Anime ATM 96 March Comes In Like a Lion S2

You know, here's a funny story for you. I meant to start Boku no Hero Academia. I really meant to. Sincerely I had the page open on my computer and everything. But somehow one thing led to another (Netflix had the second season of 3-gatsu online) and then I ended up here. And along the way I reached nirvana. Just kidding! I just had an epiphany about how much I love these shows that are a blend of slice of life and a little bit of competitive spirit. It's like how I love Chihayafuru so much because of the romance aspect mixed in with everyone trying to become better at karuta. Same thing here, except because of Rei's origin story in terms of why he's so committed to shogi it lends itself more towards the exploration of what it truly means to be youthful and explores themes of family and security.

{Spoilers}

When I first started the second season, I'll be honest with you and say that it was mostly so I could just say that I finished the second season because I'm a completionist. And then when I started the season, I wasn't too thrilled. The pacing seemed a little bit off to me. It was kind of slow, and it didn't really engage me as I recall the first season having done to me. But somewhere along the line, I became so drawn into what was happening it was actually insane. I could feel my body tense as the show went on and I can't really tell you why. That was just my immediate reaction to the plot I guess?

Well I think first of all we should do a quick overview of the season. So, we start off with pretty much everyone from the cast of the first season. We've got our main boy Kiriyama Rei and his home away from home with the three Kawamoto sisters Akari, Hina, and Momo. Unfortunately this season didn't have as much of Momo much to my chagrin.

This season really explored themes of friendship and a more sensitive topic of bulying surrounding Hina. It was kind of an unexpected twist because when you look at Hina you see this really sweet and cheerful girl that wants everyone to get along. But because of her extremely steady moral compass, she ends up bullied for standing up for her friend Chiho. And it's a really humanizing arc that shows how bullying not only affects the victim. It affects the bully, the classroom, the families of those affected, and the teachers. The way that Rei's teacher heard Rei out and tried to explain why it was so hard to address the issue and how he got enraged at how Hina's homeroom teacher wasn't effectively addressing the problem really reflected how I felt inside about the issue. But at the same time it was a realistic portrayal of not really having the silver bullet solution to the problem. It was also really startling to see Hina's homeroom teacher becoming overwhelmed with anxiety to the point of collapse. I think we see teachers as somewhat of a teaching vessel and sometimes nothing more than a wealth of knowledge when in fact they're most definitely human too and affected by the situation just the same as wea re. And that was definitely a good reminder to treat people how you wish to be treated and to think about how consequential bullying really is. It broke my heart to see Hina visiting Chiho and to see how much she still struggled with making friends after what had happened to her.

The whole concept of showcasing bullying and how it truly affects everyone that's involved on a deeper level was really moving and powerful. I mean just seeing Akari's breakdown and how her heart broke for Hina and how she kept asking herself why Hina did what she did when she could've just kept silent and even wanting her to have kept silent really showed how her feelings were in turmoil. You can't help but root for Hina because her heart is so steadfast and she's not afraid to stand up for her beliefs, but seeing the aftermath and how shattered she felt at certain points like when they went on the class trip really makes your morals waver. This isn't to say that Hina didn't do the right thing, this is just to say that the mangaka did a truly brilliant job with this part.

A short aside for the episode with Rei and Souya. There was something satisfying about watching this episode. Maybe it was just because I like the rainy aesthetic. Maybe because a lot of it was just silence between the two. And it might have been because some of the mystery behind Souya was finally brought to light. But seeing the two on the train back home and ending up having to find shelter from the storm together was kind of heartwarming in a weird way. I dunno, watch the episode and tell me what you thought. Maybe I'm just crazy.

And an arc that doesn't really speak to my experience would be the epic match between our two favorite oldies. There's Shimada who we've already become familiar with as Rei's kind of mentor and our resident sickly boy who's got big dreams from the countryside still. And then we've got Yanagihara who's the oldest active Class A member that honestly came off as a joke when we first met him. We didn't know a whole lot about him until now. And now that we do know a little bit more about him, wow this guy's carrying a heavy burden. The imagery in this arc was so striking. To see this old man who's got to take so many medications and put on all of those pain-relief patches to play a match is a sobering thought. Maybe this is because usually in professional matches you think of a physical sport maybe where after a certain age you have to retire. Since this isn't the case with shogi, I guess you just don't think about the physical toll as much. But Yanagihara is honestly a real inspiration. All of the sashes that weigh him down as all of his friends stopped playing shogi, for him to continue playing not just for himself but also for all these friends as well, I can't even imagine the toll. And for him to come to the realization that although all of these sashes are somewhat burdens, that they're also something to have pride in and to embrace the heavy weight on his shoulders is really admirable. To love your friends that much and to carry on this legacy is something I can't yet relate to, but is definitely something to look forward to in the future I guess?

