After the Rain

After the Rain (恋は雨上がりのように) is a 12 episode slice of life romance based on the manga of the same name by Mayuzuki Jun.  The series aired over the Winter of 2018.

    Tachibana Akira is in love with her boss.  After quitting the track team due to a traumatic injury she gets a job at a neighborhood family restaurant.  In order to spend as much time as possible with the person of her affection she works as much as possible.  The manager is a middle aged divorce named Kondo Masami.  He struggles with a life that ended up going no where and resigns himself to plodding along in obscurity.  Driven by her emotions, Akira confesses her feeling's to Masami.  Astonished by the confession and unsure what to do, he placates her the best he can instead of pushing her away.

    After the love confession the two navigate their lives with little change.  Akira does as much as she can to get closer to the older man, to see his life out of work more clearly.  Masami on the other hand is distracted with regret over his lost ambitions.  While he understands the girls feeling's, he can't recognize it as anything more than a fleeting admiration.  He doesn't seek to change their status as manager and employee, not wanting to push her away and make her feel awkward.  He has no interest in forming a relationship with her outside of work, even though she tries hard to change that. 

 

    It may be due to the main characters reserved personalities, but this series was generally very low key and somewhat hazy, even after watching a second time to rewrite this review after abandoning it a few years earlier.  What stands out though is this story not following tropes that you would expect from a story of a high school girl willing to give her self up to a much older man.  Instead you get a story about two lonely individuals who struggle to understand their place in the world.  Akira, is trying to forget the loss of her joy of being on the track team, even straining her friendships.  She's also trying to resolve her continuing feelings for Masami.  Masami does little to even let Akira's affection interrupt his own problems.  A reunion with a college friend--turned professional author forces all of his regrets and lost time to the surface.  He struggles with the reality that there is nothing more to his life than his career managing a restaurant.  Hes responsible but detached from anything else, living a life of regret and resignation.

    Over all the series is a warm and enjoyable tale, relying heavily on allusions of various types of rain to highlight and reinforce the mood of the episodes.  The character design is classic shojo fashion, thing, lithe with long necks and large watery eyes.  The backgrounds are given quite a bit of detail though and some segments are quite well done indeed.  This was a good story all said and done, it doesn't meet expectations of a simplified overview of the plot.  Instead you get a brief snapshot into the lives of two very different people, people who struggle to come to terms with their place in the world.

    The series was simulcast and is still currently available streaming in North America.

Skip and Loafer

 Skip and Loafer (スキップとローファー) is a 12 episode slice of love romance based on the manga of the same name by Takamatsu Misaki.  The series aired over the Spring of 2023.

     Iwakura Mitsumi moves into her aunts Tokyo apartment in order to attend a prestigious high school.  Having grown up in a rural area, she is quickly overwhelmed by the crush of humanity that the capitol city offers.  She ends up getting lost on the first day of school, only to be rescued by a handsome laid-back guy who also goes to her school.  The boy, Shima Sousuke, is less than serious about his life as a student, but sees a kinship in the flustered girl.  Surprisingly, the scatterbrained Mitsumi is the top scoring student for the grade.  Her reputation explodes when she pukes on her homeroom teacher after giving the opening ceremony speech.  Mitsumi doesn't let public humiliation phase her and grabs her life as a high school student in Tokyo by the balls.  Her upbeat attitude, strong will and likeability quickly builds a small group of friends around her.

    One of the friends is Sousuke, who ended up being in the same class.  Mitsumi is fully aware of her naivety and doesn't let those that begin to flock around her hide their intentions.  As her group continues to be with her she begins to relax and accept the things they say and do as being genuine.  While they spend time together she grows closer to Sousuke.  At first she believed he was someone who only talked to her because he felt the need to be nice to everyone, not actually having any interest in being friends.  She starts to wonder if her growing feelings for him could be more than friendship but isn't willing to push it.  The more she gets to know him the more she learns about a past he is desperate to hide from everyone and himself.  Sousuke was a child actor, due to the insistence of his mother.  Things got out of control and he, along with some actor friends, got in trouble due to underage partying.  He is struggling to make amends with those that got hurt through the incident and his strained family relationship, instead floating aimlessly through his life.

    This is a series that presents its self as a true to form fish out of water, ugly duckling getting the prince romance.  But in reality its a comforting slice of life series that only lets the romance in at the edges.  Instead it focus on the characters growing in each other presence and forging ahead with their lives.  I wouldn't exactly call it a romance but there is always that underling thread of a future life together for Mitsumi and Sousuke.  The series doesn't push that narrative, instead it pulls back, taking in the characters lives in a more natural way.  Showing them experience changes in personality and views of themselves and the world around them.  There are some aspects of drama as well, particularly with Sousuke's past and one of the friends, Egashira Mika, who struggles with her appearance and personality.

    The character designs hearken back to an older style, simple in execution.  The strong point in the design are Mitsumi's expressions and fluidity.  It does fall into the lower standard of modern animation, so its not like its out of place, just a little disappointing.  The series ends on a note of resolution, to some extent and it would be surprising if more was produced.  The series, which covers the first four tankoubon, leaves many things up in the air, such as what happened in Sousuke's past.  What is the reality behind the strained relationship with his mother, the events that lead to him leaving acting and almost destroying his model friends career.  While this is a major spoiler, we also don't get concrete confirmation that either main character develops deeper emotions for the other or acts upon them, just a hint of blush and a shared glance at the end.  What we do get is a well done main character in Mitsumi, one we have seen before, a strong and clear eyed protagonist, with the drive to accomplish anything.  Unlike those who came before her she is natural and likeable, not over baring, flawed yet willing to accept those flaws.  We also see a nod to alternative lives with her aunt being trans, and handling it in a respectful and realistic manner.  Over all, this is a fun and cute series that breaks out of the slice of life romance trope but not completely.  It offers the possibility of a shift in story telling that is welcome.

