The Idol Fever: Understanding our Roles as Fans || Thoughts

 TL;DR 

• Me being upset about the dirty comments on Bangtan Bomb videos
• Respect your celebrity
• Know that the internet is a public place, open to all eyes
• Don't think that just because it's the internet, you can post anything you want; some things are better left un-typed
• IDOLS ARE PEOPLE
• DRAW A LINE FOR REAL PEOPLE; you can have ships or whatever, but know that there's a limit
• Have a great Christmas and a happy New Year

Originally, I planned to aim this post directly to k-pop, but really, this applies to any celebrities or figures of admiration/idolization around the world.

We all know that once you get hooked on a certain singer, or actor/actress, you tend to get excited over them, kind of like when you get to eat your favorite food, when the TV show you like gets another season, when you get money, etc.
But what happens when you get overly excited about them?
When you can't control your "feels" for this idol? What if your "feels" get to the point where you're not even a fan anymore, and you're doing whatever it takes to get close to them or get recognition, even if it means hurting your idol?

In K-pop(Korean pop music), we have a word for this type of fan, if that doesn't say anything.
A sasaeng fan(사생팬), according to Urban Dictionary(a very reliable source, mind you), "stalk[s] their idols and invade[s] their privacy...[they] will do anything to make them remember you, hit them, scream bad and mean things to them, they want to touch them so bad that they even could kill someone to get the c[h]ance to touch them." 

Although sasaeng fans exist outside of Korea and outside of K-pop,  it's no doubt that it is more prevalent in this industry. If you watch a couple K-pop music videos, look at some pictures of idols, you'll know why. These K-pop idols have a certain image to retain, and to the public, they appear as a perfect version of their concept.

Oh My Girl-pure, innocent image

Apink-Schoolgirl, innocent image

I also want to mention that I have noticed that J-pop(Japanese pop music), seems to idolize at least some groups/artists probably even more than in k-pop. I mean, look at the extremely popular AKB48, or even Morning Musume. I'm probably wary of this because of the gravure idol business in Japan; female idols that dress in fetish clothing and models for magazines aimed toward men. From what I understand of it, it's kind of like a stepping stone in the female J-celebrity world; how you get your name out there. It's kind of gross really, but that's a part of the Japanese idol industry.

Anyway, back to sasaeng fans.  I really want to just get to the point, and just say IDOLS ARE PEOPLE TOO, JUST LEAVE THEM ALONE AND FOCUS ON YOUR OWN LIFE, because it's Christmas Eve, and I really don't want to be doing this, but I really just thought this needed to be addressed because of a recent event.

If you don't already know, I LOVE BTS(Bangtan Boys), a K-pop boy group. I love their music, I love their personalities, and I really admire them but it's hard to go to concerts and fan-signings as an international fan. So when some other international fans(not all of them, they are just a small portion of fans) decide to comment inappropriate, disgusting, fanfiction-provoked thoughts about the members on their youtube videos, BTS stopped viewing the comments and of course, eliminated any chance of them replying to a fan's comment.

Bangtan Boys! Look at them!

I found this out by chance on a particular video(which by now, most of those gross comments have been deleted). The original story, written by Esther Lee (which I viewed through this screencap, god I gave up on finding the comment), blew up and I saw a few fans admitting to and apologizing for their comments, which is a good development. Recognizing the problem, becoming genuinely apologetic, and then fixing the problem are all actions that show good character! Also, these are steps we all have to take in order to become better fans, and have a better relationship with our idols. 

A comment that I saw on this issue in the video brought up a good point on the hardships of international fans. If idols start to grow more distant because of events like these, then how are fans supposed to interact with them and reach them? With the ever growing technology(bless the V app), idols are growing closer to fans around the world, when before, if you were an international fan, it was pretty much like, "welp, good luck with that." Why would we push them away again? 

Although those fans that commented their dirty thoughts are not exactly like extreme sasaeng fans, but their comments were very hurtful to BTS and made them extremely uncomfortable. These exact thoughts are what cause sasaeng fans to do what they do.

So you might ask: well, what am I trying to say we, fans, should do? 

