anime review: watashi ga motenai no wa dou kangaetemo omaera ga warui

when i started this anime i was hoping for a buck load of laughs. i do get them, but after each laugh, i bury my head in shame. this anime really prick on my consciousness.  as a minor case of misfit myself, i can relate to the main character, Kuroki Tomoko. i really pity her and at the same time i want to "shout get over it, dumbass!"

what make this story hilarious is that Tomoko is disgustingly positive with herself and always ended up in disastrous and hilarious result. she had a seemingly foolproof plan for the day but it always went haywire thanks to her inability to talk to people around her.

Tomoko has a serious case of shyness and had a nervous breakdown when people talking to her or when she tried to talk to people. in this anime, Tomoko was not bullied. there are always people around her that was nice to her but she close herself up because of her shyness. i laugh in a lot of scene but then i buried by head in the pillow and think, why is she like that? she reminded me of something in my younger days and i hate that.

the opposite case of Tomoko is her middle school friends Naruse Yuu. she and tomoko both were once an otaku and quite a misfit but she breaks her shell nicely and become a butterfly. tomoko could do the same but in my opinion, she didn't even break her shell. she didn't even really try or maybe she had expected that she would fail so she didn't even bother trying.

here's a little tidbit of the anime:

the plot is about a high school first year trying to become popular. she had simulations on it many times and confident that it will work out but the moment someone talks to her, she had a nervous breakdown. even a simple conversation is hard on her. but she didn't give up and formulate plans after plans, albeit failed to execute it as she hoped.

the animation is this story really center around Tomoko so the animators wahsed out the background and the other characters. but there are also times when the one being washed out is Tomoko. it is to show how she didn't feel like she didn't belong there.

the opening make me expect a fighting scene of some angsty lines but there are none. the ending song was either this one cute pop song on how she feel or random songs that fit the moment. i kinda like the idea of putting random songs in it because it gave a fresh feel and it relate to the episode quite well.

watamote is a hard slap on reality on our face. we are either Tomoko or we know a Tomoko. we are either helping them or we ignore them. we know that Tomoko need help and there are times when we really wanted to reach our hands to her. but then come the Tomoko side of story, which she unknowingly rejected people's help and build a fence around herself.


it was funny and sometime it was depressing especially for those who had  experience of being a missfit. it wasn't an emotional rollercoater but at the end of every scene i look back into myself and feel depressed. for the anime to be able to bring out the deepest feeling and dark secret of the person watching it, it was a really good anime.

anime review: monogatari (1st season)

i have already read the light novels of this series and to be honest i kinda watched it according to the time flow of the novel, not the release sequence of the anime.
the story center around Araragi koyomi, o boy who was turned into a vampire then turned back to being human. after he return back to normal human it seems like he life got involve with more Kai (oddities/monster/ spiritual being). this story tell his journey in helping those affected by the Kai and the stor of the Kais itself.

what really got me hooked up on this is two things. the first one is the involvement of supernatural beings in the series. a guess every girl love supernatural things. what make it much more enjoyable is that you could reseach on the kais on your own. the idea of using japanesse kai and folklore really make this story stand out.

the second thing that got me hooked up is the animation. the animator of this anime is shaft studio. i like how they just eliminate unnecessary characters in the anime, even it is a scene in the school but there was no other students, just araragi and whichever girl (hitagi/hanekawa/kanbaru) he was dealing with. i figure out that everything that appear in the anime is related to the story, wheter to emphasis or to give a clue on something. oh and, don't forget the head tilt. only shaft can do it and it convey different emotions,

the plot:
to tell the truth the plot was kinda messed up for first timer.  i already read the light novels so i can understand it quite well. basically it is a story of a former vampire, dealing and helping girls that was affected by Kai or spiritual beings. in a way it seem like those who was affected by kai will always ended up meeting Araragi, or he himself seemed to attract those who was affected by kai.

characters:

araragi koyomi- a boy who was attacked by a vampire and became and vampire during his spring break before third year. with the help of oshino meme and hanekawa tsubasa, he gained his mortality back along with few vampire traits.
he is an honest person and selfless, often hurting himself in order to save the girls. after the mayoi snail arc, he and senjougahara hitagi started going out.

