Golden Time - revisit

Golden Time (ゴールデンタイム) is a 24 episode slice of life romance based on the light novel of the same name by Takemiya Yuyuko.  The anime originally aired between the Fall of 2013 and Spring of 2014.

    The original overview can be found here, I wanted to return to the series on the eve of its ten year anniversary to do a deeper dive into the story and reflect on it after all this time.

    Tada Banri has amnesia caused by an accident the day after high school graduation.  The stress of being in an environment that he has no attachment to, in which everyone knows a him that no longer exists, causes more pain than he wants to deal with.  After taking a year off for recovery he decides to attend college in Tokyo, wanting to start over with his new memories and personality.  He gets lost after orientation and runs into another lost student, Yanagisawa Mitsuo.  Yana is attending this college as a way to escape a girl he grew up with.  The girl named Kaga Koko comes from a wealthy family and has seen Yana as her destined life partner since elementary school.  Yana thought switching college without her knowing would save him from her one-sided affection.  Unfortunately, her resources and familial connections allow her to learn his plans.  Koko follows him, enrolled in same major, crushing his efforts to keep her at a distance.  Banri is introduced to the aggressive woman when she arrives by taxi so slap Yana with a bouquet of roses.  She is also in their first lecture along with a strange girl named Oka Chinami.  As his first day comes to an end he becomes surrounded by aggressive school club recruiters only to be saved by a member of the Japanese Festival Culture Research Society club, calling herself Linda.

    Because of his friendship with Yana, Koko continues to inject herself into Banri's space.  She is desperate to spend her life with Yana, who avoids her as much as he can.  Banri notices that Koko is an empty shell outside of her feelings for Yana, with no friends and no real direction in life.  He tries to help her adjust to life as a college student, top grow beyond her feelings for Yona, encouraging her to try out for a club and meet new people.  They get tricked into attending a seminar for a religious cult, under the guise of it being a school club.  Once the truth of the seminar is exposed Banri sacrifices himself to let everyone else leave.  He talks about his attraction to their message due to his current issues with insomnia.  It works and the others are allowed to leave, except Koko decides to stay with him.  Afraid of what might happen if both of them stay any longer they make a daring escape in the middle of the night, fleeing into the surrounding woods.  After some time of stumbling through the secluded area, hoping to come across their colleges nearby seminar house, they stumble into Linda and the rest of her club, making it to safety.  Yana finds his resolve and decides to reject Koko once and for all, to help rid himself of her overbearing presence and because he is developing feelings for Oka.  Koko finally understands that her affection is unwanted and clings to Banri in her depression.  Their time together leads to her shifting her neediness to him, in lieu of Yana, forcing him to be her friend.

    Koko and Banri decide to join Linda's club, in part due to their dramatic rescue from the cult. Koko urges Banri to not reject the part of him that is lost due his amnesia, to stop trying to run away from things.  He thinks she may be right and returns home, finding a scrapbook with a picture of him from high school...with Linda.  Banri confronts Linda about their past together, she admits that they were best friends in school and kept it hidden from him in fear of causing undo strain.  He is confused by what their relationship really was and chooses to hide this from Koko, who he is growing more attached to.  Unfortunately Koko is not able to let go of her feelings for Yana.  This causes stress on Banri, who wants more than just friendship from her.  He confronts her about both of their feelings and they decide to begin dating instead of staying away from each other.  Banri learns that he was in the accident due to waiting on a desolate bridge for Linda to answer him when he confessed his love for her.  Linda has been struggling with guilt about being late to meet with him and hiding her true feelings in the present.  Banri doesn't want to cause unwanted strain on his relationship with Koko, so chooses to continue to hide his past selves feelings for Linda from her, feelings that are beginning to invade his new life.

    It doesn't take long for Koko to suspect there is more between Banri and Linda than either admit and confronts him about it.  His internal struggle has grown to the point where he's actively avoiding Linda, fearing for a return to his older self.  He fears that if his lost memories and emotions return he will leave Koko for Linda, his old memories replacing his new memories.  He doesn't want to return to the life he doesn't remember, fearing the pain it would cause the woman the current version of himself loves.  At the same time Koko is concerned with her own worth and if she is really good enough for Banri, while also struggling with the idea of him leaving her when his memories return.  Linda struggles with her feelings for the past and present versions of Banri but tries to stay out of his way, wanting to move forward after loosing her best friend once.  Two Banri's exist, Linda is attached to the old version and Koko to the new.  If one of them disappears completely will either woman be able to continue as they currently do?

    I watched this series as it aired back in 2013-2014 and greatly enjoyed it at the time.  Unfortunately Golden Time suffers under the shadow of the much loved predecessor, Toradora.  Toradora is a great series and it's fantastic its had such a lasting legacy of affection from Western anime fans.  Golden Time in the end is a better story and deserves more attention.  Both stories are similar in nature, slice of life romances with some comedic elements and some complex characters that travel the range of emotions through out their stories.  Some characters in both stories share similar traits and motivations.  Koko shares quite a few character traits with Taiga.  Linda and Oka are similar in many ways with Minori.  Nijigen is similar to Kitamura.  Banri and Ryuji are both possessed with an overwhelming sense of compassion for those around them, selfless and sincere.  The two things that set Golden Time apart from Toradora is the characters struggles with adulthood and Banri's struggle with his health.  The characters in Golden Time are more willing to communicate with each other, even though they choose to keep some of their thoughts hidden.  Different from many romance stories, where the entire goal is to have the main couple finally get together, Koko and Banri become a couple early on in the story.  The 'will they won't they' plot line is largely replaced with the tension of Banri's old memories and current memories colliding, threatening to put everything into question.

    In the end this is a really good romance series with multi dimensional characters, each flawed in their own way.  It breaks free of many of the tropes found in high school romances, focusing on emotional dynamics, ushered largely by the semi-super natural aspects of Banri's amnesia.  Banri hides his past from many of the people around him and buries his deeper fears from everyone, suffering alone.  Koko struggles with her own lack of self worth.  Linda struggles with the regrets of her past with Banri and tries to force herself to move on, while still trying to be a reliable friend.  Their interwoven story rises and falls as Banri and Koko grow closer, resolved to forge a new destiny between themselves, leaving their past behind...or more running away from their past, not wanting to dwell upon the pain.

 Golden Time has been available since it first aired in North America, it is currently streaming in sub and dub on HIDIVE.   

Wave, Listen To Me!

 Wave, Listen To Me! (波よ聞いてくれ) is a 12 episode slice of life comedy based on the manga of the same name by Samura Hiroaki.  The anime originally aired in the Spring of 2023.