A real left fielder though was in the last episode where Rei visits his adoptive mother's house and they have this awkward relationship. It's not quite resentment, but I'm not convinced it's fondness either. It's kind of this weird limbo that was both awkward but heartwarming at the same time. The dream she had when he left and her perspective of how he grew up in their house was different from what we've seen from Kyouko, Ayumu or Rei's perspective and it was refreshing. But also sad don't get me wrong.

Overall, I felt like this season was definitely worth the watch. I wasn't disappointed by how things have turned out and progressed. If they make a third season I'll be looking for Hina and Rei's doki doki high school life together. There was so much depth and thought into the season and we've explored some exciting things throughout the show. You definitely don't have to know anything about shogi in order to fully enjoy the show. Yeah, so please if you have some time, try it out. It might seem a little slow, but it's a definite one for the soul and kokoro.

Anime Blurb 44 K-On!! Season 2

So for some quick backstory onto why this blog post took so long to resurface is 1. I didn't realize there was a second season 2. Gogoanime failed me because it only had dubbed and I'm too snobby for that and 3. I think I'm phasing out of my distinctly slice of life only exclusive genre phase.

{How can there be spoilers in slice of life?? People watch this to de-stress.}

So this begins on the same premise that Season 1 left off with except this time they're looking for new members. Honestly I don't think there's a whole lot of rhyme or reason in this season because it's literally built around the timeline of school life. But of course with this being slice of life/school life that makes perfect sense. It's not the most exciting anime I've ever watched in my life but it's some people's jam. For example my friend completed this season before I did because he has no life despite the exorbitant amount of AP's he's taking. And he loved it. Of course that's because he's still a fledgling anime watcher but still (ur a noob @ him).

Anyways, KyoAni knocked this one out of the park too. All the loose ends were tied up. There were no real conflicts. There were a lot of cute moments. And they really emphasized the nostalgia factor. So if you're a really sentimental person, this is for you. I'd say that this is a gentle roller coasters for all ages.

As far as the music goes, I wouldn't say that it's better than Season 1. I don't think anything can to "Fuwa Fuwa Time" and "Don't Say Lazy," but maybe that's because I'm more of a classic person when it comes to these things. Not to say that this season's OP and ED are bad by any means. Just give it a listen and perhaps comment what you think.

Overall I'd say it's a very relaxing albeit kind of standstill in pacing. There's a new emphasis on Azusa since she'll be taking over as well as the ever-constant spotlight on Mio (I think she's like the face of the group). So, if you're looking for a nice, light, easy watch this is it. Look no further than K-On!! Of course I'd recommend you to watch the first season before starting this one just to get a better insight into each of their personalities, but you'd probably be okay regardless.

P.S. It was hard getting all my screenshots together because again I watched this over the span of over a month or something.

How I make friends tbh

Ton-chan is best turtle

Why did this bring me to the brink of tears?

Twinning!

HAHAHAHAHA WHY IS THIS SO FUNNY

When you come back from a long break and no one recognizes you

So, uh, what accent is this?

The pain! The horror! The tragedy!

Ok, does anyone else get like this where they spend too much time with someone and just pick up their speech mannerisms? Just me? Ok.

*cue the tears*

*cue the torrential tears*

Although this is slice of life, this was so nerve wracking.

Ok, look really closely. Everyone has matching teacups except Azu-nyan. Because she's a cat. And she's like their baby. Omg this is cute.

*cue more tears*

Ok why are Mugi's eyes like this??

Anime Ventilation 37 Bungo Stray Dogs Season 2

There's just something so beautiful about gang/mafia anime. I don't know what it is about them, but they're absolutely addicting. I think they're really high up there as far as specific subgenres (?) go.

{Spoilers}

Already the first season of Bungo Stray Dogs was bomb af. I mean this both literally and figuratively because that guy with lemon shaped bombs deserves a mention. There's something so amazing how all of these people have different gifts. Some of them seem absolutely useless but the fun part is how the creators use these gifts and match them up with certain scenarios in order to create ingenious solutions. For example when they're taking down the Guild's home base/ship and they use the guy that is immune to lemon shaped bombs in order to destroy the ship. That was pretty ingenious. It's things like these that reinvigorate my hope in humanity. If there are people that can think of things like this, solutions like this, the world must not all that bad.

The way all the people fit together is like some sort of intricate puzzle. The mystery of it all really took me for a wild ride. Multiple times I was left thinking "There's no way they could get out of this one" or "No way! How did they plan that far ahead?" This makes me extremely appreciative of the planning and care that went into this series. It's just breath-taking quite honestly. There is no predictability here. It's all about slowly unraveling the mysteries and not really knowing what is at the end of the solution. It's almost like magic.

