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Jun 23, 2018
In the summer of 2016, J.C.Staff released an anime based on a manga by the creator of Aria. This element alone was enough to get some people’s eyes to light up, but the anime also featured diving, strong friendship/possible yuri subtext, cute animals, and memorable verbal tics. This anime went by the name of Amanchu!, and was a moderate success with fans of slice of life anime, as well as those who either were familiar with or were fascinated by knowing more about the sport of diving.
Two years later, a second season has come onto the scene. While every fan seemed to initially welcome
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it with open arms, this season has taken some directions that has the fanbase split.
For one thing, there’s the matter of the show completely abandoning the diving aspect of its first season for several episodes. This feels a lot more like a normal “slice of life”, as we watch the characters do things like set up for the school festival and celebrate Teko’s birthday. This may be disappointing to those who enjoyed the diving focus in the first season, though it’s not completely abandoned and has a few moments in the spotlight of the show.
There’s also the introduction of what at first appear to be a one-off side character - an older, dark-skinned child named Kokoro, who strives to “become a man” despite their feminine appearance. (I won’t spoil their true gender identity.) However, this side character continues to pop up in the series, and shows a mild romantic interest in Teko. Some have called this character a “yuri killer” and a flaw in the series.
The third (and final) negative point against Amanchu! Advance compared to the original is the introduction of a three-episode arc that seems like an odd shift in tone from the rest of the series. This arc focuses on the supernatural, introduces a new character, and gives them a backstory associated with a minor character we haven’t spent much time with before. The first episode of this arc was moderately interesting...then it dragged on for two more episodes, for the most part Teko and Pikari-less. It honestly felt like the Endless Eight, and so did the fan reaction in the forums/comments I saw. (“Is the arc over this episode?” “Yes.” “Oh, thank god.”) The original author has a thing for supernatural elements, since they also made an appearance in Aria, but it worked much better there than in this more down-to-earth series. This arc also would have made more sense as OVAs then smack dab in the middle of the second season.
So, since I’ve spent all this time complaining about Amanchu! Advance, why have I still given it a 6/10 score? (Some might consider that a bad score. I don’t. There’s ten points on the system for a reason.) Well, Teko and Pikari are still cute and perfect for each other, even if the show tries to stomp on my dreams by introducing a “rival.” They have some great scenes together much like the original. The more slice of life esque episodes have some humorous moments. Our cute mascots are still present and charming. Ai even seemed to abuse her brother less this season...or perhaps she just wasn’t around as much.
Overall, I would recommend Amanchu! Advance to anyone who enjoyed the characters enough in the first season that they would want to spend more time with them rather they’re diving or not. If you got into the first season for the diving aspect, you might not have a pleasant experience with this season.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 19, 2018
When it comes to hentai, Ecchies is a weird but kinda good surprise that screams 90s: they don't make hentai like this anymore.
Since MAL lacks a proper description for this hentai, I feel like I'm obligated to give just a bit of background: a young girl, crushing on a boy and starting to become curious about sex, asks her parents if she can watch them have sex one night. Rather than getting her ass in therapy, they let her do so, which completely awakens her hormones to the concept of sex, to the point where her previously wholesome fantasies about her crush are now dominated
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by sex. She now wants nothing more than for this boy to not only notice her but to have sex with her as well.
However, once she finally gets her wish, will her crush - and the sex - be all she's fantasized about them being in her head?
The thing that really makes this OVA unique is that, except for the sex, everything about it screams "shoujo romance/dramedy." The cover art is wholesome enough that if they ever released it in the US the "ABSOLUTELY NOT FOR CHILDREN" label would have to be massive to keep clueless parents from buying it for little girls. There are some comedic bits accompanying the sexual part of the story that I enjoyed.
Oh, yeah, there's a bit of drama here too. I'm not going to spoil anything, but if you're just looking to get off, you might not want to watch the second episode.
The sex scenes are all pretty vanilla; however, they're uncensored. I don't know how, considering the OVAs were never released outside of Japan, but hey, I'm not complaining. It's kind of nice to see penises and vaginas without the modern-day nasty X-ray shots.