     The anime was simulcast on Crunchyroll and the manga is readily available in North America commercially.

Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? - Season 4

    Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? (ダンジョンに出会いを求めるのは間違っているだろうか) is a fantasy harem series based on the light novel of the same name by Omori Fujino and Yasuda Suzuhito.  The third season ran 22 episodes and originally aired in the Summer of 2022 and the Winter of 2023.

      The events of season 3 have not entirely resolved themselves, but for now things are back to normal in Orario.  Bell and crew have mostly saved their reputation in the resolution of the conflict between the people on the surface and the growing society of intelligent dungeon denizens.  The guild has decided to give the Hestia Familia a real and recognized quest, a quest to explore lower levels of the dungeon, in order to help establish better relations with the Xenos.  On the 25th level the mixed party is set on by a monster that has been absorbing the crystals of other defeated monsters, greatly increasing its ability.  After a long and desperate fight they see its demise and are able to head to the dungeons midway safe zone.  Unfortunately their peace is broken before long and they are trust back into the perils of the lower levels.

    A man is murdered on the outskirts of town and all signs point to the culprit being the wanted adventurer, the Gale Wind.  Bell and the rest know this as the alternate identity of the gloomy elven barmaid Ryu.  Not willing to let their friend be killed by mob justice, they join the search team in hopes of finding her first.  Little does anyone know the entire thing is a plot of revenge and terror that recalls an even years earlier that saw all of Ryu's Familia destroyed.  A plot of madness that threatens the dungeon, everyone in at and even Orario above.  The small band of explorers must fight against odds like they have never faced before if they are ever to see the light of the sun again.

     The thing I was fearing finally came to be with this long 4th season.  I had feared, particularly after season 2, that the story would regress in scope of its subject.  Moving backwards to a place similar to the first season, where we find our hero(es) crawling through the dungeon, only facing higher difficulty threats.  Unfortunately, that's what we got in this season, even though that type of story repetition was covered quite well in the Sword Orataria side series.  What also started to become more common were standard shonen action tropes, as most of the story follows three drawn out conflicts.  We see time and time again the characters survive against impossible odds and physical damage.  Propelled by those around them, typical strength together types of propaganda common in shonen action stories.

    What was good though was how they intertwined Ryu's past and the events that lead up to her being a vilified martyr.  It was the strongest tread in the few treads wound together into this bloated 22 episode battle sequence.  By his nature Bell is product of plot armor, but this season really pushed it beyond any semblance of reasonable fantasy.  His ability to survive against every odd got a little tiring, knowing full well he was never in any legitimate danger, due to the nature of his story.  What was also put on full display was the resistance to permanently harm or kill off characters from the main pool.  The events of the other seasons also did well to expand upon the overall story, while this season was mostly a contained affair, which appears to have little effect for the narration moving forward.  It wasn't worth a full double helping and may have been better served as a movie.  Not being aware of where the story will go next, I can only hope it will redeem its self and return to the flow that it had been on, an ever increasing scale of conflict with some sort of end goal in sight to the narration.

     As before this season is widely available in multiple places commercially.

Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? - Season 3

   Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? (ダンジョンに出会いを求めるのは間違っているだろうか) is a fantasy harem series based on the light novel of the same name by Omori Fujino and Yasuda Suzuhito.  The third season ran 12 episodes and originally aired in the Fall of 2020.

     After the dangers in facing down two powerful Familia's in the last season lead to the Hestia Familia establishing themselves, Bell and team aren't able to kick back and relax just yet.  Through his overwhelming universal compassion, Bell rescues a mysterious monster from the dungeon, a monster who elicits human-like emotions and intelligence.  With the reluctant help of his family they sneak the unique creature back to the surface of the city and to their home.  After bestowing the name Weine on the monster, she starts to become a member of the family, causing tension with others.  No matter what they do, they can't cope to keep her existence a secret for long.

    The god overseeing the adventuring guild tasks Bell with a secret mission, revealing to the Hestia Familia the existence of many more monsters with human like existences.  The hope is that Bell and his friends can help to usher in a new era where adventurers and the monsters of the dungeon can co-exist.  Unfortunately, the insanity of a long dead architect has other plans for the benevolent idealism of a few powerful beings in the city.  Bell has to choose between his Familia's reputation and standing and the possibility of saving others that just want to live their lives peacefully with everyone else.

     Going into season three I was quite skeptical that the story could keep pushing forward in scope and importance.  Season one centered around the survival of Bell.  Season two scaled the scope of the struggle significantly, leading Bell and his small but growing band of friends to face two incredibly difficult threats from rival Familia.  It felt like the show had accelerated the threat levels too far and would have a hard time of believably increasing the dangers to the cast.  I imagined it would slide back to being a dungeon crawler like the first season, just with higher level monsters, but still not moving forward with the story.

    Instead season 3 presented a dramatic up-shift in the over all story.  The revelation that certain gods with in the city were aware and even supporting an emerging society of monsters that desire to exist beyond their banal life as experience grinding farms for the dungeon crawlers.  Bell is faced with a challenge greater than all before him, a challenge he can't exactly solve with brute force and unnatural ability.  He needs to find a way for both sectors of the shared space to co-exist.  Trough his actions, the monsters trust him to help them achieve their goal.  That hardest battle is going to be convincing his adventurer brethren and the other Familia heads that these beings are worthy of respect, differing from the creatures they have faced for centuries.  At this stage, season 3 is the strongest when it comes to story and plot development, skillfully building upon the previous seasons to push the narration forward.  Hopefully season 4 will continue this incredibly upper trajectory in narration.

    As with the other seasons, this season is widely available commercially.

Bloom Into You

 Bloom Into You (やがて君になる) is a 13 episode slice of life yuri romance based on the manga of the same name by Nakatani Nio.  The anime originally aired in the Fall of 2018.

