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The Boy & The Beast Film

I won’t lie, out of all of the Hosoda films, I thought this would be the one I would dislike. Well it turns out…

It was a fun time. An enjoyable romp fit for a Saturday night. Will it be something that I think about often, probably not. But it looked cool, the characters where more interesting that I would have thought and there was some emotional weight. I was routing for the best possible outcome for Ren even if I didn’t know what shape that would take. So I’m glad I picked it up and I’ll probably enjoy it when I get round to watching it again in the future.

🐻

Lu Over the Wall Film

I watched this one with my daughter so maybe I did not quite get the full depth of the film due to the barrage of questions I was asked by her 🤣

However, I’m keen on watching it again with her quite soon (the benifit of young kids, they love watching the same thing over and over).

I kind of thought Lu was a bit too cutesy and annoying, the Ponyo effect 🤣 however her Dad was awesome. But it’s a family film and like most family films, there will always be characters that bug me.

Was it perfect, no. Did I enjoy it, yes. Will I watch it a million times, a good chance. However, in the mermaid rankings… Luca > Lu

🧜‍♀️
 
Kono3ba ep2

Enjoyed that a lot more than the previous episode, it feels the group dynamic is back to where I preferred it.

Delicious in Dungeon ep15-16

Starting to feel like my thoughts on this are hard to express as anything short of interpretive dance, but in moving the plot forward, 16 comes across more tonally resolved than the show has done lately, even if it does feel like they’ve walked back the whole thing with Kabru being a creepy antihero a little too conveniently. 15 is pretty much spot on for what I’d want from the show though, and the animation remains top notch.

Kaiju No.8 ep2

I mistakenly read one of the subtitles as ‘a small kaiju has appeared in Yorkshire’. Kind of want to see that show (‘They don’t know they’re born! In my day, we had to get up in the morning half past ten previous night, summon Mothra, do a 28 hour shift at mill, and when we got home, our ‘Zilla gave us a clip round’ ear if we were lucky!). Anyway, this is a lot more tongue-in-cheek than I was expecting, but it’s nothing if not entertaining. I could see myself switching to watching it on alternate weeks though, it seems like something that might work better two episodes at a time.
 
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Black Butler: Public School Arc episode 2 Accusation of lies.

Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night episode 3 The real you.

Kaiju No. 8 episode 2 Slip up.

Ooi! Tonbo episode 3 New castle.

Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included episode 4 Secrets.

The Fable episode 3 Tailing trouble.

Tonari no Youkai-San episode 3 A job to do.

Whisper Me a Love Song episode 2 Both sides.

Yatagarasu: The Raven Does not Choose its Master episode 3 Tasks.

Noir episodes 23-26 (Complete. Though I may have watched this way back in my early anime viewing days it was good to properly revisit even if it isn’t the strongest of series’.) 3.5/5

Norn9 episodes 1-12 (Complete. An underwhelming and mostly forgettable series.) 2.5/5

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan episodes 1-5
 
A Condition Called Love (Japanese) - Episode 3

Astro Note (Japanese) - Episode 3

Kaiju No. 8 (English) - Episode 2

Black Butler: Public School Arc (Japanese) - Episode 2

Delicious in Dungeon (English) - Episode 16

Sand Land: The Series (English) - Episode 6
 
Re: Zero episodes 26-31: I still can't stand Subaru, and I feel this is spoiling my enjoyment of the series. Although it is starting to become a bit predictable and if the big reveal is what I think it is, I won't be pleased.

To give my grump a rest, I've put season 2 of My Hero Academia on. Can I make it all the way to the end of my boxset this time?
 
Real life has been consuming most of my time lately but I'm going to continue trying to sift through the new anime!

Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master ep 1: I knew that I'd like this from the outset so fortunately I wasn't disappointed. Old fashioned Japanese court intrigue, with the twist that the characters are actually yatagarasu (mythological three-legged crows) playing the part of humans. There are plenty of complicated politics and social rituals to untangle which keep my mind engaged as we're introduced to a bunch of competing bridal candidates who are trying to win the hand of the newest leader of the yatagarasu. There are hints that the reward for victory may actually be a poisoned chalice, though, and everyone has their own motivations to navigate. I love shows which reward me for paying attention to the details and since this one is loaded with layers of subtlety, I'm sure that I'll enjoy it throughout the season.

Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again ep 1: Exactly as the title says, this lighthearted comedy explores a scenario where an older couple in a rural community suddenly 'de-age' to become white-haired elders with youthful good looks. I initially expected a series where the elderly couple would tackle modern problems with the ingenuity of their experience paired with their newly-youthful bodies, allowing for comedic situations highlighting the benefits of their situation. That didn't happen. Instead, the first episode kept replaying the same joke over and over; people would gush over how hot Grandpa or Grandma had become and they would appear oblivious and continue muddling along. The elderly characters are weirdly passive about everything that goes on, which isn't very inspiring to watch.

Mysterious Disappearances ep 1: By coincidence we followed up with this supernatural show about cursed books, which also happened to involve a storyline based on 'de-aging'. It handled the subject matter far more interestingly. The lead is a struggling author who is devastated at having reached the geriatric age of twenty-eight (ouch). She ends up getting mixed up in a bizarre urban mystery with her weird colleague at the bookshop where she works. I love the visuals, which blend a modern manga art style with exaggerated horror elements, and the enthusiastic way that the story was told really drew me in. The series is also very horny, but in a way which makes it fun to watch rather than oddly disconcerting like the 'everyone's irrationally thirsty for Grandpa' show. This earns a second episode.

