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  Snack Wars: Less Snacking

  3 days ago

  iMacOfDeath

  News

  Have you ever seen something change and feel somewhat indifferent to the alterations? Even if the changes included a rather large one that really shook things up? Because that's exactly what I felt after watching season two of Dagashi Kashi. Indifference to the fact most of the anime essentially shelves a key character, indifference that the anime's focus was no longer the same, and indifference towards changes in characters I really liked from the first season. At the same time however I can recognize that these changes may turn some watchers away, so allow me to be your town crier and bring you up to speed on this second season's offerings.

  
  

  To kick things off, this season almost immediately removes the snack obsessive Hotaru from the equation. Sure we get a few episodes where she shoves her tits in our faces to remind us that she is just as stacked as before, and establishes that she still has bad luck when it comes to games of contest. But then, after an almost confession from Kokonotsu, she takes off and is not seen again until the final episode. Not only Hotaru, but also Kokonotsu's father Yō leaves the picture. We do get some background on how Hotaru became so obsessed with Japanese snacks and the traditional snack shops, which felt like a low blow right in the feels from Dagashi shop owners everywhere, but her and Yō's departure leaves a vacuum that two new characters attempt to fill.

  
  

  At first we are introduced to the owner of a brand new convenience store that opened up across the street from Kokonotsu's place, an eccentric man by the name of Beniyutaka who we later learn is actually Hotaru's older brother. He creates the problem of finances and competition in the small town Kokonotsu lives in, though this is partially due in part to Kokonotsu letting the shop go to the dogs after Hotaru absence. The second character is the female replacement for Hotaru, and was by far the more important of the two new characters introduced. Her name is Hajime and she is prime office lady material, wearing a business-esque outfit, sporting glasses, and the smarts to create a website. She is most certainly the most mature character yet, in more ways than one, but her major flaw is that she is very lazy and often falls asleep at work. Not that that bothers me, she more than makes up for it with her efforts between naps.

  
  

  The second part of my indifferences was the change in focus, with the story being far less about Japanese snacks and the little facts we might find interesting about them. Instead there this back and forth between hijinks involving Kokonotsu's group of friends, and Kokonotsu's own life and what his goals were and now are. Hotaru's absence makes him realize that his original goal of being a mangaka was put off, and that he needs to get his act together if he wants to return to that goal. The whole season comes off feeling far less comedic than the previous, with the change in focus and the lack of Hotaru who for all intensive purposes serves as a kind of wild card that none of the characters, even the new ones, can replicate effectively. Yet even though this change meant I was not getting what I came for, I still felt indifferent, likely because the third change had me off kilter to begin with.

  
  

  That third change being Saya's personaility, and in general, her character. Previously she was the level headed and cool country side gal who is in love with Kokonotsu, she excelled in all games and was recognized by Hotaru as "master". In this season she is that kind of character who reacts to anything not-normal with shouting and yelling, which reveals that her single fang has now become a full god damn set of shark teeth. Not that I have anything against shark teeth, but her single fang was cute and matched her accent rather well. I guess you could say she was put in the oven a little too long this season, because she is just overdone. Oh, and before I forget, because he's rather forgettable this season, Saya's brother Tō is still around. He gets almost no screen time, unlike the first season, and only shows up twice in any capacity to play a joke role.

  
  

  Yeah, this season pretty much was lack luster. It had its moments, for sure, but those only came up because I'm a perverted guy and I love older female characters who are one part business, one part sexy, and one part mother. I barely got in a laugh edgewise, and the "slice of life" aspect was far less prevalent in these more outlandish scenarios. The season wraps up by realizing it's mistake and bringing back Hotaru, allowing her and Kokonotsu to share another close moment, and then leaving off with her learning that Kokonotsu has more or less accepted the responsibility of being the manager of the Dagashi shop. This was her original goal to begin with, but it would seem that she now has decided that instead of Yō, she wants Kokonotsu.

  
  

  Genres: Comedy, Slice of Life

  Animation: Here's another change, as studio Feel is gone and Tezuka Productions has taken over. An odd choice, Tezuka Productions is the same group that animated Astro Boy, Black Jack, and Kids on the Slope. The whole animation is far more 'sharp', but this isn't a good thing. Season one taught us that this is a series with many ecchi moments, but 'sharp' animation is not something that works well with this genre. It's harder to capture a sexy look, and just ends up canceling out anything but the most blatant sexual innuendo.

  
  

  Voice Acting: Likely the only thing unchanged from the first season, everyone was still voiced by the same actors and they all performed just the same. The new characters were good too, though I was a bit surprised to learn that Hajime was voiced by Chinatsu Akasaki, the same actress who voices Alice Nakiri from Shokugeki no Soma. She honestly sounded nothing like her.

  
  

  Favorite Character: With the changes to Saya I just can't give this one to her again, and instead I will be handing off this award to Hajime Owari. Smart, good looking, and she shares a loves for sleeping with me. Her attire makes her look like a frazzled office lady, her personality is frantic but motherly, and she is totally ok with living under the same roof as a young man who has no parent present at the time. So she's either very mature, or she doesn't feel threatened by Kokonotsu. In either case, I dig it.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Dagashi Kashi 2 gets a 6.8 out of 10

  
  

  
  

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  Honey Badger Don't Care

  1 week ago

  iMacOfDeath

  News

  Ever think someone would anthropomorphize a meme and turn it into an anime? No? Well think again! Because in Killing Bites, we get just that. A series about a honey badger proving that she in fact has the sharpest fangs, and does so by biting, slashing, and dismembering her way through all sorts of other animal-human hybrids. You know, because Battle Royals are all the rage right now. Which is only slightly amusing, since this series began way before the whole PUBG and Fortnight craze; in manga form at least. But did this anime succeed in capturing the same feeling? Or was it just a bit of roadkill passed by on a busy highway?

