Laid-Back Camp - season 3

 Laid-Back Camp (ゆるキャン△) returns for a third cour of its calming slice of life story.  This 12 episode season aired during the Spring of 2024 and is still based on the manga of the same name by Afro.

    Unlike the movie, season 3 returns the story back to the girls being in high school and picks up where season 2 left off.  This season is split into two multi episode camping trips and then wraps up with more episodic journeys.  The first trip follows Rin and Nadeshiko's childhood friend, Ayano, meeting up for a scooter trip to Hatanagi to camp and explore the myriad suspension bridges among the forests and mountains.  Rin joins them via train and they explore the majestic landscape as Spring approaches and there are minimal other visitors.  Not wanting to be left out, Chiaki, Ena and Aoi go on their own camping trip with the clubs advisor Minami.  

    Honestly there is not a lot to say about Laid-Back Camp, if you've watched season 3 you most likely have seen the show before and understand what the premise and delivery is.  Don't get me wrong, its a fantastic franchise, but there is little to no actual substance.  Instead the series is comfort food.  Once you watch a few episodes you know how the show is supposed to progress and you don't continue to watch it because you want to delve further into mysteries or plot.  You continue watching it because the characters are lovely and their adventures are banal and consistent.

    There was some concern going into season three and it being produced by a completely different animation studio than everything that's come before.  That concern feels unfounded as this season didn't stray from what we have grown to love and expect from this series.  It's hard to see any change in my opinion and I am grateful for that.  When the fantastic comedy series Minami-ke switched to a different studio in a later season the entire flow of the story was changed in a way that made it less enjoyable.  While this season spent more of its focus on 2 outings, that didn't detract from the feel like Minami-ke did.  The characters are just a lovable, the story just as calming and the locations just as mesmerizing and enchanting as before.  The movie teased me with a look at the characters lives as young adult and it would have been great to see season 3 follow suit.  But, given I have not read the original manga, I really have no idea how much exists of them in high school or them as 20 year olds.  All I can hope for is another return to this warm fluffy scarf of an anime in the future.

Laid-Back Camp was simulcast on Crunchyroll, where you can also watch the previous 2 seasons and the movie.

A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics

 A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics (変人のサラダボウル) is a 12 episode slice of life comedy based on the light novel series of the same name by Hirasaka Yomi.  The series originally aired during the 2024 Spring season.

    Sara is the youngest princess in a kingdom that is collapsing through revolt.  In a last ditch effort to protect her line, the girl escapes through a mystical portal with a loyal swords woman, Livia and they find themselves in modern day Gifu.  Travel through the portal split them up and Sara lands on a young private detective named Sosuke.  After blatantly showing off her magical abilities, Sosuke brings her back to his apartment where he can figure things out in peace.  Livia, unsure what happened with her young ward, quickly settles into the life of an unhoused person living on the bank of a river, following the benevolent guidance of an older gentleman named Suzuki.

    Convinced about the strange girls origins, Sosuke decides to let her stay with him for the foreseeable future while she adjusts to life in a new world.  The bright young girl quickly adapts to 21st century Earth life but becomes frustrated that no one else can use magic and they she has to hide her real identity, for fear of arrest by the authorities.  Meanwhile Livia, naive to many things but strong of will and body, does what she can to survive in the harsh new world, without complaint.  Unfortunately her naivety leads her to being exploited from less than scrupulous individuals as she begins to cycle through a series of legally gray jobs while trying to adjust to her new life.  Quickly she crosses paths with her charge but is unsuited to work for Sosuke at his detective agency and is shown the door almost as soon as she gets a roof over her head.  These two lost weirdos take their on paths to adjust to their new and potentially permanent life, far away from the royal courts in the fantasy like home land.

    This series is not unlike the fantastically amusing Hinamatsuri.  Instead of the emotionless and overtly powerful orphan in Hinamatsuri, we get the tale of a weirdly confident magic wielding ex-princess.  Sosuke isn't a push over but for some reason he has a soft spot for Sarah even though everyone else around him could die for all he really cares.  For a brief time Livia was under his employ, out of empathy for Sarah's retainer.  Once she proves to be a burden on him, regardless of how earnest she is, he kicks her back out on the street.  Sarah, being raised as proper royalty, also shows little regard for the woman's' well being, confident she can figure things out on her own.