The only thing that seriously bothers me about this OVA is the parents. Not only do they let their daughter watch them have sex after she asks, she asks them to watch her masturbate while thinking about her crush. THEY OBLIGE. And the dad looks oddly feminine/is probably banging dudes behind the mom's back. I guess some people might be into this aspect of the OVA, but it's not for me.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 20, 2018
On the surface, the Aggressive Retsuko/Aggretsuko franchise might seem like nothing more than a humorous extension of a marketing ploy. Sanrio's official website sells T-shirts, plushies, water bottles, notebooks, sticky notes, blankets, pen cases, coasters, tote bags, phone cases, and coin pouches of the adorable character and her friends. However, with the help of a solid production team, Netflix's Aggretsuko goes above and beyond, becoming my favorite anime that I've seen so far this year.
Let me start out by saying that I've never even worked in an office before, yet much like kids who somehow enjoy the American/UK live-action series "The Office", I understood the
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strong dynamics and relationships between these characters and the stereotypes some of them were meant to represent. There were a few characters I was a little put off by in the first episode, but I grew to warm up to every single one of them. Even if I didn't necessarily like all of them, they all played strong roles in the comedy and had established, "hey I know someone like that" personalities and traits.
Of course, it helps that the animation is so cute. Sanrio knows how to draw cute characters, to the point where I'm not really sure if they know how to draw anything else. Even a character whose a literal misogynistic pig has a much more appealing design than any other studio/company/character designer would have given him.
The dialogue itself has a lot of one-liners and quick gags that made me say "Oh, shit" and/or laugh out loud. Netflix has also produced a solid English dub for the series, with plenty of recognizable voice talent as well as a few faces who haven't gotten their chance in the limelight yet.
Retsuko's death metal scenes are great, even if they are quick. The death metal aspect of her character is elaborated on and really made apart of her. Without spoiling anything, at one point we see Retsuko in a completely different state of mind in which she isn't interested in doing death metal at all, and it just simply...isn't her.
I'm not traditionally a binge watcher (which is why my number of watched days on here is so subpar), but this show got me hook. line, and sinker. I'd probably be watching even more episodes right now instead of writing this review if we'd gotten more than ten. (I really hope we get a season 2.) And I've gotta admit, I want some of that overpriced merchandise now as well.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 24, 2018
I started a draft of a full, proper review of Poputepikku, describing the skits I liked and the ones I didn't, ultimately calling it a "hit-or-miss" sort of thing like many sketch comedies are. It would honestly be some kind of miracle if a comedy that relied on sketches could maintain the same level of quality all the way through. It does at least have more "hits" than a lot of American sketch comedies, especially if you're a fan of nonsensical humor.
But then I imagined Popuko reading my review, tearing through the screen, and asking me "Ah, you are motherfucker?"
So I'm just going to go
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ahead and tell you that Poputepikku is worth a watch, especially if you're bored with traditional anime comedy. Some sketches might have just flown over my head - I highly recommend going for HIDIVE's subtitles rather than Crunchyroll/HorribleSubs' if you're going to watch the sub. I saw screencaps of HIDIVE's version that were way funnier.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Dec 22, 2017
There were two shows that I frequently found myself comparing and contrasting to Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou (Girls’ Last Tour) throughout my watch of it. They both aired this year, which is probably why they were fresh enough in my mind that I kept making these comparisons. These shows are Kemono Friends and Made in Abyss. All three of these shows have in common the theme of putting cute, sometimes naive characters in a gloomy setting that’s full of mystery.
The level of gloom highly varies between these three shows. While Made in Abyss didn’t hold back from showing the dangers of its world and even depicted
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on-screen brutality at times, Kemono Friends kept its darker elements entirely as undertones, the show being overwhelmingly child-friendly. Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou falls somewhere in the middle: Chito and Yuuri’s world clearly isn’t as innocent from the beginning as the one in Kemono Friends may appear to be, but it’s not overwhelmingly dark, nor is there much of a sense of threat or danger in most scenes. I’ve heard some refer to it as a “post-apocalyptic Aria”, which is definitely a good comparison.
