Divin3Wind_'s Blog

Anime Relations: JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 3: Stardust Crusaders, Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Zoku, High School DxD BorN, Ansatsu Kyoushitsu, JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 3: Stardust Crusaders 2nd Season, Nisekoi:, Hibike! Euphonium, Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka, Shokugeki no Souma, Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo, Grisaia no Meikyuu: Caprice no Mayu 0, Grisaia no Rakuen, Denpa Kyoushi

So Spring 2015 has come to an end! The Summer season for anime has already began. Below I'll just post a few general thoughts on the season as a whole, as well as the ratings I have for each show. I'll also say a little on the shows that carry on from Spring to Summer. The MAL score refers to the score I'd enter on MAL, whereas the Real Score refers to the score I'd actually rate it in my mind. I give real scores to one decimal place to give a better gauge of how I really feel the series should stand.


1) Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Pt 3: Stardust Crusaders
MAL Score/Real Score: 9/8.4
A good adaptation of the series. Since I already knew what to expect, it was mostly a refresher of sorts for me. The current MAL score of 8.6 is... IMO a little too high for what it offers, but no real complaints on most of it. David Production did a good job on this one, even if it was a little long (but that was expected).

2) Ansatsu Kyoushitsu
MAL Score/Real Score: 8/8.2
Again another good adaptation. From the first episode I already had an idea that it would turn out pretty good, and it did. It's definitely one of JUMP's more popular and better offerings right now, so the release of a good adaptation certainly helps that greatly. MAL user's scores of 8.1 are... about there. If anything, this release has given me a good impression of Lerche as a studio. I'm expecting more from them, and I eagerly await the 2nd season.

3) Oregairu Zoku.
MAL Score/Real Score: 10/9.4
This was for me, the most highly anticipated series of the season, and I was not let down at all. In fact it exceeded my expectations greatly. To think that the second season could take on a feel so different from the first was unprecedented. I feel that the current MAL users' score of 8.4 is a little low, but I'm not surprised. After all, the series was indeed very complicated and while the high school setting implies accessibility, one can only be betrayed by such an expectation. This show definitely needs a third season to clear everything up.

4) Nisekoi S2
MAL Score/Real Score: 7/7.4
Well I already knew what was going to happen, and I honestly expected worse with this. But it was salvaged, somewhat. I actually generally like Nisekoi as a series, but well, some things about it just don't sit right with me, and SHAFT was rather smart to not cover those things. The current MAL users' average of 7.6 is indeed a little high for me. I definitely couldn't give it an 8. 7.4 sounds more about right. If a third season comes out... I'll be ready... or maybe not.

5) Danmachi
MAL Score/Real Score: 8/7.8
Danmachi sort of felt like a dark horse series, and maybe it didn't fully become a dark horse, but it was a fun ride. It's popularity definitely cannot be disputed, and while I didn't really hop the bandwagon, I will give it credit for appealing to the masses in that sense. MAL users' average scores an 8, and well, I think a little lower is about right. As a hard single significant MAL score, 8 works for me. I don't expect a second season to come out for this. If it does, I don't think it will live up to any expectations viewers have of it.

6) Highschool DxD Born
MAL Score/Real Score: 8/8.0
Probably my second most anticipated series of the season. Of course, it did sort of let me down, but since there was a sort of explanation for it beforehand, I was not caught by surprise. Which is a shame, because DxD is truly the standout of its subgenre (which it arguably popularized itself). 7.75 as a MAL users' average thus does not surprise me, and if it were any lower, I would be sad. 8.0 sounds good to me. Again, I will be highly anticipative of a fourth season - I just hope they won't make the same mistakes, but that's unlikely.

7) Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo
MAL Score/Real Score: 8/7.8
For the non-manga reader, this would definitely be a good series, a 9 even. As a manga-reader though, and knowing everything, the studio literally adapated it straight from the book. This is indeed a good thing, but it also questions whether Yamada could've broken out of that mould. As such, the MAL average rating sits about right as a mix between the two. I had to give it an 8 as well, as 7 would demean it. Realistically though, I think it doesn't go above 7.8 for being so direct an adaptation - that's just not as exciting, if you know what I mean.

8) Grisaia no Rakuen
MAL Score/Real Score: 8/8.0
After watching Meikyuu, I was highly expectant of Rakuen, and I'm glad that was answered. Of course, I already ranted about what I wished to see more, the rest being pretty normal fare. So there's not much that needs to be said, in a way. MAL averages of 8.17 are higher than I expected; for me, straight 8s all round are fair for the series. It could've definitely achieved more, though.

