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 – SAIHATE NO PALADIN (THE FARAWAY PALADIN) – FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Saihate No Paladin (The Faraway Paladin)

Genre: isekai, fantasy

Studio: Children’s Playground Entertainment

Hello my friends. Welcome to an other entry blog.

Now, it is a time to come back to all ways of do blogging, at least from me. And while I was receiving my second dose, I was able to use that time to watch some good anime, and have a good time, especially from this spring/winter, depending the place of the world you are in now. And one of the anime that I was curious about was one that I chose regarding the Chosen Ones (Well, not really).

And now, it is finally time to watch, since I consider I watched enough for an entry.

Behold…

SAIHATE NO PALADIN

But before I continue, I must ask you the typical questions:

Are you guys ok? Feeling happy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy, especially since I now have a peace of mind due to the shots.

Now… let’s go in the ultimate life-changing journey… of the comfy of the bed. This is The Faraway Paladin.

PREMISE

Saihate no Paladin is another isekai story, written by Kanata Yasugino and illustrated by Yususaga Rin, and tells the story of Will, a young man who died and reincarnated in another world, like I said, an isekai. In this new world, he is raised by three undead creatures, Blood, a skeletal warrior who teaches him to use weapons in combat; Mary, a mummified priestess who teaches him daily-to-daily tasks, and to pray; and Gus, an spectral sorcerer who teaches him magic and sorcery.

After some years, Will finally reaches adulthood, and then he must make an oath to a deity of his choice, in this case, Gracefeel, the Goddess of Light. Shortly after, Will start going on this journey of life, to learn the truth of this world and of his tutors, with the help of many sweet companions, Meneldor, an elf, expert on archery and Will’s best friend, Robina, a traveling trobadour, and Antonio, a hawker and skilled negotiator.

Oh… And Will adopts the names of his tutors and a tribute, calling himself William G. Maryblood.

One interesting fact is that Saihate no Paladin was heavily influenced by another isekai anime I reviewed months ago, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation. In fact, the author, Kanata Yasugino, mentioned his work and quote:

«Mushoku without ecchi».

Here is a little article explaining it.

The Faraway Paladin Was Heavily Influenced by Mushoku Tensei

To be honest, this article got my attention more than the premise itself, encouraging me to watch Saihate no Paladin in the end. But I will talk about it later.

Regarding Saihate, this adaptation is going to have only one cour – that is 12 episodes, and it is produced by a studio I swear I never heard of before – Children’s Playground Entertainment. Actually I found the name pretty funny, and it is not because it is producing an isekai story, or because I think they produce children stories. It is because I find the name a bit… unconventional. I do not know how to speak it, but half of me thinks the name is good, and the other half thinks is lame.

Sort of.

Anyway, Saihate no Paladin is available at Crunchyroll, and the opening theme – «A sacred heart» is performed by Hikaru Masau, a.k.a. Helical, and the ending is performed by Nagi Yanagi, and it has a fancy name – Shirushibi, or Mark of Fire.

Now, let’s go with…

STORY

One thing I definitely agree with the article, is that Saihate no Paladin has a lot of influence from Mushoku Tensei, and for me, that is a good thing because definitely Mushoku Tensei is one of the best anime of 2021, you watch the series, and you get the vibes immediately. Nonetheless, I caught four big differences with the work of Rifujin na Magonote and its adaptation. And I will put them here.

1. While Mushoku Tensei takes its time to make the main character, Rudeus Greyrat, grow, at least physically, Will basically becomes a 15-year-old adult in three episodes.
2. Mushoku Tensei focuses in the life of Rudeus Greyrat, in a matter of bildungsroman, Saihate no Paladin centers on a hero’s journey.
3. The plot of Mushoku Tensei is about Rudeus’s desire to life properly again, while Saihate no Paladin focuses in the mystery of the world Will was reincarnated.
4. We, as viewers, knew what kind of life Rodeus got before, but the previous life of Will remains a mystery.

Also, the fact that there are three undead creatures raising an human boy, and the truth behind that adds a lot of personality and uniqueness to the story, and despite these two episodes are not precisely of battles and war, they do not lack of action; better yet, none of them are slow. As a matter of fact, episode one has a lot of development regarding Will and his family, with all of them, and the events of those relationships are interesting enough to be convincing, and while we watch the episode, we come to know the personalities of Gus, Mary and Blood.

Gus being the grumpy, yet likeable old man; Mary being a mother figure, and Blood the builded warrior with a heart of gold. They might sound as stereotypes to many, but for me, they fit their roles pretty well.

So yeah. If you enjoy these types of story, you will like Saihate no Paladin, but for those fans of action and adventure, this might be frustrating, depending in your state.

Furthermore, another big difference between Mushoku Tensei and Saihate no Paladin is the animation, and the atmosphere. While Mushoku has rough lines and opaque colours for highlighting the realism, from my viewpoint…

Saihate no Paladin is more colourful and bright, like a hint for the vision of adventure.

But one thing is for sure. The first two episodes has a lot of mythology. because Will gets a lot of knowledge regarding the deities of this new world. Volt, the God of justice and Lightning, similar to Zeus; Mater, the Mother Goddess; and Blaze, the God of Fire and technology.

Also… very curious names.

And for those who may noticed… Saihate no Paladin does the opposite of Mushoku Tensei in terms of world-building, because while the latter develops a lot of races and ethnicities of the new world, Saihate no Paladin creates a beautiful mythology that feels similar to our world, yet believable and proper to the new world.

So yeah. Both series have their strengths that make them interesting and their own merit.

By the way, just look at the cover of the first light novel.