Our two main characters, Chito and Yuuri, are charming, cute girls with very contrasting personalities that the show likes to show off. Chito works as the true leader of their partnership, having the ability to read and write, while Yuuri is the seemingly fearless and naive “brawn” of the duo. (She’s not completely unaware or delusional about what’s going on but like Yuki in Gakkougurashi!, but simply always is able to look on the bright side.) There are some very interesting scenes in the series that suggest that perhaps Chito is envious of how naive, easygoing, and fearless Yuuri is. It reminds me of a quote from The Great Gatsby: “And I hope she’ll be a fool - that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”
Thankfully, the show isn’t all gloomy. Much like Kemono Friends and Made in Abyss, Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou has some moments of slapstick and comedy that are sure to put a smile on your face and maybe make you forget for a second how bleak the world Chito and Yuuri live in is.
The music is great. Every piece of music is set with the mood and the atmosphere in the scene in a similar way to Made in Abyss. Once you get past the dabbing in the OP, it’s a flawless catchy tune.
However, the show isn’t perfect. My main issue with Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou is the fact that most of the time, nothing’s happening. I sometimes struggled to recall significant events that had occurred in past episodes, simply because nothing seems that significant. You could probably sum up everything that happens in eleven out of the twelve episodes of the series over a single paragraph. Kemono Friends and Made in Abyss both kept my full attention by their sense of danger/threat and the way that the mystery was unveiled throughout these shows. At times, the show feels like something an English teacher would assign to you, along with questions to help you think about/understand the material. (Don't get me wrong; if it were a book you had to read in English class, it would be one of the better ones!)
However, when the show decides it’s time to unwrap at least a portion of itself for the viewer, it makes the payoff of a slow-paced journey all that much better. Even still, some questions are left unanswered that leave plenty of room for a season 2. My score was on a 7/8 borderline for the majority of the show, but I ultimately decided on an 8. I loved Chito and Yuuri and would watch a season 2 in a heartbeat.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Dec 10, 2017
An interesting factoid about Henshin is its two English titles. The title it first appeared under in fan translations online, "Emergence", was declared a mistranslation by the original author. The author stated that the title is meant to be "Metamorphosis", as a reference to the Franz Kafka novella in which a man transforms into a giant insect. (As such, this is the title that Fakku used for their release.)
"Metamorphosis" is a much more appropriate title for this manga than "Emergence". In fact, the themes represented in this manga go against the main definition of the word 'emergence' - "the process of coming into view or
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becoming exposed after being concealed." Emergence is a recurring theme in a lot of doujin - in particular, the idea that innocent girls are all dirty whores on the inside who just need to have sex once in order to get hooked.
The main character of Henshin, Saki, does not seem to be going through an emergence when she's introduced into sex. This hentai manga has an unusual tragedy theme - a high school girl with her whole life ahead of her is suddenly introduced into the devious world of sex and drugs. Her first sexual experience is stolen by an older man who manipulates her into becoming a drug addict and a nymphomaniac - a truly devastating metamorphosis.
Shindol has truly made an unusual move for the hentai genre in publishing this, and I respect him greatly for it. Shindol has used Henshin to expose a darker side of Japan's schoolgirl culture/fetish, as well as Japanese youth in general, that other hentai has glamorized.
There are a few issues with Henshin that keep me from calling it the best hentai will ever get/"the Citizen Kane of hentai" (as I've heard it referred to as before). Some of the tragic events that happen to Saki are a bit out there/too much at once. It's almost like watching a teen soap opera, except you get to see the sex scenes. The ending is a little confusing, and depending on your interpretation may or may not upset you or change the whole meaning of the manga.
However, even if you don't usually read hentai manga, "Henshin" is definitely worth your time if you crave something unusual from common genres, or if you're a regular consumer of the tragedy genre.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 10, 2017
In 1986, the “Pingu” animated children’s program began in its home country of Switzerland. The cartoon quickly became a worldwide hit because of its unique, universal method of storytelling and simple humor that entertained all ages. There were two countries in particular where “Pingu” became a massive hit: the United Kingdom and Japan. The United Kingdom-based company HIT Entertainment purchased the rights to “Pingu” for a whopping £15.9 million after production on the Swiss version was stopped in 2000. They used their investment to produce more episodes of the series from the years of 2003 to 2006.