    Yuu is a first year high school student who is unsure if she understands love.  As she struggles with how to respond to a confession from a good friend in middle school she happens upon an upper classman reject one herself.  She feels that this older more experienced person may share similar ideas as her and desires to get to know her.  The upperclassman, second year Touko, instantly takes a liking to Yuu and welcomes her into the student council.  While Touko explains that she turns down everyone who has confessed to her.  She says that she has expected to feel like she is floating on air when she does love someone, but no one has yet to cause that to happen.  As she and Yuu spend more time together that spark suddenly erupts, leading the older girl to take dramatic actions to show her love for Yuu.

    Yuu is completely unsure of the situation and doesn't reciprocate the affection.  She tells Touko that she accepts her love but can not return it, and may never be able to.  Touko in turn says that's fine and still wants to be with Yuu, even if its just one sided.  However Yuu is unsure about the situation and feels that Touko is hiding her true self from everyone, causing undue strain and stress.  As time goes on Touko becomes more aggressive with her affection, much to Yuu's discomfort.  As they get caught up in the stress of life around them will they be able to come to peace with each other or is their time only limited to their brief life as co-eds?

 

    I'll come out right away and say this series has elements to it that did not sit well with me.  The relationship between Yuu and Touko is at times dangerous for Yuu.  Some of Touko's actions towards Yuu can be seen as a grooming or manipulative.  She has a vast amount of emotional baggage that shes is purposely neglecting, even after Yuu's desire to help her.  Yuu tends to exhibit symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome, trying desperately to feel the same level of emotions for Touko but is unable to.  All the while Touko's closest friend harbors hidden love for her, and is unable to recognize the toxicity of her relationship with the underclassman.

    I enjoy realism and drama in slice of life.  This series deals with some realistic issues but also succumbs to genre tropes.  What concerns me with how Bloom Into You portrays this dangerous and troublesome relationship is that it doesn't appear to recognize the seriousness of it.  Instead it offhandedly escalates the power that Touko exerts over Yuu and Yuu continues to rationalize it in fantastical ways.  Ways that are not exactly done in a manner that underscores the seriousness of their situation.  Meanwhile it does portray some aspects of humanity that aren't often shown in anime.  One of Yuu's classmates is also aromantic, preferring to enjoy other peoples loves from a distance, somewhat creepy voyeurism.  There is also an adult lesbian couple who interact with characters at times in the later portions of the story, offering a more normalized, if hidden reality, of LGBTQ+ in Japan.  Beyond the difficulty with resolving the glib manner in how the story handle the dangerous content, the artwork is rather lack luster with quite out dated character designs.  In the end, I am not sure if I enjoyed the series.  Some aspects were welcomed but there was a lot of strained melodrama and a rather offhanded way of presenting toxic relationships.

    Bloom Into You is available for streaming in North America in both sub and sub formats.

Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? - Season 2

  Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? (ダンジョンに出会いを求めるのは間違っているだろうか) is a fantasy harem series based on the light novel of the same name by Omori Fujino and Yasuda Suzuhito.  The second season ran 12 episodes and originally aired in the Summer of 2019.

 

    Following Bell's successes at the end of season one, he finds his fame is beginning to attract more attention than is good for him.  The greatest threat to his survival ends up being jealous members of other Familia's.  To kick things off the Apollo Familia wages open warfare with Bell and Hestia who survive only through the help of the people who call them friends.  To resolve the conflict Hestia challenges Apollo to a dual of their Familias.  Through sure will and the support of friends who change their allegiance to Hestia they are able to persevere.

    The larger but still diminutive Hestia Familia isn't able to rest though as they end up in the middle of a conflict between the Ishtar Familia and the Freya Familia.  Mikoto, one of the new members, learns that a childhood friend is being held captive in Ishtar's red light district.  Her friend is a princess from her homeland who has been missing for years.  The princess ended up being sold into slavery, winding up under the control of the Ishtar Familia, working as a prostitute.  Bell's noble personality refuses to allow him to stand by as the lost princess is going to be sacrificed to increase the power of the Familia.  Their involvement reveals a far greater threat to everyone.

    One of the things I really enjoyed with the original season was its amusing representation of a dungeon crawling video game.  All of that is pushed aside with season two as the focus stays on the surface of the city and the political conflict between some of the strongest Familias.  Of course Bell and his growing band of friends find themselves caught in the thick of the events that threaten to destabilize the city.  Bell's paternal lineage is revealed at the end of season 1, but it is unknown which gods are aware that he is a descendant of Zeus.  Even with this genetic predisposition to greatness, Bell is heavily protected with plot armor, more so in season 2.

    The shift in story focus with this season wasn't bad, but it lost an amount of story telling that I enjoyed with season 1.  At times it falls into tired shonen action tropes, but at least it keeps moving the story at a brisk pace instead of extending things out into oblivion.  It is interesting to see the politics of the city and developing more of the personalities that run things, but season 2 completely sacrifices the charm of the first season to focus on this.  Its hard to see how the story can continue with this escalation of danger with the resolution of this seasons events.  The Hestia Familia finds its self in a secure position and if the story falls back on them just maintaining their status it will easy become stale.

    As with season 1, season 2 is widely available commercially on multiple platforms and formats.

Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? - Season 1

 Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? (ダンジョンに出会いを求めるのは間違っているだろうか) is a fantasy harem series based on the light novel of the same name by Omori Fujino and Yasuda Suzuhito.  The first season ran 13 episodes and originally aired in the Spring of 2015.

      Bell Cranel is a rookie adventurer in the city of Otario.  For amusement, a number of classical gods have come to the mortal realm, limiting their abilities and started clans of adventurers called Familia.  The adventurers explore the depths of a vast dungeon in the city for fame and fortune.  The inexperienced and naive Bell has become the sole member of the Familia under the dejected goddess Hestia.  The diminutive and buxom goddess is obsessively protective of her sole adventurer and does whatever she can to help him survive the trials of his profession.

