Please note this review is intended to be read by those that have finished watching A Sign of Affection and while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be some present within character analysis. You have been warned.
Based on a popular manga series of the same name Yubisaki to Renren known popularly to fans as A Sign of Affection is a romance and drama genre anime that gives us the unique opportunity to see what would happen if one day a young woman who as a result of being born deaf and having developed a timid personality that had
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served to create a sense of distance between herself and her peers was given the opportunity to experience one of the many moments that she thought she never would have been able to experience.
What if after ascending to a public university that our dear heroine Yuki were to have a chance encounter with a man who not only cares little about her disability but instead showed great interest in learning more about her as a person. What would happen if during their time together that both developed strong feelings for each other over their mutual desires to both see more of the world around them but also more importantly get to know the people around them more deeply.
Just how far would this new bond of theirs go as they embark on a new journey of discovery as they learn more about not only the world around them but also about each other as well.
In an ideal world everyone, regardless of their needs and circumstance, should be treated equally by those around them. But sadly, in our society, this is not always the case and those who have disabilities often find themselves sidelined from their peers and in the process be denied the opportunities that their peers can readily access and in doing so be denied the opportunity to grow as individuals.
In this, the series’ primary premise served to provide us with an excellent opportunity to see the kind of challenges that one such an individual in the form of Yuki has to face in her daily life as she navigates the society around her. This on top of the romance aspect of the series narrative as well as the focus on nonverbal communication methods that Yuki has to use to communicate effectively with others in order to build bonds with them, I felt truly made this series a most curious one and a series that truly stood out from the series that premiered this season.
Cast of characters
Yuki Itose
Yuki Itose is one of the main characters of the series and serves as the series’ primary protagonist. A 19-year-old university student who’s currently in her second year Yuki though from her initial appearances was seen to be a normal young adult who’s going through her last year of education before embarking fully into the working world. For Yuki this is far from the truth for Yuki had the grave misfortune to be born with congenital hearing loss that had made her childhood a challenging one when compared to her peers. While the loss of one of her core senses would have made the majority of people a moody person who was liable to resent those around her that possessed them Yuki for her part was shown to display none of this. Instead, Yuki while a quiet, calm, and composed girl who was a tad hesitant to enter unfamiliar situations was nonetheless someone who was kind, polite and a considerate person who approached each new day with a positive mindset and was someone who took each new day the best, she could.
As the series progressed and Yuki’s bond with those around her improved it can be seen that beneath Yuki’s constant smile that she was also someone who had plenty of insecurities of her own that until entering university had ensured that she had somewhat of a lonely life due to her disability.
In the beginning Yuki, while a quiet and kind person, was nonetheless someone who was shown to have low self-confidence and as a result was someone who found it difficult to bond with her peers in university as a result. Indeed, with the exception of her best friend Rin and her childhood friend Oshi at the start of the series Yuki’s circle of friends was relatively limited and while she didn’t avoid people, she nonetheless displayed a marked reluctance to involve herself in situations that had the potential to get complicated as we saw in the opening ep. However, this soon changed as a result of a fortunate encounter with a dashing stranger in the form of Itsuomi who had saved Yuki from a potentially tricky situation during her morning commute. This encounter was to have a profound impact upon her as for the first time in her life Yuki had encountered someone that not only interested her greatly due to his vast life experience as well as having the kind of freedom that allowed him to visit various locales seemingly at will but also more importantly in her eyes make an effort to understand her as a person by learning how to better communicate with her by learning how to use sign language and lip read actions that most people Yuki had met to that point seldom bothered. While Yuki’s base quiet and reserved self would largely remain the same as a result of the strong bonds that she had forged with Rin and later Itsuomi Yuki was able to truly appreciate not just how beautiful the physical world around her was but also in the process of this made her realize not just how important such bonds were to one’s life but also of the kind of joy and happiness that can come from bonding with those that you care about as you spend time having fun together. And in the process introducing a light that would not only banish the fears that Yuki and her friends had but also light them a path that would allow them to improve upon themselves as they traverse a new path in the book called life.
Itsuomi Nagi
Itsuomi Nagi is one of the main characters of the series and serves as the main male lead of the series. A 22-year-old sophomore that attends the same public university that Yuki and Rin attend where he studies international culture studies Itsuomi from his initial appearances was seen to be a calm, composed and intelligent person that while appearing cold and difficult to approach by those that don’t know him was nonetheless someone that was shown to be popular among his peers at the university due in no small part to his life experience. While Itsuomi’s tall stature and cool nature did at times serve to create a sense of distance between him and those that don’t know him this within the series was balanced out with the fact that unlike most people his age Itsuomi was someone that had already been to plenty of other countries worldwide and in doing so had managed to gain not only a mastery of multiple languages but also in the process been able to observe and the appreciate the different cultures that existed around the world. While serving well to allow Itsuomi to expand his worldview and appreciate the beauty of the world around him this unique life experience of his also while serving to make him someone who was keen to explore other countries and learn about their cultures also allowed him to develop and refine his senses and easily deduce when those around him require his attention even when they haven’t yet expressed any desire to his help.
As the series progresses and Itsuomi’s personality is gradually expanded upon as a result of his encounters with and subsequent bonding with Yuki his personality gradually changes. While Itsuomi’s cool and levelheaded nature largely remains the same the sense of aloofness that he shows to others while not completely vanishing is instead replaced by his friendly and caring nature towards those that he cares about which is especially apparent in his developing bonds with Yuki. This nature of his that until now had largely been hidden behind his base personality was complemented by both his hardworking nature and his earnest quest to self-improve himself by learning new languages and about the culture and customs of other countries which while allowing him to visit many countries and make many new friends also allowed him to forge strong bonds with those people around him that he cared about as shown in the strong bonds he’s forged with both Yuki and his two childhood friends Ema and Shin.
However, this at times was offset by his rather direct nature in which Itsuomi doesn’t seem conscious of the idea of one’s personal space which when combined with his tendency to get too involved in the affairs of others can often to lead to interesting situations even with the best of intentions with how he resolved the Oshi situation being an excellent example. However in my eyes this combination of traits I felt was what made him such an intriguing character as while he may appear aloof to those who don’t him to those who do know him as a person Itsuomi can be seen to be the best possible friend because not only does he care deeply about them but he also was not afraid to press issues if he feels that his friends are hiding their pain from him a kind of friend that I believe everyone should have at least one among their cohorts.
At the same time, his unique life experience and earnest desire to self-improve himself I felt while doing well in establishing a solid foundation for himself also allowed him to see those around him differently which in the context of eliminating biases and discrimination towards others was especially useful as it ensures that Itsuomi would treat everyone that he encounters along the way the same. This is most apparent in the fact that in their initial meeting, Itsuomi’s impression of Yuki wasn’t someone that could cause trouble for him but rather one that was akin to a clear glass that was not only fun to speak to but also someone that he can learn a lot from which while being a unique way of seeing a girl was as it turned out also an excellent way of creating the foundation for their eventual bond.
AMV
In terms of animation, I felt that the series' overall animation as well as its character designs were excellently done and made great usage of not only simplicity but also of usage of colour to denote the world that Yuki sees when she’s alone as well as help distinguish individual characters within the narrative an aspect that while simple helped reinforce one of the series central themes.
One of the most unique aspects of this series was the fact that the main heroine was deaf and as such required an alternate method of allowing her thoughts to be conveyed to the audience. In this I felt that the usage of a combination of sign language, text messages, social media and Lip reading while performing its role flawlessly also served as a highly educational experience as it served to show us how people that were deaf communicate with others as well as the challenges that people that are deaf can face when communicating with people that have barriers in place that prevent such skills from being used with this notable moment being demonstrated well in ep11.
Complementing this display of nonverbal communication methods within the series was an excellent combination of effective facial animations that did an excellent job of showing the reactions of the cast to their developing bonds and the insight into the importance of sound in the form of both surface sounds and voice tone that is seen differently by those that are deaf of hearing. This aspect when used in combination with the locations that the cast visited over the course of the series, I felt not only conveyed effectively the developing bonds that were being forged between the cast but also of the kind of joy and happiness that can come from enjoying the beauty that comes from not just the bonds but also from being able to make happy memories together with those that you care about which I felt was a nice contrast to the sense of difficulty that those that are deaf of hearing often find themselves in within society that can harm their mental health.
Music-wise wise the series made use of one opening and ending theme which was Yuki no Ne (The sound of Snow) that was performed by Novelbright and Snowspring which was performed by ChoQMay respectively. Both of these songs while excellent ones I felt helped convey a different set of feelings and emotions with the former being both a catchy one but also showing well the kind of power that can come from forging strong bonds with those around you that can arise from the simplest of encounters in the world. This OP I felt featured a great usage of not only grayscale and colour that showed the sense of contrast that Yuki experienced in life up to that point but also themes of fated encounters, revelation, and renewal of one’s desire to take a new path in one’s life not just for Yuki but for each member of the cast as well a fact that was conveyed greatly from the get go with how the cast was arranged at the start and how each was featured as the song started. The series ending theme Snowspring while just as catchy as the OP I felt did well to showcase the simple everyday actions that Yuki and co-experience in their day-to-day lives that in my eyes show well that in life even the simplest moments can change a life and bring a sense of joy to one’s life. While not the first time I had seen this I felt that the ending theme was also notable in that it also featured within it the ep preview for the next episode that I felt further enhanced the impact that the ending theme had on the audience.
Voice acting-wise wise I felt that overall, the series' main voice cast all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters whether they were main or supporting ones. In particular, I felt that Sumire Morohoshi and Yu Miyazaki deserve special praise as I felt that their respective portrayals of the main leads of Yuki and Itsuomi were excellent and really served to make the series narrative and their bonding moments within it that much more memorable. With regards to the supporting cast, I felt that Kaede Hondo, Ryota Osaka and Nao Toyama all did an excellent job at portraying the characters of Rin, Kyoya Nagi and Ema Nakasono though I wish that Ema’s character was better developed as I felt that Nao didn’t have much to work on when she was portraying Ema.
Overall conclusion
In overall A Sign of Affection, I felt was an excellent anime that had among its main strong points a unique premise, excellent narrative, well-designed and developed characters, heartwarming, and cute bonding moments between the cast and solid voice acting of the main and supporting characters that really brought the characters to life and made each of their connections that much more magical. The combination of a narrative that featured a unique variant of the girl meets boy romance story type with the themes of bonding with someone that can only use nonverbal communication methods such as Lip reading and sign language I felt was one that was both novel and highly educational as not only was the tale of bonding between Yuki and Itsuomi heartwarming and cute but seeing both of them in their desire to know more about each other by seeing the world from their POV’s only served to enhance the tale by showing us the kind of struggles that those that have disabilities have to deal with in their day to day routines as they try their best to live their lives in a society that’s often unkind to them.
One other aspect of the series that I particularly liked was its insight into the strong support networks that everyone regardless of whether they have disabilities or not should be able to call upon when they need it and in Yuki’s case this within the series was handled excellently via Rin. At the same time while my opinion of Oshi was not a particularly good one the sense of overprotectiveness that he displayed towards Yuki was certainly one that was understandable and was something that I liked seeing in the series as it served to show that even in societies that can at times treat those that have disabilities as second-class citizens that there would always be those that would step in and help them when needed.
In overall as a final score I would say that A Sign of Affection easily deserves a final overall score of 9/10 for it was a tale that was not just sweet, cute and heartwarming but also one that was not only highly educational and showed us not only how much did those that were hard of hearing had to work to have a semblance of normally within their lives but also how much light and colour one can bring into their lives when they have great friends and love interests that care about them. While the overall tale is a simple one sometimes simplicity creates the best and most enjoyable tales.
Mar 23, 2024
Yubisaki to Renren
(Anime)
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Recommended Spoiler
Please note this review is intended to be read by those that have finished watching A Sign of Affection and while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be some present within character analysis. You have been warned.
Based on a popular manga series of the same name Yubisaki to Renren known popularly to fans as A Sign of Affection is a romance and drama genre anime that gives us the unique opportunity to see what would happen if one day a young woman who as a result of being born deaf and having developed a timid personality that had ...
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 27, 2023
16bit Sensation: Another Layer
(Anime)
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Recommended Spoiler
Please be advised that this review is intended to be read by those that have finished watching 16 Bit Sensation and while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be present within character analysis. You have been warned.
Based upon a popular manga of the same name 16 Bit Sensation Another Layer is a comedy and supernatural genre anime that gives us the unique opportunity to see what will happen if one day a young girl long devoted to pursuing her interest in playing ancient Bishoujo games and designing and creating characters for said games was to be given a ... unique opportunity. An opportunity of a lifetime one could say for which she would be able to go back to the heydays of her treasured Bishoujo games in a Japan of the past and see with her own eyes how they were created from the very beginning. Just what would happen if our heroine were to take this opportunity and go back to a time where all she loved and admired about her games were still alive and kicking and start making her mark on history? But as they say the more ripples you create the bigger the potential storm. Just how big of a storm would this indulgence of hers cost her in the world around her? Taking its name from the 16-bit integers and memory addresses that formed the core of the much-vaunted PC-98 desktop computer to which our dear Mamoru was so in love with 16-bit sensation is a most unusual anime, to say the least. media, the series overall premise of a young adult being granted the chance to hop through time is not by itself an unusual one given its popularity within popular media what made it stand out in my eyes was its fusion with the dream of going back to the heyday of Bishoujo games and being able to see how artists, scriptwriters and programmers worked as they created the games that would to a generation of people provide the best entertainment and immersion that they had experienced to that point. As both a gamer who has an interest in how VN’s are created as well as being an avid fan of the visual novels that the Bishoujo genre of games symbolized this series was one that I felt resonated with me and was an easy pick to watch this season. And oh boy this one proved to be quite the ride. Konoha Akisato Konoha Akisato is one of the main characters of the series and serves as the series’ main protagonist. A 19-year-old rookie illustrator who works for the Blue Bell game company in modern-day Japan Konoha from her initial appearances was shown to be a positive, cheerful, and spirited young woman who while young and relatively junior within her role was nonetheless a determined person and passionate about creating characters for games. However, despite possessing excellent skill at creating characters for the games that she is passionate about it can be seen that Konoha in the modern world was far from pleased with her role for despite working in a role that most girls her age would be proud off to Konoha this was anything but a job that she was content with for rather than creating cute girls for the Bishoujo games that she adored she was instead providing colour for the backs of male characters that anyone could do. But more than anything what frustrated Konoha the most was the fact that the Bishoujo games that she adored, and to which had inspired her to become an illustrator were no longer popular and in their place were mobile and Gatcha games that featured characters that were far from her cup of tea and were fast making her dream an impossible one. That is until one day Konoha were to have a fortunate encounter with a mysterious game shop whose games provided her a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go back to her roots and see what it was involved in creating the very games that she adored by going back to their heyday. As the series progresses and Konoha gets the opportunity to hop through and explore different time periods, her personality gradually starts to change. While Konoha at the start of the series was shown to have great pride in her ability as an illustrator which served as her primary motivator in being able to fulfil her role this was offset by the fact that while she adored the older Bishoujo games that dominated her childhood she had little knowledge of what was actually involved in their creation. Despite this however thanks to both the opportunity to explore different timelines and being able to learn from veterans like Meiko and Kaori not only was this remedied but thanks to both their support and her own core personality traits of being hardworking and having a strong desire to improve herself Konoha was able to realize just how much was involved in the creation of the games that she adored. Though at first dismayed that her prized skill with drawing with the tablet was unusable in the various timelines that Konoha visited this act of starting again from scratch under the tutelage of her peers at Alcoholsoft I felt while having the effect of improving upon her knowledge of designing and bringing to life of characters using both software and techniques that she never would have been able to make use of in her own time also served as an excellent way for her to realize that the creation of characters is just one of many stages that were involved in the creation of Bishoujo games. This revelation, while shown well in the strong bonds that were forged between Konoha and Meiko and Kaori was perhaps shown best in the strong bonds that were forged between her and Mamoru. While their relationship had the most rocky of starts due to both their contrasting personalities and views on games this bond of theirs gradually served as the final piece of the puzzle for Konoha’s development as a character that allowed her to realize the true sense of joy that came from not just being able to create games that you were passionate about with peers that share your passion but also in the process being able to contribute in ensuring that it would survive in not only their hearts but the hearts of their fellow fans as well. Mamoru Rokuda Mamoru Rokuda is one of the main characters of the series and serves as both Konoha’s co-worker and eventual friend within the series. Initially serving within a small and little-known video game company named Alcoholsoft as its sole programmer Mamoru in his initial appearances was shown to be someone that while young being only 15 at this time was nonetheless someone that was intelligent, confident, and expressive to the point of being disrespectful to those that were his seniors. Despite his attitude problems and the unique bond that he shared with the company manager Mamoru was someone that was earnest, hardworking, and showed great pride towards both the field of programming and the programs that he makes for his peers which he views as being perfect. However, while his skills as a programmer were undeniable and were an asset to the team at Alcoholsoft his brooding and logical nature, tendency to do illogical things and his unusual fascination with the PC-98 computer were seen to create something of a barrier between him and his peers at Alcoholsoft. Mamoru’s life of acting as the company’s resident computer expert were to have a profound change one day when joining the company out of nowhere was a young girl who despite being clueless about game development nonetheless was one that while lacking in verifiable experience more than made up for it in her passion for drawing characters. Though the first encounters between Mamoru and Konoha were far from being a positive