     Koda Minare unloads on a stranger in a bar after a messy break up, pouring her soul into the air as she tries to rationalize her hatred for the man that took advantage of her.  While recovering from her hangover during work at a specialty curry shop the next day she hears her drunken ramblings on the radio station playing in the background.  In a fit of rage Minare abandons her job, speeding to the offending broadcast location.  With the man from the bars business card in hand, she forces her way into the broadcast room to express her anger and intention to sue.  The man, Mato Kanetsugu, confidently shows her the release she agreed to while inebriated, granting permission for use of the recording as he sees fit.  Sensing something interesting in the crazed woman he lets her go live during the current broadcast to comment on her drunken recording.  After a moment of hesitation, Minare throws her self into the opportunity and unleashes a revenge fuel tirade full of clarity and conviction.  Her impromptu performance impresses Mato enough to suggest she consider starting a career as a radio broadcaster.  Unsure what to think about his offer she heads back to finish her shift at the restaurant.

    The restaurant continued playing the radio station in the background, allowing everyone to hear her rant.  Beyond the people there at the time, frequent customers recognized Minare's distinct voice and began to flood the internet with comments about her and the restaurant.  Due to his insecurities, the restaurants owner tells her she will be out of a job in a few weeks because he can't let her fame overshadow his efforts.  Minare finds herself on the doorstep of destitution and crawls back to Mato, desperate for any form of employment.  He agrees to bring her on as a radio talent but its not exactly a situation that will guarantee financial security.  What Mato has in mind is a twnety minute block in the middle of the night once a week in which the format is completely open.  He sees the spirit of a past comedian in her and wants to push her to the limit of releasing that energy into the world, viewing her as a play thing for his own amusement.  She is less than confident in accomplishing anything as she finds herself penniless and living on the floor of Mato's assistant director, struggling with how to do the radio program.  Not a good place for a single woman in her late 20's to be.  Perhaps if she can successfully focus that desperate frustration into weekly ranting something may come of this strange opportunity.

    Samura-sensei is well known for the epic samurai manga he wrote and drew for almost twenty years, Blade of the Immortal.   Wave, Listen To Me! is as far away from that series as one could get without doing a yonkoma.  The previous work is a dark and highly detailed story about revenge and savagery, this story, which is still ongoing in manga form, is a grounded slice of life industry piece about eccentric personalities bumbling through life.  Minare is independent, full of spite and absolutely unsure about anything going on around her.  She doesn't hold anything back when talking to anyone, regardless of how well she knows them.  This quality alone is what perked Mato's interest, who himself has no idea what he wants her to do, keeping as hands free in her creative journey as possible.  The story isn't only about Minare, but the assortment of other characters primarily interact with her and her story, instead of building their own isolated plot lines.  From the odd personalities associated with the curry restaurant she continues to work at, despite being fired once and the staff at the radio station who randomly assist in her program.  Small plots not directly related to Minare do appear but do little to progress the story one way or the other.

    The story meanders through its course with no clear goal other than Minare attempting to make enough of an impact with her program to keep doing it.  With only having read the first issue of the manga a few years earlier I can't tell how faithful the anime is, but it feels incredibly incomplete at this point.  The majority of the story was dedicated to set up for the concept and the personalities that orbit Minare, but nothing more than that.  Despite the lack of order and goal in narration, I found myself immediately drawn into the story and the characters.  Minare is bigger than life and absolutely unhinged.  Everyone else, while a bit odd, don't seem out of place or unnatural in their behavior and motivations.  The characters are all easy to like and recognize.  Samura's artwork in his seminal series is some of the best out there.  I don't recall the level of detail in manga for Wave but the animation seems to have been toned down a bit.  Not the best quality but its hard to imagine a title like this getting a lot of funding.  I'm grateful the anime was made and the pessimist in me thinks it did its job.  The commercial worked, I want to get back to the manga and dive into the world of absurdity that is Minare and her unstructured attempts at becoming a radio personality.  There has to be more story right?

    The anime is currently available for streaming on Crunchyroll in Japanese with subtitles.  The manga was available for a while on Crunchyroll's manga section and I am unsure where it may reside currently in digital form/

Remake Our Life!

 Remake Our Life! (ぼくたちのリメイク) is a 12 episode anime based on the light novel series of the same name by Kio Nachi.  The anime originally aired over the Fall of 2021.

     Hashiba Kyouya struggles working in the video game industry.  After returning home when the company he works for went bankrupt and he looses his job he finds another job with a bigger company, only to have the team he was on dissolved and fired.  Living again at his parents house, almost in his thirties with zero prospects for the future he wishes he could go back and redo his life, hoping to see some portion of success the top creators of his generation have.  He struggles with the 'easy' direcion he choose when people his age have become pillars of creativity in the field.  Somehow, perhaps due to the stress of failure, he wakes up in the morning to find himself living ten years ago, as he is about to choose which college he will attend.  Unsure about whats going on, he recognizes the opportunity to redo his life, armed with the knowledge and experience of the past ten years.  He chooses to enroll in the art college, willing to keep his fears at bay, looking towards a successful future.  While attending school he moves into a shared house with three other students; timid Shino Aki, head strong Kogure Nanako and composed Rokuonji Tsurayuki.  All four of them are enrolled in the same department and agree to work as a team, with their success in college a priority.

    As time goes on and the four co-eds grow closer Kyouya realizes that each of them is one of the big talents he admires the most in the future.  Aki is his favorite graphic artist, Nanako is a successful singer and Tsurayuki is a well regarded author.  Kyouya decides that he will do everything he can to help his new friends succeed in the careers he knows they will have.  With his understanding of the future and his experience in the adult world he is able to be the strength the group needs when they encounter problems with their school work or personal projects.  Those around him begin to marvel at his ability to succeed and his ability to instill confidence in everyone around him.  As time goes on he begins to notice that his influence on the creators he admires begins to change them in unexpected ways.  He is unsure if this new path will negatively affect the future he fondly recalls.  With the gift he has been given at a second chance to redo his life as an adult is he setting his future up for bigger failure, dragging others along with, crushing them with his own arrogance?

    I wasn't sure what to expect going into this series, watching it on a whim more than anything.  Since I had zero expectations I was overwhelmed by the story.  I'm a sucker for time travel and stories about redoing your past in particular.  In some ways it felt like an isekai, due to the way Kyouya approached his redo and his incredible confidence and drive.  'Reborn In My College Years After Failing In The Game Industry' may have been a better title.  But, this really isn't an isekai based on standard definitions.  The story hits all the right notes when it comes to a redo time skip fantasy.  Kyouya's character though seemed a bit too much with his humble persona.  Though, if he was cocky and manipulative that would have made for a worse story and worse character.  The story is sweet and fun in the end, with a group of passionate friends who are trying to make their way in life...except one of them has already has a ten year start.

