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Cake day: June 16th, 2023

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  • Oh, I forgot to mention. I watched Blue Miburo, but it was bad in a pretty boring way, 1/5, but I got a little bit distracted while watching it and wanted to share.

    The main character’s voice sounded familiar, so I looked it up and found out he’s played by Umeda Shuuichirou, and there’s a reason I recognize his voice. He’s been around for a few years, but during the summer season he played the main (or one of two main) characters in three different shows: Sempai is an Otokonoko’s Makoto, Shoushimin’s Jougorou, and Makeine’s Kazuhiko. Then, this season the same: Loner Life’s Haruka, Puniru’s Kotarou, and Blue Miburo’s Nio. I’m not too familiar with voice acting, but that seems like a lot of work two season in a row?? lol


  • My new season has sort of settled in. I think I’ve cut down to things I’m pretty likely to finish, and I’ve decided on the anime I’ll be showing to my friends (every season I pick out around 6 for them and they choose 3 of them to watch together). The tasting menu this time is 365 Days to the Wedding, Acro Trip, Dan Da Dan, How I Attended an All-Guys Mixer, Let This Grieving Soul Retire, and Yakuza Fiance, with a bonus option to rewatch Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, since the new season (this winter) is coming out after five years and we don’t remember what happened, lol. I’ll also be recommending Orb: On the Movements of the Earth, which, like Chainsaw Man before it, would absolutely be on the agenda if I had the stomach for it, but I’m much too squeamish.

    I’m also personally following Nina the Starry Bride and The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor for some shoujo trash, and Ranma 1/2 for some tsundere nostalgia.

    Meanwhile, my friends and I finally finished our shows from last season! Here are my thoughts:

    Dahlia In Bloom - 3/10

    This one was rough animation-wise, but we stuck with it because it seemed like it’d be a cute little romance. Instead, we sat through episode upon episode of business meetings about foot fungus and hiring craftsman and splitting revenues and on and on. Every week we desperately pleaded for Dahlia and Wolf to go on a date or accidentally touch hands and then blush at each other or something, and by the end they each told the grave of a dead parent that the other was a really good friend. The whole season seemed pointless, like hours of setup for a plot that never arrived.

    Elusive Samurai - 9/10

    This was good solid fun the whole way through. The CGI was a little rough in some places, but ultimately that is more than forgiven because it’s clear they were spending that saved time wisely on the amazing sakuga moments. All the characters were fun to watch and it was great watching them grow in both skill and maturity. Strong recommend.

    Sempai is an Otokonoko - 10/10

    It feels so good to see a queer story that both revels in the joy of being oneself and doesn’t shy away from the fear and hurt that come from a hostile society. Our leads have legitimate worries, but they also have strong bonds with both each other and all the allies in their lives. The end of the season left a lot of loose ends, but I think it paused in a good place. I’m looking forward to the movie, and maybe a second season after that if they get it, and I’m still holding out hope for the polyamory ending (complete love triangle, let’s go!)






  • Hana has the attitude you really need for fishing: happy to be there, happy when anything is happening, eager to eat whatever you happen to find. Fishing is not a hobby that goes well for sore losers, lol. Also, I’m curious what that setup the one loan shark was using to catch the crab - it sounds like it’s for catching shellfish, which I always find to be cool little guys whenever I happen across them.

    After 3 episodes, this one hasn’t really grabbed me, for whatever reason. At this point I could see the storytelling quality going either way (and as an original, no one has the answer to that yet), so I think this is where I depart, but I’ll probably poke my head back in later in the season to see if that’s a decision I will regret (though that kind of mistake is easily fixed, lol).






  • I’m liking this one so far, but it does take some willful ignoring of the age stuff. Knowing what I know about why the emperor’s wife’s age is important, I can see that they’re trying to build it up into a mystery that we will slowly unravel, but without that knowledge it definitely seems like just a running gag that one of our main protagonists is (or at least appears to be) a literal pedophile, which is not a great look. And like, they wouldn’t even have this problem if they’d picked a better age numbers all around…

    When putting the age stuff out of mind, though, I’m really able to get invested in our main couple. Hadis is so affection starved and eager to please that it makes sense he’d latch himself onto someone willing to protect his happiness. Meanwhile, Jill seems to have the strength of will (and strength of strength, lol) to face down whatever the curse brings, and her characterization seems locked in on being written as her mental age, rather than falling back into treating her like a child like most of these “redo” stories do. I’m enjoying their dynamic so far and I look forward to them growing closer as they face their challenges together. (They also end up treating each other pretty much as equals, which is the most important piece of trying to ignore the age stuff)

    Also, for those who don’t know, “thieving cat” is the Japanese equivalent of “homewrecker” (which Sphere added “-chan” onto). The translators were in a bit of a bind because the visuals were so literal, so I don’t think it came across quite the way it would to a Japanese audience.