Orange - JMovie

Again movies about friendship just have something really ‘tear-jerky’ about them that make you take a second look at your life and those around you. In my recent venture into watching such movies I came across a Japanese movie that was brought to life from manga. After watching this movie I can see why it grew so much and became something that had to be shown in other forms of media.

Orange is a movie that somewhat caters to two of my current favorite genres as it covers a bit of sci-fi and romance and creates a curious story that is relatively simple in nature though it actually has a powerful impact in terms of message and feels. At least that is my humble opinion. The story follows Naho Takamiya who has received a strange letter that that seems to be from her future self. In the letter, it details various things that surprise and slightly scare poor Naho who isn’t sure what to do with it at first, but slowly begins to take it seriously as she realizes that in the letter are the regrets her future self has and wants her younger self to change, if possible.

Amongst those regrets Naho discovers that Kakeru Naruse is amongst the most present in all she wants to change and as she slowly begins to learn more about him and eventually, as the letter predicts, falls in love with him she decides to make sure she clears all the regrets around him. It is here she discovers that Kakeru has an ominous future that creates many regrets for her and her group of friends who venture to take Kakeru under their wing.

It is upon finding this out that Naho and the others strive to change Kakeru’s fate as they work to create various memories and experiences with him, in hopes that they can change the future that the letter predicts. However, things don’t always go smoothly as things seem determined to stay the same as predicted and the group of friends struggles to find various ways to stop it. Especially Naho who refuses to let Kakeru go as she realizes how much of a regret it is as it affects her after so many years later.

In the process we see as these teens work to change the mind of a troubled young man who hides his pain and tries to struggle forward without letting others see as he thinks he needs to do everything on his own. Seeing the change as he begins to rely and trust the friends he has pushed aside makes for quite an interesting change in psychology as you witness what a few little things and experiences can do to change one’s mindset and potentially stop them from making very stupid decisions.

I like that the story turned out to be one where active help was sought for a troubled and depressed mind that was growing wary and dejected. Sure it could be seen as a bias way of looking at things as we see things not from the troubled man’s point of view but instead from that of Naho who is effectively a random third party that only gets introduced into his life after things have gone south. Still I feel it’s a relevant point of view as it shows us that those afflicted with their troubles aren’t the only ones who suffer silently and greatly.

The actors did a great job portraying that characters and the mood of the film stayed light and altered accordingly as the story moved along giving you the appropriate idea of how things were meant to be felt and experienced.

Boku no Hero Academia - Anime

Good long running anime are becoming hard to come by, but luckily enough there still exists those few that have enough potential to stand with heavy weights such as One Piece and Naruto. Of course they are but fresh little baby anime still in their prepubescent stage, not quite fully grown, so it’s understandable when you come across a few hiccups here and there.

The anime I speak of is Boku no Hero Academia, an awesome adventure shounen manga that has recently been made into an anime. One could argue maybe even too recently as the manga holds not as much plot revealed as any anime would need to be considered as ‘long-running’. In fact this might even be why the season itself is shorter than what veterans would expect from an anime with such potential. Still one can’t deny that it’s good, though its general plot may seem as if it draws on previous work. But shouldn’t that be okay, after all inspiration is born from something already there (arguably) so it would be inevitable that the story would seem familiar as it follows a formula that is already known to get in the views.

In any case, the hero-based story follows young Izuku Midoriya, a normal middle school student with dreams of one day becoming a great hero like his idol, the symbol of peace, All Might. However, in a world where superpowers are the norm and are gifted to many people as they reach puberty, we see that our unfortunate lead is not one with the supposed genetic marker that would allow such gifts to be bestowed on him. Crushed by this reality at a young age we see a resilient little boy power through such a depressing situation and become someone who is almost always documenting every hero he encounters or has an interest in, which in his case tends to be all of them, an obsession that will serve him well in future.

It is while he is documenting such a hero that he falls into a very unlucky predicament that allows him to actually meet his idol in person. But things don’t go as planned and secrets are quickly revealed as young Midoriya discovers his hero might not be as invincible as he portrays himself to be. Still those revelations don’t phase our lead, it also becomes an historical meeting as our ‘quirk-less’ young boy is given the opportunity to become what he has always dreamed about, along with the encouragement and support of his ultimate role model who bestows on him something impossible.

Having received the ultimate gift we see as Midoriya now has a chance to attend a place that is meant to guarantee his rise to heroics, the legendary UA, where heroes are taught from young on how exactly to be heroes. Gathering with other young potential candidates who show great promise, Midoriya begins his high school life living up to his dreams as he learns that having a ‘quirk’ is harder than it looks, especially when it’s borrowed.

Like all coming of age stories and adventure manga that promise a fulfilling and eventful journey, Boku no Hero Academia, shows great promise in what it can and will offer its audience if we stick with it long enough. No doubt fans of Naruto will find this interesting, though maybe a bit ‘re-hashed’ if you think too much on how it all plays out, but meh…. Still worth a shot I think.

