Horimiya: The Missing Pieces

 Horimiya: The Missing Pieces (ホリミヤ -piece-) is a 13 episode continuation of the original Horimiya slice of life romantic comedy series.  It is based on the manga Hori-san to Miyamura-kun by Adachi Hiroki.  The series originally aired over the Summer of 2023.

 

    Missing Pieces isn't a continuation of the original series, it is really a companion piece, being a collection of plots from the manga that were not included in the original run of the series.  Each episode is a collection of stories that are related to each other, but may not occur with in the same time frame in the natural progress of the manga.  The stories put more focus on the side characters, expanding their roles in the overall story.  Characters not shown in the original anime also make appearances, rounding out the cast.  The story shows the students on a trip to Kyoto, struggles with swimming during gym and humorous non-sequitur anecdotes like how to sleep four people under the same kotatsu or what to do with a teacher who loves the girls too much.

    I was initially concerned that this would be as disappointing as the side story season of Ranking of Kings turned out to be.  The first episode quickly quelled those fears and I fell in love with this side story compilation as much as the original.  It is sad to not get a continuation of Hori and Miramura's relationship after high school, but this was just as good.  Its was enjoyable to see more about the side characters, many of which add much depth to the main characters.  The way sometimes disparate segments were grouped together under a common theme made it more enjoyable as well.  It's hard to find anything at fault with this series.  If a future anime does something similar this format should be the golden standard.

    Horimiya is a great story, with lovable characters, its just too bad this is probably the real good bye to them in the form of anime.  Crunchyroll went through and came up with a comprehensive order to watch the episodes from both series' so that it follows the flow of the manga...its really really in-depth and specific.  I will have to follow their specified order after I read the manga to see how well it covers the original material.

 

    This, like the original series, is available on Crunchyroll and is well worth the time!

Spy x Family - Season 1

 Spy x Family is a comedic slice of life espionage series based on the manga of the same name by Endo Tatsuya.  The first season originally aired during the Spring and Fall seasons of 2022 for a total of 25 episodes.

 

    Twilight is the top spy for the nation of  Westalis.  There has been an uneasy peace between his country and their neighboring country, Ostania, following a costly war between both nations.  Twilight's' primary operation is to ensure the current peace and to work towards making is permanent.  He goes to any lengths to achieve success in all of his missions, abandoning his past, present and future for the sake of peace.  He is given a very difficult mission in hopes to thwart one of the most influential radicals in Ostania's government before a new war can be sparked.  His mission; get close to the leader of the National Unity Party, Donovan Desmond.  Desmond is a notorious recluse, who rarely makes public appearances.  Twilight's superiors feel the best way to get to him is through his youngest son via school functions at the exclusive private school he attends.  In order to fulfill this mission he must assemble a fake family and enroll his fake child into the academy.

    Twilight assumes the identity of a young psychiatrist named Loid Forger.  The first step of his mission is to find a child he can adopt to pose as his own.  He finds one in a less than reputable orphanage, a strange girl named Anya.  Unknown to Loid, Anya is the result of secret and illegal experiments which have unlocked the ability to read peoples minds.  Anya, fearful of Loid rejecting her and knowing immediately that he is a spy that needs her for his mission, does everything she can to hide her abilities from him.  Anya is absolutely enthralled with Loid being a spy since her favorite cartoon is a fantastical spy show.  The next step, given the prestige of the private Eden College, that Anya needs to enroll in, find a mother figure for Anya.  In a stroke of luck he encounters a beautiful and single woman names Yor.  Before he can ask her to pretend to be his wife, to help his daughter succeed in the admission process, she asks him is he will pretend to be her boyfriend for a work party.  Yor works in city hall and is struggling to not draw suspicion from the Ostania Secret Police.  The nation is uneasy and paranoid following the peace accord.  Neighbors and coworkers routinely report people for any perceived deviations from normalcy on suspicion of being spies.  Yor, being beautiful, a public servant and single means she is a likely target for espionage suspicions.  In reality, Yor is a highly successful assassin for a shadowy group working to eliminate threats to the country.  She fears that her true line of work will get her executed...or at least make her younger brother incredibly disappointed in her.

     With her proposal to be a fake boyfriend, Loid suggests she pretend to be his new wife as well.  Yor, not suspecting that Loid is not a widower psychiatrist father of a young girl attempting to enroll in Eden College, agrees to pretend to be his new wife, to help her stave off suspicion on herself as well.  The preparation for Twilight's' mission has now been completed, the next step...Anya's success in enrolling to the academy.  Even with her amazing mind reading abilities, Anya's success is not guaranteed.  The strange little girl isn't the brightest bulb in the pack and she is definitely not six years old, based on her mannerism and lack of self control.  The admission to the college includes more than just success in testing, it also requires proper etiquette and social conciseness.  Twilight can prepare all he wants and train the girl as much as he can, but he can't control any randomness she could undertake in her daily activities.  Is his mission doomed to fail before it even has a chance to truly begin?  The greatest spy from Westalis struggles to control vital aspects of his mission that are out of his own hands.  But, he will do everything he can to ensure the success of his mission, since the sake of continued peace relies on it.

    Spy x Family is deftly crafted homage and satire of the classic cold war spy story.  The setting is fictitious but vaguely mid 20th century European in design.  Its hard to not compare this series and its tropes with the James Bond franchise, the later of which has left a strong legacy to the genre.  the characters and their situations border on the absurd at every corner.  Twilight/Loid is uncanny in his perception and physical prowess.  Yor literally switches personalities between her job as a a top assassin and her normal everyday existence.  Though, her extended contract killing work has definitely tainted some of the way she interacts with the world, almost on a subconscious level.  The star of the story is with out a doubt Anya.  Her larger than life expressions and quirky monologues push the comedy to a satisfying level.  The show would also be enjoyable to see Twilight go through his motions, with all the amusing twists and turns, surrounded by a cast of off beat allies and enemies.  But Anya makes the show as amusing as it is.  Yor...well shes really just waifu material unfortunately.  Her character is really the least interesting aspect, she shines the best when she reacts instinctively to mundane situations, but in general she is the weakest of the three characters.

     Both the artwork and writing is really strong in this series.  The character designs add to the satire of the series, with more and more characters being unnaturally odd in appearance and mannerism, but still within the realms of reality.  The resolution of the individual episodic plot lines is able to execute amusing bait and switch solutions, leaving you wondering more about what insanity will transpire instead of trying to figure out how it will happen.  The plot though does seem like it's moving a little too slowly at this point.  while these characters and their antics are enjoyable and amusing, I fear that the story may overstay its welcome in the long run.  As the second season dawns we will see how long the story can stretch out its conclusion and what that may entail.  Either way, I will enjoy the Forger families exploits while I can and hope that it doesn't become cumbersome before we say good bye to them.

