2020...Happy New Year! A look back on my top 5 anime of 2019!

Hey there guys, Endblade here once again with another post! Well, its' been a while (more than a year in fact) since my last post on this blog. Well, by now those of you who have read my posts you should know that I'm pretty much a sporadic poster. I personally do not like to post here if I feel that I can't provide any constructive recommendations or detailed reviews. And of course, its' not like there aren't thousands of others who put up their recommendations on what to watch or what to avoid!

But that being said, no promises this year, but I'll try to slot in a post every month, more like a monthly review of anime to get some schedule going. I doubt this will happen, but hey, New Year's resolutions right? 

Speaking of New Year's, here's wishing all those who read this post a very happy new year! Let's hope 2020 is better than 2019, and that somehow Blogger doesn't fall into absolute irrelevancy (not that it hasn't), but hey we can always hope. What better way to start 2020 than to look back at what 2019 has gifted us in terms of anime releases, both movie-wise and on regular programming. 

I'll have to admit, 2019 hasn't been an excellent year for me in terms of the new anime released, I spent most of the time watching older installments. Some notable mentions of not 2019 anime which I enjoyed would be Grand Blue (picture below), which is definitely not the most work-safe anime to watch, but the comedic gags is just top class.

One of the best scenes in Grand Blue...not for the faint-hearted!

Another pre-2019 anime which I enjoyed in particular would be 3-gatsu no Lion, which some of you might remember as March Comes in like a Lion. My personal interest in chess and other board games drew me to this realistic and emotional piece on Go (a Japanese equivalent to chess), and the two seasons which I had the pleasure of watching were excellent to say the least. 

How the humble game of Go is portrayed beautifully

A final honourable mention for pre-2019 anime which I enjoyed would be the Bungou Stray Dogs series, of which I sadly *spoiler alert* did not watch season 3 due to anime burnout (yeah, that's a thing for me). But the first two seasons and the movie were par-excellent, especially the first half of season 2. My personal favourite character has to be Kunkida Doppo, what's yours?

The duo of Dazai and Doppo has to be my favourite bromances by far

You may take a look at my regularly updated personal anime list for recommendations here, of which I update after I have finished watching the series. I did watch many other series, but if I did not complete it or dropped it, I will not rate it. You can assume that I did not fancy it/ lost interest in it for whatever reason, and as such if I were to rate those dropped anime, it would not be favourable at all. So I decided to not rate them for fairness sake. But it doesn't mean I won't go back to them in the future, so as time passes I might pick some of them up again for viewing.

Other great anime which I have watched in 2019 include Koi wa Ameagari no You ni (After the Rain), Hoshiai no Sora (Stars Align), Asobi Asobase. 

Well. I think I might have digressed quite a bit, but without further ado, here's my top 5 recommendations of 2019 anime, alongside with a short review of each of the five! Each recommendation is linked to MyAnimeList, with which you can see the aggregate scores/reviews. But note that the following five are PURELY my own choices!

Number #5: Psycho-Pass Season 3

Reporting for duty! RESET RESET

We begin the top 5 with one of the last anime for the Fall 2019 season to be aired. With 8 episodes, each almost an hour-long, its' definitely jam-packed with action and suspense. It basically feels like you're watching a Psycho-Pass movie every week, which I felt was refreshing for a change, as 20-minute episodes when you remove the OP and ED sections, don't really help much in traditional storytelling of an introduction, rising action, climax, falling action then resolution/conclusion. Speaking of OPs, the opening for this season's installment was AMAZING. Love the song Cubism by Who-ya, definite earworm for end-2019 for me! An hour-long episode allows for ample time to draw cases to a close, and while not all episodes manage to do so (as suspense does help extend anticipation), Psycho-Pass does what it does well: thrilling action sequences interspersed with character development. 

What caused this fall to fifth position when it could easily be top 3 would be the unsatisfying conclusion to the season. While I understand that the next movie Psycho-Pass: First Inspector will provide the resolution for this season in 2020, the way it ended just left many things unsaid and unresolved. Commercially this might be a good choice, but just storytelling-wise it does take a slight hit. But definitely an improvement over season 2, the friendship between Kei and Arata really holds this season together, as well as cameos from the older cast make for great reminiscing without stealing the limelight from the new cast. Overall, Psycho-Pass Season 3 was done well, but it could have been so much better.

Number #4: Tate No Yuusha No Nariagari (Rising of the Shield Hero)

The bond between Naofumi and Raphatalia is strong, and one of the best pairings in anime so far

I would say that Tate No Yuusha comes in really close to Psycho-Pass S3 in the sense that both are well done shows, but disappoint when it comes to the ending phase of the story. The premise of Tate No Yuusha is like any other isekai or fantasy genre anime which has come to define the last two years of anime releases, but with a twist. While I won't elaborate on the twist here as it includes major spoilers, it does help to differentiate it from many other fan-service anime adaptations (not mentioning any, except maybe the one which has a season coming out soon, go figure).

