CoolIcedTea's Blog

Anime Relations: Shingeki no Kyojin, Shingeki no Kyojin OVA, Shingeki no Kyojin Season 2, Shingeki! Kyojin Chuugakkou, Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3, Shingeki no Kyojin: Lost Girls, Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3 Part 2, Shingeki no Kyojin: The Final Season, Shingeki no Kyojin: The Final Season Part 2, Shingeki no Kyojin: The Final Season - Kanketsu-hen

Today is a monumental day for anime. It actually ended. A story (anime) that has been told for 10 years. Today was also the day I find out that one of the soundtracks was a remix of Mozart's requiem. Not to brag, but I'm proud to say I have been here since the beginning, and it feels strange. Is this what people who have watched Evangelion from the 1995 series until the end of the rebuilds feel like?

First of all, thank you to Hajime Isayama for this amazing series. For his first work, it was nothing short of impressive. Second, thank you Studio Wit for laying out a strong foundation for the series. And lastly, thank you Mappa for doing an amazing adaptation for the rest of it. They have so many projects at once, are the employees at Mappa doing okay?

The masterpiece that is Attack on Titan is something that you need to see if you are an anime fan. I can find no words in my limited vocabulary to describe the things I'm feeling right now.

I still remember when I watched the first episode many years ago. At that time, anime on Youtube was a thing. Is was not as widely known as it is now but it was still talked about in the community. A giant just popping out of a wall was legit scary, but I liked it. After I finished the last episode, I still wonder what was so controversial about the ending. I think it was nice, the manga readers are just overreacting. Sure, it has plot holes, but I'm satisfied. Seeing towering skyscrapers getting built as time moves on, and eventually more war and leading to it getting nuked was surreal. Even after all that happened, the conflict never ends.

This is arguably storytelling and writing at its best. The buildup and suspense were real. Everything just makes more sense as you go on. There are also OVA's on some characters backstories and a junior high spin-off, it was fun to watch. Recommended to everyone.

Also, their history books must have been a wild ride. I mean, I would totally get invested if it was real.

Anime Relations: NieR:Automata Ver1.1a

After almost what seems like a year to me, I finally finished the Nier:Automata anime series. In my defense, it was delayed to oblivion. I'm just waiting for it to finish releasing.

When the first episode released, I had read one comment telling me to play the game first before starting it. And that's what I did. Just at the same time I got a Nintendo Switch from a family member so I might as well. I wouldn't say that you would not enjoy the anime series if you have not played the game but doing so made me enjoy it more.

Before going on my hiatus I watched the first 6 episodes, then the rest later. I myself think that A1 Pictures handled it pretty well and it was not a bad adaptation. They made some big changes to the original story but it works I guess. The anime does not fully adapt the whole Ending A and some episodes shows you stuff that goes deeper in to the world. This series is just weirdly philosophical that way. Looking forward to see the adaptation of the rest of it in the next season(s).

I recommend anyone that reads this to go play the game, and I almost guarantee that you would do a second playthrough.

Anime Relations: Slam Dunk

This is just a short rant about Slam Dunk (manga). I first heard about it from my parents who used to read it. I couldn't help but get interested in it myself. The ending can be described as bittersweet and it leaves me wanting more after the end of the series. One time when I was on a trip in Kanagawa and missed the Kamakurakoko-mae station irl, this was before I read Slam Dunk, now I kinda regret it. Just a good sports manga overall.

Anime Relations: Nodame Cantabile, Nodame Cantabile: Paris-hen, Nodame Cantabile Finale, Nodame Cantabile: Finale - Mine to Kiyora no Saikai, Nodame Cantabile Finale OVA

After taking a short break from anime, one of the first shows I indulged in was Nodame Cantabile.

I had first heard about this show from a comment on Your Lie in April, as it is another show with similar genres. That particular person also had said that for classical music, this is the better one. Being a fan of classical music myself, I of course put it in my plan to watch list leaving it untouched until now.

"Mature" is what I would use to describe when I saw the poster for it on MAL. I had initially thought that this was a grown up kind of show, not one full of goofiness shonen or shoujou anime has. This was not the case, however. I do think that any demographics can watch Nodame Cantabile albeit having a josei tag.