    The series is widely available and is streaming in both dub and sub formats.

One Piece - anime part 7 - Escape! The Marine Fortress & The Foxy Pirate Crew

      One Piece (ワンピース) is the epic pirate themed shonen battle anime based on the manga of the same name by Oda Eiichiro.  The seventh story arc of the series, Escape! The Marine Fortress & The Foxy Pirate Crew, originally aired between June of 2004 and March of 2005 for a total of 33 episodes, between 196 and 228.

    After following the logpose into the heavens and confirming the existence of a floating island, Skypiea, the Straw Pirates face off with a God to protect the innocent people who were just as willing to sacrifice them to it for their own safety.  Along the way they learn the truth behind the fabled city of gold.

 

    From the frying pan and into the fire, their balloon decent to the Grand Line goes off course and lands them in the middle of a heavily fortified Marine base, G-8.  Their splashdown is seen my many on the base, even though its the middle of the night.  The Marines search the ship, not finding any of the crew, and impound the ship.  The base is commanded by Vice-admiral Jonathan, an intelligent and patient commander.  The men who searched the Going Merry begin talking about it being a ghost ship.  Jonathan realizes the crew has escaped and will be attempting to free their ship and flee the base.  He instructs his men to keep and eye for any strange people that suddenly how up while working to set a wide ranging trap.

    The Straw Hats got separated as they fled their ship.  Shanji and Luffy meet each other while wandering the maze-like halls of the base.  They end up in the kitchen and pose as two famous chefs who have transferred to this base from Marine headquarters.  Nami ends up disguise herself as a janitor first, resulting in some aggressive menial labor.  She abandons that plan quickly, favoring the role of a nurse instead.  A battered Marine ship has just landed and the entire medical wing is on full swing to treat the wounded, dragging Nami into a role she has no abilities in.  She finds Chopper, doing his best pretending to be a normal doctor, wanting to aid the only available doctor, who fears the sight of blood.  The two pirates work diligently to help the wounded Marines.

    Zoro is the first one captured and finds himself contemplating his situation in the brig.  Usopp ends up meeting the head mechanic on the base, who reinforces Usopps pride in the ship he struggle to keep sea worthy.  He ends up being captured and tries unsuccessfully to convince them he is an inspector that is supposed to be coming to the base.  Robin, who has already encountered the inspector and subdued him, convinces Jonathan that she is the real inspector, brushing off Usopps attempts at subterfuge.  Sanji and Luffy are still working in the kitchen, mostly due to Sanji being madly in love with the head chef, Jessica.  Luffy delivers food to the captain, at which point their identities are uncovered.  Fearing capture and learning about Zoro and Usopps imprisonment they head off to attempt to free them while evading the Marines.  Jonathan anticipates their actions and sets a trap for them at the brig.  Unexpectedly, Usopp and Zoro concoct a plan to escape the jail, blowing up the cell in the process.  In the confusion the mostly reunited members head off to free their ship.

    There is yet another trap waiting for them at the dock their ship is moored.  Before the standoff can begin Chopper and Naki, still masquerading as medial staff, convince the gathered masses that the pirates are holding them hostage.  They take advantage of the distraction and escape on their ship, heading into the harbor.  The escape is not as easy at is seems, as the bass is surrounded by a ring of cliffs with only one sea gate.  The Marines unleash the entire bases defenses in order to stop the Going Merry.  In the confusion they hide their ship in an abandoned dock and head back into the base to retrieve the treasure they took from Sky Island.  Jonathan, knowing that the most important thing to pirates is their treasure, has laid this as the final trap.  The crew succeeds in breaching the bases vault, to learn it is empty.  After escaping this trap they understand the only place their loot could be is in Jonathan's office.  In a crazed sequence of events they secure the treasure and escape into the port.  Yet the final trick puts their freedom in jeopardy.  The port is shallow and with the tide going out the Going Marry runs aground.  Thinking they are finally captured for good, Jonathon and the rest of the Marines are astonished by the final trick the crew has in store.  Using the octopus they used to float back to the Grand Line, they succeed in reinflating it and using an impact dial to propel the ship over the cliffs and out to open sea, where they will need to dock to do some serious repairs before they can continue on their journey.

     The next island they stop at seems to be abandoned and idyllic.  Yet everything on it is...long.  The only thing they find is an abandoned hut and a strange looking horse.  Before they can figure out their next move, walking bamboo attacks them...or become attacked by Luffy.  The bamboo ended up being extremely tall stilts piloted by an old man named Tonjit.  He explains that he became trapped on his stilts ten years earlier an that his people, who are nomads, have long since moved on to other islands.  The island they are on is made up of a ring of islands that become one when the tide is at its lowest, in a multi year cycle.  His people move from island to island during these periods.  Before they can enact a plan to help him reunite with his people a crew of pirates shows up to challenge them to a game called the Davy Back Fight.

    Luffy, being as impulsive as he is, instantly agrees to the challenge by the rival captain, Captain Foxy.  The Davy Back Fight is an honorable challenge between pirate captains.  The opponents face off in a series of challenges, for each challenge won, the winner may choose to take something from the looser.  This typically means crew mates or even the losers jolly roger.  Unfortunately for Luffy and crew, Foxy is full of tricks and cheats, having a long history of using the Davy Back Fight to strengthen his own crew.  The first of three challenges involves a race around the island using only a few pieces of wood.  Luffy and company immediately realize how underhanded the Foxy Pirates are willing to be in order to ensure victory.  After all, pirates gonna pirate.  The first win goes to Foxy who claims Chopper as his first prize.  This leaves the Straw Hat team for the second challenge down one member.  Zoro and Sanji face off against the biggest members of the Foxy pirates in a game where a ball attached to one team members head has to land in a circle on the court.

     Miraculously, Sanji and Zoro are able to put aside their own conflict in order to overcome the opposing teams tactics, cheats and crooked referee to win back Chopper.  The final contest is a points race on a roller rink.  Miraculously they are able to overcome Luffy's inability to roller skate, Foxy's devil fruit slow motion powers, rampant amounts of cheating and other disasters.  Luffy chooses to make Tonjits horse the new member of his crew for the win, shocking everyone.  Not wanting to walk away empty handed, Foxy suggest a rematch, which Luffy instantly agrees to.  Now they have to face off against the massively underhanded prates for another three challenges to ensure their crews safety.  The first challenge for the second round is a game of red light green light.  Just before they Straw Hats can secure victory, the win is snatched from them and Foxy chooses Robin to be his newest crew mate.

