In Like A Lion, Out Like an Anime Lamb (Winter 2015 Conclusion)

Yep, the Winter 2015 anime season is over and of course…I cried.

Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! LOVED the last episode. Loved the whole series. I guess all that “Love Making!” really worked because I have nothing but love for this show. I laughed til I cried… Whereas with:

Death Parade I just plain cried at the end. I knew I was going to; hell, the second-to-last episode had me in tears, so I was pretty sure the finale would be a doozy. I felt this was just a really incredible show and I’ve been trying to convince everyone to watch it. Unlike:

Aldnoah Zero that I kept watching even while asking myself, “Why am I still watching this?” But I thought it would surprise me at the end and I’d be glad I stuck with it. Spoiler: I was wrong. The best thing about this show was finally being done with it and getting to remove it from my queue. Kind of like:

Saekano – How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend- which I had high hopes for after the first episode but ultimately could have been titled “How to Raise a Boring Anime.” And yes, I’m totally positive a ton of other people have beat me to that joke. So, anyway…

Kancolle is over, and that’s okay with me. It was cute but I see there is mention of a second season…and hell, I might even watch because I’m a glutton for punishment, as seen by my love of:

Durarara WHAT THE EFF I HAVE TO WAIT NOW TIL JULY OR WHATEVER?! FUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKK! Yes, I was so tempted to throw something, because I was unprepared for hiatus and ghdasklfjekal;fejklafjkld. But it was all great and now I have something to look forward to when Summer Season rolls around.

Log Horizon is this finally over?

Ace of the Diamond “Chris-senpai!!” That’s all I have to say. Okay, no, I guess I have a bit more to add, and that’s when Chris first shows up again in the series, with his serene face and Eijun’s expectant face, so full of relief at seeing him, all I could think of was this fic. Warning: BL-ish. If you’re uncomfortable with dudes liking each other, you might not read it. Or hell, read it anyway, furiosity is an amazing writer. Speaking of sports and boys hugging:

Yowamushi Pedal is over! I liked this anime but at the same time was glad to see it reach a conclusion. And the second half of the last episode was just perfect. Also perfect, I thought, was:

Yurikuma Arashi I liked this show a lot more than I thought I would. Heck, I loved it. I love saying “gau gau” and yelling, “Kuma SHOCK!” But I really enjoyed the storytelling and the style and the ending was fab. I felt like the final words of the show should’ve been Life Sexy saying, “Shabadadoo” but hey, I got one last “Shabadadoo” near the end and that was good enough for me. Feel kinda weird saying this but when you look past the craziness to what the show was actually about, it’s actually kind of meaningful.

Samurai Warriors I know this anime is based on games and I know enough of Japanese history to assume how this whole thing would end. However…I still cried. I couldn’t help it. I was fine until the very end and then… KIYOMASA!!!! Okay, so “KIYOMASA!!!” was several episodes ago but I still enjoy yelling it at random.

Akatsuki no Yona Of course, just as things were picking up, BOOM, the show is over. Having read (some of) the manga I was wondering how far they were going to go…and I guess now I have my answer! Maybe we’ll get a season two? Regardless, I got to see Hak animated and hear Jae Ha’s voice, so I’m happy.

Now, a quick look at what we have to look forward to:

Fairy Tail TARTAROS ARC! AAAAHHHHH!

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure DIO!!!! ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!

Kuroko no Basuke TEIKO ARC! *SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTS*

and perhaps my *most anticipated* anime of the Spring 2015 Season:

GINTAMA GINTAMA GINTAMA GINTAMA GINTAMA GINTAMA GINTAMA ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPAN ANPANANPANANPANANPANANPANANPANANPANANPANANPAN

…Until next time!

Things I Love

Because, I’m sure you’re just dying to know…here are the THINGS I LOVE right now:

Gintama OMG these manga chapters lately are just killing me! I can’t wait to see what each new chapter brings and I’m hoping against hope this arc will be animated someday. The latest chapter (ch 529) totally made me cry.

Fairy Tail Alright, the anime has been kind of slow lately with a pile of filler (though perhaps my favorite filler ep, which is actually not filler because it’s legit from the manga..? “413 Days” aired last week) but the manga is kind of blowing my mind and keeping me on edge wondering what’s going to happen next.

I’m sure it’s no surprise, but something else I LOVE is Kuroko’s Basketball!!! Every week I get so excited and wish I could just watch “Kuroko’s Basketball” forever.

I won’t lie; I “kyahhh!”ed when I saw this end card.

How about Durarara!! X2? Seriously, within three seconds of the opening each week, I think, “Man, I fucking love ‘Durarara.'” And I think that again probably every few minutes every episode. If there’s a lot of Shizuo, then I think it about every seven seconds. Love love love the opening (and the rest of the show, of course.)

Speaking of great openings…I think I could watch the Death Parade opening on loop for about an hour. I get so excited when it comes on. This show has been really fun and interesting so far. I knew nothing about it when I started watching but was hooked immediately.

Girls who end their sentences with “gau gau” and guys who end theirs with “Shabadadoo.” I never thought lesbian bears could be so entertaining…thank you, Yurikuma Arashi! (To this day, I randomly blurt out, “Bears eat people; that’s what bears do.”)