First of all, thoughts belong to their own person, I'm not about to say, "Oh, you can't write fanfiction of that at all!" or "You can't think like that at all!" Everybody has their own interests and kinks and whatever, and I'm not going to judge them. I just want to advise fans to take precautions when it comes to their fangirl/fanboy feelings. Not only think about your idols but also think about the people that might come across your comment/fanfiction. My best advice is to keep dirty comments to yourselves, and if your fanfiction is 19+, be sure to rate it that way and don't put it on full display for just anyone to read.

Idols are people. They don't want to see fans sexualizing/fetishizing them. They aren't perfect, and they're going to make mistakes. They're going to probably eventually date and then marry someone. It's their life, respect them, respect their choices, and just enjoy what they give to you, whether it's music, performance, movies, tv shows, etc.

I know I didn't sum up all the problems with idolization in fandoms but I'm tired. 
I think I've said all I could. 
Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Listen to BTS if you haven't already. *whispers* Join the ARMYyyyy

Chihayafuru by Suetsugu Yuki || Anime/Manga Review

Manga Info
Anime Info

Chihayafuru is a sports/competitive Karuta manga written and drawn by Suetsugu Yuki. The start of the series introduces the main characters, Taichi, Chihaya, and Arata, (the OT3) in elementary school as they form a bond with each other through the competitive game of Karuta. Unfortunately, Arata soon moves away, and Taichi and Chihaya go to different middle schools. When they enter highschool, Chihaya and Taichi reunite; the former having improved her Karuta skills immensely, and the latter hating Karuta. Because of Chihaya's eagerness to start a Karuta Club at her school, Taichi helps her out, and they struggle with building a team to go to competition. All the while, Chihaya has never forgotten the person who first got her into Karuta, Arata, and aims to be the best female Karuta in Japan; the title of Queen.

Taken from http://www.goldenjipangu.com/150105karuta.html

I know what people who haven't been exposed to Chihayafuru are thinking; what the heck is Karuta? Well this is from my understanding of the game(click on the link for more info); it is a card game revolved around the 100 Poems by 100 Poets, which is an anthology of Japanese poems written by poets in Medieval Japan. The matches take place on tatami mats, and each player's side starts off with 25 poem cards(which you can position to your liking). There is a reader who reads the verses of the poems, and the objective of the game is to take the corresponding card faster than your opponent. To win the game, you have to get rid of all the cards on your side. But come on, a competitive literature game? Doesn't that sound freaking exciting???(completely serious here, by the way)

This series is just FANTASTIC and honestly a breath of fresh air. I think it might be the effect of the soft art style, but I went into this thinking, "Nah, there can't be a good sports anime with a female lead". This completely blew me away. It reminds me of Hikaru no Go, except with a female protagonist, and both stories are centered around games that are relatively unpopular(although Go is more universal than Karuta because you know...), AND THIS IS LITERALLY WHAT I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR FOREVER. I'm pretty crazy about finding good series with well-developed, strong female protagonists, and Chihayafuru definitely fits it.

The anime follows the manga pretty well so you could watch the 2 seasons(a total of 50 episodes) that are released and then start reading around chapter 87-89 and you wouldn't miss much. Both the anime and manga are brilliant but I would have to say the anime really brings a huge impact in terms of setting the atmosphere and tones of certain scenes. The voice acting, soundtrack, and animation, all bring it together and it's a really enjoyable watch. If you don't want to read/watch it twice, then I'd recommend doing what I said above ^; watching the anime, and then continuing on in the manga.

Characters
What I really want to talk about in this non-spoiler review is that cast of characters, although a bit exaggerated, are all really diverse in terms of personality, and I actually enjoy many of the reoccuring side characters. The interactions between them can be really sweet and hilarious.

I especially love seeing the thought process of different characters as they are playing Karuta. It really gives a new insight on their character, and it also very satisfying seeing them realize their mistakes and growing throughout a game. Seeing Chihaya and Taichi grow are probably my favorite to watch (especially Taichi...boy has got it rough...but he is so intelligent!) Not Arata because he seems to be super relaxed through a lot of his matches(and we rarely get to see his thought process in a game) lol. 
The "enemies"(not really, though, more like really big opponents) of this series are the reigning Queen and Meijin(corresponding title of best player) have really eccentric personalities, but they interesting to say the least. They make for good rivals, as they extremely talented in Karuta.
My favorite character in the series by far, is probably Taichi. I really love his effort, and how he worked hard to compete against talented Karuta players, even though he keeps on saying he hates Karuta lol(do you, Taichi, do you really?)