When I saw it, I thought we will face a pretty dark story with a lot of violence and war, like Goblin Slayer and The Rising of the Shield Hero, but then…

And I thought… Am I watching the right anime? Perhaps I miss something. This is not a bad thing, but I wanted to share it with you.

Oh well!!!

CHARACTERS

I already mentioned what I think the characters, at least the mentors, Gus being the irascible, yet likeable old man; Mary, the mysterious, but sweet mummified priestess who loves Will as her son, and Blood, the giant warrior with a heart of gold.

And now… let’s get this over with.

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AINZ-SAMA!!!

Yeah. The good ol’ Ainz Ooal Gown. I also noticed it.

Also, the presentation of Will is pretty solid, due to the glimpses of his previous life, in fact, there is a scene in which you see some keepsake, like the main character was cremated.

And overall, Will is a likeable protagonist. At first I thought he will have some deep voice, possibly played by Yuichiro Umehara (Goblin Slayer), or Yusuke Kobayashi (Re:Zero & Dr. Stone), but it sounds more like Ayumu Murase (Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun), and that adds a lot of humanity to him.

My only disappointment is that the companions of Will did not appear during the first episodes. This is more my failing, of course, so I will give my time to watch more episodes.

Perhaps, I will end up liking them as well.

CONCLUSION

Saihate no Paladin ended up having a lot of cool things, the animation, the characters, the plot, the world-building, and the premise. I say it again, those who enjoyed Mushoku Tensei will have fun with this series, especially for the upcoming episodes.

In fact, I will go now and watch the rest at Crunchyroll…

HECK WITH THAT! LET’S DIE AND GET REINCARNATED, SO A SEXY DARK-SKINNED DEMONESS WILL RISE ME.

I CAN IMAGINE HER!!!

HERE I COME…

…

WOW!! This new world is not what I imagined.

But… where is my sexy dark-skinned foster mother?

Oh!!!

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – KOMI-SAN CAN’T COMMUNICATE – MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Komi-san Can’t Communicate (Komi-san wa, Komyushō Desu)

Genre: Slice-of-Life, Comedy, Romance

Studio: OLM

Hello my friends.

Welcome to another entry of my blog.

Right now. I have very good news, and that is I finally recovered from my headache, and now I am back to do a little bit of entry. To be honest, this is an anime that I wanted to do from the beginning, since the moment I saw the key visual and the premise, my interest was full on.

I know that the title says it all, but I will repeat. Behold.

But before I continue, I must continue with the typical question:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

Now, time to solve the biggest question in the history of humankind…

Has Komi-san or not communism?

?????????

According to Google Translate, the original title of the series, Komi-san wa, Komyushō Desu., is translated as Mr. Furumi has communism. Check these stills.

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Anyway, let’s go with the anime and the sweet story of Komi-san and Tadano-kun.

PREMISE

Shouko Komi, or Komi-san, is the personification of elegance, she has an impressive beauty, grand posse, unprecedented charm and wonderful aura, which is why, on her first day on the Itan Private High School, she becomes the indisputable queen of the school. Her cool, aloof and calm attitude earns her more points in terms of popularity, but there is a secret beneath her personality.

Komi-san has extreme social anxiety, and cannot truly communicate with any of her classmates.

The only one who notices the truth is the student that sits next to her, Hitohito Tadano, or Tadano-kun, a pretty average student.

They both become friends, and Tadano-kun promises Komi-san to help her made one hundred friends on the school. But what Tadano-kun ignores is that Itan Private High School has the craziest, most unique students of all the city.

Komi-san wa, Komyushō Desu. is written by Tomohito Oda, famous for making another series, called Digicon. Oda has published Komi-san since May, 2016, and has been comprising 23 volumes. One funny fact is that the studio animation, OLM, is the same one that animates…

Also, when I first noticed the whole of Tadano-kun, I thought that the creator of Komi-san was none other than Gosho Aoyama, the genius behind Detective Conan and Magic Kaito.

I am dead serious. Just look at his design, along with the one of Conan Edogawa

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• 

Ok. They are not precisely similar, but you might see a bit of influence from Aoyama-sensei on the design of some of the characters of Komi-san, aside from Tadano-kun.

As of November 8, there is no confirmation of how many episodes Komi-san will have, but I honestly, honestly, hope we got 25 or 26 episodes, because I am reading the manga, and the story deserves it. You can check Myanimelist.com to confirm this last fact. Finally, while «hikareinochi», the ending theme, is beautiful, I think the opening, «Cinderella», performed by Cider Girl, is simply of the best songs of the spring of 2021.

Here is a link to the TV version:

And for the full song.

STORY

I want to start saying that Komi-san is definitely a character I can relate to entirely. For one reason, one I think I already mentioned on my previous entries.

I suffered from anxiety, and I still do. Seriously, sometimes on social situations I get very nervous, especially because of my attitude and the body language I will display, and the single thought of that is enough to make my skin crawl, especially in front of… women. And that anxiety, the same one that interferes in your daily life, it does not allow you to enjoy the present, and it fills like a rope all over your body like a python, slowly choking you and taking control of your mind.

Subconsciously telling you to leave, when you really want to stay, but don’t feel in control.

But now, I realised that what Komi-san is suffering is much complicated. Yet, I understand her sadness and loneliness. And I know I am not the only one. And that makes her one of the most relatable characters of the season.

Now, I will be focusing only in the first two episodes, which are the ones I watched so far. And I will try to be as brief as possible.

On the very first moments, we have a good introduction of both Komi-san and Tadano-kun, the episode takes its time, but without going too slow, to introduce both, their reason to go to Itai (having a normal school life for Tadano-kun, and to make friends and socialise for Komi-san); their encounter at class, and how the rest of the students are jealous of Tadano-kun for sitting next to Komi-san.