    The artwork and character designs are nothing special, standard middle of the road fare for current anime.  The characters fit into nicely defined tropes but the genuine realism of the story kept their more absurd qualities at bay.  There were a few dips into romance tropes that felt forced and out of place but ultimately didn't impact the story.  Underneath it all there is a simmering romance that becomes a focal point later in the story, but explaining anything would actually ruin a fun twist in the second part of the anime.  Over all, I really enjoyed this story and will need to track down the light novel series as well, to see what was left out...and perhaps get to spend some more time with these characters that I quickly grew to enjoy.  This was a fun series with the first episode being almost three times the normal length, building a lot of the needed set up, not unlike Oshi no Ko.

     The anime is currently available in sub and dub on Crunchyroll.

Sing 'Yesterday' For Me

 Sing 'Yesterday' For Me (イエスタデイをうたって) is a 12 episode slice of live dramatic romance based on the manga of the same name by Toume Kei.  The anime adaptation originally aired in the Spring of 2020.

    Uozumi Rikuo has failed in life, or better yet, not attempted to do anything with it since graduating college.  He finds himself working part time at a convenience store, unsure what to do with himself.  A strange girl named Nonaka Haru begins to stalk him at his job, annoying him with her persistence and energy.  Rikuo is perpetually depressed and resigned to his own lack of ambition so the spunky teenager annoys him every time she shows up.  His life becomes complicated when his friend from college and the woman he was unable to express his love for returns to Tokyo for work.  Morinome Shinako had rejected him before he was able to express his feelings, when she told him she would be returning to her home of Kanagawa after graduation.  Instead she has accepted a teaching position in Tokyo and has returned to his life.

    Haru had dropped out of high school and for a short time, Shinako was one of her teachers.  She lives on her own and works part time for a cafe and bar.  She realizes that Rikuo has feelings for her old teacher so challenges the older woman for his affection.  Haru had run into Rikuo before he entered college in a chance encounter and had been struck with strong feelings for him.  She has been able to cross his path in the following years, unknown to him and has taken advantage of his job at the convenience store near her work to see him more frequently.  Rikuo has no interest in the quirky girl, instead renewing his efforts to express his love for Shinako.  Shinako is unable to return those feelings, burdened with love for a childhood friend who passed away while they were in high school.  Her feelings for him and the power of his loss overwhelm her, leaving her unwilling to grow close to anyone, clinging onto her past.  To further complicate the matter, the dead boys younger brother has moved to Tokyo for college prep and is trying to make Shinako understand his feelings for her.

     This is a hell of a love triangle+ drama, which might have been better served as a live action series, which surprisingly does not exist.  To recap the way the emotions travel; Rikuo loves Shinako.  Shinako loves a dead boy.  The dead boys younger brother loves Shinako.  Haru loves Rikuo and was a student of Shinako's for a brief period of time.  Everyone opens up to the object of their affection causing most of the tension in the story.  No one is willing to relent in their emotions.  What complicates things is Shinako's desire to not push Rikuo away, even though she is unable to return his affection.  Haru realizes that she is, at best, the fall back option and struggles with being able to accept that position if Rikuo ever develops feelings for his young stalker.  Uncertainty and personal doubt force the characters into large states on inaction, perhaps needlessly dragging out the story.  As it nears its conclusion we do begin to see some resolution but I am not sure if audiences are receptive to the way things pan out in the end.

    The animation isn't bad for a slice of life drama, so don't expect much in the way of details and dynamic directing.  The character designs work well for the story and their expressiveness helps to convey their feelings well.  This is a subdued and monotone story however, lacking an opening theme to distract from the air of depression and tension.  The only character that doesn't continually exhibit a subdued existence is Haru, who is labeled as strange and out of the ordinary.  The story is told from the perspective of the main characters but Rikuo does feel like the primary focus, with the two women orbiting him as expansions of his story.  In the end the anime was worth the time but might have been better served as a live action drama.

     The anime simulcast and is available in Japanese or English on Crunchyroll.

The Tunnel of Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes

 The Tunnel of Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (夏へのトンネル、さよならの出口) is a slice of life drama feature length film based on the light novel of the same name by Hachimoku Mei.  The movie had its original theatrical release in September of 2022.  

    Touno Kaoru heads home one rainy day to find a girl he doesn't know waiting at the train station.  He notices she is already soaked and trying desperately to protect a package in her arms.  He offers her his umbrella for the rest of her journey but she refuses him, acting cold towards his generosity.  He presses it upon her and she reluctantly agrees to take it, sharing contact information so she can return it.  The next day he discovers that the girl, Hanashiro Anzu, is a new transfer student in his class.  Anzu doesn't particularly make friends easily with anyone in the class though.  That night Kaoru is startled by his father spilling his food on the floor in a drunken rage.  His dad, already upset, begins to blames Kaoru for the death of his younger sister, Karen, and wishes that he could trade his life for hers.  Fearing for his safety and sanity Kaoru runs out of the house and into the night, wandering the train tracks.

    After escaping an oncoming train, he discovers a tunnel in the side of the hill, finding himself drawn to it.  The tunnel leads to a pathway lines with strange illuminated trees.  He thinks of a legend he has heard about a tunnel that will grant you anything you want in exchange for one hundred years of your life.  As he wades further into the grove he sees a child's sandal floating among the fallen leaves, with his sisters name written on the sole.  He also encounters a bird, eerily similar to one he had when he was younger that had died.  Afraid of what these objects may mean he quickly heads to the entrance, leaving the mysterious tress behind him.  He returns home to find out he has been gone for a week, causing his father and his classmates distress.  The tunnels price seems to be a dilation of time for those that enter it.  He returns to it the following day, after school, determined to use it to bring his sister back to life.

    He is interrupted before he can return though by Anzu, who had followed him in secret to the entrance.  He explains what he believes it to be and she convinces him that they will use it together, to achieve their wishes as a team.  Anzu convinces him that they should study the effects of the tunnel more before committing to their plan, slowly testing its boundaries and limitations, working to understand how it works in a rational sense.  Kaoru is determined to return his lost sister but what does Anzu want?  Are either of them ready to remove themselves from the outside world for years at a time to obtain their desires?