ones due to his personality, as the series progressed, and their bonds deepened this began to change. At the beginning of the series, unlike his peers at Alcoholsoft Mamoru did not have any interest in developing Bishoujo games and indeed was shown to only see them as a means for him to improve his skill with computers and programming. However, while the passion and dedication that he showed towards computers and to the PC-98 in particular created distances between himself and his peers as the series progressed this sense of passion was seen to become an important foundation for the company in the face of the many tech advances that we witnessed over the course of the time leaps. This sense of foundation however within the narrative was not limited to that of being the tech expert of the company though as in line with the time leaps Mamoru unlike Konoha was able to age and in being able to expand his life experience was able to realize not only how difficult management of a company was on the production side but also how much of a balancing act it was for the financial side as well. While Mamoru never saw himself as being the potential successor to the company the level of maturity that he gained from ageing allowed him to realize that for them to be successful as a brand they not only have to be cautious with their finances but also be able to work effectively as a team in order to get their games out. Whereas in the past Mamoru may had just done what was needed on the tech side of things I really liked seeing him get more involved in the company side of things by working with Kaori and the others as they learned to adapt to the new times and incorporate new tech and software into their arsenal. Though it was humorous to see him still try to create newer games on his prized PC-98s. While Mamoru never became as passionate about Bishoujo games as Konoha and the rest of Alcoholsoft did his experiences of working alongside them in the background as well as his unique encounter with Echo and his company I felt served to make him realize the kind of joy and satisfaction that can come from being able to work on something together and in releasing it contribute in keeping a genre alive. And while his dream of having his prized PC-98s conquer the world never came close to fruition this new understanding of his while serving to make him a more effective member of the company also served to make him an excellent partner for Konoha throughout the narrative as he possessed both skill with tech and the logical mind that can make sense of Konoha’s circumstance that I would daresay confuse the hell out of anyone else if they were to listen to her. As a character, I felt that Mamoru was both well-designed and developed which served as a nice contrast to Konoha throughout the narrative. While their initial personality, base traits, and beliefs on the topic of Bishoujo games were polar opposites in all regards the successive time leaps while serving an admirable job of advancing the story also served well to establish Mamoru as both an anchor for Konoha as well as that of a foundation to which she can stand upon while getting her bearings in the turbulent world of time leaping. This sense of leap-based development within the narrative I felt synergized well with the strong character chemistry that was established between Mamoru and Konoha throughout the narrative that allowed Mamoru to act as an effective anchor for Konoha where his sense of logic, intelligence, skill with tech and ability to adapt on the fly served as an effective contrast to Konoha’s tendency to get confused and do things without thinking of either alternatives or take advantage of assets that were around her a fact that Konoha was seen to be eternally thankful for within the narrative. Kaori Kaori Shimoda is one of the main characters of the series and serves as one of Mamoru and Konoha’s peers within Alcoholsoft. In her initial appearances, Kaori was shown to be a kind, caring and polite person who was friendly and supportive to all she met and indeed behaved in a manner that was benefiting of both an elder sister and a sempai for Konoha within the company. While nominally a member of the company’s art department where she created the CG art alongside that of her best friend Meiko, she was also trusted by management to act in the capacity of a second in command when needed to which her confident nature, intelligence, and levelheadedness and more importantly ability to think things through from the POV of the staff really enabled her to shine. While her skill as an artist as well as that of a leader within the company was undeniable what served to make Kaori such an effective member of the company was not only her skill at management and directing staff towards working towards the bigger picture but also in recognizing that as a company they must be able to continuously evolve in line with the tech advances made in both software and hardware or risk being left behind a sense of forward thinking that I believe would be invaluable to the company. However, the most crucial contribution that Kaori made to the narrative in my eyes was her education of Konoha where in conjunction with Meiko she served to provide her with not only an effective foundation by teaching her how to make use of software and techniques that were native to Kaori’s own time period but in doing so enhance Konoha’s own desire to not only learn more about how games were created but also make her realize that despite the ease that tech can bring when brought into games development overreliance of this would only serve to take away the precious moments that comes from being able to create games with like-minded peers. For without the laughter that comes from creating characters and working so hard to meet deadlines that you are downing energy drinks constantly and sleeping in the office then the creation of games may as well just be a hollow exercise that can be done with AI. Kaori’s efforts in making Konoha realize the importance of these precious memories contributed well in her crusade to make Bishoujo game development fun and relevant again. Amv Animation wise I felt that the series overall animation was really well done that in conjunction with the time leaps that were prevalent within the narrative allowed us to see not only what Japan looked like back then but also the kind of tech that was used back in the heyday of Bishoujo games. Being able to see how characters were created back then using first gen computers and graphics software and seeing how these changed as a result of both new software and hardware as well as that of AI really was an insightful experience. In terms of character design while the standard designs for the cast did an excellent job of showcasing the cast the time leaps served to further enhance this by not only showing how the existing cast matured physically in the case of Mamoru and Touya but also reflecting how the company changed over the years via the inclusion of new staff members with the best examples of this being the twins of Mari and Senri that brought not only new skillsets to the company but a new sense of atmosphere to the company via their personality as well. Though only used in one arc within the series one of the standout animation moments within the series was the Echo arc that featured a surprisingly good pairing of science fiction and comedy that while giving Mamoru his own doze of what Konoha experiences regularly also created one of the most beautiful scenes I had seen in this anime in the form of the departure of Echo from this realm. Music wise the series made use of one opening and ending theme in the form of 65535 that was performed by Shoko Nakagawa and Link~past and Future ~ that was performed by Konoha’s assigned seiyuu Aoi Koga. Both of these songs while very catchy and positive were ones that I felt conveyed a very different sense of emotions and feelings when used in conjunction with their visuals with the former conveying senses of nostalgia, frustration, new beginnings in a foreign time period and a desire to relive the glory days of the past and in doing so learn of not just how much is involved in creating the games but also how fun it was to build things you are passionate for alongside peers that share your passion. This opening theme as a final gift to its fans also featured a nice image of the core cast members drawn in a 16-bit style that was a perfect way to end the opening song with. The series ending theme Link~past and Future~ while serving well to provide us with some nice eye candy in the form of the female cast members in swimsuits had among its main theme the sense of nostalgia that was achieved through the visualization of both the computers that were the mainstays of Bishoujo games development back in the heyday as well as the floppy disks that allowed game companies to store their finished products on a sight that many a game studios production staff would have celebrated on reaching with high fives and tears in their eyes as a result of all their hard work that led to that point. Like the series opening theme the ending theme also featured a great homage to the era of gaming that serves as the main background for this series in the form of a next episode preview screen that takes the form of a PC menu screen drawn to represent the 16-bit computers that the cast made use of back then to create their games. Voice acting-wise wise I felt that the series main voice cast all did an excellent job portraying their assigned characters whether they were main or supporting characters. In particular I felt that Aoi Koga and Atsushi Abe deserve special praise for I felt that they did an excellent job portraying their assigned characters of Konoha and Mamoru respectively. While unfortunately used sparingly from the midpoint of the narrative onwards I nonetheless really enjoyed the portrayals of Kaori and Meiko by their respective seiyuu’s in the form of Ayako Kawasumi and Yui Horie respectively. Given their respective real-world ages both would have had opportunities to experience the golden age of Bishoujo games as part of their childhood and as such were excellent assets to bring into the series where their experience would had been useful to the writers and to Aoi Koga in helping the latter better prepare herself for this role. While used as mostly a support character I felt that Aya Yamane’s portrayal of the character of Touya Yamada was an excellent one that showcased well not just Touya’s development as a person both personally and professionally as she went from being a fan of Bishoujo games to that of a creator that made them. Overall conclusion In overall 16 Bit Sensation Another layer I felt was an excellent anime that had among its main strong points its unique premise, strong and original narrative, well-designed and developed characters, excellent voice acting and its unique insight into not only the golden age of Bishoujo games but also the many kinds of roles that unknowingly are involved in the creation of such games that would no doubt surprise a great many people. While the series main subject matter admittedly would not be familiar to people that were either born after the golden age of Bishoujo games or had never actually played a Visual novel before for those who have such as myself the series insight into what goes on in the creation of such games was truly fascinating. On the surface when one were to look at VN’s which are by far the most common games that belong to that genre one wouldn’t think that they would need much in terms of either staff or specialist software and hardware given that the games in question were simple games that didn’t feature the kind of advanced graphics and deep immersive storytelling that modern games feature. But just because VN’s didn’t feature them doesn’t mean that it didn’t need skilled staff and software and hardware that was unique to them and in this I felt that the series served to provide us with a unique opportunity to see the kind of hard work that the artists and programmers put in behind the scenes with its fusion of time travel serving to further expand upon this by allowing us to see the kind of software, hardware and drawing techniques that were used in the years that made up the golden age of Bishoujo games and I have to say some of them truly were strange with the best example of this one being cling wrap scanning. While the drawing side of the process I felt was explained in great detail as was the look into both the kind of pressures that artists could be under when creating the games and the need to switch roles on the fly to ensure that the tasks are completed on time the series likewise did well to expand upon the often overlooked and unknown programming side of the process as well which I really appreciated. For even if the characters and art for a game were perfect if the backend that runs it in the form of the programming is not up to scratch and ends up causing individual scenes to freeze and crash the game then that would be a stain on the devs honour as creators and in the game industry and especially for smaller companies like Alcoholsoft reputation is everything and within the series was best exemplified by the importance that they placed on Mamoru as a staff member. The creation of a game whether it’s a modern-day Twitch shooter or a visual novel back in its heyday is a complicated process that requires all aspects of its process be it art, narrative, music, programming and final checks be completed and verified before the game can be released and in this 16 bit I felt did an excellent job at showing just what is needed to complete a game even if they’re not the triple-A titles that dominate today’s game charts. The time travel aspect of the series that was featured within the narrative in the form of the time leaps I felt was an interesting theme and vehicle that despite the risks involved in its implementation I felt turned out to be an excellent one that served to add a new dimension to the narrative that complemented its main theme excellently. While the aspect itself served as an excellent means to advance the plot by having Konoha leap through time periods the time travel aspect also did well to bring to the table its own contribution in the form of nostalgia both for those that were familiar with the Bishoujo games and those that experienced the tech advances that took place in those said periods in the form of the intro of the first versions of windows and its impact on society and through that the intro of large computer stores that dominated Akiba back in the day. On the other end of the positive and heartwarming aspects that came from being able to leap through time and work with your peers to create games that you all adored was the series own take on the butterfly effect and I have to say the kind of world that Konoha ended up creating thanks to her actions in the other time periods truly was grim for those that work in creating Bishoujo games and served as an excellent reminder for her and us that every action no matter how small has a consequence and overreliance of anything is a catalyst for potential disaster. As a final score, I would say that 16 Bit Sensation easily deserves a final overall score of 9/10 for it featured an excellent premise, strong story, characters, voice acting and a unique fusion of being not only able to experience the golden days of an admittedly lesser known game genre in the modern world but also by doing so realize just how much work went on behind the scenes in creating each of the masterpieces that Konoha so adored through the usage of a fresh new take on the classic Isekai formula by the usage of successive time leaps. But overall, this series I felt was an entertaining one that really showed well just how much work goes behind the scenes in the creation of games for even visual novels that can’t hold a candle to current triple-A games still require a lot of work to be done by limited amounts of staff and after watching this I can say for sure that I have a lot more respect for game devs now than before irrespective of whether their games are VN’s or triple-A titles.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 23, 2023 Recommended Spoiler
Please note this review is intended to be read by those that had finished watching Tearmoon Empire and while care has been taken to minimized story related spoilers there may still exist within character analysis. You have been warned.
Based upon a popular light novel series of the same name Tearmoon Empire is a comedy and fantasy genre anime that elevates itself above its peers by a combination of featuring a setting that we seldom have seen within the anime medium and combing this with a fresh new take on the classic time travel troupe in an effort to bring something fresh to the comfan genre ... of anime. Taking place in a fictional representation of the ancient kingdom of Franch in the form of the powerful Tearmoon empire one that while boasting an impressive military, economy, land area and population was nonetheless one that found itself divided between the needs of its selfish rulers and their whimsical desires for greed and wastage of resources and the needs of the common folk who require food, jobs and a stable economy to which they can live safely in and in the process help the country grow. What would happen if one day this carefully maintained balance is shattered forever when the nobles at the top get it in their heads that their needs are far more important than the needs of the people that they are supposed to be ruling. As peaceful protests make way for armed rebellion do the nobles realize how badly calculated their moves had been but by then it was far too late and one by one as their mansions were stormed and burned did, they came face to face with the anger of the people that they were sworn to serve the interests off. One fateful day after the nobles that had in the eyes of the people had ruined the empire had justice visited upon their necks by the rebellions' new friend Mr G the mastermind that they saw as the one being responsible for this turn of events the one nicknamed the Selfish princess who ruined Tearmoon is led out to her final journey towards the embrace of Mr G. As she takes her last fateful steps towards her impending death under the hateful eyes and jeers of people that she once counted as her subjects and the stone-faced soldiers that had once been the guardians that had protected her from harm the princess laments on her fate and prepares to bravely face her fate. But alas thanks to divine intervention from the heavens our princess was given a reprieve and a chance to go back and re-walk the path that had led her to this point in time but now armed with all the knowledge of the consequences that had befallen her in the present. Armed with this precious knowledge and the painful memories of seeing all that you loved and cherished in your empire being turned and used against you would our little princess be able to turn things around and bring the Tearmoon empire back from the brink? Or would she be destined to have an encore with the likes of Mr G who so eagerly awaits in the shadows? Mia Luna Tearmoon Mia Luna Tearmoon is one of the main characters of the series narrative and serves as its main protagonist. The only daughter of the King of the Tearmoon empire and thus both the empire’s sole princess and heir apparent to the throne. In this guise as the princess of a powerful land-based power Mia was shown to be someone who showcased well the typical personality traits of nobles in that she was not only a supremely arrogant person but was also overconfident and believed strongly in the fact that she as the empire’s princess was able to act however, she wants and that anyone other than herself was a nobody that she can treat however she wants. As a result of this Mia in this guise while having all the resources that her country provided her was seen to not make the most of it being totally ignorant of not just basic human courtesy and kindness that should be shown to others but also subjects that were vital to the ruling of a country in the form of finances, diplomacy and being able to understand and empathize the needs and fears of her subjects. Indeed, in this guise she was quite capable of ordering the immediate execution of a chef should her needs not be satisfied such was her tyranny. Suffice to say this tyranny along with the gross mismanagement of the country by her and her yolk served to ensure that not only did the people that she treated so harshly grew to despise and eventually with the aid of her former friends decide that in the interest of justice that the tyrant and her yolk must be relieved of their roles as leaders of the empire and given a fast-tracked appointment with Mr G so that justice can be achieved for everyone that had suffered under her tyranny. That is until the lord of heavens in his infinite wisdom decided to allow her to take on a new mission that if she chooses to accept it would allow her a new chance in life. In her new guise Mia as a result of possessing knowledge of her previous life was seen to be a very different person entirely. While Mia largely retains her confident nature the experiences that she inherited from her past life had while instilling a level of PTSD within her on account of her interactions with Mr G had also served to make her realize the importance of not acting rashly towards others and to without discourse to always be kind and courteous towards people that she encounters no matter who they are. Without the shadow of arrogance and treating others like trash that she previously possessed Mia’s intelligence and quick-thinking nature traits that she always possessed but overshadowed were able to finally reveal themselves. When combined with her desperate desire to avoid death flags via serious cramming sessions on subjects that a princess should know this served to make her not only a valuable font of information on how the country should be run but also serve to create the foundation for which her fight to change her fate by rebuilding the country can be started in earnest and in doing so pave the way for erasing the grim title that had been bestowed upon her by her detractors that of The Selfish princess who ruined Tearmoon and instead replace it with the much more radiant one of the Great sage of the Empire. Working in conjunction with Mia’s focus on brushing up on her studies in her quest to change her fate was her desire to not only show kindness towards those around her but also take the time to observe the events around her much more closely and deal with them calmly when possible. This not only allowed Mia to deduce the many minor events around her that escalated into potential flashpoints in her previous life but in doing so early be able to deescalate them before they could become problems with notable events within the narrative being stopping the potential of a plague by building better healthcare facilities and standing by minor nobles to stop them from being bullied. However, while Mia’s focus on using her newfound knowledge to improve the living conditions of her subjects served to endear her in the eyes of her subjects and secure their loyalty it was Mia’s bonding with her allies and converting those former friends that in her past life had been on the opposing side into allies and friends that she can trust wholeheartedly that I felt showed best both Mia’s desire to change her fate by converting them from potential enemies to allies as well as her own desire to get to know them not as assets that can be called upon when needed as most nobles would but rather as people that she can have fun with, read together and be able to enjoy delicious tea and cake together somewhere and more importantly be able to convey and exchange info when one of their numbers requires their aid. This aspect of forging genuine bonds of friendship with her peers within the nobility I felt while symbolizing well Mia’s desire to avoid her dead end also likewise showed well the level of kindness and determination to help others around her as well that allowed her to change the fate of not just herself but those of friends as well a fact that all of which she had a hand in helping were no doubt thankful for and in doing so serving to further enhance the image of the great sage of the empire in the eyes of the people. Anne Anne Littstein is one of the main supporting characters of the series and is one of the servants that attend to Mia. Serving as Mia’s personal maid in waiting Anne from her initial appearances was shown to be a kind, caring and friendly person by nature who while certainly clumsy and ditsy at times was someone who was shown to be exceedingly loyal to Mia irrespective of timelines involved. While Anne was certainly not the sharpest maid in the book her loyalty and sincerity