9) Hibike! Euphonium
MAL Score/Real Score: 10/9.3
This was the hidden gem of the season for me. It exceeded the talk of the town, and came out as being something far more amazing than need be said. My lengthy essay(s) on the series should've said enough. All I have to add here is that the MAL average for the series is understandable at 8.08, but it definitely deserves higher. I couldn't give it anything but a 10 as the MAL score, but realistically, it does not hit the heights of a true masterpiece, and that appeal to me even more. In a way, I hope it doesn't spawn a second season - lest it makes the mistake of Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!


Ongoing series
I have not written impressions of ongoing/carried-over series for the reason that I prefer to review the entire show as it is presented. However, I feel that a few words about the general progress of the series and reactions to it is worthy.


10) Shokugeki no Souma
(Current) MAL Score/Real Score: 9/9.1
As one of JUMP's most successful ongoing series, I was highly anticipative, and J.C. Staff has done an incredible job with everything related to this anime. Of course i knew the plot already, but the refresher is a good one. They really have made a worthy adaptation of the series so far, and I enjoy watching every moment of it (except when I'm hungry - I curse myself then). Sitting at 8.41 for a MAL users' average, I'm not surprised - it deserves higher. Thus if I had to rate the series at this time, 9 and 9.1 would be worth it. Seeing how well they've done so far, I doubt J.C. Staff will disappoint with the rest of the show.

11) Denpa Kyoushi
(Current) MAL Score/Real Score: 8/7.9
Honestly speaking, this is the one outlier series of the season for me, mainly in the MAL scoring department. It is currently averaging 6.65 - an atrocious rating by MAL viewer's standards! Why is this so? I can think of a few reasons, but none of which should jeopardize the series so greatly. These faults aside, I feel that Denpa Kyoushi is actually a pretty decent adaptation of what I think is a really entertaining series at heart. It thus pains me somewhat to see what sort of ratings it is given. I doubt the ratings will improve much more by the end, but I am hopeful (somewhat). The quality of the show will probably be maintained at its current level. I shall write on this series at length at the end of its run.


So there we have it! I'm actually very pleased with my Spring 2015 season. For one, I didn't drop a single series I picked up, and most of my shows garnered at least an 8 rating from me. I looked forward to all my shows (somewhat, except perhaps Nisekoi), and while I did have to juggle 11 shows (the most I've done in a season so far), I enjoyed every moment of it. I do indeed have the time right now, but I don't think I will for very much longer. So at least I'm glad that I walk away from each show with a smile on my face, for I have been well-entertained. As a season full of sequels and adaptations, perhaps that is the advantage. I will certainly look back on some of the shows I've watched this season with fondness.

Anime Relations: Hayate no Gotoku!

Hayate no Gotoku has to be one of my favourite series in the entire world. Perhaps it is because it was one of my first serious exposures to this world of Anime and Manga that I have grown so fond of it. This would be my third time rewatching it. I have reread the manga about twice or thrice, some of them as continuations from where the animes leave off, but still I have not yet gotten bored of it. I had time and somehow didn't feel like touching other series, so here I went!

Hayate no Gotoku's first season is certainly a strange one. It is definitely not an entry-level viewer's sort of series. The manga certainly is, but not this first season done by Synergy SP. Even now I am still unfamiliar with this studio, and in a way, at the time (2007-2008), they were still a relatively immature studio in that sense. Thus there were several production decisions that perhaps even now still don't quite make a lot of sense. I will try and address them over the course of this... essay, especially considering how many times I've exposed myself to this series (I don't know if I should be proud of that or not, lol).

One of the main questions studios and publishers will probably ask each other is, "So, how long do we want this anime to run for?" All of you familiar with the industry would be clear on the various levels. 52 episodes, or the equivalent of 4 cours (in anime terms)/a year (in real terms) is... one heck of a long time. In 2007, Hayate no Gotoku would've had about 3 years, or approximately 130-170 chapters of material. That may sound like quite a lot, and it is no small amount, but to try and fill a whole year's worth of episodes with just that much (and slightly more, if the studio works along the way like many popular series do), they would face some pretty big difficulties. Still they decided they would do it and thus we were only presented with about... 20 episodes of canonical material? More often than not, canonical material does not go well. The most common reason is that it does not fit in with the feel of the story, especially when compared to the source.

So Hayate no Gotoku is faced with a big problem of filling up those 30 episodes of non-canon stuff. What are they going to do with it? The studio is faced with several decisions, and the one they decided on was that they would build on the manga's initial focus as a gag-parody series. Gag-parodies are often difficult for the uninitiated to appreciate - even more so if it is a younger audience. On my first 2 viewings, I couldn't appreciate much of it at all. I struggled with it, because I couldn't understand so many of the references. Only on this recent viewing did I suddenly go, "OMG THAT IS TOTALLY HARUHI'S SILHOUETTE!" for example. I laughed when I saw that, but when I was younger, I would have noticed nothing.