A freaking Ninja!! Honestly. Buddy. I think you should go with Boruto

And while some students are really hilarious…

…Others are plain a%(*oles.

Tadano-kun is knocked by the students at lunch time. And when he wakes up, he hears Komi-san wishing to communicate. He talks to her, but since Komi-san cannot respond, Tadano-kun suggests her to use the chalkboard, creating one of the most heartwarming scenes in anime of 2021.

Honestly, calling that scene beautiful is an understatement.

Episode one finishes with the promise of Tadano-kun helping Komi-san to make 100 friends.

And episode two, we meet our world childhood friend, Osana Najimi,

From now on, we see our beloved Komi-san trying to overcome her communication problems, facing many daily-life situations .

As a whole, I would say that the first two episodes gave me a very amazing first impression, and they perfectly adapt both the manga and the one-shot, aside from the changes of the latter. And both the rhythm and the pacing are really natural; despite both episodes only have thirty minutes, they narrate their respective stories on a fluid way, from our first encounters with both Komi-san and Tadano-kun, to the moment Komi-san walks along with Najimi.

And we got really hilarious moments of Komi-san, whose anxiety creates very funny moments of misunderstanding and sweet images, like this.

When Komi-san becomes Kenshiro

Also, the animation from OLM is better than expected. I would say that it perfectly adapts the style of Tomohito Oda, which I will classify as unique.

And Komi-san, Tadano-kun and Najimi are beautiful together as a trio…

Overall, the story of Komi-san had a powerful start. And now, what about the…

CHARACTERS

From what I saw on the trailer and the first episodes, I can see that we are going to have a lot of colourful characters from Komi-san, after all, I repeat the word that I used for describing them – Unique. However, there is really not too much to say about the rest up to this point.

But, I want to talk about two characters in particular. The first one being Najimi.

Najimi is literally «everyone’s childhood friend», because Najimi had to move from one city to another due to Najimi’s dad’s work, which is why Najimi became friends with practically everyone on the city, also Najimi is quite the opposite from Komi-san, because Najimi is quite an expert in talking to the people, befriending everyone, and Najimi has a really open personality – naughty, supportive, sincere, outspoken, everything you wanna know about Najimi.

Now, you might be wondering. Jaime… Why do you repeat Najimi a lot? Couldn’t be easier if you use pronouns?

Well. That’s the issue, because I do not know Najimi’s gender. And in the manga, sometimes Najimi addresses as a girl, and others as a boy. And that’s the intention of the author. At the beginning I thought Najimi was a trap, but now, this makes this character so much interesting.

Probably a great example of how to write a genderqueer character. I will not use LGBT in these situation, because I don’t know what Najimi’s heart desire, and Tadano-kun calls Najimi pathological dishonest.

Which reminds… Netflix on the Latin American version did something to Najimi very… questionable. But I will talk about this in part 2.

The other character I will talk about, really earned my hatred.

Ren Yamai. The leader of the cool girls, who is a lesbian and has a destructive obsession with Komi-san.

In other words, a mean popular girl who will do anything to get Komi-san for herself, even crime. Trust me. But from the moment I saw this image, I knew she was an awful character, and… It gets worse, especially from episode four.

SPOILERS – EHS SEPPANDIK ROOP TADANO-KUN.

Look, from Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina, I still hate Saya’s obsession with Elaina.

But what Yamai feels and does is so despicable, so toxic, it makes root for a yuri between Saya and Elaina.

Anyone. That is all for now.

CONCLUSION

Komi-san wa, Komyushō Desu. is one of best anime of spring 2021, along with 86: Eighty-six Part II, and despite being available on Netflix, I am happy to find out more. And if you are a fan of the manga, you will definitely enjoy the anime a lot more.

Trust me, it is really awesome.

And now, there is a pending issue.

Has Komi-san communism?

The answer is… I don’t know. She does not tell me.

What she has is a lot fo beautiful pictures.

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Anyway… stay tuned for Part II.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – SHIROI SUNA NO AQUATOPE – MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Shiroi Suna no Aquatope

Studio: P.A. Works

Genre: Slice-of-life, Comedy

Hello my friends.

Welcome to another entry of my blog.

I have been busy all these days, but luckily, I was able to make a plan to bring you some new blog entries. I know I could not bring you a new entry per day this week, so that is why I am trying to do as many entries in August as possible (Most likely 12 or more).

Having said that, I bring you…

The Aquatope on White Sand.

But before I continue, I want to ask you the typical question to all of you:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am very happy, especially after such a rough week for me.

Anyway, without any more delays, I want to go with The Aquatope on White Sand.

PREMISE

The Aquatope on White Sand, Or Shiroi Suna No Aquatope (白い砂のアクアトープ), is an original anime series produced by P.A. Works, also best known for making the highly-popular Working girl trilogy (Hanasaki Iroha, Sakura Quest, and Shirobako), the last one reviewed by me some time ago. The story focused on Fuuka Miyazawa, an idol who recently gave up her dream in favour for one of her colleagues and decided to move from Tokyo to Okinawa for starting a new life; once there, she meets a high-school student, called Kukuru Misakino, the Deputy Director of the Gamagama Aquarium, who is very close to shutting down due to its lack of interest and obsolete equipment. Both girls create a friendship, after Fuuka is hired to work on Gamagama and helps Kukuru to make her dream come true.

Shiroi Suna no Aquatope was released on July 9, and as of August 20th, it has released seven episodes. And it has very talented seiyuus on the main leads, including Miku Ito as Kukuru (The Quintessential Quintuplets, Adachi and Shimamura), Rikako Alda as Fuuka (Riko Sakurauchi, from Love Live Sunshine!), and Lynn, as Karin Kudaka. For those who do not know, Lynn is a very experienced voice in anime industry, and some of her roles include Sakura Yamauchi, from I want to Eat Your Pancreas, Mafuyu from We Never Learn, and Princess Hibana, from Fire Force.