towards Mia combined with her desire to always support her to her utmost, I felt served to complement Mia’s character perfectly and allowed her to be someone that Mia could count upon for support when needed at the right times provided that they aren’t romance related matters. As a character Anne I felt was an interesting character that within the series represented well the concept of loyalty as no matter which timeline of Mia she served the loyalty that she showed them was absolute. Indeed this loyalty when used in conjunction with her expressive nature, honest and friendly nature which was rare in matters of the nobility of that time period fictional or not served to allow Anne to be the rock that her mistress could always count upon when she needed a fact that past Mia was foolish not to heed but Mia reborn was shown to rely upon as not simply a maid but as a dear treasured friend and a loyal member of her band of retainers that would stand side by side with their mistress as she sought to rebuild her kingdom. AMV Animation-wise wise I felt that the series overall animation featured excellent detail and colour usage that served well to enhance the character designs for the series main cast. In particular the usage of contrasting colour palettes to showcase the situations that the two versions of Mia faced in their timelines served in my opinion to showcase the different sense of tone that characterized the two with the darker colours symbolizing the grimmer fate that awaited past Mia as she came to finally understand all the injustices that she and her ilk had inflicted on her charges that led her to walk down the path for her own execution while the lighter ones symbolized the sense of rebirth and bonds forged anew and where choices can be redone thanks to the merciful intervention of god. The usage of facial expressions to allow the core cast members to convey their surprise at developments within the narrative especially in the case of Mia I felt really served to inject an extra layer of comedy into it thanks to her often-contrasting inner thoughts when reacting to events that she encounters versus her surface reactions to them. Music-wise wise the series made use of one opening and ending theme which was Happy End Princess which was performed by Mia’s assigned seiyuu Sumire Uesaka and Queen of the Night that was performed by KanoeRana respectively. These two songs while exceeding catchy in the case of the former I felt conveyed a very different sense of feelings and emotions when presented with the former conveying a sense of a new beginning granted by god that is allowing our little princess to not only change the grim fate that she had achieved in her original timeline but also in the process discover precious along the way in the form of friends, love and being able to live her life without having to look over her shoulders every two minutes for Mr G. The usage of transitions within the opening’s visuals that conveyed the changes that Mia’s bonding with her former enemies and converting them to friends and allies I felt really served to enhance the underlying meaning of that song while hinting on what was to come in Mia’s little crusade. The series ending theme Queen of the Night on the other hand I felt conveyed a very different sense of feelings and emotions when listened to with this song conveying a sense of unexpected encounters, revelations, acceptance of a timeline where her kingdom is very different to the one that she was familiar with and finally trusting that unlike in her own timeline that new Mia in this one is able to run her kingdom correctly and keep its people happy and the empire prospering. Like the opening theme the visuals used for the ending theme, I felt served to enhance the underlying emotions that the song conveyed with the meeting of the two Mia’s in that star-scaped backdrop and the two having sweets together as they discussed the respective kingdoms being an excellent complement to it. Not many people can after all get second chances after having their own people turn on them after all and despite all that’s happened to her seeing old Mia smile at hearing new Mia be able to undo her mistakes and live the life that she had forfeited I felt was something that she had earned in that moment. Voice acting-wise wise I felt that overall, the series main voice cast all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters whether they were main ones or supporting characters. In particular, I felt that Sumire Uesaka, Tomori Kusunoki and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka all did an excellent job at portraying the key characters of Mia, Anne, and Abel respectively. Of the supporting cast, I really liked Kanon Takao and Nao Toyama’s portrayal of the characters Tiona and Rafina though I wished that the latter had much a larger role in the latter part of the narrative. Though only used sparingly within the series narrative I felt that Yuichiro Umehara and Makoto Furukawa also served admirably at portraying Mia’s head of finances Ludwig Hewitt and the commander of the princess guard Dion Alaia respectively roles that were just as important to Mia and the empire as she herself was to them. It was such a breath of fresh air to see Yuichiro step away from hunting down goblins and take up the mantle of managing numbers in an empire I have to say. Overall conclusion In overall Tearmoon Empire I felt was an excellent anime that had among its main strong points an interesting premise, setting, characters, story and a very creative paring of not just a fictional representation of a time period that we seldom see within the anime medium in the form of the French revolution but also a cunningly wrought out what-if scenario as well that shows us what could potentially have happened if those at the top were able to redo their worst failings and not only stop their own death but also those that were dearest to them as well. While the time travel troupe in its current form is not one that’s used often within the anime medium its usage here, I felt proved to be an effective vehicle when it was paired with the series overall narrative that while making effective usage of the setting and the what if scenario was also overlaid with the genuine heartwarming bonding between Mia and her former enemies as she sought to change her fate by converting them to become her friends and allies that she can count upon. These bonding moments between Mia and the cast while sweet and fun to watch I felt was also complemented by the sense of tightrope walking that Mia had to contend with due to both the serious issues that she had to navigate in the form of the many crisis that she had to head off in her kingdom as well as choosing the best way to interact with the cast lest doom flags appear once more a balance that I felt was pretty well thought out as it forced Mia to use both her knowledge and the aid of her allies to make any kind of headway and in doing so simultaneously improving herself and her image to her allies while advancing forward on the plan. One aspect of the narrative that I felt was handled well was the exploration of flashpoints both within and outside of the empire that while relating well with regards to international diplomacy also served as an excellent way to expand the world and highlight their potential for trouble if left unchecked. These flashpoints I felt also served well to showcase the level of bonds of trust that had been forged between Mia and her peers in this timeline and through this show just how much had changed in this timeline as a result of Mia’s hard work. As a final overall score, I would say that Tearmoon Empire easily deserves an 8/10 for while on the surface it may look like your average fantasy themed anime with comedy elements what served to elevate this series above its peers in my eyes was not just its strong narrative that made creative usage of the combo of time travel and redoing of one’s life as Mia sought to change her fate by fixing her empire but its pairing with Mia’s battle on the emotional front as she sought to reforge the bonds of friendship and trust that had once connected her with her friends and former enemies for Mia knows full well the fell consequences of what would happen if she fails. This pairing of trying to achieve the practical goals and trying to avoid retreading the path of a tyrant with Mia’s desperate desire to convert her many former enemies into powerful new allies I felt within the narrative also synergized well with the comedy moments within the series. That while providing a nice contrast to Mia’s quest also provided us with the opportunity realize that despite this and her unique knowledge, she was still for all intents a 12-year-old girl that was trying her utmost to avoid taking the same grim path that would haunt a women twice her age. Being able to see Mia act more her age by having such silly thoughts and moments I felt provided a nice sense of reprieve from her goals and quests however brief they were.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 29, 2023
Dekiru Neko wa Kyou mo Yuuutsu
(Anime)
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Please note this review is intended to be read by those that have finished watching The Masterful cat is depressed again today and while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be spoilers within character analysis. You have been warned.
Based on a popular manga series of the same name Dekiru Neko Wa Kyo Mo Yuutsu or known by Western fans more commonly as the Masterful Cat is Depressed again today is a slice of life and comedy genre anime that gives us a unique opportunity to see what would happen if one day a young salarywoman working her first ... job in the big city as a foremen for a large company were to one day while walking home from work were to have a chance encounter with a kitten that had been abandoned by its owner. Never in her wildest dream would she expect that this tiny act of charity would result in this tiny kitten would not only becoming her pet but also the treasured flatmate that would help change her life for the better by ensuring that not only does she eat healthily but also that every piece of housework that comes from living in a big city is taken care off by it without question. What's the catch you ask? Why it’s simply that our dear Saku is able to do well in her job and keep both her and her new flatmate fed and sheltered with her salary for without that I'm afraid that both would be living in far less desirable circumstances. A motivation that I feel is more than enough to keep even the most careless of people to shape up and ensure that they are doing their jobs correctly. Although slice of life anime that features comedy elements are one of the most common genre variants of that genre the aspect that ultimately made this series stand out from its peers to me was its focus on whats it like being a working adult in the modern-day city and what could happen if one day half of the stuff that such an adult has to worry about when working and living in such a setting is effectively dealt with by their flat mate and allow them to focus on living their life and ensure that they are not missing the finer points of life. Because we all know how difficult it is to maintain an effective work-life balance when you do office jobs in a big city where speed and efficiency are everything. That and of course seeing the kind of effects that ensure if a large black cat was to not only take up residence in your area but also start doing things that no cat would do namely shop at supermarkets, help take deliveries and handle the cleanup of trash and leaves that have accumulated in the grounds of the apartment complex alongside the community and seeing the residents’ reactions to it. It is this unique aspect of this anime that I felt was notable that drew me to this series and as both a fan of anime and also a working adult it was definitely one that makes you realize that in the modern world how much time and effort goes into maintaining the household and in turn how much does this affect the amount of time we can spend with friends and family and enjoy the finer points of life outside of it. So seeing what would happen if one day someone in my shoes were to have such a fantastic helper show up and take care of that was definitely something that I wanted to see. Saku Fukuzawa Saku Fukuzawa is one of the main characters of the series narrative and serves as the series' main protagonist. A young salarywoman that works as a foremen for a large company located within the city Saku from her initial appearances was shown to be a polite, friendly, and curious person and was seen by her peers as someone who was kind and honest to a fault. Indeed, to her peers within the office, Saku was seen to be a highly organized, attentive, and reliable person that was able to accomplish any task that she had been set by her superiors flawlessly and was widely seen as being the masterful woman as a result. The only chink that her peers would be able to see within this armour of hers was the fact that she could get excitable when talking about food and talking about cats. As the series progresses and the focus expands from the office and to Saku’s apartment however it can be seen that when at home Saku in her natural self was a far different person to what her peers in the office are accustomed to. For the home version of Saku while still a relaxed and friendly person was someone that far from how she was in the office was actually someone that was careless, ditsy and was relatively carefree. Indeed, this carefree nature of hers also served to make her lifestyle a worrying prospect as a result of her fondness for excessive drinking and eating unhealthily which on top of her desire to hoard stuff served to make her apartment a disaster that was just waiting to happen. Suffice to say the home version of Saku was shown to be a poor planner and needed a lot of help from her fellow flatmate to ensure that she was able to enjoy a healthy meal every night and able to get to work on time and in prime condition. As a character Saku I felt was an interesting one that showed well the kind of contrast that can form within people’s personalities when they operate in two different environments in this case being the office and her professional self and the home and her home version as a result of the pressures that modern day workers face as they try to balance their lives. However, what made Saku stand out more within the narrative was the bond that she shared with her flatmate Yukichi and the unique division of labour that was formed between them as a result of both their physical anatomy and their respective skill sets. This bond while based on the simple premise of ensuring that the owner is fed adequately and that she’s able to get to work on time I felt was further enhanced by the emotional bond that was formed between them that while ensuring that each of their interactions were enjoyable also showed well how much each of them have come to rely upon one another as they try and navigate the struggle that is living in the modern world where surface impressions and balance are crucial. Yukichi Yukichi is one of the main characters of the series and serves as the flatmate and housekeeper to Saku. A giant cat that Saku had encountered as a kitten back in the distant past that had grown to become one that’s the size of a human being Yukichi from his initial appearances was shown to be a kind, calm and intelligent being that while somewhat intimidating to those that don’t know him was shown to be one that was surprisingly thoughtful and considerate of others which is shown best in not only his bond with Saku but also with the likes of Rio and Yume as well. Though not capable of speech in a traditional sense Yukichi was shown to be a being that was both understanding and quite capable of setting priorities skills that I felt really lent itself to allowing it to support Saku by cooking delicious lunches for her and keeping the household clean and more importantly ensuring that she’s able to get to work and allow both of them to maintain their current lifestyle by having a job. While Yukichi was someone who was quiet by nature he was nonetheless shown to show great pride in both his skills as a cook and as a housekeeper a fact that he never misses the opportunity to display to Saku when the opportunity presents itself. As a character, I felt that Yukichi was one that was well developed and served both as an effective contrast to Saku and as the foundation that managed to keep her grounded in their mutual desire to earn enough to live comfortably within the city to which they live in. While Yukichi’s skill at housekeeping and cooking was indeed unparalleled what served to make him less of a flatmate but more of a being that was akin to a mother was the sheer amount of skills that he had knowledge off such as sewing and the ability to create tools himself in the form of gloves and plushies that made him both an effective asset for Saku but also for the various people that they would come to encounter over the course of the series. On the surface while acting as both the housekeeper and surrogate mother for Saku may seem to be an exhausting task for both Yukichi and Saku this division of labour I felt showed well the strength of the bond that had been forged between them as Saku was able to rely on the safeguard that was Yukichi in not only keeping her flat clean but also know that she’s able to enjoy a hot and healthy meal when she returns home from work while Yukichi is able to keep living a good life by maintaining the household and cooking delicious meals for Saku and ensure that she’s at her prime when she departs for work. Though Yukichi may appear blunt at times when dealing with Saku notably when using the shower routine to stir Saku from her lazy self he was someone that was shown to care deeply about her a bond that may surprise outside observers is one that is taken for granted by Saku as while it can be unpleasant being force showered and dressed in the morning the alternative is her laziness affecting their living conditions and that is someone that cannot be allowed under any circumstances. AMV Animation wise I felt that the overall animation that was featured within the series was definitely one of the show’s highlights as it not only featured some great detail that did much to enhance the character designs for the series but also served to make the casts facial expressions and their simple but nonetheless crucial everyday actions like cooking, cleaning and prepping Saku for work much more endearing. In particular, this also served to provide a level of enhancement to the special events that we get to witness within the narrative in the form of Saku’s visit to the Aquarium, the scratching stone’s effect on Yukichi and Yukichi’s unique beatboxing that we were blessed to be able to see. The character designs while enhanced by the detailed animation I felt also benefitted greatly from its usage of the twin themes of simplicity and simple but effective colour palettes that served to make them not only easily relatable but served to add a level of cuteness to them as well in the kinds of bonds that’s forged between them and within the narrative this was shown best in the bond that was forged between Yukichi and Dai chan the kitten and the bond that was formed with Yume. One of the notable scenes that I felt was excellently designed from an animation standpoint was the scene that showed how Saku and Yukichi first met at the park a scene that featured an excellent combination of heartwarming emotion and the spark of a new bond being formed between two strangers that unknown to them would serve to change their lives forever. In terms of locations while the series as a whole did not feature that many locations the ones that were present within the narrative I felt were not only well-animated but also used effectively as a way to build the world around them by defining them as locations that were either crucial to them as a means for survival in Yukichi’s eyes in the form of Saku’s company office and the local supermarket or ones that allowed them to relax, meet new people and improve bonds with others that would allow them to have an easier life in the form of their shared apartment, the aquarium and of course the visit to Yume’s family home that served to introduce a very passionate fan of Yukichi. These locations when used in combination with the episode's unique themes that were featured within the narrative, I felt served to showcase not only the bond that exists between Saku and Yukichi but also the bonds that they forged with those around them as they got on with their lives. Music wise the series made use of one opening and ending theme which was Ureu Kado niwa Fuku Kitaru (Fortune comes to a worried house) and Hakai Zenya no Koto (Night before destruction) respectively which were performed by Somei and asmi respectively. In the case of the former the song while a very catchy one also showed well not just how bright and colourful the world around them was but also the number of friends and acquaintances that both Saku and Yukichi have as part of their respective lives. At the same time despite their different roles within their unique bond, the visuals for this opening I felt showed well the kind of strong bond that had been forged between them as both have a great deal of trust in one another to accomplish their intended roles successfully and accurately and as a result allow them to enjoy the fruits of their labours and the opportunity to enjoy the joys that life brings you in this case being the car trip in the flashy sports car and being able to watch the fireworks from their balcony when it takes place. In the case of the latter the ending theme for the series I felt was much different in the emotions that it was trying to convey to the viewer in that while still catchy it was far more peaceful in its tone and focused more on the emotional aspect of the bond that Saku and Yukichi have as a result of their chance meeting all those years ago in the park. One that as a result had allowed Saku to gain not only a dear trusted friend but also one that will come to aid her if she gets plastered as part of her job as her guardian cat. Voice acting-wise wise I felt that overall, the series main and supporting cast all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters with Yui Ishikawa doing an excellent job portraying the series main protagonist Saku. Of the supporting cast, I really liked the dynamic that Saku’s friends and co-workers Yuri and Oshiro who were portrayed by Ai Kakuma and Aoi Inase provided to Saku as they got by their days in the office in the form of their interactions that always provided plenty of laughs. But arguably the seiyuu that made the best impression here was Ayana Taketatsu’s portrayal of the character Yume who I felt served to steal every scene to which she was featured in thanks to how cute her interactions with the cast and especially Yukichi was. Overall conclusion In overall I felt that The Masterful Cat is depressed again today was an excellent anime that had among its main strong points an interesting and unique premise, well-designed characters, an excellent narrative, voice acting from a talented voice cast and its usage of simple but heartwarming bonding moments between its two main leads that while using relatively simple situations that one could experience living in the big city in the modern world showed well just how powerful such bonds can become when their assigned roles within their relationship is clearly defined. And in the modern world more than anything being able to solely focus on your intended role while knowing that when you clock out from work and return home there will be a hot meal waiting for you is in my opinion a very potent motivator that would ensure that you do your very best and ensure that you are able to get to that meal on time every day. And given Yukichi’s mastery of the cooking arts that’s something that would go double for Saku and ensure that she would always be the unflappable Fukuzawa to her peers. As a final score, I would say that The Masterful Cat is depressed again easily deserves a final score of 8/10 for not just the comedy and cute bonding moments that Saku and Yukichi put us through but also for the sense of calm and relaxation that it provided to people after going through a long day at work/school.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 20, 2023
Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon
(Anime)
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Please note this review is intended to be read by those that have finished watching My Happy marriage and while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be spoilers within character analysis. You have been warned.