That naturally limits the anime's appeal to a certain audience. Fortunately, Synergy SP is not that dumb as a studio - there's a reason why the anime is considered as 'decent.' After all, gags can only take up so much time. A joke's worth is like... 10 seconds? They realized that they had to fill the anime with story arcs of some nature. Welcome to proper non-canonical material. Hayate S1 starts off with the canonical material before taking off on its own flight. It all begins with the introduction of the Superintendent - a character who was only revealed in the manga quite recently. The non-canon arcs effectively end with her exit, and that's not a few episodes!

As much as Hayate WAS a gag-parody manga, the manga began to take on the romantic comedy role far more than actual gag. Romantic Comedies (usually) have a plot. The non-canon material went off and totally ignored all the happenings of the manga (as it probably should and was likely designed to have), and soon the viewer, especially if they are a manga reader, would have been left confused. For the studio would have never known just how slowly time seems to move in the manga. The whole 52 episodes literally took more than a year in the anime's time, while the manga had barely moved beyond that. Thus we are faced with the second problem of how even though there was canon material, it was highly disorganized and one familiar with both strands of the series might have really been perplexed by the order. For the non-reader, it might not pose so much of a problem, because once the non-canon material of Hayate gets out of the way and returns to some concept of the original plot, it is entirely episodic.

Thus it might be easy to get thrown off by this change in pace the studio decides to take. I certainly was. The thing is that certain parts of the canon material are actually meant to be taken seriously (even if somewhat in jest), whereas the non-canonical material is pretty much... nonsensical, especially to the
manga reader. So the feel of the anime sort of saves it a bit, but one cannot simply ignore that so easily. With the story being so lengthy, there are points where everything gets weaker in general. Two particular episodes struck me - the Nabeshin episode and the Yukiji leaving ones. They were the lowest point of the anime for me, even on the rewatch - I couldn't finish the latter. That really was just totally not worth any anime at all.

So obviously I discounted the plot of Hayate S1 very easily. I watched it anyways, because I love the series. I was aiming more for the canonical material, but I felt it was good to review the entire series. This is not to say I didn't enjoy some non-canon moments - but on hindsight, I understood very well why I had not enjoyed it when I was younger.

Although always a lesser concern with me, the art and music are still of some note. The OST for the anime is rather particular - perhaps it's because i watched so much of it that I had sort of internalized it, even if I was not too fond of it (except for the 'grandiose' piece, which sounds like it could've come out of a Bach Orchestral Suite). On hindsight, the art was actually pretty good - this was probably one of the series strong points. I will speak about this again when I give me impressions of Hayate S2, but the art of S1 is second only to S2's art out of all the anime releases Hayate has undergone. The studio was quite faithful to the manga's original designs, and that was definitely a food thing. The OPs and EDs of the series are however, a minus. I only enjoyed one piece of the entire lot, and the narrator's speech before the OP in the first 2 cours still managed to annoy me enough that I skipped them every single time.

If there is one character who comes out as king amongst all the others, it is still Wakamoto Norio's Voice from the Sky. His lines are amongst the best in the entire anime, and as a feature that diminished as more Hayate animes came out, I've begun to appreciate him only more. The manga limits the narrator's role somewhat, but with Wakamoto's sarcastic voice, everything he gives is a wonderful slur, even if it makes no sense at all (which it rarely doesn't, because comedy always make sense for the one laughing). As the one season where he is given the most airtime, I cannot but hold him in great regard for giving the gag-parody flavour a real zest. I feel no need to speak of the other characters, for the cast of Hayate is large, as it normally is for gag-parodies - if one need to say anything, it would be that Hinagiku was not well developed in the season. She was given some, but not much. As a Hinagikuist, I still can understand, for Synergy SP had not much intention of showing off too much of the manga anyways.

I did finish the anime pretty quickly (over the course of a week and a half?) without actually rushing it, so some things may not have sunk in, while some memories are still fresh. Either way, it was still enjoyable watching it. As I mentioned earlier, being able to pinpoint the various parodies definitely increases one's enjoyment of this series. Still, I cannot help but complain about what Synergy SP offered - certainly I do appreciate that they released a lot of material, but it was not quality non-canon material. But we have to be forgiving, for the number of series with such material are... truly rare. For one who has never read the manga, but moves onto the second season, Synergy SP created a lot of confusion with all their additions. Again, my access to the anime industry is small, and so I have no real idea why the production rights for S2 went to JC Staff, but perhaps it did have something to do with all the additional stuff. Either way, there's no denying that they did not make a massive mess out of it (ok they did, but someone managed to clean it up), and so I did decide that it was only worth it that I give the series a rating one notch higher than it was previously - from 7 to 8. For a 'true rating,' as I would call it, I think the value acquired by MAL's community of 7.8 is somewhat there - I would give about 7.7.