  
  

  First things first, this anime, for anyone who has no clue about the series, has quite the start. A lone high school girl is walking down a street when a van pulls up along side her, the side door opens and she is pulled in by a few guys with unsavory plans for her. The driver of this van, a man by the name of Nomoto, is freaking out as he had no idea that this is what his new friends meant by "picking up chicks." His conscious gets the better of him and he stops the van, but is soon told to keep driving by the girl who also warns him to not look back. The camera pans and we see that all those would-be rapists are now bits and pieces, torn apart with gruesome abandon. You see this girl they abducted is actually an animal-human hybrid by the name of Hitomi, her animal half being that of the infamous honey badger.

  
  

  It's not long before Nomoto is pulled into an underground world full of these hybrids, learning that, after witnessing Hitomi battle a lion hybrid named Leo, these hybrids are made to participate in a underground battle royal known as 'Killing Bites'. The biggest and most powerful families in Japan deciding who controls the country's direction by placing their best hybrids in the royal, the surviving hybrid of the corresponding family being the deciding factor. Not exactly an efficient or cheap manner of going about it, but we're led to believe that the rich and powerful honestly have nothing better to do then watch the carnage unfold as the whole event is broadcast live to them.

  
  

  Nomoto himself is neither of these things however, and is actually a bit of a coward. For the most part he just lets Hitomi do her thing, stating that his strongest attribute is trusting her to do the thing she feels is the best course of action. His whole persona is sort of a wet blanket, but thankfully the very ending teases that this has changed. More on that in a bit.

  
  

  The anime, being the first season, has a good deal of character introduction. We met important players in the royal, powerful hybrids, and some side characters that don't really matter. The most prominent players being the scientist guy who is responsible for inventing the hybridization process, his name is Shidō and he is the only person who is able to fully control Hitomi. Turns out he didn't even create her, as she was just some freak hybrid that he had been searching for to help complete his research. The other big name is Yōko, the granddaughter of the head of the currently leading family who wishes to free her grandpa from the corrupting influence of the Killing Bites. It's amusing as she herself displays that the true nature of her family is very sadistic, often putting on a wide range of facial expressions that giveaway this fact. I ended up calling her the Queen of Emotion, though I'm not sure if I'm ok with how things windup for her. Especially considering she ended up not only losing the royal, but also her grandfather in a surprising act of betryal. Should have made friends with Nomoto.

  
  

  Besides Hitomi, who comes off as the strongest, there were a few others worth mentioning. You had a lesbo Cheetah with a brother complex, a bunny girl who ends up winning the royal by default, a rapey snake dude who gets his dicks cut off, a hippo who is a pretty nice guy that works for a pretty hot lady, an armadillo who loves nature and killing anyone who doesn't, and a slew of others who don't really live long enough for us to care. What's surprising is that the victor is not Hitomi, who I honestly thought was bound to be the winner. Even more surprising is the ending, which I didn't see coming at all. I mean, we get this touching scene between Nomoto and Hitomi, everything seems like it might end up with a romance, but all that is put to an end with Hitomi cutting Nomoto down and leaving him for dead. The whole world changes after this, with hybrids becoming the new hotness and Killing Bites becoming something akin to a sport. I was honestly surprised, though I was less surprised when we are left with a few words from a more badass looking Nomoto. I knew he would be dead, but I can only speculate as to what his hybrid might be. Maybe a wolverine? That might make sense, as they might be the only animal that is readily compared to the honey badger.

  
  

  Genres: Action, Science Fiction

  Animation: The not very often seen Liden Films was the studio providing animation here, this is the same group that was behind Arslan Senki, Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo, and Terra Formars. I must say that these guys did a pretty good job, quality was above average the entire way through the 12 episode season.

  
  

  Voice Acting: I'm not sure if it's because they want a second season, but this was another category that was surprisingly good. Wataru Hatano played a perfect Nomoto, sounding both very normal and also very weak; but not 'weak' in a bad way, because Notmoto is suppose to be weak for the most part. On the other hand Sora Amamiya was a great source of cocksure winning attitude for Hitomi, though her in-battle voice was kind of tame and lacked the same punch that some of the more forgettable hybrids had.

  
  

  Favorite Character: I'm actually giving this one to the overseer of the battle royal, a woman by the name of Mai. First off she appealed to me on a purely physical basis, having a nice business-woman look to her. Then her personality really shone through when she hosted the event, revealing she is really into the fighting and combat. And thirdly, during the end of the royal, she is shown to be very strong herself and some type of hybrid as she deal with some illegal hybrids that try to kill off the last few contestants. Not sure if she'll be around in the second season, but she wins this season for me.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Killing Bites gets a 6.8 out of 10

  
  

  
  

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  Is It Wrong to Pick Up Slave Girls in a Dungeon?

  2 weeks ago

  iMacOfDeath

  News

  Once again we return to the 'transported to another world' genre of anime, with the familiar setting of video games leading the charge. Lately this category has been saturated, but not to a tipping point. SAO, Overlord, and Log Horizon all have had their time in the pool, but that doesn't mean we can't still have good content spawn from a protagonist being sent inside a video game. It's a fascinating concept after all, as it inspires us to imagine ourselves being pulled into a world away from our own. Which for many is just the escape from reality we need, even if that escape only lasts 30 minutes a week.

  
  

  This is actually an anime I had been reading the manga for far ahead of time, so my excitement was only tempered by the fact I know anime can often ruin a good manga series with filler content and a reduction of the finer details. For instance the very beginning of the anime differed greatly from the manga, as we learn more of the man outside of the game a whole lot more in the anime than we do in the manga. Speaking of, our main protagonist this time round is a video game programer by the name of Ichirou Suzuki. He's an overall nice guy who works hard and has a thing for older women, he's good at his job but the anime instills just the slightest notion that his job doesn't lack conflict. After a long night working to wrap up the major content of a new video game the company is launching, Ichirou decides to take a nap at his desk and he awakens in the world of another video game his company had already released. At first he thinks this nothing more than a a dream, but after feeling pain from an arrow shot at him from an approaching lizard army he begins to have some doubts.