Senjougahara hitagi- one of the girls that was affected by the kai, the Burden/Weight Crab, causing her to lose her  weight. Araragi helped her to gain her weight back and since the she was thankful to him. she consider herself a tsundere and quite abusive towards Araragi Koyomi, even after dating. however she seemed much more normal and opened up after the Tsukuhi Pheonix Arc. despite being abusive, she really loves Araragi Koyomi.

Hanekawa Tsubasa- the epitome of goodness. she is the class representatives in Araragi class. she is so righteous that it sickened oshino memes. however, in Nekomonogatai, it is revealed that Hanekawa has a serious family issues. an issues big enough that a bakeneko possesed her and harmed her parents and lots of civillian in order to release her stress. hanekawa is smart and knows alot of things with her taglile 'i don't know everything, i just know what i know'. araragi first thinks he was in love with her but Araragi Tsukihi said that he just lusted after her. however, she is one among the peoples Araragi trust and cared so much, mainly because he owe her a life debt.

Araragi karen- the middle child of the Araragi household. she is into martial arts and had a lot of energy to spend. she is a part of the fire sister and always ready to uphold justice. she is a bit of hot headed, a trait that caused her to be bitten by the kai bee that caused her a terrible fever.

Araragi Tsukihi- the youngest of the araragi siblings. she is sweet like any younger sister should be but also prone to histerics. she loves to do indoor activity and also part of the fire sister. in Nisemonogatari, it is revealed that, tsukihi is not really their sister but a pheonix llike kai that had taken a residents in their mother's womb and born as Araragi Tsukihi. this pheonix like ability gave her a regenerative ability.

HAchikuji mayoi- a elementary schooler that Araragi met at the park on mother's day. she is playful and always mispronounce Araragi's name. Mayoi is actually a lost snail kai that led those who didn't want to go home astray, a role even she herself didn't like. after the help from Araragi and Hitagi, she become the wandering ghost, which suit her best because she can travel around. while being the lost snail kai, only Araragi and Hanekawa can see her. implying that both teenagers didn't want to go home.

Kanbaru Suruga- a star basketball player that was in love with Hitagi. Kanbaru was affected by the Rainy devils, a power that make her tried to kill Araragi because of her jelousy towards him for being with Hitagi. kanbaru is boyish and always bright and positive.

Oshino Meme- a kai experts that helped Araragi gain his mortality back. he is the man that araragi will consult any girl with kai problems to him.

Oshino Shinobu- a former vampire that bit Araragi and caused him to become a vampire. when araragi return to his mortality, she alse stripped of her power, leaving her in a child body. she suck Araragi blood daily so that she can stay alive. in akemonogatari, she stay silent and brooding in a corner but in nisemonogatari, she lives in Araragi shadows and speak. she has an obsessive fondness of donuts.

Sengoku Nadeko- araragi junior and also one of his childhood friends (friend of his sisters). Sengoku was affected by double curses from both her friend and a boy that she rejected. she had a crush on Araragi and Kanbaru called her the final boss (in relation to Araragi love life)

arts:
the arts was simply stunning. the fact that Shaft used a lot of geometric elements in this make it quite exceptional compared to other anime. it uses the colour that is bright and vivid on the gray background.

music:  the opening song is different on each arc. i like it that way because it won't be redundant. the animation during the opening is also related to the girl in the arc, it gives the hist of the girls feeling and characteristic.

all in all, it is a must watch for those who love anime based on supernatural. the fact that it wasn't gloomy make it much more enjoyable. it is supernatural but it is not represented in a ghost story mode.

anime review: Yahari ore no seishun love comedy wa machigatteiru

or Oregairu for short. it just a fad for Japanese visual novel this days to have a long titles.

i watched this anime a few days back on a recommendation by some people. and, let me be honest. i totally can relate to hikigaya hachiman. his views on youth is twisted yet for me he was more on the realistic side, plus a bit of pessimistic attitude.