    The second challenge in the rematch is race to the top of the island, which the Foxy pirates easily win, securing Chopper once again.  With only one challenge left, Luffy is faced with the dilema of loosing one crew member, as he can only hope to win one back.  Nami suggests and all or noting bet for the final challenge, which Foxy gleefully accepts.  The final challenge is a one on one boxing match between Luffy and Foxy with the ring being the entire Foxy pirate ship.  Luffy overcomes a series of devastating beatings and all manner of underhanded tricks at Foxy's hands, but is able to persevere in the end using Foxy's slow motion ability against him.  Now everyone except 3 members of Foxy's crew are part of the Straw Pirates.  Foxy floats away in defeat but before he can get far Luffy releases all of the new members from their service to the Gong Merry.

     With the crew safe and secure and the ship as stable as can be with out a real shipwright, they head off again to the next island, mooring overnight at a coral surrounded island.  Something happens to them and everyone who was asleep wakes up in the morning to have no memories going back to the point at which they joined the pirate crew.  The only one unaffected was Robin, as she has been awake when the attack happened.  Robin works to convince them of who they all are, but not everyone readily agrees to her truths.  The culprit behind the memory theft ends up being a seahorse, claiming to be a millennial dragon...or at least thinking if he consumes all those memories he will turn into one.  After defeating the seahorse, the crew and inhabitants of the island get their memories back.  The heroic pirates are chased away instead of getting rewarded as the villager blame them for the memory losses.

    On their way to the next island, and caught in rough weather, they come across Foxy and his reduced crew/boat.  Pitying the problematic pirate, they rescue them for near death and bring them onboard the Going Merry.  The next day they come across his old pirate crew, who are now sailing under the banner of a pirate crew they had previously defeated in a Davy Back Fight challenge.  Foxy challenges this new rival captain for the right back to his crew and ship.  Luffy feels sympathy for Foxy, he is being beaten badly by the challenger, offering to step in to fight for him.  Foxy takes the opportunity, recognizing that he can make use of Luffys crew to win back his crew and capture them to make up for his defeat at Long Long Island.

    Before this arc I had never concerned myself with known which episodes were fillers or not.  Something about the first part of the arc made me check into the list of filler episodes.  Surprisingly and a little concerning is that the only part of this arc that was from the manga was the absolute worst story line in the entire series so far.  Foxy and his entire ordeal was absolutely terrible.  It was annoying, repetitive and went on significantly longer than it really should have.  Foxy's character is terrible and his crew is a hodgepodge of caricatures that are more at home in the late 60's Hanna Barbera cartoon, Wacky Races.  Too make matters worse, the final part of this arc, which sees the return of Foxy is also filler.  The first part, the escape from Marine Base G-8 is really enjoyable and continued the wave of fun that took place in Skypiea.  The characters are fun, the situation, even if it goes longer than it probably should have, does not get tedious or repetitive.  Vice-admiral Jonathan is a really enjoyable character, too bad hes not from the manga.  This entire arc makes me question Oda's intent and direction in the overall narrative of his story.  Is he trying too hard to regurgitate anime he grew up on as a kid in the 80's?  

    The Foxy part is terrible, the short segment afterwards, with the lost memories absolutely feels like filler, but isn't too bad that you want to skip it.  The final part through, is just as bad as the real Foxy segment, fortunately its only a few episodes long.  With this we move onto the next part and I am beginning to question if the story can return to the quality that we had in the Skypiae and Alabasta arcs or if we are just going to continue running into more and more ridiculous characters with terrible design and narratives.  We had a slight glimmer of actual plot progression with Skypiae and given the only manga based part of this arc is the Foxy challenge, we will hopefully see a return to the actual pursuit of the One Piece...but 950+ episodes left to go through at this point doesn't make that likely.  As a side note, I forgot the period of time in Japan when afro's were all the rage...or at least in anime.  Strange times the mid 00's were indeed.  Another side note, I am picking up an a noticeable improvement to the artwork of the show compared to the original seasons...but that also means Nami's chest is becoming more of a point of interest.

    Next up, now that we are finally free and clear of the terrible and annoying Foxy pirates, the Water Seven arc.

The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today

 The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today (デキる猫は今日も憂鬱) is a 13 episode slice of life comedy series based on the manga of the same name by Yamada Hitsuji.  The series originally aired over the Summer of 2023.

     Fukuzawa Saku is a young, hardworking, office worker in her 20's.  She comes to work everyday ready to tackle anything she is given.  She comes with homemade lunches that make her the ency of her co-workers.  She is the ideal employee and highly desirable as a marriage partner.  Yet the seemingly confident and well put together woman is not exactly as she appears to be.  Those that remember her when she first started at the company can recall how much of a mess she was.  Saku has a secret that she strives to keep from everyone, unsure how to actually explain the situation she is in that will make sense to those around her.  The secret is the only reason she is able to be as productive and put together and nourished as she is, is due to her cat, Yukichi.

    A few years prior, Saku had rescued Yukichi from near death in the middle of winter.  The lost kitten was so appalled by the horrendous state of the woman's apartment that he decided to do what ever it took to improve his living conditions.  For some reason, the seemingly ordinary alley cat is highly capable of understanding human speech .  Being a normal cat he can not speak himself but is capable of understanding enough to interact with humans on a rudimentary level that helps him express his intentions.  Understanding that the health of his human means his health as well he begins in earnest to clean her trash filled apartment and cook nutritious meals for her.  With out explanation he also grows to be the size of a small bear, standing taller than the woman who saved him.  Now, Yukichi has assumed the roll of Saku's mother, seeing to her every needs for health and security.  Scolding her for not being mindful and nursing her to health when sick or hungover.  But having a bear sized house cat who acts like a human is really strange and Saku does everything she can to hide the truth about him from those she knows.  Unfortunately...Yukichi is independent to the point where he does all of her grocery shopping, being somewhat of a celebrity at the local supermarket, where the staff and customers refuse to believe its not a strange human in an elaborate cat costume.

 

    This is a really fun and cute low key slice of life series that takes an absurd concept and runs with it in a very mundane way.  Yukichi is very much the diligent housewife, always cleaning, cooking and fusing.  Saku doesn't really question how he came to be that way, grateful for his efforts to make her a better person....or at least a person who is less than a slob as she really is.  Saku is incredibly lazy and self centered.  Wanting nothing more than to lay around, drink, eat snacks and watch TV.  She realizes that Yukichi isn't getting anything out of the situation and fears the day that he decides to leave her for a better life with someone else.  She also struggles with how to explain to people that all of her merits are her cats doings.  Yet she goes about happily each day, enjoying the vastly improved life her stray cat has given her.