Taken from http://chihayafuru.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Mikzy/Mizusawa_Karuta_Club

I also can't ignore Chihaya, because despite how she has that typical trait of being dense, she is extremely spirited and intense when it comes to Karuta, and it's, I know I've said this before, but really refreshing to see a female character chase after her dreams with such passion instead of those typical shoujo manga(I know it's josei but Chihaya is still technically in the shoujo age range xD) that just focus on romance. Sure, there is some romance in this series, but it is not focused on. There's just enough to keep you wanting more, but not so much that it disrupts the focus on Karuta.

Karuta:
Because I am a person that enjoys the intense, competitive scenes of anime, I really like watching sports anime to which the genre Chihayafuru falls into. Surprisingly, Karuta not only involves mental strength and endurance but also, physical stamina.
Although, Karuta may sound strange at first, the story and characters really draw you in to make this game all the most interesting. I honestly wouldn't mind trying out a game of Karuta; it seems like fun.

Like with Hikaru no Go, Chihayafuru has sparked more interest in Karuta in Japan(and even worldwide), making it more public. I really like the idea of anime and manga bringing an uncommon game/practice/concept to the table. I believe that anime and manga have the power to influence and inspire people, and I would LOVE to see more series like Chihayafuru getting published/animated.

Also check out my Chihayafuru tag on Tumblr(I'm hilarious...kind of) for feels and probably giggles. ^^

Since the manga is still ongoing, my rating of this series is susceptible to changes but for now....

5/5 stars!! Enjoyable to read and recommended! 

Hanasaku Iroha || Anime Review

Info: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=11795
Episodes: 26
Produced by: P.A. Works
Sites to watch?
KissAnime
Crunchyroll

Image from: https://forums.hummingbird.me/t/spoilers-hanasaku-iroha-home-sweet-home-discussion/1825

This is a non-spoiler review! 

I don't know how to start this off since I just finished marathoning the anime series, and my thoughts have yet to form into coherent words but...I'll try my best to explain why this is such a good show and why everyone should watch it.

So, Hanasaku Iroha doesn't really start off well in terms of appearance. I mean, the name, for one, in English is "Blossoms for Tomorrow", like what the heck is that cheesy shit? Once you watch the show though, it actually fits very well. Also, I'm not sure if this is a problem for anyone else, but I find that typically anime with a large, and mainly female-focused cast tend to suck in terms of plot and characterization and are loaded with fanservice. I thought HanaIro was going to be the same, looking at the poster of these overly cute female characters. Luckily I was wrong.

Summary:
HanaIro is a story about growth; about finding a dream to pursue, and that there isn't always a clear end to things like other "perfect" stories are. The main character, Matsumae Ohana is plagued by the laziest and the freest mother in the world. But because of this, she quickly learns to rely on herself and to not depend on others; she takes care of all the chores around the house starting from a very young age. Although she lives in Tokyo, and although most would envy her for living in such a beautiful city, Ohana finds her life very dull, and doesn't have a clear grasp on her future. That is when, her mother and her newest boyfriend decide to make an escape together one night, in order to avoid debt collecters(caused by the latter), dropping Ohana off at her grandmother's inn located in the countryside, Kissuisou. Here, Ohana learns gains the experience of working with others and discovers her place at Kissuisou. But first, she has to gain the acceptance of her grandmother, who despises her mother(daughter), and the others that work there, as well as dealing with a crush back in Tokyo.

Supporting characters (Image from: http://www.zerochan.net/Hanasaku+Iroha)

This series is produced by P.A. Works, which is a studio I like a lot from watching the amazing art and animation in Nagi no Asukara, and although it aired in 2011, the art in HanaIro was still absolutely gorgeous.
No complaints about the music as well, although I wished that they would have picked different songs for the OP/ED; the singers aren't really that pleasing to listen to.

What I think defined this series was the characters. The female characters especially shined, which is typically rare to see in the anime. This is mainly because the girls are focused on; each one of the girls in Kissuisou, Minko, Nako, Ohana, and Tomoe (and others) all get their backstory episode. We get a look at what's happening in their life through their perspective and their thoughts. It is really refreshing to see them all (not just the girls but everyone in Kissuisou) focus and work together to please their customers, rather than a romantic slice-of-life(which I'm not quite fond of).