Anime Relations: Hibike! Euphonium

I struggled with the first episode of Hibike Euphonium. That very first scene when the middle school band results were announced - I somehow just couldn't take it. Something about it repulsed me, and I kept off the series for about a week or two. Now I'm beginning to wonder why I even considered that. More importantly though, I finally did decide that I should just stick through it and see how it goes - if it disappointed, I knew I would never get my time back, but 'oh well,' right?

Needless to say, I was very hesitant to pick up the anime. After all, there was ringing all over the place about how it was like K-On! and Kyoani is well known for being one that highly emphasizes moeblobs and whatever. I wouldn't say that I felt Kyoani sold out, but the way they blatantly strike their target markets is... amazing... partly because they do it so incredibly well that you can't complain (most of the time...).

But here I was faced with something quite different from what I expected. I eventually found out that this was actually an adaptation of a novel (similar to Hyouka), but only much later. This was perhaps one of the deciding factors in what was the eventual outcome of the quality that Kyoani produced in their anime. As with Hyouka, and another novel-turned-anime Welcome to the NHK, the amount of detail that is available for the producers to work upon is far greater than that of a manga or even an LN (this is arguable) - certainly more than 4-komas.

With this came an approach from Kyoani that is arguably similar to Hyouka. In my opinion, the novel as a medium often offers a perspective that is more 'mature' compared to the LN and manga - not that the latter two do not have these things, but more often than not, the target genres and markets of these three mediums are quite different. People look for certain things in a novel, and the existence of those very things would give an anime adaptation a feel that is quite different from the others.

This however, was not apparent at first. The main thing I did notice though, was the attention to the musical detail in Hibike. Having played in a Jazz Band myself, I have prior knowledge in the field of music. However, I was expecting less focus on the musical aspect of the anime, the technical portions in particular. Indeed, they didn't focus so much on the technical portions, but they did go slightly into detail about them. This was a massive plus for me. This was the very first sign that it was not a K-On repetition, and I took the series off my trial list.

Kyoani has often been accused of creating moeblob characters. I myself am not a fan of moeblob characters, even if they can be rather adorable and all, because the intent behind them is so blatant that you can't help but be disgusted. In my opinion, Hibike doesn't have the same fashion of moeblob characters. It does have moe characters, but they are not useless and do not give any false/true impressions of depth or sincerity. In other words, they are not exploited for their solely market appeal. They actually offer more to the series (even if not a lot) and play a role as more than just things to smile about.

The developments in Hibike are not atypical - in fact, they are legitimate slice-of-life encounters. Such would be expected of a novel of that nature. But the characters are what make the difference here. I will speak at some length on a few of them below. After all, Kumiko is obviously the protagonist, but she doesn't seem to offer very much (at first). This is where Hibike shines.

I initially believed that Taki-sensei would play a much bigger role than he did. Nevertheless, his inclusion was the catalyst for the band's turnaround - that in itself is already pretty amazing. He is one of those characters whom, while we may not approve of his initial methods, they turn out to be the right ones. We can argue that he did question himself at the end as to whether he was doing the right things, but he certainly was.

A character that somehow became very popular amongst social media groups I subscribed to was Asuka. Well firstly, I'm not a fan of meganekko, but that was not the reason behind my disliking her. If anything, she was always the character that sat on the fence, refusing to involve herself even when she could. The thing was that it wasn't because she had no interest - she deliberately didn't want to. For what reason this is still unclear to me. She did somewhat redeem herself in the last episode with her sentiments, proving that she was indeed a character with feelings.

The ribbon girl. Yes, her. She annoyed the hell of me, and I'm sure she annoyed the hell out of a lot of other people too. It is amazing how much one can fight for another's cause, even to that degree. It was almost a sort of blind devotion. I do however, respect her and the author in a way for having created her, more because she is an interesting specimen of a character. The yuri vibes from her to her senpai were pretty strong though.

On that note, we move onto the 'romantic inclinations' of this series. Yes, this series is not romance, and in a way that makes me glad. In fact, it is often when romance is not stated heavily that it blossoms best. In Hibike, these notions are rather vague ones, but I'll start with the one that didn't happen: between Hazuki and Shuichi. For some strange reason, Kyoani shows are the ones that inspire shippings the most, and this was not one of them. It was however, a necessary event which I was quite pleased about. This scene set up a sort of tension which, while not very tense, proved to me that the series would deal with the idea of unrequited romance in a light that satisfies and is realistic.