Overall, the growth which our main character Naofumi undergoes is both touching at times and the friends which he makes along the way does lend the name "Rising" very well to this anime. Typical fantasy fights keep the story engaging, although we do know the inevitable 'happy ending' that would come, it feels like the door is left wide open for a second season, as it did not feel complete. While I agree that doors should always be left ajar (read: ajar, not flung wide open) for sequels, the intention of every show should be to be the last season, unless already announced. But for an adaption, Tate No Yuusha does well in making the storyline interesting, although too many mechanics and new plot threads were introduced towards the second half of the anime, which I felt caused it to suffer from a fast-paced and cramped second half. 24 episodes is a long time to keep someone's attention, and that being said I looked forward to every weekly installment of Tate No Yuusha in trembling anticipation. This says a lot about a show in its' ability to keep the audience coming back for more, and for that, it makes its' way into my top 5 anime of 2019.

Number #3: Tenki No Ko (Weathering with You)

Another success for Makoto Shinkai

At number three on my top 5 recommendations of 2019 is Tenki No Ko, an excellent movie by director Makoto Shinkai of hit anime movie which you might have watched, Kimi No Na Wa (Your Name). I had the opportunity to watch it in theatres when it came out a few months ago, and I loved that it focused on the innocence of love, which many animes and movies in our present era focus less on. The sheer emotional gravity of the show is what made Kimi No Na Wa great, and while I do not feel it is fair to compare it to Tenki No Ko, the same formula is somewhat emulated in this show very well. This a overall good-paced, well done movie by director Shinkai-san.

While refraining from spoilers, the show is focused on this weather girl who brings joy to others. The rain dance in the movie was a light-hearted moment in the story, and our main character's journey in finding himself was clearly depicted in the short span of a movie. While I feel that the ending was pretty cliche and predictable, the rollercoaster of emotions was ever present in the second-half of the movie. Tenki No Ko blends real-world issues of climate change with traditional Japanese mythology of shrine maidens. This is a show aimed at the mainstream, and with that comes the high expectations of the one that came before (Kimi No Na Wa) while also having the privilege of not being constrained to typical anime genres and overused stereotypes and tropes.

Tenki No Ko is not the best anime for me in 2019, but as a recommendation for someone that has barely stepped into anything anime-related, it is a great start to get your feet wet (pun intended) in a span of 2 hours. It deserves the number 3 spot on my list for 2019.

Number #2: Seishun Buta Yarou wa Yumemiru Shoujo no Yume wo Minai (Rascal Does not Dream of a Dreaming Girl)

A fitting and beautiful way to cap the Bunny Girl series

The next show was a surprise for me. This comes very close to the previous entry Tenki No Ko in terms of how I think it falls on the list, and if I could I would tie it. However, it being a definitive personal list, I had to choose, and Dreaming Girl (let's use this, the actual name is too long) is ever so slightly better in my opinion. However, I would still highly recommend that you watch both. It's surprising that I find movies somehow better than conventional anime series this year, and looking back 2019 has been personally disappointing in terms of the 'blockbuster' anime being released.

Bunny Girl Senpai: If you can get past the name, it is an amazing series

Dreaming Girl is somewhat of a sequel to the previous anime series which I enjoyed thoroughly: Bunny Girl Senpai (You just have to get past the name). This means that you MUST watch the anime series Bunny Girl Senpai for this movie to make any sense, which I highly recommend. Suspend your disbelief when watching this show, as the scientific jargon they use is mainly to justify the plot that follows (with quantum mechanics somehow everything is explained away). I personally don't agree with how it executes the whole plot in terms of logic, but hey as an anime (which I am grading it based on) it is excellent. Pacing is good, the climax is fantastic and the ending is stellar.

Emotionally, I was moved to tears (actual man-tears let me add) during certain scenes, it felt like the voice actors' emotions were just raw and so genuine at moments. While the plot may seem confusing at times, the entire picture and ending is wrapped up ever so beautifully. You might have to re watch the movie to understand the whole idea, but Dreaming Girl manages to compress the novels which it adapts from succinctly and beautifully, while still capturing the beauty of what made Bunny Girl Senpai great: an anime with subtle tones of psychological issues like depression, deep-seated hate and insecurity. The way the characters develop and how they overcome these challenges is an acknowledgement to the suffering of many ordinary people and the struggles we go through fighting our personal demons.

Dreaming Girl is a show which provides a beautiful conclusion to the Bunny Girl Senpai series, and definitely a must-watch!

Number #1: Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai (Love is War)

Love truly is a battle sometimes!

For the final anime, we look to the beginning of the year. The first thing that I have to say about Love is War is that I absolutely LOVE the anime opening. I dare say "Love Dramatic" is one of the most catchy, memorable and well-choreographed openings in anime by far. Usually I would skip the opening (sacrilegious! some of you might say), but hey, to be honest I don't really like most anime openings as they feel too generic, the song isn't catchy or memorable, hence not worth watching. But I sat through all the episode's openings without fail, tapping my feet to the tune by Masayuki Suzuki. My only peeve is that the song isn't available on Spotify! 