    This, along with The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses, is my first real exposure to the animation studio GoHands.  They definitely have a style that they like to use, for better or worse.  Thankfully the worst aspects of their directing quirks are limited with this series, mostly relegated to the city-scape cut scenes.  I don't have any issue with 3d CG, being a huge fan of Polygon Pictures, but man...GoHands really needs to tighten up their motion algorithms and try to make moving objects more natural.  Every car looks like its fresh out of the shop with a brand new reflective wrap, quite unsettling indeed.  But aside from the questionable choices, over all the artwork for this series is really enjoyable and the directing, regardless of what others say in criticism, worked well with the story.  In reality there is little in the way of story, we see a progress of side character introduction and interaction but the meat of the show focuses on the daily lives of Saku and her cat.  Showcasing the deftly absurd manner that Yukichi tackles tasks as if he were a human.  From wearing rubber gloves when preparing food, diligently clipping coupons and taking full advantage of the supermarkets rewards program, to ensuring that Saku is ready to face every day the best she can.  Meanwhile, Saku dodges all manner of perceived suspicions, while constantly questioning how long she can live like this and keep him a secret...even though most of her neighborhood is aware of his bizarre existence and brush it off.  Its fun and quirky and worth the time if you like lazy slice of life stories with no drama or plot.

 

    The series was simulcast on Crunchyroll and is currently only available in sub format.

Rent-A-Girlfriend

 Rent-A-Girlfriend (彼女、お借りします) is a slice of life romance comedy based on the manga of the same name by Miyajima Reiji.  The anime has so far had three seasons broadcast between the Summer of 2020 and the Summer of 2023 for a total of 36 episodes.

    At a low point of depression following the sudden break up with his girlfriend, college freshman Kinoshita Kazuya decides to try out a rental dating service to take his mind off of things.  The girl he ends up renting for an afternoon date is the beautiful and pleasant Mizuhara Chizuru.  The situation becomes complicated when he drags her to visit his grandmother who was just admitted to the hospital.  Kazuya is the sole heir to his families and his grandmother, being the strong matriarch that she is, wants nothing more than to see the future of her family secured after she is gone.  Fearing that his grandmother is on her deathbed, he uses the timing to show her that he does indeed have a girlfriend and not to worry about him.  The arrive to find that it was a minor incident and the old woman won't be dying any time soon.  She however has taken a great liking to Chizuru and in conversation realizes that she is friends with her grandmother, who is also currently in the same hospital.  Due to Kazuya's panic and knee-jerk reaction to the situation, Chizuru also has to lie to her grandmother about the nature of their relationship, too keep her work as a rental girlfriend secret.

    What was only intended to be a one time thing to cheer him up during his heartbreak has now become a complicated recurring nightmare for Kazuya.  He plans to tell his grandmother that he and Chizuru have broken up, but is unwilling to do it so soon.  Instead he has to continue to rent her out on trips to the hospital to keep up appearances.  Meanwhile he discovers that Chizuru, whose real last name is Ichinose, is also a student at his college and his next door neighbor.  What is a man to do when the hole he keeps digging does nothing but go deeper and deeper with each lie.  More and more people see the two of them together, causing the girlfriend lie to grow further, to help protect Chizuru's job secret.  A college friend of Kazuya's even goes so far to present his own rental girlfriend as the real deal in a double date.  The secret is threatened by the other girl, Sarashina Ruka, when she realizes the truth about Kazuya and Chizuru's relationship.  They convince her to keep their secret but instead Ruka quits her work and forces Kazuya to start dating her for real.  Chizuru, not actually in a relationship with him, thinks its a good idea and convinces him to do so, seeing the situation as an opportunity to put and end to their charade.

    Kazuya doesn't actually have any interest in Ruka, going along with it partially due to Chizuru's insistence.  He keeps trying to find a n end to his problem but recognizes that he has developed feelings for Chizaru.  He knows its pointless, since she appears to have no feelings for him and is only around him due to the continued rental services.  He knows she is bothered by his constant participation in her life.  But he is determined to do what ever he can to see her dreams come true, even if its just as a friend.  He learns that she started working as a rental girlfriend to earn money for acting school as well as give her opportunities to practice acting and performing.  her life's goal is to be an actress in movies, so that her grandmother, who acted in her youth, can see her perform.  As Chizuru's grandmothers health worsens will she be able to fulfill her dream and can Kazuya ever end the lie he has been spinning so wide all of this time?

    Rent-A-Girlfriend has gained a rather notorious reputation and it's not undue.  The entire plot of the show could easily have been completed in the very first episode.  Instead the main character, who falls into the category of other personality devoid MC's continues to refuse to admit to his mistake, choosing the path of greatest resistance instead.  The situations he finds himself in exist outside of the realms of reality, particularly all of the coincidences that tie he and Chizuru together.  The fact that almost everyone is fooled by the two versions of her in the first season is equally as unlikely.  She hides in plain sight in the same manner as Clark Kent does and everyone is fooled by it.  Ruka as well is a less than believable character.  Her entire conviction for falling for Kazuya is....strange to say the least.  She suffers? from some heart condition that is more used as a plot device in the beginning than anything else.  I mean, what kind of condition is having a low BPM really?  She's drawn to him because he raises her heart rate to a normal level?   Then there is a whole other group of throw away characters that serve momentary purposes with little meaning for the over all story.  Coming and going as they please for a momentary distraction, offering little in the way of actual plot advancement.

    Yet...I continued to watch the series all the way through.  At first I wasn't sure why, perhaps due to the easy progress in downing one insipid episode after another over the course of a few days.  But something changed in the second season, the story actually started to become interesting...well it had the potential to be interesting.  I started to realize that Chizuru was a character that had depth and realism to her.  Once the story starts to dig into her life and her circumstances it took on a different tone.  It started to move away from ridiculous harem rom-com with all of the usual trappings, into a story about a woman who is struggling with her ambitions in the face of reality.  I had an idea, a different way the story could be told that would make it a more interesting and less uncomfortable story.  If the story would have been written from Chizuru's perspective, we would have a much more grounded narrative.  Kazuya is throw away and pointless.  Ruka only serves the roll of a convenient plot device when needed, being ignored the rest of the time...poor Ruka with her heart condition.  Everyone else is significantly more disposable.

