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Apr 24, 2024
"Waku, Waku - Anya wants peanuts" - new adventures with the fluffy Anya finally on the big screen. Original-Content-Movies are often a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you want to tell an exciting story, but at the same time you can't interfere with the events of the manga or bring anything that has a lasting impact on the main story. Experience has shown that such films are often incredibly dull or no longer feel like the series at all. But not with the Spy x Family film. If you like the series, you'll definitely get your money's worth with the movie.
The film is completely
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detached, so you don't need to have seen the entire 2 seasons. It helps if you've seen the characters before (especially to understand some of the running gags), but theoretically someone who's never seen the series before could also enjoy the movie.
The story seems just as contrived as the main plot of the series. Loid is in danger of being withdrawn early from Operation Strix due to a lack of results. To prevent this, he wants to ensure that Anya achieves a Stellar in her school cooking class - by preparing her teacher's favorite dish. To get the ingredients and familiarize Anya with the dish, the family travesl to northern Frigis. But what sounds like a relaxed family trip quickly escalates into a chase with two members of Ostania's Military Intelligence, who work for the unscrupulous Colonel Snidel, who wants to destroy the East-West peace with his war plans.
Basically the whole thing is slapstick. As in the series, Anya repeatedly finds herself, partly through her gift and partly by chance, in absurd situations, chases and fights, from which Loid and Yor, mostly unconsciously, free her. But while the series, with the exception of the Cruise-Adventure-Arc, mostly has very short missions, here you have the time to experience a longer, epic story. It was nice that there were a lot of scenes with the three of them together - because while in the series it's often done so that the three don't get in each other's way in the action scenes for the purpose of camouflage, here we see Loid , Yor and Anya act together most of the time - and it works extremely well.
Differents aspects of Spy x Family were covered here. There were funny scenes, some thoughtful, romantic, action-packed moments and of course a lot of the fuzzy Anya - who sometimes puts out one meme-like one-liner after the next. The only thing I found a bit weird was the strong fecal humor in between - something that was hardly common in the series. But luckily this only lasted a few minutes.
Almost every character from the main series makes an appearance. Some contribute to the plot, some are just in the film so you can see them briefly, but it's still nice that everyone can see their favorite character.
For the most part, the animation is no different than in the series - not so the epic action scenes. A great job has been done here. If you have the opportunity to go to the cinema, watch it on the big screen. It's simply an experience.
The songs by Official Hige Dandism and Gen Hoshino, listed here on MAL, are great. Sadly they can only be heard in the end credits - they deserve to be integrated into the film (e.g. as part of the opening scene or as interlude music). Voice acting is on point too. Especially in the german version you'll get, as in the series, some popculture allusions, that were not in the original.
It was clear that nothing earth-shattering would happen here, but for the 110 minutes Code White knows how to entertain. If you like the series, you will definitely like the movie too. However, if you belong to the faction that is already annoyed by the repetitive storylines and lack of story development in the main series, you're probably better off investing the money in a few packs of peanuts.
Of course, the cinema experience also plays a part here. It was just a great feeling to be cheering and laughing along with the big crowd. If I had seen the film alone on my laptop I probably might have rate it 1 - 2 points less, but nevertheless "Spy x Family" is extremely good for an Original-Movie.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 22, 2024
Imagine waking up in the morning and suddenly being a cute girl. That's exactly what happens to 20-year-old hikikomori Mahiro Oyama when one day his sister, the brilliant biochemist Mihari, administered a drug to him that changes his gender. Instead of spending his days gaming and reading hentai magazines, he is now trying on cute dresses, doing his hair and meeting friends.
Sounds like a typical sex shift anime à la Ranma 1/2, but it's so much more. Initially shocked by this situation, Mahiro accepts his new role only reluctantly and tries everything to counteract his forced role with his masculinity. However, with time -
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to his suprise - he finds his way around it very quickly and you notice how he becomes more and more absorbed in the role of the sweet imōto- which even goes so far that not only he, but the viewer himself, at some point forgets that Mahiro is actually a man. This raises the question of whether Mahiro might not be comfortable with his gender before his transformation and what the boundaries of gender and identity actually are, but the anime deliberately keeps a low profile on this point.