    After all of these years it is interesting to see how much Shinkai Makoto and Hosoda Mamoru have influenced other creators.  On the surface that influence is noticeable in the art style and character designs.  The movie was produced by a studio I am unfamiliar with but highly welcome called CLAP, who also did some work on Hosoda's last film Belle.  The artwork is excellent and pleasing to the eye, with a good sense of directing and exposition.  The story begins slow, unpacking the tragic backgrounds of its characters casually.  As it neared it's climax I was concerned that it wouldn't resolve in a fashion worthy of the slow build up.  I wasn't sure exactly what direction it would end and it made me anxious.  Not for the fate of the characters but for the fate of the movie as a whole.  The culmination of the build could collapse into a poorly executed conclusion that would wipe this movie from memory.  But...it held on and the conclusion was done in a way that tugged at the emotions and made the earlier parts of the movie have more weight to them.  I feared it would die in a whimper, but instead it coasted into an end that would make one recommend it to others.

    Over all the movie was beautiful but the characters were too self absorbed and moody, just like typical edgy teenagers.  Kaoru and Anzu don't live the most ideal lives but their willingness to throw everything away seems a bit too much...then again they are teenagers, prone to rashness and emotional instability.  The story was worth the time and now I will have to hunt down the original story to see what details were left out...or if there was a bit more beyond where the movie ends.  But over all it was enjoyable and well done, even if it shares some similarities with some of Shinkai's earlier works.

    As of the writing of this review the movie is in the process of being released in North America, but its unknown how long it will take.  I suspect there may be a short theatrical run, if so, this is a good movie to see on a date night!

Update: As of January 2024, the movie had seen a short theatrical run in North America late in the year and is currently streaming on HiDive.

The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya - light novel

 The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya (涼宮ハルヒの溜息) is the second volume in the Haruhi light novel series.  It was written by Tanigawa Nagaru with illustrations by Ito Noizi.  This second volume was originally released in Japan in 2003 and in English in 2009.

Click here to read the synopsis of the first volume, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. This series is 20 years old at this point, but spoilers follow.

     Six months have passed since Kyon was able to convince Haruhi to keep the world intact.  He's still not sure what is really happening but is more open to the idea of supernatural things existing in proximity to him.  After of summer filled with antics and instability at the hands of the brigades leader, Kyon tries to settle into a boring second semester.  Unfortunately for the members of the SOS Brigade, Haruhi suddenly wants to make a movie for the clubs submission to the upcoming school culture festival.  There are a few problems with her plan; the student council has not officially recognized the existence of their club, wishing to let sleeping dogs lie instead of outright rejecting Haruhi.  No one has any experience with making a movie nor access to the needed equipment.  The biggest hurdle though, is Haruhi herself, who is moving forward purely on a fleeting idea and self righteousness.  As usual, she charges head first into the task, assigning Asahina as the lead, Yuki as the antagonist and Koizumi as the love interest.  Haruhi brands herself the director, producer and writer.  Kyon is tasked with everything else, camera operation, editing, general errand boy and lackey.

    Haruhi doesn't let anything get in her way and starts off by convincing local businesses to supply her with the needed items for free, in exchange for advertising plugs in the film, featuring Asahina as the spokesperson.  Once the camera and a few props are gathered she makes the group set off on a series of random filming sessions, with Asahina clad in an embarrassing waitress uniform.  Kyon continues to pry the plot from Haruhi but she waves him off with her enthusiasm.  Claiming Asahina is a time traveling waitress from the future who is sent back to fight Yuki's character who happens to be a magic user from space and is saved by a boy she falls in love with, an ESPer portrayed by Koizumi.  The only person concerned with how close her movies synopsis is to the real thing is Kyon, with the others showing little concern for how much of reality Haruhi truly understands.  Their biggest concern is when Haruhi's latent abilities begin to manifest themselves over the course of filming, causing issues with how reality operates.  Not wanting to incur her wrath, the three supernatural observers do everything they feel is needed to ensure the film is finished and reality doesn't deviate from the norm.  A fickle god is a hard thing to please after all.  Kyon is not convinced and struggles with allowing themselves to so obediently be dragged along by her fantasies.

     The second volume is covered in the anime by episode 11 of season 1 and episode's 11 through 14 of season 2.  The story is pretty straightforward and filled mostly with Kyon's internal dialogue.  Koizumi continues to stress Kyon's importance to Haruhi, even if he denies she has any special feelings for him.  He doesn't want to be responsible for her stability and restraint, instead strongly desiring Asahina to be the object of his affection.  Asahina, well aware of the dangers of Haruhis' jealousy, does everything she can to prevent misunderstandings and appease the fickle god.  Kyon struggles with the abuse that she lays upon Asahina's shoulders, internally protecting her, while sitting by and letting it happen.  The continuation of Kyon willing to let Haruhi abuse Asahina purely so he can see her in revealing outfits and situations does a lot to paint him as a terrible person.  He would rather sit around and put minimal effort into things, wishing to not be involved in anything troubling.  I've always enjoyed Kyon as a character but the light novels put him in a different perspective.  It's not that he doesn't change his behavior between versions but his motivations and behavior are more apparent in the books.  He's actually a rather despicable character and the way he uses Asahina is deplorable.  Haruhi continues as she has the entire time, self centered and head strong.  

    This part and another upcoming shorter segment are parts of the overall story I am rather bored of, so it was a bit of a chore to get through this novel.  However, it's done and that much closer to brand new stories that didn't get animated.  Next though, the randomness of the summer prior to this segment in the Fall...and the story arc I absolutely despise.   Can you guess what arc that is which brings me such displeasure?

Next up, volume 3, The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - light novel

  The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱) is the first volume of the slice of life fantasy series that spawned the franchise of the same name.  The novel was written by Tanigawa Nagaru with illustrations by Ito Noizi.  This first volume was originally released in Japan in 2003 and in English in 2009.

    Yes, we are all familiar with Haruhi, as it's now one of the classic/icon anime franchises, but, with it's 20th anniversary and a sudden urge to ingest light novels, here, finally, is a breakdown of said novels.