Onto the story. To put it simply, the episodes are based on daily mundane tasks from planning events to just normal interactions, but set in a 'winner-takes-all' kind of battle royale format, accompanied by an epic narrator who just states the obvious but helps to over-dramatise the unfolding events. Fun, joy and laughter ensues, and while there is some element of relatability in the sense that love and relationships is somewhat about give-and-take, this is dialled to the extreme and the wacky expressions alongside with the fact that us, as the viewer knows exactly what is going on while the characters don't, helps make this anime a beautiful gem. This is one that you ABSOLUTELY must watch for the cheap entertainment it provides. 

Ishigami Yu, my favourite character apart from the MVP narrator

Each of the four main characters have their own quirks, which make this anime quite similar to other shows like Asobi Asobase with comedic relief, but a romance unique compared to other high-school type of anime over the years. Ishigami has to be my personal favourite character in the show, with his anti-social behaviour and brooding self. What I particularly like about the show is that most of the plot is set within the same room, but still manages to be so interesting! Just goes to show that sometimes, a plain setting with great characters and an even better plot is a formula for success.

I'd say that the charm of it was that while there was an overarching storyline, each episode has a standalone mini-story which makes the weekly release perfect. While watching it now might not be as magical of an experience as before, Love is War still is a great show worthy of rewatching (since it came out pretty early in 2019). It is a great show to recommend as a starting point for those who have not watched anime, and similarly excellent for veteran weebs as it builds on existing anime love tropes. It has the magic of One Punch Man in the sense that every episode can be watched standalone and has the ability to carry itself.

While Love is War might not have the same emotional gravitas as our previous recommendations Dreaming Girl and Tenki No Ko, I believe the light-hearted anime is timeless and I placed it first as not only did I thoroughly enjoy the episodes, a Number #1 recommendation should stand the test of time and still hold it's own in the coming years. Hence, Love is War I feel is likely to maintain this air of longevity as a unique recommendation not constrained by emotions and as a stand-alone series. 

Summary

To end, 2019 while overall it has not been a great anime year for me, the small diamonds in the rough like Love is War and Grand Blue makes watching generic and dreary anime in the hope that I will find a gem is worth the struggle. I hope the list has given you some inspiration on your next series to watch! Again, if your favourites are not mentioned, take a look at my list here!

Until Next Time,

Endblade

Anime Review: Hero-Mask!

Hey there guys, Endblade here once again with another post! This time, we will be looking at the recent release by Netflix's Originals, Hero-Mask with the help of Studio Pierrot, the studio which brought you Naruto, Bleach and Tokyo Ghoul! Some heavyweights in anime series' right there produced by Pierrot, but how does the newly released Hero-Mask stack up against its' illustrious predecessors?

Poster for Hero:Mask, taken from MyAnimeList

First Impressions:

I'm a total sucker for crime/psychological/thriller anime, one of my favourites being Psycho:Pass. So when I happened to chance upon the latest anime by Studio Pierrot, Hero:Mask, my natural instinctive reaction was to immediately drop everything I was doing and watch the first episode of this new anime. And boy, was I totally hyped! Slight spoilers, but the first episode of Hero:Mask opens with a murder (like all good crime shows), and features Psycho:Pass' Kogami Shinya clone, James Blood. Except that what weirded me out was that this is apparently set in some European country, my guess would be the UK. Hearing them speak Japanese but having the setting of the anime being in what is supposed to be a predominately English-speaking country baffled me a little. But of course, this isn't the first time animes have had us suspend our disbelief, so I got used to the English signage and general background after a while, a minor gripe I might say.

But the context and setting behind Hero:Mask got me hooked, so let's see if my thoughts about this anime change after watching the series!

After watching the entire series (SPOILERS AHEAD):

Disappointing to say the least. This anime series had so much potential, from the realistic background setting and experienced animation studio, surely they could have pushed the envelope so much harder and farther than they actually did. Studio Pierrot stuck to a vanilla, sci-fi thriller which aside from some awkwardly thrown in plot twists towards the end (I'm looking at you episode 15) and some thrilling chases through the city, had none too many redeeming qualities to make this show watchable.

James Blood: ironically wearing a blood-coloured jacket

The main character James Blood didn't really have much character development, he was just portrayed as a plot-armor protected typical anime hero who happens to be the best detective in the police force and can fight like a MMA professional. I would say he seems to not have many deficiencies aside from his rash personality, which in turn doesn't really make him endearing to watchers in any way due to the lack of humanization. He seems more like a machine imbued with some altruistic sense of justice to fight crime, a one dimensional Batman would be a good analogy.

Harry Creighton: Good cop turned bad?

His good-friend-turned-enemy-turned-good-friend Harry Creighton is a confusing mess of an antagonist turned ally, his motives seem to be hinted at (his future wife Eve seems to be in critical condition hence he became Anakin Skywalker and turned to the dark side to save her), but then again it isn't explicitly confirmed. He then ditches his rich employer Steven Martland for some crazy researcher just because he said something to the effect of 'follow me'. Incredulous and appalling.

Sarah Sinclair, while sporting an interesting-sounding name, stops at just that. The show's attempts to introduce a heroine alongside James Blood falls flat as she seems to as a prosecutor, convert into a crime-fighting detective. Whatever happened to being Ace Attorney, her actual job? The attempt to link everything on a whiteboard (like all other cliche crime dramas/animes) is a little too cliche to be the lynchpin that holds the entire plot together. While her quest for vengeance for her recently deceased mentor is realistic and understandable to some extent, the levels of obsession and uncanny precision by which she puts everything together seems a little forced, like the producers had to cram the entire story into the second half of the anime because they didn't plan it out properly. What could have been a gripping heroine was left half-baked, although arguably much better than our titular MC, James Blood.