Based upon a popular light novel series of the same name Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon otherwise known as My Happy Marriage is a romance and fantasy genre anime that gives us the opportunity to see what happens if one day a young woman long bullied and abused by her stepmother and stepsister were to one day be given a chance to change this ... hard life of hers by marrying into a powerful noble family that her family was eager to cultivate new bonds with. The catch however was that her intended fiancé the famed head of the Kudo family was rumoured to be one that treated his fiancée harshly and indeed had already gone through multiple marriage prospects to date. But to our dear Miyo long suffered and abused thanks to her nefarious stepmother and sister this chance for a new beginning was well worth the reward if it meant that she was able to finally step foot outside her family home and into the brand-new world that the new age has brought Japan. Little did Miyo know that her steps into the new age would not only bring her great happiness and allow her to meet many new people and learn many new things but also tie her life with that of the heart and soul of Japan and its people. Just how would Miyo and her friends and allies fare as they face down threats from humans and demons alike as they try to have a great life and enjoy the changes to society and tech that the early Taisho era has brought to the country. As far as genres and themes go one of the things that drew my eye to this series was its setting and its pairing with the fantasy genre that I felt served to create a unique canvas that the series narrative could make use of as its foundation. The early Taisho era in Japan was times of great peace in Japan and was a complete contrast to the turmoil that gripped the nation in the previous Meiji era and in this series, this was shown best in the tech introductions that the country was bathing in the form of automobiles, trams , western influence and events that served to give both the nation and the people who lived there including our main leads a new sense of hope and purpose when they step into it. This sense of change when combined with the entry of the long-suffering Miyo into a new world where everything around her from the automobiles she rides in and the trams she sees on the streets and the new bonds that she forms with her new fiancée and the members of his household and the detail that went into the series animation was the aspects that drew me to this series and I have to say I'm glad that it did. Miyo Saimori Miyo Saimori is one of the main characters of the series and serves as the narrative’s primary protagonist. At 19 years of age, Miyo is the eldest daughter of the famous Saimori family one that despite their strong lineage like all of their fellow magical families has found themselves in gradual decline due to lack of worthwhile abilities that it can make use of to showcase their worth. A fact that ensured that at the start of the series Miyo due to her lack of any talent for magic was treated harshly by her family and was effectively relegated to the role of a servant within her own home. As a result of this at the start of the series Miyo was shown to be someone that was quiet, passive and someone that preferred to hide her own thoughts and opinions of matters within herself rather than express them as most girls her age would have. Indeed, at this point in her life, she was someone who thought openly that she was not needed in this world at all and that any kind of kindness and gifts that she received were wasted on her and better suited for others. As a result of this turn of events, Miyo was noted to have a low degree of self-confidence and was someone that was shown to be overly polite to all that she met regardless of their social rank. However, to those few friends and confidants that she possessed, she was someone who while quiet was also nonetheless a kind and humble person who would do all she could to help others if she could. However, her days of toiling away in the house as a servant and being abused by her stepsister and stepmother were to come to an end one day when she was summoned and arranged to be married into the powerful Kudo family as a means for the family to maintain their bloodline with her new fiancée being the head of the Kudo family Kiyoka Kudo a man who possessed a reputation for being harsh and cold towards his potential brides. For Miyo whose fond memories of her childhood had since been eroded and replaced by those of painful ones as a result of her family's abuse of her this development while effectively a banishment from the house nonetheless to Miyo was also a form of release as it for the first time allowed her to finally set foot outside the confines of her house and see what the world outside looked like. As the series progresses and Miyo gets to experience not only the many joys that living away from her estranged family and in a new age bring as well as learning to embrace the fundamental elements of society that everyone regardless of age and magical talent should be entitled to have Miyo’s personality gradually starts to change. Due largely in part to both her harsh upbringing and the rumours that surrounded the head of the Kudo family Miyo at the start of their relationship was shown to be wary of Kiyoka and as such opted to focus on being more useful to him as the newest fiancée of the Kudo family and maintaining her passive nature so as not to offend him and potentially risk being returned to her family in shame. However, as their bond improved and Miyo was able to see past the frosty nature of Kiyoka and see what his true self really was like this degree of wariness gradually began to dissipate and be replaced by a desire to not only be an effective wife for him by being able to manage the household but also be able to enjoy life by relearning one of the most fundamental aspects of society in the form of forging bonds with friends and family members alike and caring about them just as they would care about her. This aspect of Miyo’s gradual relearning of how to love others again and how to forge bonds with those around her I felt was synergized well with not only her role within the narrative as an ability user but also with her determination to walk a path that she had chosen with the one that she loved the most. Notable moments within the series that I felt symbolized this growing bond between Miyo and Kiyoka and the outside world was Miyo’s tears of joy in ep2, their first outing to the city in ep3, learning how to make handicraft in the same episode and the meeting with Kiyoka’s sister Hazuki the latter of which served to showcase a visible desire and determination for Miyo to improve herself and be strong enough to stand beside Kiyoka and support him when needed. Overall as a character Miyo Saimori I felt was a character that was both well designed and developed and made great usage of the two sides of despair and hopelessness on one side and hope and learning to love on the other that served to make her not only one that was easily relatable but also one that we all wanted to root for in her desire to live a new life as a result of all the hardship we seen her experience as a result of her family’s desire to stay relevant in the new age. Kiyoka Kudo Kiyoka Kudo is one of the main characters of the series and is the fiancée of Miyo Saimori. The 27 years old head of the Kudo family and a member of the military’s elite anti-Grotesquerie unit that he heads Kiyoka from his initial appearances was seen to be someone who was quiet, calm, and composed by nature and while intelligent and someone who understood the need for change in society was nonetheless wary of sudden changes to his surroundings as shown in his first interactions with Miyo. Though a calm and quiet person Kiyoka was nonetheless noted to be someone who was relatively direct in both attitude and conversation which when combined with the rumours of him being easily angered and harsh on those around him really served to make him somewhat of an oddball when it came to political marriages among the nobility. However, this aspect of his personality while certainly off-putting to the noble ladies who had hoped that marrying into the famous Kudo family would allow them to have an easy life I felt proved to be a perfect catalyst for his eventual bond with Miyo that would not only open his eyes to the joy that can come from living with someone that you genuinely care about but also ensure that he would do his utmost to protect her from harm. As the series progresses and Kiyoka’s bond with his new fiancée gradually improves it can be seen that beneath the cold and harsh nature that he shows to others, Kiyoka was actually someone that was kind and caring to those that he trusts and was someone that actively looked out for others, when possible, as shown in the good relationship he had with his housekeeper Yurie and the concern that he showed Miyo when they first met with this latter point being shown best when he commissioned new kimono’s for Miyo having seen how frayed her existing ones were. While a polite and honest person who was able to function effectively at a social level Kiyoka was noted to be someone that found it difficult to live a normal life due to a combination of his strong focus on his duties and his inability to express his true feelings and thoughts to others something that even his housekeeper and sister were shown to worry often about. This aspect of his personality however I felt served as an excellent catalyst that allowed him to forge not only an excellent bond with his fiancée but also make him realize not only the sense of warmth that can come from having someone that not only cares deeply about you and keeps the household ready for your return but also more importantly serve as a raison de’etre for using his powers outside of his duties as a member of the military namely to protect the women that he loves from suffering the same hell that she’s suffered for the last 19 years of her life a fact that is shown best in the spectacle that was ep6. Overall, as a character, I felt that Kiyoka was a character that was both well designed and developed with him not only having excellent romantic chemistry with Miyo but also as a result of their mutual self-development learn to be an effective foil for her as well in their quest to rediscover what love really was. No matter the era a knight In shining armour is always welcome for any maiden and more than anything Kiyoka was the perfect knight for Miyo. AMV Animation wise I felt that the overall animation for the series was excellently animated that featured not only excellent detail but also featured a rich colour palette as well. The character designs for the series' main and support cast I felt while reflective of the time period that the series was set in also served to enhance the main and support cast members as they flowed through the overall narrative providing not only a symbolic and emotional connection that linked them together but also one that connected them with the fantasy aspect of the series. Locations wise while the amount of locations that the cast visited was not especially large the ones that we came to see within the narrative I felt were ones that while simple were ones that nonetheless held great emotional value to the cast members and represented many things that were crucial to their development as characters with notable locations being the Saimori family home that represented a mix of warmth and despair to Miyo, the Kudo family home which represented hope and a new found beginning, the nearby town that Miyo and Yurie visit that represents progress and time and lastly the Ursuba family home which represents truth and revelation for Miyo. While My Happy Marriage’s main premise is that of a romantic love story I felt that its inclusion of the fantasy genre and through this the existence of abilities really served to showcase not only how intertwined they were with the social fabric of this world but also how powerful these can be when used to protect as well as secure the safety of ones that you love with notable moments within the series being the storming of the Saimori home to rescue Miyo and the fight with Arata at the Ursuba family home fights that were both beautiful and yet also reflecting well on the high stakes that were in play by that point of the narrative as a result of the strong bonds that had been forged between Kiyoka and Miyo over the course of their bonding. Music-wise wise the series made use of one opening and ending theme which was Anata no Soba ni (By your side) and Vita Philosophica that were performed by Riria and Kashitaro Ito respectively. The series opening song Anata no Soba ni I felt while a very catchy song was also one that was complemented nicely with the themes of tech advances and a desire to overcome Miyo’s past tragic upbringing shown in this case as her child form by taking the first steps into a new life as the wife of the head of the Kudo family where she would be surrounded by friends and family that care about her. The visuals for the opening I felt while richly animated and coloured also served to enhance the themes that were used within it with the walk through the town with Yurie and Miyo’s time on the tram travelling through town being especially impressive. The series ending theme Vita Philosophica on the other hand represented something of a contrast in that its themes had a stronger focus on the kind of suffering that Miyo had suffered at the hands of her family and the sense of despair that she had grown used to living with before encountering the light that is Kiyoka. While both songs had a level of emotional weight to them as a result of their respective themes, I felt that this one featured the most in that regard which served to enhance the song's impact when used in conjunction with its accompanying visuals. The OST that was featured within the series I felt was another aspect of the music that the series really excelled at thanks to the enhancements it provided for the emotional moments that Miyo encounters over the course of the narrative as well as the dramatic moments when force was needed to ensure her safety with the best examples shown during the rescue of Miyo by Kiyoka and the events at the Ursuba family home that we see near the closing ends of the series. Voice acting-wise wise I felt that the series main voice cast all did an excellent at portraying their assigned characters whether they were main or support ones. Reina Ueda and Kaito Ishikawa who portrayed the main characters of Miyo Saimori and Kiyoka Kudo respectively I felt did an excellent job of portraying their characters that really drove home the kind of strong bonds that can be formed between those who truly love each other and how far one can go to protect them from all harm whether it’s from people that should be caring for them as family or from people that’s determined to take advantage of their unique abilities to make power plays in this new world. While Kaito Ishikawa did well in portraying the kind of physical and emotional strength that was needed to see things through as part of his oath to protect Miyo from all manner of threats including the usage of abilities in open combat Reina Ueda’s portrayal of Miyo I felt served to contrast this as she managed to infuse a large degree of emotion into her lines that while showing well her emotional fragility also served to showcase the strong bonds that she had forged with those around her as a result of her engagement to a man that she can happily entrust herself too aspects that served to make each of her emotional scenes within the series that much more impactful on an emotional level. Of the supporting cast of the series, I felt that Houko Kuwashima and Yoko Hikasa who portrayed the characters of Kiyoka’s servant Yurie and Kiyoka’s sister Hazuki did an excellent job of portraying their assigned characters with them representing well the first family members that not only did not treat her like trash but instead treated her like a proper member of the family and serving to give Miyo some much-needed stability as she sought to change herself. Hazuki trying so hard to get Miyo to bond with her was just a delight to see within the series. While I despised the characters of Kaya and her stepmother Kanoko for the emotional trauma that they inflicted on Miyo over the years I did feel that Ayane Sakura and Kana Ueda did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters that really contrasted the two lives that Miyo had to experience this early in her life. Overall conclusion In overall My Happy Marriage I felt was an excellent anime that had among its main strengths its excellent narrative, well-designed and developed characters, animation, music, voice acting from a capable voice cast and its seamless combination of the classic Cinderella love story with the more adult themes of abuse, bullying, nobility and bloodlines and its connection to the nation and the strong emotional connection that Miyo forms with not only her cherished fiancée but also everyone that had supported and helped her overcome her trauma and learn to love again. In overall I felt that My Happy Marriage was one of this season’s best series as a result of not only its high-quality animation but also its strong narrative that made use of themes that many would not come to expect in classic Cinderella romance stories that I felt was blended in seamlessly and was further enhanced upon by the excellent voice acting of the main leads of Reina Ueda and Kaito Ishikawa who really brought out the emotional connection that had been forged between them in their characters. As a final score, I would say this series easily deserves a final overall score of 9/10 for not only for its simple but strong emotionally charged narrative and cast that were relatable but also of the promise that no matter how dark human society can get as a result of humanity’s constant desire for power and greed that there are always people around you that would be able to help you rediscover the light that still shines in society. You only need to brave enough to step forward. As a final note, it goes without saying that the characters of Kaya and Kanoko Saimori while utterly despicable are at the end of the day fictional characters and that their assigned seiyuu’s are simply acting out their characters as part of the narrative. Please refrain from showing hatred towards them in any form.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 2, 2023 Recommended Spoiler
Disclaimer - I have not seen every Gundam series to date but I have seen Mobile suit gundam, Gundam Wing, Gundam Seed and its sequel and Gundam 00 and its movie.
