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congratulations my pal.

I recently finished Owarimonogatari 2nd Season and have to say that I'm slightly disappointed. What do you think about Ougi Oshino and the "true darkness"? What about the roundabout ending for Shinobu?

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou fails at world building. Even though the premise appears to be interesting, it withholds crucial information. The story takes places in the distant future; however, the two main characters have old gear (even a WWI helmet), weapons, and vehicles.

They entered an underground facility at the beginning of a war, and it's never mentioned how much time they spent before going out to the surface. if the humans extinguished, at least something like clothing, bones, or other evidence would remain. This Anime doesn't care about anything complicated, so it simply decides to completely wipe out everything, and the only lame excuse it employs is lose of memories (how convenient).

Overall, the story is utterly pointless and goes nowhere. The white creatures that eat weapons were ridiculous and out of place. I'm surprised at how much I hate this Anime.

Before talking about the best girl of Saenai Heroine, need to mention that the 2nd season was great. In fact, it was so good that I forgot that I was watching a Harem Anime. The story focuses on Utaha and Eriri and their development was gratifying.

Megumi Katou is my favorite girl because she is portrayed like a real human being, rather than just another girl that falls in love with the MC. Towards the end, Megumi was upset and disappointed when Tomoya didn't reach out to her for the help she had offered. As a result, she gives him the cold treatment for two months and that's the behavior I would expect from someone that feels hurt. Their bond eventually goes back to normal and the season ends with a positive note.

3-gatsu no Lion considerably improves in the 2nd season through deep character development, swift narrative, metaphors, and smart humor. The story expands to include the views from different angles and allows the audience to seemingly make decisions about how to perceive each character.

For example, during the 1st season, Gotou appears to be taking advantage of Kyouko and that's because the story is presented only through Rei's perspective. The 2nd season goes deeper, Rei confronts Gotou about him being married and cheating on his wife; however, Rei doesn't care about Kyouko's feelings. Who gave Rei the moral high ground to decide what's good or bad and impose his opinion on people older than him? Gotou doesn't appreciate this type of meddling and reacts violently. It doesn't matter if Kyouko is making a bad decision, because it is her decision and its obvious that she is pursuing a relationship with Gotou.

The match between Shimada and Yanagihara (both amazing voice actors) was packed with passion and sportsmanship. Both of them want to win the title and their motivations are equally worth it; one of those matches in which whoever wins, deserves it.

The bullying arc was masterful and no other Anime has done something like this. Adds the perspectives of the aggressor, victims, silent witnesses, teachers, and parents. Explores a wide range of emotions in a realistic manner and without being patronizing. One of the best and most painful scenes was when Hina talks to her homeroom teacher about her being bullied, and the response she received was outrageous.

The lack of remorse from Megumi Takagi is the expected behavior from the aggressor, because they will use whatever twisted logic to justify themselves.

Final comment: the ending was great and wish there was another season.
Since you mentioned that you learned how to play Shogi; can you actually distinguish the pieces? To me, they all look literally the same. That's one clear advantage that Chess has over Shogi.

Which characters did you enjoy the most?

A few weeks ago, I noticed you finally expanded your favorite Anime/characters list and its about time for a couple of questions. You probably realized that I didn’t like Sakura Quest and wanted to ask what do you think about the Kingdom of Chupakabura? I really hated that stuff.

Koyomi is one of the best male characters in Anime, and even so was a little bit surprised that you added him instead of Shinobu.

Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko was one of the first Anime that I watched right after my long hiatus and the primordial reason why I continued to watch Anime. Tsukiko is an extremely cute and likeable character. Based on your comments right after watching this Anime, I also find it surprising to see Tsukiko on your list.

Final comment, Abigail Jones looks so hot!! Can’t wait to watch the Great Pretender.

Just to clarify expectations, the main "couple" of Kuzu no Honkai are a male and female. The girls relationship I was talking about is by far my favorite part of the Anime and I was truly invested in their dynamic.

Also need to mention that Kuzu no Honkai portrays people making awful decisions, having bad intentions, and generally speaking, feelings get trampled all over the place. Does it sound familiar? Well, that's the reality of romantic relationships; everyone has experienced unrequited love, and it hurts a lot.

Typically, Anime features pure immaculate girls that fall in love with the bland self-insert MC and that is simply a fantasy. It is my opinion that this Anime received unfair criticism, simply because the characters are "scum". I really enjoyed this Anime and looking forward to discuss it more with you.

