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What Anime Are You Watching Right Now?

BUU8800

By BUU8800
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PokeNirvash
PokeNirvash

Whatever happened this year, Buu, I hope next year goes better too. (Bullhorn.) Yona of the Dawn 17

BUU8800
BUU8800

Alright well 2017 has come and gone and I've made no secret of my feelings regarding it. I've had bad things happen in my life before, loved ones die, etc...but this was probably the worst year of my

Dark_Cloud_Overhead
Dark_Cloud_Overhead

Hiya. I decided upon my New Year's resolutions, and one of them, believe it or not, is to watch some more anime.  Watching more than I did this past year, which was practically nothing, should be a pi

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Blatch Luminary

Blatch

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Hacka Doll the Animation 7-9
Laid-Back Camp S1E11/12
Nichijou 22-24
Good Luck Girl! 6

The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Episode 10: "Our world is filled with joy!"

Spoiler

So... a lot has happened since last time, even by my standards. Let me just say one thing: when the Cinderlla Girls U149 anime comes out, I'm going to make content rating clips of it. I know I've previously described this practice as too gauche for me to attempt, but this is a pretty special occasion. If there's one anime I would ever do it for, it's for a new, groundbreaking installment of one of my tried-and-true favorites. Just give me some time to locate some video-editing software and get accustomed to it. It helps that I can also use it to make elaborate shitposts.

With that in the rear-view, let's hit it: the unit being spotlighted this time is Dekoration (courtesy of the official subs, but the wiki spells it with a C), made up of Kirari, who towers over almost everyone else in the whole franchise, Rika (Mika's sister, who also doesn't self harm), and Miria. TakeP has set up a website for them, and they're also doing a collab with some brand of trendy stores that sell bright and gaudy clothing. They get to do events tying into this, but the first one's a talk battle rather than singing. The girls do their best to bumble through it. Then, in the car, the three girls act their age (well, not Kirari) and beg P-kun to go into Harujuku to buy some crepes. Cue the musical montage! And some new idol voices, for the hell of it.

Eventually, TakeP starts walking a little behind the girls in the unit so as not to attract much attention; however, the girls think of it as him being their bodyguard. Too bad this ends up being his undoing: a policeman accuses TakeP of taking "peeping photos", and won't let him grab his phone out of an allegation that he'll delete them. This kicks off the episode's dramatic arc, with Rika, Miria and Kirari having to find TakeP in time for the next event, as well as what happened to that Oxford comma. Chihiro is soon dispatched to bail TakeP out, and a few other idols come along for the ride, including Mika, who gets frazzled knowing that the girls are lost and cracks her phone's screen in the process. Just when all hope seems lost, and even Kirari's happy-happy personality starts to take a hit, Rika and Miria reveal that they're already wearing their idol outfits for the live downtown... and I guess Kirari is, too. They then intentionally make a ruckus and parade down the street, singing their song, which ultimately gets the attention of TakeP. Crisis averted! Now Rin, Minami and Ranko don't have to perform the live in their stead. So much for the trainwreck factor. And so another unit ends up having a successful, albeit frazzled-in-itself debut.

Random thoughts:

  • This episode had some similarities to #8 of the original 2011 series: girls and/or boys get lost, melodrama happens, and at the end the lost parties cause a big ruckus. But that parade sequences wishes it could come anywhere near the over-the-toppiness of Azusa bringing the circus to town, plus Makoto's side-plot of kicking ass in a tuxedo. But hey, I liked this episode all the same.
  • Rika and Mika have chibi figures of each other attatched to their phones! Just adorable. You'll see Rika's version (so, the one of Mika) on the second screencap.
  • A notable non-idol cameo: this shot of a stall selling Puchis, Usa-chans and Hamzou plushies.
  • Ranko is notable in not talking like a chunni in her few lines this episode, instead choosing to talk about her friends. Maybe she's got a fever of a hundred and five?
  • Rating: TV-14.
  • CG meme corner:

Idol roundup:

  • Rika: 12, Passion-type. Younger sister of Mika. Has a tendency to get herself into unexpectedly suggestive situations, which is maybe a filter for getting into this franchise. Fortunately, she's also rather cute and pairs well with her sis. Also, she sorta looks like a yellow version of Hime Arikawa.
  • Miria: 11, Passion-type. A young idol who wants to kiss you. She's also full of energy, but everyone in Dekoration is. And she's a main character in U149, so you'll be hearing more from her eventually. Voiced by Tomoyo Kurosawa, who's racked up some good mileage in idol series along. Have I told you about how she plays a big pink teddy bear mascot in that idol band series? Or that she was in another idol series full of men but played a crossdresser? The whole unit was like that.
  • Kirari: 17, Passion-type. Fuckhueg, almost unbearably girly, and incredibly genki. She normally pairs with Anzu in a unit called HappyHappyTwin. (It's not Ankira, by the way; that phrase is reserved for one of their songs, though people have probably always called it that.) Notably, her seiyuu (Rei Matsuzaki) voiced the convenience store cashier in the first episode of the 2011 anime before she was cast in this series.
  • Yuka (new voice): 18, Cute-type. Karate idol... so why is she cute, anyway? I don't know, because she doesn't get enough content to get a clear picture.
  • Yukari (new voice): 15, Cute-type. Plays the flute. Very sleepy girl.
  • Noriko (new voice): 13(?!), Cute-type. Likes donuts, because if there's one thing you absolutely need in every idol franchise, it's a girl who likes a specific type of food. (Nevermind the fact that Yayoi is already crazy for bean sprouts.) You would've probably saw a picture of her and thought she was a little older. The above three girls are in a unit called Mellow Yellow... which is weird, because they're all pink-colored Cutes.
  • Yui (new voice): 17, Passion-type. Another gyaru, with an urban flavor and an on-and-off appreciation for candy. But she's not nearly as interesting as her seiyuu, Nanami Yamashita, who played Hacka Doll #3, starred in Wake Up Girls!, God's least-favorite idol franchise, and was even going to be in that isekai series that got cancelled because the creator really hated Koreans.
  • Rina (new voice): 18, Cute-type. Yet another gyaru, though she has interesting combed-back hair. And she rides a motorcycle, which I'm sure isn't a Suzuki. One of the protagonists of a CG manga that didn't get adapted, Wild Wind Girl. And frankly, I think the average anime fan would prefer that series' premise (delinquent idols) over lolis.
  • Chihiro: 20s, EX-type. She wasn't really the focus of the episode, but she did have a role in the plot plus more lines than usual, so I'll take this as an excuse to talk about her. The secretary of CG, just like Kotori before her, she's portrayed in fan works as a ruthless individual, working hard to extract the hard-earned coin from your wallet and deposit it into the world of idols. But I know deep down she's actually really nice. Just don't get her angry, for whatever reason.

If that seems like a lot, keep in mind it's only about a tenth of the cast. 🤧

Music reviews:

  • "Orange Sapphire": This one plays during the big montage in Shinjuku. Nice passionate song that makes you wanna get up off your plastic couch and say "YEAH!", though I found myself snuggled in bed for this particular viewing.
  • "Let's Go Happy!!": Made by IOSYS, the song of Dekoration, which I found almost insufferable at first; but like any other idol song in the grand denpa tradition, you find a way to tolerate it.
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Blatch Luminary

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Spy×Family 1-3
The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls 11
Hackadoll the Animation 10/11
Nichijou 25

Wow, that was actually lots of fun. It helps that this show rates well: all three eps have been in the 14 range so far. I have no ETA for the next omnibus (as it'll depend on how much I want to include), but I can confidently say it's coming soon. And if you'd like a sneak peek at my images, go here.

The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Episode 11: "Can you hear my voice from the heart?"

Spoiler

There are only two idols left in the Cinderella Project that aren't part of a unit: the chatty and catty Miku, and the rock-type Riina. They basically amount to moldy leftovers (not that I would ever call anyone that), and this episode tries to make a unit out of them... with mixed results.

We start out in the middle of an argument between them, which ain't a good sign. It even interrupts a perfectly good photo shoot involving New Generations. Then Miku and Riina go to visit TakeP, who has a song made for them, but it doesn't have any lyrics; they won't be written until he can get a better idea of their image. This leads into the meat of the episode, which is just a big catfight. Even after Kanako makes the suggestion that Riina could live in Miku's dorm for a week, the fighting doesn't stop. In particular, they bicker over food: Riina's decision to not eat breakfast contrasts with Miku's more balanced approach. On the other hand, when Riina decides to cook a meal, which is actually a pretty cool idea (and a good skill to have, cliché as it may be), her boiled flounder is seen as an insult by Miku; turns out she hates fish, even though actual cats love that stuff.

By the start of the third act, things haven't gotten any better. Not helping matters is that TakeP is organizing a big festival for all the idols, which is by all means a good thing, but if Miku and Riina's unit can't perform, that'll take some of the air out of it. The two of them do some thinking and decide they want to strike out on their own, but TakeP tells them that if they wish to debut as solo units, one of them won't get a CD. Oh, and it's raining outside; sick Love Live! reference. With things looking bleak, but also in desperate need of narrative convenience, TakeP gets an offer for two idols to fill in at an event; Miku immediately takes it in spite of overall tensions, figuring that if she can't make this work, she'll concede to Riina to make her debut first. But also, they need to finish this song so they'll have something to sing at the live. Riina is interested in songwriting, so she and Miku decide to write lyrics themselves, which almost never happens in the idol industry. Despite these girls still having problems with each other, they come up with a song that both of them don't entirely hate, and the live manages to be a success! And with that, Chihiro gets the go-ahead to show the proposal for the idol "fest" to the rest of the company.