Please note while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be spoilers present within character analysis you have been warned. Based upon an original concept Mobile Suit Gundam The Witch from Mercury is the newest entry to Sunrise’s long-running mecha anime franchise Gundam being the fifteenth series to date and the first to air in the current Reiwa era of Japan. The series overall narrative allows us to ... see what will happen if in the distant future when advances in technology had allowed countless corporations to not only reach the outer frontier that is the deep black but also in the process create an entirely new race of humans the Spacians who not only enjoy all the advantages of living within self-contained environments that have every resource that they need but do in relative comfort. But what if that had been at the cost of depleting the resources of their homeworld of Earth and in the name of advancement that the Spacians had not only created zones where the rich thrived while those less fortunate were forced to eke out a desperate existence in the ruins of what was once great cities that had been surpassed by the new gleaming cities that the corporations had built. What if in this era of great advancement and shimmering tensions between Earthians and Spacians that await a suitable spark to erupt into violence that one day a lone teenage girl from the distant reaches of the planet Mercury one who was unaffiliated with either race were to join the prestigious Asticassia school of technology a school that is run by one of the largest corporations and one that contains students from both races whose animosity mirrors that of their kin. Just what kind of change would our dear Suletta who knows not of the shimmering tensions that lie between the Earthians and the Spacians and her unique mobile suit Aerial bring to the equation as she bears witness to the ugliness of human nature in the form of ambition and greed collide with the positive human natures of mutual equality and desire to walk one’s path with one another without caring about race or class. Would she be able to be the force of change that would finally put an end to the shimmering tensions between the two races or would humanity continue to unravel as a race due to the stubbornness of both sides to talk to each other like civilized people? As a child, the Gundam franchise was my first proper intro to the mecha genre of anime and even now all those years later I still remember the joy of seeing mobile suits fight each other amidst the most titanic of space battles around them spaceships and superweapons of various sizes dual each other. Even back then seeing the ace of the one-year war Amuro Ray fight against the many aces of the principality of Zeon in his desire to protect his friends and colleagues was an exhilarating experience and while enjoyable was also one that showed well the kind of heights that the franchise was capable of. With such a storied history hanging beside it I thought that it was notable that Sunrise in this case took the unusual step of creating and airing a ONA before the airing of the first episode of the series did an excellent job of expanding upon both the world that the series too place in and the circumstances that led to Suletta being sent to the school while setting the foundation for perhaps one of the best villains within the franchise to enact her plan. This approach I felt made the opening episode much more enjoyable as it allowed the opening ep to focus entirely on Suletta’s first days upon Asticassia while allowing developments that had manifested in the prologue to slowly develop in the background of the narrative and by doing so avoid having any kind of flashbacks that would have impacted on the narrative flow of the story a move that I felt paid off and allowed the viewer to focus only on the present. As a result, I felt that the opening episode of the series was an enjoyable one that did a great job of not only introducing a curious new setting and characters but also showed well the consequences of humanity's desire to colonize and develop the deep black. Which had while allowing them to make tech advances and build things that would be impossible on earth had also come at the expense of abandoning their humanity and empathy for each other that created a dangerous and tension-filled environment that Suletta had to learn how to negotiate as she stepped foot on Asticassia and began her life as a student. Suletta Mercury Suletta Mercury is one of the two main characters of the series narrative and serves as the series' primary protagonist. A transfer student that unlike her peers within the school who were either from Earth or were born in space Suletta’s homeland was the distant planet of Mercury which eventually caused the school to label her as the witch from Mercury when they saw what she had arrived in before entering the school proper. In her initial appearances, Suletta was shown to be a polite, friendly, and positive person by nature that was noted to be highly expressive and energetic even for teens her age. Though charming beyond measure Suletta’s desire to overreact to the smallest of things and act before thinking things through often ended up causing her to end in trouble with the school’s staff a fact that is only offset by the fact that Suletta always acts to protect those that are dear to her as shown in her agreeing to fight her first dual to protect Miorine in ep1 of the series. Unlike her peers at the school most of which would have had some knowledge of the things that are around them whether it's social classes and common plant types such as Miorine’s prized tomato’s Suletta’s long years of living in the distant reaches of Mercury meant that such knowledge was unknown to her which while making her first days an educational experience for her also served to showcase one of her most earnest desires which was to enjoy her time in school and treasure the memories that she makes with those that she has forged connections with. A desire that while offset in the beginning by Suletta’s timidity and low self-confidence nonetheless served well to create a spark within her heart that would serve as her foundation as the narrative progresses, and she embarks on a journey to forge a new path for herself with the aid of her newly forged friendships. As the series progresses and Suletta and her friends grow as individuals it can be seen that beneath her bubbly and overactive personality, Suletta was also someone that had many struggles that she hid deep beneath her heart. The long years of living in the reaches of distant mercury meant that while she was determined to form new connections with peers her age, she was also vulnerable to being rejected and looked down upon by others as shown in her reactions when Miorine distanced herself from her in s2 and in the treatment that the spacian houses treated her with in their first encounters in s1. However, as her bonds with her friends gradually improve this sense of fear of being rejected while never completely disappearing is kept in check by not just Suletta’s newfound self-confidence but also by the trust that her peers have developed in her as a result of their shared struggles. This new side of her while doing well to prune away the more naïve aspects of her personality and make her more grounded also allowed her to forge stronger bonds with people that normally would be out of reach for her in the form of family heirs such as Elan, Guel and Shaddiq with the bonds with Elan and Guel in particular forming excellent foundations for their respective developments as characters in the process. While her interactions with them allowed her to see the kind of power their respective families bring to the social sphere of the modern world, they also likewise served to showcase to her the kind of social distance that such families had also unintentionally created within society as a result of their rapid expansion into space. A development that I felt served to make her realize that while communication is still the best way to resolve disputes at times you also have to fight for not only your beliefs but also to protect the one’s that you cherish the most with this within the narrative shown best in the interactions that Suletta had with the members of the Dawn of the fold. This newfound determination to do what she can to protect those that she cherishes within the narrative I felt synergized well with Suletta’s desire to forge her own path and her determination to create a new world where everyone is treated equally no matter their social class or origin with the aid of those around her that she had established strong bonds with that share her goal. Complementing this within the narrative was the bond that Suletta shared with her mother Prospera and with her closest friend Miorine whose opposing goals of revenge and betrayal and change and justice served to introduce a more personal touch to Suletta’s development as a character and gave her the push that she needed to take the first steps of change in a world where something is not as straightforward as it seems to be. While the core purpose of any two cour anime is to use the first cour as the foundation upon which characters can be built and finally realized fully in the second. In his case, I felt that Suletta’s development benefited greatly from her willingness to protect her friends and allies as well as the overlapping desires of her closest family and friend in the form of her mother and Miorine that served to add depth to her character and make her core desires to free the world from the ugliness of greed, revenge, and ambition that much more natural and her desire to stop this cycle of madness that much more entertaining. Miorine Rembran Miorine Rembran is one of the main characters of the series and is one of Suletta’s closest friends within the series' overall narrative. The sole daughter of the current leader of the powerful Benerit group one of the largest corporations currently operating in the galaxy Miorine in her initial appearances was shown to be a calm, composed and dutiful person that while highly intelligent was unlike her peers among the heirs to rich corporation’s club was far from being the social butterfly that was loyal to her father and company as most would assume. Instead, Miorine was seen to be the opposite in that she was a quiet person and someone that preferred to be aloof from others and indeed did not seem to get on well with her peers or family at all and in every interaction that she had with them at the start was noted to treat others coldly and bluntly with this being exemplified in the first meeting that she had with Suletta within the narrative. Beneath her cold and aloof demeanor however and gradually revealed as the narrative progresses it can be seen that Miorine was far from being the anti-social heirless that she makes herself out to be for while she was someone that had to harden her heart due to necessity, she was nonetheless one that was capable of opening herself up to those that had gained her respect. Within the narrative, this is shown best in the relationship that she forges with not just Suletta but also with the members of the earth house as well. As while Miorine like others were wary of Suletta due to her unique origins as their bond deepened and she got to see the kind of person that Suletta was this icy nature of hers gradually began to thaw as she began to show a kinder, gentler, and considerate side to her that most people would assume never existed within her. While the long years spent opposing her family and dealing with petty house rivalries that were prevalent within the school had served to dull her senses in terms of interpersonal relations her newly forged bonds with Suletta and the members of the earth house served to make her realize not only the kind of emotional strength and support one can gain from bonding with others but also the kind of practical skills and life directions that can be gained from working with those that share your aspirations and dreams. While the little garden that Miorine meticulously maintained did an excellent job at showing the inner sense of kindness and patience that she possessed it’s her forming of her own company with her friends that I felt really served to showcase these changes to her personality as this development required her to not only interact with others daily but also relearn the finer points of social norms such as being understanding and considerate of others views and not simply roll over people as her peers would have. When combined with her desires and dreams and her innate business senses I felt that this development served to create for Miorine a solid foundation that served to make her realize not only how much she had been missing with not having friends that she can count upon and enjoy spending time with but also how much her family had been supporting her from behind the scenes a foundation that soon served to provide her with the means to grow herself as the world of corpo ambitions reared its ugly head. While outwardly Miorine remains largely unchanged in the eyes of outsiders to those that know her well after meeting and befriending Suletta and forming her own company, Miorine was shown to have grown quite a bit as a person. While Miorine’s business senses have always been good thanks to the training that her family provided her the strained bond with her family as well as her desire to boldly stride forward using her merits alone while certainly admirable proved a daunting experience. This harsh first lesson of how businesses work in the real world while certainly a difficult pill for her to swallow also served as an excellent lesson for her as well for it showed her not only how her lack of experience was her main weakness but also the kind of power that can come from avoiding the pitfalls that pride brings by being humble and asking for help from others. This sense of humility and the gradual thawing of bonds between her and her family served in my eyes to give her the final piece of her foundation that Miorine needed to finish recreating herself and devote herself to not only enjoying her days with her friends and allies that she has learned to trust but also make a start on working towards achieving a goal that she never thought was possible to achieve for a long time which is to change the status quo between the two races of Spacians and Earthians as in her eyes such differences were meaningless. Overall, as a character, I felt that Miorine was well designed and developed as a character that like Suletta benefited greatly from the multiphase development that came from this series being a two cour production. In particular, while her core focus remains on family and her attempts to mend relations with them, I really liked the fact that this was not simply a matter of physical bonds but also an emotional one, as well as Miorine, had to overcome her own personal reason for hating her family. This, in turn, was linked well into her gradual reawakening as a person that synergized well with her bond with her friends and with Suletta in particular whose character development I felt was a complete contrast to Miorine in that while both strive to forge their own paths and share the same dream Miorine’s one was more akin to a bird that while having the desire to break out lacked the knowledge of how to while Suletta despite having all the freedom she wanted had no direction to aim it at. This parallel sense of development I felt served to give the two a very unique bond whether interpersonally or as a narrative figment that showed well the core genre focus of this series. AMV In overall I felt that the series overall animation was excellent and featured not only great detail and colour but also did well to convey not only the scale of human expansion on the frontiers of the deep black but also synchronize this across the expanse that was mech, character and environments without sacrificing either quality or variety. In terms of character designs, I felt that the designs that were used within the series featured a surprisingly large amount of variety that did well to showcase the series' wide cast of characters that included among their number teenagers, military officers and creepy old women that seems to be the ones that are truly in power behind the scenes. This last group I felt featured a set of unique designs that showed well that in this new age-old age is no barrier as there are methods to extend one’s life and preserve their cunning should you have the money to pay for it. One aspect of the Gundam franchise that I was pleased to see featured in this series was of the series mascot Haro who in this series served many notable roles. Location wise I felt that the series featured a nice variety of locations that while awe-inspiring and impressive in showing the kind of tech level that the world was currently in also did well to showcase the sheer differences that lay between Spacians and Earthians when it came to living conditions and social classes with the Asticassia School of technology that featured high levels of automation and state of the art facilities contrasting greatly with the ruins of great cities on earth that house those that are not rich enough to live within the hyper-advanced cities who must struggle hard every day to obtain the bare necessities or if possible to create them themselves. While both the school and the various locales of Earth that were visited by the cast were beautifully designed and animated the locations that stood out to me within the series were the asteroid base that served as Suletta’s childhood home that we saw in the prologue and the Quiet Zero superweapon that becomes important in the latter part of the second season whose core functionality and design I felt synergized perfectly. When it comes to mecha design the Gundam franchise, being the trailblazers that created the mecha genre had always been held in high regard for the designs of its mobile suits and on this occasion, this was no exception. While the series' titular mobile suit the Aerial featured a very sleek design that was both graceful and majestic what made it stand out to me was its manoeuvrability and its unique remote weapon systems that when combined in its usage gave it unmatched flexibility when it came to defence and firepower. Other suits that I really liked were the custom Dilanza that was used by Guel whose high sense of mobility matched his personality perfectly, Elan’s custom Pharact which was a high-speed long-range type, the unique mobile suits that were used by Shaddiq’s house in their brief stand against the forces of the Dominicus and lastly the unique Gundams Lfrith Ur and Lfrith Thorn that were piloted by Sophie and Norea that boasted impressive amounts of firepower and flexibility due to their usage of remote weapon systems. While only seen in the last episodes of the series I really liked the designs of the Cargore that were used by the space assembly league and their opponents the Gundnode’s that showed in their debut battle the sheer power that came from suits that were not limited to the G forces that a human can endure and ones that can quite capably pull off maneuvers that would stump even the most veteran of MS pilots. Combat animation and fights within the series long a hallmark of the Gundam franchise I felt within the series was excellently animated and designed that took great advantage of both the setting, tech level and the large variety of mobile suits that were introduced in this series. Notable fights within the series that I enjoyed were Suletta’s dual with Elan which was the first to feature a void-based battle, the team battle that pitted Suletta and the earth house against Shaddiq and his team, Suletta’s fight against Sophie and Norea , the dual between Guel and Shaddiq and Norea’s concurrent rampage within the school and finally the climatic battles that Suletta and co fight against the forces of Quiet zero that we see in the climax. Each of these fights while richly animated and detailed I felt was also complemented by the earnest desires of those that were involved in it whether it was Shaddiq’s determination to overturn the rich and powerful or Norea’s display of anger after losing all that she had cared for at that point within the narrative. Whichever it was, in this case, it served to make each of the fights within the narrative that much more impactful. In terms of music, the series over its two cours made use of two opening and ending themes which were Shukufuku and Kimi Yo Kedakaku Are for the first season that was performed by Yoasobi and Shiyui and Ryo and Slash and Red Birthmark for the second season that was performed by Yama and Aina the end. The first opening theme Shukufuku which was performed by the hit supergroup Yoasobi I felt was a really catchy song that had among its main themes adventure, exploration, meeting, and bonding with new people and learning to fight to protect those that you cherish as you start a new life in a foreign environment a fact that I felt was complemented nicely with its accompanying visuals. The first season’s ending theme Kimi Yo Kedakaku while a catchy tune had among its focus the bond that is forged between the main leads of Suletta and Miorine that showcased well that while the two were the complete opposites in both social standing and personality that this sense of contrasting personalities was the exact catalyst that was needed to enable them both to embark on a new path. The series second opening theme Slash I felt had a much more dramatic tone to it that provided a much welcome contrast to the catchy tones that the previous songs had in them and had among its core focus the kind of changes that had taken place within the narrative and the effects that it had on the daily lives of Suletta and her friends as well as on those that exist around her. Its visuals in this case helped enhance the song by introducing a fine balance of happiness both past and present and the sense of determination that now is the time to enact their long-prepared plans and fight for the people and the beliefs that they believe in which I felt was an excellent foreshadow of what was to come in the season. The second season’s ending theme Red Birthmark I felt was an interesting choice that featured a catchy tone that synergized well with the emotional connection that was forged between Suletta and Miorine within the narrative that allowed both to find the path and direction that they both desired. The visuals that accompanied this ending theme I felt represented well the kind of caged bird lifestyle that Miorine lived in before being freed by meeting Suletta and was a very symbolic nod to the kind of effect that their meeting had for them. The series OST I felt was actually really well designed and served to complement the series many combat scenes excellently while also being used to provide situational music to notable moments within the narrative notably the scene that introduced the Quiet Zero superweapon to the shocked Miorine and co. This scene in particular actually gave me the same vibes as I had when the death star from the Star Wars franchise was introduced to the audience and cast. In terms of voice acting the Gundam franchise had always been known to feature powerful voice acting that served to really make its characters that much more memorable and this was no exception. The lead seiyuu’s of Kana Ichinose and Lynn who portrayed the characters of Suletta Mercury and Miorine Rembran I felt did an excellent job of portraying their assigned characters with Kana especially adding surprising depth in her roles as she dual-hatted as Eri as well. Of the series' significant support cast, I felt that Yohei Azakami, Makoto Furukawa, Natsuki Hanae, Miyu Tomita, Mamiko Noto, Shiori Izawa, Aoi Yuki, Asami Seto, Haruka Shiraishi and Ayumi Tsunematsu all did an excellent job portraying the characters of Guel, Shaddiq, Elan, Chuchu, Elnora/Prospera, Sophie, Norea, Sabrina, Nika and Belmeria respectively. Of this grouping, I believe that Mamiko Noto who portrayed the character of Elnora/Prospera deserves special praise as her portrayal of her was nothing short of spectacular whose switch from a caring mother that loved her husband and daughter to a cunning and highly manipulative villain that was intent on getting revenge while simultaneously achieve her dream was so eerily natural that one wonders whether she actually is a villain in reality. Also deserving of praise is Yohei Azakami whose portrayal of Guel from his initial incarnation to his final incarnation that we see after he sees firsthand what his ignorance of the kind of damage that the spacian’s lust for advancement and greed had done to the people of earth was well done. His redemption arc I felt while proving to be a pretty harsh lesson for him was one that was nonetheless well crafted and served as an excellent pillar of support for both Suletta and Miorine within the narrative. Overall conclusion In overall I felt that Mobile Suit Gundam The Witch from Mercury was an excellent anime and a worthy addition to the ranks of the franchise. Its main strengths, in my opinion, were its excellent characters, narrative, expansive worldbuilding, animation, mecha designs, voice acting and its skillful blending of multiple genre elements with real-world events that are seldom seen within the realm of anime even within franchises like Gundam who generally aren’t afraid to use themes that most studios would hesitate to make use of. In the case of this series I really enjoyed the narrative’s fusion of slice-of-life and coming of age genre’s with the themes of corporate warfare and infighting that when used in combination with the real-world events of politics, race inequality, greed, justice and a desire to find a balance between the two races I felt served to make the narrative not only entertaining as it allowed us to see events unfold from the viewpoints of people of different races and social classes but also make it much more relatable to us as a race as well. This within the narrative was especially highlighted within the sub-arcs that members of the cast went through that served to show them the true cost that came about as a result of humanity’s desire to explore and colonize the deep black in the name of greed and tech advancement with Guel, Nika and Elan being notable examples. Its linking of the sub-arcs into the main narrative while serving as effective methods of character development also I felt served as excellent tone shifters within the series that foreshadowed the series shift from happy days to open conflict. While the franchise as a whole has always been excellent at creating new technology in the form of mobile suits and various spaceships and colonies, in this case, I felt that the series managed to not only create something novel but utilize it in a way that actually fitted both the timeline and the tech level in the form of the enhanced humans whose usage within the narrative while entirely military related can easily be expanded upon to make them viable assets that can be used in the civilian sector as well and the Bit staves which are unique multi-role micro weapons that provided Arial unmatched flexibility in combat. In terms of overall final score, I would say that Mobile suit gundam the Witch from Mercury easily deserves a final score of 8/10 on account of its excellent characters, a story and worldbuilding that wasn’t afraid to incorporate real-world issues in a futurized format, mecha designs, fight scenes and voice acting. The only demerit that I have regarding this series was the fact that I felt members of the supporting cast were underutilized within the overall narrative with Shaddiq and his house members being the best examples.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Jun 24, 2023 Recommended Spoiler
Please note while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be spoilers within character analysis. You have been warned.