Or maybe I just love bears because I can’t get enough Polar Bear Cafe. I realize this isn’t a “new” show but I marathoned it recently and was so bummed when I ran out of episodes. I wanted to find the perfect screenshot to share but realized I’d just end up watching episode after episode and forget my original purpose… >_<

Of course I love Hak Yona of the Dawn/Akatsuki no Yona. Ever since reading the cast list before the show aired, I’ve been waiting this entire time for Suwabe-san Jae Ha (or is it Jeaha?) to show up. Now my life is complete. Jae Ha and Hak can just banter back and forth and kick ass indefinitely and I’ll be happy.

I couldn’t agree more, Jae Ha. He *is* perfect.

The Onibaku and Great Teacher Onizuka. Yes, I realize this is old news, but after watching the GTO anime I started looking for another fix and ended up reading “Shonan Junai Gumi” (aka “GTO: The Early Years”). Loved the shit out of it. So of course I had to continue with “14 Days in Shonan” and I’m reading “GTO: Paradise Lost” whenever a new chapter updates on Crunchyroll Manga. So lewd, so inappropriate, so toilet…so fucking awesome and funny and manly. On several occasions while reading, I hear Elfman’s voice in my head, “That’s a man!”

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, specifically any time Joseph yells, “Oh my God!” This is guaranteed to get a laugh from me no matter how many times he does it. This latest episode (episode 30) was a real treat because I think we got at least two “Oh My God!”s and even a “Holy shit!” I’ll be so sad when this anime is over.

Fall 2014 First Impressions

**UPDATED 10/7**

Akatsuki no Yona (Episode 1): So glad to see this animated. So glad to see Hak (hehe). Though I have to admit, I actually had to *stop* reading the manga and go watch “Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood” a couple months ago because I kept reading Hak’s lines with Roy Mustang’s English voice in my head. But don’t let the array of beautiful dudes fool you; “Yona” is about action, betrayal, growth, and struggle so there’s something for everyone.

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The links should take you to whatever service I’m using to watch, in case you want to watch too. Now, let’s crack open Fall 2014!

Gugure! Kokkuri-San (Episode 1): Ever since I saw the character previews on Crunchyroll News, I knew I *had* to watch this show. I’m a sucker for fox ears and a sucker for Daisuke Ono, so Daisuke Ono’s voice with fox ears had to be an unbeatable combination. About halfway through, I thought, “I like it, but it’s not quite as good as I thought…” but by the end of the first episode I’d changed to, “Nope, this is show is just as amazing as I thought it would be!” and then the ending theme escalated it to, “OMG WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!”

I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying (Episode 1): I was already laughing by the twenty-second mark. The most laugh-filled three and a half minutes of my life? Okay, maybe not *quite* but still really promising.

DENKI-GAI (Episode 1): Felt like “Wagnaria!!” + “Genshiken” + “The Comic Artist & His Assistants” = freakin’ great.

Terraformars (Episodes 1-2): I’ve read the first volume of the manga and expected the anime to get off to a more exciting start. I was a bit disappointed.

Log Horizon (Season 2, Episode 1): As you may or may not recall, I was kind of bored with “Log Horizon” by the end of season one. I feel like this first episode gets back to what made the first season so interesting; I’m glad it’s back.

World Trigger (Episode 1): As a fan of the manga I was really excited about this show. It’s off to a good start, I think.

The Fruit of Grisaia (Episode 1): Halfway through I’m still wondering, “Why am I watching this?” Though I assumed so, I was glad to learn it’s based on a visual novel because several shots made me wonder, “Am I watching anime or playing a dating sim?” Though that whole thing about the curse of being tsundere might have sold me on this show, at least for a bit longer.

Wolf Girl and Black Prince (Episode 1): I’ve been looking forward to this one and have read some of the manga. Even knowing what to expect I laughed out loud several times.

Rage of Bahamut (Episode 1): Horses across rooftops, sure, why not. And then somehow the Lady Amalthea fell from the sky–oops, wrong show 😉 Anyway, “Rage of Bahamut” has more of a “movie” feel to it which I really liked; it feels more “substantial” (whether it really is substantial or not remains to be seen, I guess). Or maybe that’s just a Geneon quality.

Orenchi no Furo Jijo (Episode 1): HAHAHAHA I wish this show was longer than 4 minutes. This could be the best thing ever! Well, for people who like dudes and bathtubs, anyway.

When Supernatural Battles Become Commonplace (Episode 1): Despite the super generic character designs I was intrigued by the premise…and it was totally worth it. I laughed til I cried.

Laughing Under the Clouds/Donten ni Warau (Episode 1): After reading some of the manga I was really looking forward to seeing this animated. It actually exceeded my expectations; I can’t wait for more.

Yowapeda (Season 2, Episode 1): YOWAPEDA’S BACK! *flail around excitedly* Yes, the opening theme gave me goosebumps. So excited to see Yowapeda again!

As you can see, I’ve just included impressions rather than also including summaries; I figure most of you know what these shows are about and are watching them too..? I didn’t want to just repeat what everyone knows, unless summaries would be helpful?