     Kyon is a typical first year high school student who regrets some of the choices he has made, particularly his choice of North High, which requires him to hike up a steep hill each morning.  Unfortunately for him, the unplanned exercise regime is not his biggest regret of his high school life.  That would be the beauty seated behind him in class, Suzumiya Haruhi.  Why would a healthy, normal high school boy regret being near a desirable girl all day long?  Calling Haruhi eccentric wouldn't do her personality justice.  When she opens her mouth to say anything her other attributes; beauty, intelligence, athleticism, are utterly destroyed.  Haruhi does not keep her opinions to herself and when she chooses to engage with anyone verbally it comes out in a torrent of abrasive conviction.  She understands exactly what she wants from encounters with those around her and will quickly push them aside if they aren't able to provide her with anything useful.  Her natural mode of existence is aggravation and contempt for everyone and everything around her.  Her personal communication skills aren't exactly the biggest problem though.  The thing that truly sets her apart from her peers and isolates her is her undying obsession with things that are out of the ordinary.  Particularly she is only interested in the unnatural, specifically; aliens, time travelers and people with ESP.  She makes this fact very clear when she introduces herself to the class on the first day of school, setting a strong tone from the very beginning.  Kyon, against his better judgement, can't let her lie and finds himself continuing to engage her as the days go by.  This obsessed and unique girl itches at his brain in a way he can't help but scratch, even if he realizes its a bad idea.

    As all of the first year students begin to settle into their life in high school, Haruhi remains agitated and restless.  She demands stimulation from her surroundings and is not finding a sufficient level of it.  She has participated in most if not all of the after school clubs in an attempt to satisfy her needs, but none of them come close to meeting her expectations.  The last thing she wants to be is mundane and standard.  She is angry that the world around her is trying to force her to be just that.  In an offhand remark, that Kyon will probably regret for the rest of his days, he suggests that she start her own club since none meet her rigid standards.  In a flurry of excitement she does just that, dragging him into her plans.  She quickly commandeers the mostly abandoned club space for the literary club, who's sole member, the emotionless book worm Nagato Yuki, agrees to go along with.  With considering herself, Kyon and the pliant Nagato part of the unnamed club, they are still two members short from being able to apply for official status.  When Kyon presses her for details about what the club is supposed to be about, the name she chooses provides him the answer.  SOS Brigade (Spreading excitement all Over the world with Haruhi Suzumiya Brigade).  What exactly does that mean?  Whatever catches Haruhi's attention, but mostly devoted to her search of the supernatural.  She quickly kidnaps a fourth member, second year beauty Asahina Mikuru.  Asahina is easily flustered, child like in stature and well endowed, leading Haruhi toher, claiming every good story needs its doe eyed buxom loli.  To further push the realm of decency, Haruhi frequently assaults Asahina, forcing her to wear alluring costumes to enhance her appeal.  Kyon both regrets the abuse and appreciates the results, conflicted between trying to protect the scared upper classman and absorbing his sexual fantasies.  All that is left is a fifth member, but Haruhi is displeased with the level of normalcy she has encountered, even with the formation of her club.  The final member arrives in the form of a 'mysterious' transfer student who has come to the school well into the first semester. Said transfer student, Koizumi Itsuki, is more than willing to join Haruhi's band of misfits, joining with a calm smile stretched across his face.  With that, the SOS Brigade can officially apply for club status and begin their mission of...entertaining Haruhi's whim.

      Things are not as they seem though and one by one the forcibly recruited members confide in Kyon that there is nothing normal taking place in his suddenly hectic school life.  Nagato tells him that she is an artificially created being that serves as a point of interaction with humans for a pure data being scattered across the universe...an alien.  Asahina tells Kyon that she is not from this timeline and is from a unnamed future time period of which she can not divulge any information about...a time traveler.  Koizumi informs Kyon that he is part of a wide spread organization of people with ESP...wrapping up the three things that Haruhi declared she wanted to meet on the first day of school.  Kyon of course does not believe anything until each of them, in turn, demonstrates some truth behind their claims.  All three represent groups that are focused on observing and trying to 'control' Haruhi.  Everything stems from an unknown anomaly three years in the past, when Haruhi was a first year middle school student, in which everything changed.  The change is unknown but all information points to her being the catalyst of that change.  What is understood or perhaps more appropriately theorized, is that Haruhi has the ability to bend reality to her will.  That ability seems to be tied to her subconscious and emotional state and she herself is unaware of this ability.  All three groups; alien, time traveler and ESPer, are desperately trying to understand the girl at the center of the universe and prevent her from altering it beyond recognition.  At the center of her attention and emotional state is Kyon, much to his annoyance and confusion.  All three groups have provided observers to be close to Haruhi and help guide Kyon to subtly sway her erratic behavior, for fear of her resetting the world and wiping everything away on a whim.

    OK, the first volume covers the first six episodes of the TV series in Haruhi Order.  The characters are all introduced, explain their specialty to Kyon and provide proof.  Nagato ends up saving Kyon from her backup companion, class rep Asakura Ryoko, who attempts to kill Kyon to make Haruhi do something drastic.  An older version of Asahina pays Kyon a visit to help convince him she is a time traveler and Koizumi takes Kyon to see his organization battle a manifestation of Haruhi's destructive subconscious in an alternate space.  This culminates with Haruhi beign angry, in a fit of jealousy over Asahina being too close to Kyon, where both Haruhi and Kyon find themselves in one of the closed spaces, with the world in danger of being erased.  Through guidance by Nagato and Koizumi, Kyon convinces Haruhi to return the world to normal through a kiss.  This sets up the overall premise of the franchise that Kyon, a perfectly normal human of no exceptional abilities, is the thing that interested Haruhi the most.  She has fallen in love with him but in incapable of expressing those emotions, so she continues to brute her way through reality, trying desperately to bend it to her will.  Unknown to her, she is bending reality to her will and everyone is using her feelings for Kyon to limit those changes.  Kyon on the other hand isn't sure what her true feelings are and isn't ready to accept anything like affection for himself.  Even though he struggles with her abuse and erratic behavior he begins to relish the unique position her finds himself in.  He is surrounded by supernatural beings, experiencing mind altering events and isn't willing to tell anyone about any of it, for the simple fact none of it is believable.  He is uncomfortable with being gods' minder and struggles with what would happen if Haruhi understood the incredible things happening around them, things she is largely the genesis of.   

     It's good to finally get into this light novel series, I have been a huge fan of the anime since about midway through the original season, having a false start with it and dismissing it as trash.  To me the movie that caps the anime is one of the most enjoyable anime movies I have ever watched and usually view it once every year, all three hours of enjoyment!  The anime so far does a pretty good job of being faithful to the original source material, so much that I can vividly recall the characters voices in many parts.  It will be fun to move through the series that exists in animated form and beyond to stories I am not familiar with.  So what better time than the franchises twentieth anniversary!  Enough gushing, this one didn't end up being much of a review just a synopsis of something that most readers are already intimately familiar with.  Onto book two...