Like Your Lie in April, this show is about classical music. There is piano and violin too but it focuses more on the orchestra side, featuring many instruments like the oboe, cello and such. Through this show, I learned a bit about conducting. I started to enjoy more obscure music this show features. On the romance side, I find myself rooting for the side characters, Mine and Kiyora more. I do have some qualms about it though, the ending was a tad bit dissatisfying, having seen some of the things unresolved.

Nevertheless, I fell in love with this show. With a 45 episode span excluding the OVAs, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it is bingeable. Both Your Lie in April and Nodame Cantabile are a good introduction to classical music, I highly recommend it.

Anime Relations: Jigokuraku, Dr. Stone: New World, Vinland Saga Season 2, Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Katanakaji no Sato-hen, Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Bakuen wo!, "Oshi no Ko", Mashle, Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru, Kidou Senshi Gundam: Suisei no Majo Season 2, Tengoku Daimakyou

Half of 2023 passed by in an instant, this marks the end of Spring 2023 anime season too. In this season, we had many popular shows airing. And because I can't fit something this long on my list's notes, I will be writing it here.

Vinland Saga season 2
This show started airing last season and finished in this. This time the season is less action packed with a slower pace and headed more towards the "finding yourself" path. It's because of these reasons that it got received differently from its audience. This new season of vinland saga has a well-thought of story as always and animation is not perfect but definitely good. All I have to say about this season is..."OK". The part I liked most is the beginning and ending. The middle? Not so much. Personally the middle part can be boring at times but it is necessary to the plot. After all, a show can't always be perfect. In contrast to the last season where the main character Thorfinn is a violent and angry kid, we get a more mature Thorfinn that strives for peace. Solid character development. The message we get here is that we resort to violence too quickly, I think. I'm looking forward to the next season.

Gundam Witch from Mercury season 2
Another sequel, more mechs. All I can say is "Wow". The sound effects are just awesome. Best part about gundam is the fight scenes, Sunrise never disappoints. It's been a while since we got a new gundam series, and we get Witch from Mercury. I have always been a fan of gundam since very young, so first time hearing about a new series is pretty exciting. I enjoyed it thoroughly, even though I did not understand some parts. As for the model kits, it sold out so quickly. I didn't get a chance to buy the main mech, hope I find one next time.

Dr. stone: New World
New World is a little different from the previous seasons. We get more adventurous as the residents of Ishigami village set out in a ship to find a lost "treasure" and discover not just an island, but other settlers too. As we get more closer and closer to finding out the truth, we get to meet many new characters and mysteries unfold. The sciency stuff they do is as entertaining as always, although not much of it. Very good.

Kimetsu no Yaiba: Katanakaji no Sato-hen
I'll be direct, this seasons just not doing it for me. Compared to the last season, this one seems more mellow in general. Some moments just feel slow and uninteresting. Animation is as spectacular as always compared to other shows.

Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia
Normally when you think of Iyashikei, the first thing that comes to mind is cute girls doing cute things. Insomniacs after school is of such genre. Though part of it is CGDCT, it's not what the show is entirely. The characters, atmosphere, beautiful starry nights are what contribute to it's popularity. The wholesome show this season

Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru
Not gonna lie, when I first watched this I didn't think it was a shoujo anime at first. It was only later I found out and thought "This show has a very shoujo feel, why didn't I notice?" The color palettes used are brighter than my future. But that doesn't mean I like it, I still think it's fine.

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Bakuen wo!
This is not a sequel, but a spinoff. We get to see one of our beloved main characters Megumin in her adventures up until the point where she meets the gang. A must watch if you're a fan of Konosuba.

Tengoku Daimakyou
Heavenly delusion is unlike anything I've seen before. We get two "stories" at once in each episode. When the show first started I was so confused as to what was going on. Nevertheless, it did not affect my enjoyment of the show.

Jigokuraku
I have not seen a combination of two Japanese word used in a title after the Monogatari series. In the big picture, this is just a standard shonen. We get characters exploring this island that contains some elixir that can make you immortal and is shrouded in mystery. People who went there either never returned, or came back as a plant. It's interesting, the sort of show I would binge the manga for.

Mashle
Often called "Harry Potter with muscles, Mashle is a show that combines muscles and magic. We get main character who was born without magic, so he in turn get Baki level muscles to survive in school. As a gag manga, it was very good.