The sex shift doesn't just only function here to create funny situations - which you'll find plenty of in this title - rather the
feminization drug is a kind of therapeutic option to give a young man who has lost touch with society a new chance. The fact that Mihari chooses to transform her brother into a 14-year-old girl as a resocialization measure suggests how difficult it must be for young hikikomori adults to find their way back into society in reality. As a man, Mahiro spent his days in seclusion, but his new role allows him to experience the beauty of youthful carefreeness again. The way Mihari is happy to find her way back to her big brother by transforming him into a little sister really makes your heart warm and is something that makes the title unique.
From the second half onwards the anime shifts more from Magical Sex Shift towards CGDCT. Mahiro spends a lot of time with his new friends in middle school, who are admittedly very stereotypical and the typical characters you find in every CGDCT anime, but it's still a lot of fun to watch them in their little stories. There is an episode that shows the group baking cookies together, which I dare say is one of the cutest episodes I have ever seen in anime history. When you watch, you sometimes really feel like you're part of the group and you start thinking about whether you'd like to take a drug that would make you feel like a 14-year-old middle school student again oneself. If you're reading this and are still a student yourself - enjoy this time to the fullest before it is over.
I was considering deducting a point because of the unnecessary sexualization in some places. If you've already seen hundreds of titles, like me, you won't be surprised by anything, but if you're relatively new to the anime genre, some nudity or breast scenes might seem uncomfortable. I didn't notice it that much in the manga because the characters there are generally very small and slightly "chibi"-like, but in the anime you see really skinny students taking a bath or something similar - we definitely don't need this. Mihari is a biochemistry student at university - there's no reason to make her look like a 14 year old. But since even adult characters are generally depicted in a chibi-like manner here, even in the manga, that simply seems to be the drawing style.
The art style generally reflects the sweet nature of the title. The coloring is particularly noteworthy here. In many places it is possible to create a rich and bright image by using a small color palette (often yellow, blue, pink). The music is also good. OP and ED are a banger and have been playing on my mp3 player for weeks. The voice actors all do a good job - at first I was surprised that Mahiro's thought voice was spoken by a female speaker (in the manga I always imagined his thoughts with a man's voice), but that once again underlines the fluid boundaries of the genders. In the German dub, I particularly noticed Daniela Molina as Mihari, who already had a very gentle and cheerful voice as Yor from "Spy x Family".
Mihari is generally my secret star of the series. Swings somewhere between sweet, charming, motherly, self-sacrificing, brilliant and loving. It is particularly remarkable that she can take on the role of both the little sister, who works hard to make her brother proud, and the big sister, who gives Mahiro almost motherly advices after his transformation. And since I have a weakness for cute scientist characters who - for some reason - wear their lab coat 24/7, I quickly took her to heart.
But the other characters are all lovable too. Be it Mahiro, who surprises with his transformation from a grumpy couch potato to a
helpful and friendly middle school student, or Momiji - a girl who meets Mahiro in the store and quickly accepts her into her group of friends and whose sister is friends with Mihari, so that she's often inclueded in the girls' group activity too.
I can only recommend everyone to accompany Mahiro on his journey. It's really one of the few anime that isn't ticked off just by marking it as "Completed" to your the list, but will stay with you for a long time after you've seen it. Since a second season is more than unlikely, I'll recommend the manga to anyone who is interested. Afterwards, other characters who have not yet appeared in the anime are introduced and all sorts of funny and exciting situations arise. Onimai shows us that the boundaries in gender boxes are dissolved and everyone can live the life they choose.
If you want to watch just one Magical Sex Shift anime in your life, Onimai is a very good place to go.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Mar 25, 2024
Sometimes you need a change of scenery. After years of exclusively working on hentai titles, Sawayoshi Azuma presents his first "regular" story here - and one has to say: the "career change" was worth it.