According from what I read in Myanimelist.com, Shirou Suna no Aquatope has 24 episodes, and it is directed by Toshiya Shinohara, who also worked in series like Amagami SS, Gurren Lagann, Fushigi Yugi, and it is basically a legend on the anime business.

Finally, Shirou Suna no Aquatope is available at Crunchyroll for viewers outside Japan, while Muse Communication looks after its distribution all over Southeast Asia.

I wish I could be longer. I guess I am used to give dates and trivia due to many of my reviewed anime are based on light novels and manga. So, I will share with all of you a picture, telling how beautiful the attention to detail is:

Now this time… PIXAR INFLUENCED ANIME

STORY

Trust me. When it’s about animal care, or even food manufacturing… NEVER WEAR NAIL POLISH

I really enjoyed watching Shiroi Suna no Aquatope. It is a pretty delightful slice-of-life, feel-good anime.

Nonetheless, I was also very disappointed. Why? Let me put another picture.

Then I thought. Two cute girls holding their hands, looking cutesy at her eyes, being closest of the friends. Something came to my mind…

COME ON!!! WE ALL CAME HERE FOR THE YURI

Ok. Just kidding.

I want to point out that I love sea. Despite being raised in Bogota, and somehow Melbourne, I visited the beach a lot, and the tropics of Colombia as well. And I loved them… San Andrés, Providencia, Santa Marta, Medellín; and a time in Brazil. And it is not just the sun and the sea; it is also the beauty of the fresh air, the calmness of the moment, the identity of the Nature, in all its greatest glory. And you get an amazing view of the word.

Put that with a story that takes its time to introduces the characters, the plot, and I mean from episode one. We get to see what both Fuuka and Kukuru are going through, their dreams, their anxieties, and a bit of the sadness of Fuuka after moving from Tokyo. And then, after a very fateful encounter, Fuuka sees the beauty of the Gamagama Aquarium and of the ocean.

Furthermore, we have the same polished animation from Shirobako. Especially in the frame I previously showed you…

If you pay attention, you will see the nail polish on Fuuka’s hands.

As well as the lightning in the scene. And this is only a sample; trust me when I saw that animation proves its amazing work on episode 2, when Fuuka starts working on the aquarium; definitely it is not as beautifully crafted as in both Finding Nemo and Finding Dory (something that even critics of the sequel must admit), but it is pretty enjoyable. Even if you don’t like the story, you will love the animation.

On the other hand, Shirou Suna no Aquatope might share a problem with Shirobako! – the rhythm and pacing can be very slow, and many animegoers might get frustrated. Obviously this is not Jujutsu Kaisen or Tensei Slime, but if you have two free hours, binge some episodes.

In other words, if you like Sakura Quest, Shirobako!, and Hanasaki Iroha, you will love… Yeah! You get the idea!

But what about the…

CHARACTERS

Shirou Suna no Aquatope has really wonderful characters.

Aside from Fuuka and Kukuru, we have Tsukimi, Kukuru’s childhood friend who owns a restaurant; Karin Kudaka, the tourist worker who made the encounter between Fuuka and Kukuru possible; Kuya, another acquaintance from Fuuka who is very shy and likes alcohol; Kai, another childhood friend from Kukuru, and the latter’s grandfather, who is the actual Director of Gamagama Aquarium.

But definitely the ones that really get the soul of the anime are Fuuka and Kukuru. They are practically the two sides of a coin. Fuuka gives up her dream for someone else, and Kukuru fights for something that is important for her – her dream and legacy.

In other words, both girls represent our struggles with dreams and reality. We want to achieve what we really want despite the uncertainty of the future, and we simply can’t let anything throw it away. Personally this is why I admire Fuuka in a way.

Not everyone will give up a dream, and not everyone has that kind of courage. And that’s why I consider both Fuuka and Kukuru the best characters of Shirou Suna no Aquatope.

CONCLUSION

I think Shiroi Suna no Aquatope is one of the best anime of summer 2021 (or winter in the case of Australia). I definitely that is not for everyone, but if you like to relax and enjoy some good animated landscapes, this is the anime for you, especially if you like the Working Girl Trilogy from P.A. Works. So yeah, go to Crunchyroll and see it by yourself.

But before I finish, I want to leave the same message that I left on my Bokutachi no Remake! review, especially because I am talking to counsellors from BeyondBlue in Australia.

Here you go…

YOUR EFFORT IS WORTHY. YOU ARE WORTHY

Look. I understand that sometimes we feel that we made the bad choices in life. That perhaps we could live our life in a different manner. Personally I don’t regret my life choices. Nonetheless, I felt that many things in my life could’ve been better, both professionally and sentimentally. And the pandemic is not doing making things easier.

Just remember. YOU DESERVE TO BE HAPPY!!!!

INDEED WE MUST HELP OTHERS AND PRACTICE MATESHIP. BUT I REALISE THAT MATESHIP ALSO INCLUDES OURSELVES.

So… If no one has told you this before, I do it now… YOU ARE WORTH LIVING, YOUR EFFORTS ARE WORTHY.

So… look after yourself. Fight for your happiness; for your life, and don’t let anyone make you feel like trash. Always remember, we all deserve happiness, and live your life with the greatest of joys, and the most beautiful peace of mind.

Nothing should overshadow your happiness. If no one told you this before, I tell you.

Find your happiness, and your path is worth living for.

Remember that… always.

Thank you for stepping by.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – BOKUTACHI NO REMAKE! – MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Bokutachi No Remake (Remake Our Life!)