The events of episode 8, where this rejection occurs, changed the face of the anime entirely for me, and I think lots of others. Kyoani has always been known to deliver stunning visuals, especially in their portrayals of places in real life (yes I recognized several scenes from the anime of Kyoto). Episode 8 however, stood out of all the other episodes on offer, and I believe it is one of my favourite episodes in all of anime so far for... just about everything. It flits between two portions - the date between Hazuki and Shuichi at the festival, and Kumiko and Reina, away from the festival. From the beginning, I was wondering when Kumiko would finally get her shit with Reina settled. Fortunately, it settled in a rather good, albeit unclimatic way which embarassed Kumiko. Still, I was shocked when Kumiko randomly asked Reina out on the night. Again we come to the idea of homosexual undertones, which I believe is also a trait amongst Kyoani shows. Even more so here. I ended up watching the scene where Kumiko and Reina climb up the mountain several times. This is where we are truly presented with lines of flowing literature in the exchange that occurs between the two. What sort of strange relationship - love - have these two come to? I didn't know. I didn't want to think of it as Yuri, for it was not romantically or lustily charged. Yet the dialogue, sound and art all combined together to create a truly beautiful scene at the top of the mountain, Reina declaring that she 'wants to be something special, unlike all the others,' to Kumiko, out of everyone else. Kumiko and the viewer would undoubtedly find themselves enchanted by all that Reina is. So mysterious throughout the entire show - aloof even - she finally reveals that there is something much greater and deeper within her persona. What does she mean by she wants to be special; different? Don't we all? The entire atmosphere surrounding that scene is one that will not be held down by words, and I fail to find the words to describe it. In a way, the subsequent episodes don't quite live up to the moment portrayed in this scene on the mountain. Away from the rest of the world, something unspeakable happens between two girls that could be described as life-changing. From there the relationship between the two deepens, but not as much as I expected - which is a good thing. For unfortunately, the connotations of Yuri as it has developed today give me the impression that it is... uncontrolled... fanservice... charged by lust with love as a tiny pretext - essentially nothing that is realistic or genuine. For humans are capable of much deeper loves than that, regardless of orientation. So it is the same for this scene. As with Kumiko, I found myself enraptured by all that Reina was standing for. What strength and beauty dances with delicacy and grace!

I apologize for my rant, but well it is obvious that Reina was 'best girl' for me in this (what a term with demeaning connotations...). For the simple reason in that the plot had her distanced from everyone else, and the reasons for that distance were finally made clear. And only Kumiko was honoured with knowing the full depth of Reina's character. Kumiko herself is, in my opinion, not a totally interesting character. She's nothing special in that sense - in fact she is mostly an observer. In the undertone of her relationship with Shuichi we see she can be feisty; with Reina, we see a passion that is enraptured by the brilliance of another being. There are other romantic undertones we can speak of, but it is the contrast between her relationships with Shuichi and Reina that we can see just how masterfully it is all executed. In that sense, I never quite believed it when Reina said she 'liked Taki-sensei.' The vagueness of the Japanese language (and English) is that this 'like' could mean a whole lot of things. I personally assume that Reina, especially with all the mystery surrounding her making things vague, probably does not romantically incline towards Taki-sensei, or if it is, she is aware it is nothing very deep. I recall seeing on Facebook a guy who photoshopped the sub so that it sounded as though Reina was confessing to Kumiko. That would've been interesting as a ship, but if it happened in canon, i would not have been impressed. Such are the power of romantic undertones! They have driven me to speak at such length on them. For this is where Kyoani has come to a paramount in the portrayal of the slice of life: the romantic undertones between individuals is what usually sets a fire alight, especially in the early stages of romance. It can happen quickly, just like in the case of Shuichi and Hazuki, or it could be that strange passion that ignites within a girl's heart is she sees another passionate, almost closed girl opening up to her and revealing in all her beauty what it is that makes her beautiful.

Now that we are through with that heavy portion, I'd like to speak a bit on the music itself. I must say, I'm impressed with the entire portrayal of music. Earlier I mentioned about the detail they focused upon in the anime. All these notions of 'solos, marching, competitions' - these are the elements that make up a slice of life. This is impressive, for the studio has successfully shown that, without needing to be too complex about it all, they can expose their viewers to the entire 'scene' of the school brass band competitions, as it were. Most of our slice of lifes rarely ever go into depth about some of these technical aspects of the plot - it is mostly about relationships and whatnot. That works too, but here I feel that Hibike has actually legitimately gone straight into the game and, while there may be exaggerations, they say, 'this is what it's like.' And i can believe it!

