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! ^^/

Year in Review & New Years' Resolutions || 2014

Hey! How are ya doing? I can't believe I haven't posted anything at all in December (except for those lighting fast review posts I conjured up just a few hours ago)! I always have no real excuse from being inactive or MIA on my social platforms. 80% of the time, I'm probably just watching an anime or movie or browsing YouTube. That is me and my life.

How was 2014 for you? Was it a good year or bad year? Or was it just kind of meh? It was certainly quite boring for me, to be honest, however, in the news and media, a lot has happened, such as the huge blowup of the events of Ferguson as well as the failure of the jury to indict Darren Wilson, and lots of activism going on in different places such as in Mexico, Turkey, Hong Kong, etc. It's sad that such terrible injustice is happening to people but it's really great that they're speaking out about and protesting against it. Which is one of the the things I hope to do in 2015; educate myself on current events and speak out about the things that I see that are morally wrong.

I've also realized the power of blogging/vlogging and using social platforms to spread information to do amazing things such as save other people's lives. So, although I have literally no audience on my blog, I will start posting more about things that are important to me and my opinions, as well as book/anime-related things. I hope that's alright (who am I talking to? A ghost?).

Here is my personal list of things I plan to accomplish in 2015 (and all of these are very doable!):

• Educate myself of the world today.
• Talk about my opinions and make my own decisions; take charge of my own life.
• Enjoy learning history; it can be very useful.
• Speak out against injustice; if something is wrong, people need to discuss and talk about it in order to get closer to a solution to a problem.
• Get my learner's permit and then later in the year, my driver's license.
• People's opinion of you does not matter. Be confident in your own skin. Don't give a shit about whether they acknowledge you or not. 
• Clean your room. Seriously. Clean it at least once a week. 
• Stop worrying about whether you can do something or not or over-thinking a situation. Just do it. Nike. (pls sponsor me...jk)
• Be more positive! What's the use of being down and pessimistic all the time? 
• Exercise for at least 30 minutes at least every other day. 
• Book Reward: For every 2 books I read, I am allowed to buy one book. Also, if I don't really like a book that much, I'll have to sell it in order to maintain enough space. 

That's it! Do you have any of the same resolutions I have? What are your resolutions? Feel free to leave a comment!

I hope that 2015 brings you great opportunities and joy. Remember, you survived 2014! If you feel frustrated about your life, or you've been unable to take that first step towards something, think of the New Year as a blank slate for you.
Conquer your fears! Slay some monsters! Become an ultimate badass and reign over your empire made out of stuffed animals!

Basara by Tamura Yumi || Manga Review

Which reminds me, after completing this manga, I feel like re-reading 7 Seeds, one of Tamura Yumi's most recent ongoing work. :)

I don't know why I didn't read this fantastic manga earlier. I can see why it is regarded so highly and people are constantly recommending it and giving it perfect ratings. As a regular reader of shoujo, the fact that this is also considered in the same category...I am...shocked. The shoujo genre-tag on this manga does not give it justice. Basara literally blows all of the mainstream shoujo manga out of the water by an epic proportion. It is just THAT masterly crafted and well done.

What is Basara about? The manga takes place in an alternate universe of historical-like Japan. The story follows a young girl named Sarasa, as she willingly takes up her brother's position as the "Child of Destiny", one to bring uproar to the system (I guess for the better) as she witnesses his murder and the destruction of her village by the Red King, a ruthless young man whom isn't afraid of lobbing heads off to get what he wants. From that moment, Sarasa swore to defeat the Red King and take revenge for her village. Something strange happens, however. When she goes to a hot spring one day, she meets a boy named Shuri and they fall in love with each other. What she doesn't know is that Shuri is actually the Red King! He also doesn't know that she is now the "Child of Destiny". So the two aim to destroy one another without knowing each others' true identities.

My summaries never cover the full plot but are just a taste of what happens in the beginning. The plot is SO much more than what I just typed above. Sarasa meets so many characters (which there are A LOT of characters) goes to different places, and the action, intense drama, politics, etc. are what REALLY makes Basara so great. So definitely give this manga a shot if you haven't! And if you already have, give it another shot! I originally tried to get into Basara and I just couldn't, however, when I watched a bit of the anime (which is only 13 episodes and insufficient; REMAKE please!) it rekindled my interest in the series.

The cast of characters have HUUGE range of personalities and a lot of them are really lovable. Characters that you start out hating, you end up loving by the end (trust me). It doesn't excuse them for being asshats but hey, at least they know it and are trying to change that fact and live their life the way they truly want to live.