Blood Lad - Anime

If there’s one thing I enjoy watching it’s the antics of other otaku because let’s be honest that’s always a hilarious treat, especially when it’s depicted in anime and other media. One such anime recently caught my attention and it was quite an interesting watch though I have to admit it let me hanging there at the end.

Blood Lad was an amusing anime that had me curious from the introduction of an otaku-vampire in the underworld. It became even more interesting once I watched the plot unfold and I saw that there was more to the obsessed leader than met the eyes. The story follows Staz, the leader of the east region, who lived his life like your average obsessed otaku as he dreamed of the human world and all its wonders. One day he comes across a human girl who has unwittingly stumbled into the underworld and into his territory. As you can imagine Staz is excited to see the human, while also being quite attracted to her blood.

However, before Staz has the chance to suck her blood she is eaten by some random Venus plant destroying Staz’s opportunity to enjoy the human fully, thus poor Fuyumi turns into a ghost, which turns out to be very uninteresting to our otaku leader. Still determined to own the human he sets out on a quest to revive Fuyumi all so he can ravish her human flesh.

Things get interesting as they travel between the human world and the demon world in search of the answer to Fuyumi’s resurrection. Things also become complicated as Staz slowly begins to change his reasons for reviving Fuyumi.

The anime is quite interesting, though I feel like it lacked progression in terms of the main plot and the reason I say this is simply because once you get to the end of the anime you basically end off right where you started. It’s slightly frustrating, even if they throw in some good fighting scenes. For me, the anime felt like it lacked any sort of conclusion. I can understand if the manga isn’t finished and that prevents the anime from actually having an ending, but even then some form of closure would be nice. Of course I suppose if you’re going to have a second season that wouldn’t be necessary, but in a world where things can get so easily cancelled and cut short, it’s still would help a lot to properly sendoff even one season.

Would this be an anime I recommend? Depends on all sorts of things, like whether or not you like being frustrated. If the answer is no, then it’s probably best to steer clear of this one, but that’s only my opinion. Who knows maybe you’ve been waiting for this to be an anime and wouldn’t mind being slightly disappointed? All to his own I guess.

Ajin: Demi-Human - Anime

It’s always good to try something new, whether it is new food, new places or in this case new types of anime. As an otaku I won’t lie and say I haven’t gotten used to a certain type of animation, due to my preference no doubt. However, recently I have come across a different style of animation that, though uncomfortable to view at first, turned out to be quite an experience. One I don’t regret. Just goes to show one shouldn’t be too set in their ways if they ever want to fully enjoy the world.

Ajin proved to be quite an interesting anime as it slowly grabbed my attention and forced me to enjoy its brilliance. The story follows Nagai Kei, a teenager just living and hoping to be a good human being, despite his rather cut throat way of looking at things. One day however, his life gets turned upside down as he gets run over by a truck and revives in front of many witnesses. This incident confirms him to be what the world has branded as demi-humans, immortal beings that have been introduced to the world a few years ago and are not necessarily welcomed with open arms.

Hunted by the government for heinous research purposes and sought after by the average human simply for the high rumored reward, we see as Nagai goes on the run for his life in search of a peaceful and quiet life. Though he gets help from various individuals along the way it becomes clear that his ideal quiet life is something of a distant dream and it doesn’t help as he gets unintentionally involved in what turns out to be an Ajin revolt by other immortals who are basically tired of living in fear and on the run.

The anime is really very interesting as you see various similarities of terrorist groups and a theme of acceptance that is sought after by the Ajin, while the world refuses to acknowledge them as anything human or worthy of human rights. Sporting a dark and somewhat graphic atmosphere, it makes for an interesting watch as you observe the curious personality of the protagonist who isn’t created as lovable as you would expect.

It creates an interesting world to observe, one that has many unfortunate similarities to the real world where acceptance isn’t always just handed out freely and people disregard the rights of those they view as ‘different’. These themes are quite difficult to confront but the anime does it relatively well as it tries to show us the ugliness of humanity in an artistic way. That isn’t to say it doesn’t have its drawbacks as it stumbles with the story just a tiny bit, being almost too predictable at times, but oh well, the idea is there.

So with an interesting type of animation and delicate subject matter the anime does prove to get better the more you watch and I admit to looking forward to the second season they promise at that end. I can imagine there are others like me who find the animation just a bit rough to get used to, but I can say the story helps overlook any discomfort you might feel. If it helps any, I recommend watching past the first few episodes, or better yet just watch the movie, Ajin part 1: Shodo, that combines the first few episodes for easy viewing. If you aren’t hooked by then, I suppose it’s just not your cup of tea.

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.

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.

Musaigen no Phantom World - Anime

The imagination is an amazing place. So much so that sometimes I wonder if it should just exist outside of where it already is….those are the kinds of thoughts I thought I was the only one to have until this anime came along and delighted my world with its existence and told me, someone else thinks the same way I do. You know how relieving that is? Of course you do, you’re the internet.