Moreover, there were quite a few unresolved plot points, it was disturbing to say the least that they left some these plot points hanging. Maybe they intend to push another season next year? Hopefully they address these points, because the world-building in Hero:Mask is unsatisfactory and skimps on many details. If it does end only on one season, then this might be one of the worst anime series' that I've watched.

A piece of origami? Or sci-fi Mask? Who can even tell?

The whole idea of the Masks didn't really do much for me, I mean they didn't explain the mechanics behind how the Masks worked, or even things like who was the Professor and what idea did he plant in his students' minds to drive such crazy and unethical research? There could have been more done to explain these concepts, and even delve into the arguments behind the ethical ramifications of scientific experimentation. These plot points are so crucial to the story, and yet they were only mentioned but not addressed, which was a pity.

The funny part was the last episode, when the plot twist happened where Steven Martland is revealed to not be Steven Martland? Then comes a serving of cold revenge in an explosion in the sky. A little abrupt, but at least that part of the anime was quite amusing to say the least. Plus the final scene in the anime seems to set up a second season, which I hope will do volumes better than this season, but I'm not expecting much.

Of course, me even watching this series to the end (I did fast-forward certain points because it was simply too boring) does speak volumes about the quality of the anime, which is decent. Not mind-blowing or intensely gripping, but I guess enough for you to want to watch the next episode. Not binge-watch worthy, but I guess a good time filler. I had high expectations of this anime going in, but in trying to be the next Psycho-Pass it got caught up in an unrealistic sci-fi scenario that it spent many episodes attempting to explain and unravel rather than being the solid crime thriller it could have been.

OVERALL

The pluses:

- Promising premise

- Realistic setting, pretty good art direction and background

- First few episodes were decent, the mystery and thriller aspects were showcased well

The minuses:

- Shallow, one-dimensional characters fulfilling certain anime tropes/stereotypes

- Plot devolved into a mess towards the second half of the anime

- Unsatisfying ending

Rating: 7.5/10

Overall ranking (out of all the anime ranked here): 66/101 (updated 2020)

Updates 2020: Do take a look at my not-so-comprehensive personal list right here!

Anime Review: Ballroom e Youkoso - Blood, Sweat and Tears

Hey there guys, Endblade here. Today we're going to be looking at another anime series which has recently ended - Ballroom e Youkoso, translated to Welcome to the Ballroom. Honest opinions here, I didn't start watching the anime when it first aired in for the Summer 2017 anime season back in July.

First Impressions:
The main reason why I chose to not watch Ballroom e Youkoso when it first aired was because I never really found dancing/music anime interesting. I didn't watch acclaimed shows like K-On or sporting shows like Yuri on Ice, so when Ballroom e Youkoso first aired, I felt that it was a show that didn't require my attention. I thought that it looked too effeminate and bordered on uninteresting. I mean, ballroom dancing? How interesting could it get? With all that in mind, I guess the most pertinent question would be: How did you even come to watch Ballroom (for ease of reference, I'll just be referring to Ballroom e Youkoso as Ballroom from now onwards) in the first place then?

Simply put, I was looking for decent anime to watch, given that the current few seasons didn't really have any anime series' which caught my eye. So I surfed myanimelist, and found Ballroom e Youkoso. Little did I know I was about to watch one of the most touching, emotional and inspiring anime to grace the anime world.

I can safely say that my preconceived notions of Ballroom e Youkoso and narrow mindset that I brought coming into this show were utterly wrong, and I have learnt to be more open-minded when it comes to anime. Well, we all live and learn. But what made me change my mind?

From left to right: Gaju, Hyodo, Shizuku and Tatara

After watching the anime series (SPOILERS AHEAD):
Some episodes are full of action in the form of dance competitions, while others are quieter and more idyllic, dealing with main character Fujita Tatara's growth as a dancer. The first few episodes build on our MC's desire to become a pro ballroom dancer, to 'beat' talented dancer and 'rival' Kiyoharu Hyodo. From Tatara's first clumsy box-step, to his first dance on a pro stage standing in for Hyodo with his Hyodo's dance partner and Tatara's schoolmate crush Hanaoka Shizuku, it begins a journey which spans over a few months to a year. While the amount of failures and effort put in by our MC to overcome said failures is commendable, what I found a little jarring was that he was able to eclipse some dancers who have been training since they were toddlers, and at least be on par with them in most cases. This might have been for the sake of pushing the story further, but it sacrifices somewhat on realism to achieve story progression, which may not be a huge issue since it of course is an anime, which requires one to suspend his or her disbelief to go with the plot.

