KonoSuba - Anime

I’ve come to realize I really like adventure anime, especially those with a little gaming background/theme. No idea why, but I guess it speaks to my dormant gamer-self who rarely has a chance to run free. Either way, it never gets old to watch anime that take this route though it helps that many of them strive to be at least slightly different from the rest.

The recent anime that caught my attention is Kono Subarashi Sekai ni Shukufuku wo [Konosuba], and despite the relatively poor attempt to actually do any adventuring, it still manages to be an interesting anime with regards to its extreme characters who leave you laughing at the many eccentricities they possess. Don’t get me wrong, the story they follow is actually interesting, it’s just that the antics of the characters outshine the supposed ‘adventure’ they are apparently on.

The story follows a shut-in NEET, Kazuma Sato, who dies in quite a hilarious way and finds himself in a sort of limbo where he meets the goddess Aqua. In this place, our slightly arrogant and self-obsessed goddess gives our protagonist a choice of either going to heaven or being reborn in another world where he would be tasked with defeating the Demon King. Of course if he chose the latter, he would also be allowed to take anything he would think that would help him defeat the Demon King.

Confronted with this dreamlike situation that has him excited to get to this new world, we see Kazuma make an outrageous request in what he could bring to this new world to defeat the Demon King. Despite all those before him we see as Kazuma demands that the goddess Aqua be his ‘thing’ to take to the new world, something that shocks and flusters poor Aqua who is very content with where she is. However, rules are apparently rules as the deities above Aqua grant this wish and off the two go, as they are, to the new world.

Devastated that she has been thrown into this world, despite her goddess ranking, Aqua struggles to adapt to the way of this fairly medieval world while an optimistic Kazuma dives in with many expectations of his new life. But things don’t go as our unlucky protagonist hopes for as he learns living outside his room is much harder, more so when you are in your dream world. Not hailed as the hero he was hoping to become right off the bat, we see poor Kazuma struggling to make ends meet in his new town while he lives with a needy and troublesome goddess.

Things become interesting as he searches for party members and is met with some very ‘special' individuals. While he finds a magician who has some powerful explosion magic, he discovers that our little witch only knows one spell, where she passes out after each use due to its extreme power drain. Making matters worse she shows no interest in learning any other spells as she finds her current magic the best there is, regardless of its limited use.

The next weirdo he comes across is a knight who doesn’t exactly have the best aim. But if that wasn’t troublesome enough she has an added quirk where she seems to enjoy and anticipate any form of defeat or torture. But nothing matches her dedication to protect her countrymen as she continues to put herself on the frontlines, both for honor and pleasure.

So there you have the party and poor Kazuma struggling to cope with this weird harem of girls and their troublesome quirks. Still despite the lack of actual adventuring they do, it remains an interesting story as they struggle to pay off their debts and live peacefully in the town, with a slight possibility of defeating the Demon King somewhere in the future.

In my opinion, it’s a pretty good anime to watch if you don’t have anything else to watch and you love gamer-like anime, though I won’t lie and say this is one anime that is on par with the likes of Sword Art Online and Log Horizon. Still it is a cute harem anime that can appeal to some fans.

Goodbye Mr Black - KDrama

If there’s one thing any drama should strive to get right it’s the story line, you know the plot that gets you gripped and keeps you hooked for the whole series. But it occurs to me that sometimes, even when the plot has many enjoyable and gripping points to offer, it happens that the story can unravel as the drama progresses and there’s unfortunately nothing, not even the acting that can fully save it, though the attempt is pretty interesting to observe.

A drama that has followed this unfortunate road of break down is Goodbye Mr. Black. This drama starts off very interesting and for a few episodes there in the beginning it keeps this momentum. However, somewhere in the middle it seems to all go to crap as the story takes a turn and things become possibly too complex for the writers of the show to keep realistic intrigue and good story flow. Granted the characters are interesting, it seems that the writers try to overcomplicate some of their back stories all for the sake of a ‘happy ending’ for the lead couple.

In any case, the story follows your average revenge story where our lead male, Cha Ji-won, is framed for murder while his father gets murdered and his situation covered up, all because our villains want to control the family’s business. What is really sad is that one of the bad guys turns out to be Cha Ji-won’s best friend who has always envied the seemingly perfect life of the Cha household. Min Seon-jae falls from grace very quickly as he tries to do things, through the wrong way, and gets caught by one shady old man, Baek Eun-do, our second greedy villain.