Based on a popular manga series of the same name Yamada Kun to lv999 no Koi o Suru or to its fans Loving Yamada at lv999 is a romantic comedy genre anime that gives us the unique opportunity to see what will happen if one day a heartbroken college girl who had given all she had to support her now ex-BF including getting into the wholly unknown world of gaming were to one day after logging into the world ... where it started were to encounter someone that despite being the polar opposite in personalities was someone that our heroine found to be at ease around despite the pain that she had just suffered. One that while infuriating to deal with at first gradually become a person that she was increasingly drawn to first as a mentor that taught him valuable social skills but later as one that she grew increasingly fond of as their bonds deepened online and offline. And so, begins a tale where a heartbroken college girl wanting to find solace in the one place where she had treasured memories with her ex was to instead discover not just the surprisingly warm and deep bonds that can exist between guild mates within the game but also how this bond can extend offline as well and how this can serve to change their very lives as well. When it comes to a romantic comedy the most important aspect that it must nail is the setting to which the narrative and its cast exist in and how believable and relatable it is to the target audience. While school-based settings are the norm given this criteria recent examples such as the Ice guy and his cool female colleague had shown that everyday office settings that feature adults and a carefully crafted fantasy element that connects them to the narrative were also ones that can work excellently as well. However, in my eyes what was tailored made for a rom-com was the MMO genre of games due to not only how strong bonds forged between players of such games can become as a result of their shared experiences but also because such bonds can be forged between people from all walks of life and social levels that can lead to the most surprising of bonds being forged between them. Bonds that are not only not restricted to the online world but also ones that can serve to change people offline and in the real world as well. And this is what in my eyes served to make this series an excellent one because not only did it allow two people who under normal circumstances would never have met but also allowed them to change themselves by exploring new realities, grow as individuals and overcome the mutual runt in their respective lives by trying something new. And if in the process they were able to find and forge their next significant bond then all the better. Akane Kinoshita Akane Kinoshita is one of the main characters of the series and is the protagonist of the series' main narrative. A college student in her freshman year Akane from her initial appearances was shown to be a confident, intelligent, and fast-thinking person who while having a habit of meeting strange people was someone that was shown to be resilient enough to get through her days thanks to her kind, caring and diligent nature. On the surface while Akane was for all intents and purposes an earnest freshman that was trying her hardest to both learn and make sure that while doing so that she was able to meet and befriend her peers, when possible, unlike them she was also someone that was different to her peers in that she was also a gamer as well. Though not on the same level as either Akito or her guildmates within the chocolate rabbit guild Akane was also shown to be an avid gamer of sorts which while surprising to her peers who would prefer going on mixers served to provide her with an oasis of sorts for it allowed her to not only relax in a space where no one knows her true self but also meet people from walks of life that she normally wouldn’t have been able to meet let alone befriend with the members of her guild being the notable examples. Connections that unknown to her would eventually allow her to not only forge strong new bonds but also serve to change her view not just on the online world but also of how these very bonds can change her life as well. As the series progresses and Akane’s character is expanded upon it can be seen that Akane was someone that was of two extremes. On the one side while she was a calm, composed and logical person which allowed her to easily rationalize and deal with situations that she encounters whether in-game or offline and had a level of kindness and consideration for others that made her both an ideal girlfriend and confidant she was also someone that was naïve, notoriously stubborn and someone that often preferred to keep her own thoughts close to her heart as well. These two extremes I felt served to make Akane a very finely balanced character with her mature nature, calmness and kindness allowing her to bond easily with not just her co-workers but also her friends within the Chocolate Rabbits guild as well notably being able to forge bonds with the notoriously quiet Yamada and insular Runa as well. At the same time, her notably clueless nature about games and her desire to learn more about it to allow her to forge closer bonds with her friends was one that not only resonated well with her curious nature but also of her desire to change herself as a result of meeting people that she normally wouldn’t have been able to. And in the process discover her innate talent for helping others. Akito Yamada Akito Yamada is one of the main characters of the series and is the main male lead of the series narrative. A senior that attends the local Tosei academy Akito from his initial appearances was shown to be a bit of an enigma when it comes to high school students. In that he, while having the looks that most of his peers would happily pay for and enough confessions a week to make even Romeo jealous was someone that instead would had preferred for his days to be peaceful and without any complicated human interactions being thrown at him. For Akito was someone that was the opposite of what his looks suggest, being someone that was quiet, calm, and composed and someone that preferred to not draw attention to himself by always staying away from troublesome situations whether in class or in school. This aspect of his while admirable due to the trouble his looks give him however meant that he not only lacked many of the base social qualities that kids his age typically would have but was also not good at reading other people’s feelings as well a fact that Akane once notably reminded him of. This aspect when combined with his bluntness towards others and his habit of always focusing on the main goals served to make him the ultimate enigma within not just his class but the school as well with his social circle restricted to only his closest friends in class and his guildmates within Chocolate Rabbit guild on Forest of Savior. However, as the narrative progresses and Akito’s character is expanded upon it can be seen that while he was someone that was quiet and socially awkward he nonetheless was someone that cared deeply about his friends and was someone that was perceptive, understanding and kind by nature and was not only loyal to his friends but always willing to protect them when needed with this being shown best when he exuded an unusual fierceness when he thought Akane was in danger. While Akito’s indifferent nature towards both normal people and girls served to protect him from feelings of jealousy and envy that often-plagued guys his age this sense of insulation also had the effect of showing just how lacking his knowledge of human society was especially with regards to basic social graces and the effect that his base nature can have on those around him. For to quote to interact with others IRL requires too much work while ingame such social skills were not needed. This sense of staying within a bubble where he would only be with the friends that he trusts and where everything else that is unrelated to him is filtered out was one that would remain unsplit until one day when he encountered a female player named Akane and that was when everything changed for Akito as she was able to show him not just how bright and interesting the world around him was but also how powerful the power of having bonds with friends in the real world can be. Overall Akito I felt was an excellent character that was both well-designed and developed with his development from someone that was a quiet and socially awkward young man who found himself being pursued by an unceasing barrage of confessions to someone that finally realized not only how powerful bonds with those that he cares for and trusts can be in the real world but also how bright the world around him can be when he actively helps those around him with their problems being especially well done. More than ever seeing Akito slowly break out of his shell and forge bonds with someone that was not only completely unknown to him but also his polar opposite in personality and take the small halting steps towards the door of change was something that was especially relatable to me and made the bond that he forged with Akane and with those around him that much more heartwarming to see. Notable moments within the narrative that best highlighted this was Akito’s fixing of her laptop and him deciding to check on Akane after she become ill with the latter one also serving as an effective escalation moment within the narrative as well. Amv Animation-wise, the overall animation for the series I felt was pretty well done and featured not just excellent animation detail but also great usage of bright colours that served to complement each other perfectly. In terms of the character models that were used within the series, I felt that while the designs as well as the cast chosen wardrobe were simple ones it allowed them to be much more grounded and make the characters much more relatable to the audience who would have been in their shoes sometime in their lives. The designs for the avatars that the cast make use of within the MMO Forest of Savior I felt were an interesting choice as the series instead of using avatar models that featured high detail such as the ones featured in SAO and Bofuri instead opted for simple ones that wouldn’t be out of place in classic WOW. However, while this was an unusual choice it did relate well to the series' main focus on what was simple and relatable, and it certainly was nostalgic in seeing such avatars in an MMO again. Location wise while the series only featured a handful of locations that the cast either resided in or visited, I felt that these locations were ones that while simple ones also served to reflect not just their social status as students and young adults but also of the fact that no matter how much distance is between people that enjoy a similar interest when a strong enough bond is formed this can serve to affect their lives in more worlds than one. Arguably one of the main highlights of the animation for the series was the facial expressions that were used by the cast to convey emotions and feelings with Akane’s being done especially well that really served to showcase the increasing feelings that she was developing for Akito and the kind of inner struggles that she was going through as she wrestled with them. While it’s certainly impolite for me to say this but I felt that ep10’s facial expressions that Akane showed as a result of the pain she was experiencing thanks to her cramp and the subsequent resolvent method were one of the best ones within the series. Music wise the series made use of one opening and ending theme which was Gradation and Trick Art which was performed by Kana Boon featuring Yuho Kitazawa and Ryujin Kiyoshi respectively. The series opening theme gradation I felt while certainly, a very catchy tune was also one that conveyed very well that while Akane and Akito were total opposites in both social circles and roles that their chance meeting and eventual bond allowed them to mutually mature as individuals thanks to the bond that they develop with both each other and their fellow guildmates. In a sense, the name gradation I felt was a very appropriate name for the song as their meeting and eventual bonding did allow them to gradually break out from the respective shells that they had mutually been trapped in and allow them to further their understanding of both the world and those around them. The series ending theme Trick Art I felt was a bit different in terms of vibes when compared to the opening theme in that while it was still catchy the themes that it conveyed were more along the lines of the kind of differences that lay between Akane and Akito and how by slowly edging forward and trying to understand Akito as a person would Akane be able to find the key that would allow her to open the enigma that was his heart a song that I felt really did well to convey just how much she had fallen for him. Voice acting wise I felt that overall, the series' main voice cast all did an excellent job portraying their assigned characters. In particular, I felt that the main lead seiyuu’s of Inori Minase and Koki Uchiyama did a fantastic job portraying their assigned characters of Akane and Akito with the tag team of Inori’s cheerful and ever-friendly voice resonating well with Koki’s quiet and almost expressionless voice and ensuring that any emotional change between them as their bond improves is conveyed clearly to the audience. Of the supporting cast, I really liked the trio of guildmates that Akane ending up meeting in the form of Eita, Runa and Takezo who added a lot to the comedy aspect of the narrative when they were featured with Eita and Runa’s sibling interactions further adding to this as shown during Runa’s culture festival arc. The character of Yukari Tsubaki who within the narrative was one of Akito’s classmates that counted as one of his few friends within the class was one that I felt was designed really well as she while essentially a mirror image of Yamada’s base self also represented one of the few girls that had the ability to see Yamada for who he was and find a kind of solace within the shared world in which they inhabited as fellow gamers. Seeing this world of hers gradually change as a result of the ripple effect that came from Yamada changing and becoming more aware of those around him while shocking her into developing a need to change herself also served as an excellent visual indicator of Yamada’s development as a person as a result of meeting Akane. Overall conclusion In overall Yamada Kun to lv999 I felt was an excellent anime that had among its strong points its unique premise that managed to add a new twist to the classic rom-com formula, excellent story, characters, and voice acting. One of the central pillars that all rom coms must adhere to in order to be successful in both gaining fans and at the same time be able to adapt its source material accurately is being able to correctly portray the chemistry between the main leads and be able to show tangible and relatable changes within their characters as their bonds improve and they become more than friends. Within the overall narrative for this series, I felt that was handled excellently thanks to its usage of not only the classic slow-burn relationship between the two but also its integration of mutual self-development between the leads and the twist of an older girl helping someone junior to her change while simultaneously developing feelings for him. This in my opinion really served to make the relationship between Akane and Akito within the narrative that much cuter and each interaction and event within the narrative much more heartwarming to see. For Akito long used to being indifferent to those around him unless they were fellow gamers and yet being unable to find the means to change himself and for Akane devastated after losing the most cherished bond that she enjoyed with her other half and wanting to find a new path in life their chance meeting in a realm unique to them was like a miracle as for the first time in their lives they were able to meet the one person that both needed in order to change themselves. Watching this miracle unfold within the narrative in the form of their ever-increasing bonds as they began to change for the better really proved to be one of the absolute joys of this season. As a final score, I would say that Yamada kun lv999 is one that easily deserves an overall score of 9/10 due to not only of its well-designed and crafted story but also its excellent characters, voice acting and a central bond that was not only heartwarming and cute but one that also showed that while human society has come a long way whether socially or technologically that beneath that sometimes the greatest barrier that hinders that change is our own heart and our reluctance to change ourselves for fear of further trauma. Seeing a tale that focused on mutual self-recovery and development as individuals while growing ever closer to each other through their shared experiences I felt was a unique way of showing that even if you have the most dispassionate and quiet of personalities that it’s not too late to change that especially when you have someone that’s willing to help you achieve that as part of their own goals as well. In this age of a high-speed and high-pressure society where an inability to adapt can create people that’s afraid to change themselves, this story I feel would be one that’s relatable to many and one that many can learn from as well.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 29, 2023
Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko!
(Anime)
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Recommended Spoiler
Though care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be spoilers present within character analysis. You have been warned.
Based on a popular manga series of the same name Tomo Chan Is a Girl is a romance comedy and slice-of-life anime that gives us the opportunity to see what will happen if one day a girl long used to being seen as a tomboy whose very nature and hobbies is as far from what a teenage girl would be like were to one day try her hand at one of the key moments that define that age in the form of ... the confession. But to her eternal dismay even before getting to that point, she realizes that her childhood friend and crush not only not see her as a girl but worst only see her as the childhood friend that he had known for ages. While romantic comedies that feature slice-of-life elements are ones that have become the staple of anime seasons as of late the winter season of 2023 really has proved to be one where this genre has really excelled. On the surface, while Tomo Chan is a Girl is a very genetic romantic comedy after watching the first episode I have to say that in addition to its standard romance comedy moments supplementing it was a very diverse cast of support characters that while proving unique within its narrative was married to an excellent development of their characters that served to complement these moments excellently. While Tomo’s quest to make her crush see her as a girl formed the heart of the narrative and was an aspect that I really enjoyed seeing the changes that her friends went through as they got swept up in her quest proved equally entertaining and showed well that a relationship between two people can also have profound effects on those around them as well. Just what would become of our tomboy who’s determined to enjoy one of the highlights of being a teenager by transforming into a girl that she never knew how to become? Tomo Aizawa Tomo Aizawa is one of the main characters of the series and is the main protagonist of its main narrative. A high school freshman and the childhood friend of Misuzu and Junichiro Tomo on her initial appearances was shown to be a friendly, positive and confident person by nature that is perhaps one of the first examples of a girl who doesn’t fit the nature of one that I have seen ever thanks to both her hot blooded nature and her strong aptitude for sports that few girls her age would be interested in. While most girls her age would either be worrying about getting their first boyfriends or be hitting the books so as to score highly in the class rankings for Tomo until the realization of her feelings towards her childhood friend sports was all she had to worry about. Her passion for it was to the point that you would be forgiven if you had met her and didn’t realize that she was a girl, such is her passion for it and how competitive she is in it, which is rare for girls her age. However, her love for sports was not the only thing that served to make her seem less girl-like to her peers with her base personality also being one that can surprise others that don’t know her too well with Mifune and Ogawa’s reactions to the expressiveness of her feelings and her displays of anger being the best examples. For all her faults, however, Tomo was someone that was very loyal to her friends and cared deeply about their wellbeing which is best shown in the strong bonds that she has with Jun, Misuzu and Carol. As the series progresses and Tomo’s character is expanded upon it can be seen that while Tomo is someone that is perhaps a tad over-expressive and too quick to show anger at times she’s also someone that understands full well how lacking she is in terms of knowledge that most girls her age would have some knowledge of. Indeed, in the words of her best friend Misuzu Tomo is by far one of the few girls that she knows that might have switched genders at birth by mistake because her knowledge of romance and how to act like a girl are nonexistent. Tomo’s development as a character while somewhat hamstrung by this aspect that stemmed from a combination of her family’s strong martial beliefs and their focus on things that are useful in their eyes I thought was executed rather well. While Tomo’s expressive nature and her tendency to get angry at the drop of hat are things that never really change within the narrative I felt that in its place was the expansion into what it meant to be friends and the meaning of the bonds that are forged between them as well the expansion into her knowledge of not only the world of romance but also of the kind of fun that she had long been missing out as a result of her unique upbringing. When these were used in combination, I felt that this finally gave Tomo the push that she needed to realize that while its fine to develop an interest in exercise letting that cloak you to the point where you’re labelled as a tomboy rather than a girl is not a good thing because it blinds you to the kind of joy that can come from making new friends and deepening the bonds that you have with your existing ones. A revelation that I felt while serving well to impose a limit on her quest to become an exercise fanatic also allowed her to experience the kind of unique joy that being a teenager permitted. Junichiro Kubota Junichiro Kubota is one of the main characters of the series narrative and is the main male lead of the series. A high school freshman and a childhood friend of both Tomo and Misuzu Junichiro from his initial appearances was seen to be a friendly, polite and kind person by nature that as a result of their long forged bonds as both childhood friends and next-door neighbors saw Tomo, not as a girl but rather his best buddy which for anyone other than Tomo would no doubt have earned him a hard slap to the face. While Jun was someone that was intelligent and caring he was also someone that was noted to be rather slow when it comes to feelings that within the narrative synergized well with his inability to read people’s moods. This within the narrative also contrasted well with both his quiet nature and how competitive he can get when it came to getting Tomo’s attention something that ensured that there’s always a battle between him and his childhood friend/rival Misuzu. Despite the endless amounts of arguments that ensure between them however, Jun nonetheless was someone that cared deeply about his friends and was someone that wasn’t afraid of using his strength to protect them if it becomes necessary as shown when he soloed the bullies that were waiting to ambush Tomo and coming to the rescue of Misuzu and Carol when they were in danger because in his words he wanted to use that strength to protect the smile of those that he holds dear to his heart. In terms of character development while similar to Tomo in that both developed their unique personalities as a result of their upbringing and their interactions together as neighbors Jun I felt developed a belief that was rather unique to him in the form of the fact that he cared little about gender differences and was someone that preferred doing things together as one group. This unique sense which was a byproduct of the times that he and Tomo spent together when they were children that while creating plenty of pleasant and some would say interesting memories also served to create within him a desire to treasure them and contribute to creating an obstacle within their relationship that could only be overcome when both Jun and Tomo work together to face it together. This shared sense of development that centered on both Tomo’s attempt to change herself and Jun’s attempt to overcome the fact that Tomo is no longer just his childhood friend but also a girl as well I felt was used really well and made great usage of the changing of perception theme that was central to the series narrative and ensured that their bond was one that was never uneventful. Misuzu Gundou Misuzu Gundou is one of the main characters of the series and is a childhood friend of both Tomo and Jun. A high school freshman and a classmate of Tomo whom she considers to be her dearest friend Misuzu in her initial appearances was shown to be a calm, polite and direct person by nature who while very composed was noted to be someone that was not very expressive. Despite this, she was noted to be someone that was intelligent, perceptive and was someone that was highly logical which synergized well with her love of reading. Despite her icy nature and her preference to not draw attention to herself unlike her best friend her confident nature and her intelligence made her a surprisingly popular person within the class despite her desire to avoid people that allowed her to not only get the most relevant news first but also allow her to easily get a read on the classes mood a talent that she makes use of fully to fuel her inner talent for creating romance plans for her best friend Tomo. However, despite the peculiar sense of popularity that she found herself with it can be seen through their interactions that at the start of the series, the bonds that Misuzu treasured the most were the ones that she had forged with her childhood friends Tomo and Jun. While the bond that she shared with Tomo was a strong one and was one that she was shown to value immensely the same could not be said of the bond that she had with Jun whom she was shown to view with a degree of disdain. This is best shown in the level of maliciousness that she displays when interacting with him and in the way that she always competes for Tomo’s attention when Jun tries to. Despite this odd relationship between the three, however, she was shown to be proud of the fact that she was their childhood friend, a fact that she isn’t afraid to use on others to remind them of this when pressed. A fact that I felt was a good foreshadowing of the kind of complex issues that lurked within Misuzu’s heart. As the series progresses and Misuzu’s character is expanded upon it can be seen that beneath her icy nature is someone that’s very conflicted on not only the bond that she shares with her dearest friends but also on the path that she should take when the choice came between bonds and her desire to help her friend accomplish her most desired goal. While the many plans that she creates in order to allow Tomo to change herself are many and varied ones that showed well both the level of intelligence and logic that she possessed to Misuzu these also served as an effective means to not only help her friend but also herself as well. For while Misuzu is eternally grateful to Tomo and Jun for the friendship that they had provided her through the bond that they share she is also mindful of the fact that this bond also came at the expense of Tomo not being able to live the kind of life that girls her age would have lived a fact that served as her primary sense of motivation for helping Tomo not because she wanted to see her be with Jun but because she wants to see her dear friend live the life she had been missing. This fervent desire to help her friend however while giving her an unparalleled degree of focus when it came to creating her plans however also served to create something of a conflict within her due to her perception of those around her as nothing more than methods that can be used to achieve her goals a perception that was only changed when she and Tomo become friends with the class idol Carol who though her innocent nature and desire to make friends made Misuzu realize just how much off track she had gotten with her plans as well as the value that can come from having friends and accomplices that one can use to help her. As a character, I felt that Misuzu was one that was both well-designed and developed with her ability to formulate simple but effective plans to enable her dearest friend to get one step closer to her goal and its pairing with her inner struggles as she sought to find the best possible way in which she can atone to Tomo for depriving her of the key moments that a teenage girl should be able to live on top of trying to end the pointless feud that she had with Jun and trying to maintain the bond that the three share being especially well done. In addition to her character arc, one other aspect of Misuzu I really liked was the strong bond that was formed between her and Carol that I felt really synergized with Misuzu’s desire to help Tomo and Carol’s strong desire to forge her first friendships. The two of them working together within the narrative while always entertaining also I felt provided excellent support to the main dish of Tomo and Jun’s bond. AMV In terms of animation, I felt that the overall animation was done relatively well and while the locations and situations that the cast visited and got themselves involved in were not especially large or complex ones, I felt that overall, they were animated pretty well. The one’s that stood out the most within the series to me were Carol's massive family home and Tomo’s family dojo with the latter showing well just how Tomo ended up getting the personality that in the present is causing her so much grief. Though the series isn’t a combat anime I actually liked seeing both Tomo and Jun use the strength and knowledge that they gained from learning martial arts on the bullies that unfortunately exist in schools no matter where you go. Seeing their plans not only get foiled by them but also get schooled by those that use their strength for good was a nice bonus to the series on top of Tomo’s desperate desire to make her crush see her for what she is. One aspect that I felt was done especially well in terms of animation was its usage of effective facial animation that within the narrative served to enhance many of the scenes that featured strong displays of emotion which had the effect of improving the impact that such scenes had on the audience. While each of the three main female leads within the narrative in the form of Tomo, Misuzu and Carol had plenty of scenes that achieved this I felt that in Misuzu’s case, these scenes also served to showcase the level of maliciousness that she secretly had within her that was downright scary to those that didn’t expect her to be like that. Music wise the series made use of one opening and ending theme which was Kurae! Telepathy and yurukuru * love that was performed by Maharajan and the trio of Rie Takahashi, Rina Hidaka and Sally Amaki who portrayed the characters of Tomo, Misuzu and Carol respectively. The series' opening theme Kurae! Telepathy I felt while certainly, a catchy tune was also one that through the aid of its visuals showed well not just the kind of struggles that Tomo goes through every day in her quest to make her crush see her for what she was but also the level of competitiveness that both of them share that ensures that while both are trying to change themselves that in competing with each other all they’re really doing is sabotaging their own efforts to the dismay of their friends. In contrast to the opening theme the ending theme for the series yurukuru * love, I felt was much more muted and slow-paced and through the aid of its visuals did well to invoke the feelings of slowly developing feelings between two individuals as you forge the very first feelings of attachment towards a member of the opposite sex as you interact daily hoping that they feel the same when the time comes to reveal it. Voice acting wise I felt that overall the series main voice cast all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters whether they were main or support ones with Rie Takahashi, in particular, doing an excellent job portraying the series main protagonist Tomo Aizawa that managed to perfectly portray both her highly aggressive nature that would tick off at the drop of a hat and the gentler more girlish Tomo that comes into being when following the plans her friends create to help her achieve her goal. However, what proved to be the most surprising in terms of the vocal talent for this series was Rina Hidaka’s portrayal of Misuzu which featured a level of maliciousness that I never knew she was capable of portraying and Sally Amaki’s portrayal of Carol that managed to inject a perfect balance of innocence and comedy into her character that when combined with her co-stars served to make their interactions within the series a constant joy to behold. This was especially true in the bond that she shared with Misuzu that’s akin to a dream pairing of cunning and maliciousness with the innocence of a pure and perhaps clueless maiden. Overall conclusion In overall I felt that Tomo Chan is a Girl was a pretty enjoyable anime that had among its main strengths an interesting premise, an engaging and well-balanced narrative, well-designed and developed characters, excellent voice acting and fun romance moments between the main leads that while sweet were also ones that served to introduce a surprising amount of depth into its cast. On the surface, while Tomo chan is a Girl’s main premise was not one that was particularly groundbreaking when compared to what we already seen within other titles of this genre one thing that I felt this series did a particularly great job in was its usage of the theme changing one’s perception. While humanity are many things one thing that they are not are beings that’s capable of changing their perception and adapting to new situations and beliefs that come into existence within the world that they live in easily especially when such changes are also connected to the treasured memories that they had created with their dearest friends and the bonds that were forged from that. Though the series main pairing of Tomo and Jun made great usage of this theme through their daily interactions that provided both great comedy but also an insight into the depths of their bond I felt that this was also replicated to greater effect within the relationships of the supporting cast, particularly within the relationship between Carol and Kousuke as well as acting as one of the cornerstones of Misuzu’s development as a character as she slowly began to change as a result of seeing how much those around her were changing. This focus on the emotional connections that can form between friends that grew up together I felt contrasted well with the physical pummeling that Tomo often gives Jun when he fails to see the effort that she had put in to change herself for that moment. Overall as a final score, I would say that Tomo Chan is a Girl easily deserves a score of 8/10 for while it proved to have an excellent balance of comedic action that was paired well with Tomo’s desperate desire to learn what romance actually was I felt that this was complemented well with the deep development that went into improving upon the support characters most notably Carol and Misuzu that I felt served well to create a sense of parallel development that ended up providing excellent support for Tomo in her quest to achieve her wish just as they managed to achieve theirs.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 25, 2023 Recommended Spoiler
While care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be spoilers within character analysis. You have been warned.