I have said plenty about this anime. TLDR I was impressed way more than I expected. Up to episode 8, it had been a decent anime, and I would have claimed it as a success for Kyoani. After episode 8, I would say that it's definitely a gem amongst Kyoani's oeuvre. For it is in Hibike that I feel they have come to the height of what they aim to do - portray slice of life in as realistic a way possible. For in slice of life, while things need to be realistic, there are little moments of magic which occur in all our lives. For Hibike, that little moment of magic was episode 8 - the problem is that the magic doesn't last forever, or it can't carry on forever in the same amount and extent, and it is thus that the tone of the relationship between Kumiko and Reina changes and becomes one of a rather strange support. It is love, but definitely not Yuri, and not the kind that can be elaborated on easily, even if one has been there and done that. I can only hope for a next season, but I am not hopeful. It is undoubtedly a series success for Kyoani (in business terms) I believe, so we may see more. But if another season does continue, I have my doubts that it would be as great as this one has been. In a way, this has been the series I look forward to most each week, and I'm so glad I sat on for the ride. I can only hope for more anime of such quality from Kyoani in the future.

Anime Relations: Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo

Yet another anime adaptation of a manga series. With where Yamada currently is, it's been a reallllyyyyy long time since any of the events of this season have occurred. It was a good refresher in that sense.

In that sense, there really isn't much to talk about regarding Yamada. It is most definitely a good adaptation of the series, and any new viewers would have most probably been drawn into it quite quickly. The most notable addition art-wise was the hair colours. A friend of mine once mentioned that 'anyone with coloured hair in anime is a character that matters.' Couldn't be more true here. I doubt i could have ever gone to school like that, even if it was allowed. It would be an interesting school nonetheless.

What is perhaps most applicable regarding this adaptation would be to speak of subsequent events in the manga, which I honestly feel were quite amazing. As was shown in the anime, they don't actually need to make another season of Yamada because it ends off quite nicely. Hell I was even expecting the manga to end there and then, but thankfully, it didn't (unlike you, Bleach).

As a very faithful adaptation, there was only one little booboo that occurred during, and sort of before the anime itself came out. There were a few ONAs and OVAs that came out for Yamada, and I will admit they weren't of great quality. They might've confused some viewers as well. The bigger one was the OVA about the school festival, which was probably entirely anime-original, and not in a good way. It did clash with what actually happened, and it really didn't make too much sense at all. That's the main thing I was questioning regarding the entire series - because that OVA was, i believe, packaged with the rest of the anime.

(Lol I'm running out of things to say) What was also interesting for myself personally was that I didn't know the OP was done by Weaver. I heard it the first time and was going, 'meh, skip.' The main thing was that the piano riff got me, and I was thinking after a while, 'hey wait a second, that hella sounds like weaver. I mean, who else has piano, bass and drums in that fashion?' Who else indeed? No one really. Contrariwise, I initially thought the ED was nice, but progressively I realized that it wasn't, and the relatively static ED sequence did not appeal much to me either.

Either way, this is one of the pitfalls of Yamada being a good adaptation: there can be a lot to talk about, but having read the manga's content already, I don't feel inclined to. After all, the plot's been done before, and since the studio did a great job of effectively cookie-cuttering it, there are not many complaints. However, since Yamada is mainly an 'above-average' manga, the end-result for the anime is much the same. I most certainly wouldn't condone them doing anime original twists here (as in the OVA), but such is the nature of being faithful; the source must be brilliant to produce something brilliant, or the studio really needs to extract and enhance certain parts of the series to make it stand out. In this respect, it doesn't, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it any less.

Anime Relations: Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Zoku

I only watched Oregairu S1 long after the series had aired, on recommendation from a friend. He told me that he admired Hachiman's character. However, the gaps between my finishing ep 1 and the final episode of S1 were long. Thus, my memories of S1 were foggy. Either way, I finished S1 right before the season started.

It would appear that I was in for a rather different sort of ride.

There was a reviewer on MAL who spoke about the difference between S1 and S2; one I totally agree with. It went along the lines of: They obviously belong to the same series, but the atmosphere between S1 and S2 is so incredibly different. For me, S1 was about establishing Hachiman's philosophy, whereas S2 was more about the change in that philosophy, and how it ended up being as such.

My friend told me about how various other message boards and forums had ongoing discussions about Oregairu, and that some had likened Oregairu to "The Catcher in the Rye," or 'Serious Literature.' I'm likely to study literature, but just what 'serious literature' is I cannot answer. Imo it is all about the viewpoint. There is however, no doubt that Oregairu beholds far more than the average anime, especially in the context it presents to us: 'Normal, typical highschoolers.'

I believe that I led a pretty normal highschool life. There was some drama and whatnot here and there, but I dealt with it. I have reason to believe that it is the same for most other people, if not more boring, or just a little more exciting. Such is the ingenuity of Oregairu's setting. The very concept of a Volunteer's Club in my school would be nothing like what we are given here. I liken the Volunteer's Club to a 'Feels Yorozuya,' and in the OP of the last episode of S2, our brilliant fansubber did so much as to put a sort of batman-like mask on Hachiman with an '8' sign on the forehead. Absolute genius. With the notion of the Volunteer's club comes the notion of problems. when someone goes to you with a problem, they ultimately have to divulge as much as they need help for, and that brings them to a certain degree of closeness with you. More importantly though, is the solution that is resultant from that.