Oshi no Ko
The star and most hyped show of this season. Right off the bat, we get a banger one hour first episode, this contains all the hooks to get you into the series. If you do not like the first episode, you might not like this series at all. The parts I like about most is how they actually choreographed an entire dance during the one with Pieyon, and actually made the real verson on their Youtube channel. It's the small things like this that make the show lovable. You can tell Doga Kobo really put effort into this.
And the opening, it became and instant hit to fans everywhere. Yoasobi really got big and are making song for anime now. I remember when I listened to "Racing into the Night" when Yoasobi was still starting out. And now it grew with its fanbase. it became and instant hit to fans everywhere

Overall this season is packed with amazing shows. Many of them got a sequel announcement immediately after it ended. I was overjoyed because the studio is committing to it, I really hope they eventually finish the anime with the ending.

Anime Relations: Shinseiki Evangelion, Shinseiki Evangelion Movie: Air/Magokoro wo, Kimi ni, Evangelion Movie 1: Jo, Evangelion Movie 2: Ha, Evangelion Movie 3: Q, Shin Evangelion Movie:||

I myself realize that this "review" is long overdue. But even so, I want to write about it.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is considered one of the legendary classics of anime. It is well known to many people who watch anime and left its mark on pop culture. Not just the original series, the movie sequel and the rebuild movies had a massive impact on those who watched it, not for everyone of course.

"Eva", as many people call it for short, is a show about giant robots fighting giant monsters to save mankind. Seems simple enough, the concept itself is not new as numerous series have done it before. But what makes it special comes after episode 19. As we get deeper into the psychological aspect of Evangelion, the show itself becomes weirder and weirder too. I'm sure that not just me, but countless others got baffled pretty quickly at the sudden change of events. After watching the last episode of the original series, you can't help but watch The End of Evangelion too. Then finish it and wondering what happened, you search for dozens of Evangelion analysis videos on YouTube trying to figure out what is actually going on, only to vaguely know what was going on without understanding it.

Evangelion not just portrays the inner conflicts of some angsty teen with daddy issues, but dwells into the territory of philosophy well. The most prominent theme with Evangelion is existentialism. Something like "Why am I here?" or "What is the purpose of existence?". You can't help but wonder yourself and try your best to come up with an answer. Sometimes I find myself completely absorbed in the sort of thing, spending hours on Wikipedia reading articles on mental health. It doesn't focus much on the lore itself. But, if you are interested, you can search and read about the lore in the fandom, which is what I did.

Having not heard of Evangelion at all, I first went into this without any expectations. The unexpectedness of the show is part of why I love it so much. Animation wise it is nothing but beautiful. The hand drawings of the original 1995 show hits different. This show can be considered a masterpiece by many. Nowadays, many other animes reference Evangelion subtly or obviously. Evangelion also has collaborated with many different companies, which is a little excessive but nonetheless I still get attracted.

One aspect Evangelion really does well is realism. What makes it realistic is not the giant robot fights nor the biblically accurate angels. But a sense of relatability. I'm sure the feeling of depression and anxiety is no stranger to the majority. And Evangelion shows just that.

Another thing that is memorable about Evangelion is the music. Shiro Sagisu must be a genius, the Evangelion soundtrack is on of the most memorable things about the show. When I listen to any songs in the Evangelion soundtrack, I always have this weird wave of nostalgia taking over me. Problem is, the nostalgia in question takes place in a place far away from where I live and a time period that I was not even born yet. Specifically, the 80s in Japan. Oh, how I wish I could go back to the good old days, and cease to exist. Listening to some of them, it gives you the feeling of dread and hope. Including the well-known "Komm, Süßer Tod" to those who watched it. Then there's the highly popular Cruel Angels Thesis, which I have heard it playing in some stores in Japan even to this day.


In the final rebuild movie, the final end of Evangelion, is a positive change of events. It ends with what I heard other users call it "Hideaki Anno telling everyone to touch grass." and I agree. This show truly is one of a kind. I'm glad I first watched it on Netflix back when lockdown started, even though it didn't have the Fly Me to the Moon. Neon Genesis Evangelion it a show I hold dear to my heart. It changed my life, literally. Watching Evangelion was one of the best decisions I have made. Not to sound cheesy, Evangelion changed the way I view life. During my younger teenage years, I have sudden bursts of hopelessness and cried to myself, I still have them now. Although I still meet obstacles in this game called life, I will look forward to the future and what's to come, with hope.

I believe I have many more things to write about it, but this is all I can think of right now. Thinking back, this is the first one that made me start seriously watching anime.

Whoever read this, you have too much time on your hands. But thank you, and congratulations.

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