  
  

  So far everything sounds pretty much run of the mill, but that's when Ichirou, in a panic, uses an extremely overpowered spell he had been asked to add into the game to make it easier for starting players; meteor storm. The spell obliterates the army and the surrounding landscape, and that's when everything changes. The experience from the destruction levels Ichirou, now named Satou, to level 310 with maxed out stats and more skill points than he knows what to do with. On top of that, his inventory was also filled with the weapons, armor, and money from the defeated army. There's even some hinting that his meteor storm may have killed a god, as he has also earned a slew of titles which include "god killer." So yes, in a way this instantly turns our protagonist into an overpowered character. So what's the point? He's gonna be good anything he does now! And that's where you'd be mistake. He has the skill points, yes, but the thing is he only hd three skills to start with. He needs to do something once to earn it as a skill, before he can level it up to the max. On top of this, Satou isn't interested in playing the 'hero', as he takes up the job of a merchant with the goal of exploring this new land he finds himself in.

  
  

  Like any good JRPG there is a starting city, which Satou enters after saving a beautiful mage knight by the name of Zena from a wyvern he accidentally scared off into the company of soldiers she was with. He immediately starts earning new skills and maxing them out, but it's not long until we have reach another major point for Satou. After listening to some exposition about the world Satou now finds himself in, he then decides to stop the stoning of a very adorable trio of slave girls by religious fanatics. It's right around this time a demon shows up and teleports everyone in the vicinity into a vast dungeon it has created. Satou finding himself with the slave girls he protected earlier, he befriends them, gives them groan worthy names, and sets off to find the other humans and escape this dangerous place. The nice thing here is that he takes a backseat in combat, instead focusing on training his newly added companions into monster killing machines. This leads to a one of my favorite scenes where the group takes a rest, and Satou gets to have a cat girl, Tama, and a dog girl, Pochi, cuddles up with him as a lizard girl, Liza, sleeps at his feet. All my want, right there.

  
  

  When the group does eventually meet up with the remainder of the humans, Satou keeps to his plan to not fall or be forced into the job of 'hero'. He dons a disguise and takes out a major demon that shows up, using the god-slaying blade he got from his meteor storm exploits. You see he does actually have a sword titled 'hero's sword', but anytime he attempts to equip it he actually receives damage and is unable to wield it. So not only does he not wish to be the hero, but he can't actually be it until the sword accepts him. After this Satou ends up buying the slave girls legitimately from a slave merchant he befriended, as well as two additional slaves that the merchant hawked off on him. Of course they are also cute girls, Lulu and Arisa, one of whom he confirms is actually like him in that she is from another world; Japan specifically. Some more exposition as well as some hanky panky, that's right, Satou fucks. Not that he does it with any of the slaves he now owns, but we do see him at least twice get his freak on with comfort girls. He actually states that he doesn't want to touch his companions, as that would make him a bad leader. Of course, he still ends up in some ecchi situations with his group. They are all girls afterall.

  
  

  The next part introduces an adorable elf, Misa, that will eventually join Satou's group, but not until he rescues her from being kidnapped by an undead king. He actually picks up two new companions while performing this rescue, the loli elf and a busty homunculus, Nana, that has several identical sisters; all of whom wanted to come with him. Sadly they relent and fight for the right to go with Satou, with the winning sister being the first one he defeated in his effort to reach the kidnapped elf girl. Yeah, this guy is fucking set for life at this point. He's rich, has a good personality, is intelligent and tactful, is powerful, and is more or less forming a harem at this point. Makes you wonder why he'd want to leave, ever, but his quest to learn more about how he came to be in the video game has not ended. We get some hints that this new world may somehow be related to a shrine priestess he once knew, but aside from that, we don't really get much.

  
  

  The anime wraps up on what feels like a side quest to deal with an asshole politician, though Satou does end up learning more about alchemy and how to craft potions and the like. Satou even points out that the world's magic is very much like computer language, and that this will allow him to mess with the magic to suit his everyday needs with some assistance from the loli elf as he still can't cast magic spells yet. Like being able to read and write a language, but not speak it. This is actually just a step or two away from where the manga is at this point, so it was a good stopping point for anyone who wants to have the manga stay fresh for them. Overall I was satisfied with how closely that stuck to the manga's version, even with the addition of that backstory at the beginning that didn't really do much for me. Yeah, this was a pretty good series. I look forward to more, even if it only comes from the manga.

  
  

  Genres: Fantasy, Harem

  
  

  Animation: A studio I have had mostly positive reception with, Silver Link had this one in their animating court. This is the same studio behind the animation of Masamune-kun's Revenge, Rakudai Kishi no Eiyuutan, and No-Rin. Sadly some of the battles relied upon CG to get through, of which was handled by another studio by the name of Connect, so I can't say I was thrilled about that. I will say however that the eyes on the characters, the fucking eyes man, god damn they did it for me. Just, there's something about doe eyed women that really works for me. Mmm.

  
  

  Voice Acting: Good choices all around that fit the roles they played, one of the best choices being Minami Tsuda as Liza. A sort of military-esque tone with an under-layer of adorable, she really did Liza's character right.