The one who became the most developed of course, was Ohana, the lovely heroine. She starts off as quite unmotivated and undriven in life, but when she arrives at Kissuisou, she is taught to take work seriously, and works hard at her job as a waitress. Like most main characters, they have a sort of charisma that draws people to them, and Ohana is no exception. The other characters note that Kissuisou changed when she came, and in a good way. Ohana, is also a teenage girl, so OF COURSE, she deals with boy problems and angsty teenage stuff (but it's not the main focus of the show). It makes her more relatable, what with her procrastination and her struggle to communicate her thoughts eloquently.

Of course, this series is not without faults; the main one being that the story kind of deteriorates in the latter half of the series(around episodes 13-) with a couple of interesting episodes in between. I think that nevertheless you should watch this series for its characters, animation, and story. It was a very pleasant watching experience.

Overall, I would rate Hanasaku Iroha a 4.5/5 stars!!

Please give Hanasaku Iroha a watch!~ :D

Most Anticipated Anime || Summer 2015

It's just like me to post this about a week before the summer anime start releasing. Yup.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like this season has much to offer. But I am very excited for the few anime that caught my eye.

Anime that I talk about in this post: 

• Akagami no Shirayukihime
• Gangsta
• Gatchaman Crowds Insight 
• God Eater
• Meiji Tokyo Renka

Honorable Mentions( the ones-I'll probably watch later-but-I-acknowledge-that-this-is-releasing): 

• Hetalia: The World Twinkle: Just 'cause this is Hetalia lol. I did not expect this, but that's probably because I'm not really a hardcore Hetalia fan. This is exciting news though! I might check out a few episodes...
• Durarara x2 Ten: I have yet to watch x2 soo...yeah...*cough*.
• Working!!! S3: I'm really interested in this anime but I have yet to watch the first 2 seasons.
• Charlotte: This is going to be a P.A. Works original work of the season(and if you get to know me, you know I really like P.A. Works). The synopsis didn't really catch my interest and seeing as how Glasslip went(lol no shade), I don't really have high hopes for this show...but I might check the first episode out, I don't know.  
• Sinbad: The Flying Princess and the Secret Island: To be animated by Nippon Animation. It looks like it'll be an interesting take on the legend of Sinbad and the Seven Seas.

 Akagami no Shirayukihime(Snow White with Red Hair)

Animated By: Bones               Genres: Shoujo, Romance, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy Summary: "Shirayuki is notable for her eye-catching red hair, which eventually catches the eye of the prince of her country, and he asks her to marry him. She refuses his offer and escapes to a neighboring country to dodge the soldiers chasing her by the prince's command. There, she meets the prince, Zen, and they quickly hit it off. Shirayuki decides to stay in this country and stay by Zen's side as a court doctor. The two encounter many trials and deal with political troubles, as well as their growing feelings towards each other."

Based off this incredibly cute and beautiful manga by Akizuki Sorata.

Thoughts: I'm just so excited to see this! I know it'll be good since it's Bones(I don't think I see a lot of shoujo from them, if any at all...). Yup...that's pretty much it for me lol. It's just going to be really interesting to see this animated. I hope they don't end it at when the good part is just starting(like with Akatsuki no Yona, which by the way, kind of has a similar feel...not really...the main characters just both have red hair xD).

Gangsta.

Animated By: Manglobe

Genres:  Seinen, Action, Drama, Badassery

Episodes: 12

Summary: "Nick and Worick are two men who take on jobs from both the mafia and the police in the town of Ergastulum, a rotten place filled with mafia, hoodlums, prostitutes, and dirty cops.(Credit to ANN)"

Thoughts: I've heard really good things about the manga, and the whole story and concept sounds like something I would watch so I'm really looking forward to watching this! It looks like it'll give off a similar feel to Durarara!!/Baccano/Death Parade.

Based of this manga by Kousuke!