hachiman was forced to join a club by his teacher and there he met with the school ice queen, Yukino Yukinoshita. the purpose of the club is to help any students that ask for help (the volunteer club). then they met Yui yuigahama, a cheerful girl. together, they started to help various students settled various issues.

plot:

i don't think highschoolers can settle this =_=''

the plot in this anime is big on yuigahama (jk :3). the plot is the usual 'introduction, climax and ending' formula, yet to me the ending was quite shallow and it din't really wrap up the story (season 2, incoming? maybe?) however i like it. i find the story is easy to understand. it maybe centered around quite a difficult issue but they made it easy to understand. i  like how Hachiman tried to help the students that came to the club and at the same time didn't really lost his character. he became from the unknown student to hated students just so that he can express his ideas and feeling. and truthfully, the words he spouted is the same that other students are thinking yet only he is able to say it out loud. along the way, we can see Hachiman slowly build a friendship with Yukino and Yui and some other character.

art:
the art was nice but it has nothing to write home about. is the same old anime style.

music:
the opening and ending fit with the anime quite well. but i wasn't really hyped about it.

characters: (i decided to copy paste the description from myanimelist.com because i don't want to lose the real point of this anime.

hachiman hikigaya

Hachiman is the story's main protagonist, an isolated, friendless boy who is pragmatic to a fault. His most prominent feature is his set of "dead fish-eyes". He firmly believes that "youth" is simply an illusion created by hypocrites, for hypocrites, born from the ashes of past failures. In this state of apparent corruption, he is coerced into joining the Service Club by his futures advisor in the hopes that exposing him to the world will change his personality, and ultimately make him a "better person". He is called "Hikki" affectionally by Yui.

(Source: Vistrans, yahari wikia)
Read more at http://myanimelist.net/character/67065/Hachiman_Hikigaya#rCbGBZPZjHET3SBd.99

to me, i can relate ti hikigaya especially his blunt/ sharp tongued character. i'm like that too..

Yukino yukinoshita:

Yukino is the leader of the Service Club, of which she is the sole member until Hachiman joins her. She is smart, beautiful, and is nicknamed the "Ice-cold Beauty" for her icy demeanor. She has a twisted sense of "noblesse oblige", and believes that it is the duty of the exceptional (in other words, herself) to help the "lost lambs" of the world. Her personality often leads her to be disgusted at the naivety of others, particularly Yui's, and she does not hesitate to show it. Despite this, Yui still affectionately calls her "Yukinon".
Read more at http://myanimelist.net/character/67067/Yukino_Yukinoshita#6DjIW2ytaXAU3SRw.99

yui yuigahama

Yui is a cheerful, outgoing girl who becomes the Service Club's first "customer", asking them to help her bake cookies for "a certain someone". Her problems lie not with her personality, but with her inability to deal with issues by herself. She believes that talent is inborn, and often aspired to be like others until Yukino changed her way of thinking. Following her experience with the Service Club, Yui begins to attend Service Club sessions after school as well, despite Yukino's objections early on.

Read more at http://myanimelist.net/character/67069/Yui_Yuigahama#pd2wTEoIQCSCWsx6.99


all in all, i say that this is a good anime and really recommend it especially to teenagers that still looking for their own place in this world with the message GET REAL!

and oh, i LOVE the quotes in this anime, especially Hachiman's.

light novel review: toradora

toradora! is technically among my favourite romantic comedy anime. and when i started to like something i tend to look for every information available about it, which lead me to the original light novel, Toradora!
as a reader myself, i began searching for the translated version and found it. it was translated and hosted by baka-tsuki, one of the best anime translator. but the download version is in epub so i can read it without epub reader. however it didn't stop me because i saved the source and read it there. i can't go online much lately so i resort to that method, for now.

now back to the story. all i can say is reading the light novel helps me understand each character, especially Ami (which i don't really understand in anime). the writing was smooth and enjoyable that had me read it continuously for hours.

the anime pretty much used all the scene in the novel, so it left less room to complain (i am the "the book is better that the movie ' type) all i can say is that the anime really did the light novel justice.