    The series overall was quite satisfying even with the semi-frequent fan-service around Livia, but this never really seemed out of place.  The artwork is fine enough given this being a slice of life comedy, the real meat of the story is in the characters and their interactions with each other...enhanced by the crazy situations some of them end up in.  I may have to track down the original light novels as the end of the last episode suggests there was/is way more story than they used in the anime, including some characters I don't remember showing up in the show.  While its similar to Hinamatsuri, Salad Bowl was less eccentric even with the crazy cast of characters.  But that doesn't detract from the story or ones enjoyment of it.  Definitely a solid choice to waste some time on.

The series was simulcast on Crunchyroll.

Train to the End of the World

 Train to the End of the World (終末トレインどこへいく？) is a 12 episode supernatural original story by the anonymous apogeego.  The series originally aired during the Spring of 2024.

    A young girl finds her self the winner of an eccentric prize hosted by a cellular company.  She is given the 'honor' or pushing a button that will signal the start of their newly developed 7G network, ushering in a new era for communications.  Unfortunately the activation causes reality to warp beyond recognition.  Two years later we meet 4 young high school girls, Shizuru, Nadeshiko, Reimi and Akira, in rural Agano as they navigate the world post the 7G Incident.  The incident has distorted time and space, isolating communities in their own bubbles, cut off and fr removed from each other.  Their only contact with anything outside of Agano is an infrequent delivery caravan that risks life and limb to travel the spaces between communities to deliver good and establish trade.  On this particular visit, Shizuru notices one of the delivered items was wrapped in a recent news paper and in it was a photo of a girl who looked exactly like their missing friend Yoka.  Just before the 7G Incident, Yoka and Shizuru has a fight and Yoku left to visit Ikebukuro to blow off some steam.  Unknown to everyone, Yoka was the unlucky girl who triggered the 7G Incident.  

    Each region was affected by the 7G Incident in  different ways.  The effect it had on Agano was to transform all of the adults into wild animals that slowly lose their humanity over time.  The only adult unaffected by the change is a man named Zenjiro, who has left the city years ago and returned a crippled elderly man who seems to be suffering from extreme dementia.  Shizuru discovers that he reverts to his younger more stable self when an engineers hat is place on his head, but the effect only lasts for five minutes.    Encouraged by the photo, knowing that their friend is till alive and apparently living in Tokyo, Shizuru prepares to head off into the unknown via the Seibu train line with Zenjiro's help.  He shows her how to operate the train and offers her some words of warning around the 7G Incident.  He was forced to undergo non-elective brain surgery in an attempt to stop him fro exposing the truth of the matter.  He hopes that his guidance and Shizuru's persistence can lead to the incident being reversed.  When her three friends find out shes leaving town they board the train into the great and dangerous unknown.  The four girls, with little knowledge of what to expect, head out with Ikeburuko as their final destination, hoping to bring Yuka back and maybe stop the 7G Incident while they're at it.

    This season has been blessed with some high quality and entertaining original series'.  Train to the End of the World is no exception and this was a fun ride exploring different story styles while maintaining an undercurrent of absurdity akin to FLCL.  The post 7G incident world lives by no set rules and each smaller arc runs with that by playing with different tropes.  The story is really about a journey of self discovery and growth into adulthood as Shizuru is driven by her guilt.  Beyond the ridiculous nature of the world and how 7G changed everything, the ability of these four unassuming yet tenacious high school girls to overcome everything they face is a bit out of the bounds of realism.  They definitely succeed based on plot armor instead of actual skill.  They blunder their way forward overcoming the absurd obstacles they encounter largely due to the ineffectual nature of those that have taken control of the disparate regions.