Studio: Feel

Genre: Time travel, slice-of-life

Hello my friends.

Welcome to another blog entry.

I think that, after three weeks and various hours of planning, I have organised a way to consistently post entries in my blog. First I have watched a lot of new anime and another series from 2021. And then I will bring you one entry per day for the next week.

Let’s see how it goes.

Having said that, I want to start with a series that really touched my heart, because it deals with a theme all of us, especially me, can relate to. And that series is…

Bokutachi no Remake! (Remake our Life!)

But before I start, I must ask you guys the same questions:

Are you ok? Keeping healthy? Staying safe?

If the answer is yes, then I am happy.

Now, let;’s start with Bokutachi no Remake!

PREMISE

Based on the series of light novels written by Nachi Kio, and illustrated by Eretto, Bokutachi no Remake! starts in 2016. Kyouya Hashiba is a salaryman turned game developer and graduate of Economics, whose company went bankrupt; now unemployed, with neither money nor any relationship, he goes back home on the Nana Prefecture with his parents, regretting his life choices and wishing to go back in time and redo his life. Much to his surprise, he wakes up in 2006, to the exact moment in which he must decides on whether go to Economics, or enrol on the Onaka University of Arts; he decides the latter and starts living another of his dreams – meet the Platinum Generation that he admired on his previous life.

This time, his life will go as planned. At least Hashiba is decided to be that way.

Bokutachi no Remake! started publication on March 2017, and as of August 16th, 2021, it has released nine volumes, and the anime broadcasted its first episode on July 3rd. Furthermore, the anime is directed by Tomoki Kobayashi, who is famous for directing many well-known adaptations of visual novels and games, including:

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Tears to Tiara, Seiren and Amagami SS

The first episode of Bokutachi no Remake! has something in common with the debut episodes of The Rising of the Shield Hero and Sword Art Online: Alicization, it has over 40 minutes, but then every episode has twenty minutes, and, according to Myanimelist.com, 12 episodes will be released. I hope that this is enough for bring a really good series, like one in particular from A-1 Pictures that I will mention later.

Finally, Studio Feel, the animator of Bokutachi No Remake!, also worked in series like:

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Before I finished with the premise, I want to point out that Nachi Kio and Eretto also released a series called Bokutachi no Remake Ver.β, which is the story of what happened if Hashiba was unable to go back in time and keeps struggling to make a career in the video game industry.

So…

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Sorry Marvel… Japan STOLE YOUR INNOVATION. LOL

STORY

I will start telling my experience with this series.

The very moment I decided to stop and watch Bokutachi no Remake!, I was very surprised, especially when I saw that the first episode had over 40 minutes, and then I thought. NO WAY!! THERE IS NO WAY I WILL BE ABLE TO WATCH ALL OF THIS.

Nonetheless, I decided to have a lot of patience and go to watch as much as I could, so I put the episode, then I took a minute to read the synopsis of the series, about a young man whose dream was crushed and longed for a so-much needed second chance in life. Immediately I remembered one of the best anime I watch.

A very well-crafted story about time travel, or shall I say time-loops, that revolves a young man called Satoru Fujinuma, who uses his «Revival» power to go back in time to save a girl from being murdered.

Bokutachi No Remake! has a similar plot, but with less mystery and suspense.

Basically the first episode divides itself in two – the first half shows us a frustrated Hashiba who regrets his life choices and wishes to go back in time, and the second half is how he starts his new life in the Onaka University of the Arts, as he realises that his roommates are the Platinum Generation that he admires the most, so, in this sense, it is a very well-structured episode that takes its time to present the story and its characters.

I enjoyed the first episode indeed; it was a great premise, and the likeable characters that will stay with us for those 12 episodes got my heart.

Pay attention, Kevin Smith, this is how you tell a story!!!!

Sorry, it’s just that after watching the frustrating mess called…

Masters of the Universe: Revelation

…Watching Bokutachi No Remake! was really refreshing.

Anyway, just like Amagami SS and Seiren, both Tomoki Kobayashi and Studio Feel take a story that will happen in real-life, with a fantasy twist, and adapts it in a well-done way. Personally, I cannot say if this episode stays faithful with its source material, for I have not read the light novels. However I feel the heart and the creativity that the author used here and made something nice. To be honest, this is one reason of why I always consume anime and manga; they know how to still create great stories with the same troupes.

In the case of Bokutachi no Remake!, that will be time travel, same as Tokyo Revengers; working in entertainment industry, same as Shirobako! and Keep Your Hand off Eizouken!!!; follow your heart, same as many romance stories; and accepting yourself and others, same as Chuunibyou, Love and Delusions!!.

Seriously, and because it is a more realistic setting, you get to sympathise with our protagonist, in a way a bit quicker. I will say this right now. Indeed anime has the power to create the same type of characters and make them unique.

Furthermore, the animation is fantastic, as beautiful as another series that I loved and I am planning to discuss this week.

SHIROI SUNA NO AQUATOPE

In both series, the colour palettes are beautiful, and there are moments in which the attention to detail is majestic.

But I will discuss Shiroi Suna no Aquatope, when the times comes.

CHARACTERS

Like I said, the characters in Bokutachi no Remake! are beautiful and really likeable.

But for now, I will only focus in Hashiba and Eiko Kawasegawa. Indeed Hashiba is someone we all can relate to, because once we got the same frustrations, and throughout the episode, we meet him as a nice guy, reliable and caring, especially before the time travel, when he first meets Eiko. Speaking. of which, Eiko starts as a strong leader, trusting Hashiba and being as professional as she can be.

I will stop here with the characters, for two reasons. The first one is because I want to make a small reflection about regretting your life choices; something that we once perhaps… perhaps… experienced before.