 

    One day while exploring the upper levels Bell is attacked by a minotaur who had escaped from a lower level.  While almost mortally wounded, he is saved by the stoic and powerful Ais Wallenstein, instantly earning his affection and gratitude.  Shame of his weakness in the face of the beautiful Ais pushes him to take more risks in his drive to grow.  Those around him, who take pity on Bell, offer whatever assistance they can, but his own latent abilities prove to be his greatest asset.  Even with all of the support and miraculous still the job of an adventurer nothing but peril.

     After being rescued from the minotaur by Eis, Bell pushes himself further.  But Hestia is worried about his ability to survive.  In secret she has the forge goddess Hephaestus craft a special dagger for Bell, in exchange, Hestia has to work for Hephaestus for an indeterminable time.  At the same time the goddess Freya begins to test Bells strength in extreme ways, but constantly putting him in perilous situations.  Bells guild supporter, half-elf Eina, also does what she can to ensure his survival, offering him advice and help finding better equipment.  She convinces him to add other people to his group, in which he hires a small porter, Lilly, who's Familia is about deception and selfishness.  Despite her attempts to rob him, Bell shows nothing but compassion and brings her into his Familia.

 

    Bell begins to gain recognition by those in the town due to his well documented exploits.  This attention brings others to him, but he ends up including the dejected smith Welf, who's problematic family history doesn't cause any problems for the carefree Bell.  Instead he values Welf on Bells appreciation of the armor he has purchased from him in the past.  Now part of an adventuring party, Bell journeys deeper into the dungeon, seeking greater rewards along with greater risks.  But when the new party finds its self having to dive deeper than every in hopes of reaching safety, even the gods themselves come to his rescue.

    Normally I shy away from overt harems and have never really enjoyed many fantasy titles in the the realm of anime, yet something about Is It Wrong... is satisfying.  I can't explain it, but even though the series is overflowing with aspects I detest this show is very enjoyable.  The core of the story really comes down to Bell being the pathetic stand in for the viewer that against all odds is incredibly powerful.  Every available female archetype throws themselves at him out of little more than sympathy.  Bell moves through the series with an ever growing list of young women willing to nurture him into submission.  Yet his blindness for power and success pushes him to risk everything with each journey into the dungeon.

 

    This is true to form classic light novel turned anime fare.  Super long name, over the top characterization and a main character who represents the average under appreciated man yet has all sorts of plot armor.  But for all of the harem tropes the series is literally a Rouge-like game in the form of an anime, which must be what draws me to enjoying it.  Bell has his stats and abilities tattooed on his back, which Hestia updates after each of his adventurers.  Monsters explode into gems, abilities are gained, the dungeon levels are always different, its really hitting all of the marks.  The small world is also amusing and the characters, even though they are mostly stereotypical harem archetypes are lovable in their own way.  Sometimes genres that one has a great distaste for can come up with something to entertain anyone.

    The series and all of its current seasons have been available commercially outside of Japan since the original broadcast, so they are pretty easy to find.

Laid-Back Camp

 Laid-Back Camp ( ゆるキャン△) is a 25 episode slice of live anime.  The series is based on the manga of the same name by Afro. 

    Nadeshiko is an energetic high school student who has recently moved from her hometown.  While exploring her new surroundings she comes across a girl her age solo camping.  The girl, Rin, is serious and dedicated in everything she does.  She is a fan of living her life outdoors and offers to help Nadeshiko, who is a little bit lost.  The experience emboldens Nadeshiko to join the outdoor club at her new school, hoping to have more opportunities for camping and exploring the world around her new home.

     The inclusion of Nadeshiko pushes the small club to take their activities series.  The other members teach her the basics of camping with an emphasis on doing so in cold weather.  Together they take numerous trips to scenic spots in the area, pooling their knowledge.  Even though she is not a member of the club, Rin begins to be included in the tight-nit groups activities and planning.

 

     Laid-Back Camp is as warm and fluffy as the characters oversized scarves.  The characters grow into close friends with their shared experiences.  There is not really any overall plot or drama, just the intricacies or camping and showcasing various places in the Yamanashi area of central Japan.  Mount Fuji it's self tends to be a central character in the series as they frequently camp in places offering good views of the mountain.

     The artwork is plain but comfortable, the characters are pleasant and comfortable...the best way to explain the series over all is really just comfortable.  Its comfort food, unassuming, cute and without drama.  The story lends its self to be more about camping tips and tricks as well as doubling as a tourism brochure for Yamanshi Prefecture.  You would almost think it was sponsored by their tourism board!  Either way, this a really enjoyable series to watch, even if it offers nothing more than sweetness and innocence.  Kind of like Sweetness & Lightening.

     As of the writing of this review there is a 3rd season on the horizon, with an as of yet release date.  Both seasons and the movie are available on Crunchyroll.

Wonder Egg Priority

 Wonder Egg Priority (ワンダーエッグ・プライオリティ) is an original sci-fi psychological anime Nojima Shinji.  It originally ran in the winter of 2021.

    Oto Ai is a depressed shut in middle school student who avoids her mother as much as possible.  Life wasn't easy for her due to having heterochromia, The friendship of a transfer student helps sustain her through the hardships of adolescence but when her friend commits suicide one day Ai's world crashes in around her.  One evening while wandering around her neighborhood she is given a strange egg.  She soon finds herself in an altered version of reality and is instructed to crack the egg, which reveals a girl who had committed suicide.  Ai must protect the girl from aggressive beings who are trying to destroy them both.  After succeeding in what is essentially putting the girls soul to rest Ai learns that a statue of her dead friend exists in this reality.  If she saves more lost girls she has the chance to bring her friend back to life.