    Forget Kazuya and his pointless background and future.  It's understood that the series will likely end with he and Chizuru being honest about their feelings with each other and becoming a real couple, but there's not much worth in that predestined conclusion.  What is interesting and engaging is Chizuru herself.  She lost her parents at a young age and was raised by her grandparents.  They were loving and genuine, her grandfather being a hopeless romantic and her grandmother being a kind realist.  She learned that her grandmother has once been an actress, appearing in films.  She had given up that ambition when she chose to start a family.  Chizuru feels guilt for this and takes it upon herself to fulfill her grandmothers forsaken life, with her grandfathers support.  Her desire is to make both of them happy, showing them a film with her as an actor, carrying on both of their dreams.  Unfortunately her grandfather is killed in a car accident before she graduates high school.  In college, with her sole ambition driving all of her decisions, she struggles with the fact that her grandmother will not be alive for long, leaving her to be all alone in the world.  She desires nothing more than to achieve her goal for her grandmothers sake, since she was unable to do it for her grandfather.  But...we only see her story from the perspective of our worthless MC, Kazuya...  Side note....I didn't really notice it until season 3, but they are really inconsistent with the size of Chizuru's chest.  And it goes with out saying, there is a lot of tepid fan service in this show.

    The series is widely available in both dub and sub formats...if you feel like slogging through some crap to get to some interesting story.  Not unlike Clannad.

A Quick Look at the Fall 2023 Anime Season

 October signals the start of the Fall season, which historically showcases the most anticipated anime of the year.  What Falls premiers provide high quality entertainment?  Or at the very least, what series has peeked my personal interests to spend some time exploring?

Pluto

     A detective with Interpol is tasked with investigating a series of murders of both human and AI that could be the first case of robot homicide in years.    He is trying to determine if the culprit could be one of the 7 great AI powers in the world.

     This one is a bit of an automatic inclusion.  I am a huge fan of Urasawa Naoki and loved the manga when I read it years ago.  This has been in the works for a while and I suspected when a vague announcement by Urasawa a few years ago related to a new project would be exactly this series.  Even if I really hoped for an anime adaptation of 20th Century Boys.  Regardless, this is going to be a great anime and the previews we have seen have shown great promise for artwork and composition.

 

A Girl & Her Guard Dog

    A girl raised by her grandfather in a yakuza household, wants nothing more then to have a normal childhood.  She chooses to enroll in a normal high school, in an attempt to experience a life away from her grandfathers influence.  Unfortunately for her, one of his underlings, tasked to protect her.  He forges his age and enrolls along with her...unfortunately she has been trying to distance herself from him as well.

    Knowing nothing outside of the synopsis, this one is on the list as a potential romance to enjoy for the season.  We will see how much this leans into comedy or drama.  It could go either way, but episode one should clear that up.  I don;t expect anything ground breaking with this, not anticipating any insane gotcha surprise.  It seems pretty straightforward and familiar.  Just something to past the time, another high school romance notch in the belt.  

Dekoboko Majo no Oyako Jijo

    I witch finds a baby girl abandoned in the woods and decides to raise it as her own.  The baby has grown up to be a strong girl who has more common sense than her aloof step mother.  Which one is the adult in this household?

    Aside form the special attention made to the witches buxum chest, this series seems cute and fun and rather goofy.  I have no prior knowledge of the original source material or what to expect, the PV makes it seem light hearted and fun!

Ancient Magus Bride 2nd season - part 2

    The story picks up from where the first part left off in the end of the Spring.  Chise is enrolled in the alchemist college and has to deal with all of the difficulties this threatening place presents her, while working towards building some sort of mutual and normalized relationship with Elias.

    I really enjoyed the original series and didn't start watching the new season until preparing for this second part to air.  I don't enjoy this new story as much as the original series, feeling it is being limited by focusing on one specific location and somewhat emulating Harry Potter.  But, its still an enjoyable story, even if I feel this part isn't as engaging as the original story was.

Under Ninja

    In the modern world, ninja still exist and are quite active and numerous, hidden in the shadows, conducting covert missions for good or ill.  One ninja, a shut in, is assigned a dangerous mission in which he has to go undercover as a student.

    This story falls well into the type that have little interest to me these days.  The only reason this is even on my radar is the original author, Hanazawa Kengo, who wrote the massively enjoyable zombie manga I am A Hero.  Not sure how long I will watch this...wish his other work would get a series!  I really need to write up that review for I Am A Hero...

 

Yuzuki-san Chi no Yon-Kyodai

  No idea what this one is even about!  It could be a comedy, a drama or a mix of the two.  I am not expecting anything as awesome as Minami-ke but this does look like it could be enjoyable.

You Were Experienced, I was Not: Our Dating Story

    A boy is forced to confess to the girl he likes in school, surprisingly she agrees to go out with him because she is currently single.  Now they have to navigate each other, living in completely different social worlds.

    This one is on the list as another romance for the season...not sure how long this one will last.  If the series is obnoxious or terrible written it won't make it very far.  But, it may hold some form of depth and interesting story telling, my hopes for that are quite low however.

My New Boss Is Goofy

    Momose Kentaro changes jobs, due to his previous boss being incredibly toxic.  He is afraid that he will end up in the same situation with his new boss...only things aren't exactly as dire as he fears...but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy.

   Another series I have zero knowledge of.  This looks like a fun and laid-back office work comedy.  Though, I wouldn't mind if there was some underlying BL romance action, I really don't expect it.  I do have hopes this will be cute and amusing.

Spy Family 3rd season

    Once again the crazy life of Loid Forger and his fake family are back with their hi-jinks and ready for more fun!

    I am a season behind this great show...and I really need to catch up on the story before this one kicks off.  This is such a fun story with great and lovable characters, what is there not to like!  Also, Yor is literally the best waifu, fight me!!

The Ancient Magus' Bride

The Ancient Magus' Bride (魔法使いの嫁) is a 24 episode fantasy series based on the manga of the same name by Yamazaki Kore.  The series aired between the Fall of 2017 and the Winter of 2018.

 

      Chise Hatori has always been able to interact with invisible spirits and beings.  This ability lead to her father abandoning her and her mother committing suicide at a young age.  After her mothers death she lived with distant relatives but her abilities further caused them to distance themselves from her.  Chise, seeing no future for herself, ends up voluntarily selling herself into slavery.  She perks the interest of a number of mages at the auction, held in London and is purchased by a powerful being named Elias Ainsworth.  Elias is a large and intimidating creature with the skull of a cow or ox.  His origins and genetic makeup are unknown.  He has walked the planet for centuries and has gained considerable power in the world of magic.  He initially tells Chise that he bought her to make her his bride, in an attempt to make him more empathetic to other living things.  He also plans to make her his apprentice in order to allow her to tap into her incredible magical powers.  Chise is a special being with immense potential but a fragile body.  Elias understands that many things will seek her out for their own uses and feels he must protect her from the dangerous world around them.