And second, because I can get into spoilers, and that is something I do not want.

Having said that… Bokutachi no Remake! is a really fantastic anime that I won’t stop recommending.

And now…

YOUR EFFORT IS WORTHY. YOU ARE WORTHY

Look. I understand that sometimes we feel that we made the bad choices in life. That perhaps we could live our life in a different manner. Personally I don’t regret my life choices. Nonetheless, I felt that many things in my life could’ve been better, both professionally and sentimentally. And the pandemic is not doing making things easier.

Just remember. YOU DESERVE TO BE HAPPY!!!!

INDEED WE MUST HELP OTHERS AND PRACTICE MATESHIP. BUT I REALISE THAT MATESHIP ALSO INCLUDES OURSELVES.

So… If no one has told you this before, I do it now… YOU ARE WORTH LIVING, YOUR EFFORTS ARE WORTHY.

So… look after yourself. Fight for your happiness; for your life, and don’t let anyone make you feel like trash. Always remember, we all deserve happiness, and live your life with the greatest of joys, and the most beautiful peace of mind.

Nothing should overshadow your happiness. If no one told you this before, I tell you.

Find your happiness, and your path is worth living for.

Remember that… always.

Thank you for stepping by.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – To Your Eternity – First Impressions

To your Eternity

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

Studio: Brain’s Base

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

I have to apologise, again, but work and many of my activities have taken a lot of my time, and that’s is why, until now, I got some time to watch again some of the best series that this spring (or autumn in Australia), can offer us right now. And now, the anime that really hooked me, and since the best, favourite month (aside from August), is already here… What a great time to challenge myself writing as many entries as possible.

Having said that, I want to introduce you…

But before I continue with this fantastic series, I must ask you the typical question:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If you are happy, then I am happy. And now, enjoy a lot of this season of spring, because I consider it is a really cool moment, despite after that monstrosity I previously reviewed called, Ex-Arm.

Now, on To Your Eternity.

PREMISE

Based on the manga written and illustrated by Yoshitoki Ooima, To Your Eterrnity (Fumetsu no Anata e) tells the story of a mysterious white orb who is sent to this, beautiful fantasy world, in order to gather knowledge and information about it,\ in everything, from the societies, from the cultures, even from the sounds of this world. The orb starts as a rock, then it acquires the form of a wolf, then of a young boy; starting a journey that will take hundreds of years in this new World.

For those who do not know, Yoshitoki Ooima is the same author of A Silent Voice, which is one of the most beautiful anime movies I have ever seen. And when you see the episodes of To Your Eternity, you will find out a lot of common elements with A Silent Voice, including beautiful environments, a marvellous attention to detail, peaceful atmosphere that reminisces the drama, and very deep, tragic characters. To be honest, I was very surprised when I found out that both series were written by the same person.

Ooima started writing To Your Eternity from November, 2016, two years after completing A Silent Voice, and as of May 2021, it has released 14 volumes. Now, the studio behind the animation is Brain’s Base, famous for adapting In/Spectre, Durarara!! and Dances with Devils (Yeah, believe it or not).

As of May 2nd, To Your Eternity has released three episodes, and it will be released in a series of twenty episodes. Currently, it is also available at Crunchyroll and many streaming websites.

STORY

Well… Where to start here?

Despite the anime only having three episodes up to this point, I have to say that To Your Eternity is so full of drama and humanity from moment number one, focusing more in the characters through two points:

1. How they express their humanity (fears, dreams, hopes, and strengths) through the most melancholic and tragic circumstances.
2. How Fushi (our main protagonist) develops and obtains an humanity of its own.

And yes… that’s how I will be referring our main character/wolf/orb/abandoned boy… Fushi.

To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting epic battles or textbook bad guys, just simple stories from this combination of drama and fantasy, and even more when I saw that the writer of To Your Eternity is the same one from A Silent Voice.

Actually, when I mentioned it like this, it reminds another great series that I loved.

Somali and the Forest Spirit

For me, this is a nice option from the typical shounen anime or the adaptations of light novels, adding more depth to the genre. The story of To Your Eternity is, in my opinion, another great alternative for those recent anime stories in which the relationship between man and Earth is explored, including the nasty realisation that Nature is not that wonderful, that is harsh, ruthless, unpredictable, but also part of that beautiful world that it belongs to us. In other words, the dichotomy between marvel and brutality, however from a relatable perspective, or a feel-good-inc sensation.

Other anime like this is Made in Abyss. But, unlike the latter, To Your Eternity is more focused in humanity and drama. Let’s put it as it follows.

Within the contrast of Nature and it’s relationship with mankind, these three anime develop this idea through their own genre:

1. Made in Abyss – Science Fantasy
2. Somali and the Forest Spirit – High Fantasy
3. To Your Eternity – Drama

Of course, there will be adventure and epic battles, but there is a fact that makes the fights more imposing, especially from the psychological perspective… anyone can die; even the main characters. So perhaps… I will suggest you a couple of napkins.

There are still 17 episodes to be released, so this story has a lot of potential. But… what about the…

CHARACTERS

There is one perfect word to describe the characters – Human, in the strictest sense of the word. They get injured, they have fears, they have strengths, they cultivate beautiful relationships, especially Fushi, which makes their backstory more heart-wrenching after some episodes (I am not spoiling everything), I am trying to remind you the condition of the characters.

And it looks like the characters do not really have that much of time; but the story of each episode is so good that you don;’t realise the moment in which you start sympathising with all of them. However that proves that the story is really well-done – good balance between story and character development.

Furthermore, the characters that I choose, aside from Fushi, were, March, Parona and Hayase. Especially Hayase. Again I am not going to spoil anything, I read some parts of the manga; just be patient and wait for the rest of the story. I am sure that will help you to love the story more.