  
  

  Favorite Character: There's a lot of girls to pick from, but I'm going to give this one to Liza. No she's not yandere, no she's not a MILF, and no she isn't perverted. Liza is a lizard-human hybrid slave girl that Satou befriends in the demon's dungeon, she quickly warms up to him as her new master as he treats her with respect, feeds her delicious meat, and makes her happy enough that it shows in her tail. Outside of her spurts of happiness, she is mostly a yes sir no sir kind of follower. Not to say she is deadpan, but she doesn't show much emotion on her face; instead it shows in her tail that Satou often points out to us. No, what really has her winning this place is the potential. I had thought at first this was just me, but the anime confirms that Liza sees Satou as more than just a master. I'm pretty sure she loves him, and if she were to just ask, I can actually see Satou agreeing to sleep with her. In fact, I'm actually hoping she goes into heat and Satou needs to help her. Because, you know, he's not going to let one of his harem girls suffer.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody gets a 7.9 out of 10

  
  

  
  

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  A Massively Effective Failure

  1 month ago

  iMacOfDeath

  News

  Mass Effect: Andromeda. Now here's a game I swore I would never play, a game that essentially killed a series I had actually invested brain power in to create multiple spreadsheets dedicated to my decisions in the games. A game that originally had me hopeful when it was first announced with that cool Ghost Riders trailer, but then kept dashing my hopes against the wall with a plethora of biotically charged blasts of disappointing news. Eventually I gave up and simply walked away, knowing that Mass Effect would never again be that magical series it once was. And then, one late night in a Game Stop, I noticed a copy of the game, used, for five bucks. I knew that buying it used would mean EA wouldn't see a dime of my money, and the price cut was just too attractive an offer to pass up. Thus it came to be that I played Andromeda, and oh boy, did it confirm my worries.

  
  

  Straight off the bat I could feel the pain coming, as I spent hour attempting to make a somewhat not-ugly male Ryder, my choice of protagonist for my play-through. I gave up on this and had to use a guide, a guide that I kid you not was called "how to make a less ugly Ryder". It should just go to tell you that when you need a guide to make your character appear somewhat presentable on screen, you're not in for a good time. Satisfied with my character, I then used another guide for my sister's character. This was a nice touch, reminiscent of Fallout 4's option to design your wife, though it comes to feel like a waste of time as you almost never see your twin besides at the beginning and end of the game. A major lie on EA's part, who claimed your sister would be running around the galaxy at the same time as you. What utter bullshit.

  
  

  After regaining my Mass Effect legs, I actually found something not utterly toss. The gameplay. Oh sure it was buggy as hell, as my character got stuck in rocks, enemies spawned within one another and other various objects in the environment preventing you from progressing, and I saw my game soft-lock 15 times over the course of my play-through. That's 15 more times than in any of the previous Mass Effect games, combined. But when it did work, the firefights where you fought waves of enemies intertwined with larger enemies, they were fun. You get to jet pack around and punch enemies in the face, or hover in the air and gun them down while they simply try to hide behind cover... without moving... never mind, the gameplay was also shite. Even on the hardest difficulty, the game just throws more enemies at you with more health. Meaning you'll find yourself managing ammo supplies and constantly reviving your AI teammates as they don't ever stop being aggressive, launching themselves into the fray of battle where they get downed after a couple hits.

  
  

  So how about that story? At least that has to be good, right? WRONG! The story feels like a leftover idea that someone had originally proposed, was shot down, but then resurrected when they couldn't come up with anything better. You got collector knockoffs called the 'Ket' attempting to turn the local population of Andromeda into more knockoffs, because they have apparently lost the ability to fuck. I'd be pissed too, but I think I'd focus more on getting that ability back than injecting my DNA into aliens. But that's just me. However their leader that was tasked with this got obsessed with the power of the 'Remnants', Andromeda's version of Protheans combine with Reapers and Geth. Basically he wanted an easy way to turn everyone into a Ket instead of doing it the old fashioned way, however this interferes with your character's mission. As none of the "golden worlds" were good to go by the time you get to Andromeda, due to this massive spiderweb of dark energy dubbed 'the scourge', your character is tasked with jump starting Remnant technology that makes the worlds viable for life. Kind of like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Total Recall, except with a fuck ton less hot aliens to bone.

  
  

  What's more is that a grand total of four or five decisions you make have a lasting effect in the end game, and this is coming from a series that saw every major decision you make have a part not just in the final sequence but also throughout the game. Yet here you see that most of the side mission decisions have zero meaning, and no effect on your character's personality. Andrmoeda did away with the Karma system, so go ahead, be an asshole one moment and a nice guy the next, because nothing you do will change the fact your teammates will still respect you and you will still come to be herald as a hero. You can't even lose teammates in this entry into the Mass Effect series! There is no impact! Nothing! At one point you recover enough information to learn that Earth got fucked by Reapers, and yet Ryder has zero reaction. It's not even a cut scene! Just a small recording that you listen to, and Ryder just stares blankly at the screen. I get you face is tired, but for gods sake man! Show some life! The Milky Way as you know it might very well be gone! Ugh!

  
  

  Quickly, let's list off my other grievances. All your teammates are unattractive in both appearance and personality, and all of them are blended-together clones of better characters from the previous entires into the series. The previous games and their outcome have no effect here, there is no data transfer and no way to import your final choices from before. No Quarians, and to that effect, no Quarian DLC. The fuckers at EA saw fit to scrap that DLC and turn it into a book, because of how much a failure Andromeda was. So all the other Milky Way races you loved from the series, you'll never get to see. And of course, this is the final entry into the Mass Effect series. EA is done with Mass Effect, probably done with single player gameplay in general, so this brown note is how we leave the beloved Mass Effect series. And it hurts to see it go like that, it really does.

  
  

  And while an EA produced Mass Effect is not possible anymore, BioWare could still fix things but jumping off the EA ship to make a proper sequel. Given the fact they must see the darkness within the serial killer of game developers, BioWare has to know that unless they tell EA to go fuck themselves and make a swift exit, they too will live to see their studio fall prey to EA's usual shtick. So it's possible that BioWare could come together again and produce an apology for Andromeda, and here's how they can do it: Retcon all of Andromeda, pull a Miles and Kerry and just shrug off any lore from Andromeda and any story. Make playing as a different race a standard option, playing as a human for a fourth time in a fucking row has worn out its welcome. Instead, we need an 'Origins' touch. You can choose from the main staple races at the start and customize your character, each race and background having a different beginning much like in Dragon Age: Origins. No randomization, cut that shit out. From the get go Andromeda was a bad idea as it had originally been planned to be totally random, you can't control random, meaning you can't control its quality. Everything will be planned out, everything will be placed. If The Witcher 3 could do it, so can you. And there's no need for some central enemy that all the races can rally to fight, we had that already with the Reapers. Give us factions, at least a dozen new alien races, each race requiring you to earn their trust. No scourge, no Ket, no Remnants, no grandiose villain. Instead focus on making allies in this new galaxy, as you learn that the "golden worlds" are actually inhabited already. I'm not saying there shouldn't be a potential threat looming over the horizon, but don't try to jump straight into it. Remember, the first Reaper didn't show up until the very end of ME1.