Based on a popular light novel series of the same name The Angel Next Door Spoils me rotten or as its more commonly known among its fans as the angel spoils me rotten is a romantic comedy and slice-of-life anime that explores the kind of possibilities that can manifest when a quiet and intelligent young boy haunted by past experiences with bullies that had been drawn to him as a result of his kindness was to have a chance encounter with not only ... the most popular girl at school but also find to their mutual shock that they’re not only neighbours but have a mutual desire to keep their inner selves away from their public faces. Just what will happen when these two find something that both of them share both a curiosity and a passion for and how will their bond evolve as an angel and an outcast through their everyday interaction break free of the shells that they were both mutually trapped in? While the overall premise of the series narrative is not something that’s particularly unique what really makes it stand out from its fellow genre sisters this season is its simplicity via the usage of settings and social situations that are easily relatable to its target audience and its fusion with the emotional bonding that comes from the fated encounter of two individuals from differing social backgrounds and the changes that both develop through their every interaction. The series focus on the emotional bonds that exists within a given relationship rather than on the physical aspects of one and its effect on the cast’s mutual development as individuals I felt was a welcome change to the genre and was one of the animes that I enjoyed the most this anime season. Amane Fujimiya Amane Fujimiya is one of the main characters of the series and is the protagonist of the series' main narrative. A high school freshman and a classmate of Mahiru to which he also unknowingly lived next door to until their fateful meeting Amane from his initial appearances was shown to be a quiet, calm and composed person that while not someone that was unapproachable nonetheless was someone that preferred to remain aloof within the class and not get involved with things that don’t involve him. Indeed, until his fateful meeting with his enigmatic neighbor, Amane was seen to be content with just having the opportunity to interact with his best friend Itsuki and his partner and no more a fact that didn’t escape the notice of his peers and cause them to view him as something of an enigma as unlike them he was someone that seemed averse to networking with others outside of close friends. Despite this unusual nature however, Amane was someone that was shown to be an intelligent and confident person by nature and was noted to be someone that was relatively independent and mature for someone his age and while he doesn’t often interact with those outside his inner circle of friends was shown to have a relatively good grasp on both the general mood of the class and the kind of things that teenagers his age would think off as they go through their daily school life. While preferring to maintain his aloof nature Amane was by no means a bad communicator and while his blunt nature can deter people, he was someone that can display a surprising amount of curiosity in others which when paired with his equally elusive sense of consideration for others served to make him especially perceptive to the moods of others a fact that while endlessly surprising to others is just another skill that Amane had picked up from his time hiding in the background of a class and one that would put him in good stead when he finally gets to meet his enigmatic neighbor. As the series progresses and Amane gets to not only experience the unique taste that comes from having homemade meals but also forge bonds with someone that despite being the polar opposite in terms of class popularity nonetheless was one that was far more alike to him than their surface personalities would have indicated the distant and nigh unapproachable Amane slowly starts to change. While he doesn’t completely lose this aspect of his personality by interacting with the angel that had unknowingly lived next door to him and gradually bonding with her over their shared passion for cooking and in the process unearthing the nature that he kept hidden for so long was gradually revealed. For Amane was actually someone that was kind, caring and considerate of others which is best shown in not just his interactions with the angel but also with his close friends as well as despite his desire not to get involved in things troublesome he was not someone that would refuse to help those that actually required it. Indeed, by interacting with the angel and learning the joy and warmth that can come from having homemade meals together with someone that he can relate to Amane was also able to show that he was also someone who while lacking in experience when it comes with interacting with girls was nonetheless an honest and gentle person and one that can be surprisingly thoughtful as well. Interactions that made him realize just how much he had been limiting himself by closing his heart to those that are closest to him and in doing so denying one of the greatest joys that can come from being a teenager which is being able to mess around with your friends and form lasting bonds and memories with those that you can truly trust. While parallel self-development of characters via their interactions with each other is a recurring theme in popular media I have to say that I really liked Amane’s development and the effect that his change had on the angel as well for while Amane gradually become a better person as a result of his rediscovery of his long locked away aspects of his personality this also served to allow him to become an effective anchor for the angel as well that proved to be the perfect counter for the angel’s stubbornness and her desire to hide issues for fear of troubling him something that I felt really served to complement their bond and make their relationship much more heartfelt due to the increased chemistry that it creates between them. Within the series, my favorite moments were when Amane treated the angel after she got injured trying to rescue a cat and his comforting of her after her encounter with the heartless corporobot that she had the misfortune of having as her mother moments that showed well not just his worth as an anchor but also the fact that in life it's always better to face it with someone that you can trust. Mahiru Shiina Mahiru Shiina is one of the main characters of the series and is the narrative’s main female lead. A high school freshman, classmate and also unknown to the pair next-door neighbors Mahiru from her initial appearances was shown to be a polite, soft-spoken and friendly girl that as a result of her kind, gentle and intelligence was someone that was held in high regard within the class and was affectionately called the angel by students and teachers alike. However, while her humble and caring nature ensured that she was never short of acquaintances and classmates to interact with Mahiru was not someone that flouted this fact unlike others in her position and instead treated all of her peers with politeness and fairness at all times. Indeed, the only real flaws that Mahiru had at the start of the series that didn’t quite fit the image of her nickname was her large sense of responsibility, the strong pride that she has in her cooking ability and preference for wanting to handle everything by herself instead of asking for help when it proves necessary. However, while Mahiru was held in high regard by her peers and teachers alike what really made her stand out from her peers was how independent she was as unlike her peers many of which still lived with their families Mahiru though forced by circumstance was shown to be someone that was proficient in not only maintaining the household via her rather surprising skill at locating bargains at her local supermarket but also, more importantly, be able to cook at a level that would surprise her peers if they had chosen to visit her a skill that can be inferred to have taken her considerable time to learn and master and as such it was easy to see why she was so proud of her skill in the kitchen. While this pride was something that was well earned I felt that this within the narrative was used effectively as an initiator when used in combination with her critical eye towards those that don’t take care of themselves by eating properly and her sense of responsibility that demanded her to always pay back those that have helped her that allowed her to not only meet her equally enigmatic neighbor but also forge a bond with him that would change her life as she knows it. On the surface, while Mahiru was someone that was polite and kind and was someone that seemed to have no shortage of friends and acquaintances to hang out with on top of being able to have an apartment all to herself in reality life for Mahiru was not as perfect as it can be. Indeed, for while Mahiru did genuinely enjoy spending time with her friends and classmates when in class to those watching from afar it seemed that even when her friends were having fun that Mahiru while laughing with them was only going through the motions that are expected of her and while the enjoyment that she showed was indeed real it can be seen that she when in the company of her friends was working hard to maintain an ideal image of herself rather than simply being natural. An image that focuses on always excelling at whatever task that she had set herself to achieve, be it academically, in sports or in cooking all the while ensuring that the impression that her classmates have of her remains a positive one. While this image served as an effective platform for Mahiru that allowed her to focus on achieving the goals that she had set for herself while maintaining the image of the ideal girl within the class it came at the expense of social experience and the lack of a true friend that she can let her guard down around and act more like a girl her age. Something that only changed when she was to meet and befriend perhaps her first real friend her age in the form of Amane. While the early days of their relationship were tense ones due in part to Mahiru’s critical eye on cooking and her strict view on social independence as the bond between the two deepened over their shared interest in cooking this nature of hers began to change due to her desire to maintain a bond with Amane who unlike most boys his age did not show much romantic interest in her by remaining friends and in cooking for both of them improve her cooking skills as well as her desire to improve herself by using that friendship to experience aspects of a life that she had so far not been able to experience. On a physical level due in part to the kind of image that she had set herself to create Mahiru’s logical and blunt nature as well as her preference for falling back on what politeness demands upon her served to make Mahiru’s first steps in breaking out of her shell a difficult process for her that was complicated further due to Amane being the first boy her age that she befriended. However, when this was used in combination with the emotional connection that was formed between them as they interacted with each other daily these changes become much more prominent with perhaps her newfound interest in teasing Amane and being able to accurately make clear her concern of his wellbeing one of the most notable changes of her personality as a result of the bond. While her interactions with her classmates remain unchanged as a result of the bonds that she forges with them when she’s with Amane as well as that of Itsuki and Chitose this newfound confidence of hers is shown to best effect as when in the company of friends that she can trust Mahiru was seen to be far more talkative and lively and unlike how she’s in school when she was with them she was able to be herself a fact that Amane and his friends were all too pleased to see. However, while the making of her first true friends her age was one that served to showcase just how much she had been missing what was arguably the greatest change to her personality that served to give her a unique role within the narrative was the role of the initiator that made effective usage of not only Mahiru’s newfound confidence but also her ability to always see the good points in others and use this ability to help others overcome their own inner struggles something that within the narrative was used to excellent effect in allowing both Mahiru and Amane to provide mutual support for each other and in doing so form the best possible bond between them that really showed just how much she had changed as a result of meeting Amane. AMV In terms of animation, I felt that the series overall animation was done pretty well that made great usage of the series main themes of simplicity and through this its ability to allow its watchers to relate to it through scenarios and locations that they feel connected to. This dual sense I felt was also reflected well in the character designs for the main and support cast as well as that of the outfits that they wore within the narrative that served to present not just the kind of normal life that the cast should be living at their age but also serve as a visible indicator of their evolving bonds as their relationship advances. Reinforcing this within the animation of the series was the facial expressions of the main leads that I felt when used in conjunction with the emotional bonding between them as they interacted with each other really served to make their bonding moments and the changes that we see in their relationship that much heartfelt and relatable something that I felt is especially important in relationships that focus on mutual self-development of the two parties as they interact. Music wise the series made use of one opening, ending and insert song which was Gift that was performed by veteran singer Masayoshi Oishi, a cover of Chiisana Koi No Uta that was originally performed by Mongol800 that in this case was sung by Mahiru’s assigned seiyuu Manaka Iwami and the insert song Aiuta that was also performed by Manaka Iwami. In the case of the former, I really liked the sense of positivity and cheerfulness that the song conveyed which was supported excellently by its visuals that despite the differences that they have in terms of class standing within the school that outside of that Amane and Mahiru were able to forge a bond that transcended such aspects of society thanks to their shared passion for food and one that allowed them to finally take their first steps in breaking out of their shells and live the lives that they have been missing for so long. In the case of the series ending theme, I was honestly quite surprised to find that it was a cover of an already existing song but at the same time, I was impressed by Manaka Iwami’s rendition of it that through the aid of the accompanying visuals was able to convey the many moments of joy and happiness that came about as a result of meeting someone that she can be herself around and that even when simply doing things as simple as cooking for others being able to see the fruits of one’s labors by seeing their reactions to it is something that would make one’s day especially if the person in question is someone that you care deeply for. Voice acting wise I felt that the series main voice cast all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters whether they were main ones or support ones with Manaka Iwami’s portrayal of Mahiru as one of the highlights of the series. Taito Ban while still a relatively new seiyuu given his lack of main roles to this point I felt did an excellent job portraying the male lead of Amane Fujimiya and I hope that the experience that he gained from working alongside veterans would enable him to build a solid foundation from which he can grow from. In terms of supporting characters, I felt that the combo of Itsuki Akazawa and Chitose Shirakawa that within the narrative was portrayed by veteran seiyuu’s Taku Yashiro and Haruka Shiraishi respectively did an excellent job both in supporting Amane and allowing him to live a life free of bullies but also in transferring their unique skills in helping support Amane and Mahiru’s slowly developing bond within the narrative by injecting many fun and hilarious moments within their days. Though only seen a handful of times I really liked Hisako Kanemoto’s portrayal of Amane’s mother Shihoko whose every appearance brought a lot of comedy to the narrative that made me laugh every time. Overall conclusion In overall I felt that the Angel next door spoils me rotten was an excellent anime that had among its main strong points its strong animation, well-designed and developed characters, sweet and heartwarming bonding moments between the main leads that featured a good balance of character expansion and bonding and an excellent narrative that featured not only an effective usage of mutual self-development of its main cast but also relate this to one of the most unfortunate aspects of modern day society in the form of bullying and parents that see their daughters as nothing more than unplanned baggage. For any kind of romantic comedy even one that has additional genres such as this to be successful in its portrayal of its source material it needs not only an accurate portrayal of its main characters but also of the romantic chemistry that links the main cast together as without this the interactions between the cast members would run the risk of being hollow. In the case of this series, I felt that the romantic chemistry between the two main leads was actually the highlight of the series as it served as an excellent foundation for their bonds of mutual self-development to ground on which made each of their bonding moments that much more heartfelt as they gradually evolved from mere acquaintances to friends and eventually one’s that consider each other to be the most important person in each of their respective hearts. Overall, as a final score, I would say that the Angel next door spoils me rotten easily deserves a final score of 9/10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Dec 24, 2022
Bocchi the Rock!
(Anime)
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Please note while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be present within character analysis. You have been warned.