    Elias provides the first real home that Chise has had in a long time, a place of welcome and warmth in the countryside of modern day England.  She is quickly exposed to the greater dangers of the world that more humans can not perceive.  All manner of powerful beings begin to appear around her as she learns the ways of the magic user from Elias.  Fae inhibit every corner of the world, mostly indifferent to humans but some desire to lure them back to their home for unknown reasons.  Along with magicians, alchemists also travel the land offering supernatural services.  Magicians and alchemists generally do not trust each other.  An alchemist named Renfred has an uneasy history with Elias but his apprentice, Alice, soon befriends Chise.  An ancient being named Cartaphilus crosses paths with them, on his eternal search for release from his eternally dying body.  Chise is given the skin of a wolf, allowing her the powers of transformation, from an equally old faerie named Ashen Eye, but he is not benevolent towards humans, seeing them as things to amuse himself with.  Chise is a rare being of magical ability known as a sleih beggy.  They have a strong aptitude towards magic but at the cost of their lives, as the inability to control the flow of magic usually destroys them before long.  Elias will do what he can to keep her safe as long as possible, but when others seek her out for her supernatural abilities that protection may not be enough. 

 

    I watched the series as it originally aired, beginning with the three episode preview OAV series then on to the actual TV series.  That was many years ago now at this point and with the continuation of the story beginning again, I felt it was time for a refresher and to finally finish the review of the original series.  I don't normally enjoy supernatural/magical anime, largely due to many of them falling in the rote shonen battle format.  This series however is far from that type of story.  It is a story of two tragic beings who find each other and lean on each other in times of weakness as they try to make sense of their place in the world.  Much of the world is taken from classic European magical mythology and given a bit of a Japanese animist twist.  The story, its characters and its world is very immersive.  There is much mystery with in and part of the joy of going through the story is unraveling those mysteries.

 

    The main characters are generally uncomfortable in the world around them,  keeping their thoughts to themselves and hiding as much of their inner thoughts as possible.  Its hard to say if this is lazy design as many of the key players in the story tend to share similar traits, or this could be construed as a side effect of the world they live in and the things they deal with.  Either way it gives the story an air of melancholy and ennui.  Chise literally puts herself into slavery because she was unable to commit suicide and just wanted to be with anyone instead of alone.  Elias is a creature of mysterious and unknown origins who is unsure if he can ever share the mindset that humans have.  He isn't even sure if he cares enough about lacking those thought processes to pursue any real change to them, as shown in his willingness to sacrifice another human in an attempt to safe Chise at one point.Elias' master himself voluntarily chooses isolation as he has no desire to interact with other humans and has done so for centuries.    The artwork is enjoyable and sometimes delves into super deform for comical relief.  The effects of the magical world around are what really stand out in the design though along with the composition of shots when some important characters are around.  This is a story that doesn't have any definite resolution or actual central narration beyond the viewer learning about its world along with Chise.  But sometimes, particularly when done well, that is enough.  The show has always reminded me of the tone and feel of Mushi-shi, which is quite welcome.

 

    The series has long been available in dub and sub on Crunchyroll and is well worth the time.

One Piece - anime part 6 - Sky Island ~ Skypiea & The Golden Bell

     One Piece (ワンピース) is the epic pirate themed shonen battle anime based on the manga of the same name by Oda Eiichiro.  The sixth story arc of the series, Sky Island ~ Skypiea & The Golden Bell, originally aired between February of 2003 and June of 2004 for a total of 52 episodes, between 144 and 195.

    After exploring more of the Grand Blue, with out a lot of direction, the crew of the Going Merry gets to have some more relaxed adventures while avoiding a persistent Marine flotilla, culminating in a port town that is the scene of a mysterious rainbow haze that leads to an isolated shop graveyard, detached from time and space.

    The crews log pose seems to be acting strange, pointing them towards the sky.  Nico mentions something about a place called Sky Island that exists in an ocean high in the heavens.  Intrigued by the prospect of such a place they decide to search for it, having no idea how to get from the Grand Line into the floating water of legend.  They begin their search in the wreckage of a ship that crashed into the sea near them, falling out of the sky, reinforcing the idea of a floating island.  Before they can search the sunken ship a strange salvage ship shows up to do the job instead.  The salvage crew encounters the three Straw Hat pirates that are inside of the sunken ship but before an all out war can break out they are interrupted by a giant sea creature and then even larger shadow beings.  The crew kicks the ship in high gear and escapes their impending doom as soon as possible. 

    Unsure where to go next they follow the log pose to a more accessible landmass, an island with an inviting port town.  Though town may be a bit more inviting than they bargained for.  The place is a haven for pirate crews, who run amok, understanding the only consequences will be at the hands of other pirates.  While asking around about Sky Island, Luffy, Zoro and Nami find themselves targeted by the strongest pirate crew staying in town, Bellamy the Hyena, who beats Luffy and Zoro to a pulp while ridiculing their desire to search of fabled lost treasures.  Understanding the fight is pointless, Luffy instructs Zoro to just take the beating and let them think they have won.  Satisfied with humiliating them enough, Bellamy lets Nami drag her two beaten crew mates out of the bar to lick their wounds.

    Instead of giving up they follow a lead they received in town and head out to another part of the island, searching for a ostracized man named Cricket.  Before they can reach him they run into the brother of the salvage crew captain they met earlier, winning against him as easily as they did his brother.  Sanji confirms a tale tied to the man they seek, a cautionary fairy tale of the North Blue about a man who lied to his king about a fabled golden city and was executed when it was not found.  Cricket is a decedent of the man from the story and he has come to the island to try and wipe away the shame attached to his family name due to the foolishness of his grand-sire.  They gain Crickets trust when they explain their purpose for seeking him out.  He agrees to help them with whatever knowledge he has, encouraged by their determination.  The salvage monkey brothers arrive as well, appoint themselves as Crickets followers and agree to help the Straw Hats as well, even if they were both beaten by them earlier.  The plan is to use a strange phenomenon known as a Knock-Up Stream to blast the Going Merry up to the high of the clouds, to hopefully land on unusually petrified cloud formation in hopes of finding the mythical sky island.

    Before they can depart, Bellamy and his pirates arrive to rob Cricket of any gold he has salvaged from the sea floor.  The attack took place with the Straw Hats were searching the jungle for a bird that will help them navigate to the Knock-up Stream.  They find Cricket and the monkey salvage brothers near death, before any repairs and reinforcement are made on the ship.  With an actual reason to fight Bellamy, Luffy runs off to town to confront him while the others work hard to prepare for their trip into the sky.  Luffy shows Bellamy and his crew of pirates why his bounty is as high as it is, taking the savage man out with a single hit.  Satisfied with retrieving Crickets stolen treasure, Luffy runs back to the others to cast off for the their potential death.