  
  

  You see, it's totally possible to turn Mass Effect around. You just need to dedicate more than your C-team and a few months of 24 hours of round-the-clock work to creating it, and you most certainly need to do it without EA. Because fuck EA.

  
  

  Mass Effect: Andromeda gets a 4.0 out of 10

  
  

  
  

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  Writer's Block

  2 months ago

  iMacOfDeath

  News

  Many of you may know that I am an amateur author and editor, so it should come as no surprise that an anime about the process and nuances behind being someone who creates using words would attract me. It might also surprise you to know that when I was going into this particular anime, Imōto Sae Ireba Ii., I did not know its focus was on this particular subject. I was expecting just another RomCom about a guy who really wants a little sister, at least that’s what I gleamed from the synopsis I had read. So this series pleasantly surprised me, even if it was my fault due to my lack of research, but just how well did they do in capturing the occupation of the writer?

  
  

  Before we get to that let’s start off with the basics. Our main protagonist is a guy named Itsuki, a 20 something year old who drinks often and lives on his own as a semi-popular author. His works always feature a little sister as the heroine, a subject he is rather obsessed with. Big points for Itsuki not being a high schooler which seems to be the norm for RomComs these days, and his reasons for living alone are believable; steaming from resentment of his father remarrying so soon after the death of his mother. Itsuki isn’t totally on his own though, having a group of friends who often stop by to visit, including his new little brother, a sadistic tax accountant, his editor, and a girl who wants to eat his dick for desert. Yeah, that last one is no joke.

  
  

  Her name is Nayuta and she is Itsuki’s future wife, or at least so she says. This girl is also a novelist, a rather famous one, who can’t work unless she is completely naked. She had been suffering from bullying in high school and dropped out, only being saved from her depression by one of Itsuki’s novels. I really loved her character, with all her dirty jokes, her cutely lewd behavior, and the darker side she harbors from her time in high school. It’s a little sad that this anime doesn’t solidify the relationship between Itsuki and Nayuta, but it does a good job at giving Nayuta a shocking piece of information that makes you worry about her future as a writer. I don’t want to say too much, but basically she learns that Itsuki might propose to her if he writes a better novel than her. Leading to a cut of her editor acting surprised at a huge change she made to her most recent work, thus leaving us worried.

  
  

  Outside of those two you got Itsuki’s best friend and fellow author, Haruto, a classmate from college who is romantically interested in Itsuki, Miyako, Itsuki’s totally-not-a-girl little brother who cooks from him, Chihiro, Itsuki’s light novel illustrator with a butt obsession, Setsuna, Itsuki’s editor with a temper, Kenjirō, a sadistic 32-year-old loli tax accountant, Ashley, and a mangaka with an underwear fetish who is adapting Itsuki’s novels, Kaiko. Everyone here gets somewhat decent screen time, though I’d have to say Kenjirō, Ashley, and Setsuna are on the lower rung of this ladder. The ones you see the most being Miyako and Haruto, as more than a couple of episodes have them visiting Itsuki to drink and play games. Oh boy, the games this group plays are pretty fun. At one point they even do a short D&D session, which prompted me to create my own D&D character. Speaking of which, anyone want to play?

  
  

  Now to answer that original question of how well this series does telling the story of authors, and I’d have to say it does it pretty well. You got the good days when you’re able to breeze through writing a chapter, the days you stop to create something totally new because it helps, and the days when you just get that horrible writer’s block. It shows us that being a writer can be a lonely job, and it does an amusing job of showing that being an author often requires you to go places or see things for reference. All in all, this series gets a thumbs up from me for being rather accurate with its portrayal of authordom.

  
  

  One minor thing I want to mention is the fact the series answers a question we have about Itsuki’s character, about why he has such a deep seated love for the Imōto. We end up getting a flashback in the very last episode, where we learn that a older girl named Ayane use to hang out with Itsuki after the death of his mother. She actually ended up becoming his love interest, but then she rejected Itsuki’s confession after having been turned down by the guy she liked. Itsuki falls deeper into the protective void of Imōto, harshly telling off Ayane, who called herself his big sister, that he had no need for an older sister and she need not return. Does this mean she’s gone for good? Possibly. But the potential for drama is pretty high, given the change in Nayuta’s writing, Haruto’s feelings towards Miyako, and the fact that Chihiro plans on revealing the truth to Itsuki pretty soon. The fuses are lit, and I worry the fallout will be a bit… much.

  
  

  Genres: Romantic Comedy

  
  

  Animation: This one is a pretty positive category, given that Silver Link were the ones behind it. This is the same studio who worked on Baka to Test, WataMote, and are currently working on Death March. We’re looking at above average stuff here overall, with some high spikes that come in the form of the D&D session and the illustrations done by Kaiko. I do have a habit of enjoying when an anime includes smaller elements that feature a pretty different style, even if they are just static drawings.

  
  

  Voice Acting: I loved their choice of VA for Nayuta. Hisako Kanemoto was a great fit with a perfect voice for being perverted and lewd, with a flow that worked for a character who sometimes emphasis feline traits. You might know Hisako from her other roles, like Yuhata Midorikawa from Knights of Sidonia and Amy from Suisei no Garugantia.