    This original story is enjoyable if at times absurd.  The artwork is unusual, particularly the character designs.  The journey was far greater than the conclusion though as we learn about the characters personalities and pasts while they explore the strange world around them.  The final episode seemed almost to deflate around the joy and build up of the story but in the end it worked well.  Don't expect any sort of major show down in the conclusion as the real goal is reconciliation.  

The series was simulcast on Crunchyroll.

Tadaima, Okaeri

 Tadaima, Okaeri (ただいま、おかえり) is a 12 episode slice of life yaoi series based on the manga of the same name by Ichikawa Ichi.  The series originally aired during the Spring of 2024.

    Masaki and Hiromu are a same sex couple trying to raise their young son Hiraki in a world that hangs onto outdated prejudices.  Masaki is an omega, which means he is able to be impregnated regardless of their gender.  Hiromu is an alpha, meaning he is able to impregnate omega's and beta's alike, beta's being standard humans.  The young couple had to move to a different neighborhood to escape societal pressures placed on Masaki purely based on his status as an omega and marriage to an alpha.  Hiromu does what ever he can to protect and nurture his husband and shield him from as much hatred and discomfort as possible.  While the move has allowed them a fresh start in a more accepting environment, they have a harder time removing themselves from the layers of disgust from their extended family.

    Masaki had a difficult childhood due to his omega status, largely sheltered from the world by his parents and shunned by much of his extended family.  After the death of his parents he cut himself off from his relatives but struggles with how little he values himself, relying largely on the support of his husband.  Hiromu, characterized by his alpha status as respected, powerful and authoritative, plays the roll of doting bread earner who has turned his back on his own family due to their disapproval of his marriage to Masaki.  His only concern is the well being of his husband and their son Hiraki growing up in a loving and accepting environment.  It takes a while for them to settle into their new neighborhood but they soon gather a small group of friends who support them regardless of anyone's type.  The world may be becoming less critical of someones type but that doesn't mean reactions from others aren't painful, can the young couple, living in their own way, forge a life together in a way that will defeat the hatred through lover and understanding?

    This series was my first introduction to the literary world of the omegaverse.  In short, its a popular subgroup in net-based erotic fiction that leans heavily into the incorrectly stated concept of wolf pack hierarchical organization.  The stories primarily rely heavily if not exclusively on rigid dom vs sub archetypes.  The whole alpha male concept is pseudoscience at best and deliberately false at worse so I'm not exactly thrilled there is an entire sub genre of erotic fiction that uses this as its focus point.  Beyond the basis of the genre, the story is a benign day to day telling of the struggles the young couple go through living in a world that eyes their union with distrust.  Masaki's personality is that of a lost and bewildered lamb, he is constantly nervous about everything around him, always seeking the reassuring protection of his husband.  Hiromu strides through life with confidence and an easy smile on his face, unwilling to show any trepidation he has, confident everything will work out and all that truly matters if the health and safety of his family.

    The story in general was rather boring, the only thing that kept me watching is was to see how much of the world was going to be explained...which was very little in the end.  The plot lines were sleepy and meandering with very little in the way of an over all plot, beyond the status of the young couple with their respective families.  They gather around them a small group of male friends who are only minimally detailed.  The 11th episode was one of the more interesting episodes but it concluded in a manner that highlighted how damaging the concept the story centers around is.  It reminded me that many stories built in the omegaverse have characters that are closer to animal than human and it just feels like a sexualized power fantasy...something that never sits right with me.  I did not enjoy this series and am hoping a pending yaoi in the 2024 Summer season will wash away the bad taste this series left.  Unless you're a fan of the story style found in omegaverse titles, steer clear of this one.  Its boring at best and insidious at worse.  But the core concept alone doesn't make this an unpleasant viewing experience, the story was really pointlessly boring and meandered too much.

The anime was simulcast on Crunchyroll.

A Condition Called Love

 A Condition Called Love (花野井くんと恋の病) is a 12 episode slice of life romance based on the manga of the same name by Morino Megumi.  The anime originally aired during the 2024 Spring season.