I thought what was a really interesting was the fact that Sarasa and Shuri are enemies but lovers at the same time. So when they actually discover the true identities of one another, they both have an enormous inner turmoil. He's my enemy. He killed my village. But I love him. (not a quote, by the way ahaha but you get my drift). As the reader, you get this really uncomfortable feeling in your gut as you see the two go through this struggle. They both suffered quite huge losses because of each other, but their love for one another had not died. So while it's quite awful to imagine being in the same situation as them, my inner sadist(or not?)comes out and laughs at the irony of the whole situation.

The plot in the beginning is of course, focused on Sarasa and her village survivors' desire for revenge against the Red King but then the conflict becomes larger and larger and eventually involves in some heavy internal royal-palace conflicts (and the villains get backstories, yay! Cool motive, still murder). The battle eventually involves the entirety of Japan and it gets really epic (and sad, so look forward to that).

My favorite thing about the series has nothing to do with Basara itself, ironically enough, but it's the little free-spaces that Tamura uses to do a section called, "Tam-Tam Time" in which the manga-ka writes little updates on her life and the readers get to see how adorable and awesome she is. I really enjoyed reading those little sections, which is rare, because I typically don't pay attention to author notes and such (which I should more often, sorry!)

Something weird I noticed while I was reading Basara was that Tamura Yumi would sometimes use these really odd screentones that would make you stop reading the manga for a second to stare at it and go, "wtf?" It was a couple times when I noticed it but maybe she was trying to use a variety of screentones? I don't know, but when is there ever a time where a screentone looking like a puzzle-piece pattern can be used? Or a chicken-pox pattern? I don't have screencaps but there was seriously one page that looked like the characters had chicken pox or some deadly disease because of the screentone and they were not ill at all.

Besides the notable strong heroine in Basara there are also several themes are present which are important, such as 'Don't commit yourself to revenge, look to the future and move on', 'Hate does not last, instead focus on love', 'Love can be a double-edged sword; it can either strengthen you or swallow you up whole', etc.

I see Basara being compared to Red River/Anatolia Story often, and I can see why (because of the premise of a girl fighting in an historical setting) but I've read around 3-4 volumes of Red River and I have to say that I think Basara wins over it. Maybe I have to read more to like it, I don't know, but so far the manga isn't my taste and the main character seems like a pushover(in terms of being assaulted by men) despite being called 'The Goddess Ishtar(well she is the goddess of war AND sex)'.

Sorry for that little tangent. I would highly recommend this series to anybody looking for a long and exciting read. A little escape from reality, I suppose.

Uninhabited Planet Survive (Mujin Wakusei Survive) || Anime Review

Info: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=3082

Sigh...let's talk about this anime. Where do I even start? I recently just finished Uninhabited Planet Survive and now I'm experiencing what I call an "anime coma". It's when you finish an anime and your chest feels empty. You also experience lack of motivation to do anything and you can't stop thinking about the anime. That's what I'm feeling right now.

I seem to like watching animes that look like a children's anime on the surface but actually applies to all ages and has a deeper meaning to them. That...actually sounds kind of morbid if you compare it to my other two "children" anime reviews, Beast Player Erin and Now and Then, Here and There.

Uninhabited Planet Survive takes place in a time where Earth becomes uninhabitable and humans have found new ways to live on other planets through a process called, "terraforming". The story follows a main protagonist, Luna, and her pet robot, Chako, as well as six other main cast of characters. These eight end up going through a gravity storm during a school-trip through space and wind up crash-landing on an unknown planet that resembles Earth. With parts of their space-ship damaged, these kids have no other choice but to survive on this planet until they either find another space ship or help arrives. Little do they know that this planet is hiding a secret that will eventually form an inseparable bond between each other, and the planet itself.

This anime explores many themes such as co-operation, friendship, working together for a cause, preserving the environment, and the importance of living on no matter what happens (similar to Now and Then, Here and Then, eh?) That is why I think that this anime can apply to most people, and that it will be enjoyable to a wide audience of people, even if it is a little cheesy and gets a bit too preachy at times.

A part that I especially enjoyed in the anime is focused on in the first--ehhh--20 episodes or so and it is how these children are using their resources as well as finding more on the island to gather food, make fire, and even build shelter! It was very creative and I enjoyed the whole process.

Any romance? Bah! One thing I was disappointed on, and this is purely my fangirl side, was that they have a pretty big cast of main characters, implied crushes here and there and THEN in the end, show a time-skip of all of them older and fabulous and NONE of them hooked up with each other? I found them very shippable but hey, technically it's a kids' anime so why do they have to include romance, right? 

I don't really have much more to say because I'm literally trying to finish this post DAYS after I watched it so I loss some of the emotions I had after finishing the anime. I would recommend this anime to everybody and it's definitely a family-friendly anime so introduce it to your younger siblings or kids if you like!

Now and Then, Here and There (Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku) || Anime Review & Speculation

Info: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=287

As I said I would do, my reviews are going to be as spoiler-free as possible! So yay! If you haven't watched this anime yet, I recommend you check it out, or at least add it to your watchlist. Still a little doubtful? Read my review and see if you will change your mind!