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CONCLUSION

I have grown to like To Your Eternity for the reasons previously mentioned. The well-done characters, the world building, and the drama. We are possibly seeing one of the best anime of the Spring 2021; trust me, if you really liked A Silent Voice, you will definitely love this story.

After all… Who doesn’t love a drama story with a white wolf? Perhaps the only thing needed… is a cute cat.

Right Puss on Boots?

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – SSSS Dynazenon – First Impressions

SSSS Dynazenon

Genre: Mecha, fantasy

Studio: Trigger

Hello my friends. Welcome to another entry.

Again, I am on my own challenge of trying to write as many entries on May as possible. Let’s see if I can break the record of January. Fingers crossed, especially because work is pretty demanding these days, and now, I want to take my time to get the latest anime from Studio Trigger, and perhaps another great entry of the Gridman franchise.

Now, that entry is…

SSSS Dynazenon

But before I continue, remember to ask you the questions:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am very happy.

I still own all of you guys an entry of SSSS Gridman. Don’;t worry, I am working on it, as well as the entries of one of my favourite anime… My Hero Academia. They will come when the time comes. Having said that… let’s start with SSSS Dynazenon.

PREMISE

SSSS Dynazenon is a sequel from SSSS Gridman, and it tells the story of Yomogi Asanaka, a high school student who works in a convenience store and lives with his grandmother and his recently divorced mother; one day, he meets a mysterious guy, called Gauma, in an alley, Yomogi «saves» him by giving him some food; the next day, Gauma comes again and thanks Yomogi, claiming that he is a Kaiju user.

Shortly, a kaiju attacks the city and Gauma summons a great robot, called Dynazenon, dragging Yomogi, his fellow classmate, Yume Minami, a 33-year-old NEET, Koyomi Yamanaka, who all drive Dynazenon. After defeating the Kaiju, Gauma, Yomogi, Yume and Koyomi must fight together to find out who is summoning the kaijus and defend the city at all costs.

Unsurprisingly, the staff of SSSS Gridman returns for this new series, including director Akira Amemiya, writer Keiichi Hasegawa, and composer Shiro Sagisu. On the other hand, Studio Trigger needs no presentation, in fact, I already made a lot of blog entries from their products, including BNA: Brand New Animal, Darling in the FRANXX, Little Witch Academia, and Kill la Kill, and just like its predecessor, SSSS Dynazenon will be composed of 12 episodes.

One thing is for sure, the upcoming episodes of SSSS Dynazenon must include the very best two things that SSSS Gridman had, courtesy of fan-favourite Rikka Takarada.

THIGHS!!!!

And…

CHARISMA

You thought I will say Thighs? Yes?

STORY

I think I will start pointing about one of the most notorious elements fo SSSS Dynazenon: its animation. Definitely they use the same style from SSSS Gridman, the 2D for all the characters, while most of the sequences of the kaiju and the robots are done in 3D; normally I will say that this mixture is not one of my favourites, especially after witnessing how it was horribly done in Ex-Arm, regardless the fact that the studio of the latter had no previous experience on producing anime.

Luckily, this is not any random studio that obviously didn’t care about the quality of the product (Perhaps I am being too harsh); this is Studio Trigger; and just like it was done with SSSS Gridman, the 2D and 3D mixture gives you a great feeling of having to face a gigantic mecha, or a dreadful kaiju (depending on your perspective), especially after the battles take place.

Again, Trigger has more great experiences with this kind of expressive, nuanced animation, so you will expect something pretty well done, especially from the Gridman franchise.

On the other hand, just like what happens with SSSS Gridman, the introduction of the characters can be a bit slow. Nonetheless is pretty solid, you get to know the characters. Well… I talked about that later.

I had a lot of fun with SSSS Gridman, and I remember many of its episodes. SPOILER ALERT – One thing that I didn’t like too much about the original anime is that the possible romance between Yua Hibiki and Rikka Takarada went nowhere, in fact… it was replaced by the arc of Akane Shinjou – END OF SPOILERS.

And from there, I see a lot of potential to SSSS Dynazenon in terms of story.

CHARACTERS

Now… this part where I am having some trouble. It is not like I didn’t love the characters, but it is just I do not know where to start.

I will start saying that, just like SSSS Gridman, Dynazenon, has a lot of interesting, defined characters; Yomogi, a relatable kid who is trying to grow up and become independent; Yume Minami, an aloof girl who lost her brother some time ago, Koyomi, trying to get some meaning to his life; his cousin, Chise, and Gauma… which I think it is the best character by far.

If Studio Trigger can get them lovely personalities, just like with its predecessor series, then there will be potential for these characters to become popular, or memes, like with Rikka Takarada and Akane Shinjou.

CONCLUSION

I am starting to love SSSS Dynazenon.

I will be watching the rest of the series, and if you like Gridman, or Studio Trigger, I really recommend it to you.

Now, I will a bit shorter on my conclusion, because in this occasion, there is a better way to conclude than a big paragraph, and that is…

THICC THIGHS!!!

Courtesy of Rikka Takarada.

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Credited artists (clockwise) – sakamoto masaru, lizta, mobu, sydus, mogi (tkyubi),Bison Cangshu.

JAINITUOS ANIME REVIEWS – MUSHOKU TENSEI – My First Impressions

Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittaka Honki Dasu

Genre: Isekai, adventure, drama

Studio Bind.

Hello my friends.

Welcome to another entry of my blog.

As we already know, Isekai has always been a cultural patrimony of anime and fantasy. And far from getting old, it has definitely become richer and richer, with many sweet stories such as Tensei Slime, Re:Zero and Overlord, and great subversions of the genre, like Konosuba and The Rising of the Shield Hero, it looks that isekai genre will find alway new ways to keep fresh.