I don't want to waste too much time with Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2202... it was so boring! The animation quality was dull, the new enemies were uninspired and the story was a downgrade compared to Yamato 2199.

Fate/Apocrypha is the worst Fate Anime that I've watched. I agree, Astolfo was a great character; I don't usually like trap or gay characters because they are often depicted in derogatory ways. Astolfo has a heart of gold and I liked the ending he got. Mordred and Karna were also great characters. Despite having good ideas, Fate/Apocrypha never capitalized on what it built.

Made in Abyss and Heaven's Feel will be part of my "high profile" batch. As you know, I like to leave the best Anime of each year for the last (just like desert). To my surprise, I'll be completing 2017 way faster than expected.

The new system is interesting and more difficult than what I was expecting; every quest has at least one thorny challenge and I'll be aiming for Level 1.

Regarding your previous comments, I didn't realize Antonin Dvorak was also played in Shinsekai yori. After doing a quick research, it made more sense since that Anime was translated to From the New World (matching Symphony No. 9 ).

I also really liked the Hibike! Euphonium hilltop scene that you mentioned; one of those moments in which I wanted the girls to kiss. Is that too much to ask?

Following the same topic, I recently watched Kuzu no Honkai and features a truly steamy/sensual relationship between two girls. Well, relationship is not the appropriate word; however, can't say anything else without spoilers. Even days after finishing this Anime, I'm constantly thinking about it.

Shaft introduced several unnecessary changes in the Kizumonogatari movies and only fans like myself were willing to be lenient with the ratings. Another relevant topic to mention would be the pace of the first movie, which was obviously stretched to fill out the air. Shaft should have opted to make only 2 movies and keeping a style (design and tone) similar to previous seasons.

It will take me some time before I can watch Tenki no Ko and the other Anime you mentioned around a week ago. By now, everyone expects any movies from CoMix Wave Films to have excellent animation quality and it's a reputation well deserved.

Going back to the animation quality issue; overall decay in animation quality becomes annoying because diverts my attention from enjoying the story. Not really worth the time to keep complaining about it; it is what it is.

I was actually expecting the 2022 AWC to be available today. I've noticed the AWC essentially rotates variations each year. Most likely this time it will be some sort of "Tiered" format.

Not sure how much you remember about Hibike! Euphonium. I watched both seasons last year and really enjoyed them. Great animation, good drama (the right amount without turning into a soap opera), realistic facial expressions (for moe standards), and emotive voice acting. The voice actresses for Kumiko Oumae and Asuka Tanaka did an amazing job. Kyoto Animation has such an attention to details that really leaves an everlasting memory.

First of all, happy new year! Last year I completed my 2015 and 2016 Anime, and need to mention that 2016 was a particularly mediocre year due to animation quality issues. My perception is that people are unable to notice the quality drop, or consciously ignore it. Since I've a methodical way to watch Anime, it's easier for me to objectively compare each year with previous years; if there's newer Anime with animation quality worse than 2009 - 2015, I'll immediately notice it.

I don't want to sound overly negative about this topic, it's just that this issue is impossible for me to ignore. Now moving forward to something more fun. The following are the best Anime that I watched last year.

Death Parade: This is Madhouse doing what they do best, Psychological Thrillers. An original and refreshing story about the afterlife that emphasizes on how emotional intelligence plays a major role under stressful situations.

Haikyuu!! 2nd | 3rd Season: I've watched a respectable amount of sports Anime and this is easily the best there is (although not perfect). Haikyuu constantly develops a simple premise, which is teamwork. Sure it does have the flashy plays that can turn the scores; however, abides to plausible and realistic games. Each team has memorable characters that truly stand out.

Shokugeki no Souma: The level of creativity of this Anime is incredible. Great characters, entertaining and engaging story that captures the audience from start to finish. This Anime is often described as a battle-shounen with cooking instead of fighting. I would strongly recommend you to watch it. You can thank me later!

Kimi no Na wa: Outstanding animation quality. Makoto Shinkai has definitely learned from his previous movies. Unlike some of his previous works, Kimi no Na wa delivers catharsis, that magnificent and rewarding feeling that a great story can convey. The writing, structure and pace evolves with a natural flow, and each exposition scene is perfectly placed and has a purpose.

Kizumonogatari: The character design and action-focused narrative significantly deviates from previous entries. Personally, I would have preferred less violence and I'm specifically talking about the scenes where Shinobu eats people. Shaft could have opted for an artistic approach to make it obvious that vampires eat people, but without the gore. If there's one memorable scene is when Koyomi asks if there's a way for everyone to have a happy ending and Meme's response was pure gold; simply brilliant!