the ending is slightly different. in the light novel, taiga's family circumstances is explained almost thoroughly yet the separation between taiga and ryuuji was short. in a way, taiga got her almost happy ending. i guess the anime just wanted to make it much more dramatic by lengthening the separation between taiga and ryuuji with no explanation whatsoever on taiga's family circumstances.

in all, the light novel really focus on relationship between friends, lovers and family. i love how they stress on the familial relationship in this novel. it wasn't the cliche "parents works far away" setting that anime love to use to explain the absence of parents. this light novel really emphasis on the relationship or the lack thereof between child and parents.

a total recommendation to those who would mind spending some time reading this. and also for those who watched the anime, please try to take sometime to read it :)

poem: blue sky

blue sky

the vast green sea,
the clear blue sky,
 we were there together,
laughing, holding hands,
reaching for our dreams,

but why do i felt lonely,
even then, i pray,
with your  hand in my right hand,
i tried to reach you with my left hand,

"separation is expected. and if we can't meet again, we can talk on the phone"

your simple words,
your delicate smile,
my tears fell,
but i smiled,

under the same blue sky,
we look up and make a promise, (never forget me)
with your hand in my right hand,
and my left hand tried to keep you here forever,

and when i see you,
through the window pane,
the smoke chokes and the engine roars,
my heart hurt yet i smile,
waving my hand while saying goodbye with a smile is so hard.

this is dedicated to all my friends in IPG KDRI. we may have our rough patches and all but deep in my heart, i appreciate all of you. thank you for being my friends and i hope we can meet again, very soon, hopefully.

anime review: hataraku maou-sama! / the devil is a part-timer

watched this last night and i quite enjoyed it. the mix between, sarcasm, homour and seriousness was well done.

the plot:
when the devil overlord and his adviser escaped their world into modern japan, what would we expect? a full blown destruction? attempt on taking over the modern world or just two young adult tried to balance their monthly income?
maou sadao and his faithful advisor ashiya shiro escaped the attack on their castle by entering the gate that lead them to the modern day japan. because of lack of magic power, they have the blend in with the society. maou sadao got a job at the Mgronald and their lives as the law abiding citizen begin.
but it get complicated when their enemy who chased after them, Emilia also stuck on modern japan and they both met up by accidents. however, because both can't wield enough magic power, their encaunters just usually ended up with verbal-spats.
matters got worse when one of the devil general Lucifer tried to kill both Maou and Emi. but his attempt failed miserably because the devil overlord got his power back and whack the shit out of him.
lucifer, or later named Urashihara lived with Maou and Ashiya and took the character of a total bum or more likely known as hikikomori.
but then, another person moved next door, a very delicate and traditional Suzuno. but what secret she carries?
although seem like complicated, the anime of a total humour with a little romance on top. it was kinda fresh and the humour and sarcasm was well delivered.

characters:
maou sadao : the devel overlord who flee his country in a battle and escaped to modern day japan. he works at Mgronald  and loves his job.

ashiya shiro: the overlord advisor and at the same time on of his general. in the modern day tokyo he is the mom of the household. taking care of meals and money.

yusa emi: original name is Emilia yet change it to fit into the society. she is the hero that was supposed to kill the devil overlord. she works in a call center and live alone but most of the time we can see her at the overlord's home.

chiho chan: the only high-schooler in the series. being 16 years old, she works as a part-timer in mgronald. she loves Maou sadao and had confessed to him but he just sees her as the co-worker that he need to take care of.

lucifer/ Urushihara: one of the devil's overlord four generals. he was a fallen-angel-turned-devil and planned to kill both emilia and maou so that  he can return to heaven. when his plan failed and he lost most of his magic powers, he live with maou and shiro (after a terrible beating) because they need to hide him from the people who saw him causing the ruckus. he was what would you termed as a total bum that does online shopping and add strain on the household's budget. much to Ashiya's displeasure.