Rascal Does Not Dream Of A Nightingale - light novel

         Rascal Does Not Dream Of A Nightingale (青春ブタ野郎はナイチンゲールの夢を見ない) is the eleventh volume of the Rascal Does Not Dream light novels written by Kamoshida Hajime featuring artwork by Mizogushi Keeji.  The eleventh volume was originally release in 2020 and in English in 2023.     

    The following synopsis may spoil some aspects of the first ten novels in the Rascal Does Not Dream series, if you do not want to ruin those stories stop reading until you have.  

Book Ten: Rascal Does Not Dream Of A Lost Singer review here!

     At the end of the previous volume Sakuta encounters the mysterious singer Kirishima Touko, who claims to have given Uzuki her episode of 'adolescent syndrome' along with many more people across Japan.  She specifically tells him about one person, Akagi Ikumi, of which she has imparted a 'gift' to.  This makes Sakuta uneasy as Ikumi is a girl he went to middle school with and also ran into at the beginning of the year.  She is attending the nursing school at his college but he has not seen her since the entrance ceremony.  As he tries to track her down to discover what is happening, he learns of a strange hashtag floating on the internet tied to prophecies.  People are posting vivid prophetic dreams on the internet using the hashtag.  Sakuta spots Ikumi during Halloween and witnesses her utilize one of these dream hashtags to prevent a young girl from being hurt.

    He finds her at school and is able to confront her about her actions related to the hashtags and her overwhelming sense of justice.  Once her secret is out she experiences a strange attack, something unseen, assaulting her while Sakuta watches in disbelieve.  Through a wager, she encourages Sakuta to dig into their past together to understand why she is putting her own self in danger to save strangers based on vague visions on the internet.  Unfortunately, his memories of middle school are repressed and forgotten, a victim of he and Kaede's initial bout of 'adolescent syndrome'.  He struggles to remember if they had any real interactions beyond being classmates and understands that her over powering self righteous behavior may be the cause of her current turmoil.  Lingering regret over being unwilling or unable to help Sakuta in middle school, when his world was collapsing around him.  But he doesn't think that is the reality of her wager and has to dig deep into his past to grab anything that may shed light on her before she ends up destroying herself..

 

    This volume felt quite short compared to others and the story was very focused.  I wasn't able to fully recognize the truth, but I was partially right.  But by the end, through exposition and dialogue, the reader is well aware of what is going on and the course moving forward is still building to an encounter that will define the overall college arc.  Things are definitely getting interesting as actions taken in past volumes are beginning to ripple into the future of the story.

    This volume puts me in a weird spot.  I am caught up with the English language releases and this was written the day after it was announced that the world of Sakuta is very near its completion, more than likely with volume 14, so it's bitter sweet and frustrating as well.  I will have to wait a few months to review the next volume and also be that much closer to being done with these characters that I have grown so attached to.  Either way, the college arc has proven to be quite strong over its course.  There was some undeniable supernatural activity in this volume but the presence of 'adolescent syndrome' remains an ephemeral thing, opposed to the high school arc where it was front and center.  Its great that the narration continues to check back on the lesser characters, to update the reader on their growth...though we do need to spend more time with Kaede, she's been severely neglected these past few books.

Book Twelve: Rascal Does Not Dream Of His Student review..

Summer 2023 New Anime First Impressions

The new anime have all had their premiers, at least the ones I had my eye on.  Here is a first impression of those first episodes.

The Dreaming Boy Is A Realist

    Wataru is utterly obsessed with the beauty of his class and grade, Aika.  He is also confident enough to tell her he loves her...again and again and again.  She keeps rejecting him, to the point of being annoyed with his stalker like behavior.  His actions are so common the student body thinks of him as her stalker as well.  After one failed attempt at winning her over he suddenly realizes what he is doing is wrong.  He is now working to not bother Aika, understanding she is not interested in him, instead choosing to be her champion, fighting for hr success in school.  But could this sudden lack of attention cause Aika to reconsider hr feelings for the stalker?

    While this isn't the typical story of blooming young love where everyone is anxious and unwilling to properly communicate, swinging it into the opposite end of the spectrum isn't really enough to overcome this first episodes short comings.  The writing staff crams a large amount of exposition into the episode while at the same time they progress the plot, introducing a competitor for Wataru's affection.  The dialogue between the characters is rather hollow and forced.  On top of that, the animation and character designs are subpar for 2023.  Like, really really terrible artwork and animation quality.  I am not sure how long this one will stick around, its going to really have to wow me by episode three before it sees the bin.

The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses

    Kaede is in love with the girl next to him, bespectacled and aloof Ai.  While he spends as much time as he can drinking in her beauty, she has no idea she is being watched.  At times she forgets her glasses at school, causing her to focus even harder in class due to their position in the back of the room and her terrible eyesight.  These times when she is the most forgetful allows Kaede to become closer to the girl of his dreams.

    On the surface, pretty straightforward plot concept.  More of a one trick pony akin to Tonari no Seki-kun and Aharen-san wa Hakaranai.  Its uncertain how long the series can keep it fresh with this flimsy premise, but what it has going for it is the character design.  Unlike the previous entry, this one has some really nice artwork...unless there's movement involved.  The character detail is crisp and clean, with an impossible attention to hair movement.  The problem comes in when things are in full motion.  You can really see the movement algorithms in place on scenes when background characters are moving about.  Its quite unnatural and jerky at times.  This is also enhanced with some interesting perspective choices, particularly the opening sequence of Kaede walking to school, giving his background information.  You can definitely tell they are trying to cut corners and arn't doing well to make it work.  Hopefully they get that sorted out before long, because it is a really nice looking series...when nothing is in full motion.  That hair though...they gotta tone down the wind effects!

Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout

    Ryza is a girl full of more energy than her isolated island can contain.  She is annoyed with her bucolic existence and seeks to venture into the greater world.  She convinces her friends to join her on a secret excursion to the nearest land outside of their island.  They learned that they are unprepared when they struggle to save a girl they meet from monsters.  Instead a pair of seasoned adventurers rescues everyone, bringing them back to a hip destined for their island.  Failing and being forced back home in shame only emboldens Ryza's determination as she visits the adventurers for help learning about their life.  Ryza has some latent talent as an alchemist and it seems her time in the closed off community is coming to an end...but will she be able to maintain her overbearing optimism in the outside world?