The New Gate ep 1: Ugh. An uncharismatic Kirito knock-off narrates that a popular, generic-looking VR MMO has become a 'death game', but fortunately he is able to beat the final boss solo. As expected, he's rewarded by everyone else being able to log out - except that he can't, and the next thing he knows he's been teleported into another VR MMO. Or has he? After rescuing the usual busty, useless, blushing damsel who only dresses in her underwear, he discovers that he's actually in the future of the game he just beat and has to muddle through a kind-of-familiar new world, visiting adventuring guilds and ticking off every box on the list of generic isekai story tropes. And that's kind of all that happened, via a fight scene which was supposed to be exciting with the theme song bursting forth, except that it just felt disjointed instead. It was a shame when the lead changed out of his Kirito cosplay in order to look more generic. (Also, why is one of the selectable races in the game simply 'lord'?)

R
 
Blue Archive The Animation episode 3 Disadvantage.

Go! Go! Loser Ranger! episode 3 Regeneration.

Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again episode 3 First encounter.

Mission: Yozakura Family episode 3 In bad shape.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation II Part 2 episode 15 Magic circle.

One Piece episode 1101 Familiar-faced threats.

Sound! Euphonium 3 episode 3 Temple talk.

The Duke of Death and His Maid Season 3 episode 27 Exhaustion.

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan episodes 6-21
 
As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World Episode 3

Blue Archive The Animation Episode 3

Mission: Yozakura Family Episode 3
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Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation II Part 2 Episode 39

The Duke of Death and His Maid Season 3 Episode 27
 
My Hero Academia episodes 14-25: against my better judgement, I'm starting to warm to this silly show. I do feel concerns at the definition of "hero", as for most of the students it seeks to equate to beating the **** out of all others and standing on a heap of their broken bodies while being showered with money and fame.

Re: Zero episodes 26-38: It's not getting any easier for me. I think it's the gratuitous violence and the villains who seem to have all the knowledge and infinite powers. And was Subaru given a spell to fall in love with Emilia at the start? It just doesn't make sense that he was devoted to her by, what, episode 2?
 
Lord of Lords Ryuu Knight - Episodes 50 - 52 [Final]

Ryuu Knight has been such an enjoyable series and a real highlight of my recent anime viewing. I have a bit of a soft spot for shows like this (Wataru, NG Knight Lamune etc.) and am a sucker for it's 90's aesthetic but Ryuu Knight genuinely didn't have a bad episode or any form of mid series slump common in long series like this. It had a great cast of characters who all got decent screen time, great action scenes, nice animation (it looked fantastic for a TV show), an edge that gave it peril and tension and a proper ending, it was really very good.

Armored Police Metal Jack - Episodes 1 - 4

I bought a HK DVD set of this in 2005 and after starting it discovered that only the first disc was any good and ever since whenever Discotek does one it's announcement days I'm always hoping Metal Jack gets licensed but it never does (so far at least). Fortunately a fansub finally got completed last year so now I finally get to watch it in full. So far, it's much more basic than I remembered it but episode 4 was a really good episode and it'll be interesting to see how the show develops.

Highspeed Etoile - Episodes 1 & 2

My interest in Highspeed Etoile was piqued by the fact it's another motorsports anime and I've been wanting to re-watch Future GPX Cyber Formula for some time, again having last seen it back in the early 00's, and there were some visual similarities between the two but tempered by some of early reviews of it that I had read online. And boy, they were right, this show has ugly animation and character designs and is just sooooooo boring. Honestly Rin would not be allowed on the track if she didn't understand the basics like flags, it just annoys me. I don't normally drop stuff because, as a general rule, I believe you can't have a complete opinion if you haven't seen all of the show but Highspeed Etoile is really testing that belief.
 
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How Not to Summon a Demon Lord
Series 1 episodes 1-12
Series 2, episodes 1-10

Another isekai series, although very heavy with the fan service in parts which does ruin it a bit for me.
 
Gods’ Games we Play episode 4 Different moves.

Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf episode 4 Come for me.

Train to the End of the World episode 4 Spores and statues.

TSUKIMICHI -Moonlit Fantasy- season 2 episode 28 Demon.

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan episodes 22-24 (Complete. A very solid supernatural series that I’ll be checking the second season for.) 3.5/5

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan - Demon Capital episodes 1-10
 
Chillin' in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers Episode 3

Gods' Game We Play Episode 4

I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince So I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability Episode 4

Re:Monster Episode 4

Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf Episode 4

The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases Episode 5

TSUKIMICHI -Moonlit Fantasy- Season 2 Episode 28
 
Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie Film

I’ve not watched this since the 90s and to be honest, I could only remember that scene (look, I was a teenager then 😅). Maybe it’s not the cinema masterpiece I remember it being, but with all the fan service for fans of the game, it still is a brilliant watch and a nice dose of nostalgia.

Extra points for having Alice in Chains - Them Bones in the English soundtrack. I do need to rewatch it again soon with the JPop soundtrack on instead.

➡️⬇️↘️🤜🔥


Perfect Blue Film

The movie club I’m a part of has the theme of animation this week, as I watched Akira and Ghost in the Shell reccently, I wanted to watch a film with some clout, so I picked this.
Somehow I never did see this back in the day.

Now this is a cinema masterpiece. I have to say by the end, my mind was bending. Thank heavens I watched this while not tired as I would have gone off the rails myself.

👯
 
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Oblivion Battery episode 3 To the pitch.

Rinkai! episode 3 Interviews.

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan - Demon Capital episodes 11-24 (Complete. A solid sequel series that I hope will get a continuation one day.) 3.5/5

Nurse Angel Ririka SOS episode 1
 
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