The story revolves around the young demon Masatora Akutsu, who is sent from hell to earth to find a new leader (a so-called "idol") who will motivate the demons to confront the angels from heaven, because although while the angels seem to be exorcising demon creatures every day, no one there really seems to be getting their asses up.
He disguises himself as a typical high school student and meets the young
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Lily Amane on the same day. With her cute and charming nature, her classmate seems to be exactly the right person for Akutsu's job. When he reveals his plan to her, she unexpectedly turns out to be one of the angels who has the mission to wipe out demons on earth. But instead of fighting Akutsu, she decides to use the situation to her advantage. From now on, Akutsu will be her "slave" and his ability to track down fellow demons will make her job as a demon hunter much easier. To do this, she puts chains on him - literally, by putting a magical collar on him, with chains that she can make appear and disappear at will.
In his desperation about betraying his comrades to the enemy in this involuntary cooperation, Akutsu comes up with a supposedly saving idea while watching a love TV-show. Since, in his impression, couples in love are willing to do anything for their partner's happiness, Lily should fall in love with him and thus fulfill his original wish to go to hell with him and motivate the demons there. Too bad Lily saw exactly the same show on TV - and so a bitter battle of love begins. Who will be able to seduce whom first and win them over for their own purposes?
But in addition to their love battle, Akutsu and Lily also have their hands full. So demon creatures continue to run around freely through the city, Akutsu's supervisor Liz is breathing down his neck - without knowing that he is hunting with an angel against his own kind - and then there is the curious classmate Yuuka Tanahashi, who sees Lily as a potential love rival for her crush Kensuke, because of her sweetness and who is clearly interested in why Akutsu has been spending so much time with her lately.
It takes a while to warm up to “Oroka na Tenshi wa Akuma to Odoru”. Especially at the beginning, the title oscillates somewhere between different scenarios, and you're not sure whether you're watching a demon-, comedy-, shōnen- or romance-anime or a watered-down version of "Kaguya-sama". Maybe it's also because it's Sawayoshi Azuma's first "real" story and he probably wanted to try out a lot of things at the beginning. While the first two episodes focusses more on the conflict between the demon and the angel, in the rest of the first half of the season the emphasis is on the love battle between the two - so one could get the impression that it is purely a comedy/love anime. It is more in the second half that the background to heaven and hell comes to the fore again and new characters are introduced that make the story more exciting. So it's worth sticking with it and not dropping it too quickly after 4 - 5 episodes.
The characters all have something interesting that makes them more relatable. Akutsu comes straight from hell and in the first episode initially mocks the simplicity of people, but you quickly get to know his "human" and much more lovable side. Lily initially appears to be a hardened exorcist, but she, too, with all her doubts and mistakes, quickly grows on you. In general, the relationship between Akutsu and Lily, which always oscillates a bit between competition, fight and friendship, is well developed. The supporting characters also come across well, like Yuuka, who gets some laughs with her love-hate relationship with Lily. My secret star of the series is Shiromura-sensei, the group's homeroom teacher, who is described as a "mixture of bizarre masculinity and middle-aged sadness". With his strict appearance, which contradicted his complex about his lack of hair, he is a nice change from the usual stereotypical standard teacher that you see in many series.
Humor genereally playes a large role in the series. There are boxing kittens, talking demon dogs - and for some reason I can no longer understand - a lot of jokes about hair loss. The voice actors deliver, especially Ayane Sakura, who portrays these two sides of Lily, between cute in the classroom and strict towards demons, very well.
The OP is a real banger and the reason why Taiyou to Odore, Tsukiyo ni Utae has been playing in a loop on my MP3 player for weeks. In my opinion, the strongest opening of the entire winter season. The ED then shows the quieter, more romantic side of the series again.