    First year high school student Hinase Hotaru witnesses a messy break up at a cafe.  Later that day she encounters the boy stunned into a daze in a park under the pouring rain.  Out of compassion for the hurt soul in front of her she extends her umbrella to shield him from more of the rain.  The following day the same boy bursts into her classroom and asks her to go out with him during lunch, much to the amazement of the entire class.  The boy is attractive and desired Hananoi Saki and he has set his sights on Hotaru, who by all accounts is plain and unassuming.  Hananoi pursues her, deeply desiring to date her, but Hotaru has yet to understand what it really means to be in a relationship or what liking someone in that fashion is all about.  Dating and love is something that has not permeated her conscious life yet and she struggles with the uncomfortable attention.

    Hananoi is persistant almost to the point of being possessive.  He convinces her to at least pretend date him on a trial period, only until Christmas.  He hopes that by spending time with her, she will develop feelings for him and they can graduate into a real relationship.  Unsure if anything will of it, Hotaru agrees to the trial period.  Hanonoi does whatever he can to make her like him.  He changes his hair, meets her in the morning, even if it means leaving home hours before hand to ensure he doesn't miss her.  His focus is entirely on her and she begins to be concerned that he is wasting his time, uncertain if the spark of affection will come to life in her.  While battling to win her heart, Hananoi struggles to control his emotions and desires, actions that cause him to hate himself, considering himself to be more of a villain and a knight.  Will he be able to break through Hotaru's detachment to intimacy to win her heart or is he hyper focused on her for the time being only to be rejected once more, due to his desperate and clingy nature.

    The story has a lot of alarm bells regarding Hananoi's personality and obsessiveness.  There are situations where it feels like Hotaru is in danger while being in his presence.  The sheer force of his desire to make her his and his alone is creepy and problematic.  He routinely recognizes that he is a problem and struggles with his desires and wants, fighting an internal conflict.  Luckily for Hotaru, Hananoi is able to control his actions and emotions to the point were he doesn't force himself on her or kill her family, but its not like that possibility doesn't exist.  In the first half of the story his behavior alone serves as a detractor in what should be a cute and fun story about blossoming into your first love, but her creepy stalker tendencies continue to shade their time together in a dark and uncomfortable way.  As the story unfolds and Hotaru, along with the audience, begins to learn about Hananoi's past ad circumstances things begin to make sense, but are still inexcusable.  His parents are doctors who has taken jobs with Doctors Without Boarders, abandoning their own child to care for children in impoverished nations instead, not understanding or caring about the damage they are doing to their own son.  Mostly left to his own, a great void of loneliness has filled his heart in place of parental love.  As he grew older his only focus was to fill that void with a companion who would hold him as the most important thing in the world, so he would no longer feel lost and abandoned.  

    If you can overcome Hananoi's difficult and dangerous personality and traits, you can settle into a comfortable and warm slice of life romance about developing ones own perception of the person next to them.  This story doesn't fall into many of the normal trappings of a high school based romance, instead zeroing in largely on the two characters interactions with each other and their own internal dialogues.  The few side characters there are serve little purpose than sounding boards, especially for Hotaru.  The story doesn't fall into many of the standard tropes and its more enjoyable because of that.  The artwork is fine.  Hotaru is cute and realistically proportioned but Hananoi leans into the stereotypical shojo pretty boy aesthetic.  In the end I started to warm up to the characters and the story, especially when Hananoi became less like a stalker and more like a partner in the relationship he worked so hard to force into existence.  Thankfully we were spared a beach episode or a school festival arc or whatever trope one would expect from a story about first love in high school.

    The series was simulcast on Crunchyroll.

A Quick Look at the Summer 2024 Anime Season

My Wife Has No Emotions

    This is the story of a lonely man who ends up falling in love with his android wife/companion.

    Honestly, this may be one of the first one's cut from the watch list.  The preview feels like its made exclusively for an audience made of tepid otaku who shrug off trying to interact with the opposite sex and prefer the controllable simplicity of loving inanimate objects.  Masturbation of control by a pathetic clan of degenerates.  Also, the character design is quite horrible.

 Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian

    Alya is half Japanese, half Russian and hides her growing feelings for a classmate by confessing to him in Russian, which she knows he doesn't understand..

    It's hard to say how much more this typical looking male aimed romance will do outside of the rote story lines and its hook that will wear out its welcome well before it gets done using it.

Oshi no Ko part 2

    Continuing the story of the twin children of a murdered pop idol as things begin to fall into place for as they near adulthood.

    I got tricked into watching this based on a misunderstanding of it being written by  Yokoyari Mengo, when they are only doing the artwork.  The story its self is by Akasaka Aka, who wrote the disappointingly repetitive Kaguya-sama: Love is War.  But Oshi no Ko was solid enough to keep me watching and a lot of curiosity built around the vague internet discourse on later chapters of the manga.

Days With My Stepsister

     Two high school kids have to adjust to the new reality of being step siblings, who's parents appear to be largely absent in their lives.

    Based on the concept and title this appeared to be the laziest set up for a semi-incest ecchi series, but the preview paints it as a drama about interpersonal relationships and evolving emotions.  The preview absolutely sold me on checking this out, as I crave realistic drama in slice of life romance situations.

Red Cat Ramen

    This is the story of literal cats who run a ramen shop.

     Hard to say what kind of anime this will be, outside of the ridiculous premise, strange simplistic artwork and potential to have a short per episode run time. 

Twilight out of Focus 

    Two boys/men live together in a student apartment.  One of them strives to protect the secret that the other is gay.

    The series seems quite melodramatic but it may be a good yaoi cleansing after the terribly boring reality of Tadaima, Okaeri.

Senpai is an Otokonoko

    A high school girl expresses her feelings for an upperclassman only to find out its not a girl, but a boy who spends much of his life posing as one, much to her delight.

     This looks like a fun and messy romance that may have some deeper underlying drama elements to it.  But, I am hesitant to see how the series handles LGBTQ themes.

Pseudo Harem 

    Its hard to say what this is really about between the previews and the description on ANN.  It really feels like its a romantic comedy where the focus is the younger girl assumes a revolving door of personalities and mannerisms for some unexplained reason.

Plus Sized Elf

    An elf from a fantasy world has become trapped in the modern world due to her intense love of junk food and the weight she gained preventing her from traveling through the portal back home.  She has to fight her weight gain or remain trapped away from her people.

    Honestly, I read the manga a bit years ago and was mildly amused.  There seems to be little more to this story than some thicc girl fanservice, which isn't a bad thing!  I'm just not sure how much patience I am going to have for a series revolving heavily around fanservice.  If you like them thicc though this is a pretty sexy and innocent story.

 

Dungeon People

    The daughter of a powerful adventurer ventures into the dungeon after her father, a few years after he disappeared, planning to fight her way to his location, only to discover there's a complex and well established organization running things.  Instead of fighting the dungeons denizens, she ends up getting wrapped into the work it takes to maintain it.

     This looks fantastically amusing and cute!  Bait and switch from a rote dungeon crawling adventure story into a cute economic story.  Sign me up!!

Shoshimin: How to Become Ordinary

    Two kids, who have lived difficult lives, form a pact to live low key and unobtrusive lives for the time being.  But like detectives from literature, mystery and tragedy follows them like a shadow.

    Something about this makes me think of Ghost Hunt, which was a fantastic series...even if its English dub has some heavy notoriety.  Time will tell if this is a well written story though.

Tower of God season 2

    Following the dramatic betrayal at the end of Season 1.  We find a new version of Bam as he continues to climb the Tower...though his drive has changed and he struggles with why he is continuing.

    I am so happy to return to this fantastic story, especially after the severely disappointing bore that was Solo Leveling.

 

My Deer Friend Nokotan

    A high school student with a hidden delinquent past suddenly has her world turned upside down with the appearance of an eccentric deer-girl.

     This is the most anticipated new show for me, eclipsing Tower of God and Oshi no Ko, given it exudes strong Nichijou energy and seems like it could be contender for best anime of 2024.