While it might seem that Tatara has quite a bit of plot armor due to him being the MC, we do see some difference in skill between him and his rivals/friends, classy yet precise Hyodo and fiery Akagi Gaju. This gap seems to haunt him constantly, a thorn in his side as the plot thickens. However, what Tatara seems to have is unbridled passion for the sport, which helps develop his partners and rivals by helping in some cases to reignite their own passion for the sport, or to find new perspectives on how to improve as dancers. The anime addresses issues that creep up in real life, like how to deal with failure, loss of passion for a certain job or hobby and contains small little nuggets of wisdom for the everyday watcher.

Tatara and Mako

Tatara and Chinatsu

Tatara's partners Akagi Mako and later permanent partner Hiyama Chinatsu both undergo their own 'transformation' with Tatara, from discovering how to shine in their dance as 'follower' in the Lead and Follow routine of ballroom dancing, to transitioning from a born 'lead' in Chinatsu's case to become a stellar 'follower'. The dynamics of the relationships between our MC and his partners reflect somewhat of the different personalities, and this anime aims to show a variety of different dancers, with different approaches to how they dance and their individual 'style'. This provides a small glimpse of what it might be in real-world dancing, with clash of personalities and differences arising between partners, as well as how to resolve such differences.






Ballroom e Youkoso employs four main styles: the Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot and Quickstep, each different in showcasing the elegance, passion, tempo and technical ability of the dancers, and I can't help but be amazed at how real dancers have to master all four styles, and even more than those four aforementioned dance styles. While of course the dances may feel a little fast and steps a little exaggerated at certain times, the effort to show the subtle nuances of dancing have to be applauded albeit a little over the top.

Another small detail which I particularly liked and helped make the setting more realistic was the use of real-life locations as inspirations for competition venues in Ballroom, lending credibility and even perpetuating this myth that "it might have actually happened". This is true with Your Lie in April, where some locations like the hall where Kaori and Kousei played in was based on a real hall in Japan (see this link for comparisons), further pushing the idea that such experiences may be more true to life and grounded in reality than we think it is.

OVERALL
Ballroom e Youkoso is a gripping and emotional animation with amazing animations which help to showcase the different tempos of different ballroom dancing styles and while the movements can be a little exaggerated at times, it helps to bring across the intensity of the dance style, while capturing the various spectrum of emotions put into a single dance. It is a ode to all professional dancers in whatever fields they may choose to go into, the difficulties they face technically in mastering certain steps and movements. It also showcases the struggle between raw talent and hard work, plus a mix of both. Through this anime, I could catch a glimpse of what people who constantly strive towards excellence expect from themselves, as well as how dedicated they may be in their craft. While it may not be 100% realistic, this is an anime and to strive to hit a balance between the right amount of action and excitement while not making it too unbelievable was just right in Ballroom e Youkoso. I mean, I actually felt for the guy (Tatara) and was genuinely happy for him when he did find his groove. Not many animes manage to connect their viewers with the characters, and Ballroom e Youkoso does that fairly well.

Rating: 8.25/10

Overall ranking (among all anime I've watched so far): 23/101

Updates 2020: Do take a look at my not-so-comprehensive personal list right here!

The year so far...Anime 2018

Hey there guys, Endblade here! It's been a long while since my last few flurry of posts and content, but here's hoping I'll be able to churn out quite a few posts on anime, my thoughts and review on some of the anime series' I've watched so far in 2018, and my general thoughts on the direction of anime.

Before I begin, just a short update on my real life, I've been busy with school (in University now) and I haven't been religiously following the anime scene, nor have I followed many anime in the Summer and Fall 2018 seasons. But much of the reason behind my absence can be attributed to my waning affection for anime in general, I've been binging on UK crime series' like Luther and Korean dramas like Stranger and Life. So I haven't had much spare time to fill with anime, hence the hiatus.

But I have been trying to catch up on old anime series' which I have not watched like Tokyo Ghoul, Jojo's Bizarre Adventures and the like. Also, I have recently finished the Netflix anime series Hero=Mask or Hero:Mask (not sure which is the right naming convention), and I will be posting my review and thoughts on that series shortly! I might start on Goblin Slayer, as I have heard quite a few good things about it but whether I finish it or not is another matter entirely.

If you don't already know by now, I'm the type of person who prefers crime/thriller or slice of life/school anime. Maybe I'm just a vanilla person, but those genres seem to appeal to me the most, hence I usually prioritize watching and reviewing those titles, and might be slightly biased towards those types of anime.

Anyway, this is the end of my short update, do look out for my Hero:Mask review and thoughts, which will be posting up here quite soon!

Until Next Time,

Endblade

Updated 2020: Do take a look at my not-so-comprehensive personal list right here!

Still around!

Hey there guys, Endblade here. Though I'd do a short update, I'm still watching anime and following some of the series for Spring 2018, its' just that I have quite busy lately with other commitments and as such I haven't had the chance to post anime reviews!

But fret not, I will be doing up more anime reviews very soon in the month of May, so do look out for them as I post them! I might even do episode reviews of the anime series' which I am currently watching too, but that's more of an afterthought than anything.

Currently, I have a Violet Evergarden anime review in the works, since that was about the only anime series which I watched for the Winter 2018 season religiously! But this season for Spring, I'm currently following 2 series (might pick up more when I have the spare time): Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai and Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii. Those two seem pretty promising as of now, but I'm not going to be giving any preliminary ratings yet because there have only been 3 episodes aired (at the time of this writing), so I can't evaluate the entire series well yet.