         She quickly learns that other girls are also working to save lost souls for their own reasons and soon becomes friends with the small group of warriors.  Aonuma Neiru, a serious girl who has a hard time interacting with those her age.  Kawai Rika, a rambunctious ex-idol whose goal in life is to live off of others.  Sawaki Momoe a tall hansom girl who struggles with her less than feminine appearances and the attraction of other girls.  As the four girls risk their lives at night trying to help those that killed themselves battle their demons, they grow close in friendship, providing salvation for their own troubles.  They are each trying to save someone they lost but are they saving their friends or are they saving themselves?

    The series animation is quite enjoyable, with well done character deigns.  It also tackles realistic problems that affect adolescents and everyone really.  The struggles of self hatred, isolation, depression, confusion and regret.  Every egg presents an opportunity to showcase common causes to suicide as the girls fight against representations of the lost girls problem.  At the same time they are fighting through the problems they ear each dealing with in their own ways, using this salvation as a sort of therapy, all be it less than ideal therapy.  The world that is built is interesting and unfolds as the series progresses.  The main protagonists are believable for the most part, Neiru's situation is a little far-fetched, but the other 3 are firmly rooted in reality.  It's fun to see a take on a deeply personal and difficult subject as suicide in a format akin to the magical girl genre, which has been covered in other anime.

    While it's always welcome to see an anime tackle mature and realistic content, Wonder Egg Priority falls flat when the background of the story is unveiled near the end of its run.  A series that isn't exactly presented as sci-fi for most of its development works incredibly hard in the last 3 episodes to convince the audience that this has been a sci-fi story all along.  The machinations for the entire egg protection slash teenage trauma scheme feels cheapened by the underlying origins of the concept.  We already had a farfetched background with Neiru's story only to compound the mysteries by revealing the people behind the eggs pasts' via deus ex-machina.  To further frustrate the unfolding of the mysteries of the story, we have to suffer through essentially 2 full recap episodes, one of which is wrapped up into the extended final episode.  I really wanted to enjoy the series but in the end the sloppy climax made reaching the end a disappointment.  The reward for reaching the end of the mystery was not worth the energy put into getting there.

The series is widely available in both sub and dub format and honestly the dub English dub voices are pretty well done...I started the series sub but finished it dub.  As of this writing it is available on Crunchyroll in both formats.

Ranking of Kings

 Ranking of Kings (王様ランキング) is a 22 episode fantasy series based on the manga of the same name by Toka Sasuke.  The series was produced by Wit Studio and aired in Japan between the Fall of 2021 and Winter of 2022.

     Bojji is the oldest prince of a peaceful and powerful kingdom in an unnamed fantasy world.   His father is one of the strongest kings, a literal giant named Bosse.  Bosse is nearing the end of his successful life.  All not well in his kingdom, his heir apparent, Bojji, is unnaturally weak, deaf and mute and considered a simpleton by everyone around him.  The prince is mocked and despised by everyone around him, commoner, servant and family alike.  Instead of letting the kingdom collapse when Bosse dies, Queen Hiling, Bosse's second wife, has plans to put her son, the second prince Daida on the throne.

    Bojji holds an unrealized potential in his small hands.  What everyone considers gullibility and ineptitude, hides his strength of will and unwavering compassion.  As plans beyond his control begin to move he is thrust upon a journey to awaken his latent potential.  The boy who the world struggles to communicate with must convince people who are significantly more powerful than he is to lend him their strength.  Even with his determination there are forces more powerful and sinister than anyone realized at work, threatening the very existence of his world.

    Ranking of Kings has been referred to as the anime version of Game of Thrones.  That is not entirely accurate but not wrong either.  The simplistic and unusual animation style coupled with the incredible positivity of the main character does a lot to dampen the brutality of the story.  Along with that though, the habit of death to not be permanent in the story severely dampens the terror...as well as any realistic risk.  Bojji is a character that you want to root for in every encounter and his journey is endearing and heart warming.  Yet he suffers from plot armor in more than one occasion and that plot armor extends to other characters, which lessons the real impact of the story.  The biggest complaint with the story is the ability of its characters to survive death and severe structural damage, trappings of shonen action stories that severely hamper the stories impact.

    With that said though, this is an a amazing story that becomes better with each new episode.  From the beginning Bojji is a lovable character, that the viewer will root for at every step.  As the characters around him are revealed and given back stories of their own does his journey become more endearing.  The story is emotional and moving.  Some of the characters come from tragic backgrounds, ones that shape their personalities in terrible ways, but they also contain their original humanity.  Like life, no one is purely evil in the story and those that seem to be villains at one point have the potential for redemption later on.  The artwork it's self befits the story, even if it looks simplistic and childish.  It helps to lessen the darkness of the events while paying homage to classical French animation, finding its own voice in a land of copy cats.  Ranking of Kings makes me think of Berserk that exudes hope within the darkness.  In the end I heavily enjoyed this story, even if it seemed to be unwilling to kill off many characters and got a little too positive in the end, but its a great story, great word and Bojji is one of the best protagonists around.  Here's to more of the story being produced, because there is so much more story that can be told...and there is a lot more manga.

    Ranking of Kings is currently available streaming in North America.

Horimiya

 Horimiya (堀さんと宮村くん) is a 13 episode romance based on the manga of Hori-san to Miyamura-kun by Adachi Hiroki.  The series originally aired during the winter of 2021.

   Hori Kyoko is intelligent, beautiful and well liked by her peers..  Miyamura Izumi is a dark loner everyone ignores and rejects.  A chance encounter between them after school reveals hidden personalities which starts a strange friendship between them.  While Hori is viewed as one of the goddesses of school, in truth she is really devoted to her family and takes on more responsibility than she can handle.  Miyamura appears to be gloomy, alone and possibly depraved but in reality he struggles with social rejection and depression.  In a chance encounter, Miyamura helps Hori's younger brother get home after injuring himself.  Not familiar with how he looks outside of school, Hori gratefully invites the cool stranger into her home for a thank you snack.  Soon enough she realizes that the tattooed and pierced wild guy is the gloomy loner.  At the same time Hori has unwillingly revealed her less put together home self to a classmate.  They agree to hide their hidden selves from their peers and begin spending more time together.