Musaigen no Phantom World is an interesting anime. It follows the activities of a group of students with special abilities who eradicate troublesome phantoms. Theses phantoms exist along with many others dues to an outbreak that infected humanity allowing them to see into, arguably, another dimension.

But that’s not all it did as it allowed some of the younger generation born into the infected population to gain special abilities. It’s these individuals that help ‘contain’ the phantoms that threaten of go out of control as people seemingly go on with their lives living alongside the phantom infested world.

The group we follow is those gifted with abilities. However, they remain quite low in their success rate of phantom containment, with regards to damages done to private property. But their luck changes as they acquire new members with relatively powerful abilities and grow closer with other classmates who join their little group.

The characters are fun to watch, from the book-ish artist who seals their enemies through his drawings to the fiery fighter whose sexy jutsu make it almost cringe-worthy to watch her bring forth the elements from within herself, make the show entertaining and enjoyable to watch. I also don’t mind the little crush the cute phantom-eater has on the fiery warrior leaving room for many yuri* innuendos. It’s plain down adorable-ness.

Another thing I like about the show is the psychological problems they address in the storylines. Dealing with such things in such a fun and understanding way is something I can deeply respect and love. Sure it’s light-hearted and not overly serious but still, it’s addressed in a way. So, props to the creator and sponsors who brought this awesome to our eyeballs.

Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm - Anime

There’s just something about watching a sporty anime that gets you all hyped up, don’t you think? This seems to hold true regardless of whether the sport in question even exists in reality as it whizzes through our imagination and comes to life off the screen and into our lives. Funny enough I find this phenomenon doesn’t necessarily ring too true for me with average sport like that stuff that regular people watch…. strange I know, but then I am an otaku so I’ll except my oddities.

In any case, the recent anime I have been watching seem to have a sporty theme to them but the one I’ll review today is the cute harem-esque anime that has a group of at least four girls and two noticeable guys flying around in the sky and no, this is not quidditch I’m referring to.

Ao no Kanata no Four Rhythm takes place on an island where it seems the norm for people to easily get around using these things called ‘Grav shoes’ which allow the people to whiz through the air with nothing but the clothes on their back and these cool tech shoes that seem to grow butterfly wings out their ankles as they take off into the sky.

The story follows a seemingly ditzy pink haired girl by the name of Kurushina Asuka, who has just moved to the island and is fairly new to the idea of flying around and is introduced to it with quite a bang as she gets into her first ‘flying circus’ match within her first few days of getting her own shoes.

Basically what flying circus(FC) is is a prestigious game that uses the grav shoes on a whole other level than what a beginner would be able to do. Luckily for our ditzy, fly-fish-lover newbie it would seem that Asuka has a natural talent for being in the sky and pulls off pro-level techniques that surprise not only those around her, but even herself.

Needless to say she joins the school’s dying FC club, along with a few other members who have just as intriguing stories as Asuka and off we see them go joining competitions and doing battles like a real school club.

The show is pretty decent in terms of storyline and the whole idea behind the technology is interesting for me personally, so that’s pretty cool. Admittedly the whole newbie with ready-to-go talent isn’t new, but the way they integrate it into the story is pretty entertaining, so that’s a winner. Ultimately I have to say I’d recommend this to a newbie with a slightly pervy side, because obviously there is the group of girls flying around in their tightly worn, yet cutely styled outfits. So yeah, a good show.

Ojisan to Marshmallow - Anime

If there’s one thing I don’t mind it’s killing time with a little bit of laughter and it seems that doing that is becoming easier these days with the short anime that has been coming my way and ultimately being produced in the lovely country of Japan, a place I hope never changes. As anyone knows Japan is a special place that produces all kinds of things that can bring into question the very simplest of everyday living situations and that’s okay. After all, what is life without questions?

In any case, coming back to this anime that has crossed my eyeballs I must say that for a short anime that barely lasts three minutes an episode, it has given me immense entertainment despite its brief clips that show us a window into the life of an office worker with an unusually strong affection for a certain brand of marshmallows and his colleague who uses this to pursue him, seemingly without his knowledge.

Ojisan to Marshmallow follows a rather simple office romance between what could be called an undesirable man (according to society standards) and normal (read average) woman whose colleagues think have lost her mind as it is her who is pursuing the unsuspecting man through various means, such as baiting him with his favourite snack.

Needless to say the comedic value is strong when you think of what she must do to get his attention and how he must react when he misunderstands her constantly. The short little scenarios are fun to watch and hilarious to witness as you try to guess whether this man is really not noticing the obvious.

It’s unconventional as it takes away the obvious ‘perfect couple’ image away and plays with something that most would consider fantasy, when in fact this could be an average man’s reality…somewhere in the world. That is to say it is not as farfetched as one would think, or is it?

Either way, it’s a fun romance to watch blossom and even experience some danger as competition comes in the woman’s way, making things even more interesting. I have to say it’s an adorable anime to pass the time with as you take a quick break between watching other anime, or you need something to watch right before bed.

The taste of tabekko marshmallows is heaven!