Based on a popular manga series of the same name Bocchi the Rock alternatively called Bocchi Za Rokku is a comedy, slice of life and music-based anime that gives us the unique opportunity to see what will happen if a schoolgirl long troubled by social anxiety and yet possessing excellent skills at playing the guitar were to take it upon herself in her desire to break out of her gloomy shell join a rock band and overcome her anxiety by embracing ... her inner desire to become a rock star. And in doing so show the world not just the weight of her determination to forge a life for herself but also forge the very first friendships with those that would not only not look down upon her but would stand side by side with her as you work together to achieve a mutual dream and doing so change her destiny forever. While outwardly the combo of music, slice of life and comedy is not one that’s unknown in the anime medium with K-On! being the most notable of that combination what made Bocchi the Rock stand out from among its peers was its inclusion of an element that is relatively unknown within the medium in the form of mental health and self-improvement and how this is tied to the continued success of both the band and the bonds that are forged between the lead character and her band mates and first ever friends. Given the usual target audience of these types of manga, its inclusion of such adult themes that reflect on the kind of hidden struggles that people could suffer unknowingly within society I felt was one that had great merit and being one that I could easily relate to made it a no brainer for me to watch as part of this season’s anime and I have to say I was really impressed by it. Hitori Gotoh Hitori Gotoh is one of the main characters of the series and is the main protagonist of its overall narrative. A freshman that attends the nearby Shuka high school Hitori in her initial appearances was shown to be someone that can be said to have perhaps the most unfortunate psychological conditions that a teenager can suffer from in the form of being an extreme shut-in. A quiet and introverted girl and someone that was noted to be slow to react to common social interactions such as conversing with classmates and teachers what served to further compound her was the social anxiety and stuttering that only served to shatter what little self-confidence she had and ensure that she had few if any opportunities to make friends her age. Indeed, it can be seen that even within her own class she was someone that lacked a presence within it and was someone that her classmates actively avoided interacting with daily. As a result of these struggles, it’s perhaps not surprising to find that Hitori was someone that feared greatly any kind of social interaction with others whether it school related or in the form of clubs and annual festivals like the culture festival because in her eyes they would be hell. However, despite her unfortunate condition, she was someone that was shown to crave a place within society where she can show her true self and explore activities that she was both compatible with and have a passion towards which ultimately led her to become interested in not only learning to play the guitar but also a desire to join others that have a similar passion for music and creating fun songs together as part of a band. Though at the start of the series it was only a dream that Hitori doubted that she could ever achieve as the series progressed it become a new reality that while shocking her proved to be the one spark of inspiration that she needed in order to create a new future for herself and begin a new journey of not only self-improvement but also reintegration of herself back into society by doing something that she never thought she could do. As the series progresses and Hitori embarks on her journey of self-improvement and reintegrate herself back into society by doing the one thing that she never could have dreamed of which is joining a rock band her personality begins to gradually change. While her long years of practicing with the guitar that she has determined to be the best instrument for her have allowed her to gain an impressive amount of skill in playing it her social anxiety and lack of social skills that most girls her age would have cultivated as part of their time in middle school made her first days within Kessoku band a difficult experience. Indeed, while her overly polite nature was per the social norms her uptight nature when dealing with new people and situations as well as her almost subconscious desire to hide herself when flustered made it difficult for people to get to know her. While her inner monologues and innate sense of negativity provided some great insight into the kind of trauma that she suffered from as a result of such situations it also served to showcase how high of a wall that she had created around her heart that had to be surmounted by her bandmates before they can befriend and bond with her. However, though her first days in the band were a difficult experience for her by playing with them and learning not only what makes a band but also the kind of joy that comes from making friends with people that share her passion slowly but surely Hitori’s view on her idea of joining a band becomes less negative. While she still viewed every practice session and every social outing with her bandmates with a degree of fear by interacting with them in even the most common of interactions such as visiting local shrines, enjoying meals out and having them visit her house and getting the chance to not only interact with them but also observe how normal people do so Hitori was able to realize not only how fun it was to be able to hang out with likeminded people but also the kind of power that comes from doing something that they all share a passion for and from them develop a desire to see where it leads them. More than anything this sense of unity and purpose that was developed as a result was to become a solid new foundation for Hitori that imbued within her not only a new sense of self-confidence that motivated her to do everything that she can to help the band but also repay her friends for the aid that they provided her in allowing her to break out of her shell with Nijika being the one that she seems to value the most in wanting to repay as she was the one that provided the opportunity to join her dream. The development of this new sense of confidence which within the narrative was accomplished through not only her inner monologue that reflected the growing bonds that she has forged with her new friends, her desire to physically interact with her friends and her increasingly impressive performance within the band’s performances I felt was not only well thought out and natural but also reflected well on her newfound desire to pursue their shared dream together. While her nickname of Bocchi was coined by her friend and bandmate Ryo as a means to allow her and the band to form better bonds with her this name over the course of the narrative was to become a source of strength for Hitori as she began to see herself as not only a part of the band as its guitarist but also as one of its foundations in the form of Bocchi the shield which is a role that by the end of the series is one that everyone within the band acknowledges thanks to the contributions that she made to the band’s success via her antics. One’s that inspires them to greater heights something that I felt really showed not only on how much Hitori had developed as a person over the course of the narrative but also the effect that it had on those around her. Nijika Ijichi Nijika Ijichi is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the members of the Kessoku band serving as its drummer and overall leader. A second-year high school student that attends the nearby Shimokitazawa high school noted for its high entrance requirements Nijika from her initial appearances was shown to someone that didn’t quite match the image of girls who usually attend such schools being a someone that was friendly, positive and polite to all she met regardless of their social status. A kind, caring and perceptive person by nature these traits when combined with her quick thinking, understanding and sense of self-confidence made her someone that was both easy to befriend and yet sensible enough to leave important decisions to decide over when it became necessary a role that is best shown in her role as the band’s overall leader. While allowing her to contrast well with her fellow band member Ryo whose laid-back nature as well as her desire to do the most random of things often tested her nerves this combination of traits also allowed her to bond readily with people that may struggle to show their true selves such as Hitori. While Nijika was shown to be an excellent people person that allowed her to bond easily with others and make friends with even the most unusual of people what made her stand out among her bandmates was her ability to not only focus on the immediate needs of her friends but also think on the larger picture that is the band’s ability to perform and the kind of work that is needed to make them successful. In this, I felt that Nijika’s base traits and her ever-positive nature really synergized well with each other as they allowed her to not only serve as an excellent leader that can bring the band swiftly back to focus on their immediate task but also allow her to deal with any of her band mates whose confidence may be flagging and help them back on their feet as not only their leader but also their friend as well. Overall, as a character, I felt that Nijika was both well designed and developed with her base traits allowing her to be both be an effective manager that while admittedly being helped at times by her sister was nonetheless an effective one that helped ensure that the band while formed of some rather unusual characters nonetheless was able to give excellent performances in their appearances and an equally good friend to those that she manages. This last aspect is best shown within the narrative in the strong bond that she forges with Hitori as she with the exception of Kita were the only one that were able to understand Hitori and deal with the common meltdowns that she goes through within the narrative something that takes not only kindness but a degree of patience and understanding as well for if not handled delicately Hitori would likely have left the band. More than anything as a manager one of Nijika’s roles was to watch over her bandmates and make sure that they are doing the best that they can and while she like the rest was shown to have serious doubts to her ability I believe that it was actually Nijika that was both the most surprised and yet relieved that the person that she had picked as her main guitarist while possessing unique problems that needed ironing out nonetheless had proved to be the one catalyst that the band needed to start making a name for themselves and in doing so begin the journey on attaining one of Nijika’s most cherished dreams. Ikuyo Kita Ikuyo Kita is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the members of the Kessoku band where she serves as both its main vocalist and one of the band’s guitarists. A high school freshman that attends the same school as our protagonist though in separate classes Kita from her initial appearances was shown to be someone that was the polar opposite of her in almost all regards. For unlike Bocchi Kita was someone that was popular, outgoing and was a social butterfly that while having no shortage of friends was someone that was quite capable of making friends with anyone. While a popular girl she was also someone that was kind, caring and gentle that when combined with her understanding and perceptive nature made it easy for her to get used to new environments and people quite readily as shown in how quickly she adapted in class and in the relationship that she forges with her bandmates. If anything, honesty and being able to show one’s true self to those that you can trust are the bywords that Kita lives by and is what define her as a person. When this is combined with her diligent nature, sense of responsibility and ever-positive nature this served to ensure that Kita was someone that wore her heart on her sleeves and was someone that always did the best in everything that she did while remaining as positive as a maiden about to embark on her first date. While this combination of traits does a great job of ensuring that Kita is both an excellent friend and an excellent staff member whether as a band member or in any future career that she hopes to take up the sense of responsibility is something that I felt was something that was akin to a doubled edged sword as when used in combo with her diligent nature it ensured that while she would always do her best in all tasks and roles that she takes on anything but the best outcome would be seen as a failure by her. Though Kita’s ever-present positive aura affectionately referred to as the Kita aura by her friends and bandmates ensures that she doesn’t show this on the surface she nonetheless is not immune to feeling despair that could cause her to take actions that surprise others as shown in her initial departure from the band. Though Kita on an individual level was someone that was above average in her skill at social interaction and making friends when compared to her bandmates these traits were also ones that also allowed her to not only bond readily with her bandmates but also help them overcome the struggles that were unique to them. While her hero worship of her fellow bandmate Ryo was something that was always comical to see these moments also served as an excellent vehicle to showcase one of Kita’s most prominent traits which is the strong fascination that she has with the kind of bonds that is forged between band members that she views interestingly as akin to a second family. This sense of belief I felt while unusual as most people would have a clear line on whats workmates, friends and family nonetheless were one that Kita believed in strongly and was one that I felt fitted her quite well and when used in conjunction with her perceptive nature allowed her to bond with even the most unusual of people such as Hitori. Within the band, while Nijika was the one that was seen to have the strongest bond with Hitori the sense of chemistry that existed between Kita and Hitori was also something that I really liked that stemmed not only from Kita’s innate nature but also the shared desire of both to do their very best to not only help each other improve but in wanting to pay back the band for everything that the band had done for them. This chemistry within the narrative I felt was shown best in the way that Kita seems to be able to understand intuitively the kind of thoughts that goes through Hitori’s mind and arrive at exactly where she is trying to secrete herself a fearsome skill for sure but one that can be most useful at times like for example when she goes MIA when she’s most needed. Overall, as a character Kita, I felt was an interesting character that was both well-designed and developed. While her base nature as the ever popular and positive freshman were qualities that brought out the best in her and allowed her to befriend her peers easily and enjoy what most would consider normal everyday life this nature, I felt was also one that allowed her to contrast well with the likes of Ryo and Hitori who lacked the sense of positivity that Kita seemed to possess in spades. This contrast when used in conjunction with her views on bonds between band members and the sense of unity that she believes that it gives their performances allowed her to not only fulfil the role of a guitarist and vocalist but also as a sort of roving mood maker that while less effective than Nijika in dealing with trouble still made her handy backup due to her ability to bond readily with people and see what's really going through their mind. Ryo Yamada Ryo Yamada is one of the main characters of the series and is a member of the Kessoku band where she serves as the band’s bassist. A second-year student that attends the nearby Shimokitazawa high school with Nijika whom she has known for a long time Ryo in her initial appearances was shown to be someone that fitted the image of a typical rocker quite well due to both her physical appearance and her base nature. In her initial appearances Ryo was someone that was shown to be a quiet and intelligent girl but one that was not very expressive and indeed was someone that seemed to prefer to remain on the sidelines by maintaining a very aloof attitude when with others. However, despite her preference for avoiding the spotlight she was also someone that possessed a cool demeanor which when combined with her strong sense of confidence allowed her to amusingly draw attention to herself unintentionally and allowing her to not only gain many fans who see her as a dreamy rock star but at the same time intimidate any troublemakers who dare cause trouble with them as shown during Hitori’s culture festival arc. Beneath her quiet and cool nature, however, Ryo was someone that was shown to match the eccentric profile that most people imagine when they think of rockers. For while quiet Ryo was someone that possessed a surprisingly mischievous nature too her being capable of not only playing pranks on others readily but also a unique talent for creating bad puns whenever she gets the opportunity. This was bolstered by her tendency to come up with perhaps the weirdest ideas I ever seen a high school girl come up with in the form of them subscribing to the classic image of rockers which is to say one’s that smoke, drink and dally with women which would be inappropriate for them to say the least. However, despite her nature, Ryo was someone that cared deeply about her friends and her bandmates and her ideas while constantly driving Nijika wild did well to showcase not only the contrast that they have within the band but also the chemistry that ties them together for without either the band as a whole wouldn’t likely exist. Overall, as a character, Ryo was one that I felt was well designed if not well-developed one. While Nijika and Kita had very clear roles within the band as its leader and its roving mood maker that functioned as the band’s ever-positive foundation that kept them going, I felt that Ryo as a character was present only as a comedic asset. While her ability to make us laugh through her antics was undeniable, I wished that she had more of an obvious role in developing Hitori as a character. AMV Animation wise I really liked the animation style that was used within the series that while providing excellent details to the characters also served well to enhance their emotional effects as well which is shown best when Hitori is being praised and when she’s going through a meltdown through the usage of both the Hitori avatar and the cute facial expressions that she makes use off when going through the positive emotional motions. At the same time, I was also impressed by the usage of Hitori’s imagination as a way to showcase not only her core desires but also reflect on the many stages of development that she goes through within the narrative as her bond with her bandmates and friends increase something that I felt was both heartwarming and amusing to see depending on the content that was shown. While the number of locations that were shown within the narrative were relatively few, I felt that the ones that were featured in the form of Starry which is the club that acts as both the band’s Homebase and one that is run by Nijika’s elder sister, Hitori’s family home and the school that Hitori and Kita attend these locations I felt made good usage of the concept of dual nature. In the form of Starry for example to Hitori, it was initially a location that represented an unknown and potentially scary place for her to visit where everything that was there was alien to her due to her limited interaction with society. But over time this sense of fear was replaced by her view of Starry as not only the home for the band but also a place where she was able to enjoy many heartwarming moments with her friends and discover what the true power of bonds means to her and from there awake the catalyst that she needs to rewrite her destiny forever. Though limited somewhat by the fact that this series is only a half season I would have loved to see how other bands fare within the sector as well and while the series did feature one other band in the form of Sick Hack that was fronted by the character of Kikuri Hiroi complete with their own club that they were based at it wasn’t used well enough in my eyes. Music wise the series made use of one opening and three ending themes which were Seishun Complex, Distortion, KaraKara and Nani ga Warui which while performed by the members of Kessoku band rotated through each of their members as to allow each the opportunity to show their worth as vocalists with Distortion being performed by Ikuyo Kita, KaraKara by Ryo and Nani ga Warui that was performed by Nijika. Seishun complex and its accompanying visuals I felt while an excellent song also did well to reflect on the kind of isolation, anxiety and fear that Hitori had to contend with prior to meeting Nijika and joining her band and the kind of spark that was awaken within her heart as a result of this new opportunity that allowed her to finally take her first steps in breaking out of the grim grey world that she had been imprisoned in for so long. The series ending theme Distortion on the other hand while an equally cheerful song was also one that reflected well on the fact that while each of the individual members may be lacking in some way when they combine their talents they’ll able to create songs that reflect on all of the hard work that they put into their constant practice and show their desire to create the most unique songs possible something that I felt matches well with the series core theme of self-improvement by embracing their shared passions really well. Of course, it’s not a music-based anime without having excellent insert songs of which there were a total of two songs which were Guitar to Kodoku to Aoihoshi (Guitar, Loneliness and Blue planet) and Ano Band (That band). While both were excellent songs, I have to say that my favorite song was Guitar to Kodoku to Aoihoshi due to how it symbolized Bocchi’s newfound determination to devote herself to the band and pay back Nijika for the opportunity that she has provided her by allowing her to join the band. Voice acting wise I felt that overall, the series' main voice cast all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters whether they were main or supporting characters within its overall narrative. However, I have to say that I was really impressed by Sayumi Suzushiro and Ikumi Hasegawa’s portrayal of their assigned characters of Nijika and Ikuyo Kita and felt that their vocal talents really served to bring their characters to life. While I wasn’t too familiar with the work of Yoshino Aoyama who portrays the character of Hitori due to this being her first role to me I really liked her portrayal of Hitori and the way in which she gradually changed her voice to reflect on Hitori’s ever-growing sense of confidence as she learned the value of friendships and the sense of enjoyment that came from enjoying one’s shared passion together. Overall conclusion In overall Bocchi the Rock I felt was an excellent anime that had among its main strengths its unique premise, a strong story that balanced out heartwarming bonding moments with excellent music, characters, voice acting and its insight into a topic that is relatively rare within the anime medium in the form of mental health as well as what goes on in the background of managing a rock band. No matter which country you live in, what social status you have and how much money you have in your bank account mental health is something that would affect the best of us and that is especially so for people that suffer anxiety of any kind. For those that have the misfortune of suffering from it even doing simple things such as interacting with others can be a challenge and all too often most would simply withdraw into their own safe spaces so as to protect themselves. In this, I felt that the premise of the series that centered on our beloved Bocchi’s desire to break out of her shell by embarking on a journey of self-improvement and reintegrating herself back into society by discovering the kind of joy that comes from forging bonds with likeminded people and having fun with an activity that they all enjoy was especially well done as while providing us with excellent songs to enjoy it also allowed us to see that even in a society that treats those that have mental problems as problematic individuals if one has the will to change their life then there would always be people out there who would be willing to help them achieve their goals. Something that I felt is especially relevant in our current world where such individuals are treated so poorly by the people that are supposed to protect them. Overall as a final overall score, I would say that Bocchi the Rock easily deserves a final score of 9/10 with the only demerit coming from characters that I felt could have been further expanded upon to improve their effectiveness within the narrative.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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