  
  

  Favorite Character: Now you might expect me to go with Nayuta here, but I actually found myself liking Ashely more. My reasons are simple. Ashley is openly sadistic to the clients she likes, while Nayuta is only jokingly perverse around Itsuki. Ashley acts and feels like an older character, even though she has the physical appearance of a loli. She has some amazing hair that looks really soft, she can out drink anyone, and her voice actress, Manami Numakura, played one of my favorite characters from Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Imōto Sae Ireba Ii. gets a 7.8 out of 10
  

  
  

  
  

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  The Benefits of a Perverse Girlfriend

  3 months ago

  iMacOfDeath

  News

  I'm sure everyone who knows me is pretty familiar with my affinity for girls who have a dark quirk to them, usually coming in the form of a Yandere, but this isn't the only kind of trait that appeals to me. For all intensive purposes, I am a huge pervert, so it should go without saying that finding a woman with the same trait would greatly interest me. Now I'm not talking about a slut, someone who just sleeps around, that's not the kind of pervert I am talking about here. I mean someone who is kinky, who has a perverted side to them they reserve for their special someone. However anime likes to make the girls beautiful flowers, who might pine for a male protagonist, but are never perverse or lewd in their pursuit for the protag's affection. Afraid that giving the girl a stereotypically masculine trait would make them less appealing somehow, which I can't really fault Japan for given their history in this regard. Thankfully, not every Japanese author feels the same, and thus came Boku no Kanojo ga Majime Sugiru Shojo Bitch na Ken .

  
  

  This anime begins where most romcoms end on, a confession. Our main male protagonist, Haruka, is professing his love for the seemingly perfect Akiho, our main female protagonist. The confession goes off without a hitch, no fireworks, no passing train, and no second guessing. However Akiho almost immediately reveals her flaw to Haruka; she's a pervert. Not that she likes to dress up in BDSM outfits or wear a vibrator in class, no, nothing like that. She is a very smart girl, and because of her lack of experience in a real relationship, she overanalyzes everything about being in one. She'll read porn books for references, question Haruka on his fetishes, and send him erotic selfies because that's what she's learned is what a good girlfriend should do. Seriously though, what is Japan going to do in ten years when porn mags become a thing of the past? They'll never learn anything about sex! It's no wonder their population is graying.

  
  

  However when all is said and done, Akiho is still a girl and reacts to traditional affection from Haruka with a bashful smile. The biggest steps they take in their relationship occur in the smaller things, like calling each other by their first name and sharing an umbrella on their way home. You see, while all the perverted actions come off as funny, the tiny romantic moments feel heartwarming and make you say "dwaa~". The reason for this is that while Akiho approaches sexual topics rather casually, Haruka plays a straight man and will often times just shoot down anything Akiho does sexually, not because he's not interested or anything, but because he wants to take those small steps to a meaningful relationship that is deeper than sexual gratification. I can appreciate this, especially because he actively pursues romance with Akiho. Whereas your typical romcom protagonist will act all aloof and shit and in general be frustrating to watch, here, we root for Haruka in his attempts to date a girl like Akiho.

  
  

  Now while this is not a harem per say, we do have a few rivals for Haruka's attention. You got the childhood friend and perverse tomboy, Shizuku, and the attached and cute little sister, Kanata. In all honestly these two don't even register on the rival meter for Akiho, but I figured I'd include them all the same given their attitudes towards Haruka. There is a third major player in this group named Rina, who is also very perverse in her language much like Shizuku and Akiho, but due to her coming from an all girls school she is often seen 'hanging out' with other girls; though she does say she wants to have more experience with males, saying this towards Haruka at one point. Outside of this group you have the class president, the two guys who like to tease her, an even more perverted girl than Rina, a guy who wants to make yaoi with Haruka, a closet pervert who is obliviously erotic, the nurse who sleeps with her students, the straight laced teacher who I was very into, and Akiho’s parents who are an example of what is to come for Haruka and Akiho. You know, I’m beginning to think the moral of this anime is that everyone is a pervert on some level or another.

  
  

  In the end, this anime is able to accomplish with other romcoms and harems only dream of. It steadily moves along the story of two people in love, with two successful confession scenes. The first at the beginning which feels more comedic, and the second at the end where both Haruka and Akiho profess their love towards one another. Things actually happen in this relationship, and we didn’t even need a second or third season to accomplish it! Does this mean there won’t be another season though? Well probably not for lack of trying, but I don’t think this series generated enough attention to warrant it. So take the resolution as final, because this is one romcom that actually offers it.

  
  

  Genres: RomCom, Ecchi

  
  

  Animation: Joining together for this series were Diomedéa and Studio Blanc. Diomedéa known for their other works like Campione!, Mondaiji, and Aho Girl. Studio Blanc. known for, well, production assistance really. They are almost always playing second fiddle in anything they work on, usually only lending a hand in a single episode. This was actually the first anime they are credited with full production assistance all the way though, so, good for them I guess. Quality-wise this was on point for what it was, offer decent quality for a 2017 anime.

  
  

  Voice Acting: It was alright. I mean, coming off of something like Shoukugeki, this was a step down for sure. Everyone played their role respectively, and the romance scenes did feel pretty good, so yeah, another passing grade for a 2017 anime.

  
  

  Favorite Character: In an anime saturated with perverted characters, my interests oddly enough fell with a far more moralistic one. Ichika, the homeroom and PE teacher. She’s old friends with the school nurse, but often tells her to not do anything too overboard or illegal. She’s pretty much on track for a kuudere personality type, being the lady in the streets but a freak in the bed. It is funny though, how I sometimes find myself being so attracted towards lesser known characters.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Boku no Kanojo ga Majime Sugiru Shojo Bitch na Ken gets a 7.4 out fo 10
  

  
  

  
  

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  The Darker Side of Food

  3 months ago

  iMacOfDeath

  News

  It's back yet again for a third season, that wonderful anime series about cooking, but things aren't all foodgasms and expertly drawn food. No, this season shakes things up with the introduction of our main antagonist. This character brings with him a far darker tone to the generally intense but lighthearted cooking anime, and when so many have come for the comedy it's not a great time to be stirring in a new flavor. Of course as someone who has read the manga up to the most recent release, I expected this alteration, and was very excited for the big reveal that came with it. Sadly, the third season suffered from more than just a darker tone.