Do let me know if you have any good anime recommendations which you would like me to watch and review! I do watch other dramas such as cop shows and webseries on Netflix/Hulu/Primevideo.

I might do reviews of those shows which I have found interesting to watch!

Until Next Time,

Endblade

Updated 2020: Do take a look at my not-so-comprehensive personal list right here!

Anime Preview: Winter 2018

Hey there guys, Endblade here. For the few viewers that chance upon this page, thanks for the support! Today we're going to be introducing a new post - anime preview! You may have already guessed it, but this contains sneak peeks of the anime that is to come, and my thoughts on those anime, whether I will be watching and reviewing those or skipping on them!

The upcoming anime previewed below will not be listed down in any particular order of preference, but rather according to the MyAnimeList.net's upcoming anime section.

The new year is upon us, for those of you celebrating Christmas, I wish you a merry Christmas! For those of you who don't, here's wishing you happy holidays. As 2018 dawns, new anime air in January.

Why is the title called Winter 2018? Because in Japan (Northern Hemisphere), winter usually falls between December in the previous year up till end-February the next year. Hence anime usually begins with winter season rather than Spring. Spring falls within March to May and is the second season of the year in Japan, followed by Summer from June to August and Fall/Autumn from September to November. The cycle repeats itself the following year with Winter anime season again.

Well, that was long-winded. On to the more important stuff! This coming Winter 2018 anime season brings uss the following 20 anime! Note that there are more than 20 anime, but listing and previewing them all (some of them total trash) would be unproductive.

1) Overlord II


What's with people and mmorpg animes? Granblue Fantasy, Tales of Zestria, Sword Art Online and now this. Not dissing on Overlord, but I don't really understand the popularity of RPG anime. Having not watched the first Overlord season, I am in no position to comment on the possibility of this being a success, and it is unlikely that I will pick this anime up because most MMORPG-based animes usually fall pretty flat. Except maybe King's Avatar and Grimgar: Tale of Fantasy and Ash


2) Nanatsu no Taizai: Imashime no Fukkatsu


This anime looks like its' been around for quite a while, this not being the first season. So its' unlikely I will pick this up either, but it really reminds me of One Piece or Akame ga Kill. Not really feeling it for this one, but given that it has quite a few sequels, this should be decent at least.

3) Fate/Extra Last Encore


Fate/Apocrypha sort of disappointed me with the bar being set quite high from Fate/stay night UBW and Fate/Zero, one of my favourite animes. So I'm slightly apprehensive about this installment in the Fate-universe. I would usually rate this higher, but the heavy fan-service element of the Fate series lately has been putting me on edge about this franchise. Still have hopes for this anime but given that it isn't produced by ufotable, it might not be the unlimited budget works hoped for. Will definitely watch at least a first few episodes of this anime.

Pre-watch rating: 7.75/10


4) Citrus


Not too sure what to feel about this. This gives me the Kuzu no Honkai vibes of forbidden love and secret trysts, but it could go south quickly and become a incoherent mess if not handled right. Have some expectations for this anime, but not a big fan of such themes but I will give this series a shot, hopefully it doesn't disappoint.

Pre-watch rating: 7.5/10

5) Dagashi Kashi 2


Another show with a prequel. Is it me, or are animes this season having quite a few sequels of which I have watched none of? Might be a good thing, this anime doesn't look too promising witht e premise being slightly wacky and weird. The vibes that this anime gives off isn't too great. But I could be wrong. I'd love to be proven wrong.

6) Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-hen


Okay, I used to watch Cardcaptor Sakura way back when I didn't have the internet. That was a good 10-15 years ago. Not too sure what season I was watching, but it was on my local television channel and boy was it good. At that time at least. Not too sure if I'll watch this, because Cardcaptor Sakura has been around for a long time and I might have missed quite a lot in the years that I didn't watch this series. But I'll give it a shot!

Pre-watch rating: 7.75/10

7) Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan 2


Okay, this anime just looks plain weird. Not sure if its' going to be good, but it gives me the One Punch Man or Mob Psycho vibes. Given that this is a sequel, its' unlikely I'll ever touch this anime, unless its' critically acclaimed.

8) Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku


This looks like another harem-fantasy RPG-like anime. Not up my alley but given that some shows like this can be quite comedic and interesting, I might give it a watch to see if it manages to enthrall me in its' fantasy setting.

Pre-watch rating: 7.25/10

9) Darling in the FranXX


A Gundam and Aldnoah:Zero mecha-themed anime? I'm watching it for sure! Looks interesting and sci-fi mecha anime with all the deus-ex machina has always appealed to the extreme side of me, and hopefully this anime will live up to my perceived hype and deliver all the robotic violent goodness.

Pre-watch rating: 7.5/10

10) Koi wa Ameagari no You ni


This anime seems like its' going to touch on some socially sensitive issues about love: the age gap - how big is too big of a gap? While I can see this anime becoming a silent masterpiece if handled correctly, things could also turn out horribly if the anime fails to describe the awkwardness and possible conflict the main character might have, if this anime seeks to address such issues in a real manner rather than something out of an author's sick fantasy.