Oh, and there's one more thing: earlier, TakeP didn't figure to come up with a name, so he instead put a literal asterisk on the entry for Miku and Riina's unit. After the credits, the Miku/Riina unit still doesn't have a name, so Chihiro chimes in with what the word actually means ("little star", in Latin) and oh come on you're kidding me. They're really doing the Permanent Placeholder trope again? Twice in less than a cour's worth of content... I can't vibe to that. In general, I couldn't vibe to this episode; it's one thing to show two characters forced to work as a group despite having clashing personalities, but it's another to have that clash bleed over into mutual dislike; this show has done little to suggest why the bickering should be worth it. At least there were some funny moments to be found, like Miku's reaction to Riina nailing a poster to her wall, or the former's reaction to the boiled flounder, or even announcing Asterisk's disbandment at the very end of the episode only for it to suddenly reform.

Random thoughts:

  • THIS WEEK IN SQUID PUNS(?): How fitting that Riina chose a flounder for her meal, because this first cour of CG is about to go from suck, to blowfish (but not in that way).
  • This episode did have a strong cameo game; Mizuki on the billboard turning into Mika was a nice way to show the passage of time. Syoko had a nice moment looking on at Miku and Riina's argument at the cafeteria, though she didn't speak. I was wondering if she was going to be pissed and suddenly switch to metal mode. And then Sae... talks, for a line or two, just to remind you that there are other great idols, and they continue to exist.
  • Shout out to all of those aspiring idols who were at the local talent scout; it's one thing for a girl to be unvoiced, but try not even having a name.
  • Rating: TV-PG. Also, a jersey foul: Episode 5 should've been a PGDS. I don't know why I ignored the dialogue about one of the girls wearing pads. (Link is considered safe, but has brief nudity.)
  • CG meme corner: I was mulling skipping this feature for this entry, but then I stumbled across a case of genuine synthesis. Mentlegen... behold:

Idol roundup:

  • Miku: 17, Cute-type. Yes, she's a cat idol. Not to be confused with the CEO of Domino's. Is ostensibly cute, but has an unnerving tendency to get sexy, with one of her SSRs in Deresute even looking like a bondage outfit. Click here to see it, if you dare.
  • Riina: 15, Cool-type. The biggest fucking poser you've ever met in your life. As in, she says she loves "rock", but you couldn't get her to name her favorite artist (which is the point, anyway... don't want to cause any copyright issues), and exactly what "rock" means is variable. For instance, the song of Asterisk is very much rock, but it's rock to her in her own special way, even in spite of the "nya"s that start it. Those definitely ain't rock.

Music reviews:

  • "We're the Friends!": The song for the top three girls of each type in the 3rd Election. Nowadays, things are different; the Election got rid of the all-type song a few years ago in favor of having one, sang by the top five, but the upcoming election is going to be radically different in all aspects. Anyway, good song. Something I haven't mentioned is that they've been doing different versions of songs for episodes focusing on units, wherein all the girls featured sing it even if they weren't part of the original cast. This Asterisk'd version is quite peppy.
  • "ØωØver!!": Not the song of any sports teams that cheated to win a championship, but if you live in Houston, feel free to claim it. I ain't got nothing against you. It's got a rocking intro, but the use of synths throughout take it into poppier territory. There's also a nice breakdown with Miku taking the lead, but it's not on the ED cut in the episode, which made me sad. Additionally, the song was actually written by the seiyuus of Miku and Riina, which is cool.

[we live in the ayazone now]

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Martinman Villager

Martinman

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Rewatched Hellsing Ultimate 1-4

I forgot how ridiculous this show is.xD  Watching the interviews and the convention panel extras has been fun; I've never been to a Con before and probably will never go, seeing girls offer themselves to Crispin Freeman in front of an entire audience was somehow not as surprising as it should have been...

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blueraven1999 Monster Mutant

blueraven1999

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Lupin III part 6 ep 21

First episode I disliked since the Fujiko series.  I couldn't take it

at the 17th minute and skipped to almost the end.  I was forcing

myself to watch it that long.  One of the worst Lupin episodes I've ever seen.

Edited by blueraven1999
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PokeNirvash Monster Mutant

PokeNirvash

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Naruto Shippuden 387
Kanon 2006 23

Spoiler

Well that was certainly ambiguous. A whole episode dedicated to parting ways with Ayu, and yet we don't know if she was the ghost of a dead girl made physical manifest or a comatose astral projection. But one thing is for certain, the other Makoto Sawatari is definitely the time-displaced reincarnation of the first one.

 

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