  
  

  For those of you still behind on your Shokugeki no Soma homework, this season starts up after an OVA where Soma met the 'Elite 10'. This is a group of chefs who have taken their place in the school as the top dogs, the best of the best in their own culinary fields. Given what Soma aspires to be, he had immediately challenged the ten to a Shokugeki but was shot down. Now Soma finally gets his chance to challenge some of the elite, starting with Terunori, a chef who specializes in the Chinese cooking art of Sichuan. The battle isn't like the typically Shokugeki however, as it occurs during a festival where the winner is decided by sales. The whole arc was rather nice as Soma and total housewife material Megumi pair up to take on Terunori, and as I have mentioned before, I feel like this is the best coupling of character in this series. The arc also brought Soma and the chef of the disgusting-but-enslaving food Nao together, which even Megumi remarks was a horrible mistake.

  
  

  Things go well for Soma as he does take a win against Terunori, but before the festival ends we meet that darkening character I mentioned earlier; Azami. This man is Erina's father, and someone who she greatly fears due to the mental abuse he put her through as a child. See, Azami has a very skewed view of what cooking is and how it should be done. In his perfect world, all chefs prepare food the way it suppose to be, according to him, with no room for imagination or creativity. His arrival sparks quite the change for the school, as he was able to convince a majority of the elite 10 to remove the current chairman, Erina's grandfather, from his seat and put him in it. Azami immediately begins tearing down the outliers, shutting down the rebels, and expelling students who don't meet his standards.

  
  

  This isn't the end of Soma and gang though, as Erina's grandfather pleads with Soma to protect Erina from Azami and stop him from destroying the school he had built. Thus begins the first strike, as Soma challenges Etsuya, an elite 10 in charge of shutting down clubs, to a Shokugeki to protect his dorm and the sanctuary it offers to Erina. This seemed like an unwinnable situation. All the judges were bought off by Etsuya, who is more a businessman than a chef, and even before trying Soma's dish they had their votes set in place. Leave it up to Soma to pull off the impossible though, as he puts out a dish that captives the judges so much that they can't bring themselves to lie. It's a nice win, and it gives us one of the more famous foodgasms of the series from the cat-like elite 10 Rindō.

  
  

  There's then a small series of battles against the hand-picked students of Azami, all ending in favor of the challengers. It's a rather short lived and obvious bunch of no-names losing to established characters, so there wasn't really anything exciting about them. It does give Alice the chance to tell off her uncle, which had possibly the funniest reaction Azami gives the whole season. Given the short nature of the smaller battles this leaves some room for one last hurrah, that comes in the form of a minor Shokugeki between Soma and the first seat of the elite 10; Eishi. The battle comes after the two work together during a class, where Eishi offers Soma to become his right-hand man. Soma turns down the offer of course, and the battle commences. While Soma does put out a very intriguing and foodgasm inducing dish, Eishi's dish is on a whole different level and utterly blows Soma's out of the water. Eishi's had the better visuals after all.

  
  

  The anime ends off with that big reveal I spoke of, where Soma has a discussion with Azami about why he wants to shut down all the restaurants in Japan that don't meet his standards. Turns out, Erina isn't the only one obsessed with Soma's old man, and it seems that something happened in his past that led Azami to become so jilted towards creative minds. Sadly the reveal, which is suppose to be stunning, ends up feeling silly and over dramatized with unnecessary effects and bad cuts. In the manga, the reveal stuns Azami and Erina, has the two realize they both know Soma's father, and leads to a great scene where Erina is trying to wrap her mind around the fact she almost denied her love-interest's son from entering the school. It was really funny! Instead, we got stupid.

  
  

  While not the best of the three seasons thus far, it did have its moments. But when compared to the first season, which was nothing but great moments and fresh ideas, this one just felt like the leftovers from a spectacular feast. Still good, but lacking the same newness. It also had some out of place fan service moments, that were not needed at all. But you can't have the good all the time, and when the next season comes around, we should see a change for the better. There will be many more Shokugekis, some of which are the most intense battles yet.

  
  

  Genres: Comedy, Food, Action

  
  

  Animation: Unchanged from the previous season, J.C. Staff still has this culinary delight firmly in their court. The big question here is did they capture the food like they did in the past, did they make you feel like you could reach into the screen and take a bite of that chicken dinner? And the answer is: Sometimes. I feel like some of the dishes stood out among others, some appearing very realistic and others less so. It was almost as if J.C. Staff has trouble with certain culinary methods, such as panfrying and using the color brown.

  
  

  Voice Acting: A huge change here is Erina's voice actress has changed hands. This hits you like a sticky slap in the face, as I could clearly tell Erina's voice was very different the first few episodes. Risa Taneda had to step down from the position due to illness, and Hisako Kanemoto stepped in. Unfortunately Hisako wasn't fooling anyone, as she lacked the royal twang in her voice that Risa had. Not to say Hisako was bad, I mean, she's got a good track record, but she just doesn't fit as well as Risa did.

  
  

  Favorite Character: Without any real contenders, Soma takes this award by default. My reasons are pretty much the same from the second season, with him being a character who is focused on food and is a general friend to everyone, even his potential rivals. He feels like he'd be an awesome friend to have, and he even has his father's attraction with the ladies. But this isn't a harem anime, and while Erina might seem like the obvious choice for romantic pairing, I still ship Soma x Megumi.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Shokugeki no Soma: The Third Plate gets an 8.9 out of 10

  
  

  
  

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  My Wife The Alcoholic

  3 months ago

  iMacOfDeath

  News

  Many of you might recall an anime I once reviewed by the name of Danna ga Nani o Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken, a short-episode show about a married couple, the husband being an Otaku and the wife trying her best to understand him. It was a lovely little piece of work that had plenty of humor and some surprisingly emotional moments. Well my friends, Japan has done it once again with Osake wa Fūfu ni Natte kara.