Pre-watch rating: 7/10

11) Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san


Being adapted from a manga, this anime proves to be something interesting. It might just be the Tsuki ga kirei (yes I love that show) of 2017 if done right. I haven't read the manga but I have high hopes for this slice-of-life school romance anime.

Pre-watch rating: 7.75/10

12) Beatless

Can I say that this anime looks a lot like the game Nier:Automata and similar related sci-fi mecha series? Here's hoping that it will have actual thrilling action rather than just degrading into a robotic love story, which may not necessarily be bad but mecha ain't mecha without good animation fight sequences.

Pre-watch rating: 7.25/10

13) Kokoku


The vibes that I'm getting from the plot synopsis and the poster can only mean two possible outcomes: total disaster or absolute genius. The premise seems interesting, but can quickly go down the drain of slippery slope arguments and warped logic morbid fantasy into a spiral of insanity. For all intents and purposes, I am hoping that this anime will bring something fresh to the table rather than be your average psychological, predictable anime. Let it not be the horror and incoherence that is Ousama Game (no offense to those to like Ousama Game, too twisted and convoluted for me).

Pre-watch rating: 7.5/10

14) Ito Junji: Collection

What can I say? This absolutely unnerves me. A collection of an author's works of horror can only mean short stories of fright and despair, which appeals to me because it should provide a glimpse into the author Ito Junji's mind. Horror can be jump scare cliche, but it can be Stephen King-level of scary. Hopefully it is the latter and not the former. Not hoping for much, might watch an episode or two.

Pre-watch rating: 7/10

15) Touken Ranbu: Hanmaru 2


Okay. I have never watched Touken Ranbu, so I can't give a rating or evaluation on this one, because it isn't a standalone anime. But I just have this feeling that it will fall into the realms of mediocrity and plain cliche fodder.

16) Yowamushi Pedal: Glory Line

Not a big sports-anime fan, the last one I watched was Days, and I didn't really enjoy it much. Whats more is that this is a sequel, which I guess should appeal to fans of Slam Dunk or cycling enthusiasts. Not my type of anime, so unlikely that I will pick it up, unless rave reviews pressure me to sneak a peek.

17) Ramen-Daisuki Koizumi San


Is this going to be the next Shoukugeki no Soma? Or is this going to descend into absolute chaos and become a trainwreck. Well, the poster seems enticing enough for me to watch at least one episode, if not all of it.

Pre-watch rating: 7.25/10

18) Mitsuboshi Colours


Looks like a happy show for happy people. Might skip this one unless people highly recommend it, the target audience seems like its' supposed to be for children ages 12 and under.

19) Yuru Camp△

Yuru Camp, or laid-back camp, seems to be your typical slice-of-life, chill story with two heroines camping out in the wilderness. Not expecting much from this anime, but I wouldn't be surprised if it offers a refreshing take on the overused premise of camping, outdoors and great adventure awaiting the protagonists. But again, not really expecting it to blow me out of the water. Rather, this anime seems more like what your might want to watch in-between other heavier, action-packed anime thise coming season as comic relief or just to unwind.

Pre-watch rating: 7.25/10

20) Gin no Guardian 2


Another sequel for an anime which I haven't watched the prequel, so I don't think I can give any rating on this one, might skip it for this season with all the other anime on my already filled plate.

Final Thoughts

Winter 2018 proves to be a season with some promising anime, others scandalous and even more mediocre-looking anime that I would drop in a heartbeat. While sequels abound as they always do for anime, most of the titles which I will be watching will mainly focus on single seasons, because for most of the titles I have not watched their prequels and hence cannot give a judgement on those. Not many heavy hitters (that I know of) which are airing this Winter, maybe a might be able to find a few diamonds in the rough this season.

Only time will tell.

Until next time,

Endblade

Anime Review: Just Because! - Vanilla or something more?

Hey there guys, Endblade here. Today we're going to be doing an in-depth review of the anime: Just Because! so do note that there may be minor spoilers up ahead, but nothing too major or plot revealing.

To start off, I have always wanted to do an in-depth review of an anime piece, just to give my thoughts on the various aspects of the anime from the animation, plot, setting and the character development, of which all four aspects are crucial in determining if said anime is going to be a big hit or a huge flop.

Spot all the characters!

Before I would like to go any further, I would like to say that this review is not sponsored, nor is it claiming any rights to any of the screenshots or pictures that I have taken from the anime, all such photo rights belong to the creators of Just Because! - Pine Jam studios and Sentai Filmworks, without which would not have been possible to create an original story not based not a light novel or manga.
Firstly, Just Because! is somewhat different because as mentioned above, it is a 'original' story not based on an adaptation of a popular manga or light novel. Such series rarely get greenlit by studios to air, notable recent exceptions include the 2017 hit romance anime - Tsuki ga kirei (The moon, so beautiful) and arguably one of my favourite anime titles to grace 2017.

Going back to the statement 'original' story - why did I place the word between inverted commas? Not surprisingly, this is related to the plot of the anime itself.