Left for dead we see Cha Ji-won come across our lead female, Kim Swan, who at the time is a nameless woman is just drifting around Thailand trying to survive. The two run into each other and through a misunderstanding become acquainted. Of course they continue to run into each other and Kim Swan even saves a fatally wounded Cha Ji-won. While in hiding the two become very close but it isn’t long before they part ways in order for Cha Ji-won to start his revenge plan.

Move forward a few years we see that Cha Ji-won returns to Korea where he finds Kim Swan who has been waiting for him and so begins his revenge on Min Seon-ja and Beak Eun-do. Of course things have changed and the road to victory is tough and full of difficulties, but that doesn’t stop the little team Cha Ji-won has assembled from powering through and bringing down the bad guys.

Throw in a few little drama cliché plot drivers and you have quite a complex story where we see both the bad guys and good guys winning alternatively as the story progresses. Though the story does slow down there in the middle as things become, in my opinion, too complex while the focus is moved to the awkward development of our lead couple’s romance.

The drama has a lot of potential and despite the slight unravelling that occurs there near the end, it still proves to be an interesting watch, though I won’t say it couldn’t have been done better. The acting is also something that could have been worked on just a little bit more. Though they play their respective characters very well, it can’t be denied that the characters themselves can sometimes come across as a little forced in doing what they do. Whether this was an acting problem or a writing problem can be debated though.

Overall this drama started out strong and gradually began to break down. This was a shame really, however, I wouldn’t say it is a show to put aside, simply because of the potential one could see within the intended story. Though honestly this could just be my fangirl opinion where all things with even slight interest should be viewed. Oh well…

Dramaworld - Webseries

I have to say in the recent drama/web series that I finished watching I have come to appreciate the clichés and adorable corn that comes with being a fan of Korean dramas. No matter how predictable and cheesy kdramas are it still baffles me how so much enjoyment can be had when immersing one’s self into these worlds of make believe. It truly is an interesting experience, one that has been highlighted in this web series that is in effect catered to those of us who would love to be fully immersed in the worlds we watch weekly.

The web series I’m referring to is Dramaworld, a title that gives you an idea of what’s to come, in my opinion. An original series backed by the popular drama streaming sight Viki, this show proves to be almost everything a hungry fan of kdramas would like. It offers romance and action with a little of fantasy mixed in to ensure just the right cocktail of enjoyable viewing. Of course the only drawback, I think, is that the episodes are way too short.

The story follows an American girl who is obsessed with Korean dramas, so much so that it constantly affects her daily life. However, this self-conscious girl who doesn’t view her life as much of anything gets an interesting chance that many would no doubt sell their liver for as she magically gets transported into her current drama obsession. There, in a world that has filled her days and dreams, she comes across the characters of the show and learns that things aren’t always coincidence.

But she is not alone from the real world as she runs into another man who explains to her that the roles of those not from around there are to ‘facilitate’ the drama and ensure that happy endings always play out. Of course our new ‘facilitator’ isn’t as smooth as can be and while being star struck with all the characters she’s obsessed over, she finds herself screwing with the story more than she is supposed to.

Needless to say things start going pear-shaped and Dramaworld is in danger of vanishing as the main story goes off script and our poor little fangirl struggles to get things back on track and what she thought was a sweet little romance story turns to a much more interesting mix of events.

The story is fun to watch, especially if you’re a kdrama fan and can pick out all the clichés and adorable jokes that poke fun at how ridiculous Korean dramas can actually be. Despite being a show that highlights the overdone clichés and rehashed plot points that most Korean dramas follow, Dramaworld does still have its own little twists and surprises as it goes on to keep you hooked.

Overall I think it was quite a worthwhile experience and time well spent and I would recommend it to any fan out there who has always wanted to be part of their favorite show. The acting was pretty good, even the exaggerated parts fit well with what you’d expect in a kdrama and I must admit I loved the cameo appearances of legitimate kpop stars just doing their drama thing while the show goes on. This is definitely a show I might just re-watch just for the heck of it.

Boku dake ga Inai Machi - Anime

Imagine you had the ability to relive events that have already occurred, what would you do then? Would you do the same things, or try to be different? Interesting questions I find myself asking after finishing this recent anime that gripped me with its fascinating plot as it explored the rather dark matter of child killings.

Boku dake ga inai machi proved to be more interesting than I initially gave it credit for as it offered up a sci-fi kind of story that made for an interesting viewing that had me thinking of my childhood and various things I would do, if given a chance to relive them. The story revolves around Satoru Fujinuma, a 29 year old man who lives just getting by each day as he struggles to become a manga artist. However, Satoru isn’t your average person as he has an ability that allows him to go back in time right before a life threatening incident and prevent it.