Here is where Oregairu develops. It is only natural that when one seeks advice or solutions, they go to an expert in the field. Here is where we are presented with a problem, or rather Hachiman himself is the problem. As someone who has developed a philosophy that is quite unlike that of the society around him, one could certainly expect him to present a solution that originates from a different perspective. In his case, the solutions tackle the problem head on. The main issue is that whenever it does, it neglects many other considerations which give rise to other more complicated problems later. The requester, being blinded by the problem, cannot see this, and Hachiman, more inclined to giving the best short-term solution, cannot possibly have considered this either. His inability to factor in these possibilities results in his decisions being shunned, especially if they are of an insensitive nature. Could we expect a man whose sentiments have become so negative to think ahead to such a degree? I wouldn't.

And that is the backbone of S2: all the problems that come by. As far as I can recall, the episodes surrounding Hayama's group are the ones that start the ball rolling for the rest of the season. Hachiman has to solve several of these problems at a time, and when he cannot find a good solution that appeases to everybody, he is shunned, even by Yui and Yukino. With the introduction or Iroha come another whole host of problems, until he is finally left to see that the situation with his own friends is worse than he thought.

And this is the beauty of Oregairu: that the characters change with events, and they happen in subtle ways, like how they would in reality. That is precisely what makes this adaptation an excellent one. While the LN conveys much of these in words (not that I've read it), the anime conveys many of these in silent gestures: glistening eyes; eyes veering off elsewhere; the movements of hands; the blushes of cheeks; the curves of lips. Where words cannot express those feelings, these little gestures do. And the messages they convey are about as vague as the feelings that support them. Is that not how we express ourselves too?

For being at such an age, I think it is difficult to understand oneself. I have not lived very long either, and I can almost certainly say that I don't know myself fully. Let alone for those younger, faced with all these situations. There would be times when we ask ourselves, "Who am I?; what do I want?; how do I want to establish my relationships with those around me?" and each time we would be sitting a different exam paper, and still the question would come up. Our answers may be the same - they would most likely be phrased differently, but very often they are not. Here in Oregairu we are shown one time when the characters are faced with this question and how they deal with it. More often than not, the situations that surround that question force people themselves to change, and the members of the Volunteer's Club are a prime example.

I'd like to speak briefly on the rather interesting 'progression' that develops throughout S2. At the centre of it all is Hachiman, yet everything happens in a web where one person's changes and decisions reverberate throughout the entire system until Hachiman feels it himself. The most notable comparison would be between Hayama's group and Hachiman's friends. Both are delicate systems built on rather fragile relationships. Neither of them wish for change, but they are forced to accept it. Would this be the obstinacy of youth? I don't think so. I rather believe that when something is precious and dear, anything detrimental to it would not be taken, even if it is the better course of action. That is precisely what all the characters are wrestling with. They would rather try and keep the good things going even when they know that not all is as good as it seems; and that is a natural human tendency.

Before long, Hachiman also sees that Yui and Yukino are changing, that neither of them are quite like he thought they were, especially Yukino. Soon the outer layers that we saw in S1 begin unraveling, and we see just how insecure and uncertain she is about everything. Haruno plays the villain for this, and Hachiman has to see for himself that she is confused - and he is too. They all are. Anyone trapped in such drama would be. He comes to the conclusion that he cannot keep being who he was if he wants to feel what he is most inclined towards.

The romance of the show is always underplayed, but it is hidden beneath all of the tensions, and adds to it as well. For mixed with all the feelings and the drama, romance is difficult. Yet it spices everything up. Speculation was rife with certain images that showed up on the anime through social media, and I could see why: are they allowed to have a happy ending like that? Not so easily in this anime.

Oregairu is without a doubt, an exceedingly complex anime. But that is part of what makes it brilliant. For all the sentiments and changes that are conveyed are as vague as they are in real life. Some viewers may cringe and think, "God, can't they give a better explanation for all this?" I'd rather take the following stance, "Life is vague. If we find ourselves vague in mind and spirit, how much worse would it be when it comes to other people, even if we believe we know them and are incredibly close to them?" Indeed, the drama is an exaggeration of reality, but it is not implausible. For it shows real feelings and sentiments that we come across in our lives. Maybe we often don't look at these things; I mean, I've definitely felt once or twice that someone was more phoney than they should be, but in Oregairu, everyone hangs on delicate little strings attached to each other, all fearful, all shuddering in the uncertainties about the next stage of life that awaits them. In a way, it is this looming stage that overshadows everything: will they be prepared for it, what with all the surrounding drama?