Plot
Simply put, the story revolves around a group of high-school students (yes, the cliche group of stereotypes that we have known and grown to love) in their final year of study before pursuing different careers or furthering their studies. Eita Izumi (blue-haired guy) is a transfer student who keeps changing schools due to his parents' work commitments, and he arrives back in the same neighborhood he grew up in middle school. Mio Natsume (red-haired girl) is the same age as Eita, and Eita has had a crush on her since meeting her in middle school (cliche much?) but Natsume of course is oblivious to such affection, because then there wouldn't be any story to develop.

It is your typical, slice-of-life student story with a love-triangle to spice things up. Well, is this that reveal considered a spoiler? I guess most romance genre anime feature some sort of variant of love-triangle relationship, so its' more of a standardized trope if anything else.

Just because its' overused doesn't mean it can't work (pun intended). And that sentence sums up the story of Just Because!, not something game-changing but tried-and-true plotlines which seem to tie themselves up easily. However, the ending is as cliche as it can get, and although it does tie the anime up well, it doesn't do the story justice with the amazing character development given to each character.

Some scenes may seem a little unrealistic with emotionally-charged dialogue that would most likely be impossible in reality, but certain scenes where awkwardness between characters like in the screenshot below which was taken in an episode where the group of friends were at an aquarium.

Such small snapshots help to convey the silent awkwardness between characters, and this brings me to the next point in my review: Character Development.

Eita (top right), Mio (bottom right), Haruto (top middle) and Morikawa (second from right)

 Character Development
What Just Because! does well is in the subtleties of conveying emotion. Not to the detailed extent of Tsuki ga Kirei, but well enough to show the tension between characters like the unspoken affection Eita has for Mio, and other relationships that blossom during the course of the anime's run.

All the characters have their own hobbies, likes and dislikes. This is not an anime where the characters are simple character tropes. One good example is the character Komiya, who loves photography. Her emotions and dedication is seen in her work and the photos she takes throughout the series serve to highlight her character - straightforward, loud and dedicated.

Komiya and her love for photography

It is this silent nod to individuality where we can see each character develop in their own way, overcoming their own individual fears and struggles. The middle of the anime was the best portion, because the development of each individual featured Eita, Mio and their group of friends using the group for their own selfish reasons, much like how sometimes people in reality do so in their own circle of friends.

While the main five characters - Komiya, Eita, Mio, Morikawa and Haruto are well-developed and unique in their own motivations and personality, what I felt could have been improved would be the supporting cast and side characters. Their classmates were introduced but treated like their entourage rather than actual supporting cast, and their personalities were not well-developed. It could have been the large number of main characters which left little time for the minor characters to be explored further.

When someone talks about how real the characters feel, it is only as real as the setting of the anime allows it to be. The less realistic the anime setting, the characters tend to be less human-like and more extreme in polarities, like how like in Gundam you have the good vs. evil comparison and characters that fall into the 'absolute good' or 'absolute evil' stereotypes. Another example is the aniem Classroom of the Elite, which feature an over-the-top school setting with even crazier, complex characters. It doesn't mean that such shows don't do well, because their genre in anime allows such setting and characters to flourish.

Setting

Eita and Haruto

Setting the stage in Just Because! is your typical school type of environment, nothing crazy or out-of-sorts in this anime or some anime that features an unpopular club with weird characters cliche (looking at you Oregairu and you Hyouka). But it does well in using hobbies as the focus of the anime. Photography and Baseball, two hobbies which feature greatly in Just Because! and for good reasons. Baseball is popular in Japanese schools, and photography, well you can never go wrong with photography.

Using such hobbies to set a realistic and approachable environment where we grow to learn about the characters and see the story develop helps immerse us into the story and leaves us wondering - could such a story be an actual romanticized retelling of some writer's school life? While far-fetched, such themes are real enough to merit such thought and Just Because's normal Tokyo life helps to cement the idea of such a story playing out in reality.

I would like to use this time to praise the use of music, the moments where slow music is apt in certain scenes to help build tension or establish emotion and the absence of music in parts of the anime when it is not needed is another good point of Just Because!

Animation

One weak point is the sub-par animation of certain scenes, and the animation in general seems less of the selling point of the anime but the smaller budget such series' are allocated speaks volumes here. While the other aspects of Just Because! are compelling enough to make it a decent anime, the animation (hence the name anime) pulls down the overall rating and while not comical or horrendous, the vanilla animation (which isn't much because this isn't an action flick) makes it a little less impressive.

Final Thoughts

Pondering and wondering

While Just Because! is no pioneer in the school or romance anime genre, it sticks to its' guns and produces a simple, albeit slightly overused plot but mixes in apt use of music and framing to create a sense of realism and gives the feel that it might be someone's actual past, retold in a slightly romanticized manner.

When my friend told me he was watching Just Because! and it gave him the feels that he wasn't able to celebrate New Years' in a festival setting (one of the episodes in the show), I realized that the show itself evoked a sense of longing yet nostalgia of times past unobtainable.

A good watch if you are looking for something simple and enjoyable, and maybe it might offer you a chance to reexamine your own life and past. Not for the type of person who doesn't like to watch something true-to-life (one of the closest anime will get to reality).

You can check out my updated anime watch list (with ratings) over here.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Until Next Time,

Endblade