Love is Indivisible by Twins

    A rote love triangle between twin girls and a boy from their childhood...I have no idea why I am even considering watching the first episode, but here I am....a pervert in reality.  I doubt this will last on my watch list, and honestly I should just re-read Dome x Kano is I want a juicy sibling love triangle.

 

ATRI: My Dear Moments

    A young man, with everything lost to him, tries to find a reason for his suffering and existence by resurrecting the research his oceanologist grandmother left behind.

   I'm intrigued but hesitant about this.  It seems like a story I haven't watched in a long time and its uniqueness in the landscape of repetition is what draws me to it, but I feel it will get cut before long.

 

Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines

    A boy realizes that all the top girls in school are being friend-zoned left and right.

    Its hard to tell if this will be a fun comedy or a terrible harem.

 

Bartender: Glass of God

 Bartender: Glass of God (バーテンダー 神のグラス) is a 12 episode drama based on the manga Bartender by Nagatomo Kenji.  The anime originally aired during the 2024 Spring season.

    Kurushima Miwa and Higuchi Yukari are given the job of finding the right match for the premier bar at the hotel they work in.  The chairman of the hotel is adamant that the correct person is found and will be able to give the hotels customers, many who have arrived in Tokyo after a long flight, the perfect drink to allow them to settle in comfortably, the Glass of God.  The two women find themselves scouring bars and clubs across the city until the discover a hidden place called Edens Hall.  The young man behind the counter surprise them with his wise demeanor and incredibly mixology.  The man, Sasakura Ryu, possess all of the qualities they are seeking but he politely declines their offer.

    Undeterred by his initial refusal and spurned by the insistence of their supervisor, they continue to pressure the courteous bartender to leave his hidden sanctuary and become their premier attraction.  Miwa in particular continues to return to Edens Hall to try and understand why Ryu is so adamant at turning down their offer.  Doing so begins to wrap her up into the unseen aspects of the life of a bartender as other less experienced people begin to fall into Ryu's orbit and he strives to help them the best he can, to achieve their ideal goals.  Miwa can't give up but understands it may be helpless as Ryu's determination is unwavering but he is too polite to force her to stop visiting his establishment.

    The Bartender franchise has been a long running and well regarded mature drama story so I wasn't going to hesitate jumping in with this newest iteration.  I was a bit hesitant, being mildly aware that the original series is more of a problem, of the week style story.  Though, the fantastic Death Parade is that way as well.  This series appears to continue to the work of the older series though does not appear to require watching that originally.  There is an overall plot of various people who work for the hotel trying to bring the miraculous young bartender into their fold.  On the backdrop of that story there are episodic problem of the week plot lines that become resolved, mostly, by the end of each episode.

    It's not a bad series, while the episodic plot lines can become tiring at times, its really a story about human nature and relationships and it handles it rather well.  The downside is all of the characters are presented with an unrealistic level of optimism and agreeableness.  It was written well enough that I may need to check out the earlier series at some point.  There is a high attention to detail when it comes to the real star of the show, the alcohol, so much so I feared the show blindly ignored the problems drinking brings people at times.  In the end, the show painted the picture that alcohol can solve your problem as long as its provided to you by a talented and experienced bartender.  That in an of its self should make the audience pause and question the motivations for this.  At other times it felt like a sales pitch for Suntory.  Goddamn do I want some 12 year Yamazaki...that is some high quality whiskey and I squandered the bottle I had 15 years ago, before it became and international sensation.

The series was simulcast on Cruchyroll and is available in sub and dub, along with the original series.

Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again

 Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again (じいさんばあさん若返る) is a 11 episode super natural comedy based on the manga of the same name by Araido Kagiri.  The anime originally aired during the Spring of 2024.