  
  

  Much like Danna ga Nani, Osake wa Fūfu features a husband and wife couple with the anime focusing on their daily lives. The wife, Chisato, is a hard working office lady, and the husband, Sora, is a stay-at-home husband who sometimes does part-time work as a bartender. The gimmick of this anime is that Chisato is a bit of a lush, and comes home to Sora who usually has prepared her something to drink. Once she's downed a couple sips, Chisato lets down her hair and says the catchphrase "Shifuku~". Thus appears the 'cute' side of Chisato, is very affectionate and sometimes childish. Apparently she is what is known as a 'Yoidere', roughly translated to drunken love.

  
  

  Episodes typically feature one or two themes, like Sora getting sick and Chisato having to take care of him or Chisato spending time with her coworkers. The cast is pretty limited, including only two other supporting types by the names of Yui and Koharu. Both are Chisato's coworkers at her office, Yui, a competitive type who has a friendly rivalry with Chisato, and Koharu, who is the youngest around and looks up too Chisato as a role model. And of these two, only Yui is of any significance, as she also has a husband, and their relationship seems to mirror Sora and Chisato's. There's actually a very adorable episode dedicated to hugging, and how a simple 30 second hug can make someone feel leagues better then they are. God this anime was cute.

  
  

  On another note, this anime does something I very much appreciate. Not only does it use real alcoholic drinks and cocktails, but is also gives you the recipes and explains any of the instructions needed to make the drinks. Some of the beverages were even non-alcoholic, so you could make them for anyone. The best part being that all the recipes were easy, nothing that requires you to be a mix-master. This might have diminished the skills that Sora should have had as an ex-bartender, but given the fact he's the one who cooks and cleans at home I say he gets a pass.

  
  

  The end of the anime gives us a look into Chisato and Sora's past, a flashback teaching us that Chsato wasn't always the inspiring office lady she is today and that is was Sora who saved her... with alcohol. This brings up my only possible issue with the series, in that it seems to make drinking look like a wonderful and fun activity. Now I won't disagree that is isn't fun, it is also an issue when Chisato seems to have booze on the brain every day she comes home. In fact the very final episode shows us how depressed she gets when Sora doesn't immediately have something to wet her whistle with. However I won't say more on the issue, as I don't want to sour this review with a speech about alcoholism. Let's just say what all the commercials say: "Drink responsibly."

  
  

  In the end, this series shares some similarities with Danna ga Nani, but it is different enough that I didn't get the same vibes. Like in Danna ga Nani, the anime is very open with the fact that Kaoru and Hajime have a lot of sex, but in Osaka wa Fūfu the relationships are far more 'kid friendly' with only some minor hints that Chisato and Sora get busy in the bedroom. Probably would have felt wrong to have an anime about fueling your alcoholic wife's habit, and then having sex with her while she's inebriated. Still, Osaka wa Fūfu comes off light and fluffy. It's the perfect anime for desert, something to enjoy after an anime that was about how hard it is to be an author, or about chefs fighting with their culinary skills. Future reviews incoming.

  
  

  Genres: Slice of Life, Comedy, Alcohol

  
  

  Animation: Creators in Pack, the seemingly masters of short-episode anime, were the ones behind this work. This is the same studio who also did the animation for Danchigai, Ojisan to Marshmallow, and Kiitarou Shounen no Youkai Enikki. It captured the 'cute' side of Chisato perfectly, with just the right amour of detail, and it didn't do a half bad job with the drinks. It wasn't any Shoukugeki, but it was still good.

  
  

  Voice Acting: Eh, it was good. I mean, the VAs behind both Chisato and Sora have been round the block enough to know what they are doing. Especially Chisato, who was voiced by Eri Kitamura, same actress behind the voices of Karen Araragi from the Monogatari series, and Mairu Orihara from Durarara!!

  
  

  Favorite Character: While I really want to say Sora, because of how doting he is on his wife, but outside of his skills making cocktails and his love for Chisato, not much is show about him. Anime does have a focus on following Chisato, so in the end, I can't say Sora was able to make it. Just one of those times where the anime is too short and the characters a little too thin for me to pick one as my "favorite."

  
  

  Osake wa Fūfu ni Natte kara gets a 7.6 out of 10
  

  
  

  
  

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  ...And a Happy New Year!

  3 months ago

  iMacOfDeath

  News

  Last day of vacation, then it's back to work tomorrow.

  
  

  I've throughly enjoyed my week off, but any longer and I fear the rust would start showing. I mean, the job isn't fast paced like a restaurant, but it still requires you to be on point throughout the day.

  
  

  In other news, I got my hands on the new elemental hero for Fire Emblem; Gunnthrá. She's not bad, and I love her older sister, mature, and cool demeanor.

  Since there are two more elements coming our way, I bet the fire element is a spunky red head and the earth element is an expressionless brunette. (That, or she's the "smart" one.)

  
  

  Now, who's ready for their tax returns?

  
  

  
  

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  Merry Christmas You Filthy Animal

  4 months ago

  iMacOfDeath

  News

  Gonna be spending the whole day at home, since everything is closed. Not that I would go anywhere if i could, seeing as how it snowed like a snow of a bitch last night. Guess we'll get that white Christmas after all.

  
  

  Got a family dinner later, not sure if everyone is going to be coming with what the weather did and all, but I'm obligated to participate even if just for an hour or so. Wish me luck.

  
  

  Need to catch up on a ton of anime, write another letter of seasons greetings to one of my four sisters, and get ready for the get together. 
  
  

  
  

  

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