Both the Swiss and British versions of “Pingu” were
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massive hits in Japan; if one searches “Pingu” on eBay, all sorts of exclusive merchandise, books, toys, and even Game Boy and DS games that were only released in Japan pop up. As the series has continued to thrive in Japan even without new episodes being made, it would make sense that a Japanese company would want to invest in producing new episodes for the franchise.
Enter Polygon Pictures. Instead of continuing the original series, they decided to completely change up the formula and reboot “Pingu” for a new generation with “Pingu in the City”. Not only is the series now computer-animated, but Pingu’s family has been moved from their classic setting of the South Pole into “the city”, where new adventures await for the always curious Pingu. But does such a drastic change work with “Pingu”?
Let me explain a bit about my history with “Pingu”. I remember watching the original show when I was younger and enjoying it, primarily because it was weird that channels aimed at running educational drivel would often put it on their schedule. Let’s face it: you can’t learn much from “Pingu”, but you’ll have a good time. The reason every country hopped on board with airing the show at one point is because of the unique storytelling method I mentioned earlier: the characters, instead of having real spoken dialogue or a narrator explaining the story, communicate through a made-up language known as “Penguinese”. In this sense, “Pingu” is educational, as it teaches children not only how to interpret a story through visuals, but how to read body language and vocal emotion to tell how others are feeling.
The first night I started taking antidepressants after getting out of the hospital and feeling shitty about life in general, I randomly stumbled across the original “Pingu” on YouTube again, and it honestly made me the happiest I’d been in a long time.
The feeling was only temporary, and something I’ve been chasing ever since. As such, I was understandably very excited by the news of this new “Pingu in the City” reboot. At the same time, I was a bit worried about the ways a different production team and changing the classic formula could go wrong. Another show from my childhood, “Max and Ruby”, was revived under a different production team who altered several aspects of the original. Max, who originally spoke in humorous one-word exclamations, now spoke full sentences, while Max and Ruby’s parents made random appearances seemingly in an effort to be “politically correct”. It just didn’t feel right.
Thankfully, the production team of “Pingu in the City” is clearly very familiar with the original source material, as this reboot has all the charm and humor of the original. Pingu is the same accident-prone yet lovable penguin child he’s always been; the new setting of the big city gives plenty of new opportunities for the story that it’s never had before. The “Penguinese” language, including the classic battle cry of “Noot noot!”, has been left fully intact. Unlike other shows (*cough* Berserk 2017 *cough*), the shift to a new animation style is barely noticeable and actually seems to work to the show’s advantage.
Some might argue that “Pingu in the City” has a unique aspect over the original that really works in its favor; the setting is almost a utopia, where Pingu, a young child, doesn’t appear to go to school, and instead learns about the world around him through working at jobs with adults who are more than happy to help him learn. Kids in modern society don’t have the time to explore the world around them and learn what they like to do due to the amount of time they have to spend in school, which is a real shame. “Pingu in the City”’s utopia brings me a sense of joy, and a hope for a future with a reformed education system.
For all these reasons (and probably more that I'll wish I added later), “Pingu in the City” is more than a meme to me. From the first second of every episode, the show is full of a unique energy that immediately puts a smile on my face, even when nothing else seems to be going my way. I highly recommend the show for viewers of all ages, and hope that with the international licensing deals in progress (Sony has the rights to the show in North America, while Mattel has the rights in China) that every viewer possible will get to enjoy it. Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles both have Pingu tattoos due to their viewings of the original show as children. I hope ten to fifteen years from now another celebrity who’s popular with the kids will have a Pingu tattoo thanks to their viewing of “Pingu in the City” as a child.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 26, 2017
The first thing you should know about Netsuzou TRap is that it's absolute trash.
If you still want to stick around, you should also know that it's pandering to the NTR fetish. For the insanely small percentage of anime fans that don't frequent hentai sites, "NTR", or "netorare", is the cuckold genre; some poor guy gets his girl stolen by someone who's usually insufferable.
Except this time, the guy is getting his cute girl stolen by another cute girl, causing me to have conflicting feelings. She's still a bit insufferable (though the story does try to justify her actions by implying she's going through some difficult stuff
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herself), but the yuri scenes are great, and will likely be even better on a future BD release.
The art was pretty bad in the first episode, but improved over time.