So if you're looking for an anime with a pinch of demons, a pinch of humor, a pinch of action, a pinch of love and all of that together - then "Oroka na Tenshi wa Akuma to Odoru" is exactly the right place for you. I strongly recommend reading the manga, especially if you liked the last three episodes. The story is really getting going from now on - everything that was shown in the anime is more of a prelude to future, more in-depth story arcs. If there is no second season, we will still have the adventures of Akutsu and Lily in manga form - and the memory of 12 extremely entertaining anime-mondays
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Dec 25, 2023
“Bonavu,”
If you don't know much about this exclamation, it will inevitably become part of your greeting ritual after watching this anime.
Hoshikuzu Telepath is the definition of cute-ness and an anime like no other.
The series follows shy, space-loving high school student Umika Konohosi, who has difficulty communicating with others. As a result, she sees space as her true home and wants to befriend an alien. One day the joyful exchange student Yuu Akeuchi comes into her class and promptly claims to be a real alien. Although other classmates quickly take this as a joke, Umika sees this as a chance to finally make her dream come
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true and befriend the mysterious and enchanting alien.
Unfortunately, Yuu has no memories of her home planet and the reason why she was stranded on Earth. Umika and the friendly vice-class speaker Haruno Taragaki (in whose late grandfather's lighthouse Yuu has taken up residence) now want to help her reconstruct her memories and build a rocket with which they can fly into space.
However, since their mathematical skills, which are necessary for building rockets, are developable, they decide to start small and build model rockets ("Moderu roketto"). The unequal quartet is completed by the explosive but technically gifted mechanic Raimon Matataki, who is conspicuous by her absence at school but has a very loose mouth.
Together they want to fulfill their dream and fly to the stars.
That's it. If you are looking for an anime with a dense plot, action, a complex story and multiple tricky plot twists, this is not the one for you. However, if you like quiet, heartwarming slice of life anime, Hoshikuzu Telepath is a goldmine.
The anime is so wonderfully relaxing that it's a real treat to watch. If you look up “Cute” in the dictionary, there should definitely be a picture of Hoshikuzu Telepath in the future. Just Umika mentally talking to her pink mini aliens is one of the cutest things I've ever seen. For example, one episode largely consists of watching the characters shopping for materials to build rockets - which was very entertaining. For me, it's a great art to use those unspectuacular settings and tell such great and beautiful little stories from it.
This anime is definitely carried by its characters. The relationship between Umika and Yuu is particularly captivating. You really notice from the first second that the two are made for each other. But also the other characters. It's one of the few anime where every character can be a potential Best Girl. There isn't a single one where you think, "Uh, she's getting on my nerves."
My secret star of the series, however, is Raimon Matataki. Not only does she provide one or the other laughs with her lines, but she is also constantly responsible for explaining the physical background in the series. As a physics student, I am particularly fascinated that in this show, a rocket is not just builit casually during the lunch break in a SciFi-way and that technical details such as trajectories, angles and modeling are discussed in detail.
The characters are confronted with realistic hurdles of building model rockets and it is incredibly inspiring to watch them continue to believe in themselves and achieve their dreams.
It's an anime that not only promises a lot of yuri cuteness, but from which you can also learn a lot about yourself.
The art style is very attractive. In particular, Umika's purple hair and everything that has to do with space and sunsets is particularly beautifully implemented.
The seiyuu are mostly newcomers who have been lightly cast in the past - with the exception of Natsumi Takamori, who appropriately plays a teacher who looks after the newcomers. By the way, these are welcome to be filled more often.
Miku Itu's OP invites you to dream of distant stars, before SoundOrion's ED sends you off into the night. The background music also brings out the space-theme very well at times.
The anime really takes you away. You get excited about the characters, to see their development and you can take a lot with you. Umika and her friends teach us to believe in our dreams. This show will always have a special place in my heart. Hoshikuzu Telepath is our Monday dose of cuteness for the fall season and the characters grow on you so quickly that you feel like you're part of the model rocket club yourself.
"Mativuu".
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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