Gatchaman Crowds Insight

Animated By: Tatsunoko Production
Genres: Adventure, Sci-Fi, Action, Transformation
Summary: "A year has passed since the "Tachikawa Incident" in summer 2015. CROWDS -- the system that turns the mentality of humans into physical form that Berg Katze gave to Rui Ninomiya after extracting his NOTE -- has spread among the public. Prime Minister Seitarō Sugayama backs the plan, but not everyone agrees with his policy, and a mysterious organization attacks Sugayama's vehicle, marking the start of a series of new conflicts. (Credit to ANN)"

Thoughts: Well, this was not something I was expecting. This is, however, a great surprise! I liked Gatchaman Crowds very much so I'll be looking forward to this sequel. Looking at the key visual, the designs for the new "enemies" look very...unique. The Crowds had definitely looked pretty strange but I'm not sure what to think of these...really patriotic-looking...lizard bunnies? I don't know, but hey, new season means more Hajime and I'm always down for that.

God Eater

Animated By: Ufotable
Genres: Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Supernatural, Futuristic
Summary: "Anime adaptation of Bandai Namco's PSP action game series 'God Eater.'
Set in Japan in the year 2071 where the world has been mostly destroyed by mysterious monsters known as the Aragami. An organization known as Fenrir was made to exterminate Aragami using weapons called God Arcs which is made from the cells of an Aragami. Those who specialize in exterminating Aragami are known as God Eaters. Originally God Eaters had one type in which their God Arcs can only keep gun form or blade form, however a new type has been discovered that can switch between gun and blade form. Since then, they have been classified new-types and the previous as old-types." 

Thoughts: This looks like the offspring of Attack on Titan & SAO. There was another anime I was going to compare it to but my mind totally blanked out. I have never heard of this before, and don't know how the game plays out. Since it is a game-to-anime adaptation, the storyline is something to watch out for(to see if it's horrible or actually pretty good). I don't really have high expectations for this as it seems to feature quite a few bodacious, booby-bouncing girls in very little clothing (but media in general is far from getting rid of this sexist stereotype)...but I may be proven wrong as with Shokugeki no Souma(but the ecchi-ness of it is like a satire).

and the only movie on this list...

Meiji Tokyo Renka

Animated By: Studio Deen

Genres: Reverse Harem, Romance, Fantasy
Summary: "On an evening lit by a crimson full moon, an ordinary high school girl named Mei Ayazuki meets a self-proclaimed magician named Charlie at a festival. Through Charlie's magic, she time-travels to the Meiji era in Tokyo, where she meets and falls in love with various great historical figures from that time period.(Credit to ANN)"

Thoughts: I always check out the new reverse harem anime that come out because I love reverse harem and I love discovering good RH anime. Unfortunately, anime that are adapted from an Otome game(basically adating game targeted towards girls) are usually...terrible. I mean, obviously, since it's from a dating game and basically all the guys are pining towards the playable character, as well as her lack of personality(in most cases), that it would not turn out that interesting compared to other anime that focus on characterization and plot. Brothers Conflict, Diabolik Lovers, Amnesia; these are some of the ones I can name off the top of my head that left me disappointed. Well, MTR is a movie so there is less time for the relationships/plot to flesh out compared to a 12 episode series or what-not.

Spring 2015 Anime || First Impressions

A new season means new, fantastic anime! This time, we have a pretty strong line-up(man the industry has been killin' it with the new releases), and I tried out the first episode of 7 new anime! They are:

• Arslan Senki 
• Ore Monogatari!!
• Owari no Seraph 
• Kekkai Sensen
• Shokugeki no Soma
• Mikagura School Suite
• Kyoukai no Rinne

Continue reading if you want to know more about what I think of each first episode!

Arslan Senki (The Heroic Legend of Arslan)

Adapted From: Arslan Senki By (the awesome)Arakawa Hiromu (Original story by Tanaka Yoshiki)

Animated By: Liden Films/Sanzigen Animation Studio
Expected Episodes: ??
Quick Summary: Arslan is a prince of the strong country of Pars, who, unlike his powerful father, King Andragoras, does not seem to have what it takes to be a ruler. He goes into battle when he is 14 and as expected, ends terribly. Now, he must go on journey to reclaim what he has lost, with his most trusted companions aiding him along the way.
Thoughts? I was really drawn in to the historical aspect of it, and now I'm staying to watch this anime for much more. The animation of the two armies clashing was really well done, and kind of reminded me of Kingdom (except without the characters being animated by horrible 3DCG, but I don't mind if the armies are being animated using that). While I like Arakawa Hiromu, I wasn't so sure if her art style was really suited for a historical series like this (Arslan looks so much like a baby oh my gosh!) but I guess I'll eventually get used to it. The chase scene was pretty entertaining as well. I'm excited to see the other characters! The ending song with all the beautiful illustrations got me hyped up! It was a good first episode. ^^/