And, of course, 2021 just brought us a great idea. And that is…

Jobless Reincarnation – Mushoku Tensei

But before I start, I have to say…

HAPPY VALENTINE DAY!!!!!!

If there is any couple here reading my blog entries, then I hope you fully enjoy this day, even if it means to enjoy it in quarantine, just like it is happening now in Victoria, Australia, but don’t worry, I am ok despite not having a partner. Instead of feeling like this…

I feel more like this…

Indeed, something is not right with me.

One day… we all be back outside, until then, I hope you enjoy my reflections about this new story.

PREMISE

Based on the series of light novels written by Rifujin na Magonote, and illustrated by Shirotaka. Mushoku Tensei (Or Jobless Reincarnation), tells the story of an unnamed 34-year-old NEET (No Education, No Employment, No Training for those who do not know), completely overweight and unable to live a life after being evicted from his house, due to not attending his parents’ funeral. Realising he has wasted his best years, our protagonist suddenly saves a person from a passing truck. Unfortunately, the crash killed him. Shortly, he gets reincarnated in a new world, full of magic and sword, as Rudeus Greyrat. Decided to take the best of this life without regrets, Rudeus begins training in magic and making new experiences that will make his life worthy.

During his life, he creates fantastic relationships, with the wizard Roxy Migurdia, with the elf Sylphiette, and with his feisty student, Eris Boreas Greyrat. And gets to know more about this fantastic world.

As of February 14th, 2021, Mushoku Tensei consists in 24 volumes, starting in 2012 as a web novel from the user-generated site Shosetsuka ni Naro, where it has reached great popularity. Meanwhile, the opening song, «The Traveler’s Song», is performed by Yuiko Ohara, while the ending, also performed by Ohara herself, is «Only». I am not sure about how many episodes will have Mushoku Tensei, but I will say that between 24-26 episodes, because one of the elements of the story is its balanced rhythm, transporting us between the events of the series and the thoughts of our protagonist. But I will get there later.

Finally, five episodes have been released.

STORY

As I previously mentioned before, Mushoku Tensei has presented a very interesting proposal for an isekai. From the first episode, the series goes little by little through the events and the story that shapes the personality of Rudeus, including the fact that he still keeps the memories of his old life. From where he is a baby, to the moment he starts practising magic. In other words, it has the same focus of Tensei Slime, The Rising of the Shield Hero, and So I am a Spider, where the first episode just focus in how our protagonist comes to terms to the new world, going to get familiar with his new powers, if the series is lucky enough, that first episode will last 40 minutes; or if not, the second and third act of the episode will feature a decent battle where we are witness how badass the protagonist is. And the second episode features the deuteragonist, or companion of our character. Naturally, the first episode of Rising of the Shield Hero follows Naofumi accepting his reality, and introduces Raphtalia, who in the second episode trains to become the sword of Naofumi.

Mushoku Tensei does that. The only difference is that the first two episodes are less focuses in action, and more focusing in drama and slice-of-life, because that is the story of Rudeus, how he takes full advantage of a new life, and then we get to know his parents, his maid Lilia, his best friend Sylphiette, and Roxy. When I think about this, I would say not many fans will be contented with this narrative, especially when it is compared with Rising of the Shield Hero. But, for me, I think it matches with the story.

Furthermore, there is another positive point about the story – its animation. Yeah. I know I keep saying the same with most isekai I watch, but, at the end of the day, one of the elements that makes an anime unique is its animation, for good or bad. And despite I haven’t seen many previous work from Studio Bind, I will say that they got the perfect feeling of this new world pretty well.

Overall, I think the story is interesting, perhaps not the most creative, but indeed entertaining enough.

One important trivia I recently found out – Mushoku Tensei will have two seasons, or two parts – each one of 11 episodes. So, if you get a bit disappointed with the first half, you will always have the second 11 episodes to have you hype up. And that reminds me…

CHARACTERS

Until now, we got a lot of characters, we got Rudeus, Roxy, Sylphiette, Eris and Lilia. However, we are then introduced to Rudeus’s parents. Paul, a swordsman who is an expert in many fighting styles, and a typical naughty husband, but when you see episode 4, you will notice he is more than that. Zenith, Rudeus’ mother, who takes care of the house with great devotion, but is never afraid to put Paul in his place. And Ghislaine, a beast human who takes care of Rudeus and is a good friend of Paul.

And in these five episodes, we managed to see a great amount of time for each characters.

Speaking of Rudeus, there is one image in particular, that I will like to share with you.

I am sorry, but this expressions of a baby is so hilarious to just let it past. And trust me. You gotta see more of this side of Rudeus during the series.

From the moment we get to know the characters, we know how they are. Roxy – taciturn, focused and knowledgeable: Sylphiette – sweet, and a good friend; Eris – a complete tsundere. Which reminds, there is another great pictures from her.

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Forgive me. It is just that those images are so cool, to let them past.

Anyway, you might need a bit of time to know some characters. But it will be worthy, because when you know them, you take a liking on them… or some.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I like this anime despite having a very slow narrative, and has made me love the isekai genre in general. And I am convinced it will be also appreciated by some isekai fans out there, especially because… How many of us actually dreamt with being reincarnated in a fantasy world with so many magic possibilities?

On second thought… Never mind!!!

Instead… HERE ARE MY OWN SUGGESTIONS FOR AN ISEKAI ANIME –

I am an archaeologist, but I am in another world, and now I must excavate its past.

My dream of being a farmer came true … in another world.

I was reincarnated as a wall. Will I be able to survive?

This is another world. So why am I an elephant?