One day when Satoru stumbles across his mother who has been murdered in their home and he has been branded the suspected killer, we see him freak out and go on the run. While doing this his ability activates and he is transported back in time. But instead of the present day where his mother has been murdered we see Satoru transported back to his childhood, much farther than he has ever been.

Suddenly in his 11 year old body he decides to investigate his mother’s death, which he suspects is connected to an incident that happened to one of his classmates who was killed. Determined to change things he goes off to save the ill-fated Kayo Hinazuki and, in the process, maybe save his mother in the future. But being a hero isn’t as easy to do when you’re stuck in your younger self and time seems to want to happen despite your efforts, something Satoru learns and tries to fight against with all he has.

In the end we see Satoru risking his life to change the course of history and save his loved ones, ensuring that the future he has returned from never happens. It is truly an intriguing story to watch as you see this ten year old fighting against the odds along with consequences of his actions in the future. There is also a nice message that comes across as you watch Satoru go through his struggles and see that not everything can be controlled, no matter how much you know in advance.

This anime is very good. I like the serious tone as it approaches the dark situations the protagonist goes through. I especially like the realism, despite the sci-fi aspect, where we see the limitations a young boy would face as opposed to an older individual and all the frustrations that come with it. The animation is also pretty good as it sticks to the dark and gloomy atmosphere that is required to set the overall tone of the whole series.

Definitely some good time spent on this and I must say I look forward to watching how things are adapted into live action, as the movie becomes available to the rest of the world. I just hope it delivers on all the anime promises as well as keeping true to the story line that has gripped one so thoroughly.

Marriage Contract - Kdrama

If there’s one thing you pick up after watching enough kdrama it’s that every drama has a formula. Whether it is a medical drama, a romance drama or even an action drama no matter which it is, there are always a few ingredients that go into making it. It could even be argued that these ingredients used over and over and twisted this way and that, are the key reasons fans love it so much. Different but always the same, that’s what one could argue Korean drama, is and as a fan I see nothing wrong with it. Still who knew I’d fall into watching a drama that took one recipe and mixed it to the extreme?

The drama I’m referring to is Marriage Contract and my word this was just a tear-fest waiting to happen. Why you ask, well if you think about it, obviously when one adds not one but two terminally ill patients in a drama there’s bound to be a heavy requirement for some tissues and comfort hugs. Still, despite the salty experience you can’t help but appreciate the ride it takes you one as it conveys the important message of cherishing every moment while you have it because you never know what lies around the corner.

The story follows a single mother struggling to live as she has to raise her seven year old daughter and still pay off the debts her husband left before dying. Because of this sad and troublesome existence we see Kang Hye-Soo doing everything she can as she works hard to just get by. However, life isn’t done messing with our poor Hye-Soo as she soon discovers that she has an inoperable brain tumor as well. Down on her luck and at a point where she couldn’t be any more desperate we see Han Ji-Hoon enter our heroine’s life by pure accident. But things aren’t going so well for our hero either as he is faced with a dire situation. We see the indifferent player Han Ji-Hoon running around to find a way to save his mother who is in desperate need of a liver transplant.

There we have two desperate individuals searching for any solution, one looking to find a way to support her child, Cha Eun-Sung and the other looking to marry someone who would be willing to undergo a liver transplant for his mother. Drawn together by their own situations we have Han Ji-Hoon drawing up a marriage contract with Hang Hye-Soo who has thrown caution to the wind and decided to risk her life in order to ensure her daughter’s future. So the fake marriage begins as the two pretend to be as close as possible in order to fool the hospital and hopefully not land up in jail. Of course this draws them into each other’s lives and as time goes by our two leads slowly begin to actually fall in love.

The story is interesting, despite the many clichés that can be found within it and the actors do a wonderful job of portraying their characters, so much so you can’t help but be overly moved by their performance as it brings tears, and on occasion smiles, to your face. Admittedly the plot drags a few times there in the middle but eventually it grabs your attention and keeps you hooked into the lives of star-crossed lovers. It also should be mentioned that the kid, Eun-Sung’s performance was well played as she went from being the little brat that couldn’t stand the troublesome Han Ji-hoon to the sweet little angel that would eventually call him dad as she softened his heart and made the viewers hearts melt as they portrayed the cutest father-daughter combo.

All in all the drama was very good in my opinion, though I have to say it worked hard to bring those emotions out of its audience and that ending…well that ending almost makes it hard to let this show go as you might find yourself sitting and waiting for some closure, or maybe that’s just me? In any case it was time well spent and anyone looking for a good cry and life lesson should look into it if they have the stamina to do so.