    I'll come right out and say I am only here beause of Ryza's thighs and ovr all cute character design.  I have never played any of the games the anime is based off of and tend to stay away from fantasy anime.   I am not sure if her cuteness can keep my attention long enough.  This first doulbe episode was the standard intro gameplay for any JRPG.  I can already see in my head plot lines and scenes we will encounter later in the series, as Ryza and her class specific friends encounter greater threats and dangers in the world around them.  The animation is good, well done and does this 'infamous' video game series justice.  But man, I am not sure if its me seeking it out but the camera angles and shot compositions are quite suspect....quite suspect indeed.  Side note, the voice acotr for Ryza shares some qualities with Hirano Aya...strange.

Horimiya: The Missing Pieces

    This is really just a collection of story left out of the original series so it doesn't further the story beyond what we had seen at the end...or that is what I suspect, but we will find out as these episodes come out.  Either way, Horimiya was an enjoyable story and it will be fun to spend more time with these characters...but the story will be a bit disjointed as these episodes will be out of sync with the flow of the original series.  Maybe once it's all out the entire thing can be watched in proper chronological order!

 Rurouni Kenshin

    Himura Kenshin is a retired samurai, wandering the newly peaceful Japan.  He survived the civil war that saw the Emperor reinstated as the head of the government and the outlawing of samurai and swords.  Kenshin himself still carries a sword at his side, but the blade is reversed.  He says he wields this 'non' lethal alternative to help protect those in need.   He runs into a young girl who struggle to keep her family dojo relevant in a world that no longer needs swordsman.  A crazed brute has been attacking people recently, saying he is from her dojo and claiming the title of a legendary assassin from the war, Hitokiri Batousai.  She wants to bring him to justice and prove he is not from her school.  Unfortunately this assassin is a far greater threat to her than she realized.  The peaceful Kenshin comes to her aid in defeating the swordsman because he wants to see her vision for kendo flourish and to also clear his name, as he was the real Hitokiri Batousai.  The veteran killer may have found a place to settle down in an effort to atone for the death his hands wrought 11 years earlier.

    If you've not ever seen the original version of this series form the mid 90's, now is a really good chance to get into it.  The artwork isn't spectacularly improved, but it feels like the pace of the story will be better.  It's nice to return to this story, but also a little embarrassing as well.  There are aspects of the show that are a bit ridiculous, particularly for how much it entrenches its self in real history.  if anything, the show doesn't feel right without the original opening theme...that thing is ingrained in my mind for this show.  Travesty...

The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again

    Twenty-something single, office lady Saku took in a stray kitten who grew to be...well the size of a human.  The cat, Yukichi, has developed a taste for standing upright and doing house chores.   Saku isn't sure what to think about the kitten she saved suddenly turning into a motherly figure for her, but shes enjoying having having less chores and a fresh packed lunch every day.  Yukichi, well, its hard to tell exactly what hes doing, but he seems to enjoy taking on the role he has grown into.  The problem is, its strange and unnatural and Saku is worried about people finding out about her cat.

    We have yet another anime by the same studio doing The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses.  Again, their CG, particularly with outside scenes, is a bit unnatural and off putting.  But when it comes to the characters and their expressiveness they are doing a fantastic job!  They just need to either clean up the motion process and strive for more natural vehicles and background movement.  but man, they are really making some nice looking anime over all.  They definitely are pushing a certain style as well when it comes to camera angles and perspectives.  Regardless, this is a really fun and enjoyable show and I can't wait to see more episodes....may be the best of the season?

 

 Zom 100: 

    Akira landed himself a job with a great company after graduating high school.  The staff is cheerful, management understanding and one of his coworkers is a super cute girl he desires....or so he though until the first day of work turns into three days of grueling labor to met some random deadline.  Akira has ended up being employed by a black company and all he can due is drag himself through each day hoping death will come quickly.  After three years of wasting away he is given a beacon of hope...a sudden collapse of civilization in the form of a zombie infestation.  Now, faced with no longer needing to clock in at work he finds a new found passion for life.  How much life can he live before he succumbs to the zombies?

    I knew this was going to be entertaining from the previews and it definitely does not disappoint.  This is te best looking series out of the selection for the season and is highly entertaining.  It will be hard to say how long the series can remain fresh as both The Walking Dead and My Name Is Earl each were only interesting for so long.  For no though I am excited to watch the show and wish more anime had at least half as much attention to detail in the artwork and directing as this one does.

Tonikawa: High School Days

   This one is on pause as I still need to finish season two!  I was under the impression this was a season that wrnt back to when Nasa was high school age...but that seems to be incorrect based on the first few minutes....pending....pending...

Hyakusho Kizuko

    This is a short form comedic look at the life of Arakawa Hiromu growing up on a dairy farm in rural Hokkaido.  The first episode has Hiromu in cow-form chatting with a friends over the struggles and complexities of running a dairy farm...including her parents comments...also in cow-form.

    It's going to be hard to keep up with this one as no one has licensed it for distribution in North America and as of no its not being fansubbed!  It's cute, quirky and fun, but really not much of anything other than an amusing way to wast 4 or 5 minutes in your day.

 

Reborn As A Vending Machine, Now I Wonder The Dungeon

    Our unnamed iseki target, a vending machine otaku, is killed by a vending machine in a freak crash and finds himself reborn in a new world as a vending machine.  He is fully conscious and remembers his past as a human on eart.  He can not speak beyond triggering a handful of phrases built into the machine and has the ability to control aspects of himself by spending points he earns through sales of items.  When he runs out of points he will no longer function, being essentially dead again.  He begins to learn how to interact with his new body, resupplying stock, changing items, repairing damage, etc.  But when you're an immovable appliance out in the middle of a dangerous wilderness, things can be pretty difficult for you.  That is until a super strong adventurer finds him, falls in love with the exotic choices and determins hes got some sort of sentience.  She carries him off to a safe area, in hopes to bring him to a friend who has been crafting magical items.

    i don't watch isekai for a lot of reasons.  This was purely morbid curiosity.  I am not going to say it was bad, I am not going to say it was good.  But for damn sure, someone put waaaaaaaaay to much thought into this concept.  Not sure how much more I will watch, but this is just the right level of stupid to keep me interested for the time being.

Insomniacs After School

 Insomniacs After School (君は放課後インソムニア) is a 13 episode slice of life romance series based on the manga of the same name by Ojiro Makoto.  The series originally aired during the Spring of 2023.