I'm highly anticipating a third season. There is much more that needs to be said and done in this anime, but it has done incredibly so far. Each turn and development of the plot and characters really invites one to rack the brains and consider how those actions came about, and the implications of them; after all, everyone feels these implications. Such are the relationships between humans. I am almost certainly going to be re-watching the entire series soon enough - hopefully that will bring me to a much greater understanding of the entire series. And then I shall write another similar impressions series, hopefully one more insightful and detailed than what I have to offer here - because all of that above simply is not worthy of a realist-highschoolromance masterpiece such as this.

Anime Relations: Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka

Whew, what another mouthful of a name. These series seem to be filling up steadily, and in a way, I used to have a sort of preconception towards these series: why the hell do they need such long titles anyways? Obviously it's hella attention catching, and it certainly caught my eye.

In a season full of sequels and familiar adaptations, this was the only 'new' series I was picking up. Even then, it was a LN adaptation (and LNs are usually the ones with the bloody long titles). Out of the entire pile, why this one? The question remains sort of unanswered with me. I've been watching anime seriously for a while now, and the hit-or-miss chances are quite the 50-50. I got on the good end of the 50 this time in Danmachi.

As with names, Danmachi likewise begins taking upon a subgenre that, as I have observed, been getting steadily more popular with time: games. Of course, this is probably more like Log Horizon (which I have not yet watched... lol) than SAO. I mean, obviously here the characters don't know they're in a game-setting unlike these others I speak of, but everything about Danmachi speaks MMORPG. That appealed to me instantly. I recall well the adventure of Hitsugi no Chaika, and I felt it would be nice to relive it again. The contrast between Danmachi and Chaika is... movement: there's only one stupid bigass dungeon tower here.

The popularity of Danmachi (if I have been reading things well... which I haven't. I've been quite cut-off from the otaku world lately) can be partly attributed to... Hestia's ribbon. Yes, I can't resist speaking on this. It's such a ridiculous notion to have something like that supporting such big boobs but it has caught everyone's attention for being unique. I was certainly drawn to it. There was a certain someone writing somewhere that Hestia's character design and general personality are as good as it comes: She's a loli; she has twin tails; she has big boobs; she's tsundere-ish; she loves her man; she can be a sort of badass; she's wimpy too. Now, how many men would want a woman like that? I have no idea, but it's somehow ended up being a very appealing set of traits. In this aspect, she effectively covers a good deal of many 'otaku preferences' for waifus. I mean, such an obvious mish-mash of traits is new to me, and the ribbon started it all. I especially found it interesting how some cosplayers went off to test if the ribbon worked. It didn't. I don't expect too much of an arguable marketing gimmick - but my better instinct tells me it unintentionally became so.

One of the most enjoyable things about Danmachi and its presentation of an MMORPG world is how it doesn't really take things seriously. There are times when shit seems to go down but... we're all grown enough to know that shit won't go down in a series like this. After all, if one asks too many questions regarding the setting and whatnot of this series, they will only find themselves not enjoying the ride. An example; obvious questions like: "What if everyone went off to be an adventurer and no one wanted to be a (insert mundane profession here]?" Common sense says society will collapse, so we cannot ask these questions. Hence I didn't ask many questions here.

Of course, Danmachi takes on the cliche "Suddenly-OP hero." The good thing is that precisely because this series is not serious, I don't take this seriously either, and I go, "Ok that's great! Go blast those losers who took forever to level up! Show them how worthless and inefficient they are!" A fair number of series can't pull this off (Mahouka... sigh), and so they are ridiculed for not being considerate to reality. Danmachi has never once given a shit about reality (except the guild of course. Even then, much less bureaucratic and great customer service). One big question we could ask for one, is, "Why the fuck would the Gods even wanna go down anyways?" (ok perhaps this was answered early in the series, but still... why would you, right?), or "So... who put all the monsters there, huh?"

Anyways, the one thing which I may perhaps say is a lacking about the series is the crazy woman. Yes, that one with the raunchy outfit and crazy laugh: a recipe for sexy disaster. Ok, I know she's got a deal on Bell, but we only learn at the end of the series that Bell is related to Zeus (as is everyone else, because Zeus can't keep it in his pants.) But even then... what else has she to offer?

There's a lot more to be said about Danmachi. These are all at the top of my head, but for the most part, I enjoyed this series quite very much. However, if this were to truly be a successful series per se, it requires a second season to answer what was left out in the first. As an LN, there is bound to be more available material: how much, I have not yet researched, and am unlikely to do so, for while it is a nice series, it's not one that clings to your heart; and that is one of the downsides of the series not taking itself seriously. Still, it was a different and fun experience watching this one for all its lightheartedness and reminisces for a former hardcore WoW-er such as I.

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