Ore Monogatari!! (My Love Story)

Adapted from: Ore Monogatari!! by Kawahara Kazune, drawn by Aruko
Animated By: Madhouse(!!!)
Expected Episodes: 24
Summary: Gouda Takeo isn't your usual shoujo manga protagonist. He's tall, muscular, and has an appearance that scares off any girls he tries to approach. Suprisingly enough, he's best friends with the chick magnet, Sunagawa Makoto, and it just so happens that every girl Takeo likes has a crush on Suna. Despite this, they are still very good friends. One day, Takeo saves a cute girl from being molested on the train. Could this be the start of new love...??
Thoughts? Since I had already read the first few chapters of the manga, I already knew what to expect in terms of the story and for the first episode, I think it was executed quite well and true to the source material. If you haven't guessed yet, I'm a real fan for Madhouse, so I'm just gonna compliment them a bunch ehehe. The opening and ending songs were quite cute, but I didn't pay attention to the OST through the episode. LOVE Takeo's voice actor; I thought it fit him really well (and the others too). This is gonna be the start of a great romantic comedy! ^^/

Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End)

 

Adapted From: Owari no Seraph written by Kagami Takaya, drawn by Yamamoto Yamato
Animated By: Wit Studio
Expected Episodes: 12 (2nd season confirmed)
Summary: A mysterious disease that only affects people over the age of 13 suddenly spreads across the Earth. At the same time, vampires decided that this was apparently a great opportunity to enslave humans. Enter Hyakuya Yuuichirou, a young boy, along with his peers, gets captured by the vampires and raised by them as "blood banks", essentially. He develops a big dream of exterminating all of the vampires.
Thoughts? Emotional ass first episode (excuse my language). From the PV I knew to expect some badass vampire vs human action but NOT in that way(not that it was bad but...it was horrible...emotionally). That vampire, though, gave off some really creepy pedo vibes (even though children are literally the only ones unaffected by the pandemic but still). I really feel bad for Hyakuya...damn, losing all your real family and your other "family" at such a young age...I have a feeling he might become that vengeful, screaming character like Eren (AoT)...no? Although this episode had a lot going on(2 time-skips!), it didn't have a huge lasting impact on me, considering the manslaughter that went on (am I heartless?...maybe). Plus, it's really obvious his blonde friend is still alive. I'm still curious to know what happens next so I'll stick around to watch. ^^/

Kekkai Sensen (Bloodline Battlefront)

From http://blog.opovo.com.br/bancadoanime/wp-content/uploads/sites/56/2015/02/kekkai-sensen-manga.jpg

Adapted From: Kekkai Sensen by Nightow Yasuhiro
Animated By: Bones(!!!)
Expected Episodes: 12
Summary (From ANN because I don't know what the heck is going on): "A breach between Earth and the netherworlds has opened up over the city of New York, trapping New Yorkers and creatures from other dimensions in an impenetrable bubble. They've lived together for years, in a world of crazy crime sci-fi sensibilities. Now someone is threatening to sever the bubble, and a group of stylish superhumans is working to keep it from happening."
Thoughts? Well, as you can guess from above ^, I didn't quite grasp the storyline except for the fact that there's a special (vigilante?) organization named Libra, and everyone in it has special powers (bloodlines?) and there's this maniac guy who just wants to screw with the people because he's bored and this really timid guy that has really great eyesight. All joking aside, even though I felt like the plot was a little hard to catch, the music and the animation were pretty awesome. Emphasis on the animation. It felt...surreal watching that action scene near the end. Just...FANTASTIC job Bones! Keep doing what you've been doing! Gonna keep watching this because I need to understand the plot and for the dope action scenes. Also the red-haired guy's side-burns (at first I thought it was his facial hair LOL) are on point. ^^/