Now and Then, Here and There or more conveniently known as NATHAT, is underrated. It's not as underrated, as in Mujin Wakusei Survive (which is another fantastic anime, so check it out), but I definitely do think that 1) more people should talk about it and 2) more people should watch it. Although NATHAT contains mature themes and will absolutely shatter your heart to tiny, little pieces, it carries an important message and will have a long lasting impact on you even after you finish watching it.

The basic premise of this story is about a boy named Shuu, and he's loud, not afraid to express his opinions, all about "what's right", etc. He practices kendo but really sucks at it, as he attacks with no strategy and yells like a barbarian everytime he tries to strike someone.
One evening, he meets a peculiar girl named Lala-Ru, however, something strange happens. People in weird mechanisms appear out of nowhere and try to snatch Lala-Ru away. Shuu, being the "hero" and "righteous" example that he is, tries to save her but inevitably gets sucked into their world. There, he lands in the midst of a terrible war in which his morals and values are challenged. Shuu strives to maintain positivity and to search for a way home.

There are several serious themes in this anime, with the main being the effects of war so I'll try to include all of the ones I can think of off the top of my head, in case anyone will get triggered by it.
Implied rape, animal abuse, war, violence, death...
A lot of things are implied, so it's not really graphic.
I think those are the main ones that I can recall. If I've forgotten any,  please let me know and I'll add them!

NATHAT, honestly is pretty mediocre (or more harshly, terrible) in terms of animation. It almost reminds me of Kemono no Souja Erin (yet another underrated anime; I am on a roll today!), except with the flashbacks replaced with extremely long pauses. Granted, this anime was made in 2000. But don't make that  the deciding factor in whether you want to watch it or not! NATHAT is so much more than its appearance.
Which, speaking of its appearance, NATHAT first appears as your typical light-hearted shounen anime but it turns dark pretty soon. I wouldn't say this is a children's anime, as this seems too depressing for what I watched as a kid (e.g. Tokyo Mew Mew) but if you want to show it to someone under 7 years old...go ahead. I would judge you, but hey, I ain't their momma.

Changing gears to a positive aspect of this anime was the music. In fact, I thought the music was phenomenal. The soundtrack played a huge part in invoking my strong emotions when I watched this anime. The music was so on point and worked to create the atmosphere of the scenes. It was very poignant.
Here's a link to a Youtube playlist of the OST: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE9AFD359C9BB5986

Now onto the characters of this anime. I'm gonna say that there are certain characters which I would have liked to have seen more developed. But as for the main character, Shuu, I'm not so sure if there was any development in him at all, honestly. That kind of disappointed me but then I realized why his character was made that way and why he strictly stood by his principles throughout the whole anime (which I will talk about later).

The storyline was very intense, real, invigorating, and tragic. The plot really drew me in, kept me hooked, and sent me through this rollacoaster ride of feels. It's not a feels train, it's a freaking oscillating ride at the speed of light (since it is only 13 episodes). There is not really a plot twist, but as the anime approaches the climax (and you'll known when it is), everything gets closer and closer to bursting at the seams. Figuratively. That's how intense it was.

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 Warning: Sorry, I type too much. So if you don't want to read the bulk of it, at least read these two paragraphs below on symbolism in NATHAT. The rest is pretty much my thoughts/speculation on war, society, values, etc.

Something that you have to realize about this anime was its symbolism and the message it was trying to get across. Yes, certain themes and symbols are subjective, so it's really up to anyone's interpretation of what it means, but this is my personal take on it.
You have to look at Shuu not as a character, but as a representation of society's morals and values. Social conventions; what's right and what's wrong. What's humane, and what's inhumane. This is why he doesn't show much change throughout the anime, because he's literally representing our modern-day society's beliefs. We don't like to see murder, the majority of us disagree with abortions (which I personally disagree with; it's not murder if you decide to have an abortion), we like to see peace, etc. Right? Except, it's wrong. Several people are raised with morals and values to do good in the world, yet we, humans are the sole cause of destruction, to both each other, and to nature. This is where Lala-Ru comes into play. She is not just a character. She too, like Shuu, represents something. She is a symbol for nature, as in the anime she is constantly pursued and sought after for her power, much like how humans chase after natural resources. They use them for their own purposes and will eventually deplete them.

NATHAT demonstrates the effects of war on our society; war brings out the worst in people. Soldiers become close-minded and detached to killing more people, raping, and capturing innocent civilians. Under a dictatorship, this becomes worse. And sometimes, people are just freaking blind. In NATHAT's case, I'm pretty sure everyone knew that the psycho dictator was a PSYCHO and completely awful so why didn't they rebel against him? I believe it's a similar case of Hitler and Nazi Germany. He was the one who stepped up to power, and with his propaganda and convincing speeches, he swayed Germany to his side.