Owarimonogatari: Sodachi Riddle / Lost are the most depressing arcs of the series and certainly difficult to watch (one of my favorite Monogatari arcs ). Owarimonogatari proves once again that dialog-driven narratives and expertly crafted mysteries can be incredibly addicting. The art style from Shaft is sublime; a few moments from the first episode already take me to Nirvana.

Koe no Katachi: This movie made me cry as much as Clannad After Story. Shouya has an impressive character development; he feels guilty and ashamed from his past deeds, which leaves scars in his personality. Throughout the story, he makes an effort to redeem himself and rarely I've felt so much empathy for a character.

Happy birthday bro! It's been a long time since we last chatted, so which is the best Anime that you've watched in the past 2 months?

Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata is one of those Ecchi/Harem in which all girls can be “best girl”. This Anime like the vast majority, relies on tropes and archetypes; however, it does a splendid job to breathe life into these characters. The sense of self awareness, playing with trope expectations and balanced personalities was gratifying.

For example, Eriri Spencer is a Tsundere; although she is never portrayed with a vicious nor aggressive attitude. I’ve to admit that I really enjoyed her personality.

My favorite girl was Megumi Katou; she doesn’t have any remarkable trades and may occasional go unnoticed. It’s difficult to describe why she is by far my favorite girl; she is definitely cute, and her dialogues with Tomoya are the best part of the Anime. Megumi does not actively pursue Tomoya, instead she wants Tomoya to fall in love with her.

I know this may sound simple; however, in the realm of unrealistic male fantasies where females drop at the feet of males for no reason at all... Megumi brings something refreshing!

Now moving on to Gakkougurashi; in simple words, this Anime is an insult to the Zombie genre!! Anyone that has watched old school Zombie movies, or even The Walking Dead has clear expectations of which key elements have to prevail. I’m totally fine with Anime having the “Japanese” touch, although there are certain elements that cannot be changed.

I don’t want to go into details, due to inherent spoilers, so will simply say the last two episodes ruined this Anime for me.

Let me cite an unrelated example. In the Twilight movies and under the sunlight, Vampires glitter like diamond instead of burning down to ashes. This is absolutely ridiculous because everyone knows the basic lore of Vampires. Did anyone think this would be a good idea? In the same way, Gakkougurashi makes a similar (and terrible) mistake.

I completed the 2021 AWC (easiest difficulty level) back in February. As you pointed out, I don't like the bingo system and wasn't willing to spend unnecessary time participating this year.

Basically I did the AWC simply for the badge lol. In the past few years I've invested quite some time in the AWCs, and honestly I wanted to take it easy this year.

Let me take a guess, you're watching Eikoku Koi Monogatari Emma as part of the 2021 AWC? I mean, it doesn't seem to be an appealing Anime.

Hiya, how has the NBA scene been treatin ya? I've actually been pretty hooked on it since the Bears seem to be going nowhere .. we'll see when it comes to the draft. Baseball season also starts up again, so we'll have some other stuff to watch. I'm sure you heard of us picking up Vucevic as well as some other players, right? I've been super excited to watch the games as of late, even though we haven't won a single game since the trades happened.

I noticed you expanded your favorite people list to 6. Didn't you say once that you wanted to keep all favorite lists at 5?

Costa Rica maintains the pandemic restrictions; however, we’ve a relaxed attitude. Personally, I stay at home as much as possible and keep social distancing. Now, my life hasn’t really changed since I started my new job last July (different role in the same company).

Yowamushi Pedal Grande Road and The Anthem of the Heart are the best Anime that I’ve watched in the past 5 weeks. The latter is such a great movie!

Jun Naruse is one of the best Kuudere characters in recent years (you know I’m still watching 2015 Anime). The story invests considerable time depicting her trauma and the effects on her behavior. Even though she doesn’t speak much, her facial expressions and body language are incredibly cute; especially when she is happy. Here I remember the scene where Takumi is playing the piano for Jun for the first time, and Jun’s reaction is so lovely.

Takumi on the other hand, is the best main male archetype for this story; he is supportive, has a heart of gold and makes perfect sense when girls fall in love with him. The ending is not what I expected; however, A-1 Pictures should be applauded for their little twist.

Daiki was the biggest surprise; he starts like a bully and then his character naturally evolves into manly hood.