     As they reach the Knock-Up Stream they are approached by another pirate crew, looking to take cash in on Zoro and Luffy's bounties.  The head of the ship is none other than Black Beard, who Luffy's brother is hunting.  Before Black Beard can attack the Knock-Up Stream blasts the Going Merry high into the atmosphere...and potential destruction.  Through quick thinking and a lot of luck, they make it into the clouds to find a sea made of buoyant fluffy water.  Before they can rest a strange man flying through the cloud sea attacks them, showing them the limitations of their bodies so far in the atmpsphere.  Before the man can finish them off another stranger appears to fight him off.  The man introduces himself as the Knight of the Sky and offers to come to their aid again when they need it most.

    Left on their own they journey forward, looking for actual land or other people.  They come across a gateway that appears to lead them higher up in the clouds.  A strange old woman greats them, explaining they have to pay a toll.  When they refuse she agrees that she has no way of stopping them and they continue on, being carried upstream to the next level and their target, Skypiea.  They find a secluded beach and take the opportunity for some rest and relaxation!  Their risk and efforts have finally paid off as they see nothing but fantastical paradise before them.  They meet a resident of the island, a young woman named Conis.  She and her father welcome them to their home, showing them all the hospitality they can, welcoming the strangers like family.  While the rest of the crew is kicking back and relaxing, Nami is playing with a sky island boat that can power its self using technology built on sea shells called dials.  The others become concerned when she is gone so long, Coni's father warns them she may have ventured off to a nearby forbidden island.  Luffy, excited by the possibility of exploring a forbidden island, suggest the crew head off right away to 'rescue' Nami.

     Nami has in fact found the island, referred to as Upper Yard.  The island is the domain of the God of Skypiea and anyone who ventures on it is punished with his divine retribution, meted out by his four priests.  Nami witnesses their retribution when she sees them hunting a man who has tried to enter the island.  She quickly escapes, before they can detect her presence.  Unfortunately all of their presence is already known by God and his priests.  As the others try to sail off to 'rescue' her, the local authorities arrive to demand they pay their entrance fees or be deemed criminals and punished by God.  The crew refuses, instead fighting and defeating the authorities, increasing the severity of their crimes against the authority of Skypiea.  The crew decides its time to leave the area before any more trouble falls on their heads.  Before they can escape, half of the crew along with their ship is hijacked by God and taken to the interior of the Upper Yard.  Luffy, Sanji and Usopp are left to journey through the island to rescue them, facing danger and death at the hands of God and his Priests.

    The crew members trapped on the Going Merry find themselves atop an ancient temple alter in the middle of the island, surrounded by dense foliage and a river filled with giant sky fish, wanting to eat them whole.  Zoro, Nami and Nico decide to explore the woods around them, for any clues to whats going on and how to get out of their situation, leaving Chopper to guard and repair the ship.  Meanwhile the others are traveling through the Upper Yard, dodging all manner of traps and death only to come to a cross road where they have to choose between four gates, each of which will lead them to one of the Priests and a challenge.  They choose the test of spheres only to come face to face with a bizarre Priest named Satori who proves to be much stronger than his ball shape would suggest.  Satori uses spheres filled with different surprises to both attack and entertain his victims.  On top of that he also uses strange physical attacks and has the ability to predict their movements and actions.

    While Luffy, Snaji and Usopp struggle to deal with one of the Priests, Chopper faces another all by his self, the Priest Shura, who wields the power of fire.  He has come to kill Chopper since his life was forfeit once the others left the alter to explore the forest.  In an effort to save himself and the ship he blows on the wistle to bring the Sky Knight.  Through perseverance Luffy is able to break through Satori's abilities and continue on their way to the altar to save the rest of the crew.  Shura proves too powerful to the Knight of the Sky, who is the old, deposed God, Gan Fall.  Chopper dives into the danger filled water to save the old man and Shura, assured of their death, leaves to join the others.  Zoro, Nami and Nico finally make it back to the altar to find Chopper and the injured Knight of the Sky.  They had been rescued by giant versions of the same bird they used to navigate to the Knock-Up Stream.  Soon Luffy, Sanji and Usopp make it to the altar as well, everyone has been reunited at last.  Now they just have to get their ship into the cloud river to continue on, wanting to face off with this God and find the lost treasures of Sky Island.

    The begin to suspect the true nature of Upper Yard when they consider all of the evidence.  Long ago a large Knock-Up Stream had blown part of island that Cricket lives on high into the sky, causing it to rest next to Skypiea.  Gan Fall tells them about the history of the island and its people, informing them that the inhabitants of the island who survived the trip were kicked off of their homeland by the residents of Skypiea, claiming it as a sacred land for only their worship.  The decedents of those people, the Shadorian Tribe, still live among the clouds and have fought a war with Skypiea ever since.  A group of Shandorian warriors, ready to launch an attack on God, sees the sudden turmoil and confusion wrought by the Straw Hats, to make a desperate last attempt at defeating God and claiming their ancestors homeland.

    The current God of Skypiea, a man named Eneru, defeated Gan Fall six years earlier and has been enacting a secret plan ever since.  He used shame and fear as a weapon to keep the residents of Skypiea in control and granted his Priests special abilities to enforce his authority.  Seeing that the Straw Hats have survived his trial so far and the sudden attack of the Shandorian warriors, he decides it is now time to finalize his plan.  He instructs his remaining priests and other warriors under his control to search out and destroy all of the invaders.  The Straw Hats get separated again once they find themselves caught up in the melee between the forces of God and the Shandorian's.  Everyone is fighting each other, unsure of what the end result will really be.

    As they progress through various victories, the members of the Straw Hats find themselves at the ruins of the ancient Shandorian city.  Nico confirms it is the ancient city she has been searching for all of these years, trying to unlock the ancient history of the world that has been lost, convinced, once known, it will change everything.  Eneru makes his appearance and instructs the fighters that remain of his plans.  His ability as God seems wasted on this small unnatural floating island.  He plans to bring it crashing to the land below, with he and his chosen followers to descend to rule over all.  His overwhelming power is too much for those that choose to stand against him, making them powerless to stop him from enacting his ambition.