    Shozo and Ine Saito are well into the twilight of their lives.  They live a simple and peaceful existence as farmers in rural Aomori prefecture, surrounded by their children and grand children.  One day they notice a conspicuous golden apple growing from the tree they planted on their wedding day and decide to pick it and eat it to celebrate their lives together.  The following day they wake up to find their bodies have restored themselves to the look and vigor of their youths and it appears they have a brand new lease on their life together.  Shozo has always felt guilty about robbing Ine of a more glamorous life, being married to a poor farmer.  Ine had moved to their small town as a teenager, coming from Tokyo and he was concerned that he was never good enough for her, not even able to afford a proper honey moon.  Before too long Ine's health deteriorated and their lives focused solely on taking care of their farm and raising their children.  Now that they have this chance to do the things they couldn't accomplish int he past they don't want to squander their restored health.

    As they enjoy their time together they begin to suspect it won't last long.  They begin to have dreams about an hour glass and if the hourglass is flipped they wake up in their elderly bodies.  Their goal is to make the most of whatever time remains while their bodies allow them to do more than they have in decades.  Aside from their daughter, who lives in Tokyo with her family, their other children live nearby and the couple is close to them all.  In their renewed youth they largely go about their lives as they always have, but with out the fear of devastating injury while trying to maintain their rigid diets.  Even though they appear youthful they are still not able to connect with the modern world and struggle with technology and popular culture.  As the days and weeks and months pass they begin to understand that this is not a completely new lease on life and both understand that their days are short.  Instead of dwelling on their own mortality, they continue to live to the fullest, no longer burdened by the wear of the years and illness.

    There isn't a lot to say about this series as it flitted from day to day showing there loving elderly couple dealing with their unusual circumstances while remaining completely grounded.  Within their family and community they do little to conceal whats happened to them.  We find out later in the series there is a legend that talks about such circumstances, so at least with the older residents the idea of the old becoming young again lingers in their memories.  The Saito's don't run into much resistance to the reality of their predicament so very little time is wasted getting everyone onboard.  Much of the story bounces between the lovebirds butting up with a different view of the world around them, through their renewed youth.  They don't want to abandoned the world that they lived in before but with their renewed vigor, they are willing to be a little adventurous in their limited free time.

    The artwork is rather sub standard, with the character designs changing between detailed and cartoonish, usually to enhance the characters emotions.  While the story most focuses on the couple themselves, there is a fair amount of attention given to their closest grand children, cousins Shiori and Mino.  Both girls are high schoolers who don't exactly mesh well with each other but are absolutely devoted to their elderly grandparents.  The interactions between them and their progeny is endearing, comical and overall heart warming.  I was not prepared for how solemn the series ends.  Over all it was cute and enjoyable, a fun story that used a super natural element to explore the strong bonds between live long spouses and the love they have for their children.  Its was just a lovely is benign story.

The series was simulcast on Crunchyroll.

Podcast Side Quest Episodes

 With the focus of the podcast being around weekly discussions of three new anime each season, there was no room for additional content or guest's, thus was born the idea of the Side Quest episodes.

 

    The platform needed a way to expand beyond the core concept while staying true to its format.  This coupled well with my intention of taking a look back at much older anime with newer eyes and a different perspective than when I viewed them decades ago.  Wrapping the co-host David's thoughts into the viewings adds another layer of dissection.   My own view points that have changed over time and become more cynical.  Adding in the perspectives of someone of a younger generation with very little time served in the fandom brings a completely different opinion to what are considered classics in American fandom.

    The first episode was devoted to discussing the crazed 2 part OAV series Puni Puni Poemy for its ease of access, instant cerebral impact and a small amount of mischievous intent on my part.  David had expressed some exacerbation in a recent episode of the main podcast when discussing a long sequence of unnecessary fan service in Seiyuu Radio followed up by a harem gang bang in Re:Monster.  I wanted to tap into that raw emotion with something that will push his limits further in the realm of fan service.  Puni Puni Poemy is both a bit ecchi and uncompromisingly hectic.

    I am not sure how frequent Side Quest episodes will come out, but I already have the next half dozen or so anime titles lined up, the next one should be wither Project A-ko or Ninja Scroll.  Keep tuned in and subscribed to know when they drop and don't forget to listen/watch the latest weekly episodes of the main podcast.