    Nakami Ganta is a rather serious and grump first year high school student.  He suffers from persistent insomnia, causing him to have little tolerance for anything.  His classmates distance themselves from him and he has few friend as a result.  While his class is preparing for the school festival he sent to the unused observatory to retrieve cardboard boxes.  They choose him due to rumors of it being haunted by the spirit of a past astronomy club member who died.  The club hasn't been active for many year and the facility is used for storage only, a place students don't go.  Once inside the observatory, with its disused telescope and stacks of supplies he realizes it would be the perfect place to a mid day nap, far away from any interruptions.  Before he can take advantage of the hidden sanctuary for rest he notices a girl from his class already sleeping soundly in a box next to the telescope.  Magari Isaki is a popular and cheerful girl but also suffers from insomnia and uses this as a secret hideout to rest during the day.  Isaki is willing to share her paradise with the bewildered Ganta given they have a bond in their sleep disorders.  Unfortunately their safe zone is soon compromised when a teacher discovers they are sneaking into the unused space.  

    In order to keep their hideaway they restart the schools astronomy club, with the help of the teacher who spoiled their secret.  With only two members, years of dormancy and inexperience, their time is limited if they don't do anything to convince the student council to keep them going.  Their best bet of keeping the club going is to enter into a photography contest and win.  Ganta owns a high quality camera but has little experience in using it, let alone doing astrophotography.  Isaki's enthusiasm and determination pushes him to take on the role of club leader, doing everything they can to keep their time together going.  As they work hard with planning events and trips for photography the two become closer to each other, forming a bond greater than their insomnia, a bond that leads them to open up to each other in ways they normally wouldn't do.  If they can't keep the club active will they be able to have more times like this together?

    This is one of the most enjoyable anime I have seen in a long time.  The artwork and character designs are fantastic, the main characters are well crafted and very likeable.  While the story has some funny moments it is a deeply realistic drama with real emotions, fantastic voice acting and a believable story.  After a while it was hard to not anticipate a seriously dramatic shift akin to Your Lie In April.  I won't say whether it happens or not, due to not wanting to spoil anything, but I watched the series as quickly as I could in anticipation.  I felt compelled to spend as much time with these characters as possible and live their world with them.

    This is another series in recent memory that offers a potential shift in story telling for anime and could lead to a brighter future for narration and composition styles.  But it also takes the right source material and without reading the original manga I can't determine how faithful the anime adaptation was.  All I can say is this almost 300 minute commercial for the manga did a really good job convincing me to start picking this series up.  Sadly it's only just started to be release in English and is quite a bit behind the 13 volumes so far.  There was also a live action adaptation that recently aired.  Things are looking up for Ojiro-sensei and hopefully we will see more work, though the manga is still ongoing.

    The anime was simulcast in North America on HiDive.

Rascal Does Not Dream Of A Lost Singer - light novel

        Rascal Does Not Dream Of A Lost Singer (青春ブタ野郎は迷えるシンガーの夢を見ない) is the tenth volume of the Rascal Does Not Dream light novels written by Kamoshida Hajime featuring artwork by Mizogushi Keeji.  The tenth volume was originally release in 2020 and in English in 2023.

      The following synopsis may spoil some aspects of the first nine novels in the Rascal Does Not Dream series, if you do not want to ruin those stories stop reading until you have.   

Book Nine: Rascal Does Not Dream Of A Knapsack Kid review here!

    We find Sakuta well into his first year of college, leaving behind the world of 'adolescent syndrome' in favor of a future with Mai, still Japans more loved young actress.  Even though college works in a more casual fashion than high school, Sakuta still finds himself outside of the student body.  This is equal parts intentional and accidental.  Mai is also attending the school at the same college, and word got around pretty quickly who her boyfriend is.  The excitement and annoyance died out after a while but people still tend to give him a wide berth.  He's not exactly upset about the situation, preferring to not be tied to social interactions.  He and Mai are not the only ones going to the same college, Mai's half sister Nodoka and a member of her idol group, Hirokawa Uzuki, are also attending.  Uzuki, who helped his sister Kaede with choosing to attend an alternative high school, is even in the same major as Sakuta.  It was bad enough when everyone knew he was dating the countries most desirable woman, but hes also friends with two beautiful idols as well?  Life sure if rough for our hero!

    Given his nature, Sakuta is quite in-tune with those around him.  He quickly notices when a change overcomes Uzuki.  She had struggled with being able to 'read the room' and found her self constantly being ostracized from her peers.  She is quirky, impulsive and energetic.  Her behavior endears her to her fans but also makes others embarrassed.  This is one of the things that lead her to switching to online school.  Overnight she gains the ability of self and situational awareness.  This causes nervousness in Sakuta, who understands its nearly impossible for a human to do that normally.  With great trepidation he fears his year and a half break from 'adolescent syndrome' is at an end.  If it is the cause of her sudden change what would be the catalyst and is this actually a problem?  A friend of his, who has struggled her entire life with being comfortable and capable in social settings, is suddenly able to be a part of the group.  Does she even desire to undo her change?  Will it have adverse effects on her career as an idol, which is partially influenced by her spontaneous personality?  Beyond Uzuki, Sakuta begins to notice the uncanny level of 'sameness' that surrounds him.  In a world of fresh adults everyone begins to behave like one another, could this be a more widespread phenomena or if this just a byproduct of a world with less restrictions and formality than they experiences as children.

    It's really good to jump into a new chapter of Sakuta's life.  While they narrated the missed time as Sakuta putting his nose into books to pass his entrance exams, it may be nice eventually to show a little more of what transpired in that time period.  But, here we are, almost everyone is out of school and beginning their journey to adulthood.   With the maturing characters we also have a maturing narrative.  For once the characters are fully living lives for themselves and their personalities reflect those circumstances.  It is nice to see this evolve beyond the adolescent romance it always was into something more, something continuous.  It's difficult to say if Uzuki's issue is supernatural in origin, as it is just her gaining a far greater perception of herself and her interactions.  That perception has caused her normally confident facade to falter, which is the driving force of the concern, not solving some mysterious trigger or supernatural ailment.

     Its really nice to see the slow evolution of the story telling with this series and hopefully it can continue for quite a long time into the future.  The end of this volume sets us up for an encounter that's been brewing in the background for a few volumes now and presents an interesting, potentially story shifting, concept.  There could be someone who is able to trigger 'syndromes' in others.  This opens up a new set of paths for the story to take and may finally establish the post Shouko catalyst.  Speaking of Shouko, hopefully we see her again soon as well!!  Time will tell, but I am really enjoying the shift to mundane realism, at least in this volume.  If the author can keep up with new and exciting supernatural twist that would be great.  But if those supernatural elements fade away with the characters youth and is replaced with the realism shown in this volume, that will be just as welcome.

Book Eleven: Rascal Does Not Dream Of A Nightingale review here!