    It doesn't take long for their friendship to become exposed to the class as they don't hide their interactions.  The previously shunned Miyamura finds himself in Hori's small friend group along with being a frequent guest at her house.  Their friendship becomes more complicated as they become more familiar with each other.  Everyone around them can see the growing closeness and hidden feelings, but no amount of input from others will make them accept reality.  While Hori and Miyamura struggle internally with their growing feelings for each other, those around them begin to be effected by changing emotions.  The pebble of emotions cast by Hori and Miyamura's unexpected friendship grows in to stronger and stronger ripples for those around them, who in turn struggle with their own feelings and relationships.

    Initial reaction to Horimiya is that it was inspired by the romance series Kare Kano.  Both series deal with two people forming a bond over sharing secrets about themselves.  There is little in common after that.  Kare Kano delves deeply into internal turmoil and personal darkness.  Horimiya, while more dramatic than not, peppers light hearted situations through out, balancing the darker pieces.  Thats not to say the series isn't good.  Its incredibly satisfying and one of the best romances in recent years.  The primary characters are well developed and enjoyable.  Their relationship moves along at a good pace.  The side characters on the other hand are less developed and take up more story time than they probably should.

    The artwork for the series is middle of the road compared to current shows but does not detract from the series.  It is an enjoyable, endearing and fun overall.  Grounded in reality and not stuck with past cliches for romance series, where the main characters can't overcome their own internal dialogues to move their relationship forward.  The characters take fate into their own hands and try to make progress, even if a little slowly at sometimes.  There is little in the way of episodes worth of misunderstanding forcing tension and drama.  The biggest complaint is that there is not more of the show, but it ends in a satisfying way.

    The series is currently available in dub and sub formats as well as streaming on Crunchyroll.

Tonikawa: Over the Moon for You

 Tonikawa (トニカクカワイイ) also known as Fly Me to the Moon is a comedic slice of live romance based on the manga of the same name by Hata Kenjiro.  The anime aired in Japan over the Fall of 2020.

    Yuzaki Nasa has endured a painful life due to his odd first name and has resolved to push him self to the very limits to outshine his namesake.  His world comes to a halt one night after mock high school entrance exams.  He notices a beautiful girl across the street and rushes to speak to her.  Instead, she saves him from being killed by a passing truck.  While he doesn't die immediately from his injuries, he forces himself after her, on broken legs, through sure will power.  He finds he in a nearby bu shelter and tells her he loves her and wants to date her.  She agrees to do so, if her marries her.  The last thing he remembers before falling into a coma is agreeing to do so.  Following his recovery he passes his exams but looses all interest in continuing on his course in life.  Instead he skips high school and enters the work force, keeping odd jobs and living on his own.  After he turns 18 the mysterious girl, Tsukasa, appears at his apartment, ready to get married.

    Overcome with emotion for meeting her again after three years he eagerly agrees.  That night they register their marriage and begin their life as newly weds, even though they know nothing about each other.  Their new life together isn't without its troubles though.  Nasa and Tsukasa struggle to navigate how to be a couple and learn about each other.  Nasa is an open book while Tsukasa is very mysterious in both her past and motivations.  Further complicating their growing relationship are external forces causing discord and strife.  A friend from school secretly harbors feelings for Nasa while her younger sister continuously fills his head with doubt about his commitment.  Tsukasa's younger sister works hard to break apart the couple, not wanting anyone else to have her.  Nasa struggles with how to please his wife, over analyzing every aspect of their relationship, even as Tsukasa assures him everything is going to be ok.

    Tonikawa is a cute and enjoyable series that shows a fun and innocent relationship between two people.  There are numerous opportunities to push the pervert boundary with the story but it always stays on the edge of cute innocence.  Nasa is ludicrously patient and reserved while Tsukasa is coy and mysterious.  Instead of focusing entirely on the idea of marital consummation, to the point of childish innocence, it ambles along showing their growing relationship.  The biggest mystery, bigger than Tsukasa's past and motivation, is how Nasa can afford to live in Tokyo and provide for them....even if its a small and old apartment.  Nasa willingly provides anything Tsukasa wants, which leads to numerous shopping trips over the series

    While the story and characters are enjoyable the artwork isn't of the highest caliber.  It;s rather subpar by current standards, which is fine in the end.  The show is enjoyable because of the characters and journey of discovery.  Tonikawa is a good example of a show being carried almost entirely by its writing.  The series however is just the start of the story.  An OAV was released in 2021 and a second season is pending, set to be released in the Fall of 2022, presumably wrapping up the story and detailing more of Tsukasa's past.

    The series is currently available commercially in both dub and sub formats as well as streaming on Crunchyroll.

Odd Taxi

 Odd Taxi (オッドタクシー) is a slice of life seinen drama based on the manga of the same name.  The series broadcast on TV over the Spring of 2021.

   Odokawa Hiroshi is a middle aged bachelor who works as an independent taxi driver in an anthropomorphized version of modern day Tokyo.  Unknown to him, a young passenger who strives to become viral on the net opens up a complex web of deception and danger after taking a selfie with the reclusive walrus.

    Everything begins with the disappearance of a high school girl.  A police investigation links her last known whereabouts to hiss taxi.  Soon various factions and personalities begin trying to confirm his taxi's involvement.  The disappearance increases in complexity with each new person who crosses paths with the man who doesn't like interacting with other people.  When the few people close to him come under threat he realizes he needs to do whatever he can to protect them.  Can he unravel all of the issues before someone ends up dead?