Honestly I was hooked by the first part. When it was about a younger Dazai and his two friends Ango and Odasaku I assumed the whole season would be about this younger Dazai. But oh boy it was even better. It gave a lot of insight into how Dazai was when he was part of the Port Mafia. He was just as ruthless and almost casual about death. Everything about this life was violent and volatile. The backstory it gave which shed light on the organization Ango was double/triple agenting for was also amazing at giving insight into why Dazai left the mafia. Odasaku's story was emotionally compelling. When those orphans he took in died it broke something inside of him and at the same time it kind of showed how great these creators are at giving genuine motivations. This guy was motivated not to kill people because he wondered how he could write about living if he had taken a life which is a rather original way to think about life. And in a way he imparted the same sort of advice onto Dazai when he died. Because of him Dazai decided to become something more beautiful: to save the people of Yokohama instead of killing them. The whole backstory that goes along with Dazai's transformation into basically a civil servant is critical in his whole character. Because if you look at him and Chuuya for example you'd wonder why he ever left. Though they have a friendly rivalry you can see the camaraderie that goes along with knowing someone for that long and with such intimacy that you can literally stake your life on the fact that the other has your back. That kind of teamwork and trust is rare in someone you could say is your 'mortal enemy'.

There's something so beautiful in the layers and intricacy that goes into all of this. Even if you look at the individual parts it's hard to see where the plot is going. It's one wild ride that's for sure. Each of the characters is so eclectic that it's hard to see how they all fit together or are even distantly relevant to one another. But I suppose that's the beauty of it. Seeing their individual development like Kyouka and her mastering her demon and Atsushi being able to become a super epic weretiger is amazing. Seeing everyone using their gifts is actually one of the best parts of the anime. You never really know what's going to be useful and when. Like with the Guild's powers. Those are actually some of the more amusing ones. Like the guy that can control Moby Dick; did you see the end when the soul of the whale still followed him? So cute. And Poe with his raccoom Karl? His novel was actually so genius. (I just wonder why it was a raccoon and not like a raven.) And Mark with little chibi Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer helping him shoot and launch missiles was a nice touch. Honestly seeing all of them and their references to classical novels and such was amusing. It's just little details like that that make everything so much more interesting.

The plot itself was totally unpredictable. It took twists and turns. Like when the Port Mafia turned out to be the reason that Mimic was allowed into Yokohama just so they could get a gifted license was crazy manipulative but also amazingly genius. And then when the Port Mafia and Agency came to somewhat of a truce and blessed us with a Chuuya x Dazai tag team?!!!! That was amazing! And again with the Double Black in the form of Atsushi and Akutagawa. That was actually amazing.

And the denouement/foreshadowing at the end! It's kind of a happy ending, but not. Because Akutagawa finally got the validation from his hero Dazai after so many years of yearning for praise. And Kyouka was finally able to control her demon and become an official part of the Agency. But at the same time there's a new organization threatening to destroy the peace. Rest assured though...I think we were promised a third season. IT'S TIME TO GET HYPED! 

Anyways if my fangirling hasn't already convinced you that this is an amazing anime to watch, let me share with you my many, many screenshots. (I tried to hold back, I really did but--)

If I didn't already mention, this season was visually stunning.

There's something about the neon sign aesthetic that's really great. 

(Also I might or might not have rewound the first episode while they were playing the OP like 5 times trying to screenshot this.)

You might hate Ango at first, but he's a pretty decent guy.

Odasaku is great.

Aren't they so cool???

Look at that coloring and tell me that they didn't plan this whole season out brilliantly. Just try me. 

I may or may not have teared up TT^TT

*chokes* Gin is so cute

Q is actually so cute and ironically/paradoxically pure.

The whale was unexpected, but cool at the same time. Kind of reminds me of K.

I don't really know why, but Poe and Karl are an iconic duo all the same. Poe is so pure, even though he was on the wrong side of the fight.

For some reason, when there's mention of the title in the actual body of work it excites me irrationally. (Also it bothers me that I can't hate him after hearing his backstory. Ugh.)

LOOK AT THIS DUO AND BASK IN ITS EPICNESS

I bet Akutagawa went home and wrote about this in his journal

What a happy family

I hold them accountable for promising me this. This is actual proof of a promise.

Also, just as an ending note...THE OP AND ED ARE ACTUALLY BOMB AND YOU SHOULD WATCH THEM AND IT'LL MAKE YOU FEEL PHYSICALLY COMPELLED TO WATCH THE ANIME IF YOU AREN'T ALREADY SOLD.