I believe that humans aren't really this way, and that the situation has forced them to change, to adapt, and that is how some of them handled it. By doing horrid things. It definitely does not excuse them from doing these things but I think it's important to have a wake-call from time-to-time to acknowledge, this is our society right now, this is the world molded by humans, and is it okay to stay this way? The obvious answer is no, but people are lazy and don't do much to invoke change, sadly.

War probably won't go away in the next couple of centuries or so, but I hope that someday, we can lessen these horrible armed conflicts. I'd like to think that the world is becoming more civilized, at least compared to ancient history where war was a regular occurrence, and violence was welcomed.

Another concept I'd like to mention is William Yeats' concept of time, which I won't delve too much into because this post is already so freaking long. But if you want to know more, here's a link to an analysis of his poem, "The Second Coming": http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/yeats/section5.rhtml (Also, an interesting page on time philosophy) If you don't know William Butler Yeats, he was an Irish poet that wrote about his philosophies. Now, I know what you're thinking. What does this poet and time philosophy have to do with anything? Well, it does, and let me explain. Basically, he developed this concept of time in the shape of a gyre and these gyres have a span of 2000 years, and whatever was at the center of it, the society would get farther and farther away from the principles and morals that the center represented. For example, from 0-2000, baby Jesus would be in the center of this gyre because it marks his birth. Since it's a gyre, and it spirals outward, society from his birth would get farther and farther from the values he represented, which are love, tolerance, patience, etc.
And after those 2000 years, the gyre would collapse and then a new gyre would form, with a new figure in the center of it. William Yeats speculates that this new gyre will have some sort of an antichrist or worse in the middle, and our society will slowly spiral out until 2000 years later when this gyre collapses, to end in the "apocalypse".
Similarly, I think this is the signal that NATHAT is sending out. It's warning humans that if we continue to selfishly pursue resources, and fight meaningless wars that the worst is bound to happen. In contrast, though, NATHAT ends more positively than the end of Yeats' poem did. It's not really a happy positive, but at least they're living.

That's another theme in this anime. Treasure your life, kids. "You're going through shit? Hey, at least you're alive. Could be worse."

In all seriousness. I highly recommend this anime to anyone. Really.

Rating: 3.75/5- I had some qualms about it, but it's overall great!

Your Lie in April (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso) || Manga & Anime Impressions

Info: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=16108
Manga: https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=65274

Another anime first impressions time! Let's go!
This time, we're talking about Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, or more conveniently known, Your Lie in April. There is this huge theme of spring and cherry blossoms (which Japan has an abundance of and I'm super jealous), which isn't a unique theme but I think it's more important to the story than it shows on the surface.

I'm not sure if this stood out to anyone else, or if anyone noticed, but I found the anime emulating this...striking method of storytelling. It's very hard to describe it, but during scenes when it's just Arima and Kaori, you can really feel there's a special connection between them two. It's actually quite pleasant to see, instead of the typical boy-blushes-stupidly-at-the-girl-he-blatantly-has-a-crush-on scene. I just overall really appreciate the moments between these two main characters because instead of focusing on the romance and the doki-doki parts, it shows Kaori and Arima's developing relationship and their bond through music.

Also, the animation during when Arima compares not being able to "hear" the piano to suffocating at the bottom of an ocean was beautiful. I don't know, maybe it's the aspect of music involved that makes the atmosphere of this anime rather...mystical. Or mysterious-feeling. That's what it feels like to me. But I do indeed enjoy the comedy that comes around from time-to-time (especially from Watari, bless his soul). The manga, however, feels like a "regular" shounen manga in its atmosphere but the emphasis on music really pulled me in to the manga.

The opening song of the anime was, at first, the main reason I was so hyped for this anime. It's by Goosehouse, a cute and extremely talented group of Japanese musicians, who I greatly admire. Check out their YouTube channel because they do a lot of great covers and also some original songs!

Also, mad props to A-1 Pictures for doing key-animation for Kaori's violin performances because damn, that looks like it took a lot of effort. It's not Attack on Titan level of blowing their budget (but hey, how many animes have that type of fine animation?) but nevertheless the group deserves it.
The anime is a pretty faithful adaptation of the manga, which I love and hate, because while I'm happy nothing major has changed, it's kind of boring to watch honestly (unless there's a certain scene I want to see animated/love).

Oh yeah, and one last thing, I know that Arima's mom is dead and deep down loved her son but this woman sure as heck won't stay in her grave and keeps on haunting Arima like BISH REALLY?
In all seriousness, I am caught up with the manga and he kind of overcomes this mental baggage.

I'm looking forward to seeing more performances animated so that I can hear the lovely music that cute 2-d characters play.

Are you watching/reading Your Lie in April? What are you thoughts on it?