     Initial impression, without watching a minute of the show, was that it would be an episodic story about a weird cabby dealing with a new problematic fare each week.  Instead the series is a deeply complex drama involving a large number of moving pieces.  As the story unfolds the viewer begins to understand the importance of random reference characters and events.  Almost every aspect of the story surfaces as important plot points and story pivots through out its run.  From the late night b-grade comedy duo playing in Odakawa's cab, the vapid idol pop group providing the background music or a server at a cabaret club, everything becomes important to the story.

    The artwork is basic with some rather sloppy and disjointed computer graphics.  The character designs are childish but work to reinforce the personalities as represented by their animals.  What the series lacks in the visual department more than overcomes with the writing.  The story and characterization is the entire reason the show is as good as it is.  Complex, well though out and well paced, it is rare to find an anime series this well done.  This is really a series that is worth the time for viewers who enjoy complex mysteries based in reality, even if all of the characters are animals.

    The series is available on Crunchyroll in both sub and dub.  A movie continuing the story was released in early 2022 in Japan.

Honey and Clover

 Honey and Clover (ハチミツとクローバー) is a 36 episode slice of life romance series based on the manga of the same name by Umino Chika.  The first season of the series was broadcast over the Spring and Summer of 2005 and the second season was broadcast over the Summer of 2006.

    Honey and Clover follows the lives of people connected by a rundown apartment building near an art college in Tokyo over a four year period.  While there is no one central character to the story much of the narration is done by Takemoto Yuta, a sophomore at the beginning of the series.  Yuta has come to Tokyo as a way to escape the discomfort he feels at home after his mother remarries.  Yuta and his flatmates have a close relationship with a professor, Hanamoto Shuji, who is an alumni of the school.  When he introduces them to his relative, the childlike Hanamoto 'Hagu' Hagumi, Yuta immediately falls in love with her.  Shuji convinced Hagu to attend the school as a way to break free of her isolated childhood with their grandmother, to help her grow as an artist and experience more of life.  Hagu is immediately preyed upon by Morita Shinobu, one of Yuta's roomates, in his sixth year of school.  Shinobu is fascinated by the living doll before him and begins to use her in various art schemes, much to her terror.  A third year pottery student, the beautiful Yamada Ayumi, comes to Hagu's protection and is the first new person she warms up to.  The core group is rounded out with Mayama Takumi, a forth year student who looks after everyone like a parent, while struggling with unrequited love for an older woman and friend of Shujis'.

    Yuta and Shinobu compete for Hagu's affection but she is more focused on her drive to create products that will last beyond her years.  She is shy, timid and cloistered by Shuji but over time she becomes friends with the group.  Ayumi struggles with her one sided feelings for Takumi, who sturggles with his feelings for Rika, whom he works for at the suggestion of Shuji.  Rika suffered a sever injury earlier in her life, leaving her crippled and weak.  Her determination drives her to continue the company she started, even if it means shortening her life.  Takumi is drawn by his desire to protect her, willing to throw everything else away to be with her, even if its only as an assistant.  Ayumi struggles with knowing that Takumi will never return her love but can not stop from feeling the way she does.  Shinobu doesn't express his feelings for Hagu in traditional ways, but he and Yuta understand they are competing for the small woman's heart.  Can the aloof man really provide her the attention she needs?  Shinobu frequently disappears for long stretches of time, doing unknown things for vast sums of money, only to return unexpectedly, as if he had never been gone.  Yuta's own level of maturity prevents him from being honest with Hagu as he coasts along watching the drama unfold around him.  Does he really have a plan for his life or is he running away from his feelings?  What does Hagu want?  She is a brilliant artist who is taking the opportunity of college to expand her abilities but at what cost and demand from those around her?

    Honey and Clover is a well written and complicated tale about young adults finding their place in the world.  The story passes quickly from year to year, skipping large portions of time while focusing on pivotal events that can cover hours, days or weeks.  The characters stories intersect at various points in time but are rarely all connected.  The story begins with Hagu entering school and ends with her graduating, with requisite back story to establish and reinforce the characters various motivations along the way.  Even though Hagu is the virtual center point of the story she remains an outside figure, with the story focusing very heavily on Takumi.  Even though much of the narration comes from Yuta he is a small player in the series as well, playing the part of the observer.  In the end the story deals with youth finding its place in the world of adulthood.  The struggles for acceptance and the paths that lay ahead of them.  The characters are well rounded and realistic, even if their antics are more for comedic effect at times, at its core this is a drama about humans trying to be humans and it does a good job at expressing that.

    The artwork in the series is fantastic and does well to translate the original authors creations, even as it fast approaches its 20 year mark.  Characters and story concepts may seem familiar if you are coming to this series late.  Umino Chika is the same author/artist who created March Comes in Like a Lion.  It is even set in the same 'world' as Ayumi makes a cameo appearance in that title.  Over all, the work is incredibly satisfying, if shorter than it should have been.  The story develops at a good pace and ends in a satisfying way.  While quite a bit old, it is a reminder that anime can be mature and steer wide of common tropes.  This is a story of humans interacting with each other in a realistic way.

   The anime and manga have been commercially available in the United States and elsewhere for a long time now.  The anime is currently available on Crunchyroll in both sub and dub formats.

Blade of the Immortal - 2019 anime

 Blade of the Immortal (無限の住人) is a seinen historical action series based on the manga of the same name by Samura Hiroaki.  This adaption of the story was made available on Amazon Prime between the Fall of 2019 and the Spring of 2020 and ran for 24 episodes.