Netsuzou TRap regularly frustrates me, and yet I keep watching it, so I think it's doing its job. NTR fans will likely have a better time with it than I am.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jul 11, 2017
Yokai Watch is, in a nutshell, a Pokemon imitator that actually tries a few new things, which is why it stands out from the crowd of Pokemon imitators and has become such a success in Japan. Of course, much like Pokemon, they had to have their opportunity to show off their success on the big screen!
That success has partially translated over to the international side, however not to the same extent as Japan. That's probably why this movie was only in theaters for a single day in America, and wound up quickly popping up on television and Netflix.
It's clear from the beginning of this movie
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that it doesn't take itself too seriously and recognizes that a lot of its audience will consist of ADHD children. The first two minutes are devoted to a sketch of familiar characters (to anyone who's watched Yokai Watch, at least) trying to tell you to enjoy the movie but winding up in some silly slapstick situation.
The story itself isn't a fresh idea, but it's one that's easy to tell/put a new spin on and easily captivate a child audience, involving time travel and a child going back in time and meeting their grandfather as a kid. The presentation is pretty entertaining, thanks in part to Nate's sidekicks Whisper and Jibanyan, who are very much the comic relief of the story.
As usual, Yokai Watch has a cruder sense of humor than Pokemon, so expect some fart jokes and a joke about pulling a cork out of a yokai's butt. Though it seems like they avoided some of the more devious innuendo from the TV series this time, perhaps recognizing that more parents would be in the audience than usual.
Towards the end of the film, there's an extended sequence in which pretty much every yokai from the series pops up. There's a purpose to this in the story, but there's also another purpose the producers were certainly thinking of: showing off cool yokai for kids to get excited and point out to their parents. That's when it hit me: for some kids, this is going to be their "Pokemon: The First Movie". They're going to have it on loop on Netflix and be obsessed with it, while their parents are just kind of lost/long for the days of PBS, but don't say anything because they recognize the movie as largely harmless.
If you're a fan of Yokai Watch, you won't be disappointed by this movie. It's nothing outstanding, but it's a good time with familiar characters. If you aren't a fan of Yokai Watch, this won't convert you. If you know a kid who's a fan of Yokai Watch, showing them this movie (if they somehow haven't seen it already) will likely delight them and make you happy that they're happy.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 4, 2017
While the story of the 'golden boy' might seem like an original to a largely unfamiliar American audience, the Japanese fairy tale entitled "The Adventures of Kintaro, the Golden Boy" actually dates back to 1908. The stories of Kintaro in Japanese culture refer to him as a child of super strength, able to conquer any challenge, having special abilities such as talking to animals, etc.
The OVA "Golden Boy" is a very, very loose adaptation of the classic Kintaro stories - this adaptation puts Kintaro into modern day Japan, and actually makes him less than perfect. He may be extremely intelligent, but his intense desire
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to learn about everything along with his libido get in him trouble sometimes.
Thankfully, despite Kintaro's perverted nature, he's a very likable character that you want to root for throughout the OVA. Giving him a sex drive makes him more relatable to the audience, and he is different from other ecchi protagonists in how he goes out of his way to respect women. He never has bad intentions when he winds up in trouble over a perverted situation - all he wants to do is help others and learn. "Study, study, study!" is his motto.
Even people who aren't fans of typical ecchi may find something to enjoy in Golden Boy. Kintaro seems to just sort of fall into interesting storylines involving beautiful women with every single odd job he hits - he encounters a very skimpily dressed blonde woman in the first scene and later finds out he's her boss at his newest odd job. The mayor's teenage daughter tries to make him into a plaything. He challenges a sexy swimming instructor to a race despite not knowing how to swim at all. These episodic storylines help provide plenty of time for the audience to get to know and love Kintaro, as well as provide plenty of comedy.
Yes, the comedy. Even if you don't typically laugh at anime comedy, the majority of Golden Boy is hysterical. Not every single joke hit for me, but when it tickled, it tickled well. The English dub is very loud and corny, but it seems to have been done in that way purposely. It won't work for everyone, but it worked for me.
In conclusion, I would recommend Golden Boy for anyone (of a reasonable age - the American age rating is 16+) who wants something easy to watch on a cozy afternoon and doesn't mind raunchy humor.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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