Suzuno: she moved next door to the maou's. she is very traditional in terms of dressing and speaking and a bit of a freak at first. she always help them with their household and cooking especially when Ashiya was sick. the truth is, Suzuno is Shinigami Christia Bell, that was ordered to kill the devil's Overlord while he was weak.

art: the art is so-so. it was good but it has nothing that stands out more than other anime. yet the animation of the facial expression of the characters was good.

music: the music was suitable with the anime but it was not some of my favourite.

in overall, i really enjoyed this anime. being adult that need to manage my own money i guess i can relate. i like the humour in it. other thing is this is the anime is not perverted and we can say that the fanservice in this anime is little. but comparing boobs with mgronald's burger was quite funny.

anime review: sakurasou no pet na kanojo

sakurasou no pet na kanojo is an anime about a bunch of looney people in a looney bin. at least that what Kanda Sorata would say.

actually this anime is all about self discovery and working hard to reach your goal.

the plot:
kanda sorata had always wanted to escape the looney bin known as Sakurasou, the home for problem children of Suimei High of Gift Affliated. he was kicked out the regular dorm because he kept a pet. but all his hope was crushed when he was assigned on 'Mashiro Duty', in which he need to feed her, clean her and dress her.  to make matter worse, mashiro is not a cat that he tends to pick up. mashiro is a real life, 16 years old girl that was super hot yet super clueless. all her life she only paint that she didn't know to do anything else.

other than mashiro, there are also few other residents in sakurasou who in kanda sorata's words are alien, ghost, and maharaja.

the story follows Sorata's attempts to become a game maker at the same time trying to live under the pressure of the talents around him. he  was disappointed a few times and blames his lacks of talent.

this story also revolves around the daily lives of the residents os sakurasou, their mischief and their effort together in making something they like.

the characters:
kanda sorata- the only sane person in Sakurasou (in his words). Sorata was the kind of boy who didn't know what to do with his life. when he figured out what he wanted to do, he always failed. he lives under the pressure of those talented people around him, especially mashiro, who in his eyes didn't have to work hard and always lucky in anything she does.




Kamiigusa misaki- the alien of sakurasou. she was gifted in animation and even had an anime that was a huge hit under her belt. she is always full of energy and crazy ideas. she is always in love with her childhood friend to the point of doing inappropriate and crazy things so that he would notice her.

Shiina Mashiro- the pet of sakurasou. she didn't know to do anything else other that painting hence how the 'mashiro duty' was created. someone always had to wake her up, take her to the bath, choose her clothes for the day, give her food and leave her when she started doing her wor. she is already a popular painter in england before moving to Japan to draw manga. shiina was a bit of a kuudere, and have the craziest one liner.




Mitaka Jin- the maharaja. he had a bunch of girlfriends and always spend the night with them. ironically he is the one that misaka love. it was later revealed that he too loves misaka but too afraid to lose her. he wanted to keep her at his side, pure forever. he  wrote  the script for misaka's anime but his scripts was not so good. something that always ticked him off. he wanted to be somebody that can stand next to misaka not just some average person, hence he decided to move to Osaka because the university there had better writing programs.

akasaka ryuunusuke- the ghost/shut-in. ryuusuke was rarely shown in fact we were only know him in the middle of the series. he laways comunicated via mail with the help of maid-chain, the autoresponder he developed himself. he is a computer programmer and was afraid of women. despite that, he was blunt and honest in his words that it sometimes hurt others. despite being a shut-in, he was shown as someone who was good at dealing with peoples, albeit rarely shown.

aoyama nanami- the other only sane person in sakurasou. she moved to sakurasou because of the cheaper fare. she wants to be a seiyuu and had worked hard since then. she was the other talent-less person in sakurasou that need to work hard to achieve her goal. nanami secretly has feeling for kanda however always backpedaled when she had a chance to confess. this is because she can see the other person who love Kanda  and needs him.



the music:
the openinga nd ending song was catchy yet fit the themes perfectly. however it wasn't part of my favourite, maybe because it was more of a pop-song. however there are a few background music that fit perfectly into the scenes.

the arts:
this anime is about a bunch of kids with special talents in arts, thus there are few art pieces in this that was simply amazing. on the overall view, the art was somewhat what we usually see in anime thus it has nothing special to write home about. don't get me wrong, it was all nice and beautiful yet it was what we always seen, it was kinda boring.