    Eneru quickly lays waste to everyone opposing him using his overwhelming power of lightning.  Nami finds herself a captive on his giant sky ship as he launches it, enacting his plan.  Using the ship, that he has been building since he took over the roll of God, he will concentrate his abilities to destroy every solid bit of cloud, removing Skypiea and everything else from the sky.  Luffy races to face him, realizing that his rubber body will be able to withstand his lightning attacks.  Unfortunately he has no deterrent to his ability to predict his moves.  As the fight rages on so to does Skypiea's destruction.  Even though she and her father have been rejected by the other citizens, she races to the town to tell everyone to evacuate.  The sky begins to fill with ominous storm clouds, a sight they have never seen so high in the atmosphere, confirming the doom that Conis is warning them about.  The authorities take heed and begin to evacuate everyone to Heavens Gate, in hope to escape destruction.

    After being thrown from Eneru's ship, Luffy with the aid of Nami head back to face the God before he can completely destroy Skypiea.  The last thing Eneru wants to do is clam the legendary bell that the Shandorian's have pledged to protect for centuries.  The bell was the centerpiece for their ancient ruined city, a city that had been abandoned well before their part of the island was blown into the sky.  The fabled liar Nolan, Crickets ancestor, had landed on the island before the city of gold was blasted into the air.  There they befriended the tribe and helped them to overcome a deadly disease.  In thanks, the tribe took them to their ancestors city, telling them the legend of the bell as a beacon to call their ancestors home.  It and the ancient inscription in an unknown language are the treasures they are entrusted to protect against all invaders.  In the present, Luffy is determined to stop Eneru from taking the bell and to ring it as a message to Cricket, that his ancestor was right all along.

    While unable to defeat Eneru, Luffy succeeds in sinking his skyship, sending it and the bell into the depths of the cloud sea.  While much of the land was destroyed, much of it still remains, including most of the Upper Yard and the people from both tribes have largely survived the ordeal.  The ringing of the bell signals a new future for everyone on the sky island.  Nico is able to read the inscription at the base of the main temple, comparing the information with that she saw beneath the palace in Alabasta.  A second inscription exists on the remaining upright for the bell, an inscription written in the ancient language, talking about how Gol G Rodger had been there twenty years earlier.  These clues form a greater level of understanding in her quest to find the secrets of the worlds lost history.  Understanding that the legendary King of the Pirates was also on her path emboldens her resolve to keep pushing forward.  This is also the first clue they have found related to Gol D. Rodger that may help them to discover the location of the One Piece.  Considering the journey to the clouds a success the crew of the Going Merry packs up and heads out to return to the Grand Blue and the continuation of their journey.

    The longest story arc since the East Blue arc that introduced everything has been the most enjoyable arc so far.  This was a really fun story with a lot of amusing characters and world building.  We finally see some progress in the quest for the One Piece, even if Luffy is unaware of that fact.  Early on we also got a glimpse of the leaders of the world government and negotiations they enacted with the remaining warlords of the sea, following Crocodiles defeat.  Nico's inclusion, however temporary it may be, to the Straw Hat pirates is proving to be quite crucial to forging the underlying story of the world and their journey.  Her quest to learn a hidden history of the world and its apparent connection with the exploits of the King of Pirates could prove quite pivotal to everything.  While the journey to Skypiea appeared as a distraction, the last minute save and tie in to the actual goal, the crew is once again among the waves of the Grand Blue and are ready to keep pushing forward.  Even though they have been in danger the entire time, its nothing like their growing notoriety back on the surface.  Things are going to become significantly more dangerous for them as they journey forward.

    Next up, Escape! The Marine Fortress arc.  Hopefully the story can keep going with the quality of entertainment its been bringing for the past three arcs!

My Happy Marriage - anime season 1

My Happy Marriage (わたしの幸せな結婚) is a 12 episode historical supernatural romance based on the light novel series of the same name by Agitogi Akumi.  The first season of the anime aired on Netflix during the Summer of 2023.

 

    Saimori Miyo is the eldest daughter of the Saimori household but is treated worse than a servant.  In an alternate version of the world, great families exist in Japan, gaining social and political power through super natural abilities latent in their family.  Miyo's mother was married into another powerful family, looking to gain offspring that would combine their powers together.  Her mother, deathly ill for her life, dies when she was very young.  Not wanting to waste his families future, her father remarried again and sired another daughter, Kaya.  When the girls were young their father put them through a test to determine the presence of supernatural abilities.  Unfortunately for Miyo, only her younger sister passed the test.  With her no longer being a useful heir to the Saimori household, Miyo is forced into a life of squalor and service to her father, step-mother and half sister.

    While not willing to outright kill her off, Miyo's father see's an opportunity to rid himself of his useless oldest daughter.  A marriage proposal has been offered to marry her off to the head of another family who has a fearsome and ruthless reputation.  Kudou Kiyoka, head of the Kudo family and a young militry officer who leads men to fight against supernatural threats called Grotesqueries.  Unsure of what fate has in store for herself, she heads off to the house, to buy her self a short time away from her life of pain.  Kudou is a stern man who says little and becomes annoyed with his newest potential fiancees servile nature.  Miyo is afraid to let him know that she has no abilities, understanding that is really all he is after, hoping to stay in the sanctity of his house as long as possible.  She knows that when he finally rejects her, she will be all alone in a world she has little chance of living in, rejected by her terrible family and her potential husband.  But things aren't as they seem with Kudou, who is a more caring and compassionate person than his reputation and attitude suggest.  Before they can truly have honest conversations about their fears and desires, an external threat rises, looking to weaponize Miyo's familial blood and take her from her quiet happiness.

 

    Going into this I just accepted it as another take on the Cinderella fairy tale, little did i realize the importance of supernatural abilities in the plot.  While annoying to me, over all the series, at least this first season, was really enjoyable.  The character animation is gorgeous.  This story has the hallmarks of similar classic shojo romance stories, and its a welcome return to old form.  Miyo is the heroine who needs to come into her own ability through gaining self confidence.  She is surrounded by strong men who want to protect her...though some want to use her for their own desires.  The men are hansom and strong and will fight each other to the death with her as the prize going to the victor.  It's not really my place to criticize or comment on character representations such as Miyo and it's effect on gender rights in the modern world.  Miyo's personality are thoroughly explained by her terrible life at the hands of the people she calls her family.  She isn't useless or weak, she lacks confidence and authority.  By the end of the first season, she is well on her way to finding that power with in her.

    It will be interesting to see where the story goes from here.  I suspect it was written originally with the idea that a single season might only be made.  The story actually ends on a really good place, with all of the plot threads being tied up in satisfying ways.  Yet, a second season was green lit, but no word yet on when that will be released.  Either way, this series was a pleasure to watch, I just can;t praise the animation and directing enough, even if some of the elements of the show are not exactly my favorite styles.  Season two can't come soon enough!!!

 

    The anime was produced and released by Netflix and is available in sub or dub formats.