Shokugeki no Soma (Food Wars)

Adapted From: Shokugeki no Soma written by Tsukuda Yuuto, drawn by Saeki Shun
Animated By: J.C. Staff
Expected Episodes: ??
Summary: Yukihira Soma is a young chef who dreams of taking over his father's restaurant one day, however, his father suddenly closes the shop and leaves him, pushing him to enroll in a prestigious cooking academy instead. And in this school, talented young chefs come from all over the world to study at this high-level place. A special quality about it is the "food wars"; where one chef can challenge another to a cooking battle with a high-stake at cost!
Thoughts? Well, I was a little iffy to try watching this because it was tagged as "ecchi" and that isn't really my thing. BUT, it is also a cooking anime (which is a theme I would love to see more in anime) and fans of the series highly praise SnS so I thought, why not? The animation of the food is to mouth-watering; props to J.C. Staff for that! Other than that, I guess it was a pretty interesting first episode. I cringed at all the "foodgasm" parts. Honestly, at this point, I couldn't see what was so special about this series that everyone was raving about so I went on to read the manga. And now I'm around chapter 90 and I'm LOVING it. Those foodgasm scenes are really just a sexualized Yakitate Japan reaction (if you've watched it). I find that I'm not bothered by the ecchi anymore, but rather I just laugh at it now. I still think it's really awkward that they're animating it though. So yup! There is a great story and awesome characters waiting so don't drop this anime because it's ecchi! Oh, and also, the ending song was super cute (LOL at The Last Supper reference). ^^/

Mikagura School Suite

From http://static2.minitokyo.net/view/19/13/660669.jpg

 

Adapted From:  Mikagura School Suite song series by Last Note
Animated By: Doga Kobo

Expected Episodes: ??
Summary: Ichinomiya Eruna is a peppy, cheerful girl who has a fascination with games(dating especially?) She decides to enroll into Mikagura, pushed by her cousin, and finds out the school has a unique system. Every student has to join a club and each of the club's representatives have to battle each other with special powers. Unexpectedly, Eruna is chosen to a representative of one club and has to battle the others?!
Thoughts? From what I've read, apparently the events that occurred are slightly different in the manga adaptation but I don't think it's a big change. I've listened to the songs in the Mikagura song series so that's why I was looking forward to this adaptation. One thing I have to say, this is VERY different from Kagepro; it gives off a lighter vibe. The biggest surprise I had was that Eruna was SUPER thirsty and gay for like, every living creature that was female. I was like, "girl, chill" through the whole episode. Maybe I should have read the lyrics to some of the songs or something because I never got the hint that she was a lesbian. xD Anyway, I kind of hope she pipes her thirst level down soon, because her attitude is going to get annoying later on. One thing I cringed at was how high-pitched Asuhi's voice is. Because, really? I understand giving him a shota-like voice but that? He sounds like he just came out of the womb...anyway! I'm looking forward to learning more about the other characters and their powers! ^^/

Kyoukai no Rinne (RIN-NE)

 

Adapted From: Kyoukai no Rinne by (the lovely)Takahashi Rumiko
Animated By: Brains Base
Expected Episodes: 25
Summary: Sakura Mamiya is your average high school girl. Except for the fact she was "spirited away" as a child so now she can see ghosts. Yup, normal. When she meets her unusual classmate, Rokudo Rinne, who is apparently a shinigami, Sakura gets dragged into more supernatural things than she thought she would!
Thoughts? So I was really excited for this (like many others) when I heard that this was a series by Takahashi Rumiko, and if you don't recognize that name, she created legends such as Inuyasha and Ranma 1/2. Yup, that's her. That's when I instantly knew this series was going to be great. It was kind of sad, though, that no one took up subbing the first episode when it released. I watched it raw and could understand the majority of it but I still went and read the manga after(and now I'm to chapter 60-ish!). I can definitely tell you that this an episodic type of series (like Natsume Yuujinchou or Mushishi) with comedy and also Rinne's money problems (no, serious). The anime actually switched the order of the first and second chapter of the manga, but you really can't tell that they switched it; it flows pretty smoothly. ALSO, the opening and ending songs are super catchy and I love it (maybe my fave of the season). Sakura and Rinne are also really cute together so definitely looking forward to more of their antics! ^^/