I really want to say regarding Yamada-Kun and the Seven Witches. The anime is incredibly hilarious. All the 12 episodes are full of really funny situations with all the main characters. so you will never get bored with any of the episodes; especially if you are a fan of anime like Saekano, My Teen Comedy goes SNAFU, Oresuki and others. But here is that element of supernatural, as well as the amazing chemistry of Yamada-kun and the rest of the characters, what makes Yamada-kun so entertaining.

From episode one, we basically have the same structure; there is a situation to be solved regarding the witches, Yamada-kun and Shiraishi work together, resulting in a lot of comedy, but at the end, the witch either joins the club, or befriends Yamada-kun (and by «befriend», I mean falls in love).

However, far from feeling old, the great creativity of the story is what makes every episode as funny as the last one; especially because of Yamada-kun and his wacky personality. But I will talk about him later.

And in the end, you got this feeling at the end of the episode.

And then… you got another good laugh.

One element that I must mention is the animation. Beautiful, colourful and pretty charming, as you would expect from an anime produced by Liden Films. At the beginning, the name of Liden Films was not familiar for me, but after some research, I found out that this studio is producing Tokyo Revengers, and many good anime, including…

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Like I said, every episode is as funny as the previous one…

CHARACTERS

Indeed, the characters from Yamada-kun are really wonderful. First I must say that our main protagonists, Ryu Yamada and Urara Shiraishi, have really wonderful chemistry. I know that I mentioned this before, but every time you see them together, you feel happy, not just for the perfect contrast, but also for the comedy, especially when they swap bodies.

And Yamada-kun has a lot of hilarious expressions.

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Honestly, every time I see this guy’s face, I couldn’t stop laughing.

And of course, we cannot forget the other witches.

1. Nene Odagiri – Charm Witch
2. Meiko Otsuka – Telepathy Witch
3. Maria Sarushima – Precognition Witch
4. Noa Takigawa – Retrocognition Witch
5. Mikoto Asuka – Invisible Witch
6. Rika Saionji – Mindwipe Witch

All of them offering their own, unique personalities. Seriously, after a while, you remember all after a while.

Overall, none of the characters are fillers; they are as hilarious as our main leads.

CONCLUSION

I really loved Yamada-Kun and the Seven Witches, definitely is one of the best and most entertaining romantic comedies I have seen. One of my favourites. Because if a romantic comedy, or any anime of any genre, makes me watching again and again, that is an achievement. You will definitely enjoy every moment, every character, and have a big smile whenever you feel down.

So, step in by and let Yamada-Kun charm you and a couple of hours.

One last thing, if there is a second season, there is something Yamada-Kun must include, and that is…

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – Shirobako – My own Impressions

SHIROBAKO

Studio: P.A. Works

Genre: Comedy-drama

 

Hey guys. Welcome to another anime Review.

And this time, I am working on an anime that, despite being released in 2015, was one that lead me through a really beautiful experience, about anime industry and fighting for your dreams.

And that anime is…

SHIROBAKO

Also, because a movie of this anime was released on February, and I have been working on this review. Now it is the time for publish it.

But before I start, I must ask the typical question.

Are you guys feeling ok? Washing your hands? Keep social distance?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy, just remember.

Do not underestimate the COVID-19

Now, having said that, let’s continue with Shirobako.

PREMISE

Shirobako centers on five girls, Aoi Miyamori, Ema Yasuhara, Shizuka Sakaki, Misa Tōdō, and Midori Imai really love anime, and during high school, they create an anime of their own. And after graduation, they made a promise to make a second anime together. Shortly, Aoi works as production assistant for Musashino Animation, while Ema works as an animator for the same studio, Midori is a college student and aspiring writer, Shizuka is a voice actress, and Misa works as a 3D graphics artist. Furthermore, all of the girls know what they want to do, except for Aoi, who is still undecided.

Mostly the show revolves around the process, difficulties, and elements used to create an anime, just like Eizouken, but on a bigger, more realistic scale.

Like I said, the movie was released on February 29, 2020; while the anime has 24 episodes, including two OVA that are two of the animes produced in the story, Exodus! and The Third Girls Aerial Squad. Also, there is a manga, called Shirobako: Kaminoyama Kōkō Animation Dōkōkai, released between 2014 and 2015.

All of the episodes of Shirobako are available at Crunchyroll.

I still haven’t seen the movie, especially in these complex times, but now that it is been five years since I saw first Shirobako, I want to watch more of the great adventures of Aoi and gang.

STORY

Don-Don-Donuts, let’s go nuts!

The real story of Shirobako comes from Aoi dealing with the stress and difficulties that comes from making anime, as well as her fight to decide what does she really want regarding anime industry. But also in many episodes, we see the conflicts and doubts of our other protagonists on their respective professions. And although I have never been witness of the hardships and work conditions of people that work in anime, shows like Shirobako and Eizouken really teaches us that producing anime is not precisely all honey over flakes, especially because apparently the conditions of its industry are getting worse, despite anime industry generates more $19 billion of annual revenue.

Here is an article that I just read.

https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/7/2/20677237/anime-industry-japan-artists-pay-labor-abuse-neon-genesis-evangelion-netflix

I can’t tell how true is everything I read on that article. But when I think about its content, it makes happy to see animes like Shirobako, because it is like a love letter to all those workers of the anime industry that is bringing a lot of joy and wonder to both Japanese and Western fans.

Anyway.

Shirobako has everything, comedy, drama, slice-of-life elements, and also the anime takes its time to develop some of the characters, telling us why they love what they do, what inspires them to adopt some habits for their jobs, among any great elements that makes story richer.

The animation is beautiful, not too bright, but not too grim. It keeps many of the feeling of being an anime intact for those who want to simply have a good time watching anime, or anime about making anime for that matter, but also, does not dare to be too cartoonish or bold, like in the style of Eizouken!, in order to make the realism more convincing.

My only problem is that sometimes I believe there are so many ideas and elements inside the series that the rhythm and pacing don’t allow enough time to develop, such as when one of the employees leaves his job in order to pursue his dream, out of anime industry.

Furthermore, there is a character that, apparently, has a handicap, if not disability. I will say which one, because it is mere speculation, but I think the series didn’t make as interesting as she should be. And other two that had a lot of potential.

Of course, Shirobako is not perfect, but definitely I still enjoy every single moment of all the episodes

CHARACTERS

Now that is what I called Passion!

Finally, what will it be of Shirobako if it wasn’t for its main characters? Like I said, there are many cool characters in Shirobako, and because of the rhythm of some of the episodes, we get to know them well enough, but the true soul of the series is our five passionated girls.

Generally speaking, the character development might not be the best in Shirobako, but it is definitely one that you will always enjoy, either for the main cast or the supporting cast; my only problem is that sometimes the pacing does not give enough time for others members of the supporting cast to shine. And that is a shame.

But there is a supporting character that I really grow attached to, because of the personality and appearance.

Rinko Ogasawara

She is beautiful, she is talented, she is calm, and an excellent mentor for Ema. And a good example of why some Japanese really enjoy gothic fashion. One of my favourite characters.

In time you will grow to love Shirobako characters a lot.

CONCLUSION

Time to wrap this up!

Shirobako is an excellent alternative for those who really want to see something different from Eizouken!. Personally, both series are beautiful, and each one has its strengths and weaknesses, at the end of the day, both are beautiful love letters to those animators, writers, directors and producers who bring anime dreams come true, so it is very important to acknowledge their work through anime like this.

I hope you agree with me, my precious friends.

Now, I want to eat some donuts.

Don-Don-Donuts, let’s go nuts!