     Manji is a man cursed with immortality.  On the brink of death, after murdering 100 innocent men, a wizened woman feeds him mysterious blood worms, which allow his body to heal its self, even in the face of death.  Following the death of his sister he feels there is no longer a point to living and makes a deal with the old woman; kill 1000 bad guys to atone for the 100 good guys, then remove the worms so he can die.  A few years later the orphaned daughter, Asano Rin, of a destroyed dojo seeks Manji out as a bodyguard and accomplice in revenge.  Rin's parents were unfortunate victims in a far reaching plot of a scorned man to disrupt the countries approach to swordsmanship.  Anotsu Kagehisa has gathered a band of disaffected warriors and is systematically destroying dojo's who do not agree to join his revolution.  Under the name Itto-ryu they mercilessly murder anyone who opposes them, destroying legacies in their wake.

    Rin's father was the heir to a dojo which has previously rejected Kagehisa's grandfather, causing some animosity on his part in the attack and murder of her parents.  Not understanding the greater events in motion around her, Rin is wholly focused on vengeance.  Manji begrudgingly goes along with her plan at first due to her resebmelnce to his long dead sister.  As they track down and face the strongest members of Itto-ryu, they find themselves embroiled in actions by the Tokugawa shogunate against the murderous criminals.  While Manji's hands are too deeply soiled in blood will Rin be able to achieve her revenge and find peace in her actions?

    Blade of the Immortal takes place in an alternative history in which many things are fabrications by the author, most notably the weaponry employed by many of its characters.  The story takes place around the end of the 1700's and is primarily located in and around the Kanto plain, the site of Edo, present day Tokyo.  Due to the prohibitive nature of travel by unauthorized individuals the span of space tends to be exaggerated as they move from place to place.  What is also a bit glossed over is just how easily it seems the characters, wanted criminals, can move about in a relatively small area avoiding detection...particularly when it is the seat of national governance and power.  Those issues withstanding fans of shonen action titles will be pleased in the amount of extraordinary survive-ability by many of the characters.  What they won't get is any sort of down time or training arcs or a sense of reinforced companionship.  There are some well defined alliances that exists through out the story but individuals will choose to work with enemies at time for mutual goals.  This isn't a tale of right versus wrong, none of the characters are morally pure.  Instead what unravels is a significant series of events that only effect those at the center of them, nothing actually world changing transpires.  The story sets out with a vague goal in mind but the road it takes to get there is unexpected and enjoyable.  The cast of characters never gets out of hand and everyone is unique enough that they are easy to remember.

    This most recent adaptation is not the first time this 30 volume manga has been adapted to film but is the most complete version, essentially covering the entire story.  The first attempt was with a partial telling from 2008 that only churned out 13 episode and left much of the story untold.  It also saw an abridged live action telling in 2017 by Miike Takashi.  Neither of them come close to capturing the breadth and beauty of the original source material like the 2019 anime.  Aside from telling the story from start to finish it also has a higher quality of artwork compared to the 2008 anime, which left much to be desired.  For me, after nearly 25 years of fandom for this manga, it has finally received its adequate anime adaptation.  The story is aimed at a mature audience and deals with a lot of detailed dismemberment and rape.  That said its never done in a way that seems out of place.  Sure the violence can be a little over the top at times but these people are over the top.  Unfortunately what is lost in any adaptation is the amazing full page spreads that would be in every issue of the manga, artwork that Samura said in early interviews, would take him an entire day to do.

 The anime is currently available for streaming on Amazon.  The manga has been in print in English since the mid 90s and is currently available in a few formats.

Kare Kano vol 12

 In volume 11 the story shifted to focusing on Shibahime's step-brother Kazuma.  Kazuma's summer is filled with Shibahime and his band, the two things that he loves.  The band consumes much of his life and passion and when he realizes the pain and rejection that Shibahime has dealt with in her life, his guilt begins to overwhelm him.  She clings to him desperately but he realizes music will cause her to be alone again.  His feelings for her grow stronger and the fear of hurting or loosing her causes him to avoid her.  When she confronts him about his confusing behavior he lashes out at her and runs away from home.

     Kazuma has run away from home because he is unable to deal with his growing feelings for Shibahime.  Instead he decides to focus his entire life around music, quiting school to do so.  At this point everyone around him realizes how he feels, except for Shibahime and his mother understandably allows him to travel the path he chooses.  The turmoil from his emotional stress causes his artistic abilities to engage and he begins writing new material for the band.  A song that is a love letter to his step-sister causes the band to gain incredible attention through out the music community, pushing them to relent and sign to a major label.

     Meanwhile Shibahime is again alone and lost.  All she see's around her is the images and sounds of Kazuma.  It gets to be painful enough that she unknowingly begins to block out his music.  Her friends remain mostly oblivious to the pain she is going through and wonder at her odd behavior, while they are swept away in the popularity of her step-brothers band.  Shibahime ends up in the hospital due to exhaustion and malnutrition.  Kazuma decides to confront her and express his love for her, regardless of the outcome.  As he suspected, she does not view him in the same way and rejects his decision.  Not wanting to lose her, he tells her that she will always be the most important person in her life.  Willing to wait forever if she opens up her heart more to him.  After a successful tour the band comes back to Tokyo to play the famous Budokan.  Kazuma gifts Shibahime a ticket in the front row, in the hopes that he can reach out to her.  For the first time she is able to hear his words and hear his heart.

 

    The final segment deals with a peak into the life of the least talked about person in the friend group, Sena Rika.  Rika considers herself normal and just enjoys life in the background.  She doesn't recognize her amazing sewing as anything special.  Shibahime's father was so impressed with her clothing design work for the cultural festival play that he unofficially offered her a job at his company.  While she has known Shibahime, Arima and Tsubaki since middle school, she has been friends with Aya since kindergarten.  The two spent as much time together as kids as possible, even if Aya was a bit sadistic.  They always spent time with Aya's older brother, who over time grew to develop feelings for Rika.  Rika comes to visit Aya as she works hard on her next novel and is able to spend time with Aya's older brother.  She comes to realize she has feelings for him and recognizes that he is probably too shy to express them himself.  In a moment of shared understanding the things they can not say end up being conveyed.